Nora Valkyrie

**Nora Valkyrie** is a member of Steel For Hire, and was born into the Valkyrie Clan, who claim ancestry from the Norse God Magni. Through a chain of unfortunate events, Nora was abandoned by her family in China and she ended up in the Border Zone via China's natural entrances. There she found her way to Kuroyori and met Ren, the man who she eventually sworn to protect and the one who became her adventuring companion before joining Steel For Hire, and becoming the undisputed powerhouse of strength in her team, as expected of a descendant of Norse legend.

## Background

Nora was born into a clan of magi that claimed descent from the god of strength, Magni, and through him the god of lightning, Thor.  She would likely be a member of the Grand Order of Magi now if not for certain events that had occurred. This happened when one day her mother decided to take her on a trip to China.

Nora was enjoying the trip and the opportunity to get out of the house and away from her studies for a bit. Unfortunately, the trip would take a turn for the worse. They were attacked one night while driving along an isolated road, Nora never learned exactly why this happened. In any case, her mother tried to get them out but at one point was unable to defend the young Nora who was struck as a result. From a combination of being outmatched and not thinking Nora would make it anyway her mother prioritized her own safety and left the battlefield, leaving behind her daughter.

Through some miracle however, the child had not actually been struck fatally and was able to slip into the forest nearby the road. She didn’t stop running until her legs couldn’t carry her anymore and then kept going as soon as she could, becoming completely lost. No food, no water, no transportation, and no idea where to go but at least she had survived for now.

She kept wandering for two days and eventually, she unknowingly entered one of China’s border realms. This particular realm was home to Kuroyuri, a village that had been founded by Japanese settlers centuries ago but which had mixed with the local people and cultures over time. It was like going back in time which may have amazed her if her main concern wasn’t surviving after being attacked and abandoned.

For about a week she stayed in the village, doing her best to stay out of the locals’ way and just living off of scraps. While not a desirable lifestyle by any means it was going ok aside from the occasional harassment from locals who weren’t content to live and let live. Then the second day that would change her life came along.

The day started normally enough, at least as far as her new sense of normal went. She was looking through the bakery’s trash when three of the local boys cornered her, making fun of her weird clothes and having apparently been abandoned. There was a fourth boy but he just tried to run, the situation resolved itself when a more sympathetic adult came along and Nora took the opportunity to run with her meager bounty. That night she was trying to get some sleep in one of the alleys when she heard a horrifying roar.

The village had drawn negative attention from some of the resident magical beasts in the border realm and its neighboring mythic realms. While the village had fended off attacks before it had never gone up against a horde of this size before and the defenses were quickly overwhelmed. She hid underneath one of the raised houses of the village, hoping that none would find her but her cries of fear had drawn one of the beasts to the area.

That’s when someone suddenly showed up, it was the boy who had tried to run earlier. He had noticed her while panicking himself and was able to resolve himself to help her. While he of course couldn’t do much in a practical sense other than continue to keep them hidden, his presence alone was of much comfort to her. Having finally been met with kindness after over a week and desperate for any hope of a way out she embraced him, remaining silent as the beast eventually abandoned its search. The boy then picked up a nearby toy wooden hammer to give to her and asked her name, this is how she met Ren and the two promised to protect each other.

Once the attack was over the two of them left the village behind. They began wandering the world together, learning how to fight so that they could protect each other as they had promised. Eventually, this led to them making a living through adventure and mercenary work. A couple of years ago their missions ended up leading them to one Suzuka Libra who offered them a job with Steel for Hire. While they were at first skeptical about joining a group and therefore having their jobs chosen for them, they realized that Steel for Hire aligns with their preferences pretty well and accepted.

While working at Steel for Hire the pair ended up coming across two co-workers that they got along with pretty well, Jaune and Pyrrha. The four often ended up on missions together and soon formed a team of sorts within the group, often called team JNPR, using their initials to make a name that sounds like Juniper. They’ve become like a true family to her. Recently though she’s begun to realize that her feelings towards Ren in particular are different but she’s scared of being rejected by the one person who’s been there for her since she was a child and so holds back on taking any risks.

