Gwendolyn

Life in the frozen North is difficult and naturally such circumstances often lead to conflict, crime, and violence. With the disparate interests of the many peoples of the North, from the Frost Tribes to the settled noble warriors in Fort Blacklast, Gwendolyn oversees and advises on a wide range of matters as the arbitrator of the land, helping to provide a healing light and steady the strained realm. Found abandoned in a cave below a glacier as a child, dressed all in blue and wearing a medal with a symbol of the elemental gods on it, Gwendolyn's origins are a mystery. It was widely assumed she was one of the many Frost Tribe children left out exposed to the elements in the hope she would either be taken as a sacrifice or be protected by the elements. However, she was found wearing garments highly unusual for the Frost Tribes and seemed unusually advanced for her young age, able to speak and saying her family had all been killed in a blizzard. Other rumors whispered in the corridors of Fort Blacklast of her true origins include that she is a gift from the elemental gods to provide unity and healing in their fight against darkness and the Frost Giants or that she is a kindly descendent of the Old Tribes, magical beings who were among the first to inhabit Tya and take care of those who are truly good. Whatever her background, Gwendolyn does not talk about it and seems only to care about what she considers her holy mission of caring for the people of the North. She possesses incredible knowledge, only possibly linked to the divine rather than simple magic, and is so dubbed the Shining Light of the North. While she spent years in the cave she was found, insisting she stay there to be open to all, it soon became unsafe as Frost Giant raids increased. King Harz begged her to take refuge in Fort Blacklast, giving her a room next to the throne room. As if she knew something, Gwendolyn finally agreed to move away from her cave on the condition Frost Tribes and all who wanted to see her still could. Her arrival in Fort Blacklast was well-timed and without her healing power, it is likely the North would have been lost to the forces of darkness in the siege of Fort Blacklast. She calmed the divisions after the siege, finding those who had betrayed Fort Blacklast in battle, bringing them to justice by not having them killed, but sentenced to rebuild the castle. Gwendolyn now spends her time roaming the North, giving advice in all matters from politics to justice, yet as the North is a suspicious realm, not everyone trusts her. Nonetheless, her advice is welcome and she is adored by the people of the North as a symbol of divine peace in a time of conflict.