Ygraine of House Artos
From Crossroads Wiki
| Ygraine nic Bodhe ap Gwalchmai of House Artos, Lady Thundering Falls | |
|---|---|
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| Background | |
| Marital Status | Widowed |
| Offspring | |
| Gruoch nic Ygraine, born 489 Uhtred ap Ygraine, born 493 Two others deceased | |
| Lineage | ap Gwalchmai ap Artos |
| Father | Gwyddion ap Iorwerth |
| Mother | Bodhe nic Gwalchmai |
| Born | 2nd August, 474 Dun Artos, Thundering Falls |
| Occupation | Ruler and loresinger |
| Biographical Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Height | 5'11" |
| Weight | 165lb |
| Eye Color | Dark brown |
| Hair | Mid-back, black |
Inheriting the fief of Thundering Falls after the demise of those of her relatives who had better claims, Ygraine has found herself in charge of one of the most notoriously backward, remote, and troublesome provinces in all the empire. Even by the standards of Dun Artan, the residents of Thundering Falls are traditionally-minded and quarrelsome, and many would say that Ygraine was well-suited to lead them. She’s buried one husband and a good few enemies, and is reputed to love her axe and warhound more than any man alive. Those from Dun Artan or Trebachas might know of her as a well-regarded lore-singer of the old traditions, but to most outsiders she’s just an example of the worst the granite isle can offer.
Contents |
Background
For much of her life, Ygraine saw herself solely as a noble scion of Guardian’s “alternative” heritage - a would-be leader of a movement to free Dun Artan (or all of Guardian) from the suppression of the older way of life. The bastard first-born child of the heiress to Thundering Falls and a young nobleman from Fen March, she served much of her adult life as a war-leader and loresinger. Of high birth but not the heir, she could indulge her interests and serve as a diplomat for her grandfather's designs and ambitions.
She unexpectedly came into the lordship in 501 after a fever carried away both the old man, her mother, and her mother's legitimate heir. Abruptly, the lieutenant and loresinger found herself with power over fifty thousand lives, and the chance to take responsibility for making her dreams reality.
Raised from birth to revere and maintain the old traditions – chiefly of her mother’s people but also of her father's fen-folk – Ygraine is in part the product of generations of ill-feeling, grudges, and ambition. But as the Barca’s support for the ideals of their ancestors in the ancient civil war have faded, so have some of their opponents become willing to consider learning from the tactics and successes of their enemies. Alliances were quietly formed, offspring exchanged, and agreements made in hope of forging a more unified counter-balance to the Barca cultural dominance. Though many promises were broken in the perpetual cycle of clan feuds, some have borne fruit and Ygraine hopes to see further progress made in future – though she fears that the recent, foolish, rebellion may be the prime harvest reaped from such collaborative efforts in her lifetime.
Rather than supporting the all-too-easily suppressed localised revolts mounted by individual clans and warlords, Ygraine has long worked to spread the ideals of her people – tempered with sufficient practicality to make them viable in the environment of the Empire – throughout Dun Artan and Trebachas, with a view to forming a coherent alternative to the power and traditions of the Barca and their "civilised" allies. Should future Dukes and Duchesses themselves be fully converted, so be it – but it is the vitality and spread of the culture as a whole that most matters, for if the people of Guardian are honourable and bear with them the memory of their ancestors, then no Duke will be able to force them to act against the dictates of their souls. Honour will spread along with the old ways, and the Empire and Keeper will be better served....
For now, Ygraine has returned to Gateway to resume her studies at the College of Arts and History. After all, to best overcome a challenge one must understand it, and to understand the present one must recall the past. She still – having learned, she hopes, from her arguments and clashes when last upon the island - wants to see if she can win credibility among the scholars and bards of the Imperial homeland for the oral traditions and cultural concerns of her own heritage, but is aware that much of her task is likely to involve winning a degree of acceptance at court and among the population in general.
Personality
Ygraine often seems arrogant, self-consciously barbarous, and disdainful of all that civilisation has to offer. Yet she studied for over a year in the College of Arts and History on Gateway and has now returned to the renamed University to resume her tuition.
She's a gifted singer - with a rich, low alto only slightly roughened by years of shouting orders - and possesses a near-encyclopaedic knowledge of the songs and tales of Dun Artan and Trebachas. Her knowledge of the other cultures within the Empire is rather more limited, though within the last few years she has eagerly added a range of "foreign" material to her store of knowledge.
For those interested in an exchange of knowledge, she nearly always has time, and has collaborated with scholars in the conversion of parts of her repertoire into a written format.
Though she bears almost no resemblance to the classic images of Guardian knights or legionaires, Ygraine sees herself very much as a warrior, a noble, and an honourable individual. Of those, she often pays most attention to the last, and judges herself and others in terms of how they measure up to her standards of fitting behaviour. It is in this area that she most strongly clashes with the dominant culture of her home island, with her firm belief in personal responsibility out-weighing her respect for hierarchy.
Tattoos
Bear: Covering most of her back, a rearing bear that faces the viewer with jaws agape and forepaws raised as if to strike. The heraldic beast of her House, it is a tough, dangerous, adaptable surivor that only the foolish arouse to anger.
