Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 0:23:16 GMT
Ísenwulfa Æþelbeorhtsdóhtur
"I shall die but once, and it is not here and now."
| Nickname: Wælmægden ("Maiden of the Slain"), Wulfa Age: 24 Gender: Female Race: Human Origin: Fated Role: Soldier and Priestess of Death |
Character Traits
Hair Color/Style: Ísenwulfa has neck length auburn hair, typically left loose.
Eye color: Blue
Skin Color: Tanned European
Body Type: Ísenwulfa is tall (6'2"), with broad shoulders and a narrow waist in the classical fashion. However, rather than being muscular, she is all sinew and bone thanks to a habit of eating sporadically while on campaign.She still has a good deal of strength and stamina, more than is immediately apparent from looking at her, but she is also not performing at the same level she would if she was eating properly. Her cheeks appear slightly sunken, emphasizing her high cheekbones, and many people think that he small bust size has something to do with her patchy diet. The truth is that her chest is naturally flat, and she gives thanks to the gods for that.
Clothing - Detailed Appearance: Ísenwulfa typically wears a thigh length tunic of good wool or linen, belted with a thin leather belt that has a bronze buckle, and knee length trousers also of wool or linen, all dyed blue-black. Her lower legs are kept covered by knee length woolen socks and calf length leather boots, also dyed blue-black. When the weather warrants it, she also wears a thick woolen cloak which has a deep hood and can double as a blanket, which is fastened at her right shoulder with a circular bronze broach that features a black enamel raven on a red background. When in civilian clothes, Ísenwulfa wears a necklace that features a single central golden medallion with a ruby-eyed wolf and progressively smaller bronze disks with elaborate knotwork in blue, red and green enamel.
Personality: Ísenwulfa is not very mentally healthy. She is badly depressed, loathes herself and lives for the moment that she can die in battle. Had she not had a dream of dying an honourable death in battle, she would have killed herself long ago and, as it is, is convinced that she can only die as she does in her dream, something that leads her to acts of insane courage and boldness. She has been known to charges against cavalry and has rarely failed in this. In fact, battle one of the only times when Ísenwulfa is at all animated. Off the battlefield, the only other time when she shows any life is when signing. In battle she seems wild and alive but, when singing, Ísenwulfa looks to be at peace.
The root cause of all her mental health issues is the severe physical and sexual abuse she was subjected to by her adoptive father between the ages of twelve and sixteen. She has rationalised the abuse as being entirely her fault, and so thinks of herself as having seduced her own father and forced him into beating her. Worse, her having killed him has created even more guilt than ever before. All she can think of that will wipe away the various dishonourable things she has done is to die honourably in battle, protecting her lord. Signing was her other method of coping, and she has developed a superb singing voice.
Off the battlefield, Ísenwulfa appears flat and emotionless. Her nickname of Wælmægden was purely given for her singing of funeral rights for the dead or success in battle; it was originally given to her because she appeared to be the walking dead, with no emotion and a skeletal visage. The contrast between her normal and battle and signing personalities has struck a deep chord with the Earl's soldiers, and almost all believe her to have supernatural powers by now. Ísenwulfa doesn't claim to have any, but she does sing for the dead and blesses those who are about to try and storm fortifications or fight at the front of a wedge at their request.
There are a few other aspects to Ísenwulfa worth mentioning. She refuses to sleep on a bed or in furs, believing herself unworthy of such honour or comfort, preferring to sleep rolled up in her cloak on the ground instead. She has no desire for sex and would avoid it if possible, but her upbringing has lead her to believe that she can't really refuse it either if pressed hard. Yet, despite feeling unworthy of any proper relationship and despising sex, she can't help but feel like there's someone out there for her to love. This is a fantasy she considers too outlandish to be true, and constantly tries to forget the feeling, but it always sticks with her.
