Astrid Windmere

Astrid Windmere
Astrid is the current Boatswain of the Seasmoke. A tall bear of a woman, Astrid ensures that the crew are doing what they're meant to be doing. She's fiercely protective of the ship and its crew, almost always the first to wade into battle swinging her zweihander and screaming promises of pain and death.

History
Astrid doesn't usually give much detail on her past, unless to good friends. What is public knowledge on the Seasmoke is that the Nord served in the Imperial Legion. She saw combat in Black Marsh, rarely bringing up stories or anecdotes of her time there. When the Soulburst occurred and the first Dark Anchor dropped in the Imperial City, her cohort was stationed on leave in Cheydinhal, Cyrodiil. As the countryside was razed, the cohort fought tooth and nail against the Daedra and the traitorous Legion Zero, but were ultimately wiped out after a long, protracted campaign of guerrilla warfare. From the Cohort, only 4 are known to have survived, including Astrid herself.

Before she joined the Legion, Astrid lived in Kvatch, on the Gold Coast. Despite this, she spent the first 8 years of her life in Eastmarch, in Lower Yorgrim. Her father had set up a smithy in Kvatch, and her mother was a member of the town guard. Trained by her mother in combat from a very young age, Astrid was already a keen fighter by the age of 16. This is when she joined up in the guard's force alongside her mother. She served for roughly 4 years, breaking up drunken bar fights and repelling the occasional bandit skirmish or apprehending thieves. In 2E 570, Rain's Hand, a large privateer force descended upon the town. In the fighting, Astrid's mother was killed, and the town was assisted by a nearby squad of Legionaries who'd camped out in the nearby hillside and saw the smoke from the town. Astrid's father fell into a deep depression after the death of his wife, and died a year later when he drunkenly fell from a bridge and smashed his head on rocks. This prompted a 23 year old Astrid to leave and explore, finding work as a mercenary. She travelled extensively in this time before joining the Legion.

After her Cohort was destroyed, Astrid returned to mercenary life. She travelled more, spending a lot of time in Deshaan, Wrothgar and Eastmarch. After a while, she arrived in Stormhaven, where she met Adjanah, Guldren and eventually Aeironn. From there, she joined up with the Seasmoke.

At First Glance
Tall, bulky and looming. Astrid's physique has been compared to that of a bear, which is honestly quite true. She has a blonde, somewhat frizzy mane that's usually tied into a bun, and icy blue eyes. Her body is pocked by various scars. The most notable ones are the bear claw scar across her chest and the nasty, long, horizontal scar across the right side of her waist, where an Orc 'nearly cleaved her in two with a battleaxe'.

Astrid is a rather straight-forward woman. She enjoys drinking, eating, hunting and shagging. While it could be misconstrued that she enjoys combat, she doesn't relish in it. She simply fights with the belief that if she falls, she'll join the ranks of souls in Sovngarde who shared a similar, glorious death in battle. Out of battle, she's usually seen either drinking/eating, doing exercises or making sure the crew are doing their work. She also has a soft spot for cooking, and sometimes brings her own homecooked food in for the crew (if they're working well, that is).

Her clothing is usually very plain. She's not particularly one for fashion, but does seem to have a penchant for the colour red, as she has a lot of red shirts that she alternates between. For armour, Astrid favours protection over mobility. She wears heavy plates and leathers. Her weapon is affectionately named Freki, a zweihander of Nordic design with a long, heavy blade and spiked crossguard. The blade is enchanted with frost magicka, which she rarely uses due to her lack of experience in magicka. The blade is also engraved with silver, due to past experiences with werewolves and vampires. She loves Freki, and maintains her very well. Nobody touches Freki without her say-so.

Passive Trait: Might of the Legion

 * Adds a +2 to defending/attacking rolls while using Freki, but a -2 to defending rolls against ranged attacks such as spells or bows.

Active Trait: Bear's Charge

 * When activated, Astrid gains a sudden burst of energy, able to move almost unnaturally fast to dodge an attack or perform some other action that requires a quick pace. This lasts for 2 rounds and during this time, she also gains +3 to defence.

Aeironn

 * "I respect Aeironn. He's a good leader. Wouldn't consider him a friend, though. In the same way you wouldn't expect your Centurion to be your friend in the Legion. Needs to stop scowling so much though."

Adjanah

 * "Adjie was an amazing lass. We were together for a good while before we broke up on good terms. I loved the lass. Still do, admittedly. But she wanted to explore Tamriel with no strings attached. I'm fine with that. Anyway, we saved each others' lives multiple times over. Helped pull me out of the rut I was in after the last relationship I was in imploded. I hope we meet again some day."

Guldren

 * "Gul's a good lad. Got a firm head on his shoulders. And a sharp set of horns on his head. Another one of my closest friends. We don't always see eye-to-eye, but that's life. I can't think of many others I'd trust more to have my back in a fight than him. Hope he finds happiness and stops being a mopey shitebag, though."

Azmoda

 * "Az can cook some fucking good food, and gives you a peck on the cheek whenever she serves you. What's not to like? Plus she's got a nice arse."

Beithe

 * "Beithe's a sweetheart. A good healer, a good scrapper, and cute too. Since she's got with Braigan she's seemed a lot cheerier, which is good. Plus she has some great pets."

Blue the Nixad

 * "Little winged shitebag. I like him a lot. Seems a bit smarter than he lets on, that one. If only I could understand what he says. Reckon I could learn some secrets about the others. I always give him some little snacks whenever I can. Just wish he wouldn't use my hair as a nest."

Evie

 * "Phora, formerly known as Evie, is a weird one. Kind of quiet and reserved. Turns out my suspicions were right. She's ex-Dark Brotherhood. Because of fucking course she is."

Litharith

 * "Lith. Nay, I'm not going to say anything about her. Don't get me started. All sugary words and vile smirks, that one. Always working a fucking angle for herself. Wonder if she's got an angle worked out for if I punt her overboard in the Sea of Ghosts."

Bleeds

 * "Bleeds is... Bleeds. Quiet, reserved and sort of... fuck, what's the word... stoic. Aye, stoic. Life's given him a shite hand. Well, more like a shite arm. Seems like a trustworthy sort, though. Tough, too. Saw him tear a fucking assassin's throat out with his bare claws while bleeding more than an Altmer in an Orcish stronghold. Fights until his last dying breath, like a proper soldier. Need to share a drink with him at some point."

Julian

 * "Julian was my Centurion in the Legion. Made the tough choices so others didn't have to. Took full blame for our actions in the conflicts we fought in. Leave him to himself, is my advice. Man's seen a lot. That's all I'll say of him."