by Name: Ylva Skovgaard
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Race: Walpurgis
Citizenship: Eisleyn
Occupation: Aspiring apothecary/herbalist, hunter
Appearance: Ylva stands at 5'4 and weighs about 120 lbs. She has long brown hair, that flows down to her shoulders. She has bright grey eyes that seem quite sad. Her skin is an olive color and she has a scar on the palm of her wrist. Her posture is slightly hunched out of shyness. Her usual outfit consists of a coat made from deerskin, with wolf fur lining the inside, the hood, and the sleeves to keep her warm, a simple gray tunic, thick brown trousers and brown boots. She is often seen with a large brown pouch around her waist that holds all of her collected herbs, her Herbology book, and other supplies she may find. She is also seen with a brown quiver on her back that holds many wooden arrows. Her longbow is also usually strapped to her back.
Personality: Ylva is what most would describe as a timid mouse. She's incredibly shy, nervous, and seems to be on the verge of crying all the time. She is known to be quite awkward, most likely due to her living away from any settlements, and often stutters when she speaks. Ylva also has the habit of apologizing profusely, even when it wasn't her fault, to begin with, or if something she had done did not require an apology. As a result of all of this, many people who do meet her get the impression she shouldn't be traveling the continent, and should instead join the safety of a large city.
However, mice are known to fight back if they feel threatened and Ylva is no exception. Despite her not enjoying the battlefield, if she needs to defend herself from corrupted beasts, bandits, or anything in between, she will not hesitate to draw an arrow and fire. While this an essential survival tactic in the world of traveling, she is known to feel guilty after slaying a human opponent, feeling that it is no different than murder.
Because of her distaste for battle and because of her childhood, Ylva prefers healing people instead. While she wouldn't dare use Eir's abilities within a town or city, she still does her best with what she has and will use whatever natural remedies she can with herbs to try and help her patient. Ylva is often scouring forests and other terrains for herbs that can be used to help someone when they are not healthy, often using her trusty Herbology book to identify plants she might have never seen before.
Ylva is very loyal to the ones she loves. Her desire to find out what happened to her parents and sister is out of love, and while it is borderline obsessive at times, she just wants to know what happened to them so she can move on.
History: Ylva was the second daughter born to Kasper and Regina Skovgaard in the nation of Eisleyn. They lived in a small village called Fjaril with Ylva’s older sister, Alfhild. Her parents worked as the town’s apothecaries and healers and spent a lot of time in the wilderness. They decided before she was born that they would move to their cabin deep within the forests of the frozen nation. Which ended up working out for the family because Ylva was born a Walpurgis. Her parents chose to not get her sealed, and instead let her enjoy a childhood filled with freedom. Of course, Ylva never actually managed to do so as she preferred staying inside where it was warm.
Her life was rather quiet, and she spent most of it playing with her older sister and learning a little bit of healing and warding magic from her parents. But when she turned 10, she began noticing problems with the family. Her parents were struggling, it was simple as that. It was hard to keep a self-sustainable life when you didn't live in a city or town in Eisleyn. The cold climate made it hard for vegetation to grow, which meant fewer vegetables on the table, and fewer herbs to use and sell. Her parents tried to learn spells to help, but their magic was better suited to healing than making things grow.
With money and food in short supply, Kasper and Regina had to make a tough choice to make sure their daughters had enough food and money to survive in the harsh wilderness. They joined a company of mercenaries as healers for the wounded. They would often come back with scars and a little tiny piece of their sanity left behind. Ylva hated it and never could understand why they couldn't just move back to town and get a job. She was never sealed, but she also never used Cantus magic or formed a contract with an Incantus, so it wouldn't be too hard to actually let that happen. But her parents wouldn't go for it, leaving Ylva alone at home with just her older sister to care for her.
