Wiki Category: Ulven Characters - Active

Played by: M Cerys Jenks
Name: Ylsa Stormherald
Gender: Female
Lifespan: 235 – present
Race: Ulven
Occupation: Lorekeeper, trapper
Known Skills: Dual Wielding
Birthplace: The Stormherald family lodgings, at Griogair’s Pass on the eastern reaches of the Great Wolf’s Hackles.
Bio:
Ylsa collects stories. She began her collection with the story of grandmother Bloodskin and the Great Squirrel-Cache Caper, and learned what the runes carved across the lintel of Coywolf longhouses promised, and eventually was told the story of how the Coywolves came to be. The stories in Ylsa’s collection, like the people of the world, do not exist in self-contained little bubbles. She takes them out, holds them side-by-side, to see how they work together. She finds the little loops and hooks and forgotten fragments that connect one tale to another without the teller even realizing. She connected a little girl finding a stash of nuts in winter to a band of stranded adventurers far more easily than her family would have liked.

The stories of the Ulven were not enough to satisfy her curiosity. She was still little more than a child when the truce between Ulven and colonists was called, and at her first opportunity, Ylsa began to follow the Humans and Syndar around, pestering them with questions about Faedrun and everything else she could think of. Come to think of it, she pestered everyone who would hold still long enough. She had to find their stories, you see. Eventually, she realized that silence often yielded better results, and learned to be quiet (an old Lorespeaker named Lygari claims full credit for teaching her this lesson, although by her account she figured it out on her own). She still follows the Humans and Syndar around when possible, though. Their stories are newer, and they do not describe any life quite like the one she has lived.

Which is not so say she lost her interest in stories of the Ulven. Her mate, veteran warrior Rhodi Vakr, first drew her in and away from the Coywolves’ holdings by telling her tales of his glory days with the Tundra Wolves, and kept her with crazed yarns that generally start in a tavern and end with either dead Mordok or traumatized livestock (occasionally both). She strongly suspects that any story out of Rhodi’s mouth is at best only two-fifths true, but she writes them down anyways (and then asks his brother and mate-sister about them).

The news of strange idol in the woods near Daven’s Reach made her thirst for an even newer tale, a first chapter in a whole new book of Ulven and Human and Syndar living side-by-side. A chapter that demands investigation only the unhealthily curious can bring. So far, learning this new tale has proven beyond dangerous, bringing Ylsa face-to-face with things Ulven would have been happy to live in ignorance of. But Ylsa has never been one for ignorance, and the only thing better than hearing a good story is being in one.

Relationships:
Mate of Rhodi Vakr
Great-Granddaughter of Branwen Stormherald
Former student of Lygari Lore-Speaker

Echo has lived a fruitful life with her mother for many years, she barely knew her father, only because she had only met him five times in her life. As to her and her mother, Tiresia, he had the pack to take care of, and with that came responsibilities. Hardly in their area much anymore, as it was known to their little family he still had work to do and apparently the whole pack to lead. Unknown to them, their entire territory and their family would be caught up in war.

Through her childhood Tiresia taught Echo many things, trekking through dense forest while there family village moved it’s location, showing her the herbs, animals, and plants along the way. Though whenever her mother would go out she was always left with the family’s best archer, Calliope, who taught her to lodge arrows into even the most narrow of spaces. Showing her how to draw, knock, and pull while hidden by brush, or simply working on how silently she could move by playing games of hide and seek. Though as she became familiar with her bow she found it difficult to arch the natural right handed style, and later came to find that her style was of a lefty. All while they’d train they would find things for village healers and Daughters of Gaia to use for helping or trading. As time went on her usual day would consist of playing with the other children in her village while they settled into the new permanent location closer to the rest of the heart of the Nightriver clan. Echo would sometimes do chores for her mother in between building up the new foundations, chopping wood, fetching objects, and catching games between resetting traps.

As years kept going by Echo grew tired of the village life, she wanted adventure, she wished for a way to get out and to see everything. Yearning for travel she confided in her mother, telling her of the wonderful and exciting things she wanted to see, about learning everything there was out there and to explore all over Mardrun. At this, her mother was both full of joy and sorrow as she told her of the Guardians, a group dedicated to not only protection but learning. Echo’s mother had met several of their members of the years and learned of their ideals and goals and knew that her daughter would fit in well with them. After giving her a pendant special of the family she pushed her to get ready, because in a year she would be moving on her own ways.

The year started slowly, Echo hunted with the hunters of several packs to ready her feet for the runs that lay ahead, she improved her archery with the bow her father left in the mantle of their home, a long cherrywood beauty with a leather wrapped handle.

Right before Echo was to leave, she was delayed when her mother came down with a fever. In her delusional state, she made a vague mention of a possible half brother, missing now for years. Echo didn’t know if it was a simple dream or if there was truth to it. Soon after the fever broke, her mother gave her no more information and avoided the subject. With her health returning, Echo’s mother arranged to have Echo travel with the Guardians until she could make contact with the other packs in Clan Nightriver. She hopes to find more information on her supposed half brother and learn more information and lore along the way as she journeys and explores the dangerous land of Mardrun.