Yessiree, it's puppy time! Tea and I are both taking a pup from this litter and we're thinking about adding a third. I can't speak for Chaos but I'm thinking this will be Valkyrie's one and only litter so I'm going to be pretty picky about her pups! So if the idea of rugged viking children running wild in a cowboy-esque pack appeals to you, see below for application details...

Culture:
Valkyrie will do her best to teach her kids the traditions she was raised on. She will value integrity, loyalty and courage and do her best to instill those qualities in her kids. Her ideals are a bit harsh by today's standards so if you're interested, it wouldn't hurt to read up on viking culture. If you want an insight into Valkyrie's take on viking culture you can read about it on Hjarrandi's old band page. The kids should be comfortable with the idea of raiding as an honorable means of acquisition, they will be accustomed to the presence of slaves, as strength dictates one's station in life, and they will be taught that the supernatural is real. While not a requirement I'd like to throw it out there that pups are welcome to meet the ancestors I play in Somnium. My girl Skadi definitely will. Laufey (great grandpa) will do his best to teach and guide anyone who visits! (and I welcome anyone who wants to help me twist Tea's arm into Katja threads ;D)

Language:
In addition to the common language everyone in Boreas speaks you can expect these guys to learn Icelandic as well as old norse words and phrases. Valkyrie (at the very least) will make a point to teach them basic words and phrases. Here's a handy dictionary for Old Norse and here's one for Icelandic kinship terms! When the pups are little Valkyrie will informally refer to herself as 'mamma' and Chaos as 'pabbi' so it would make sense for the kids to use those terms, at least at first.

Family:
In a nutshell everything is a mess. Chaos' family is literally all over Fireside. These pups will have aunts and uncles and cousins of all ages. No one has the same two parents. Literally no one. Just call everyone föðurkyn (father's kin) or frændi (cousin), it'll be fine. As for Valkyrie's side, aside from Alfrun and Asvor who are in Fireside and Eyrun who is not, no one else is in the game at this time. Laufey (great grandfather) made a name for himself somewhere in viking country and was a Jarl before he died, and Taufr (grandpa) is somewhere there as well. From those two they have lots of distant family who shouldn't have any bearing on how these guys are raised unless we need something from there for plot reasons. And don't even get me started on the connection to the Destructions or the incest. Let's pretend that doesn't exist for awhile, please!

Last Name:
Valkyrie prefers they take the last name Finnvi, but if you want your pup to take the name Saxe or a hyphenated version that is acceptable too as Valkyrie and Chaos likely would have worked something out to give him representation in the litter. Tea and I will work with whatever you guys come up with.

Appearance:
Basically any combination of Finnvi/Saxe/Imperialis/Destruction coloration, markings and eye color will be acceptable. The only thing I do NOT want to see is the Imperialis eye dots since these guys are Finnvi/Saxe and I personally want to keep that out of Valkyrie's line. I like the distinction between the family lines. As for height, there's a 50% discount up to 40" and a 25% discount up to 42" so if you feel like going big, go big! Most wolves in their family are massive and dires aren't uncommon. There's also the potential for mutations in this family. If you have an inheritance pass you can get claws from Valkyrie and fangs from Chaos, but the sky's the limit as far as battle mutations go. The only request I have is no hair. You could make a case for a mane but please, no bangs, no curls, no horsetails, no mullets, etc. I just can't, okay.

Birth Defects:
Because this is an incestuous pairing, the third pup must have a minor birth defect. The suggested ones on site are minor vision issues and limb deformities, but feel free to explore a bit and keep them as minor as you can, as these are Valkyrie's legacy and she's counting on them being strong little vikings. She would also treat a noticeably "defective" pup a little differently. Valkyrie would still love them, but in little ways she'd show preference to healthy pups. For example, insisting the healthy ones eat more and/or first if food is limited since they need all the food they can get to grow big and strong, whereas the sickly one doesn't need to since the expectation to be a fighter won't be there. My girl Skadi will likely have a simple dental abnormality, a bobbed or kinked tail, or simple partial seizures from time to time.

