HOME | DD

Description

Had to reupload, because dA wouldn't let me update the main file of her other submission? no idea
8/2/18 Updated info! Prettier info!

________________________________________________________

MOODBOARD   | PLAYLIST (SPOTIFY) | AP TRACKER

“I’m a violent sea
under the surface
of a frozen lake."
Current Status
In Skeldr Town working for an elderly couple's caribou herd & keeping to herself

________________________________________________________
B A S I C S
  Name Gosslyn
  Nickname(s) Goss, Goose, Gooselyn
  Age 19
  Gender Mare
  Species Unicorn
  Height 15.2h
  Color Gray (near-white) with gray-black points
  Eye Color Light Blue
  Teke Color Light Blue
  Birthday autumn 1682

  Conformation
- built like a leggy warmblood
- straight face profile

  Herd War-Forged
  Rank Herder
  Patron God Kaia
  Blessing(s) Shapeshifting
        Forms Deer, Snow Owl, Lindworm Golem
  Talent 1 Empath
  Talent 2 # Blessed

  Alignment True Neutral
  Personality Type INFJ
  Drive peace

________________________________________________________
A C C E S S O R I E S
- six piercings on right ear
- metal scraps
- delicate chain (necklace w/ lindworm stone)
- dagger
- cloak
- hair doo-dads
- war hammer
- loose gems
- lantern (rank reward)
- horseshoes (free herd item)
  - snow leopard pelt (free herd item)
  - flask (free herd item)

________________________________________________________
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
  Family
  -Mother: Aisla (1648-1701, age 52 at time of death)
  -Father: Calder (b. 1640, age 60)
  -Siblings: Panya, adopted sister (b. 1688, age 12)
                    miscellaneous half-siblings from father's other wives

  Mate: nope
  Children: none

  Friends/Peers
A S T R I D
Pressed, Goss will admit Astrid was her closest friend. She connected to Astrid like no one else and felt seen & understood for the first time in her life despite the circumstances that led her to the mare's grasp. She worries about the implications of this constantly- the Stockholm-syndrome-esque nature of their relationship, their imbalance of power during Goss's time in Ghosthold, the concern that sympathizing with a BF betrays her loyalty to the herd, the complex dynamic of star-crossed friendship, etc. Though she grieves Astrid's apparent death, she's secretly hoping she can bury the heartbreak away and move on.S A O I R S E
A surrogate mother figure; Goss works for her by tending to the goat herd & babysitting the kids.

K I L L I A N
Goss isn't one to make enemies, but Killian fills her heart with nothing but black rage. She feels utterly deceived & betrayed after being employed by him while he was in cahoots with the BF right under her nose. He put her life in danger without her knowledge, and she would be perfectly happy never seeing him again. P A N Y A (N P C)
Adopted sister, 12yo zebra-cross. Goss is her primary caretaker.

________________________________________________________
F A M I L I A RName: Rue
Species: Great Gray Owl
Gender: Female
Color: Gray
Age: 9yo
Acquisition/History: Rue was given to Killian from a well-meaning Breiman trader; Killian took an immediate dislike to the bird. Goss offered to take her off his hands.
Personality: Relatively quiet, independent (not super affectionate), can be territorial & aggressive. Is a sucker for head rubs.

________________________________________________________
P E R S O N A L I T Y
Contemplative | Intuitive | Hypersensitive | Timid | Self-Oriented | Wise | Altruistic