Alfhild had to become a protector for Ylva, as well as her primary caretaker. While she was only two years older than her, Ylva always noted that Alfhild was very mature for her age. Alfhild began hunting game, skinning fur and skin, tanning hides, and taught Ylva how to do so as well. Her sister knew they couldn't wait for food to just end up on the table, so they had to do some poaching. In their minds, the royal family wasn't going to starve if one or two deer were killed. And it was just until their parents came home again.
They never did. The mercenary company went to do a contract far away, in a place that Ylva couldn't remember the name of. They weren't supposed to be gone for long, and she remembered her parents were excited that this was the last stop on this contract, as they had apparently been all over Esterelf for this job. But they just disappeared, every single member including Kasper and Regina. The sisters were obviously devastated, but they just assumed there was an accident or something that somehow killed everyone. They knew mercenary work was dangerous, but something always bothered Ylva about it.
But life went on. Alfhild and Ylva became more independent and began poaching even more and looking in the forest for any edible herbs. Ylva had always been interested in becoming an herbalist or an apothecary like her parents were, but she had no formal training in any magic, so her spells were weak and it was hard to find herbs in the snow-covered forests. Still, she never gave up and began reading all her parents' old books on the matter, learning how to identify different plants.
Alfhild, on the other hand, had to grow up even faster than she already had. And she soon began to realize what her parents were going through. Despite their best efforts, they still didn't have a lot of food or money to help keep them alive. And Alfhild knew that if Ylva were to move to town, then she would be sealed, and live a life of prejudice and abuse from the people. She couldn't let that happen. So she did the exact same thing her parents did. Alfhild joined a mercenary group to support them. Ylva was completely against the idea and often scolded her older sister for doing something so dangerous. Her sister ignored her and continued to take jobs with the mercenary corps. Leaving the younger sister feeling immense guilt over seeing her sister leave for days on end and coming back with wounds and scars, all for her sake.
Ylva did have to learn how to take care of herself now that she was alone most of the time. She began hunting on her own, searching the snow-covered forests for any herbs to use in medicine or to sell, and keeping the cabin warm by collecting firewood. Sometimes she would be alone for weeks on end, trying to survive by herself. But she stayed optimistic that Alfhild would return home like she always did. She would come back with another wound to her body and her mind, but with a sack of coins to go with it. Ylva was positive that they would figure something out so Alfhild wouldn't have to take so many jobs, they just needed to wait.
Except for one day, Alfhild never came home. Ylva expected her sister to come home one day, but she never showed up. At first, Ylva assumed that they had been delayed in their travels, as it had happened before. Then it turned into a few days, and no one had heard from her mercenary company. Ylva didn't know exactly where Alfhild had gone and didn't even know who employed her, so she waited. Waited for any sign of her sister to come by. So Ylva continued with life as usual, but days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. She began to fear that Alfhild had died or had gone missing in action. Dread set in. Ylva realized that she was truly alone. No mother to comfort her when she was sad, no father to teach her his craft, and no older sister to protect her from the dangers of the world.
And Ylva just cried. She cried in despair and anger. She wondered why her family had been taken away like this and what she had done to deserve. She wanted to find out what had happened, but she was too weak to go by herself. Ylva believed she would die trying to find out the truth.
But someone had heard her wails in the forest. A small and black butterfly fluttered in through a window one day. Only it was an Incantus. She asked Ylva what was wrong, which startled the girl. However, unlike others of her kind, this Incantus did not seek Ylva for a contract, but rather, she was genuinely concerned for her. The Incantus introduced herself as Eir, and continued to visit throughout the following weeks. Eir became someone Ylva could turn to, Eir was a friend who helped dispell her loneliness. But the thought of what happened to her family always sat in the back of her head. But with no power to search the dangerous world for answers, Ylva felt it was a lost cause. Then, one day, she got an idea. Form a contract with Eir, and with the power of an Incantus, Ylva would be able to scour Esterelf for the answers she craved. She brought the proposition to Eir, who, at first, was reluctant to agree to such a thing. But Ylva kept begging for help. Eir told Ylva the risks and the consequences that came with it, and after Ylva said she was fine with whatever happens, they formed a contract.
