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Description

Another masterpiece for who has perfectly caught the expression I wanted for Astrid here; a Viking Princess who is sensitive and thoughtful as well as a skilled huntress.

I'd say she's showing off her *cough* 'Gates of Valhalla' here... but she has a big family, all of whom have big axes, and they're ferociously over-protective of their troubled little fawn, and not afraid of showing it.

I had a vague idea of pairing Astrid with Red Lucy in a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ way (you can imagine how Isabella would feel about that!) but it makes more sense for Lucy to fall for Tula, considering the Jargono setting of ‘Valley of the Serpent Kings’. Maybe one of the Valkyries, or Ulf the Skinwalker’s daughter? Or someone from further afield, perhaps Brimstone or FoFo? I actually like the idea of seeing her as a cowgirl! Or maybe the Jaguar Warrior lady, a fellow tribal who’d have a lot in common with her? I don’t really know yet; let me know what you think! There are some fairly established characters who don’t have a love-interest yet. Maybe I’ll do a poll?

“I had a dream:

I got everything I wanted…

Not what you'd think

And if I'm being honest -

It might've been a nightmare

To anyone who might care…

Thought I could fly

So I stepped off the Golden

Nobody cried - nobody even noticed!

I saw them standing right there

I kind of thought they might care

I had a dream:

I got everything I wanted…

But when I wake up, I see… you with me...!

And you say:

‘As long as I'm here, no-one can hurt you

You don't wanna lie here, but you can learn to

If I could change the way that you see yourself

You wouldn't wonder why you hear:

‘They don't deserve you!’"

Billie Eilish, ‘Everything I Wanted’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBJml…

(There aren’t enough platonic love songs. Plenty of female artists sing about their love for boyfriends (or these days, artists like Hayley Kiyoko or Aly Hills sing about their girlfriends). But songs about family are as likely to be ‘WHY DID YOU FUCK ME UP???’ as ‘Thanks, fam!’. This beautiful song is a platonic love ballad for her brother, Finneas, the guy in the video with her. Billie is very open how he’s always been her protector and best friend. This song describes a dream she had, where she let the pressures of fame get to her and she threw herself from the Golden Gate Bridge in her hometown of San Francisco. She awoke upset, and her brother stayed with her and soothed her until she went back to sleep, as he’d done many times before. It’s very sweet, and it made me settle on having that dynamic with Astrid and Steff in Gates of Valhalla, the sensitive younger sister and protective older brother.)

The Nordhagens as a family

The Nordhagens have ruled the Twelve Towns for several generations now; they are not the only line to have done so in the last thousand years, but they are one of the best loved. They are renowned for being fierce in war and wise in peace, able to balance the many difficulties of keeping their ancient ways alive in a modern age. The ruling King, or ‘Jarl’, Rannulf, is a wily, glib fellow with an eye for the ladies, but he’s kept in line by his pragmatic, long-suffering lady-wife, Erika. The couple have four children – Steffen (21), Astrid (just turned 20), Silke (10), and Harald (8). Despite the trials of life in the Ten Towns, there’s a lot of love and affection in the Tribe of the Wolf, – they are a contrast to the Reyes-Martinez family in the Tribe of the Lion. Isabella and Esteban are immortal, having sired many in their long centuries of life, and they know they will outlive their descendants. Their youngest daughter, Lucia, has to grasp this, and how it makes her parents distant from her – she is just passing through history, but they are history, as her brother Eduardo likes to say. It’s a lot to lay on a teenage girl.

So while Lucy got the best schooling and tuition that royalty can buy, but little real parental care, Steff and Astrid grew up in the relative hardship of the Twelve Towns, without much in the way of modern technology, but they had a strong extended family who stick together to get through the harshness of their lives. When both families set out on an epic adventure – Valley of the Serpent Kings and the Gates of Valhalla – they must contend with their own family dynamics as well as the monsters and dangers of their quest.

