Post by Brynhildr on May 29, 2016 2:48:55 GMT -8
Name: Brynhildr
Race: Celestial
Appearance: The mix of pragmatism and subtle femininity that captures much of her essence is rarely more up-front than her attire and movements, a combination of a warrior's pragmatism and an eye for fashion that shows more of an unconscious understanding of her nature than Bryn actually realizes; her armor walks a fine line between truly protective and heavily stylized, 'cheating' a bit with her celestial durability to make up for its imperfect protection, but her massive, ornate shield is anything but a collector's trifle - tough enough to weather dragonbreath and capable of blows just as punishing as any blade, she wields it as just as much of a weapon as her ornate Aethyreal blade. The truth is that all are as much a part of her as her flesh and spirit - literally rather than figuratively, given that she manifested with them all, and that her exposed skin is not actually any less protected than what is covered by armor or cloth. Typically Celestial, but to her the armor is as real as it needs to be.
Brynhildr evinces a wide range of motion, gentle and soft with subtle motions in one moment, then broad and sweeping in the next. In general, out of combat she favors softer motions, though her stride is a mix of purpose and feminine, but in combat she is consistently restrained, moving quickly but fluidly into each attack or hurling herself shield-first into an attack with all the force and vigor of any warrior. It is very rare for her to actually allow sloppy movement from herself, instead focusing, sometimes perhaps to a fault, on precise and accurate movement, whether it be her refined footwork or perfectly clipped swings; even her shield bashes generally extend only as far as necessary and little more.
For better or for worse, her precision can fade a bit when caught up too much in the heat of combat, allowing a subtle sloppiness born of emotion - her movements grow larger, more predictable, but also greater in power, trading away some of her normally perfectly balanced style for one that is brutal in its simple reliance on her own durability to take a few hits as she strives to grasp victory quickly. If it could be said that her normal style relies too little on her durability, acting almost as if a single scratch would fatally wound her, it could be said that this version is too free with it, betraying the mindset of a woman who truly believes that her willpower can carry her through anything.
The six great wings behind her are none too subtle as proof of her lineage, soft as silk to the touch but incredibly durable in battle, and she uses them for both mobility and occasionally defense. The other evidence of her Celestial nature is a touch harder to notice; while her voice is nearly normal, there is a subtle chorus in her words, a hint of music that gives them a strange timbre. Even constrained to mortal form, she cannot entirely suppress the nature of her reality, the fact that Celestials in their original state are but light and sound made manifest.
Personality: Calm and composed, Brynhildr acts the part of divine messenger better than she knows, almost radiant in the calming stability she defaults to. It is perhaps a uniquely Celestial trait to be so self-assured in their path in life, but her certainty is born from individuality rather than subservience to the whole, which tinges it, and her in general, in ways as subtle as they are blatant. Brynhildr is aware of her own imperfection - that her belief system is incomplete, that the world of Elibe is infinitely more complex than she has an answer to. Rather than see those facts as anathema, she believes beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is by deeds rather than words that the answer will be found, if it does exist at all - and if it does not, a life spent well is its own reward.
It is that strange mix of wisdom and naivete that embody her, tinge her perceptions and beliefs; willpower that keep her going through any tribulation, the self-awareness to question when needed... and the stubbornness to not always be able to tell the difference. Ms. Perfect also has a minor problem with pride, a mix of blind stubbornness and distaste for conformity born of her own existence in search of individuality, that can lead to an ironic tendency towards occasional closed-mindedness despite her best attempts, forever trapped in the thrall of an ideal she knows is unattainable, following a system of morality that does not always lend itself perfectly to the real world.
It is simple to say that one should follow the 'correct path,' but sometimes much harder to define it, and for all her strength, she is neither omniscient or possessed of wisdom beyond reproach. Such is the paradox - the dichotomy that she struggles against internally, beneath the placid surface; the perfection of self is a goal perhaps even further away than universal justice, and yet one no less important, for who is she to dispense justice if she cannot even define it with her own existence? Words are cheap and ideals but pleasant dreams, while actions reveal the truth of who one is.
If there is one defining facet of her rudimentary belief system, it is that 'the strong should protect the weak,' the concept that the burden of strength is to serve those who are not, to uplift them in turn; attached to it is the idea that strength itself is a responsibility, not simply a gift - that to be truly 'strong' is to accept the burden of those beneath you, rather than to rule them. She does not dislike the concept of rulership, recognizing that Elibe does not conform itself to her ideals, but believes that the only just king is he who rules solely for the sake of his people
A warrior's spirit burns bright within the battle-maiden's breast, hidden beneath the layers of armor and will but never extinguished, and mingled with her pride and stubbornness it ignites into a great flame in combat, an act that the not-quite-human Valkyrie finds a sort of perfect release within. Combat is the anvil upon which those who would change the world are tested - the ultimate test of conviction, the metric by which true belief can be measured empirically. She may not be the greatest of all the Celestial Host, or the mightiest warrior in Elibe, or the wisest of all sages, but Brynhildr strives to refine herself through the greatest of teachers nonetheless.
