c4stellation

[c4stellation]

a brief, family introduction to Katerina

Torny Stendahl was born on Kaldaross and lived there until her 16th winter and made the voyage to Norrose Hulm, where she found decent work in an inn in one of the seaside towns. After one winter there, she met Laurentius Edsen. At this point, Torny is 17, and Laurentius is 20. 

Both find themselves attracted to one another, and Laurentius courts her for months. Neither brought up the discussion of marriage until Torny was with child a moon cycle after Laurentius took her to the woods (consensually). 

Laurentius moved Torny into his family home until she gave birth to their daughter, Elisabet. 

After Elisabet’s birth, Torny and Laurentius married and raised Elisabet until Torny became pregnant again three years after the birth of Elisa. Prior to finding out Torny was pregnant, she and Laurentius had been struggling in their relationship, and as such, her pregnancy made everything more tense. 

Torny soon gave birth to their second daughter, Katerina. A year after her birth, Laurentius leaves without a word. Torny becomes a shut-in, only leaving her home to get food for her daughters from the market. After several months and stressing over her dwindling savings, she meets Nicolaus Smulders, who offers to help her care for her daughters. She warily accepts his help, and he stays in the seaside town helping Torny raise both of them. Over the course of a year and a half, Torny and Nicolaus have become close friends, which gives him the confidence to broach the subject of bringing them to his home further inland where he can find more work. At his mill. Fucking miller.

She agrees, and they move inland, Elisabet at seven, and Katerina at three. Nicolaus and Torny spend another winter together before agreeing to marry after the snow thaws. 

After the event, Nicolaus gives the girls his name, adopting them under his family name. Kate idolizes him, and all four of them are happy with their life together at the mill. 

This mill is located at the edge of a small town.

A small town that never saw raiders until Kate's 12th summer. 

The Harvesters of the Vale lay siege to the town ten meters from their home. Neither Nicolaus nor Torny wake until two men are making their way to their door. 

Too late Nicolaus is rousing his wife and daughters. Hurries Kate and Elisa to the back door while Torny makes to bar the door, but she’s too late. The Harvesters kick in the door, narrowly missing Torny but still leaving her stunned. Elisa shrieks and runs for her mother, who has been seized already.

Nicolaus barely keeps a hold on Kate as he turns on both his girls and rushes them into the forest to escape the raiders. 

Elisa and Torny are spared one cruelty in exchange for another, left to bleed out in each other's arms on the floor of their home.

Nicolaus manages to procure a skiff to get Kate and himself away from Norrose Hulm. He comforts Kate the best he can, but she sees him as the man who abandoned her mother and sister.

Her anger festers under their new life in the Hodeskulle Isles (which are beautiful despite their name).

Word gets out to neighboring islands that Norrose Hulm now houses the Harvesters, and they kill anyone who lands on their shores. 

Kate has enough wits to know that's her old home.

Nicolaus spends the next three years finding work and raising Kate, he teaches her to read the nobleman's words and how to live on the land.

But at 15 she is angry and it’s all consuming. 

Late into the harvest season, she sneaks out onto a boat that takes her north to Snaer Sal. She spends days on her own until she finds a patreon of the Crowns, who she follows to their council. 

The Commanders, surprised and affronted that a 15 year old girl has found them, welcome her to their path. 

After months of training, they send her on her first scope of Leirhofn and another until she is given permission to take her first kill. 

That night, she sends a Terror to her father. 

Tells him not to worry but also not to look for her.

She’s safe.