Rannulf might be something of a charming scoundrel, but he loves his children and has always been there for them. Erika turns a blind eye to his propensity to stray, as long as he keeps it out of the Twelve Towns and brings home the occasional lover for her too. They get on well as a couple otherwise; he is caring in his way, and knows they work well together – in many ways, he leads and she rules the Ten Towns. Both of them rely strongly on the support and judgement of the other, despite the occasional disagreements. Despite everything, they still have a strong love and mutual respect for the other.

Both care about their people and their family – and do what they can to provide them what they need for the life ahead of them. When Steff and Astrid came of age at 18, Rannulf made them both his ‘huscarls’ – his honour-guard and advisors, essentially a council of his friends, family and drinking buddies, those whose advice the King actually values. While this seems like nepotism (and Vikings are as guilty of that as any humans) it is not a bad idea for his heirs to learn about rulership early on, as one of them will succeed him when he dies or steps down. Realistically, Rannulf wishes to retire when he’s sixty, and let one of his heirs rule in his stead – assuming he doesn’t die in battle and take his seat in Valhalla first.

The jarl’s position in the Twelve Towns is hereditary, but can pass to another family if there are no heirs. The oldest heir tends to be preferred, as do male heirs – but there is no hard and fast rule, and there have been women and younger siblings who became ruler. It tends to be a case that rule passes to whoever is good at it or even wants it. Steffan told his family that he’s easy either way – if Astrid wanted it, he’d happily step aside and follow her. But Astrid says she truly does not want to be Queen, but that she will gladly be an aide and advisor to her brother. This seems to please everyone in the Tribe of the Wolf except a few die-hards, and almost everyone agrees the easy-going Steff will make a fine King in this new century.

The people of the Ten Towns, knowing their cleaving to the old ways makes them isolated, both physically and culturally, practise a tradition called ’the Shearing’. When a boy comes of age, he leaves the Twelve Towns for a year, to explore the outside world. During this time, he takes an oath not to return, but to fend for himself and hopefully seek honour and glory for himself in the wider world. The Norse were traders and explorers as well as raiders, and this is seen as a vital way for their young to get a taste of the world outside the Twelve Towns. Girls are also allowed to request the Shearing, but they are not required to do so – the population of the Twelve Towns has declined through the years, and women are needed to care for home and hearth. However, the daughters of royalty are encouraged to do so, and Astrid chose to do so - something which made her family both very proud and unbelievably worried at the same time. A youngster being ‘Sheared’ can experience whatever they wish outside the Twelve Towns – most travel and learn about the wider world, but there is one tale about the boy who spent the entire year camping on a hill just outside the home he loved, and after returning, he never left his village again.

Steffen Nordhagen

Now twenty-one, Steff is a handsome youngster, remarkably wise for his tender years. Unlike his father, he is quiet, reflective and perceptive – his keen hunter’s gaze misses little, and he prefers to listen than speak. Trained as a hunter, Steff is an excellent archer and no pushover in melee either – his mother made sure he was trained in defensive fighting, with his shield and sharp Norse blade. She is somewhat over-protective of her beloved boy, and has always told him that he must be careful as he must one day watch over the Twelve Towns in her stead. He is a practical, careful young man, unusually thoughtful for a Viking. But those who underestimate him do so at their peril – many a foe has been laid low by his cunning as much as his skill – he takes that much from his father at least. While he is as dutiful as any among the Norse, he is not especially ambitious either, and would be fine with serving his beloved Astrid instead. As she clearly does not care for it, he’s resigned to being the best leader he can be, becoming his father’s agent in handling disputes in the Twelve Towns. He is known for being fair and even-handed, measured and able to see both sides of every dispute. Most folks adore their handsome young Prince, and believe he will make a great King for a new age.