With her companion at her side, Ylva packed a pouch with various healing herbs, a Herbology book, and some rations and coins for her journey. She donned her traveling clothes, grabbed her quiver, arrows, and longbow, and left her home in the woods.
Weapon: Verndari
Skills:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Allusion: n/a
Incantus:
Gender: Female
Age: 17
Race: Walpurgis
Citizenship: Eisleyn
Occupation: Aspiring apothecary/herbalist, hunter
Appearance: Ylva stands at 5'4 and weighs about 120 lbs. She has long brown hair, that flows down to her shoulders. She has bright grey eyes that seem quite sad. Her skin is an olive color and she has a scar on the palm of her wrist. Her posture is slightly hunched out of shyness. Her usual outfit consists of a coat made from deerskin, with wolf fur lining the inside, the hood, and the sleeves to keep her warm, a simple gray tunic, thick brown trousers and brown boots. She is often seen with a large brown pouch around her waist that holds all of her collected herbs, her Herbology book, and other supplies she may find. She is also seen with a brown quiver on her back that holds many wooden arrows. Her longbow is also usually strapped to her back.
Personality: Ylva is what most would describe as a timid mouse. She's incredibly shy, nervous, and seems to be on the verge of crying all the time. She is known to be quite awkward, most likely due to her living away from any settlements, and often stutters when she speaks. Ylva also has the habit of apologizing profusely, even when it wasn't her fault, to begin with, or if something she had done did not require an apology. As a result of all of this, many people who do meet her get the impression she shouldn't be traveling the continent, and should instead join the safety of a large city.
However, mice are known to fight back if they feel threatened and Ylva is no exception. Despite her not enjoying the battlefield, if she needs to defend herself from corrupted beasts, bandits, or anything in between, she will not hesitate to draw an arrow and fire. While this an essential survival tactic in the world of traveling, she is known to feel guilty after slaying a human opponent, feeling that it is no different than murder.
Because of her distaste for battle and because of her childhood, Ylva prefers healing people instead. While she wouldn't dare use Eir's abilities within a town or city, she still does her best with what she has and will use whatever natural remedies she can with herbs to try and help her patient. Ylva is often scouring forests and other terrains for herbs that can be used to help someone when they are not healthy, often using her trusty Herbology book to identify plants she might have never seen before.
Ylva is very loyal to the ones she loves. Her desire to find out what happened to her parents and sister is out of love, and while it is borderline obsessive at times, she just wants to know what happened to them so she can move on.
History: Ylva was the second daughter born to Kasper and Regina Skovgaard in the nation of Eisleyn. They lived in a small village called Fjaril with Ylva’s older sister, Alfhild. Her parents worked as the town’s apothecaries and healers and spent a lot of time in the wilderness. They decided before she was born that they would move to their cabin deep within the forests of the frozen nation. Which ended up working out for the family because Ylva was born a Walpurgis. Her parents chose to not get her sealed, and instead let her enjoy a childhood filled with freedom. Of course, Ylva never actually managed to do so as she preferred staying inside where it was warm.
Her life was rather quiet, and she spent most of it playing with her older sister and learning a little bit of healing and warding magic from her parents. But when she turned 10, she began noticing problems with the family. Her parents were struggling, it was simple as that. It was hard to keep a self-sustainable life when you didn't live in a city or town in Eisleyn. The cold climate made it hard for vegetation to grow, which meant fewer vegetables on the table, and fewer herbs to use and sell. Her parents tried to learn spells to help, but their magic was better suited to healing than making things grow.