Likes: Singing, Earl Hildelíþ, her inevitable and honourable death
Dislikes: Herself, unnecessary conversation, sex
Eye color: Blue
Skin Color: Tanned European
Body Type: Ísenwulfa is tall (6'2"), with broad shoulders and a narrow waist in the classical fashion. However, rather than being muscular, she is all sinew and bone thanks to a habit of eating sporadically while on campaign.She still has a good deal of strength and stamina, more than is immediately apparent from looking at her, but she is also not performing at the same level she would if she was eating properly. Her cheeks appear slightly sunken, emphasizing her high cheekbones, and many people think that he small bust size has something to do with her patchy diet. The truth is that her chest is naturally flat, and she gives thanks to the gods for that.
Clothing - Detailed Appearance: Ísenwulfa typically wears a thigh length tunic of good wool or linen, belted with a thin leather belt that has a bronze buckle, and knee length trousers also of wool or linen, all dyed blue-black. Her lower legs are kept covered by knee length woolen socks and calf length leather boots, also dyed blue-black. When the weather warrants it, she also wears a thick woolen cloak which has a deep hood and can double as a blanket, which is fastened at her right shoulder with a circular bronze broach that features a black enamel raven on a red background. When in civilian clothes, Ísenwulfa wears a necklace that features a single central golden medallion with a ruby-eyed wolf and progressively smaller bronze disks with elaborate knotwork in blue, red and green enamel.
Personality: Ísenwulfa is not very mentally healthy. She is badly depressed, loathes herself and lives for the moment that she can die in battle. Had she not had a dream of dying an honourable death in battle, she would have killed herself long ago and, as it is, is convinced that she can only die as she does in her dream, something that leads her to acts of insane courage and boldness. She has been known to charges against cavalry and has rarely failed in this. In fact, battle one of the only times when Ísenwulfa is at all animated. Off the battlefield, the only other time when she shows any life is when signing. In battle she seems wild and alive but, when singing, Ísenwulfa looks to be at peace.
The root cause of all her mental health issues is the severe physical and sexual abuse she was subjected to by her adoptive father between the ages of twelve and sixteen. She has rationalised the abuse as being entirely her fault, and so thinks of herself as having seduced her own father and forced him into beating her. Worse, her having killed him has created even more guilt than ever before. All she can think of that will wipe away the various dishonourable things she has done is to die honourably in battle, protecting her lord. Signing was her other method of coping, and she has developed a superb singing voice.
Off the battlefield, Ísenwulfa appears flat and emotionless. Her nickname of Wælmægden was purely given for her singing of funeral rights for the dead or success in battle; it was originally given to her because she appeared to be the walking dead, with no emotion and a skeletal visage. The contrast between her normal and battle and signing personalities has struck a deep chord with the Earl's soldiers, and almost all believe her to have supernatural powers by now. Ísenwulfa doesn't claim to have any, but she does sing for the dead and blesses those who are about to try and storm fortifications or fight at the front of a wedge at their request.
There are a few other aspects to Ísenwulfa worth mentioning. She refuses to sleep on a bed or in furs, believing herself unworthy of such honour or comfort, preferring to sleep rolled up in her cloak on the ground instead. She has no desire for sex and would avoid it if possible, but her upbringing has lead her to believe that she can't really refuse it either if pressed hard. Yet, despite feeling unworthy of any proper relationship and despising sex, she can't help but feel like there's someone out there for her to love. This is a fantasy she considers too outlandish to be true, and constantly tries to forget the feeling, but it always sticks with her.
Likes: Singing, Earl Hildelíþ, her inevitable and honourable death
Dislikes: Herself, unnecessary conversation, sex
Combat & Inventory
Biography
Spells:
Spell Name: Return to Clay
Description: When Ísenwulfa thrusts her sword into the ground, a web of darkness spreads out within a five yard radius and attaches to any undead in the circle, freeing their souls from the prison of their bodies and allowing them to go on to the afterlife. The spell is most effective right at the center and becomes less powerful the further out from her body it is. Only the most minor undead will be effected by the outside edge, and at this stage the most powerful will be unaffected even at the center.
Range: Five yards.
Times Per Day: Once
Extra/Drawbacks: It is a single use spell, however, crude and inefficient. No matter how large the user's manna reserves or what artificial reservoirs they have, this spell will drain them completely within two rounds of combat - three with a reservoir. The spell also physically drains the user, as though they have jogged five miles.
