Gaefa the Shieldmaiden

**Gaefa the Shieldmaiden** was a troll-hunter and mercenary in the Arathi Highlands during the latter half of the 5th Century. Well known for bucking convention and for her extraordinary ability and luck on the battlefield, she has since taken on quasi-legendary status in the region and has been celebrated in art and poetry - most notably in the work 'Gaefa' by the late 6th Century romantic, Abraham Gunnarsson, whose portrayal of her as a tall redhaired beauty has become the standard depiction. The iconic nature of Gunnarsson's painting has overshadowed Gaefa's actual appearance, with journals and letters from her lifetime presenting instead the image of a relatively short woman with mousy brown hair, broadly respected for her abilities but never described as particularly striking or beautiful.

## Birth and Early Life

A summer-child, Gaefa was born to Konrad Corelas and Malika Horowitz in the Northern Hills of the Arathi Highland. Her early years were simple, and spent on the family's farm in relative comfort, though from the age of six she began to assist with the farm's numerous tasks - in her case, largely by tending the chickens and helping milk the small herd of cows, and at harvest, helping to haul the loads of barley from the fields.

By the time she was twelve, Gaefa had grown into a tall, strong youth, and the decision was made to send her to Smallton to foster with the Flint family. This decision proved to be crucial to the growth of the youth into the local legend she became, as the Flints allowed her access to weapons, taught her to read, and encouraged the girl to look beyond the family farm.

## Family Life

Gaefa proved to be a difficult partner, and never married. Though she had numerous relationships through her lifetime, few lasted longer than a few months, and only one lasted long enough to have been considered as particularly serious, but resulted in no children. Gaefa instead contented herself with living with family and friends instead of marrying.

In 486KY, Gaefa gave birth to her only child, Voormas. With the father's identity unknown and Gaefa lacking the time and inclination to raise the boy, he was sent to live with Gaefa's parents and knew his mother only as an infrequent visitor.

## Legacy

*#See Corelas Clan*

Gaefa's legacy is a subject of dispute in the Northern Hills. The local Troll Hunters declare that their continuing strength and remarkably high number of female hunters are clearly the greatest legacy left by the dynamic woman, if only for having kept the region largely safe from Troll raiding parties for the century-and-a-half since her death. This claim is vigorously disputed by the Corelas Clan, the descendants of Gaefa through her bastard son, Voormas - and with the recent rise in stature of the family to the nobility, they may have more merit as the 'greater' legacy.

The Corelas family predates the rise of Gaefa to prominence in the region, but all other branches of the family have declined and fallen into relative obscurity since. Never a particularly prosperous or significant bunch, the descendants of Gaefa's uncles and cousins are today in the peculiar situation of bearing the name of Corelas but not being recognized as members of the Clan of that name, and as such, not being allowed to bear the familial symbol of the barley-stalk. For all intents and purposes, the Corelas clan began with Gaefa, as the first truly notable figure in family history for centuries and the first that distinguished the Corelas's from the other families claiming ancestry from the older, quasi-mythical heroic figures.