Astrid Orrsen

## early life

Astrid was born to the remnants of a Celtic tribe, her remaining kin where dead by the time she was 14, making her very independent and self sufficient. she practiced the little Celtic traditions she knew to fill her days, before meeting a coven of witches

the witches knew she was a lone girl and posed no threat to her so befriended her. she became closest to they're leader, Elegra. Elegra had no issue with Astrid hunting on there territory, even inviting her to eat and sleep with them.

eventually, when Astrid was 18, a Viking search party washed up on her land. she was friendly to them because of the kindness the witches had shown to her. the leader of the patrol explained to her that he was the son of a chief and due to sickness and crop fail where hunting for a new home. she allowed them shelter and explained the land was left to her as she was the last surviving member of her tribe and bloodline.

her relationship bloomed with Ors and she eventually agreed to sign over her land to the clans. she had another reason for trying to get him to stay- she was pregnant.

Ors bought his clan over but other celtic and Viking clans wanted the land. they fought a war until they divided up the territory to quench the thirst, it was only 6 months the war and she had been evacuated to the kingdom of norway where she had her son. Ors and herself named her chase because they wanted there son to run after his own ambitions.

she had continued her friendship with the witches but it became harder, the clans had turned there ambitions on witch territory and they had united only to gang up on the witches, the witches in turn created a giant river named the rapids to protect themselves. when Astrid was married she fashioned a necklace for her own wedding gift, it was bewitched to allow her to cross the river unharmed. she would take her son to the coven on visits but when he learned to talk stopped taking him. she did not ever confess to her friendship with the coven and blamed her visits to them as hunting parties.

it was a big life change- going from almost being completely alone, to being surrounded by a village and calmed her emotions by leaving to go on hunting expeditions. Ors allowed this because he loved Astrid. she fell pregnant a year later and had a Conrad.

after this, elegra confessed to having an affair with a clan member who was executed for this crime, she told Astrid she had a plan to end the brewing conflict, Elegra refused to explain more.

Astrid eventually discovered elegra had left her daughter (a product of the affair with the clan member ) had left her in clan territory with her an important artefact in hopes to end the war if the clans saw witches weren't that bad.

Ors decided to use the book to make a contract stating that the witch baby- Soleste- would use her magic to turn each Clan heir into an immortal, strong, fast, and heightened sensed creatures to destroy the witches. Astrid was devastated because Elegra explained most immortality spells where unsuccessful and very difficult to endure. she begged Ors to reconsider for they're sons sake, but he said it was impossible as the artefact (the book of the daemon) was used to create unbreakable contracts if sighed with each parties blood. astrid never forgave him but still loved him.

Chase was betrothed to Soleste at a younger age so Astrid saw a lot of soleste. she trained her sons sepratley from there fathers harsh training and did not intervene.

eventually, Chase was taken to become a champion and she fell ill with worry. she would visit elegra, and her other daughter, Mazigold, asking for reassurance her son would survive. when he came home, she knew he was different. of course- the immortality was there and the powers enchanted her, but she could see whatever happened for him to become like this, broke him. she visited soleste and stole the spell to show elegra, elegra explained most immortality spells required a connection to mortal life to thrive after the spell had taken hold, for instants, elegras own immortality would allow her to stay young as long her coven was loyal to her. and that his was the consumption of blood. Astrid waited for her son to figure that out, and eventually he did, killing a girl.

the clan couldn't figure out what killed Saskia and Astrid saw chase was crumbling with guilt. she tried to make him know that she was here for him, but she didn't want to scare him off. she knew soleste also knew and it was explained to her by Mazigold who could enter Soleste's mind that it was intentionally meant to hurt him because in her paranoid mind, he never loved her.

Soleste eventually revealed it was chase and the clans put the champions in a dungeon and started trying to find ways to kill them or at least bury them in an inescable pit. and Astrid broke. one night she geared up and broke them out, deciding to have them flee to the witch lands because according to elegra, they where witch made, therefore witches responsibility. the clan chased her to the boarder and she gave her necklace to chase, explaining how to cross the rapids after she was shot by an arrow and bled out.