Spell Name: Song of the Dead
Description: For as long as Ísenwulfa sings her song, all undead in a ten yard radius are drawn towards her, ignoring any other people in the area unless they attack the undead creature. The undead, however, retain and focus their aggression on the singer.
Range: Ten yard radius.
Times Per Day: One
Extra/Drawbacks:
Prolonged use of the spell (more than one turn at this point) will result in the singer losing their voice for a day as a result of channeling manna through the vocal cords. Should the song be interupted for any reason or a note missed, the resulting backlash will cause the singer to lose their voice for a week and develop a severe migraine for a day. The voice loss cannot be healed by lunar drops.
Inventory Bag:
Spell Name: Return to Clay
Description: When Ísenwulfa thrusts her sword into the ground, a web of darkness spreads out within a five yard radius and attaches to any undead in the circle, freeing their souls from the prison of their bodies and allowing them to go on to the afterlife. The spell is most effective right at the center and becomes less powerful the further out from her body it is. Only the most minor undead will be effected by the outside edge, and at this stage the most powerful will be unaffected even at the center.
Range: Five yards.
Times Per Day: Once
Extra/Drawbacks: It is a single use spell, however, crude and inefficient. No matter how large the user's manna reserves or what artificial reservoirs they have, this spell will drain them completely within two rounds of combat - three with a reservoir. The spell also physically drains the user, as though they have jogged five miles.
Spell Name: Song of the Dead
Description: For as long as Ísenwulfa sings her song, all undead in a ten yard radius are drawn towards her, ignoring any other people in the area unless they attack the undead creature. The undead, however, retain and focus their aggression on the singer.
Range: Ten yard radius.
Times Per Day: One
Extra/Drawbacks:
Prolonged use of the spell (more than one turn at this point) will result in the singer losing their voice for a day as a result of channeling manna through the vocal cords. Should the song be interupted for any reason or a note missed, the resulting backlash will cause the singer to lose their voice for a week and develop a severe migraine for a day. The voice loss cannot be healed by lunar drops.
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Combat: Though she has given up the bow since she entered into the service of Earl Hildelíþ, Ísenwulfa was once quite skilled with a bow and could even draw her father's "bear bow", which was nearly on par with a proper warbow. She is also a skilled tracker and scout, capable of staying motionless for hours in order to ambush an enemy or follow men as far across country as she needs to.
In terms of combat, Ísenwulfa has learned to use sword, spear and axe, but almost exclusively uses axe and sword, and the axe more than the sword.
Inventory Bag:
- Helmet: A magnificent example of the armourer's art, this helmet was, like most of Ísenwulfa's arms and armour, her father's. The hemispherical helmet is constructed of four pieces of good steel riveted together and the join covered by two crosswise bronze strips, the strip running left to right covered with embossed scenes of dragons and wolves fighting in a long, highly distorted style. The bronze strip running front to back begins as a nasal guard with the dog head of a dragon and rises gradually to a thick, scaly body at the crest of the helmet, and then back down to a narrow tail at the back of the helmet. In each of the four quarters of the helmet are tinned pieces of copper depicting scenes of battle. The right front panel shows the breaking of Éawyn's shieldwall by Céolwulf, Éawynn made distinct by being bare chested. The front left panel shows Iúile falling from the walls of Idesabeorg. The rear right panel shows ravensand wolves feasting on dead warriors, while the rear left panel shows two armies locked in combat. A spectacle guard is riveted to the front of the helmet, decorated with a bronze plate embossed with knotwork, and mail hangs from it and attaches to the side of the helmet to give added protection to the wearer.
- Mail and padding: Both garments are tailored to fit Ísenwulfa's body when she has been eating well, and so hang loosely on her by the end of a campaign, but both are of good quality. The padding consists of a half inch of wool felt quilted between two layers of oiled linen on top and three layers of linen, one oiled, on the rear. The mail is mostly of high quality, with 4mm external diameter solid and riveted links, though there are several areas where larger diameter links have obviously been used to patch holes or gaps in the armour.