Gosslyn is a complex web of functions; she's dually emotional but logical, structured but freeform, empathetic but disconnected. She's never truly satisfied with herself or how her life is going, though she tries to make peace with the latter. It's difficult for her to see her strengths as she's far too critical of her own weaknesses. Because she spends so much time evaluating & trying to improve herself, she's incredibly self-oriented- so much so that she sometimes wonders if she's becoming a narcissist (spoiler alert: she isn't. She just has to figure herself out first in order to understand the world around her.)
  Recent in-game events have hardened her soft edge; she used to be much more passive and conflict-averse, but the rise of war in Hireath & her (many) encounters with the Flanks forced her to abandon those traits. She's still inherently hypersensitive (a trait that makes her feel weak) but has learned how to wear thick skin to protect her most vulnerable parts. Exposure to the grittier aspects of life- death, entrapment, conflict, violence- have calloused her shell.
  Goss lives in her head, living in a constant vein of contemplation. In some ways it's made her wise; in others it just makes her overthink. She thinks hard before she speaks, often giving the false impression that she's slow to understand or too shy to speak up. Neither are true. Though overwhelmingly timid in most areas, Goss has a deep sense of right & wrong and has no problems expressing injustices where they stand. She also rides on her intuition, often (eerily) knowing how things will go before they happen. It's not magic; she just unconsciously observes patterns in how the world works.
Though her inner thoughts spend most of their time seeking personal growth, externally she's altruistic and genuinely cares for the welfare of others. It's because she knows herself so deeply that she can empathize & sit with others in their experiences, even if she's a stranger to them (her Empath talent aids with this as well.) She still dislikes conflict on a large scale and wants everyone to be at peace. She knows it's a pipe dream, but hopes for a day when the Forged will no longer be known for their violence.

________________________________________________________
B I O G R A P H Y
  Summary Born the only child to her mother; her father had other wives who had "more impressive" children. Was sickly as a child & caused her father to emotionally neglect her; her mother was her only advocate. Grew up tending to the family's caribou herd and lived a simple life of non-excitement. After briefly running into Vidar & Ansgar in Chapter 2, she found herself in BF hands again when Ansgar brought her to Ghosthold in Chapter 3 as a prisoner. Astrid kept her as her own hostage-turned-maidservant, but the two bonded deeply. She escaped with Astrid when she fled Ghosthold, but the two parted in Onea & Goss returned home. She moved her mother & sister to Skeldr Town, knowing that BF activity was going to rise & they were no longer safe in their father's home. Eventually the rumors reached her that Astrid was dead and she grieved quietly, not daring to tell anyone about their kinship for fear of being marked for treason. After a few months in Skeldr Town, her mother passed away & Goss became the primary caretaker for her sister. She worked for Killian for a few months until learning of his BF connections; she quit & now works for Saoirse, who has become a mother-figure to her in this tumultuous season. She feels frantic and disconnected from herself.

  tl;dr girl needs a break

  B I R T H
Aisla was the first wife of Calder but the last to prove her worth. The two wed via arrangement and moved into a small house in the farmlands, growing produce to sell in Skeldr Town. After a year of trying & failing to conceive a foal, Calder grew bored and frustrated with the mare and took in two more wives. He pushed Aisla to the back burner, giving her lodging but treating her as a roommate rather than a wife. The other wives bore children almost immediately while Aisla cowered in the shadows, trying not to upset the stallion with her presence. Guilt plagued her, taking and taking from Calder (who was “being so generous” with his resources) while she gave him nothing back. Calder largely ignored her for years.

Soon after taking in his other wives, Calder purchased a failing caribou farm on the outskirts of the Farmlands near the sea. The former owner passed away and the livestock & property were selling for cheap. Calder moved his harem to the outskirts of Onea, their closest neighbor miles away, and settled into the herding business. Aisla missed her family closer to Skeldr Town, but she was a pawn in Calder's decisions, and obeyed dutifully.

While caribou herding was a rarity, the large family was never well off. They struggled to make ends meet every month, scraping together shards to buy food and necessities. As soon as the children were old enough, they pitched into the family work. The War-Forged herd was so dependent on apana wool, it took some convincing for them to purchase caribou products. Every other week Calder & his young sons took their wares into Skeldr Market to sell caribou antlers, leather, pelt, milk and meat (primarily for trapping, or for carnivorous familiars.) It was hard work, laboring after animals that were only barely worth their weight. In the springs, summers and autumns, Calder kept his harem on the small caribou farm near the sea. In the winters, they moved the herd south into the lowlands where the weather was warmer and they were closer to civilization, although never close enough to have regular neighbors or friends.