Steffen travelled the modern cities during his year of Shearing, and has interest in other cultures and modern ways without abandoning his own. Rannulf is in great health, and barring death in battle, he feels he has a good decade of exploring ahead of him until he takes his father’s place. He has no special desire to be wed, but understands he will need a Queen eventually. There is not much he disagrees with his mother about, but he does feel that her dislike of the House of the Lion is a distraction sometimes. To Steff, it’s an old and dusty feud, one best forgotten with their enemies lying in wait elsewhere. For her part, Erika fully intends to keep her son away from Isabella, quite aware of the Corsair Queen’s appeal to impressionable young men. Steff notes that she has a daughter about his own age, and wonders if marrying her might cement an alliance between the feuding Tribes? (He’s in for a bit of a surprise with Lucy, but he’ll be fine about it, even a bit relieved…) Isabella’s son, Eduardo, is old enough to be Astrid’s father, and she made clear her distaste for that idea.

The only real chink in Steff’s armour is his sister Astrid. He’s always been very close to her, teaching her the hunter’s arts and how to fight. He’s nursed her through bad dreams and teenage insecurities, been her confessor and confidante. It is very clear that he loves her dearly, and would do anything for her. Even his parents have wondered at their closeness, which is intimate even considering Viking bonds and love of family. A few other warriors have made improper suggestions that perhaps the future King is a little too fond of his beautiful sister for comfort… Steff challenged their leader to a duel, and they accepted… forgetting that a man who knows his herbs and has access to the cookpot has ways of fighting beyond swords and shields. Thus the ‘duel’ proved very messy (and embarrassing) for Steff’s opponent, and everyone understood the young Prince had made his point. Since that time, nobody whispers rumours about his relationship with Astrid; at least not within earshot.

Steff spent his Shearing year exploring, and traveling the cities of modern men, learning their tongues and trades. He even sailed to the Americas, spending a month or two on the frontier, which offered him both a taste of modern life, and the wilderness spirit he loved. He returned home with a written commendation from the rancher he worked for as a scout and tracker, much to his family’s pride. While he takes his duty to the Twelve Towns seriously, he suffers from some wanderlust like all rangers, and would dearly like to get some traveling years under his belt before becoming king.

Steff idolises his mother and has respect for his father, who has impressed upon the lad that he must be a ‘better man’ than he was. He is a friendly older brother to his two younger siblings, but it is his extremely close relationship with his eldest sister that really defines them both. He is friendly towards his people, but he’s a private man and while almost everyone likes him, nobody but Astrid knows him well.

Physically, Steff has dark blond hair - shoulder-length and curly - long mustaches and a goatee, and a slight, wiry build perfect for a huntsman. Women consider him handsome, and he will have plenty of eligible would-be brides when he is ready to take the throne.

Princess Astrid

Having been given a name that means ‘beautiful’ or ‘divine’, it was always likely that the King’s eldest daughter would live up to her name. She is neither tall like her father or broad-shouldered like her mother, but she does take after her brother, being slim, quick and agile. She has fair skin, golden hair and a moderately large bust on a slim frame that gets her noticed… much to her discomfort. Astrid is somewhat fey and quiet for the Norse, preferring the quiet peace of nature to the bustle of the towns. Nonetheless, she feels a strong duty to her people, and will serve them as that duty demands.

Astrid is not sheltered or unworldly in the way a Victorian lady would be – she was taught to hunt and survive in the wilds after all, as well as the arts of blade, shield and bow. She loves the wilderness and feels a great kinship to beasts and wild places. But her personality is notably unusual for her people – she is shy and quiet, reflective and thoughtful. She prefers silence and solitude to tavern songs or the din of battle, and the company of creatures to humans. But she understands her duties, and has acted as her father’s aide in many ways, learning the responsibilities of her parents. She can think of little she would dislike more than having to be a ruler, but if her brother is to be king, then he will need her watchful eyes and keen aim, to know that there is someone who always has his back. She does not much care for conversation, but has tried to overcome this when acting as her father’s voice in the other Twelve Towns. Like her brother, she’s nobody’s fool and there’s steel inside of her, deep down… even if she keeps it hidden most of the time.

