Alda Hildrunsdottir

Name: Alda Hildrunsdottir
Age: 20
Exaltation/Caste: Dragon-Blood / Earth Aspect
Affiliations: The Roaring Frost Tribe, the Haslanti League, and the Wind Fleet...in that order.

Bio:
Born to Hildrun Thiasdottir and Volf Thalorsson, elk herders in the city of Shield. Her childhood was filled with hard work and terror as she had to protect the beasts from predators and protect herself from the manifold dangers of Northern life. As such, she never really had a chance to know peace, but long nights by the fire of her family's elkskin tent telling wondrous stories about heroes past and present lit a fire in her eyes that would never die. This was the childhood of a Haslanti girl - large, bleak, empty fields covered in ice and beasts, attacks by Fair Folk and barbarians, and mighty airships flying overhead without ever contacting them personally.

When she was fourteen, Alda's life was changed brutally. During a barbarian invasion, as she picked up a spear to hold off one of the ravenous Varajtul cannibals during an attack on their home, Alda felt the power of elemental Earth flow into her body. It lent her perfect stability to stop the savage's attack where he stood and perfect power to bear him to the ground in a single thrust. The newly Exalted child was a powerful force in turning back the tide of the barbarian attack, and only a dozen people died that day. She was heralded as a hero already...and she craved more. Glory was addictive, but so was the knowledge that she could be of much, much greater service to her people than she already had. If it is possible to have an ego in selfless thought, Alda has sported this for six long years.

The new Earth Aspect sat down with her family after the attack and discussed her future. They all agreed that there was no reason she should stay a herder for her whole life, and that her passions and talents drew her towards heroism. She took a collection from those families she had saved in the attack to help her on her way to Icehome, and joined the Haslanti military the moment she had a chance. Alda made a conscious decision not to discuss her Exaltation with anyone who didn't ask, as she didn't feel like coloring others' opinions would be of any real help to anyone. Naturally, no one asked, and through tremendous self-control and natural ability, she managed to be a peerless new recruit even without Essence.

Moreover, through a few deployments in wargames and as defense against barbarians and Wyld monsters, her mind began extremely quickly picking up on the concept of command and strategy. This all came to a head during a battle against a Tear Eater tribe assaulting one of the smaller, more western greenfields of the League. Her commanding officer died in the line of duty, and Alda stood forward to personally wrest control of her entire unit. Barely one-hundred men stood their ground with her, using the walls of the city to force the enemy into chokepoints. She personally led the charge after their killbox had softened the enemy, routing them with the thunder of an earthquake.

Upon her return, Alda was promoted and given a command of her own - a small, elite team of air marines that earned the epitaph "Iron Tigers" on their first mission to annihlate a Wyldebeast pack threatening Icehome. In the time since then, the Tigers have torn through every challenge sent their way, and Alda has made quite the name for herself as one of the Haslanti League's greatest swordfighters.

Appearance:
Alda is a tall, blonde woman with toned muscles solid shoulders. Her skin is as pale as marble, her eyes and long, braided hair flaxen like gold. It wouldn't be remiss to call her gorgeous, but that could be said of most Exalted, and furthermore that's where her daintiness ends. Alda is a hard woman whose disapproval takes the shape of a withering scowl and a voice like a roaring avalanche. One would expect someone with a violent history and demeanor to be covered in scars, but the only ones she tends to bear are recently-healed wounds along her fists for punching things that aren't advised to be punched.

In battle, Alda wears a jade breastplate over her warm, wool clothes. She keeps her solid but simple jade sword strapped to her hip at all times, as life in the Haslanti League isn't exactly kind to those who aren't ready to defend themselves at a moment's notice. It also helps make her much more intimidating.

As Alda begins to ignite her anima, a small earthquake takes place around her. This can damage foundations and anything else sitting on the ground, and over time will cause dangerous bone fatigue in those caught nearby. It is, however, relatively visually subtle...which is offset by the rather tremendous rumble as she walks.

Potential Plot Hooks:
- Alda is a member of the Haslanti military in good standing, specifically a Wind Fleet commando captain. She leads two squads of ten known as the Iron Tigers, and they've accumulated some minor renown. Anything that might be answered by formal Haslanti action might draw her attention, or maybe she and her boys are just doing guard duty.

- Though she is a soldier, Alda is also Haslan. She enjoys testing herself. She might be found anywhere in the North, swinging blade to flesh against a Wyld monster or a pack of Winter People in order to return home with tales of glory. She does tend to prefer challenges which will allow her to return with a trophy, both to prove her honor and just because she likes shiny things.

- First and foremost, Alda is a Roaring Frost tribesman and a citizen of Shield. It was drilled into her from the first day of her existence that tribe is family, and with the stolidity of Earth in her heart, this has calcified into quiet but unbreakable zealotry. She cares foremost for Shield and its people (specifically her people), then the rest of the League. This means that Alda would throw down her commission and take the first air boat to Shield the moment of a barbarian or Fair Folk attack.

Past RPs:
Character Questionnaire - 5xp