Finally, in year 8 of their marriage, Aisla became pregnant. She praised Kaia, Alya, Cascade, and anyone else who would listen, for days. Calder, after giving her a cold shoulder for years, suddenly became more interested in her wellbeing, doting on her like he did with the other two wives. Aisla beamed; finally she would provide.

Gosslyn was born in the home without medic assistance, in late autumn. She was small and weak, and Calder was largely unimpressed. Still Aisla doted on her only filly like she was made of gold.
C H I L D H O O DGosslyn eventually became a middle child, flanked by 3 older and 2 younger half-siblings. However, she was the only foal Aisla ever bore, and found comfort knowing that her mom belonged to her and her alone. She was a bright child although not physically strong. She followed her mother around for most of her childhood, immersed in farm work from the day she could stand.

Her imagination was wild. Her two younger sisters became her closest friends, and they played for hours in the cool Onean summers, running around and pretending to be kings and queens of antiquity. Even when the siblings outgrew childish playtime, Gosslyn would still escape on her own and let her imagination run wild. Her favorite retreat was a certain cliff by the sea where the waves sounded like mournful echoes of hippocampi crashing against the rocks. The air was cold and salty, and the sky often charcoal and ominous, and Gosslyn loved it.

When the caribou shed their antlers, she would sometimes take a smaller pair and tie it to her head like a hat, pretending to be that mythical creature called a kirin. Once her older brother stumbled upon her while she was prancing around in the woods as a kirin, and he teased her for weeks. Gosslyn was humiliated. Maybe it was time to put away childish things; maybe it was time to grow up.

  A D O L E S C E N C E
As she got older, her responsibilities in the family increased. She became a shepherd to the caribou, often spending whole days alone with the herd as they grazed. The family had no fencing to keep the livestock in, so it was Gosslyn’s job to keep an eye on them. She started talking to herself to pass the time. She could daydream for hours. A few times, she had to run after a calf or two who had wandered off while her mind was occupied. But she was overall a good worker; it was a simple job, after all.

Her mother remained her closest ally. She tried a few times to grow close to her father or share her day with him, but Calder always remained a foothold away. He was gruff. He had high expectations. He had a lot on his mind. And he had the rest of the family to worry about. Gosslyn tried to stay under his radar.

It was sudden, but at age 13 Gosslyn fell ill. It began with stomach pains which grew into constant fevers and headaches. Calder resisted getting assistance, saying it was expensive and too much trouble for one medic to travel all the way to the sea for a child. Finally, after weeks of hearing her daughter cry, a tearful Aisla convinced the stallion to call for help.

The medic assessed Gosslyn in her fevered state and gave a bittersweet report to Aisla and Calder. The filly had a specific internal infection that was treatable. However, the herbal remedy that Gosslyn needed would render her naturally infertile. If she wanted to carry children later, she'd have to use blessed items or magic- resources that were going to be hard to find no matter what the circumstance.

Aisla approved the treatment anyway. She couldn’t let her only child die, although on late nights she wondered if she was being selfish. Would her daughter resent her for giving her medicine that would take away her ability to bear children? Kaia was their patron goddess of fertility; there was a deep cultural shame when mares couldn't provide offspring. She knew that pain from experience. Would a stallion even want her? Aisla was tortured by nightmares for weeks, until the day Gosslyn’s fever diminished and the child looked at her mom with clear, bright eyes. Then the relief washed over her.

Calder treated the filly like a thrushed foot. He had no time or energy to devote to a child who squandered all his money on medicine. She was the useless child of a mare who had taken forever to bear her. Though he bore no formal bloodline, Calder was a radical constituent of Kaia and any lack of fertility discredited her value as a female. In his family, resorting to imbued items for biological change was a shameful act, one that spit in Kaia's face at her natural means of procreation. Goss was reminded of that fact day-in and day-out. Goss was a eunuch. Goss was useless.