Fearing that her family tend to wrap her in cotton wool – and strongly desiring a year away by herself, lost in the beauty of nature – Astrid asked to be Sheared at nineteen, much to her family’s worry. Loaded with gifts and supplies, she spent her year of Shearing in the wilds, caring little for the cities of modern men. She made pilgrimages to scared places, hunting and living off the land... fighting gremians and other monsters when she had to. For the most part, her foes never see her coming, and she can end most battles before they begin with a few well-placed arrows. She has just returned after her year away, much to the relief of her family, who tend to cosset her. They are beginning to trust her abilities a little more now, starting to respect she is a hunter in her own right and not a fragile flower to be sheltered. She is aware that Steff tends to put himself in danger for her, and she doesn’t seem to able to change his mind on this.

Growing up, Astrid was an odd child, given to dreams and wild imaginings, and through her troubled teenage years, her brother was her only real friend. He taught her to track and hunt and use the bow, giving them many hours together alone in the wilds together, the happiest moments of her life. Patient and protective, he listened to her ramblings and offered her advice and support, promising one another that no matter what, they would always be there for one another. Partly because of this, neither sibling really sought any other company, or had the usual trysts and relationships youngsters develop. Steff could take or leave women either way, and Astrid openly hated the idea of courtship. Next to her brother, the other young men seemed to be boastful braggarts, obsessed with valour and glory and other matters that held little interest for her.

Astrid adores her father, aware that he spoils her rotten and is fiercely protective of her. He warns her gravely about ‘men like me’ and that she should be slow to trust or fall in love. She has a good working relationship with her mother, but they argue sometimes and she is well aware Steff is Erika's clear favourite. She loves her younger siblings, her ‘Little Silky’ and ‘Prince Harry’ and hopes she can help teach them in the coming years.

Astrid feels unsure about the great quest ahead of her – her year of Shearing proved she is no helpless damsel, but this is an undertaking very different to everything that came before. She is well aware everyone else intends to throw themselves in harm’s way for her, and that thought bothers her. Still, she is still a daughter of the Twelve Towns, a Norse of noble blood. She hopes her archery skills, stealth and woods-lore will be the equal of the tests ahead of her, and that she and her family will all return safely.

The Gates of Valhalla

The omens and seers speak of something dreadful that stirs under the Plateau of Targa, in the ‘mountains of madness’. The lost remnants of some ancient horror have always dwelt there; it is one of the things the Twelve Towns have always guarded in their long and lonely vigil. Under the mountain is a world of ice, stone and metal, the mechanical servants of a (hopefully!) long-dead alien race of wicked trilobite creatures. There is also said to be great power there – ancient artefacts and alien technology. Such things hold no appeal to the Norse, but they have had to keep looters and treasure-seekers from the place – sometimes forcefully - lest they awake the horrors of Targa and they venture forth into an unsuspecting world.

And so the Nordhagen family and their retainers and allies must set forth on their longships, through frozen Nordic forests, underground alien lairs and frigid islands, to find a means to keep the dangers of Targa sealed. Silke and ‘Prince Harry’ are much too young, of course, and will be looked after by Erika’s older family at home while they are away (and Silke will be Queen if they do not return…). Although Steff and Astrid have returned from their yearly Shearing, ths quest promises to be a very tough test for the young siblings. Erika, Rannulf and their followers have all made an unspoken oath to sacrifice their own lives before harm comes to Steff and Astrid, to preserve the hereditary line, as well as protect their children as any parents would. Although he understands he is to be King, Steff is incredibly protective of his sister, and will not hesitate to give his life for her if needs be.

As their old sparring partners in the Tribe of the Lion are also undertaking their own epic quest, it promises to be a very interesting journey… While the Nordhagen’s wish to seal away the ancient horrors of the world, Isabella is clearly in Jargono seeking its power for her own… Their ancestors thwarted her attempts on Targa a hundred years ago – but she has never forgotten this slight, or how close she came to Targa before, and there is always a possibility she will interfere once more…

Description

Another masterpiece for who has perfectly caught the expression I wanted for Astrid here; a Viking Princess who is sensitive and thoughtful as well as a skilled huntress.

