Tola Ernminatung

## Appearance

**Hair:** Straight ginger hair hanging down to her mid-back. Typically, her hair is tied into a single braid as to keep it out of her way.

**Skin:** Pale, sporting a few freckles here and there.

**Eyes:** Light blue.

**Height:** 5’6

**Weight:** 125lbs

**Markings (Scars, Tattoo's etc):** A large tattoo of a deer’s head spans across her upper-back. It carries one antler, which rests over her left shoulder blade.

## Personality

To call Tola a slacker would be to call an orange blue. Hardworking and focused, she stays on-task until she is finished. Those that don’t follow suit, well, tend to piss her off. She isn’t afraid to say it, either, and is quick to criticize laziness. Although, perhaps her greatest pet peeve is when she is underestimated due to being a woman. Such critics tend to be proven wrong, to their surprise or anger. Generally speaking, she can’t help it. Tola simply has too much pride and confidence to let the doubters win.

Tola isn’t one to open up to others. Besides anger and maybe the occasional smile, she tends to cover up her emotions. She likes to keep her past vague if possible. Having had little contact with anyone outside her clan, it’s difficult for her to find trust, but once she does, a friend is practically family.

In conversation, her humor may be dry and sarcastic, especially if someone is already making a buffoon of his/herself. A laugh is rare though, unless she’s had a few too many at the bar. Way she sees it, everyone needs to loosen up every once in a while.

## Abilities

* Highly-skilled in archery, tracking/hunting
* Moderate skill in stealth, plant knowledge (medicinal uses, edible/poisonous)
* Basic domestic skills (cooking, clothes-making, etc.)
* Enhanced vision (above-average night vision), enhanced hearing, and enhanced smell
* Greater weakness to poison and illness

## History

Born to the Ernminatung clan, Tola’s childhood was set in stone from the moment she first cried. As a clan specializing in living off the land, particularly the forest, she was raised to work and carry out a variety of chores, most of which were domestic. Be it picking berries with her mother or helping to craft new shoes, the tasks always struck her as mundane. She begged her father, Alrik, to take her hunting time and time again, yet he always refused, claiming it as a man’s job.

Fortunately for Tola, her mother, Luta, sympathized with her. Secretly, while the men were off hunting, Luta would teach her how to shoot a bow. Tola was a natural, quickly becoming a skilled archer at the age of nine. Then, one day during target practice, an idea came to mind: If she were to bring home an animal, Alrik would be so impressed that he’d have to bring her hunting.

So, before the sun had begun to rise, young Tola made way into the forest while her parents and siblings slept. Bow and arrow in hand, she crouched and snuck through the brush, searching for any sort of movement. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a rabbit, its head turned in her direction, yet still frozen. Slowly, she drew back her bow, firing her first shot ever aimed at an animal. The arrow hit the rabbit, quickly bringing an end to its life. Gleefully, she picked up the creature and brought it to the house.

Her parents, who had risen at this point, were both astonished to see young Tola bring home a rabbit. Expecting her father to be proud, she smiled wider than ever. Alas, this was far from the case. Enraged, the father yelled at her for her disobedience, taking the bow and snapping it in half before her. He then began to yell at his wife, knowing that she must have gone behind his back to teach Tola. Tear-stricken, Tola sat in the corner alongside her two brothers while her parents bickered back and forth.

Despite Lutar’s best efforts, Tola’s father decided to end all of this nonsense, forbidding Tola from even holding a bow. For the first week, Tola refused to work, eat, and even speak. Alrik wouldn’t budge, no matter what she did, and eventually she returned to helping her mother and eating as per usual. Although, her silence remained.

About a year had passed since the incident, and at this time, Luta’s health began to deteriorate. What started as a cold escalated; within a week, she was bedridden. While the family was attentive, even finding medicine to help with the cough, Luta passed another week later. Yet, this was not all in vain.

After the funeral, Alrik spoke to her. Apparently, it was her mother’s dying wish for him to take Tola along with him to hunt. Begrudgingly, he complied, and so she accompanied him and her two brothers on their next hunting trip. While both of her brothers were quick to shoot a pair of rabbits, Tola managed to down a deer. A clear victor, and for the first time in over a year, she smiled.

While Luta’s death was a bit of a downer for the family, Tola maintained the household well. Luckily for her, Alrik and her brothers weren’t afraid to help with the cooking and whatnot, and life went rather smoothly over the coming years. Her brothers eventually found wives, of course, and settled down nearby in their own households. Only Tola and Alrik remained.

Naturally, as he was becoming older by the day, Alrik sought to ensure his daughter’s livelihood. He figured it’d be best to arrange a marriage so that she may live comfortably. He knew a man in town who had a boy around Tola’s age, and they had spoken about a marriage between the two before. Furthermore, the boy’s father was also the leader of another clan. This marriage would forever ensure stable relations between both clans and perhaps even unite the clans, providing greater security to their members.

Tola, however, did noy fancy this proposition. As soon as her father suggested the idea, she refused. An argument arose between the two, heating to a boil in mere minutes. Tola loathed the idea of being a typical housewife, and she knew this boy’s clan was far too conservative to accept her ways. Regardless, her father, stubborn as she was, did not budge. Amid the argument, Alrik struck her with a slap, astonishing Tola. She wasn’t physically hurt, but the emotional implications were severe. She had to leave. Knowing herself to be faster than Alrik, Tola bolted away with just the clothes on her back.

Unsure of where else to go, she decided to seek refuge from her eldest brother, Aslak. From a young age, Aslak had sympathized with Tola, and ever since he saw her single-handedly bring home a rabbit, he knew she was never meant to be tamed by a husband. Thus, he was quick to assist her. While he was in town, selling furs, Aslak had heard rumors of an expedition to Moswell. Long story short, he recommended for her to travel there, providing her his bow, a quiver, a hunting knife, and enough coin for the journey there. Quickly, Tola thanked her brother, and nervously began a new life.