Shame took root.

  A D U L T H O O D
On the outside, Gosslyn was the picture of obedience and piety. Inside, she was a storm on the verge of breaking.

Aisla tried to stay close to her daughter, but Gosslyn found herself pulling further and further away, retreating to her inner world for comfort more often than not. She struggled to understand why Kaia would give her this kind of life without the mercy of killing her. Everything she did- everything she was- was wrong. Trapped in the familial ecosystem and without an external voice to set her mind straight, she tumbled into a deep spiral of self-loathing. Insomnia plagued her. Her physical health faltered- headaches came often. Too frazzled to think, too frazzled to

Around this time Aisla took in an orphaned Vagabond filly who showed up on their doorstep. Calder vehemently denied the filly provision and threatened to kick both of them out, but Aisla in a surprising twist of resolve demanded she stay if she could work the farm. The zebra cross was only 10yo, but Calder put her to work next to Gosslyn as a shepherd. Goss grew to love her like a sister, and the filly helped pull Goss out of her own mind for the time.

  I N - G A M E H I S T O R Y

Chapter 1 - n/a

Chapter 2 - On a routine trip to Skeldr Town, Goss gets caught in the middle of a tense altercation between two Bloody Flanks- Vidar & Astrid- and the townspeople. In an act of leverage, Vidar holds Goss hostage until he and Astrid are safely out of town. She’s told to run back and tell the rest that "The Bloody Flanks live."

Chapter 3 - In a public meadow, she & other herders are ambushed by Bloody Flanks led by Ansgar. Goss is spared the first time she’s seen (at the behest of Astrid’s words to Ansgar before he left to “spare the gray unicorn with the gold horn.”) Valkyries arrive to fight the Flanks. But when Goss attempts to get other herders out of the fray, Ansgar spots her and his mercy runs out. He kidnaps her, takes her back to the Bloody Flank Encampment, and hands her off to Astrid.

Chapter 4 - did not participate, but during the time she escapes Ghosthold with Astrid & they part ways. Goss returns home and moves her mother & sister to Skeldr Town, knowing now that the BFs are on the move and they won't be safe under Calder's eye. She begins working for Killian.

Chapter 5 - At Killian's portside on the Onean coast, they're met with Alcippe and her crew to trade goods. Goss has a panic attack and bolts out the side door, knowing that Alcippe might recognize her from her time in Ghosthold. Killian's secret dealings are revealed, his golem ruptures the earth, the Forged are taken hostage for questioning, and despite Alcippe's attempts Goss escapes into the forest.

Post-Chapter 5
After a hard winter, Aisla passed away in the quiet of their small home. Goss and Aisla buried her somewhere in the lowland forests. Goss secretly wonders if this was her fault. She begins to notice a change in herself- more resolved to suffering, hardier, a stronger tempering to her spine.

She starts working for Saoirse & Wolfe on their small farm, tending to the goats & watching the kids when necessary.

________________________________________________________
N O T E S
- She’s illiterate. Never had the chance to learn how to read and write. Never had a Caenna to teach her.

- Loves rain, clouds, gray weather. Has a particular disdain for summer & its heat.

- Her earrings are a gift from her mom, one earring every birthday since she was 13. The tail clamps she bought on her own, bartering small items until she had enough to give a traveling merchant. The metal pieces were rare in Onea, and Calder threatened to sell them for money to feed the family, but she hid them when he was around.

- Her Shapeshifting blessing developed exceedingly fast for some reason. She can change into a deer & a snow owl with ease. She does not know what else she can turn into.

- Hopes her father thinks she, Panya, & Aisla are dead. Only one is true.

- Has a terrible sweet tooth

- Sings to herself, but poorly

- Is prone to crying, and she hates that fact

- Does not know that Astrid is alive

- Does not know that Vidar is alive

- During a break on her escape back home from Ghosthold, she stumbled upon a blue gem embedded in stone. Vowing to keep it to remember Astrid by in case they never met again, she strung it onto a chain & occasionally wears it.