I'd say she's showing off her *cough* 'Gates of Valhalla' here... but she has a big family, all of whom have big axes, and they're ferociously over-protective of their troubled little fawn, and not afraid of showing it.

I had a vague idea of pairing Astrid with Red Lucy in a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ way (you can imagine how Isabella would feel about that!) but it makes more sense for Lucy to fall for Tula, considering the Jargono setting of ‘Valley of the Serpent Kings’. Maybe one of the Valkyries, or Ulf the Skinwalker’s daughter? Or someone from further afield, perhaps Brimstone or FoFo? I actually like the idea of seeing her as a cowgirl! Or maybe the Jaguar Warrior lady, a fellow tribal who’d have a lot in common with her? I don’t really know yet; let me know what you think! There are some fairly established characters who don’t have a love-interest yet. Maybe I’ll do a poll?

“I had a dream:

I got everything I wanted…

Not what you'd think

And if I'm being honest -

It might've been a nightmare

To anyone who might care…

Thought I could fly

So I stepped off the Golden

Nobody cried - nobody even noticed!

I saw them standing right there

I kind of thought they might care

I had a dream:

I got everything I wanted…

But when I wake up, I see… you with me...!

And you say:

‘As long as I'm here, no-one can hurt you

You don't wanna lie here, but you can learn to

If I could change the way that you see yourself

You wouldn't wonder why you hear:

‘They don't deserve you!’"

Billie Eilish, ‘Everything I Wanted’

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgBJml…

(There aren’t enough platonic love songs. Plenty of female artists sing about their love for boyfriends (or these days, artists like Hayley Kiyoko or Aly Hills sing about their girlfriends). But songs about family are as likely to be ‘WHY DID YOU FUCK ME UP???’ as ‘Thanks, fam!’. This beautiful song is a platonic love ballad for her brother, Finneas, the guy in the video with her. Billie is very open how he’s always been her protector and best friend. This song describes a dream she had, where she let the pressures of fame get to her and she threw herself from the Golden Gate Bridge in her hometown of San Francisco. She awoke upset, and her brother stayed with her and soothed her until she went back to sleep, as he’d done many times before. It’s very sweet, and it made me settle on having that dynamic with Astrid and Steff in Gates of Valhalla, the sensitive younger sister and protective older brother.)

The Nordhagens as a family

The Nordhagens have ruled the Twelve Towns for several generations now; they are not the only line to have done so in the last thousand years, but they are one of the best loved. They are renowned for being fierce in war and wise in peace, able to balance the many difficulties of keeping their ancient ways alive in a modern age. The ruling King, or ‘Jarl’, Rannulf, is a wily, glib fellow with an eye for the ladies, but he’s kept in line by his pragmatic, long-suffering lady-wife, Erika. The couple have four children – Steffen (21), Astrid (just turned 20), Silke (10), and Harald (8). Despite the trials of life in the Ten Towns, there’s a lot of love and affection in the Tribe of the Wolf, – they are a contrast to the Reyes-Martinez family in the Tribe of the Lion. Isabella and Esteban are immortal, having sired many in their long centuries of life, and they know they will outlive their descendants. Their youngest daughter, Lucia, has to grasp this, and how it makes her parents distant from her – she is just passing through history, but they are history, as her brother Eduardo likes to say. It’s a lot to lay on a teenage girl.

So while Lucy got the best schooling and tuition that royalty can buy, but little real parental care, Steff and Astrid grew up in the relative hardship of the Twelve Towns, without much in the way of modern technology, but they had a strong extended family who stick together to get through the harshness of their lives. When both families set out on an epic adventure – Valley of the Serpent Kings and the Gates of Valhalla – they must contend with their own family dynamics as well as the monsters and dangers of their quest.

