Sigrun Flintfeet, Axe Maiden

Biographical information

Birthplace Belgrath Born Died Age 64 Home Belgrath Sexuality Pronouns

Physical description

Race Dwarf Sub-Race Gender Female Height 1.40 metres Mass Squat Hair color Auburn-brown Eye color Dark olive Skin color Fair

Political information

Affiliation(s) Occupation Tracker / Hunter / Tanner Clan(s) Caste Domain Masters Apprentices Alias(es)

Out-of-character information

Writer Darkweaver Created on Avatar AI

Sigrun's Theme

"A dwarf is only as good as their clan."
- Dwarf saying

A promise is a promise. Even generations later, the dwarven family of the Flintfeets pride themselves on honouring their arrangements.

It all began with Borgen Flintfeet, a daring merchant shipping goods to and from Belgrath from all corners of the continent. One day, a pair of horrific wyverns assaulted his caravan, attracted by the multitude of horses and pack-mules. In the nick of time, a group of Noct Yaegir hunters emerged and defeated the creatures, saving both the lives of his party and the livelihood of his family.

Words or gold could not replace this priceless rescue. And so, Borgen swore to grant the order something even more precious in return. His second-born child would devote themselves to the order and join it, adding legitimacy to its cause in Belgrath, supported by a merchant family of high standing.

It has been four generations since then, each second-born of the second-born child pf the Flintfeets taking on the mantle of an Okseknecht or Oksemjoed, Axe Lad or Axe Maiden.

Some pernicious gossip-mongers claim that this oath was motivated by commerce, and not honour. In giving one of his plentfiul children, Borgen could avoid lavishing the order in gold or other riches. But with each second-born to join the Noct Yaegir, gifts follow as well to the order, of gold, silver and precious hides and cloth. Perhaps in an effort to stall such rumours.

Sigrun Flintfeet is the fourth second-born to be bound by the arrangement made by her great-great-grandfather. She is of stout heart and fierce temper, having trained from childhood to track down beasts and other creatures, grant them a swift end and skin their precious hides and other valuable parts. A vital bridge between the city of Belgrath and the outside world, as soon as the Axe Maiden comes of age, she spends her life on the outside, visiting family but a few times a year. By tradition, the Flinfeets choose a suitor for their Axe Maiden or Lad, while they are off serving the Noct Yaegir.

There is only one, tiny problem.

Sigrun has no interest in her current suitor. And she has avoided return to her family, delaying the inevitable wedding they have arranged. She is an uncommon dwarf in that she prefers the fresh air of the outdoors, rather than the safe and solid underground walls of Belgrath. Having accustomed herself to a life in the wilds, she is uncomfortable with civilisation.

Alas, the Flintfeets produced the perfect hunter - but a less than ideal wife.

The swirling, blue pattens tattooed on Sigrun's skin marks her as an Axe Maiden, a role devised within her family. There is no choice in the matter, as dwarven custom and culture tends to be very strict, As soon as she came of age by fifty, she was marked.

Squat and low like her kinsmen, Sigrun still manages to carry herself with a strange, earth-bound grace. She knows how to sit quiet and unmoving for long stretches of time, which translates into her often standing still as a statue - paralysed by social awkwardness, near the presence of a monster or simply enjoying a break. It makes little difference in her stance. Her habit has rendered her inscrutable as stone when unmoving. However, when she does move, she often does so with brisk force and rapid efficiency - walking as long steps as her legs allow her, quickly gathering up equipment or sorting her items, or whatever else she might be doing.

Her auburn-brown hair melts with her laughably simple coats, belts and jerkin, the only real ornamentation her blue-patterned arms and face. Even this she can cover and hide when needs must - by using an old fur cloak and scarf, muffling her face and covering her arms. Generally, though, she enjoys a bit of brisk mountain air against her skin.

+ Throwing axes with expert skill.

+ Hunting, tracking and trapping

+ Skinning and tanning.

+ Wilderness survival and sense of direction

+ Knowledge of beasts and weather in the Spine

* Plays the flute and basic wood carving.

- No social grace to save her life.

- Discomfort in crowds or in confined places, earning much mockery from her kin.

- Barely any sense of current affairs or urban life.

- Little interest in academics or picking up a book, nor to understand magic for that matter.

A fierce temper and as blunt as a cudgel, Sigrun's manners does her little credit in Belgrath. Her family teases her for her mannerisms endlessly, but she has learned to fire insults back at an equal pace. But when in nature, surrounded by white-capped mountain peaks and a solemn campfire, she retreats into a more quiet and reflective mood. She appreciates the sort of honesty that comes from travellers knowing that they likely won't see her again, whereas she chafes in the social circles of her family, where each word must be carefully measured or it can spell consequences for centuries.

As such, she tries to stick to the wilds as much as possible - both to spare herself and her family of the shame that might come from prolonged exposure to Belgrath's citizenship.