________________________________________________________

Character (c) tarried-sea
Reference: Brown Danish Warmblood 3

Description

Had to reupload, because dA wouldn't let me update the main file of her other submission? no idea
8/2/18 Updated info! Prettier info!

________________________________________________________

MOODBOARD   | PLAYLIST (SPOTIFY) | AP TRACKER

“I’m a violent sea
under the surface
of a frozen lake."
Current Status
In Skeldr Town working for an elderly couple's caribou herd & keeping to herself

________________________________________________________
B A S I C S
  Name Gosslyn
  Nickname(s) Goss, Goose, Gooselyn
  Age 19
  Gender Mare
  Species Unicorn
  Height 15.2h
  Color Gray (near-white) with gray-black points
  Eye Color Light Blue
  Teke Color Light Blue
  Birthday autumn 1682

  Conformation
- built like a leggy warmblood
- straight face profile

  Herd War-Forged
  Rank Herder
  Patron God Kaia
  Blessing(s) Shapeshifting
        Forms Deer, Snow Owl, Lindworm Golem
  Talent 1 Empath
  Talent 2 # Blessed

  Alignment True Neutral
  Personality Type INFJ
  Drive peace

________________________________________________________
A C C E S S O R I E S
- six piercings on right ear
- metal scraps
- delicate chain (necklace w/ lindworm stone)
- dagger
- cloak
- hair doo-dads
- war hammer
- loose gems
- lantern (rank reward)
- horseshoes (free herd item)
  - snow leopard pelt (free herd item)
  - flask (free herd item)

________________________________________________________
R E L A T I O N S H I P S
  Family
  -Mother: Aisla (1648-1701, age 52 at time of death)
  -Father: Calder (b. 1640, age 60)
  -Siblings: Panya, adopted sister (b. 1688, age 12)
                    miscellaneous half-siblings from father's other wives

  Mate: nope
  Children: none

  Friends/Peers
A S T R I D
Pressed, Goss will admit Astrid was her closest friend. She connected to Astrid like no one else and felt seen & understood for the first time in her life despite the circumstances that led her to the mare's grasp. She worries about the implications of this constantly- the Stockholm-syndrome-esque nature of their relationship, their imbalance of power during Goss's time in Ghosthold, the concern that sympathizing with a BF betrays her loyalty to the herd, the complex dynamic of star-crossed friendship, etc. Though she grieves Astrid's apparent death, she's secretly hoping she can bury the heartbreak away and move on.S A O I R S E
A surrogate mother figure; Goss works for her by tending to the goat herd & babysitting the kids.

K I L L I A N
Goss isn't one to make enemies, but Killian fills her heart with nothing but black rage. She feels utterly deceived & betrayed after being employed by him while he was in cahoots with the BF right under her nose. He put her life in danger without her knowledge, and she would be perfectly happy never seeing him again. P A N Y A (N P C)
Adopted sister, 12yo zebra-cross. Goss is her primary caretaker.

________________________________________________________
F A M I L I A RName: Rue
Species: Great Gray Owl
Gender: Female
Color: Gray
Age: 9yo
Acquisition/History: Rue was given to Killian from a well-meaning Breiman trader; Killian took an immediate dislike to the bird. Goss offered to take her off his hands.
Personality: Relatively quiet, independent (not super affectionate), can be territorial & aggressive. Is a sucker for head rubs.

________________________________________________________
P E R S O N A L I T Y
Contemplative | Intuitive | Hypersensitive | Timid | Self-Oriented | Wise | Altruistic

