Torvi Ylvakrí



"ᚺᚨᚱᛏ ᛖᚱ í ᚺᛖᛁᛗᛁ ∙ ᛋᚨᛗᛏ ᛖᛏᛏᛁ í ᛋᚨᛚ ᛗᛁᚾᚾᛁ ∙ ᛏᚹᚨᛖ ᛖᚷ ᚨᚠ ᛗᛖᚱ ᛗᛁᚾᚾᚨ ᛟᚷ ᚱᛖᛁᛞᛁ ᚱíᛏᚱᚨ ᛗᚨᚾᚾᚨ"

Torvi was born in a small village in rural Norway. As a child, she began to show signs of being attuned to the supernatural, whereupon she was taken in by a coven of witches and taught to hone her talents. After a decade of training, and several more years of operating as a mystic for a local village, the jarl exiled her, deciding that he couldn't risk her paganism influencing his people.

She opted to move to England, to ply her trade in a quiet village and perhaps even find some of the old Norse settlers. Though she didn’t encounter any other pagans, she exhibited enough kindness, wisdom and pathos to be tolerated – if not accepted – by the peasantry. She became friends with one particular local, another so-called witch a day's travel away named Arianne, and the two enjoyed a correspondence and occasional meeting to discuss spirituality, healing and the world around them.

This new peaceful life of hers was disrupted by Christendom once more when Robert Giscard's men came storming into the area, looking to make an example of Arianne, who interacted more frequently with the locals than Torvi and whose name had therefore come to his attention. Torvi received a premonition of Arianne’s impending capture, but was too far away at the time to provide enough warning for her to evade capture.

After hearing later that Arianne had somehow escaped after her imprisonment awaiting trial at Normanston, Torvi reckoned that Giscard's men would begin to seek out other witches for trial to save face. She feared that it wouldn't take long for them to discover her – secluded though she may be, a Nordic pagan of her description is hardly inconspicuous. Therefore, she fled and sought out the counsel of the witch known as Granny. Needing a hidden location inhabited by less judgemental people who were no friends of Giscard’s, she advised Torvi seek a covenant of magi she knew, residing within Sherwood Forest…

Description
Born: 1165 Height: 5'4" Weight: 112lbs Build: Skinny Notable Features: Vivid blue eyes, very pronounced canines.

Characteristics
Strength -2 Stamina +1 Dexterity +1 Quickness +0 Perception +3 Intelligence +2 Presence +1 Communication +1

Virtues

 * Clear Thinker
 * Dowsing
 * Folk WitchFree
 * Herbalism
 * Intuition
 * Premonitions
 * Second SightFree
 * Strong Faerie Blood (Padfoot)M
 * Well-Trained Folk Witch
 * Well-Travelled

Flaws

 * Compassionate
 * Foreign Upbringing
 * PaganM
 * Primitive Equipment
 * Primitive TraditionM
 * Visions

Personality Traits

 * Brave +1
 * Compassionate +3
 * Patient +2
 * Serene +2

Key Abilities

 * Folk Ken
 * Herbalism
 * Dowsing
 * Premonitions
 * Second Sight

Languages
Artes Liberales 2: Latin, Futhark
 * Old Norse 5
 * English 2
 * Old English 1

Abilities

 * Language: Old Norse (Storytelling) 5
 * Dowsing (In Woodland) 4
 * Folk Ken (Hidden Motives) 4
 * Herbalism (Physician) 4
 * Premonitions (Supernatural Dangers) 4
 * Second Sight (Regiones) 4
 * Awareness (Incongruity) 3
 * Chirurgy (First Aid) 3
 * Music (Singing) 3
 * Survival (Woodland) 3
 * Animal Handling (Canines) 2
 * Athletics (Woodland) 2
 * Artes Liberales (Rituals) 2
 * Concentration (Performing Rituals) 2
 * Faerie Lore (Faerie Forests) 2
 * Intrigue (Rumours) 2
 * Language: English (Medical Vocabulary) 2
 * Magic Lore (Paganism) 2
 * Organisation Lore: Folk Witches (Norway) 2
 * Profession: Apothecary (Herbs) 2
 * Area Lore: Germany (Politics) 1
 * Area Lore: Norway (Personalities) 1
 * Area Lore: Notts (Geography) 1
 * Brawl (Punches) 1
 * Charm (Conveying Innocence) 1
 * Etiquette (Peasants) 1
 * Hunt (Tracking) 1
 * Guile (Conveying Innocence) 1
 * Language: Old English (Rituals) 1
 * Stealth (Hiding) 1
 * Swim (Diving) 1

