Ginny

Ginnun Gaggap, AKA Ginny

**Ginnun Gaggap**, better known as **Ginny** (age unknown), is a valkyrie paladin who grew up in the divine sanctuary of Valhalla. A capable warrior skilled with various weapons, she employs divine magic to bolster her already-impressive defenses, letting enemies swing uselessly upon her armor as she fells them with spear, sword, or hammer. She is accompanied by a celestial creature in the form of a warhorse, named Horsey, and an earth elemental creature called Teckie.

## History

### Training

Ginny's past is a mystery even to her, due to severe memory loss over her lifetime. Her earliest memories involve her training as a warrior in Valhalla, undergoing strict and unforgiving regimens that tested her body and her spirit. While her shield sisters successfully conquered each challenge set before them, Ginny struggled to keep pace with her compatriots, often losing in spars and being relegated to menial tasks around the sanctuary.

Her constant shortcomings, both actual and perceived, discouraged her for most of her life. Not even her instructor, Solveig, seemed to have the patience to teach her, seeing Ginny as a daydreaming slacker. It may have been this belief that caused Solveig to target Ginny time and time again during training.

Though she faced constant challenges and mockery, Ginny refused to give up on her training, dedicated as she was to proving herself to her fellow valkyries. The time would come to show her worth to them during the Breach War, when the walls of Valhalla were tested by the legions of Orcus.

### The Breach War and the Battle of the Black Snow

Centuries ago, an army of undead creatures under the banner of Orcus, Prince of Undeath, crossed the bridge over the Sea of Ghosts and marched upon Valhalla, seeking to topple one of the strongholds of the now-absent Inheritor Gods. Ginny stood alongside two companions, a red-haired valkyrie named Gunhild and a black-haired valkyrie named Ulfhild. While the valkyries showed some mocking concern for Ginny's safety, Ginny refused to abandon her post, determined to show her worth as a warrior. When the battle began, the pair flew off, while Ginny fended off the invaders at the wall.

Ginny fended off as many wights and skeletons as she could, yet for each one she slew, three more took their place. In the chaos of the battle, Ulfhild sent an undead dragon crashing into Ginny, knocking her off the wall and onto the ground below. There, with broken wings and barely any breath remaining, Ginny was set upon by a horde of undead, nearly killing her before a hail of arrows rained down, dropping the horde but also leaving Ginny grievously wounded. Laying in the bloody and blackened snow, Ginny fell unconscious.

This struggle, as well as every other struggle she remembers, Ginny has kept to herself. The circumstances that have brought her beyond the walls of Valhalla have little relevance, in her mind, to her new allies, whom she aims to protect with everything she has. Since she began her journey across Kaldaran, no enemy has brought her low, and no hardship has broken her spirit. Here, she sets out to become the warrior she was meant to be.

### Joining the Party

Ginny traveled across the continent of Rhealis for several years before arriving in the Republic of Luxengrand. During this time, she performed various feats in the frigid climes of Varkryn, fighting fearsome, snow-coated monsters, helping villagers rebuild homesteads, and brawling with friendly yet competitive fighters. After hearing stories of a land home to verdant forests, grandiose cities, and strange monsters, Ginny journeyed south to Luxengrand, making her way through the lands of the Elven Alliance before arriving in Pillotooke.

Once she arrived in Luxengrand, Ginny was pointed towards the Luxengrand Adventurer's Guild, where she successfully applied as a member of the guild. Almost immediately, she was introduced to Alix, Elendar, and Nix, curious travelers with stories of their own. Over the following months, she discovered the fun in facing challenges with friends, finding a camaraderie she hadn't experienced in her time at Valhalla. However, she was not finding the strange monsters she was promised, being relegated to fighting large rats and the occasional ogre. It would not be until a few months later, when Elendar suggested heading to Port Dairwane to collect a present from an old friend, that she would once again find an entertaining battle.

## Description

**Race:** Valkyrie

**Class:** Paladin, Oath of Conquest

### Appearance

Ginny is the spitting image of Kaldaran's angels, possessed with striking celestial features. She has long, white hair with pale skin and eyes like reflective silver. From her shoulders sprouts a pair of large, white-feathered wings, which can fold into her back comfortably and unfurl to a wingspan of nearly 13 feet. These wings, which resemble those of a swan, are powerful enough to lift her entire body weight in addition to her equipment.

Her original armor, while dented in some places, is sturdy and well-kept, with chain mail reinforced with thin, metal plates. She now wears a set of steel plate armor forged with an eagle motif, with the pauldrons flared out like wings and a visored helmet with feathers that streak back.

In keeping with her training as a valkyrie, she typically carries a spear and shield. The spear is well-balanced, and while it has no special traits compared to other spears, it has a distinct design not seen anywhere else. The shield, meanwhile is decorated with the symbol of an eye, and gives her an uncanny sense for danger. When she needs to take care of larger problems, she wields either a sturdy greatsword given to her as part of her training, or a magical, size-changing hammer originally crafted for dao of the Elemental Plane of Earth.