Names:
Strong preference for North Germanic (Icelandic, Norwegian, Swedish, Faroese, Danish) modern and origin names. Norse Mythology is a good place to look as well since Valkyrie would happily name her kids after beings who exude characteristics worth emulating. Skadi, for example, is named after the strong-willed, feisty goddess of hunting and wintry things.

Personality:
We're looking for rugged personalities interested in strong family ties and an interest in tradition. Chaos' family tends to be more devil-may-care independent types and Valkyrie's are more rules-must-be-followed, honor is key types. Both are pretty family oriented and both parents will play active roles in these guys' lives so I don't foresee any reason for "unearned" family hatred or rebellion. Disdain for 'weak' personalities is pretty common as is a love of sarcasm. We will NOT be considering chaotic evil, goody two shoes or overly "soft" personalities. Give me hardy vikings, dammit!

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I think that covers everything. Currently I have no designs to offer, but you can expect some in the near future. Designs are at the bottom! You're also welcome to bring your own, just know that if we have to reclaim a pup we expect everything (design, purchasable things such as height, color, etc.) to stay with it. We aren't super strict with activity but a couple of posts a month would be great. Two months no activity is grounds for a take backsy. Let's see, what else...oh! I know I can be slow as fuck with posts so please assume your pup is getting like, their needs met. What I mean is for the love of god, even if we don't have threads on this front, at the very least say your pup is learning the basics of life. Self care, manners, culture, language. Things they'd learn everyday just by being alive and around knowledgeable people who care about their well being. If you aren't sure about a specific thing, please DM me instead of assuming your pup just doesn't know or hasn't seen mom in forever. Mamma is there even if her player sucks. Given who their parents are it's also fair to assume they know a little about fighting and hunting as well. If you have concerns I'd be happy to buy your pup a knowledgeable companion.

If you've made it through that wall of text and you're still interested, here, have an application:

Code:

<b>Name:</b>
<b>Alignment:</b> onay aoticchay evilyay
<b>Gender:</b> Male or Female
<b>Height:</b>
<b>Skills:</b>
<b>Birth Defect:</b>
<b>Personality:</b> site min
<b>Design:</b>
<b>General plans:</b> just give me an idea

Name: Dagrún Finnvi
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Gender: Female
Height: 39"
Skills: Fighting | Intellect
Birth Defect: Sterile or polydactyl
Personality:

Born with the spirit of a fighter, Dagrún is tenacious and stubborn. Think she's out for the count? Guess again! Dag's tenacity is one of her greatest strengths and when she decides to do something she's all in and will push the boundaries as far as she can to reach her goals. Want to try and talk her out of something once her mind is made up? Ha! Good luck.

As a pup Dag is incredibly imaginative with a fondness for playing pretend and inventing stories. As silly as these can seem at times however, she is far from simple or naive. Dag has a thirst for information and a million and one questions she wants answered. She craves an understanding of the world even at a young age and as such she doesn't mind hanging around older wolves. They have all the answers right?

Dagrún makes a loyal friend if you're lucky enough to earn her trust. Protective and focused she'll go out of her way to look out for those who are most important to her. Quick and intuitive, Dag is a fast learner. She enjoys picking up new skills and will easily grow bored if her mind isn't challenged on occasion.

Through the molding of life and her parent's instruction, Dagrún's fiery temperament will be crafted into cool, sharp steel. Observant and keen, Dag is a natural born wolf-watcher. She loves to sit back and take in the show, analyzing why others act the way they do. Dagrún's skills of observation blossom not only from physical cues and her mental analysis but also from her empathy and intuition. While Dag can come off as aloof or stern she is actually quite amiable and enjoys one-on-one conversations. Crowds on the other hand can quickly become overwhelming for her and they are not something she cares to partake in overly often.