- Sword: Fýrwylm is Ísenwulfa's most prized possession. Forged by the priests of Cerd for Éawyn prior to her birth at the behest of King Éadhéah, an ally of Éawyn's father, it passed to Céolwulf after he defeated her and King Godwine at Beorgsceadan. It remained in his family and passed to her via her adoptive father, Æþelbeorht. The sword is one of the few magical items created in her world, and it will not break to mundane means and does not need to be sharpened. Further, the golden center and blue serpent of the blade do not become scratched or worn no matter what is rubbed against them.
- Axe: The only one of Ísenwulfa's weapons that did not belong to her father, it has a five foot haft and a long, curved blade that comes to a sharp point at the top, before sloping back down to the socket so that it came be used to stab as well as cut. However, she has been known to replace the handle with a shorter three foot one in the even that she knows that more close quarter fighting will be taking place.
- Shield: A concave oval shield with flattened ends, it measures 20" wide by 36" long and features a central iron boss that is used to grip the shield. It also has a guige strap so that it can be carried on the back when not in use or, when fighting with an axe, it can be shifted round to the left shoulder and used to protect that side of the body.
- Gloves: Gloves with a thick cow leather back, semi-circular cuts at the joints to allow for movement. The underside is wool made with needle-binding for comfort and warmth.
- Clothing: See description above.
- Miscellaneous: Eating knife, horn spoon, horn comb, fire kit.
Biography
History: There were once two lovers. Nirlupulpama was a Maker for the Mother, and she made both beautiful works of art and terrible weapons of war, though the weapons were solely of necessity. Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii was a general of the Dark, though she only fought because she felt she had no choice in the matter. During one battle, Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii captured the city in which Nirlupulpama worked, and took her prisoner when she stood at the entrance to the manufactuery so that the other Makers could escape. Nirlupulpama would not work for the Dark, and Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii took her for a slave to protect the woman she had respect for.
Over time, Nirlupulpama showed Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii that she was not a lost cause, that she had options other than fighting for the Dark, and took her home to the Mother. Neither was ever trusted, but that did not matter, because they were both able to do something they loved more than anything else: Nirlupulpama made great artworks, and Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii became a famous singer.
Their love did not last forever and Wapunang tyu Punkununki , the greatest general of the Dark made a rapid push into the region, capturing the city of Ngillungi where they lived. As the city burned, the two lovers performed a ritual intended to ensure they would be reborn together once more, in a time after the war had ended. They powered their great spell with their own deaths, and it wove them together into the fabric of the Fateweb so that they would be reborn again in a hundred years. Whether they did something wrong or whether they did not fully understand how their spell would work will never be known, but instead of only being reborn once, they were reborn again and again, once very hundred years. Their spell was so strong that, even when Wapunang tyu Punkununki destroyed the Fateweb in his battle with Upunapu tyu Upukaty, their fragment survived, and so they lived on, being reborn century after century.
Sometimes Nirlupulpama and Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii lived happy lives. Sometimes they were not lovers, but close friends. Sometimes their lives were deeply unhappy. Sometimes they never met but once, just before their death. Yet, for almost all their lives, they had each other in some form or another, and they were happy together. They were reborn all over the world, across all continents and in countless nations and cultures. Together they saw the world develop and change. Yet, they did not remember anything until the moment of their death. Whichever of them survived the other, remembered all that had happened before, and followed the other into death so to be reborn again with her beloved.
In one rebirth, the latest, Kjungkamiñacu ñu Amiraral was reborn high in the Brytclúdas to unknown parents,who could not afford to care for another child. And so, they left her out in the woods to die of exposure, only for her to be taken in by Æþelbeorht Heardbeorhting and Wynnþrýþ Éadwealdsdóhtur. Æþelbeorht had once been King Æþelbeorht of Beorgsceadan, until he had attempted to size land from Werraland in a pre-emptive strike. This brought him into conflict with Earl Hildelíþ, the warlike widow of Earl Wealdhelm who had been waging war on the surrounding area on behalf of Queen Éanflǽd, a childhood friend.