## Personality

Nora is a very excitable individual who can best be described as exceptionally bubbly and playful. She often thinks of her sentences only as she's saying them which tends to lead to her suddenly blurting out things or randomly changing the subject. This can result in situations like starting off trying to reassure someone only to ramble on about her own worries to the point her own mood is suddenly, if usually briefly, lowered. However she can be fairly insightful or serious when it's needed, such as when it comes to relationships and making sure her friends don't get hurt.

She is very open with anyone willing to speak with her and can form genuine bonds quickly. She's always up to a talk with her friends although she tends to dominate the conversation if the other person lets her, thinking of more things to say before she reaches the end of any sentence. She is very supportive as a friend and places absolute trust in her teammates.

She is fortunate to work where she does as Nora seems to always greatly enjoy adventure and the opportunity to hit things. Often maintaining her smile and laugh even while in the middle of a battle. Even so she can be surprisingly focused and observant, synergizing well with her teammates, taking orders without hesitation, and even knowing when to hang back.

Despite choosing to work in a career as violent as mercenary work she is actually a compassionate individual who really appreciates her boss for having more standards than most groups. She dislikes ignoring people who are in need of help even if it's being done to accomplish some greater good. She also won't hesitate to speak her mind and call out people who are trampling innocents by trying to do good.

Nora views her new teammates as being like siblings. Her teasing side tends to come out a bit more when it comes to Jaune but only because she knows he can take some friendly ribbing. When it comes to Pyrrha she's one of the few to have noticed and even encouraged her feelings towards Jaune. In regards to her oldest companion, Ren, one wouldn't think they'd be compatible as their demeanors are completely opposite but they are in fact quite comfortable with each other and easily take their differences in stride.

Beneath the surface of a kind and energetic yong woman however there are some insecurities. She sometimes accidentally talks herself into a bad mood by bringing up her lack of parental figures for example. Her most hidden yet perhaps most important security though is a belief that she's nothing if she can't be "Ren and Nora" rather than just "Nora". She wonders if she ever grew past that girl who desperately clung to him and has continued following him everywhere since then. This is buried so deep that even she hasn't realized it on a conscious level but one day she'll probably have to finally figure out who she is as just Nora.

## Abilities

### Magic

The Valkyrie family magic is in many ways similar to that of the Magnus family except they have chosen Thor as the one they wish to emulate. As such they are experts with spells dealing with lightning and strength. One of their abilities in fact combines these by being able to absorb electricity and convert it into power to enhance their already formidable physical prowess. It's a very offensive magic type that relies on raw power rather than concepts or tricks.

### Martial Arts

Even without her ability to enhance herself with magic she possesses an extraordinary level of strength and, to a somewhat lesser extent, speed. This trait seems to be common among her magus clan but she hasn’t exactly bothered to keep up with them so the reason is unclear to Steel for Hire. No matter why she has it though, this trait combined with her powerful magic makes her one of the hardest hitters in the organization. Amongst JNPR she is **the** undisputed hardest hitter, able to dish out the most damage. Although Pyrrha has her beat by a decent margin in terms of fine control and skill.

### Equipment

**Magnhild**

A hammer that Nora constructed during her career as a mercenary to enhance her capabilities both with magic and in physical combat. It is fairly simple as a mystic code, mostly acting as a weapon and an amplifier for her magic. However, it does have the somewhat unique function of being able to shift into a different form. Nora chose to give Magnhild a form resembling a grenade launcher as well. This choice was partially for missions that have a decent chance of interacting with sleepers as a grenade launcher would make more sense to them than a girl with super strength and a hammer, partially because she just likes to see things go boom. The grenade launcher form is also more compact and generally how she carries it.

The “grenades” are actually well-disguised rune stones that she inscribes with even more power than she could normally manage in a single blow. This power can then be released in either a normal explosion or a big blast of lightning. Alternatively this explosion can be used in a more low scale and somewhat unorthodox manner by using it as propulsion, allowing Nora some limited flight. Magnhild can hold six rune stones at once and Nora generally caries two reloads worth of rune stones on her person during missions