Valkyrie

## Introduction

The ultimate eternal warrior, the Valkyrie, has been trained and empowered by the Gods of Life to fight the forces of death wherever they are found. Beyond her physical abilities, she wields the fire of life causing devastating burning against her enemies. Weakened by her transition to this dimension, the more she fights, the more power she gains, eventually being able to call archangels to her side! The Valkyrie lays waste to all that stand before her, mortal and god alike. The Valkyrie's celestial power grows in diversity as she grows in power, making her a powerful addition to every party, whether early or in end-game.

## Backstory

You can read the full text of the Valkyrie's backstory in a beautiful pdf here, or in plain text below:

The forces of life seek order, and the forces of death seek chaos.

Since time immemorial, the battle between life and death has shaped the multiverse. The opposing forces are led by the greatest of beings in existence: the Domini Esse, powerful deities that predate the natural world and are responsible for the creation of all known dimensions.

The battle for control takes place on every plane of existence. Most denizens of the various planes do not even realize that this war is happening; they feel only the aftermath of the most epic conflicts. Like fish in a quiet pond, they may see ripples, but have no concept of the great world beyond.

In that great world, many beings pledged their undying loyalty to the Domini Esse in exchange for mighty powers and supernatural lives. These tireless and merciless beings are the officers and foot soldiers beneath the Domini and take many hideous and glorious forms. On the side of life and order, the most elite warriors are known as Valkyries, and on the side of death and chaos, Draugrs. These avatars of the gods are in a constant state of war across all realms. When seen by the average person, they appear swathed in light and darkness. Valkyries were magnificent and splendid, beautiful and angelic. Draugrs were monstrous, vicious, and reviled and feared as creatures of undeath or terrifying demons.

The fire the Valkyries wield is the flame of life that has burned since time began. It consumes everything it touches. This gift bestowed by the Domini is used not just to defeat but to erase all trace of their enemies’ being from the face of existence. The fire itself holds a living purpose to annihilate anything that stands in its way, and it burns most brightly in opposition to the corrupting, oil-like tendrils of death.

The multiversal battles came to a head on an alternate plane of existence. The Valkyrie forces had gathered to face a massive army led directly by one of the most powerful gods of death.

The entire conflict was a centuries-long trap set by the forces of life that had finally come to fruition. Secret monoliths placed eons prior were used to mask the strong life affinity of the terrain. The Valkyries destroyed the monoliths just as their invasion commenced. The unleashed power of life empowered their vanguard and weakened the enemy forces. They pushed hard through the Draugrs and created a wedge directed straight at the god of death.

The god of death brought in reinforcements but it couldn’t stem the tide of the Valkyries. The entire war effort of the forces of death might be endangered if he was destroyed. With this realization the god wreathed himself in a cloak of death so he could make his escape.

Seeing her archenemy preparing to flee, the lead Valkyrie used all the skills she acquired over centuries of war to push toward her enemy in an attempt to end the battle. Her vanguard moved to defend her flanks, and she leapt over the final wall of enemies. Holy fire wreathed the tip of her spear and struck the shell of darkness that surrounded the retreating god just as he tore open a breach between dimensions.

The collision between life and death was so powerful it shook the very threads of existence. The layer of darkness around the ancient god was surrounded by the flames of life.

The great blow pushed the god through the breach and launched him toward a young and unsuspecting planet. The fires encapsulated the god, but cut off from their source, were unable to finish the job. The flame combined with the darkness and took form as thick, hard crystals, attempting to seal what it could not destroy.

The god struck the atmosphere of the planet. Crystals peeled away in sheets, spreading across the planet’s surface in a shimmering rain of light. When the ancient god finally crashed into the surface, the impact created an eruption of dust and debris. Most of the crystals were flung out by the force of the calamity and fell across the oceans and mountains.

As soon as the god was gone, the breach sealed behind him. Their leader fled, the remaining legions of death fell into retreat and the Valkyries cut them down. It was a great victory, but sadly stained by the imperfection of letting their target escape.

After the battle, Celeste, the Valkyrie Commander, made it her mission to hunt down the ancient god and finish their fight. Her search took her across innumerable battlefields and through various sources of death. Her purpose burned deep within her, consuming her just as her ethereal flame consumed every target she pursued.

Eventually she received word that a strange, chaotic mist had been corrupting a particular planet. The locals fought the mist off, but more recently, it had strengthened its roots and made a resurgence. Celeste headed for the distant planet of Eternity to investigate the source.

The gap between dimensions was opened. Celeste entered—and her power screamed in agony. She convulsed and fell to the ground. Her fires were torn from her—no. They were leaving. They shot out and across the world, divided amongst the millions of crystalline shards, attempting to fulfill the mission she herself initiated centuries ago.

Celeste rose, taking in her surroundings—a simple forest. Her burning flame of life was reduced to a candle’s flicker. She was trapped in this world until she could regain her energy, but despite her predicament, she couldn’t keep the grin off her face.

Her enemy was near.