Horsey resembles the well-trained steeds which the valkyries and their honored, non-winged warriors, the einherjar, ride into battle. He has a bright, white coat and flowing mane, and comes with a simple saddle with small decorations of pine trees on the edges.

### Equipment

Ginny carries a variety of weapons that allow her some versatility in martial combat. She typically favors a sword-and-board style of fighting, using a shield paired with either her spear or a magical hammer. While this gives her a defensive edge, she will switch to larger weaponry, either a greatsword or a maul, to decimate greater threats. Much of her training involved the use of the greatsword, resulting in a fighting style that lets her take advantage of a weapon's great weight to deal greater damage.

Ginny's equipment is distinctly foreign compared to the arms found in Luxengrand, and has no like anywhere beyond the secretive divine sanctuaries across the realm. Of the items she brought from Valhalla, however, only her *sentinel shield* is magical, bearing an enchantment that enhances her senses while equipped.

After the party defeated Tyzok in the Wailing Waif Cavern, Ginny was given a reforged *hammer of earthen might* by Alix, who discovered the weapon in one of the cavern's chambers. The hammer, originally belonging to dao warriors from the Elemental Plane of Earth, can change size to meet Ginny's needs, and can return to her person at will. While wielding the hammer, she can also cast various spells associated with earth, such as *wall of stone* and *stone shape*, and gains a variety of boons while standing on earthen surfaces.

### Abilities

Ginny's valkyrie heritage and warrior training have gifted her with divine powers that bolster her physical form and weapon attacks. She carries a vial of manna on her person, which most likely originates from the goddess Juvaliah, Queen of the Inheritors and the original leader of the valkyries.

#### Spells

When casting spells, Ginny favors magic that increases her longevity in a fight. *Shield of faith* reinforces her already impressive defenses, batting away all but the most precise strikes. When facing foes up close, *armor of Agathys* proves an effective tool to punish those that manage to land a blow against her, absorbing the impact and releasing a blast of cold at the attacker.

Through the *find steed* spell, Ginny can conjure a celestial being in the form of a mountable beast. She prefers using the spell to summon a reliable celestial named Horsey, who appropriately takes the form of a horse with a brilliant, white coat. Horsey transports Ginny while traveling, but can also join her in battle if ordered to do so.

#### Paladin of Conquest

Valkyries often take one of the following oaths in preparation for their undertakings as defenders of Valhalla: the oath of devotion, the oath of vengeance, the oath of conquest, or the oath of glory. Following in the footsteps of her peers, Ginny took the oath of conquest, which demands unyielding force and unbending wills of its adherents. Ginny's paladin training grants her potent divine gifts, while her oath focuses those gifts towards the routing and crushing of enemies.

Ginny can draw upon a well of divine energy to restore herself or her allies, harness radiant energy into her weapons, and even produce an aura that inspires allies and terrifies foes. By channeling this power into a holy symbol, she can will a single blow to strike a target, or expel it from her body to emanate a conquering presence. She typically uses the latter option, as her battle experience has helped her evolve this ability to draw in the awe of any who witness her, making her more of a juggernaut.

Though not many valkyries use this ability on a regular basis, they can transform into swans, retaining their intelligence while appearing as innocuous birds. It's believed that this power was used in the days when valkyries walked among the rest of the mortal races, as it allowed them to travel unnoticed. Ginny has made great use of this power to avoid (or humorously escalate) confrontations, but she has managed to refine this ability in another spectacular way. By calling upon this power, she can immediately teleport herself and a companion instead of transforming, briefly giving herself and her passenger divine protection after teleporting.

### Personality

Much of Ginny's memory is lost to her, returning to her in the form of dreams or errant thoughts. It is unclear as to why she is afflicted with this amnesia. Perhaps it is the result of an injury she sustained in a battle long ago, causing her to lose portions of her memory like missing pieces from a jigsaw. Ginny, however, attributes this to a mindset she has adopted over the years, in which she focuses so much on immediate events and recent experiences that her long-term memory suffers. This would explain her uncanny sense for danger, as well as her awareness of unusual situations.

As an outsider to Kaldaran's societies, Ginny is curious about every new person, creature, and thing she sees. She tends to approach new experiences with the wonder of a child, and treats everyone she meets the same way she would treat any newcomer: with disarming kindness if they're friendly, and pleasant threats of violence if they're not. Both methods of making acquaintances can lead to complicated situations, yet her simple approaches have solved more problems than they've caused.

Ginny's apparent naivete hides a quiet struggle that surprises people whenever she reveals it. While these thoughts can be complicated for Ginny, she deals with them by the simplest means available, the same way she deals with any other problem. In her experience, when you have a problem that rears its ugly head at you, you don't have time to think of a dozen solutions; you just go for the first one that works.

## The Red-Winged Angel

On the 15th of Lirden, Ginny received a vision from an angelic figure clad in black armor and a red tabard with a symbol of two arches. The red-winged angel, appearing in a dream Ginny had of the Battle of the Black Snow, made the valkyrie an offer for greater power in order to prove herself to her compatriots. In exchange, Ginny would pledge her service to the angel, who would issue her tasks that would "lead [Ginny] to greatness."