Typical Gear
Leathers, dagger, dowsing rods, mortar and pestle, ritual headdress and garb, ligatures, herbs, various bone runes, fetishes and tchotchkes

Opinions of Others
Mages, Companions & Grogs To be decided; one should not make judgements in haste. Others Arianne – Little have welcomed me but her – she helped my English in letters and visitings. I was happy hearing she lives. Granny – Powerful witch to respect. She hides it, but within her is much goodness. Judges not for thinkings, but doings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiufRA2LveQ&t=460s

Story
Spring 1184 – Summer 1188 After doing my training and being a full member of my coven, I was sent out to a village a walking day away. It was a happy and peece peace-full life, where I was kindly welcomed. The peoples came to me not just for alements ailments and seeings, but also gi guidance.

Though my role meaned I had little frend friends outside of fellow Vǫlva, I did have some. Though such times were little, I much enjoyed the times where we would sing, dance and play musics without ritual purpose. All things must end, however, and for me that ending happened soonly.

The Jarl, who I had little talkings with, came to my abode. I thinked it a mark of my trust within the village that he visited with no wari warriors. He talked me that he had no wishing of me within his land, lest I affect the Christians there. He seemed sorry, and I beleeve believe he was made to give such a decision for fear of others wanting worse for me.

With that I was made exile. I could see that Christian zeel zeal would make me into a nomadic, as it spred spread north and the old ways are shunned. I choosed to instead journey to England, where Christianity had calmed; Pagans perhaps may be seen as less of an imi imminent threat, and I hoped to find some of the Norse settlers of yore.''

Summer 1188 – Spring 1191 I journeyed through Þýskaland Germany and then came to Snotingaham Nottingham. Though I found no such settlers still following the old ways, I did find another Vǫlva, which the Enska English call a Witch. She was named Arianne, and she showed much kindness to me. We have beginning giving ritings writings in English, and she has much patience for my flawed writings, which has helped my learnings grat greatly. This is why my writings are in English. Arianne talked me that it helps, and I saw her wisdom.

We talked of healing, magic, and the hapenings happenings around us. At times we would also tell of our cultures and practices. Some times, she would come to me in her journeying. She did so much more than I, as she was not clearly other than the peoples. It was good, even if my talking was slow.

As I sat meditating during the falling of the leafs, I saw her being taken and chained by warriors. I was days of walking apart, and could not arrive to her before it happened. As there was no other doing I could make, I looked for help. Before I could find any, I heard telling of her freeing. I knew the warriors that captured her – warriors of Guy – would seek other Vǫlva witchs witches. It would be soon for them to heer hear of me, and so I hid. I knew Arianne talked of another witch named Grandmother, whose thinkings I searched.

It was not difficult to find her, and after explaining, she agreed I should hid. As the snows would soon be falling, she kindly allowed me to stay with her until the thoring thawing. Her doing is much kinder than her talking, and I am grea grateful. It is better that way than the other.

After the growing of the plants, she talked me to find a majical magical place in the Forest of Sherwood. The peoples there were foes of Guy and his fellows, and less likely to shun my Paganism than others. They would maybe allow me to live there for my galdr magic.

I roamed for moons until I heard tellings of strange hapen happenings at the village of the long lake, where a basilisk was talked to have lived. I thinked that such strangeness may be where the magical peoples would be, and so I journeyed there.''