Rannulf might be something of a charming scoundrel, but he loves his children and has always been there for them. Erika turns a blind eye to his propensity to stray, as long as he keeps it out of the Twelve Towns and brings home the occasional lover for her too. They get on well as a couple otherwise; he is caring in his way, and knows they work well together – in many ways, he leads and she rules the Ten Towns. Both of them rely strongly on the support and judgement of the other, despite the occasional disagreements. Despite everything, they still have a strong love and mutual respect for the other.

Both care about their people and their family – and do what they can to provide them what they need for the life ahead of them. When Steff and Astrid came of age at 18, Rannulf made them both his ‘huscarls’ – his honour-guard and advisors, essentially a council of his friends, family and drinking buddies, those whose advice the King actually values. While this seems like nepotism (and Vikings are as guilty of that as any humans) it is not a bad idea for his heirs to learn about rulership early on, as one of them will succeed him when he dies or steps down. Realistically, Rannulf wishes to retire when he’s sixty, and let one of his heirs rule in his stead – assuming he doesn’t die in battle and take his seat in Valhalla first.

The jarl’s position in the Twelve Towns is hereditary, but can pass to another family if there are no heirs. The oldest heir tends to be preferred, as do male heirs – but there is no hard and fast rule, and there have been women and younger siblings who became ruler. It tends to be a case that rule passes to whoever is good at it or even wants it. Steffan told his family that he’s easy either way – if Astrid wanted it, he’d happily step aside and follow her. But Astrid says she truly does not want to be Queen, but that she will gladly be an aide and advisor to her brother. This seems to please everyone in the Tribe of the Wolf except a few die-hards, and almost everyone agrees the easy-going Steff will make a fine King in this new century.

The people of the Ten Towns, knowing their cleaving to the old ways makes them isolated, both physically and culturally, practise a tradition called ’the Shearing’. When a boy comes of age, he leaves the Twelve Towns for a year, to explore the outside world. During this time, he takes an oath not to return, but to fend for himself and hopefully seek honour and glory for himself in the wider world. The Norse were traders and explorers as well as raiders, and this is seen as a vital way for their young to get a taste of the world outside the Twelve Towns. Girls are also allowed to request the Shearing, but they are not required to do so – the population of the Twelve Towns has declined through the years, and women are needed to care for home and hearth. However, the daughters of royalty are encouraged to do so, and Astrid chose to do so - something which made her family both very proud and unbelievably worried at the same time. A youngster being ‘Sheared’ can experience whatever they wish outside the Twelve Towns – most travel and learn about the wider world, but there is one tale about the boy who spent the entire year camping on a hill just outside the home he loved, and after returning, he never left his village again.

Steffen Nordhagen

Now twenty-one, Steff is a handsome youngster, remarkably wise for his tender years. Unlike his father, he is quiet, reflective and perceptive – his keen hunter’s gaze misses little, and he prefers to listen than speak. Trained as a hunter, Steff is an excellent archer and no pushover in melee either – his mother made sure he was trained in defensive fighting, with his shield and sharp Norse blade. She is somewhat over-protective of her beloved boy, and has always told him that he must be careful as he must one day watch over the Twelve Towns in her stead. He is a practical, careful young man, unusually thoughtful for a Viking. But those who underestimate him do so at their peril – many a foe has been laid low by his cunning as much as his skill – he takes that much from his father at least. While he is as dutiful as any among the Norse, he is not especially ambitious either, and would be fine with serving his beloved Astrid instead. As she clearly does not care for it, he’s resigned to being the best leader he can be, becoming his father’s agent in handling disputes in the Twelve Towns. He is known for being fair and even-handed, measured and able to see both sides of every dispute. Most folks adore their handsome young Prince, and believe he will make a great King for a new age.

