Gjerta "Ulv" Toksvig

**Gjerta "Ulv" Toksvig**, also known as "Wolf", is a Snake Tong agent and a member of Unit 8, the "Cloak and Dagger" squad specializing in assassination and shock operations. Formerly a member of the Grand Order of Magi's Veil. Gjerta is also a Galgekvinde, or a Gallow-woman, a culture of warriors from the ancient Norse era and followers of Odin and Mímir, who honor the gods who by glorious deeds and battle at great risk to themselves. After losing her Veil-siblings during an operation in China, she was exiled, but continued as a Galgekvinde as she joined the Snake Tong. She met one Katja Nikula and remained a fiercely loyal comrade and partner, and while her old squad resigned or got reassigned, she stuck with Katja when she took leadership of Unit 8. A deadly huntress and warrior, Gjerta is considered one of the deadliest in raw combat within her unit, blades spilling blood for the honor of the Alfǫðr.

## Background

Gjerta was raised as a Galgekvinde since childhood. The Toksvig had little interest in developing new magic and instead focused on a tradition of warriors and fighters that adhere to the Code of the Gallow. She was thought that her life was for the glory of Odin. Spilling blood in glorious battle was the way of the family, and they followed the footsteps of the god in the gallow hanging from Yggdrasil. The Toksvig became part of the Grand Order during the early years of the organization, and have produced many members who became part of the Veil as enforcers. The magic they did use leaned more towards combat, which Gjerta picked up naturally as she was trained. By 14, she became officially part of the Veil and created quite the name for herself as a ruthless hunter of the enemies of the Order, and even more brutal when up close and personal with a mage.

She rose through the ranks and became a leader of her own unit of Veil agents by age 25, however, her career went on a downward spiral during an incident in China where her entire squad was wiped out by a powerful mage from the Eight Crimson Courts while on a mission. Gjerta survived by luck after losing an eye and falling down a cliff, and the enemy thought she was dead. She returned the sole survivor and shamed for not only returning alive and not dying in glorious battle, but also with her men killed under her watch. She was stripped of her position and dishonored by her own family. "You have disgraced clan and Allfather, you are not even worth the good death.". Devastated by the shame and cursed survivor's guilt, she left the Veil and the Order, going solo and seeking vengeance on the mage that single-handedly wipe out her unit. On her desperate chase for vengeance she encountered Snake agents after the same target, and that's when she met Katja Nikula, who insisted on cooperation, and while she was hesitant to trust a runaway from the Order, Katja and Unit 8 helped her achieve her goal of avenging her old team. With the purpose of her mission accomplished, she realized that she had no where else to go. While she got vengeance, she was still exiled, with no hope of redemption in the eyes of the Veil. Seizing the opportunity, Katja herself offered a place for her in the Snakes, and Gjerta accepted.

Her respect for Katja and the rest of Unit 8 grew throughout the years, and her loyalty and devotion for Katja in particular also developed, with every successful mission, every hard-fought battle, they were there fighting side by side, something a Galgekvinde treasured. Fighting for glory was one thing, but reveling in epic combat with close companions was treasured greatly. She then faced the hardest battle yet, romance, as she developed feelings for the Ghost of Unit 8. While awkward at first, she eventually professed her ardor for her comrade, and she never regretted diving into such a battle.

The two became a couple and continued service with the Snakes across the decades, and when the old Unit 8 team was split up, with members reassigned or retiring, Gjerta remained by Katja's side as she became the new leader. Gjerta would become the second in command thanks to her experience as a commander back in the Veil. She would also gladly train the younger members who were adopted into Unit 8 in Galgekvinde martial arts, from unarmed to her favorite, knife-fighting. She continues to serve as the loyal wolf of the Cloak and Dagger, and renowned for her deadly skills as a hunter of magi and non-magi.

## Personality

A warrior at heart, Gjerta relishes in the thrill of battle and rides the adrenaline as she meets foes head on in close-quarters combat. Instilled within her is the desire to prove her worth in combat, like her Galgekvinde ancestors. Her upbringing has made her devoted to the Way of the Gallows, and she constantly honors the Allfather by dedicating every drop of blood spilled to him, proving herself in the eye of Odin as worthy. She desires nothing more than a glorious death so that she too could go to Odin's Hall of Valor for when the time comes. This does not mean that she is foolish and would just throw away her life in battles she know she cannot win, as the Galgekvinde also valued wisdom, especially when it comes to tactics and common sense in battle.

After obtaining her revenge against the mage who killed her old squad, a tremendous burden was lifted from her and she completely dedicated herself to fighting alongside Katja, as a sister-in-arms at first, but eventually she began to be captivated by Katja as they got to learn more about one another. She can be rather possessive of her at times, especially when Katja compliments other women too much. Gjerta would boldly declare that she is "my woman" against potential threats, even occasionally challenging others to fights if they even dare flirt with Katja. She chose to never heal her lost eye as it is a reminder of the comrades she lost.

