Katja Goddard

Katja Goddard
[[Image:|541px]] "I'll see you safely to the Shroud. Our livelyhoods depend on it after all!!"
Haldkynd, Virgin of the Valleys
Gender	Female
Race	Lalafell
Clan	Plainsfolk
Citizenship	Gridania/Xelphatol
Age	Approximately 23
Namesday	Unknown

Character

♦ General

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A Warrior hailing from the windwashed valleys of Xelphatol, displaced by the calamity, and barred from her homeland by the City State of Gridania. Until the Black Boar Gate is reopened, Haldkynd is making a living culling beasts, clearing paths, protecting hamlets, and guarding merchants throughout the Black Shroud. She is also known to instruct rookie Wailers on Ixali battle tactics and counterstrategems.

Abandoned at birth, she was taken in by a tribe of Hellsguard Warriors, cut off from the rest of the world, and raised as one of their own. The village was most certainly on the road less travelled, but every moon or so a caravan would come by, leaving knowledge of current events, tomes, trinkets, spices, and the Ixal in their wake. The quarrel between Roegadyn and Ixal was nothing more than a feud, each largely respected the other's land claims, and only seldom was there bloodshed.

Haldkynd had many father figures, but Blynbhar stood out among them. It was he who found her, and he who took her under his care. He was an elder, kind, protective, inspiring. He was supportive of his younger kin and their ventures, often giving advice and wisdom. She learned of the world through fables and tomes passed through generations, told by Blynbhar, and she learned the way of the warrior through rigorous training. Battle was the way of life for the Hellsguard, and her tribe were not masters of magic. Their village was a bastion well adapted to the harsh reality of what seemed like paradise to the young Warrior. The beauty of her surroundings only existed to feed Haldkynd's wanderlust. The hunting paths were but a guide, and she needed none. A strong sense of direction, and the instincts of a wolf, she was rarely lost, and ever observant of the environment, and those around her. Family was the centerpiece of their existence, they were all brothers and sisters, uncles, and aunts. The love they showed her was returned threefold. It was such love, that unchained their inner beasts. The Warriors of her tribe grew in every way with age, one piece of her armor was earned each year leading up to her coming of age, a soul crystal, and a name, to complete the set. The armor has been in the making for as long as Haldkynd; what grows with the warrior is a part of the warrior, be it her armor, her axe, or her family. Her soul crystal shines a brilliant ruby red, stained with the bloodbonding of each and every member of her adopted family. Wherever she went, they would be with her, fueling her fire, laughing with her, crying with her. It is worn as a pendant on a durable chain, so it's always close her heart.

Mercenary work was the way of life for her people, after she came of age, she migrated to the Shroud on business, but when the lesser moon fell, she was barred from her homeland. The fall of Dalamud brought about the closure of the Black Boar Gate, entrapping her in lands she did not understand. Cut off from all she had grown up with, she registered with the adventurer's guild in hopes that her efforts may guide her home, or help her find a new one. Haldkynd is kept afloat by wanderlust, and she can sometimes catch glimpses of the mountains she called home from parts of the Black Shroud, which enkindles her spirits.

♦ Appearance

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Black hair and dark red eyes decorate a tender smile. She wears the traditional garb of her tribe, as it is a part of who she is. She holds herself high when she walks, proud of who she is, and yet she is also a torrent of grace in combat, hardly missing a step, while unleashing her fury upon her foes.

♦ Behavior

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Many of the men her age had eyes for her, for many reasons, but to act was an unwritten taboo. None would be so bold. As such, she is completely inexperienced when it comes to matters of romance, so it is only natural that she fails to pick up sexual innuendo and suggestion, and hasn't ever had to respond to an open confession of romantic love at this point.

She is talkative and often wants to know more about the people she works with, sometimes bordering on annoying; she fails to pick up on contemporary language cues that would tell most people to stop talking.

Haldkynd has no problem working in a team, but hates to be ordered around. She'll gladly work towards a common goal, but she's going to do it her way, such is the way of her people.

The monkier Haldkynd is reserved for family and those close to her. She refers herself as Katja around the other races who do not understand the Roegadyn tongue.

She largely lives day to day, though she doesn't have to, she prefers it. She guards wagons, culls beasts, and cuts paths. She prefers the company of Roegadyns, mistrusting of the Dunesfolk that would judge her mannerisms against their cultured lifestyles.

She makes her own way in the world, but adheres to the law. She is driven by her own code, weighing her decisions against her instincts and her family. If it was something they'd frown upon at home, she'd likely avoid doing it, but indulgence is spoken nature, and she is as spoken as they come.

Because of her rustic nature, she fails to pick up on subtle language cues, and because of the simplicity of her nature, she is rather easy to manipulate; and though she is a great warrior, she's no legendary hero, and she's no mercenary. Killing other spoken races is a last resort, but the beast tribes, though technically spoken, have no place in her heart. They are a nuisance to be culled, as are the diremites and ochus she is tasked to exterminate regularly.

Combat and the Inner Beast

Haldkynd and her people fight as traditional Warriors on the surface, but rather than battle with their inner beast, they live in harmony with it. By converting the familial bonds they share into a sort of protective rage thus amplified by their soul crystals, they are able to channel aether into their attacks, giving feelings of immense ecstasy in combat as favorite memories stream past their mind's eye.

Haldkynd, due to her size takes a much different approach to combat, she is very much of a "southpaw" when it comes to her attacks because she relies more on her agility and aetheric manipulation, rather than her raw strength alone. She has no rules. Fractures, groinshots, and leg sweeps are integral parts of her battledance, sundering armor and rendering her enemy exhausted and defenseless for her to land the killing blow. This was much to the surprise of sparring partners, as this is a style very similar to what the Ixali Boldwings employ.

★ Recent RP events ★

None so far!

Tendencies

"An Apple a day keeps the Ixal away!"

Munching on apples is a very common sight. She does it often when she's thinking, and may even stop mid sentence to take a bite. She prefers the bitter Xelphatol apples of her homeland, much to the disgust of those around her.

Likes ■ Apples ■ Roegadyns

Dislikes ■ Dunesfolk ■ Ixal

Hobbies/Talents ■Pathfinding ■Sketching

Favorites ■ Favorite Drink: Apple Cider: ■ Favorite Place: North Shroud: ■ Favorite Memory: Hide and Seek with Blynbhar:

♦ Footnotes

Alignment:

Lawful Neutral