Steffen travelled the modern cities during his year of Shearing, and has interest in other cultures and modern ways without abandoning his own. Rannulf is in great health, and barring death in battle, he feels he has a good decade of exploring ahead of him until he takes his father’s place. He has no special desire to be wed, but understands he will need a Queen eventually. There is not much he disagrees with his mother about, but he does feel that her dislike of the House of the Lion is a distraction sometimes. To Steff, it’s an old and dusty feud, one best forgotten with their enemies lying in wait elsewhere. For her part, Erika fully intends to keep her son away from Isabella, quite aware of the Corsair Queen’s appeal to impressionable young men. Steff notes that she has a daughter about his own age, and wonders if marrying her might cement an alliance between the feuding Tribes? (He’s in for a bit of a surprise with Lucy, but he’ll be fine about it, even a bit relieved…) Isabella’s son, Eduardo, is old enough to be Astrid’s father, and she made clear her distaste for that idea.

The only real chink in Steff’s armour is his sister Astrid. He’s always been very close to her, teaching her the hunter’s arts and how to fight. He’s nursed her through bad dreams and teenage insecurities, been her confessor and confidante. It is very clear that he loves her dearly, and would do anything for her. Even his parents have wondered at their closeness, which is intimate even considering Viking bonds and love of family. A few other warriors have made improper suggestions that perhaps the future King is a little too fond of his beautiful sister for comfort… Steff challenged their leader to a duel, and they accepted… forgetting that a man who knows his herbs and has access to the cookpot has ways of fighting beyond swords and shields. Thus the ‘duel’ proved very messy (and embarrassing) for Steff’s opponent, and everyone understood the young Prince had made his point. Since that time, nobody whispers rumours about his relationship with Astrid; at least not within earshot.

Steff spent his Shearing year exploring, and traveling the cities of modern men, learning their tongues and trades. He even sailed to the Americas, spending a month or two on the frontier, which offered him both a taste of modern life, and the wilderness spirit he loved. He returned home with a written commendation from the rancher he worked for as a scout and tracker, much to his family’s pride. While he takes his duty to the Twelve Towns seriously, he suffers from some wanderlust like all rangers, and would dearly like to get some traveling years under his belt before becoming king.

Steff idolises his mother and has respect for his father, who has impressed upon the lad that he must be a ‘better man’ than he was. He is a friendly older brother to his two younger siblings, but it is his extremely close relationship with his eldest sister that really defines them both. He is friendly towards his people, but he’s a private man and while almost everyone likes him, nobody but Astrid knows him well.

Physically, Steff has dark blond hair - shoulder-length and curly - long mustaches and a goatee, and a slight, wiry build perfect for a huntsman. Women consider him handsome, and he will have plenty of eligible would-be brides when he is ready to take the throne.

Princess Astrid

Having been given a name that means ‘beautiful’ or ‘divine’, it was always likely that the King’s eldest daughter would live up to her name. She is neither tall like her father or broad-shouldered like her mother, but she does take after her brother, being slim, quick and agile. She has fair skin, golden hair and a moderately large bust on a slim frame that gets her noticed… much to her discomfort. Astrid is somewhat fey and quiet for the Norse, preferring the quiet peace of nature to the bustle of the towns. Nonetheless, she feels a strong duty to her people, and will serve them as that duty demands.

Astrid is not sheltered or unworldly in the way a Victorian lady would be – she was taught to hunt and survive in the wilds after all, as well as the arts of blade, shield and bow. She loves the wilderness and feels a great kinship to beasts and wild places. But her personality is notably unusual for her people – she is shy and quiet, reflective and thoughtful. She prefers silence and solitude to tavern songs or the din of battle, and the company of creatures to humans. But she understands her duties, and has acted as her father’s aide in many ways, learning the responsibilities of her parents. She can think of little she would dislike more than having to be a ruler, but if her brother is to be king, then he will need her watchful eyes and keen aim, to know that there is someone who always has his back. She does not much care for conversation, but has tried to overcome this when acting as her father’s voice in the other Twelve Towns. Like her brother, she’s nobody’s fool and there’s steel inside of her, deep down… even if she keeps it hidden most of the time.

