Nola Dovreisi

The current ruler of Wintervale. Nicknamed the Ice Queen, this elven woman is known for both her extraordinary beauty and power and heads the Court of the Frozen Heart. Not much is known of her motives.

Of her Frozen Hearts, there are none she keeps closer than Lukas Rademacher, her informant, and Thief the Exiled.

## History

### Rise to Power

From an early age, Nola Dovreisi was outspoken in her opposition of Wintervale's politics and pacifism. Knowing that the people were suffering and dying, she believed something NEEDED to be done, no matter who did it, and somewhat resented the nation's de-facto leader, Honey, for her inaction. An incredibly powerful sorceress, she refused to ally herself with any available Beast hunting faction for fear of being tied down by their creeds, instead dedicating herself to protecting the people of Wintervale as best she could on her own. Working only for herself, she couldn't be considered a liability to anyone if things went south - but somehow, they never did. With her might and magic alone, Nola was able to rescue countless citizens of Wintervale from certain death at the hands of Beasts, singlehandedly saving entire towns from even Behemoths. In time, people began to know her by name - calling her the 'savior of Wintervale' as she worked tirelessly to guarantee the safety of Wintervale's people.

As Nola's popularity grew, so did her desire to do more to aid the people of her nation, and she began quickly and quietly edging her way into politics despite her earlier reluctance. Already having the favor of acclaimed Beast hunters such as Anna Stardancer and King Fenzhal, Nola used her connections with them to establish a small platform for herself in Wintervale, rallying her followers and establishing a base at a run-down library in Frosk. With time and patience, Nola was able to build a circle of trusted allies for herself - a circle which would eventually come to be known as the Court of the Frozen Heart - and establish herself as an important figure in Wintervale. Though not a leader in name, the people began to flock to Nola in their times of need, believing her more capable of guiding them than Honey.

Eventually, with enough pressure from both her circle of allies and her close friend Melusine, Nola began to push for the role of Queen of Wintervale to extend the reach of her power and protect her people further - a move which brought out more outspoken supporters of Honey and her own strategies. But before true unrest could grow in the nation, Honey herself stepped forward to grant Nola the title...without offering her a mortal partnership. While the move was certainly unheard of, no citizens thought it right to argue with an Elder Giant, and Nola herself had never desired partnership.

With little fanfare, Nola Dovreisi was announced as Wintervale's new Queen.

### Early Rule

Though somewhat unskilled in matters of proper politics, no one could claim that Nola Dovreisi was an ineffective ruler. From the very start of her career as Queen, Nola began putting measures in place to protect the people - *her* people, now - from Beasts and attacks by them. Transforming her court into a proper Beast hunting faction, Nola eagerly pushed for further destruction of the creatures with none of the restrictions laid by other factions. The people of Wintervale seemed mostly supportive, save for supporters of Honey who believed Nola to be overstepping her boundaries. Her brother, Rainer Dovreisi, soon joined the court to serve as both a moral compass and a consience to Nola, helping to rein her in when she appeared to be going too far. His interference was able to quell most rebellion that would have come of Nola's rule.

For a time, the nation of Wintervale knew some peace - though not entirely stopped, death by Beasts had reached an all time low, and the people were slowly but surely beginning to rebuild what had been taken from them in the attacks.

### Tragedy

In the midst of her rise to power, tragedy struck in the form of the death of Rainer Dovreisi - a sudden, heartbreaking blow to Nola. The details of the circumstances surrounding it were never released to the public, but most were respectful in leaving the subject alone and leaving Nola to mourn. It didn't seem hard to guess what had happened; a strike against the Beasts gone awry.

He was buried beneath a willow tree within the grounds of the castle. Nola left orders to her court to continue in their operations of protecting the people, and reclused herself for some time. No one could blame her - not even those who opposed her rule.

But soon enough, Nola returned to her post - cracking down harder than ever on attacks against Beasts.

With time, things seemed to return to the way they had been - with Nola continuing to guide the nation to safety as best she could. Though she no longer held public conferences or showed herself much to the people, she was still an effective ruler in keeping them safe, at least more than Honey had been...