Saldis was born to a labourer family in Karoslund, and spent her childhood helping her parents attend to the fields that form the agricultural heart of Norland. Her parents were already older at the time of her birth and had given up trying for a child, so it was a well-received but shocking day when her mother, Asa, discovered she was pregnant. Saldis was born when her mother was already 44 and her father, Ingunn, was 48. Both Ingunn and Asa were dedicated Fatherists, and after Saldis' birth they took her to a keeper and dedicated her to the Paragon Thoromir 'The Herald' in celebration. Though Asa managed the pregnancy well she suffered from poor health for the following fifteen years before passing due to a winter fever at age 59. Saldis and Ingunn were devastated at the loss and had to learn to cope with increased workload of managing the land they were responsible for in Karoslund without the help of Asa. It was at this point that Saldis began to ask herself what she wanted from her life and the ways in which she could be a loyal follower of the Allfather beyond the fields of Karoslund.
As the years went by, Saldis remained loyal to her aging father and attended to him as his own health began to fail him after a lifetime spent dedicated to Vykk working the fields. Their relationship was warm, but the death of Asa hung over them both as Ingunn became distant and Saldis worked herself to exhaustion to avoid having to consider the past or impending future too closely. When Saldis was 20 and Ingunn was 68, he passed in his sleep after having spent a few days rubbing at his chest and grimacing in pain. Saldis woke that morning to find her father gone and realized that she was utterly alone. She lingered for a month in Karoslund, not truly knowing what to do with herself but growing more restless with each passing day. Finally, as the second month wore on she packed up the belongings that she was able to carry with her, tied her mother's sash around her waist, and set out to Verdegrad where she hoped to find a new path forward in the Allfather's Flame.
The traveller has just arrived in a small town. As they look around, their gaze is met with run down houses and shops. They duck into one of the shacks, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the small room, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town?" She begins, then pauses to study their face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a chair, “Where do you come from? What do you hope to make of yourself?”
((How does your character respond? Please ensure your response is at least six sentences long, and uses at least two actions.))
Saldis stalled and regarded the old woman who called out her from across the shack, while adjusting the pack resting on her back. "You've been expecting me? How could you have been expecting me when I didn't know I would be here?"
The hag stretched her smile wider and gestured to the chair again. "And why should I answer your questions when you've answered none of mine?"
Cautiously, Saldis walked forward weaving through the floating candles and found comfort in the presence of the Flame in this shack that seemed increasingly closed off from the world. "I'm from Karoslund," she replied as she sank into the seat and lowered her pack to ground next to her feet "though I suspect you knew that already."
The old woman said nothing in response. Her earlier smile had faded and a look of intense focus worked its way onto her face as she held Saldis' gaze.
The silence hung in the air for a moment before Saldis said in a voice that was quieter than before, an undertone of uncertainty woven through her voice "I don't know what I want to make of myself, really. I want to live in honour of my Paragon Thoromir, and I want to serve Norland as best I can."
"And you can't do that working the fields of Karoslund?" the hag replied leaning back as her gaze stayed fixed on Saldis' face. "There is honour to be had in the fields and the toil that feeds a nation. Isn't that enough for you, girl?"
The flickering candlelight cast shadows across the room. Saldis turned her gaze from the woman for the first time since they had started speaking and looked into Flame of the closest candle, and an understanding that had been building for years slipped out "No."
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