Fearing that her family tend to wrap her in cotton wool – and strongly desiring a year away by herself, lost in the beauty of nature – Astrid asked to be Sheared at nineteen, much to her family’s worry. Loaded with gifts and supplies, she spent her year of Shearing in the wilds, caring little for the cities of modern men. She made pilgrimages to scared places, hunting and living off the land... fighting gremians and other monsters when she had to. For the most part, her foes never see her coming, and she can end most battles before they begin with a few well-placed arrows. She has just returned after her year away, much to the relief of her family, who tend to cosset her. They are beginning to trust her abilities a little more now, starting to respect she is a hunter in her own right and not a fragile flower to be sheltered. She is aware that Steff tends to put himself in danger for her, and she doesn’t seem to able to change his mind on this.

Growing up, Astrid was an odd child, given to dreams and wild imaginings, and through her troubled teenage years, her brother was her only real friend. He taught her to track and hunt and use the bow, giving them many hours together alone in the wilds together, the happiest moments of her life. Patient and protective, he listened to her ramblings and offered her advice and support, promising one another that no matter what, they would always be there for one another. Partly because of this, neither sibling really sought any other company, or had the usual trysts and relationships youngsters develop. Steff could take or leave women either way, and Astrid openly hated the idea of courtship. Next to her brother, the other young men seemed to be boastful braggarts, obsessed with valour and glory and other matters that held little interest for her.

Astrid adores her father, aware that he spoils her rotten and is fiercely protective of her. He warns her gravely about ‘men like me’ and that she should be slow to trust or fall in love. She has a good working relationship with her mother, but they argue sometimes and she is well aware Steff is Erika's clear favourite. She loves her younger siblings, her ‘Little Silky’ and ‘Prince Harry’ and hopes she can help teach them in the coming years.

Astrid feels unsure about the great quest ahead of her – her year of Shearing proved she is no helpless damsel, but this is an undertaking very different to everything that came before. She is well aware everyone else intends to throw themselves in harm’s way for her, and that thought bothers her. Still, she is still a daughter of the Twelve Towns, a Norse of noble blood. She hopes her archery skills, stealth and woods-lore will be the equal of the tests ahead of her, and that she and her family will all return safely.

The Gates of Valhalla

The omens and seers speak of something dreadful that stirs under the Plateau of Targa, in the ‘mountains of madness’. The lost remnants of some ancient horror have always dwelt there; it is one of the things the Twelve Towns have always guarded in their long and lonely vigil. Under the mountain is a world of ice, stone and metal, the mechanical servants of a (hopefully!) long-dead alien race of wicked trilobite creatures. There is also said to be great power there – ancient artefacts and alien technology. Such things hold no appeal to the Norse, but they have had to keep looters and treasure-seekers from the place – sometimes forcefully - lest they awake the horrors of Targa and they venture forth into an unsuspecting world.

And so the Nordhagen family and their retainers and allies must set forth on their longships, through frozen Nordic forests, underground alien lairs and frigid islands, to find a means to keep the dangers of Targa sealed. Silke and ‘Prince Harry’ are much too young, of course, and will be looked after by Erika’s older family at home while they are away (and Silke will be Queen if they do not return…). Although Steff and Astrid have returned from their yearly Shearing, ths quest promises to be a very tough test for the young siblings. Erika, Rannulf and their followers have all made an unspoken oath to sacrifice their own lives before harm comes to Steff and Astrid, to preserve the hereditary line, as well as protect their children as any parents would. Although he understands he is to be King, Steff is incredibly protective of his sister, and will not hesitate to give his life for her if needs be.

As their old sparring partners in the Tribe of the Lion are also undertaking their own epic quest, it promises to be a very interesting journey… While the Nordhagen’s wish to seal away the ancient horrors of the world, Isabella is clearly in Jargono seeking its power for her own… Their ancestors thwarted her attempts on Targa a hundred years ago – but she has never forgotten this slight, or how close she came to Targa before, and there is always a possibility she will interfere once more…