Gosslyn is a complex web of functions; she's dually emotional but logical, structured but freeform, empathetic but disconnected. She's never truly satisfied with herself or how her life is going, though she tries to make peace with the latter. It's difficult for her to see her strengths as she's far too critical of her own weaknesses. Because she spends so much time evaluating & trying to improve herself, she's incredibly self-oriented- so much so that she sometimes wonders if she's becoming a narcissist (spoiler alert: she isn't. She just has to figure herself out first in order to understand the world around her.)
  Recent in-game events have hardened her soft edge; she used to be much more passive and conflict-averse, but the rise of war in Hireath & her (many) encounters with the Flanks forced her to abandon those traits. She's still inherently hypersensitive (a trait that makes her feel weak) but has learned how to wear thick skin to protect her most vulnerable parts. Exposure to the grittier aspects of life- death, entrapment, conflict, violence- have calloused her shell.
  Goss lives in her head, living in a constant vein of contemplation. In some ways it's made her wise; in others it just makes her overthink. She thinks hard before she speaks, often giving the false impression that she's slow to understand or too shy to speak up. Neither are true. Though overwhelmingly timid in most areas, Goss has a deep sense of right & wrong and has no problems expressing injustices where they stand. She also rides on her intuition, often (eerily) knowing how things will go before they happen. It's not magic; she just unconsciously observes patterns in how the world works.
Though her inner thoughts spend most of their time seeking personal growth, externally she's altruistic and genuinely cares for the welfare of others. It's because she knows herself so deeply that she can empathize & sit with others in their experiences, even if she's a stranger to them (her Empath talent aids with this as well.) She still dislikes conflict on a large scale and wants everyone to be at peace. She knows it's a pipe dream, but hopes for a day when the Forged will no longer be known for their violence.

________________________________________________________
B I O G R A P H Y
  Summary Born the only child to her mother; her father had other wives who had "more impressive" children. Was sickly as a child & caused her father to emotionally neglect her; her mother was her only advocate. Grew up tending to the family's caribou herd and lived a simple life of non-excitement. After briefly running into Vidar & Ansgar in Chapter 2, she found herself in BF hands again when Ansgar brought her to Ghosthold in Chapter 3 as a prisoner. Astrid kept her as her own hostage-turned-maidservant, but the two bonded deeply. She escaped with Astrid when she fled Ghosthold, but the two parted in Onea & Goss returned home. She moved her mother & sister to Skeldr Town, knowing that BF activity was going to rise & they were no longer safe in their father's home. Eventually the rumors reached her that Astrid was dead and she grieved quietly, not daring to tell anyone about their kinship for fear of being marked for treason. After a few months in Skeldr Town, her mother passed away & Goss became the primary caretaker for her sister. She worked for Killian for a few months until learning of his BF connections; she quit & now works for Saoirse, who has become a mother-figure to her in this tumultuous season. She feels frantic and disconnected from herself.

  tl;dr girl needs a break

  B I R T H
Aisla was the first wife of Calder but the last to prove her worth. The two wed via arrangement and moved into a small house in the farmlands, growing produce to sell in Skeldr Town. After a year of trying & failing to conceive a foal, Calder grew bored and frustrated with the mare and took in two more wives. He pushed Aisla to the back burner, giving her lodging but treating her as a roommate rather than a wife. The other wives bore children almost immediately while Aisla cowered in the shadows, trying not to upset the stallion with her presence. Guilt plagued her, taking and taking from Calder (who was “being so generous” with his resources) while she gave him nothing back. Calder largely ignored her for years.

Soon after taking in his other wives, Calder purchased a failing caribou farm on the outskirts of the Farmlands near the sea. The former owner passed away and the livestock & property were selling for cheap. Calder moved his harem to the outskirts of Onea, their closest neighbor miles away, and settled into the herding business. Aisla missed her family closer to Skeldr Town, but she was a pawn in Calder's decisions, and obeyed dutifully.

While caribou herding was a rarity, the large family was never well off. They struggled to make ends meet every month, scraping together shards to buy food and necessities. As soon as the children were old enough, they pitched into the family work. The War-Forged herd was so dependent on apana wool, it took some convincing for them to purchase caribou products. Every other week Calder & his young sons took their wares into Skeldr Market to sell caribou antlers, leather, pelt, milk and meat (primarily for trapping, or for carnivorous familiars.) It was hard work, laboring after animals that were only barely worth their weight. In the springs, summers and autumns, Calder kept his harem on the small caribou farm near the sea. In the winters, they moved the herd south into the lowlands where the weather was warmer and they were closer to civilization, although never close enough to have regular neighbors or friends.