Knotwork: Spiralling, inter-twined swirls of complex knotwork on her biceps. "Bands of memory", intended to symbolise the twists and turns of fate, the link between past and future thought and action, and the connection between past and future generations of her people - and the guidance they grant and weight they should carry for both her right- and left-handed actions. After her year on Gateway, she added further swirls of knotwork above her left eye.
Salmon: Along the inside of her right forearm. A mark of wisdom, endurance and commitment, along with a powerful sense of one's homeland's call.
Serpent: Twined up her right leg, with its head at the top of her thigh. Wisdom and cunning: a bold hunter in his own domain, but secretive, stealthy, and capable of granting nasty surprises as well as the lore of the land.
Only some of these tattoos are likely to be visible, though copies (and explanations of their symbolism) were provided to scholars during Ygraine's first period of study on Gateway.
Some characters from the more "tribal" areas have made use of tattoos in the past. However, it is not established as a wide-spread tradition on Guardian, nor a universal one even within the "wilder" territories. Ygraine's kin are somewhat unusual in the extent to which they favour it.
Family
Gruoch nic Ygraine: Raised to succeed Ygraine but avoid some of her mistakes, Gruoch is a tall, capable young warrior now enjoying her first taste of rule as she acts in her mother's stead as regent of Thundering Falls. She exceeds Ygraine's natural talent in song, but has not yet come close to matching her knowledge of the old tales, sagas and lays of Dun Artan and Trebachas.
Gwalchmai ap Trystan: Ygraine's grandfather, and the architect of much of what she now works to bring to fruition. He brought about the friendly ties with the Fen March nobility that inadvertently led to Ygraine's birth; he concluded the negotiations for her marriage to a scion of the Absalons; he gathered loresingers at his court and had Ygraine trained in their arts. Though he died in 501, she strongly feels his presence and hopes to live up to his ambitions and achievements.
Gwyddion ap Iorwerth: Disreputable, charming, and even in his fifties near as handsome as he still thinks he is, Gwyddion is lord of five thousand souls in Fen March - but is best known as a talesinger and rake. Ygraine loves him dearly and has learned a great deal from him, but is painfully aware of her father's flaws. She enjoys somewhat awkwardly cordial relations with his legitimate family, and has intermittent contact with some of his other bastards.
Uhtred ap Ygraine: Old enough to fancy himself a swordsman of burgeoning talent, Uhtred is still three years away from legal manhood. He seems to have a noteworthy gift with horses and hounds, but is yet to choose a clear path in life for himself.
Ulfhere Osric Absalon: One of Egil's brothers, he was 15 when paired with Ygraine in 492 - while his older bride already had a three year-old child. Normally, Ygraine would not have been matched with a scion of the Baronial line, but Gwalchmai's role at the heart of the unofficial "old ways" network made it wise to tie his family to the Absalons. Ulfhere died in 500 while leading a group of his wife's housecarls against raiders, by which time he had won Ygraine's respect and no small degree of affection. She sincerely regrets providing him with just one child healthy enough to survive infancy.
Scolan: An old, scarred, torn-eared warhound of unusual size. Somewhat grizzled now, he has been with Ygraine for years, and is her near-constant companion.
A Note on Names: The prefixes "ap" and "nic" can be translated as "son of" and "daughter of" respectively. For the most part, these are used literally - but Ygraine can also describe herself as "ap Gwalchmai", identifying herself as a noble descendent of the senior sept of the House of Artos. Other septs in the broader lineage claim descent from others of the founders of the House.
Character Relations
Annabelle Caprios: Though their personal styles were radically different, Ygraine found in Annabelle a fellow "unconventional" lady at court. Anna was someone with whom she could share a laugh, relax, and not worry about watching her words.
Asha Barca: Recipient of a personal oath of loyalty from Ygraine, the Barca duchess was never loved by the follower of the old ways but was openly treated with genuine respect. Ygraine found her to be someone willing to listen to blunt advice honestly given, who did not stand unnecessarily on ceremony, and who displayed competence when it mattered. She has made no secret of the fact that, if Asha is still alive, Ygraine considers that individual oath of hers to still be in effect even if the woman's no longer claiming the Duchy.
Cain Sothen: One of Ygraine's array of half-siblings, Cain is an acknowledged bastard sired by Gwyddion upon a native of Tel Girade. Ygraine has had few direct dealings with him, but the pair have met a number of times and share a degree of affection and respect.
Elizabeth Absalon: A friend as well as sister-in-law, Elizabeth was one of the few residents of Gateway who appeared to fully understand Ygraine. The Lady of Thundering Falls seemed at ease in her company, relaxing in a way rarely seen while in the city or castle.
Marcus Barca: Though both are tall, leather-clad, axe-wielding warriors and shared friends in common, Ygraine and Marcus seemed to hit it off very badly from the start. They never quite came to blows, but even an optimist could never have described their relationship more favourably than "tense".
Ragnar Magnus Absalon: Ygraine's young nephew recently inherited his family's title and officially became her superior, though she remains inclined to treat him with her customary blunt honesty. How well this will sit with the new Baron is yet to be seen.
Tarynn the Book-seller: A diminutive commoner of little apparent distinction, Tarynn became Ygraine's closest friend on Gateway. The pair shared a passion for history and music, and Tarynn took down copies of many of the poems, tales and songs in Ygraine's repertoire. She was perhaps the only resident of Gateway wholly accepted by Scolan as a trustworthy friend.
Logs
To follow....