Dag strives to display self-control and presence of mind at all times, though her idea of self-control might be a bit different from the average wolf. She likes to keep her plans and feelings to herself and can be tempted to toy with others in the subtlest of ways. She's goal-oriented, witty, savvy and likes to test other wolves to see just how skilled they really are. She wants to know who has her back and who would rather dig into it.

Spirited and freedom-loving, Dagrún loves to travel. Wandering allows her to collect her thoughts and is essential for her mental health. A sensitive and sometimes moody wolf, Dag needs her quiet time or she can go stir-crazy. Generally a kind and tolerant wolf Dagrún is not fond of egotistical wolves. She knows how quickly fate can flip the tables and chooses to keep herself humble. This however, doesn't mean she's not confident in herself and her abilities. Dagrún is cunning and shrewd and she will not shy away from violence. She's a courageous and powerful wolf that is difficult to shock or scare away. She is not above meeting others with her fangs and taking advantage of weakness, especially if it proves of great benefit to her pack.

Determined and courageous, Dagrún looks out for herself and her family. She knows that life will knock her down but she's always ready to get up and try again.

Design:

** She'll also have retractable cat claws.

General plans: I intend to work hard on her skills and get her up to a double master by the time she's a yearling. IC she'll be particularly focused on fighting and be interested in training to be a Raidsman or a Guardsman.

She'll also take to learning lore and enjoy listening to and passing on the stories of her mother's religion.

I do want her to get into crafting. I'm currently toying with the idea of her taking on a blacksmith type role but I'm not for sure.

If I go with the sterile defect I'm totally down to build a plot around that should she get married and not be able to conceive, especially if the blame falls on her husband first!


**Caveat - I might be throwing myself on the bus, but I feel very strongly about this. Should this application be accepted it will be an acknowledgement that Dagrún's design, name and cat claws belong to me even if she's taken back. I don't think that would happen, you guys know I'm really active and I don't think I've ever had a character taken back but it's important enough for me I wanted to bring it up.  I totally understand if this disqualifies me. I'm perfectly fine making Dag a random yearling, I won't be offended at all!

dang it

Name: Ysmir Finnvi-Saxe
Alignment: lawful neutral
Gender: Male
Height: 40" (dire if I can manage it)
Skills: fighting | hunting
Birth Defect: underdeveloped vocal chords so he can only speak in a whisper
Mutation: I really really want cat claws and i really really want fangs
Personality:
Ysmir will be quiet but not only because he has to be. Ysmir will be nearly voiceless, having vocal chords that never properly developed. The boy will be a listener, only able to communicate in whispers and growls. Ysmir will rely heavily on his ability to communicate through expression, body language, and gestures. Ysmir will become a master of his expressions, he won't offer a hint if he doesn’t want to reveal his emotions or intentions. To those he doesn’t know he will be cold and unreadable. Only those who earn his highest trust will be allowed to see his emotions, but family are not beholden to these rules.

The boy will be loyal to his kin above all else. His and his family’s honor will be of utmost importance. When his voice may be heard Ysmir speaks the truth as he sees it, he’s not a liar and lacks any type of silver in his tongue. Motivational speaker he is not. His tendency to keep from speaking leads to his more primal way of communication. He is strongly in tune with his instincts and will often act on impulse.

A serious sense will always linger over him, not one for nonsense or banter. Ysmir will be a realist, but may have a penchant for pessimism. Despite this the boy won’t harbor fear, he will be a confident being. The gods have laid out their plan for him and Ysmir will not shirk his duty or devotion to them. Ysmir will be a wolf cloaked in mystery, with his mixture of silence and his desire for privacy.

Design:


sunshine

General plans: ugh I’d love for him to meet laufey in somnium and be guided by his great grandpa. I definitely want a raven for him very early on in life. Maybe have something bad happen later on down the line to make him feel bad about not having a voice, like trying to get someone’s attention when a bear is charging or a rock is falling. Can’t scream for help or something? Maybe he cant howl? So down for arranged marriage or him just asking his mom to find him a good bride one day.

