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Hild

July 2022

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July 24th, 2022

† info (basic) ‡

Hild

quiet mouth, bright mind

stats
Name: Hild
Canon: Hild (2013 novel)
Age: 20
Gender: Woman
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Sex: Female
Orientation: Pansexual
Status: Married (3 hours)
Happy About It?: No
Birthdate: 17 Nov 614
Home: Northumbria
Position: seer and prophet
Height: 5'10"
Build: Wiry
Manner: Uncanny
appearance
There is something unearthly about Hild. This is more apparent in her own place and own time. She's too tall, tall enough that the some folk whisper about ettin blood in her veins. She has the warm chestnut hair of her royal Yffing house. But her eyes, her eyes are an intense green like moss agate and her gaze is so direct and uncanny as to make royal men and warriors doubt themselves, even since she was 10 years old. She does not typically display much emotion, no until one gets to know her, and even then her smiles can be seldom. But when they do appear, they are true. Her voice has a gentle roughness to it, but she speaks with authority, the kind that comes naturally. There's no need for her to pitch her voice when all silence themselves and crane to listen to her. Though she mostly wears dresses -- long, dyed royal gem colors with glittering embroidery -- they are always sleeveless. This is important because in her world only men bare their arms so. Her arms will never be covered.

There are some accessories always on her:
  • a belt on which hangs distaffs and spindle, a small and ornate purse holding more weaving supplies, herbs, and keepsakes, as well as a wicked looking long dagger;
  • a string of carnelians on a cord of yellow silk, worn as a bracelet by being wrapped a few times around her wrist;
  • a necklace of gold bearing a large gold cross, accented with garnet and pearl.
first impressions & personality
Hild without question and consistently comes off as removed, regal, otherworldly and, depending on how one feels about these qualities, dangerous. She purports herself to be a seer and prophet, and she does in fact make observations and prophecies that are or do come true. For most, she seems to know things, know the person, better than she should on first meeting. For the others that she cannot read, she will not try to make guesses but still maintain her air of reserve.

As a prophet and princess, she is one of those people who has been so distanced from normal life and has had so many expectations and duties placed upon her from a young age that she sometimes does not know how to interact with people as a person herself. She is wary of revealing too much of herself or her true opinions. In her world, saying the wrong thing once will result in pain for her, if not death. Worse, it might mean pain or death for the people that she loves.

All that being said, after someone has earned her trust and the walls have begun to crumble, Hild is loving, warm, clever, and bright. She has a sly sense of humor and a fierce, protective love for those she deems her family. Those walls don't last long once the first few cracks have formed. She loves fully and will be a tactile, attentive friend (or lover).
abilities (or lack thereof)
Despite what she might tell you, Hild is not actually a prophet. She has no special sight into the future or into one's soul. She's just incredibly observant, absorbs all knowledge like a sponge, and uses her status and aura to grant her more insight. What she is is a manipulator. There is no malice or ill-intent in her schemes. Unlike her mother, who taught her how to look for secrets and patterns and how to dress them up like visions, Hild does not have any thirst for power for power's sake. What she wants is a position of power within the world, yes, but one that would allow her her own little corner that she can protect and care for. She wants her own homestead that grows and provides, her own household of friends and lovers, and she does not want to be held back by her sex. From the beginning, her position as seer has always been wielded by her as a means to protect her family. She might make unnervingly insightful remarks or pronouncements about the future to establish herself as otherworldly, with the power that that brings, but she's not looking to manipulate every person for her own gain. In fact, she would rather drop the pretense and be herself. But that very literally means death for her and all the people she calls her own.

In terms of utterly human skills, Hild is a polyglot and eager to learn more. She has a vast knowledge of nature (specific to Britain) as well as farming, artisanal works, and husbandry, as era appropriate. She makes tinctures and teas and salves, as well as weaves tapestries and linen for clothes and sews embroidery. She also very much knows how to use that dagger; she has been fighting with sword and staff "like a boy" from a very young age.
religion
Hild is not Catholic (or simply Christian as it is called in her time) in the true sense, but neither is she particularly devout towards her native gods. Being baptized was a purely political move and she is careful amount comments about faith because the priests, specifically the bishop, hold sway currently in the court. That's why she always wears the cross. Honestly, she thinks of the Christ as a rather silly god who doesn't make sense and doesn't have any good stories about him. And his followers are pretty lackluster on average.