Clinginess aside, she is otherwise a calm and collected individual outside of battle, and even in battle she retains a composure worthy of a warrior of Odin. While she relishes in the thick of combat, she never let herself be distracted by rage or fury, especially after she accomplished her vengeance. A tactical warrior is better than a mindless berserker is her current motto. She constantly works out and trains, especially when there are no missions to be done. Her alias of Ulv or Wolf is not unwarranted. Even with just one eye, she is extremely perceptive and could sense the fear in people, as well as notice the most subtle change in their emotions. She is also a highly skilled tracker without using magic, and can easily hunt down someone with their tracks alone. Even the most imperceptible footprints can be noticed by Gjerta, especially if her targets don't use magic to cover their tracks.

Despite her usual composed demeanor, she has immense attraction to Katja which often has her being rendered witless at any special attention that the Ghost pays to her. Being the sole survivor of her squad is not something she's proud of. Part of the reason she's so loyal to Katja is that she gave Gjarta the opportunity to avenge her comrades and to have a second chance in protecting her newfound comrades, hence her possessive and protective attitude towards "my woman". And while she no longer carries that heavy of a burden for the death of her old Veil team, she still remains vigilant in not letting it happen again.

Her dedication to honing her fighting skills makes her insistent on training others as well and having them join her on her regular workout and training sessions. Mao and Cards would be happy to tell you that their childhoods spent a lot of time practicing knife-fighting with Gjerta using rubber weapons that escalated to blunted and eventually actual knives. She used to call her juniors "whelps" in an endearing way as she helped in training them into fully-fledged warriors. She also has developed the hobby of collecting knives across the years, as they have become her favorite type of weapon.

Despite the exile, she remains a proud Galgekvinde, with her not hesitating to share tales of the Norse gods and sagas with people curious about them, or her common use of the phrases "By Odin" or "Mímir's beard!". During and after battles, she utters a short prayer of gratitude to the All-father for the opportunity for glory, and is fully fluent in Old Norse and her mother tongue of Danish. And after spending time with Katja and the Snakes, she picked up Tagalog and Finnish as well,

## Abilities

### Magic

**Blodløber** is the main magic used by the Toksvig, a system of spells and techniques that enhances the body and senses by training their members since childhood on the ways of tracking and hunting opponents, be it magi or mundane targets, The Principle of "Hunter" encompasses the Toksvig's magic , allowing them to be naturals in tracking down a target from the trail they leave physically (scent and tracks), to the magical energy they give off. Gjerta can sense a mage miles away just from the residual mana they used in an area. But the most dangerous aspect of Blodløber was the technique that gave it its name of "Bloodrunner". The more injured her target is, the more amplified Gjerta's body becomes. Like a bloodthirsty wolf, she can sprint at an absurd amount of speed and also have her ability to detect the smell of blood and their mana amplified, allowing her to quickly chase down and close the gap between her an injured targets. This combined with the utility rune magic that the Galgekvinde utilize, from healing to extra tracking rune spells. Gjerta is a deadly hunter when given a target.

### Martial Arts

Gjerta has been trained in multiple styles and techniques across the decade. When she was still with the Veil, she specialized in close-quarters-combat and knife-fighting, as well as Glima for wrestling and takedowns. She also incorporated techniques from Teräskäsi after becoming acquainted with Katja, and she has further adopted useful styles from fellow Snakes. She is considered the deadliest in Unit 8 based on raw physique alone, as her strength and speed allow her to dodge bullets and rip a man in two without the need to use Reinforcement spells or runes.

### Equipment

**Snake Key**

Gjerta's Snake Key is a combat Boot Knife for easier concealment. The blade itself was made with special materials that are not necessarily strong enough for heavy combat. The pride of the Pranaja Empu smiths, the steel during forging blessed the property to disperse mana. Since it disperses magical energy, the blade of the knife can't be reinforced with magic. However, the reason why it's named a key is because users can create holes within certain points of a Bounded Field. Since the blade merely disperses mana and not outright destroys it, it creates thinned and weakened areas in a Bound Field that is more susceptible of being bypassed physically without triggering an alarm for the owner.

It can also be used against an enemy using Reinforcement on his body. If the Key is stabbed onto the target's arm, for example, the magical energy of the reinforcement spell disperses to other parts of his body and his arm is now more weakened thanks to the lower amount of mana for reinforcement.

**S11 'BB' Bulletproof Body Suit**

Standard issue magic armor that Snake Tong provides its members. It is a black suit which was made to be bulletproof (tested with 9mm, 7.62, NATO/.308) and provides magic resistance, dispelling low level spells. It is considered to be one of the iconic uniforms of the Shiai-shi. The suit is made with a composite of multiple magical materials, a major one being Huohuan Bu Silk from a Spider Yaoguai. This makes the Suit durable (enough to withstand modern gunfire and magical projectiles), easily enchantable with magic, and has innate fire resistance. If the Suit was stained, one simply needs to burn the area with the stain and the mess will soon disappear without damaging the cloth.

**"Shroud Ties"**

Shroud Ties are standard issue magic armor and head protection, cleverly disguised as neckties that allow them to blend in with the Bulletproof Snake suit style. By pulling down the tie and channeling mana through them, the ties transform into balaclava masks that provide full coverage of the head and neck. The material is made to be as bulletproof as the suits and also provide the same magical protection. The Shroud Tie can be deactivated by the user removing the mask, and it will turn back into their necktie forms.

Gjerta's mask features a wolf-like design fitting her alias.