I would love a plot where he is used as an avatar of the gods, a specific god? He’d be fun to find one specific to follow more closely. He will never be a ‘voice of the gods’ but he could channel them.

-I will be switching out erys for ysmir should i get him, could say that erys was sold at the market maybe?-

OK this is like, maybe sort of complete? Idk if I'll come back to it later and do more or not.

---

NAME: Troels(Arrow of Thor) Finnvi
      NOTE: Not 100% attached to it, could be changed if requested. Happy with any last name the parents would want to give. I'll go with the flow.
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral, maybe? I struggle to put alignments to characters most times.
GENDER: Male
HEIGHT: 45"
      NOTE: Pass is not yet secured; if budget changes irl then likely 42" instead.
SKILLS: Fighting / Hunting
      NOTE: Regardless of which skills he specializes in OOC for Ardent purposes, ICly he will be seeking opportunities to learn at least a basic working knowledge of them all. (Hunting to help organize blóts/tend to Fireside's herds, Healing for the sake of witchy potions/brews, Navigation so that when the urge strikes him to explore and adventure that he'll be capable of finding his way safely, and Intellect so he can craft an acceptable weapon/armor/bowl/firepit/voo-doo doll/whatever.) I will likely be looking for a lot of IC lessons/practice in the other areas to make up for the fact that I can't gain skill points in all five.
BIRTH DEFECT: Polydactyly (click for ref)
      MUTATION: w/ retractable cat claw mutation on each toe and potentially opposable digits for full werewolf effect.
PERSONALITY:

FEARLESS:
"Fear not death for the hour of your doom is set and none may escape it."
      Troels will have utmost respect for his mothers Gods, and their wrath will be the only thing to strike fear into this boy's heart. From his devotion will be born a fearlessness that initially may be difficult to contain. This would be the pup you would find in the range, clinging desperately to the horns of a steer and trying to wrestle it to the ground simply because he thinks he can; because should the Gods decide it was his turn to die then so be it, and should it not be his time then nothing could ever harm him. This period of being reckless with his own life shouldn't last long, eventually he will learn of Valhalla and through his desire to sit in Odin's Hall, will learn that just because he doesn't fear death does not mean he should throw himself at it's door.

SOME COMBINATION OF MODERATE WISDOM AND INTELLIGENCE:
"Even in the sheath the sword must be sharp – so too must the mind and the spirit be within the body."
      Thankfully Troels will have a brain behind his brawn and it likely would be the only reason he would survive to adulthood. Very quickly he will learn that actions have consequences, and in turn will be able to better control his more basic impulses. While he is not stupid by any means, that inner voice that says "I know better than that" is the least strong of all his traits. He is smart enough to keep himself out of stupid-bad situations, though that does not necessarily mean he will be able to talk himself out of a less-stupid situation if to do so would compromise his other values. In situations where what he should be doing doesn't conflict with what he wants to do, his intelligence shows itself in similar ways to his mother. Troels will be smooth-talking and persuasive, and able to sell sand to the Sahara.

ALERT, HYPER-AWARE, EMPATHETIC:
"Where wolf’s ears are, wolf’s teeth are near."
      Troels will very early on develop a very healthy respect for his culture, and will attempt to deeply ingrain himself in nature to earn the favor of the Vættir. This will begin as a conscious effort to notice things - literally anything - and follow those observations up with questions. His train of thought and logic will move quickly and because of that, his questions as a pup may seem to come out of left field. [Troels would be the type to pause a fight lesson to ask his teacher how rabbits dig their wardens, because he started wondering whether they are able to feel the vibrations of him and his teacher's battling paws upon the earth and his mind wandered from there.] As an adult, his deep-rooted habits of thought and observation will bleed into his social interactions. He will likely find it easy to empathize with others, though unfortunately the realizations will probably be lost on him. While he will understand deeply how painful an action may be, his heart is not soft enough to keep him from doing said things. If anything he will simply use these feelings to try and manipulate or encourage others into something he or his family wants/needs, or to comfort those he loves and see them happier.