Is is both a strength and a weakness; she does not shy away even from difficult battles if she believes her actions are just, but mixed with her pride, she is more often unable to back down, caught too far in the moment to analyze the situation objectively. But it is nothing if not simply - her, a truth born of existence, and even if the Valkyrie was actually aware of it she would not likely change her ways.
Likes: long walks on the beach, heavy conversation, beating the shit out of people (in a good way), beating the shit out of people (in a stabby way).
History: Born of the age of fire, Brynhildr's early existence was much the same as any Celestial, a desperate search for meaning, for existence to complete that which she dimly knew was imperfect. Her development was somewhat off kilter though, the result of an early summoning before she had actually formed; while she remembers little of Elibe at the time, the experience remained indelibly imprinted on her, the vague memories of a word so very different than the Aether, as strange and alien and exciting and wonderful to her as the Aether is to the men of Elibe. It granted her the gift of perspective, which both interfered with her natural development and saved her from the belief that she understood everything, as her natural tendencies may have led to were she to have developed solely within the Aether.
It also affected her physically, influencing her final form, tinging it with hints of a humanity that she did not understand. Perhaps it was foolhardy to romanticize a world she did not actually know, but if only dimly she understood that to better understand herself and her ideals, she needed to expand her horizons. And so too was it that the strange... singularity of Elibe affected her, the ideals of choice and individuality. As she grew, they became inextricably entwined into her own notions of justice and morality, and as her mind developed, Elibe continued to exist mostly as an idealized version of itself, perhaps even more interesting than what was to her the 'real' world of the Aether.
But for one of the Aetherborn to simply bridge the gap to Elibe on their own, no matter how much they might like to, is a difficult task indeed - not technically impossible, but Brynhildr did not have the sheer desperate need that was needed to do it herself, loving the Aether was well, the natural song of the world and the opportunity for meaningless and yet transcendent combat; it was from her home that she learned her propensity for struggle. So too was it in Elibe that she refined it, opening herself up to the calls of summoners from Elibe, hearing their call and sometimes heeding it if the song of their soul matched her own enough. However, as she learned quite jarringly, the world of Elibe was not as simple as she had hoped - and even more complex than she had dreamed. It did not quite share the Aether's propensity for mutability, but in many ways they were the same, both ruled by the concept of willpower and sheer force of personality.
In some ways she came to see herself as a child of both worlds, or perhaps more accurately, each world as merely different sides of the same coin. She had not yet found a stable anchor to Elibe, but throughout her short jaunts into that world, Brynhildr was exposed to the countless imperfections and injustices of Elibe - born and reborn to fight bandits, scavengers, murderers, rapists, soldiers, monsters, and men alike; exposed to a world bereft of harmony, desperately in need of order that she could not provide - but also full of men, women, children who could not defend themselves. She loved combat for its own sake as much as for how it allowed her to pit her ideals against others, but over time Bryn realized that it had value beyond the immediate - the realization that strength could be used for more than its own sake, that it meant nothing without purpose.
In time, her ideals slowly crystallized - her interest was not so much in the Aether so much as the world below, and her goals had to be for something more than merely herself after what she had seen. It began as a whisper of a thought in a dream, but quickly came to define her in some ways; the realization that the weak needed the protection of those blessed with strength, that it was not a simple choice so much as duty itself. She still had many questions unanswered, but finally, something concrete to turn herself towards as she continued to hunt those answers.
Combat: A mix of power and durability, Brynhildr's approach to combat balances offense, defense, and mobility, with powerful but simple slashes and brutal shield bashes, an impregnable shield and medium armor to match her immense durability, and a combination of stellar footwork and limited flight - she isn't much of an actual flyer, but the six great wings upon her back are for more than just show, used regularly to reposition in combat, bleed away inertia, or simply avoid massive attacks if a surprisingly quick sidestep is not sufficient.
Her swordsmanship is not yet especially refined, but Brynhildr's holy blade is backed with divine strength and honed reflexes, offering a deceptive mix of speed and power that can take foes off guard. Nonetheless, she is more of a generalist than a master of speed or power individually, relying on her natural durability to weather attacks and keep on going to outlast speedier or more powerful foes, or search for openings in those even more durable - a pragmatic fighting style that lends itself well to most situations but doesn't quite bring the level of bombastic firepower that one might hope for from a divine warrior.