With money and food in short supply, Kasper and Regina had to make a tough choice to make sure their daughters had enough food and money to survive in the harsh wilderness. They joined a company of mercenaries as healers for the wounded. They would often come back with scars and a little tiny piece of their sanity left behind. Ylva hated it and never could understand why they couldn't just move back to town and get a job. She was never sealed, but she also never used Cantus magic or formed a contract with an Incantus, so it wouldn't be too hard to actually let that happen. But her parents wouldn't go for it, leaving Ylva alone at home with just her older sister to care for her.
Alfhild had to become a protector for Ylva, as well as her primary caretaker. While she was only two years older than her, Ylva always noted that Alfhild was very mature for her age. Alfhild began hunting game, skinning fur and skin, tanning hides, and taught Ylva how to do so as well. Her sister knew they couldn't wait for food to just end up on the table, so they had to do some poaching. In their minds, the royal family wasn't going to starve if one or two deer were killed. And it was just until their parents came home again.
They never did. The mercenary company went to do a contract far away, in a place that Ylva couldn't remember the name of. They weren't supposed to be gone for long, and she remembered her parents were excited that this was the last stop on this contract, as they had apparently been all over Esterelf for this job. But they just disappeared, every single member including Kasper and Regina. The sisters were obviously devastated, but they just assumed there was an accident or something that somehow killed everyone. They knew mercenary work was dangerous, but something always bothered Ylva about it.
But life went on. Alfhild and Ylva became more independent and began poaching even more and looking in the forest for any edible herbs. Ylva had always been interested in becoming an herbalist or an apothecary like her parents were, but she had no formal training in any magic, so her spells were weak and it was hard to find herbs in the snow-covered forests. Still, she never gave up and began reading all her parents' old books on the matter, learning how to identify different plants.
Alfhild, on the other hand, had to grow up even faster than she already had. And she soon began to realize what her parents were going through. Despite their best efforts, they still didn't have a lot of food or money to help keep them alive. And Alfhild knew that if Ylva were to move to town, then she would be sealed, and live a life of prejudice and abuse from the people. She couldn't let that happen. So she did the exact same thing her parents did. Alfhild joined a mercenary group to support them. Ylva was completely against the idea and often scolded her older sister for doing something so dangerous. Her sister ignored her and continued to take jobs with the mercenary corps. Leaving the younger sister feeling immense guilt over seeing her sister leave for days on end and coming back with wounds and scars, all for her sake.
Ylva did have to learn how to take care of herself now that she was alone most of the time. She began hunting on her own, searching the snow-covered forests for any herbs to use in medicine or to sell, and keeping the cabin warm by collecting firewood. Sometimes she would be alone for weeks on end, trying to survive by herself. But she stayed optimistic that Alfhild would return home like she always did. She would come back with another wound to her body and her mind, but with a sack of coins to go with it. Ylva was positive that they would figure something out so Alfhild wouldn't have to take so many jobs, they just needed to wait.
Except for one day, Alfhild never came home. Ylva expected her sister to come home one day, but she never showed up. At first, Ylva assumed that they had been delayed in their travels, as it had happened before. Then it turned into a few days, and no one had heard from her mercenary company. Ylva didn't know exactly where Alfhild had gone and didn't even know who employed her, so she waited. Waited for any sign of her sister to come by. So Ylva continued with life as usual, but days turned to weeks, and weeks to months. She began to fear that Alfhild had died or had gone missing in action. Dread set in. Ylva realized that she was truly alone. No mother to comfort her when she was sad, no father to teach her his craft, and no older sister to protect her from the dangers of the world.
And Ylva just cried. She cried in despair and anger. She wondered why her family had been taken away like this and what she had done to deserve. She wanted to find out what had happened, but she was too weak to go by herself. Ylva believed she would die trying to find out the truth.