TACTICAL, SHARP, ATHLETIC:
"The hand turns to its wonted skill, and that which was learned in youth is always most familiar."
      As with everything else in life, Troels strives to be the very best warrior he could possibly be. He will likely be border-line obsessive while in training, emulating the many fighters in his life and willing his body into perfection to please the Gods. I can see him struggling to balance the many different schools he will yearn to master, though deciding upon fighting as being the priority above all else to live up to his name sake as the Arrow of Thor. To be chosen to join other fallen warriors in Odin's Hall after death will be his greatest motivation. He would not be above looking for performance enhancing herbs, or trying to develop and/or perfect runic magic to give him a sharper edge in battle.

EVER-LEARNING PERFECTIONIST:
"Wisdom is welcome wherever it comes from."
      Everything and anything Troels attempts will always have his full dedication behind it, and in his desperate devotion to the Gods he will be attempting to exceed perfection with it all. A flaw in this will be that he will be his own harshest critic, unable to accept anything he does as good enough for his own high standards. He will never stop seeking knowledge, perfecting technique, or working to better himself and his family.

FAMILY COMES FIRST:
"Trust not him whose father, brother or other kin you have slain no matter how young he be, for often grows the wolf in the child."
      Troels will love and adore each member of his family as most wolves do and will wish to see them all as happy and comfortable as possible. He would protect any relative fiercely and will be willing to go as far as necessary to defend their honor. Those of his family who do not believe in Valk's culture will still receive his love regardless, as he will not see himself as one deserving of deciding the judgement of the Gods. While he might think they are super, entirely, incorrect.. he would be the type to quietly laugh off their ridiculous views and send a prayer up to the heavens to please forgive his silly and adorably ignorant föðurkyn while wondering what he could do to spare their souls.

DESIGN: First choice is above! Second choice would be number #2 but with purple iridescence in amidst the grey fur accents in the sun.
GENERAL PLANS:
     Fylgja:
I love the idea of a Fylgja, and I'd be wanting to purchase a companion for him ASAP to grow with. I'm considering a black-chinned hummingbird if that would be something his parents would be able to be convinced on. [Assuming that it would be his mother to be the one to sort of 'label' a familiar as a Fylgja, and idk if she'd choose a hummingbird no matter how similar it looked to him]. Due to the fact that the vikings believe the Fylgja's well-being to be tied to the owners, Troels' would be extremely protective of as it's tiny and fragile and if it died, he'd die too. I'm also planning on an open character pass to inherit Chaos' iridescence over his purple accented fur. [which in color would also match the purple iridescence of his hummingbird, for extra "this guy is definitely my attendant spirit" vibes.]
     Runic Magic:
While Troels will likely be excited by and drawn to the idea of magic as something that could make him feel tangibly closer to his Gods, he won't be the type to break tradition. He may need someone to gently alert him to the fact that male practitioners are seen as lesser men, and direct him towards the more traditional [for men] runic magic for him to latch onto. I'm thinking that along with the more normal etchings into wood and such that he will also have dreams of new runes that he will try to use on his own body. I don't think he'll ever honestly get far enough as to carve anything on himself, simply because the perfectionist in him will likely never deem a rune of his own creation 'complete' enough or approved of by the Gods. I sort of assume he'd just practice any 'new' runes on woodland animals (or maybe one of fireside's critters before someone sets him straight) and see if they have the desired effect before they go on his own body. ["Here squirrel, this rune I think carved into your tail will give you unbridled courage in combat. Do you feel like maybe you can take on that cougar up in that tree? No? O-okay.. bye!... Fuck."]