Æþelbeorht raised nearly five thousand men, and thought he could strike fast enough that the Earl couldn't raise sufficient forces to stop him in time. Hildelíþ, however, had placed spies in his court and knew all about the ruse. She ambushed him along the Great Holloway with her two thousand Seolforscildas, her permanent mercenary force, and a thousand allied cavalry. Æþelbeorht barely escaped with his life and, though he tried several more times over the years to recover his situation, he eventually had to flee to Norþwalas
, where he could feel somewhat safe among the rugged mountains and independent tribes. There he met Wynnþrýþ, whom he later married, though she was barren.
Between the two of them, they managed to raise Ísenwulfa until she was five. That was when Wynnþrýþ came down sick during a particularly harsh winter and died of pneumonia. Wynnþrýþ's death was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tragedy after tragedy had struck him, and now he was left with nothing but a child that wasn't his and some weapons and armour to remind him of days when he had had power. He began drinking heavily and, when he began to teach Ísenwulfa as he might a son, his training methods proved very harsh indeed. It became even worse for her when she turned twelve and her father decided that she was old enough to survive sex. After the first time, he began to rent her out whenever he desperately needed money.
That was when the dreams started. Every night for a month, as she contemplated taking her own life, Ísenwulfa dreamed of herself, grown up and fighting to defend a bridge against an assault as her lord rode away to safety. In the dream she always died an honourable death, finally overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers and dying in a manner that would please the gods enough to wipe away the stain of what she saw as her sins. After the dreams ended, Ísenwulfa no longer thought of killing herself, but threw herself into learning everything that her father would teach her so that she could fulfill that dream. It also led her to believe one very dangerous thing: that she could only die once, when her dream came true, and not before then.
Æþelbeorht, however, had become deeply in dept to a local merchant with a taste for tall, strong women, and so he sold Ísenwulfa to him in order to clear up the debt. The merchant had...unpleasant tastes, but had not reckoned with Ísenwulfa's belief in her future. He made one single mistake: he saw her as already being pre-broken because she didn't give him any trouble in their first night together. He was not careful enough when untying her, and she got free, choked him to death and then very calmly dressed in a poorly fitting dress - her other clothes having been burnt on arrival - took his spear and shield, and walked the fifteen miles back to her father's cottage, where she killed him and took her inheritance: the weapons of a king. Ísenwulfa was not going to let anything interfere with her dream.
After more than a month of hard travelling, Ísenwulfa arrived at Earl Hildelíþ's fortress. She knew that the lord she died for in her dream was a woman, and she knew of only one woman who could fit the description: the Mother of War, a woman who, at sixty, had been at war in one manner or another for over forty years. Before she entered, Ísenwulfa dressed in her father's armour and buckled on his sword so as to present the best face possible and to try and ensure that the earl would accept her as a soldier. It took about two minutes for her to run into a veteran who recognised her father's helmet and sword, and she ended up before the earl in chains. In another twist of fate, a messenger spreading word of her murders was in the earl's caught at that moment as well.
It might very well have been all over for Ísenwulfa. She could have been executed then and there, but the earl gave her leave to speak. On hearing that Ísenwulfa was the adoptive daughter of Æþelbeorht and that all she wanted was to die in service to her, the earl decided to pay an Earl's death price to compensate the merchant's family, in addition to buying Ísenwulfa for three times the price she was worth. The merchant's family weren't exactly happy about the arrangement, but they also didn't want to anger someone who had even more power than the king and who regularly conquered entire nations, so they made no protest.
Since then, Ísenwulfa has fought for the earl. She was originally placed in the front ranks of the shieldwall in order to test her loyalty and the idea that she was fated to survive until her foretold death. With her singing voice and firm belief in her own immortality for the moment, Ísenwulfa soon had the other soldiers regarding her as touched by the gods. She led the battle songs, always choosing Éawyn's Lament, and sang the death songs for those who fell in battle. It also became clear that she really was immortal until her preordained death. Ísenwulfa could fight in the thickest, hardest part of a battle and come out with only minor wounds or, if serious, then at least survivable and non-crippling.
Gradually, a cult of personality grew up around Ísenwulfa. Men who were going to lead the front of a wedge asked for her blessing, and she gave it to them. Men frequently asked her to sing their death songs, and she became a talisman of good luck. Three times she approached a town's walls without armour or weapon, and only a shield. Three times she received only minor wounds from arrows or crossbow bolts, despite going right up to the walls and touching them. Bolts from siege engines always just missed her, and the arrows and bolts either seemed attracted to the parts of her shield that still held together, or missed her altogether.