This Hild is however based upon St. Hilda of Whitby, in so much as a historical figure with five pages dedicated to her by the Venerable Bede can be a solid base for a fully fleshed out character. There's a lot of historical guesswork going into her story by way of the author. Everything in her story is certainly possible and fits into the historical record of the time such as we have it, but there's no solid proof backing up this story. If your character wants to recognize the name, the powers at play, or anything else of significance, they're free to, but she has a healthy understanding of the fact that her legacy, such as it is, will very well be manipulated by powers in the future for their own causes.
visuals

† permissions ‡

hild
hild (2013 novel)
seer
woman
20
pansexual
Abilities
⯌ Prophecy & Insight Hild is not actually a seer, though she is incredibly convincing due to always being right in her pronouncements and uncanny in her observations. She's trained to read people and to be mystical and mysterious while doing so. Her ability to discern the truth and see patterns is remarkable; she's a true master of the skill. However, it's just practice and knowledge, not magic.

⯌ Polyglot While the languages she speaks are all archaic, Hild does still have a mastery of Old English (of West Germanic origin aka Northumbrian dialect), West Saxon, a variety of Brythonic Celtic dialects, Ecclesiastical Latin, and Old Irish. She is very much capable of learning more and will at any opportunity.

⯌ Old World Knowledge Just like with language, Hild absorbs any piece of information or knowledge that she can get her hands on. It doesn't matter what sphere it's from, she wants to know. Because of this, she has picked up many skills over the years. Herbology and farming and husbandry and artisanal skills like wine and cheese-making all naturally fall under her purview as a woman of her time, but she also knows combat, strategy, commerce, and any number of facts.
Out-of-Character
⯌ Backtag I can be defined as a slow tagger. I enjoy boomeranging when circumstances allow and work out, but for the most part I try to tag back within 1-3 days. I don't mind if I get tags back faster as long as we're all aware that I might not respond as quickly.

⯌ Fourthwall The odds of people in real life knowing Hild's canon are small and, as I state elsewhere, what is known about the historical St. Hilda of Whitby does not look much like Hild as she is now. That said, I don't have anything against an appropriate character breaking the fourth wall with her. She'll probably take it well, all things considered.

⯌ Off-Limits From a narrative perspective, not much is off limits for Hild. I'm willing to entertain storylines with most anything. That said, I don't necessarily want to thread it. Please check in with me before writing out graphic tags or scenes that involve her with subjects such as non-con, eating disorders, self-harm, child abuse or animal abuse. Mentions of these things in another character's background are different.

⯌ Content Warning Hild's canon has its fair share of problematic events and stories that could easily trigger someone. Hild herself has PTSD from a traumatic battle which may be mentioned. More importantly, she owns a slave with whom she engages in sexual acts. These sexual acts can be interpreted as consensual as the other woman initiated them without prompting from Hild and Hild never expected nor pursued them. However both Hild and I are aware that a servant or slave, whichever term one wants to use in the context of Hild's time and place, does not truly have the ability to consent. Additionally, one of the last events in her canon is her marriage to her half-brother. She does not choose the marriage and does not have any say in it, and also her half-brother is unaware of their true familial connection. But there is a history of attraction, sexual and non, between them before Hild was aware of their relationship to each other.
In-Character
⯌ Physical Contact In the beginning of a relationship, Hild does not expect anyone to touch her. She is regularly viewed as strange, otherworldly, and undesirable. People talk about her behind her back and children run from her. She will be startled by the contact and, depending on who it's coming from and in what social situation, may react in the strong negative. Once she has gotten to know someone however, likes them and trusts them, she is much more tactile and will lean into touch.

⯌ Mental Contact Hild does not have any experience with true psychic abilities. She will not expect any sort of mental intrusion. She will not understand it at first. But once she is able to ascertain what's happening, she will fight it. Whether she does this well or not can be determined between us.

⯌ Flirt Again, Hild is rarely viewed by the world at large as a sexual being. In some instances, she in fact chooses and encourages this view of her. Therefore, any romantic or sexual interest shown her way will be met at first with distrust. But, again, depending on who it's coming from and the social situation, she might respond positively. Romance can be fraught with complications, but sex does not have as many strings attached.

⯌ Fight Hild does not usually feel the need to initiate physical violence, however she has been known to if the situation calls and she will almost always respond in kind. She does have experience in battle with sword and staff and shield, as well as some wrestling. But she won't be better than a person with actual professional training.