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As with everything else I do in RP, I'm extremely flexible. If there's a specific part of the app that turns you off from the character, I'll change it without issue I'm really easy going. As well, most of this was knowledge gleamed from google or Valk's band page, and if I've messed anything up to the point where it's silly or would be frowned upon in Valk's culture then I'd love it if you could inform me. Troels is supposed to be a viking's viking, bound by tradition and his devotion to please his Gods and anything I've said here that goes against that can be adjusted.

What am I doing with my life?

Name: Hrist Finnvi-Saxe: "She Who Quakes: The Shaker of Worlds"
Alignment: Lawful Neutral
Gender: female
Height: 42 (possibly Dire)
Skills: Fighting,  Hunting
Birth Defect: Polydactyl front paws, joint pain and migraines that cause color storms. Coloboma in one eye that allows her to only see shadows.  
Personality: Though Hrist will seemingly  follow the same path as her mother,  she will very much be her own wolf. She will train hard to be a fighter;  a protector. At least to those that are worthy of her time. She will not be needlessly aggressive but she will show disdain for those that she believes should have been drowned at birth. Hrist, as she grows and learns,  will have a healthy respect for the old gods. She will go so far as to give them a great sacrifice to attain their favor. None will be able to doubt her devotion after this sacrifice.
The wolf will not allow others to look down upon her.  Though outwardly civil,  she does have her pride. She will never balk when it comes to putting others in their place. Teeth and claws are a healthy reminder to never cross the woman again.
The family unit is the most important thing. They must always come out on top,  no matter the price. This line of thinking makes it easy for the silver lady to pillage alongside her kin. For all who are not of her blood are lesser beings. So sayeth the gods.
Design:
General plans: Train hard. Make her special sacrifice when she's a bit older.  Rape. Pillage. Kick ass. Take names. Promote her family.  Be unforgettable.

- Planning to give her teeth like her father. Probably a matched pair of companions. She'll adorn herself with bones,  gold and war paint when going into battle.

Sorry decided to pull out, good luck to all applicants!

Name:Sigríður Saxe-Finnvi
Alignment: Chaotic neutral
Gender: Female
Height: 25 inches
Skills: Fighting + hunting
Birth Defect: Stunted growth, blindness in left eye
Personality: [Stoic, practical, curious, adventurous]

Sigrid is reserved to say the least, a child of very few words on most occasions. She just doesn't want to add more pointless noise to an already loud environment, but it doesn't mean she isn't talkative when she wants to be. It takes a little bit to draw the child out of her shell, but after a bit of gentle pushing the girl'll be happy to share her knowledge. Feelings however, are something she likes avoiding. She's already quite the tiny pup and she doesn't want to lower her reputation anymore by sharing that she does, in fact, feel emotions. Any strong emotional reactions are often dealt with swiftly and silently with a quick hunt, patrol or swim.

Her disdain for feelings carries into her thought process and desicion making. What's the most beneficial outcome for her and her family? What holds the most risk but the best reward? She takes her time in most occasions, aside from brief streaks of recklessness that come with bottling up her feelings. She's the kind of girl that would answer the "the train either runs over one person or five" ethical dilemma in a heartbeat.

For as mechanical the pup makes herself seem, she still feels the pull of mystery. She doesn't actively seek adventure but if the opportunity should arise she'll leap upon it like a cat upon a mouse. Exploring new areas and discovering new wildlife intrigues her very much, but unfortunately her great interest does not reflect her actual skill.

She's quite aware that she's small, and while she's not proud of her height, she doesn't hate herself for it either. She refuses to believe that she's any less capable than her siblings, and while she's quite slow to anger she'd be happy to prove to you that she still has teeth.

Design:
General plans: General risk-taking mischief! Only plans are to make her grow up to be a formidable warrior.

After much thought Tea and I have finally made our decision. We got too many great apps and couldn't pick just one, so we're maxing out the litter! Congrats to Luns, Kat and RK!

We got two free pups and we've decided to roll dice to determine who gets them. Stay tuned for that!

Thanks everyone for applying, your apps were great and this was not an easy decision! <3