By the time she was 22, Ísenwulfa was known as the "Maiden of the Slain" (Wælmægden) and was considered a priestess of the gods by almost everyone, and those who didn't believe kept their mouths shut. A soldier's life is dangerous, after all, and having someone to bless you in battle and to assure you that your death would earn you a place in the Hall of Swords was a great comfort to them all. She has kept up her military and near-priestly roles up ever since.
Family:
Father - Æþelbeorht Heardbeorhting - Dead
Mother - Wynnþrýþ Éadwealdsdóhtur - Dead
Relationship: Single
Extra: Anything Extra you want to add about your character?
Over time, Nirlupulpama showed Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii that she was not a lost cause, that she had options other than fighting for the Dark, and took her home to the Mother. Neither was ever trusted, but that did not matter, because they were both able to do something they loved more than anything else: Nirlupulpama made great artworks, and Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii became a famous singer.
Their love did not last forever and Wapunang tyu Punkununki , the greatest general of the Dark made a rapid push into the region, capturing the city of Ngillungi where they lived. As the city burned, the two lovers performed a ritual intended to ensure they would be reborn together once more, in a time after the war had ended. They powered their great spell with their own deaths, and it wove them together into the fabric of the Fateweb so that they would be reborn again in a hundred years. Whether they did something wrong or whether they did not fully understand how their spell would work will never be known, but instead of only being reborn once, they were reborn again and again, once very hundred years. Their spell was so strong that, even when Wapunang tyu Punkununki destroyed the Fateweb in his battle with Upunapu tyu Upukaty, their fragment survived, and so they lived on, being reborn century after century.
Sometimes Nirlupulpama and Punkut'taruw tyu Punkuwaulaklnyii lived happy lives. Sometimes they were not lovers, but close friends. Sometimes their lives were deeply unhappy. Sometimes they never met but once, just before their death. Yet, for almost all their lives, they had each other in some form or another, and they were happy together. They were reborn all over the world, across all continents and in countless nations and cultures. Together they saw the world develop and change. Yet, they did not remember anything until the moment of their death. Whichever of them survived the other, remembered all that had happened before, and followed the other into death so to be reborn again with her beloved.
In one rebirth, the latest, Kjungkamiñacu ñu Amiraral was reborn high in the Brytclúdas to unknown parents,who could not afford to care for another child. And so, they left her out in the woods to die of exposure, only for her to be taken in by Æþelbeorht Heardbeorhting and Wynnþrýþ Éadwealdsdóhtur. Æþelbeorht had once been King Æþelbeorht of Beorgsceadan, until he had attempted to size land from Werraland in a pre-emptive strike. This brought him into conflict with Earl Hildelíþ, the warlike widow of Earl Wealdhelm who had been waging war on the surrounding area on behalf of Queen Éanflǽd, a childhood friend.
Æþelbeorht raised nearly five thousand men, and thought he could strike fast enough that the Earl couldn't raise sufficient forces to stop him in time. Hildelíþ, however, had placed spies in his court and knew all about the ruse. She ambushed him along the Great Holloway with her two thousand Seolforscildas, her permanent mercenary force, and a thousand allied cavalry. Æþelbeorht barely escaped with his life and, though he tried several more times over the years to recover his situation, he eventually had to flee to Norþwalas
, where he could feel somewhat safe among the rugged mountains and independent tribes. There he met Wynnþrýþ, whom he later married, though she was barren.
Between the two of them, they managed to raise Ísenwulfa until she was five. That was when Wynnþrýþ came down sick during a particularly harsh winter and died of pneumonia. Wynnþrýþ's death was the straw that broke the camel's back. Tragedy after tragedy had struck him, and now he was left with nothing but a child that wasn't his and some weapons and armour to remind him of days when he had had power. He began drinking heavily and, when he began to teach Ísenwulfa as he might a son, his training methods proved very harsh indeed. It became even worse for her when she turned twelve and her father decided that she was old enough to survive sex. After the first time, he began to rent her out whenever he desperately needed money.