⯌ Injury Bruises, bumps, and small scars are welcome. Anything more significant like a broken bone or permanent like an ugly or large scar should be discussed ahead of time.

⯌ Death I'd like to avoid this for the time being.

† opt-out & warnings ‡

Opt-Out.
Hild's canon delves into quite a few subjects that can be upsetting. Those are detailed below for your perusal. If you do not wish to deal with a certain topic or do not want to interact with Hild generally, for whatever reason, please comment below to let me know. The comments will be screened and no questions will be asked.
Content Warnings.
PTSD/WAR/PHYSICAL VIOLENCE
While Hild is a woman and therefore not expected in her canon to actively engage in war or serve, she has seen the effects of it on the common people and in the bodies of fallen warriors. She herself is plunged into the middle of an unexpected attack and suffers serious PTSD from the experience, disassociating, blocking the memory, and going mute for several months. Additionally, Hild's uncle, the king, makes particularly graphic and disturbing threats of physical harm to her should she fail to perform the way he wishes.


SLAVERY
Slavery is common in Hild's world, usually in the form of civilians captured during a war and sold amongst the members of the winning side. Such was the case with Hild's personal slave, Gwladus. Hild "saved" her from a young warrior who intended to abuse her, but kept her in her household and in her service. Most of Gwladus' duties could be defined as servant responsibilities, making sure Hild was dressed properly, bathed regularly, fed well, and housed in clean lodgings befitting her rank. Hild did attempt to give her her freedom once, but Gwladus refused, fearing that she had upset Hild somehow and knowing that, in the context of her social status within the kingdom, being Hild's slave was "desirable." Gwladus was therefore well-kept, but that does not in any way forgive the situation she was put in or that Hild maintained.


DUBIOUS CONSENT
In addition to the standard and more acceptable duties in service to Hild, Gwladus made the determination that sexual duties were required as well. Hild was a teenaged girl, caught up in emotional and tense situations and expected to perform with a calm demeanor and a clear mind. She is regularly characterized as being unaware of her own needs, physical and emotional. Caught up in the hormones of youth, stressed and tense and overwhelmed, she needed release. Gwladus decided to give that to her in the form of sexual release. Hild did not ask for it nor expect it. In fact, she was completely surprised and at first ignorant of what was happening. But it became a semi-regular event between the two. Gwladus never allowed for reciprocation, even though Hild wished to give it, and it existed more as an unspoken arrangement between the two rather than an emotional relationship. Hild did not make outright advances towards Gwladus, however all things considered, it's difficult to say that this sexual relationship was consensual.


INCEST
Hild has had a relationship with Cian since her birth, neither one of them aware that they share the same father. Their closeness turned to sexual tension as they aged and there is true love between them. However, while in her middle teens, Hild figured out on her own that she and Cian are half-siblings, a fact which was confirmed for her later by her mother. Hild immediately took measures to distance herself from Cian, much to Cian's confusion, frustration, and annoyance. He interpreted this as Hild thinking she was too good for him and, in addition to bearing a grudge against her, he tried all the harder to impress her and advance his social status. This did not change Hild's feelings for him, for good or for bad, but did attract the attention of the king who saw Cian as a growing threat to his crown. Also aware of Cian's true parentage, the king decides to arrange a marriage between Hild and Cian. This betrothal is sprung on Hild at a feast, leaving her no opportunity to weasel her way out of it, especially considering her mother was aware of it too and decided to allow it to happen. The pair are married in the last chapters of the novel and do consummate that marriage.
CODE BY MARWOOD

† opt-in ‡

Opt-In.
While Hild is definitively not a true seer and does not possess any supernatural powers or extrasensory abilities, she is incredibly good at reading people, anticipating situations, and determining what a person will do in those situations. I do not believe that the level of her observational skills and her ability to predict the future based on her knowledge is truly OP in the context of the novel. However I am aware that in playing this out in threads, it might come off as info-modding. I don't see any fun in true info-modding, so if you ever feel like I am crossing this line, please let me know so we can remedy the situation or end the thread. If you would like to volunteer information about your character that you think Hild would notice and that wouldn't necessarily come up in a regular tag, please comment to this post or use the form below.
Information Input
You can utilize this form if you would like, or simply comment with details you are okay with being noticed or would not like to be noticed.
CODE BY MARWOOD