While nearly tempted by the angel's offer, Ginny was warned against the angel's offer by a white-feathered swan, a consistent saving grace in her dreams. Encouraged by her guardian, Ginny refused the angel's offer, much to the chagrin of the latter. The angel assured Ginny that she would "not let [Ginny's] potential go to waste," plunging a burning blade into the ground. When faced with growing challenges, or in moments of respite, Ginny will receive images of the blade in her mind, constantly tempting her to reach towards it and claim the angel's power.

## Inter-Party Relationships

### Alix

Ginny sees Alix as a clever thinker, overlooking his quirks and eccentricities as they are cause for mischief as much as Ginny's own tendencies. The two rarely interact with each other without the rest of the party included, as their interests rarely align: Alix prefers to work on his projects alone, while Ginny likes to socialize with new people and check in on the entire party. When they are left together, as seen in their attempts to elude the Black Gryphons and the private investigator George Plumbo, the result is typically chaos.

### Elendar

As far as Ginny is concerned, Elendar knows everything there is to know about the world. Recognizing the sorcerer's scholarly background, Ginny often relies on Elendar's knowledge of society and the world whenever she needs a question answered, falling back on Nix when Elendar is unavailable to answer. She is glad that Elendar is concerned about her, though while she listens to his advice and warnings, she is confident in her own abilities and decisions. After all, Ginny is fairly certain that she's older than the drow, even if she doesn't remember as much about her life as he remembers about his own.

### Nix

While Ginny asks Elendar about factual knowledge, Nix is her go-to for practical advice. Similarly to how she listens to the rest of the party, Ginny trusts the advice Nix gives, which grants him the opportunity to toy with Ginny, much to Elendar's annoyance. She has taken to calling Nix her "broski" when discussing him with other people. No one is sure where she picked up the term, nor whether it is an actual term spoken in the Common vernacular.

### Quinn

Ginny's first meeting with Quinn began with a confrontation with his raccoon familiar, Richter, with whom she butted heads over a halfling breakfast. After this hectic series of events, she was surprised to see the young gunslinger and his furry partner join the party on their journey, but found no reason to object. She respects Quinn as a warrior and friend, and is even willing to help him test new, explosive firearms. While she risks suffering tinnitus as a result of her experiment with his shoulder-mounted cannon, she seems to have discovered some fun in experimenting with his and Alix's firearms, despite her guilt at terrorizing Bessie the cow.

## Out-of-Party Relationships

Ginny befriended the human apprentice wizard Jerove after defending him from his former romantic partner. The two are in a platonic relationship, though Jerove has shown interest in a more intimate relationship. While Ginny reciprocates his friendship, she seems oblivious to his intentions, seeing their "dates" as "meet-ups." While not engaged in classes at Whitecliff University, Jerove can sometimes be found working at the Briny Bard.

Also in Whitecliff, Ginny is a welcome guest at the Beltram Lighthouse, thanks to her and the party's efforts in saving the lives of the human lighthouse owners, Petunia and Guthrie Beltram. Their grandchildren, Oran and Enya, look up to Ginny and Elendar like older siblings. Haskel Beltram, Petunia and Guthrie's youngest son, is grateful to the party for saving his family's life, and has turned his life around to help his parents with the lighthouse.

In Barleybrook, Ginny has yet another home with the halfling farmer Gambin Goldbarrow and his adoptive brother, the bugbear rancher Truko Goldbarrow. She first met the brothers in a fighting ring at the Golden Braid Brewery, and became fast friends with them after handily beating them in consecutive fights. As the brothers were considered champions in their respective categories (Gambin in bare-knuckle brawling and Truko in armed combat), Ginny is officially the reigning champion for both categories at the Brewery.

Ginny made a bargain with the gloomwing Grendel, who had been kept captive by the party over a period of 4 days. In exchange for Grendel's freedom, Ginny had the gloomwing promise to be her "bestest friend," and to visit her every week. The Unseelie faerie accepted, unaware of how steep the price for his freedom truly was.

## Goals

[To be filled out by the player as desired]

## Achievements

* Survived the Battle of the Black Snow
* Flew into a hail of gunfire on multiple occasions (mostly) unharmed
* Beat the ranger Hush in an eating contest
* Befriended multiple creatures infamous for aggressive temperaments, including Gertie the Otyugh and Grendel the Gloomwing
* Defeated the former champions of the Golden Braid Brewery's fighting pit in back-to-back battles twice, becoming the current reigning champion

## Trivia

* Ginny's birth name is likely based on Ginnungagap (translated as the "yawning gap"). In Norse mythology, Ginnungagap is a void between the realms of Muspell and Niflheim, through which Niflheim's rivers flowed to form glaciers that met the flames of Muspell, creating the giant Ymir. It is in this void that, using Ymir's remains, his children created Midgard, the universe in which humanity lives.