That was when the dreams started. Every night for a month, as she contemplated taking her own life, Ísenwulfa dreamed of herself, grown up and fighting to defend a bridge against an assault as her lord rode away to safety. In the dream she always died an honourable death, finally overwhelmed by sheer force of numbers and dying in a manner that would please the gods enough to wipe away the stain of what she saw as her sins. After the dreams ended, Ísenwulfa no longer thought of killing herself, but threw herself into learning everything that her father would teach her so that she could fulfill that dream. It also led her to believe one very dangerous thing: that she could only die once, when her dream came true, and not before then.
Æþelbeorht, however, had become deeply in dept to a local merchant with a taste for tall, strong women, and so he sold Ísenwulfa to him in order to clear up the debt. The merchant had...unpleasant tastes, but had not reckoned with Ísenwulfa's belief in her future. He made one single mistake: he saw her as already being pre-broken because she didn't give him any trouble in their first night together. He was not careful enough when untying her, and she got free, choked him to death and then very calmly dressed in a poorly fitting dress - her other clothes having been burnt on arrival - took his spear and shield, and walked the fifteen miles back to her father's cottage, where she killed him and took her inheritance: the weapons of a king. Ísenwulfa was not going to let anything interfere with her dream.
After more than a month of hard travelling, Ísenwulfa arrived at Earl Hildelíþ's fortress. She knew that the lord she died for in her dream was a woman, and she knew of only one woman who could fit the description: the Mother of War, a woman who, at sixty, had been at war in one manner or another for over forty years. Before she entered, Ísenwulfa dressed in her father's armour and buckled on his sword so as to present the best face possible and to try and ensure that the earl would accept her as a soldier. It took about two minutes for her to run into a veteran who recognised her father's helmet and sword, and she ended up before the earl in chains. In another twist of fate, a messenger spreading word of her murders was in the earl's caught at that moment as well.
It might very well have been all over for Ísenwulfa. She could have been executed then and there, but the earl gave her leave to speak. On hearing that Ísenwulfa was the adoptive daughter of Æþelbeorht and that all she wanted was to die in service to her, the earl decided to pay an Earl's death price to compensate the merchant's family, in addition to buying Ísenwulfa for three times the price she was worth. The merchant's family weren't exactly happy about the arrangement, but they also didn't want to anger someone who had even more power than the king and who regularly conquered entire nations, so they made no protest.
Since then, Ísenwulfa has fought for the earl. She was originally placed in the front ranks of the shieldwall in order to test her loyalty and the idea that she was fated to survive until her foretold death. With her singing voice and firm belief in her own immortality for the moment, Ísenwulfa soon had the other soldiers regarding her as touched by the gods. She led the battle songs, always choosing Éawyn's Lament, and sang the death songs for those who fell in battle. It also became clear that she really was immortal until her preordained death. Ísenwulfa could fight in the thickest, hardest part of a battle and come out with only minor wounds or, if serious, then at least survivable and non-crippling.
Gradually, a cult of personality grew up around Ísenwulfa. Men who were going to lead the front of a wedge asked for her blessing, and she gave it to them. Men frequently asked her to sing their death songs, and she became a talisman of good luck. Three times she approached a town's walls without armour or weapon, and only a shield. Three times she received only minor wounds from arrows or crossbow bolts, despite going right up to the walls and touching them. Bolts from siege engines always just missed her, and the arrows and bolts either seemed attracted to the parts of her shield that still held together, or missed her altogether.
By the time she was 22, Ísenwulfa was known as the "Maiden of the Slain" (Wælmægden) and was considered a priestess of the gods by almost everyone, and those who didn't believe kept their mouths shut. A soldier's life is dangerous, after all, and having someone to bless you in battle and to assure you that your death would earn you a place in the Hall of Swords was a great comfort to them all. She has kept up her military and near-priestly roles up ever since.
Family:
Father - Æþelbeorht Heardbeorhting - Dead
Mother - Wynnþrýþ Éadwealdsdóhtur - Dead
Relationship: Single
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