But someone had heard her wails in the forest. A small and black butterfly fluttered in through a window one day. Only it was an Incantus. She asked Ylva what was wrong, which startled the girl. However, unlike others of her kind, this Incantus did not seek Ylva for a contract, but rather, she was genuinely concerned for her. The Incantus introduced herself as Eir, and continued to visit throughout the following weeks. Eir became someone Ylva could turn to, Eir was a friend who helped dispell her loneliness. But the thought of what happened to her family always sat in the back of her head. But with no power to search the dangerous world for answers, Ylva felt it was a lost cause. Then, one day, she got an idea. Form a contract with Eir, and with the power of an Incantus, Ylva would be able to scour Esterelf for the answers she craved. She brought the proposition to Eir, who, at first, was reluctant to agree to such a thing. But Ylva kept begging for help. Eir told Ylva the risks and the consequences that came with it, and after Ylva said she was fine with whatever happens, they formed a contract.
With her companion at her side, Ylva packed a pouch with various healing herbs, a Herbology book, and some rations and coins for her journey. She donned her traveling clothes, grabbed her quiver, arrows, and longbow, and left her home in the woods.
Weapon: Verndari
- First Form: A simple and sturdy longbow made from an oak tree. While it has no special qualities apart from any other bow, it's string is still taut and has supported and protected Ylva for many years. It was a gift from her sister. She has taken to calling it "Verndari".
Skills:
- Archery (Expert): Ylva has been practicing archery for several years, learning how to hunt with a bow after her parents disappeared. As such, she knows how to fire a deadly shot from afar.
- Herbology (Intermediate): Ylva has an above average knowledge of the various plant life found throughout Esterelf. Most of her knowledge comes from herbs found in Eisleyn and a few spread out to the other nations. However, there is still a lot of plants she doesn't know about so she frequently studies her Herbology book.
- Healing (Novice): While definitely more powerful than her Cartic magic she practiced before, Ylva is still learning to use it so the effects usually aren't what she hopes for. She's also slightly afraid of using Cantus magic in fears of becoming corrupted, even though she is nowhere close to that.
- Warding (Novice): Ylva is able to create weak barriers to protect herself against weaker attacks. Just like her healing abilities, her warding abilities are stronger than when she practice warding through Cartic magic, but due to her inexperience and fear, her wards aren't as effective as they could be.
Strengths:
- Years of hunting has allowed her to learn how to sneak around and fire the most deadly shot. Making her an effective silent killer.
- Knowledge of healing herbs and how to apply them as medicine makes her useful in treating injuries and sickness during times when magic is unavailable.
- Ylva will never betray someone she considers a friend or ally, making her a trustworthy person on and off the battlefield.
Weaknesses:
- Her relying only on archery to fight opponents makes her inept at fighting at close range.
- She has no offensive magic available to her, so she must rely on her bow and arrows, even during times where they are ineffective.
- Given her shyness and years of little interaction with people outside of her home has left Ylva socially inept, meaning it can be hard to communicate to her during a fight or to communicate with her in general.
Allusion: n/a
Incantus:
- Name: Eir
- Apparent gender: Female
- Appearance: A small butterfly with large black wings with a white “trim” on the edges.
- Demeanor: A very docile and kind Incantus, Eir is very different from other members of her species. She never actually sought out Ylva to form a contract, but instead tried to befriend her as she saw the girl crying over her family. She only went through with the contract due to Ylva’s pleading. Eir isn't very assertive and usually goes with the flow of things. She believes in hard work and the results it may get you. While she isn't an aggressive Incantus, she will fight if necessary.
- Special Powers: Eir flutters around the area of battle and can make the plants beneath the combatants' feet grow wildly, which entangle around enemies feet and legs. While not particularly strong, and can be easily broken out of after a few moments of struggle, it's used more as a distraction so that Ylva might have time to fire an arrow or so an ally to strike them down.
- Strengths/Weaknesses: Eir's abilities have no offense to them, meaning she can't directly attack anyone. However, her small size makes her hard to hit and her supporting abilities can easily change the tide of battle.
- Mantra: Ávöxtur vinnuafls (Icelandic for “Fruit of Labor”)