Finally, in year 8 of their marriage, Aisla became pregnant. She praised Kaia, Alya, Cascade, and anyone else who would listen, for days. Calder, after giving her a cold shoulder for years, suddenly became more interested in her wellbeing, doting on her like he did with the other two wives. Aisla beamed; finally she would provide.

Gosslyn was born in the home without medic assistance, in late autumn. She was small and weak, and Calder was largely unimpressed. Still Aisla doted on her only filly like she was made of gold.
C H I L D H O O DGosslyn eventually became a middle child, flanked by 3 older and 2 younger half-siblings. However, she was the only foal Aisla ever bore, and found comfort knowing that her mom belonged to her and her alone. She was a bright child although not physically strong. She followed her mother around for most of her childhood, immersed in farm work from the day she could stand.

Her imagination was wild. Her two younger sisters became her closest friends, and they played for hours in the cool Onean summers, running around and pretending to be kings and queens of antiquity. Even when the siblings outgrew childish playtime, Gosslyn would still escape on her own and let her imagination run wild. Her favorite retreat was a certain cliff by the sea where the waves sounded like mournful echoes of hippocampi crashing against the rocks. The air was cold and salty, and the sky often charcoal and ominous, and Gosslyn loved it.

When the caribou shed their antlers, she would sometimes take a smaller pair and tie it to her head like a hat, pretending to be that mythical creature called a kirin. Once her older brother stumbled upon her while she was prancing around in the woods as a kirin, and he teased her for weeks. Gosslyn was humiliated. Maybe it was time to put away childish things; maybe it was time to grow up.

  A D O L E S C E N C E
As she got older, her responsibilities in the family increased. She became a shepherd to the caribou, often spending whole days alone with the herd as they grazed. The family had no fencing to keep the livestock in, so it was Gosslyn’s job to keep an eye on them. She started talking to herself to pass the time. She could daydream for hours. A few times, she had to run after a calf or two who had wandered off while her mind was occupied. But she was overall a good worker; it was a simple job, after all.

Her mother remained her closest ally. She tried a few times to grow close to her father or share her day with him, but Calder always remained a foothold away. He was gruff. He had high expectations. He had a lot on his mind. And he had the rest of the family to worry about. Gosslyn tried to stay under his radar.

It was sudden, but at age 13 Gosslyn fell ill. It began with stomach pains which grew into constant fevers and headaches. Calder resisted getting assistance, saying it was expensive and too much trouble for one medic to travel all the way to the sea for a child. Finally, after weeks of hearing her daughter cry, a tearful Aisla convinced the stallion to call for help.

The medic assessed Gosslyn in her fevered state and gave a bittersweet report to Aisla and Calder. The filly had a specific internal infection that was treatable. However, the herbal remedy that Gosslyn needed would render her naturally infertile. If she wanted to carry children later, she'd have to use blessed items or magic- resources that were going to be hard to find no matter what the circumstance.

Aisla approved the treatment anyway. She couldn’t let her only child die, although on late nights she wondered if she was being selfish. Would her daughter resent her for giving her medicine that would take away her ability to bear children? Kaia was their patron goddess of fertility; there was a deep cultural shame when mares couldn't provide offspring. She knew that pain from experience. Would a stallion even want her? Aisla was tortured by nightmares for weeks, until the day Gosslyn’s fever diminished and the child looked at her mom with clear, bright eyes. Then the relief washed over her.

Calder treated the filly like a thrushed foot. He had no time or energy to devote to a child who squandered all his money on medicine. She was the useless child of a mare who had taken forever to bear her. Though he bore no formal bloodline, Calder was a radical constituent of Kaia and any lack of fertility discredited her value as a female. In his family, resorting to imbued items for biological change was a shameful act, one that spit in Kaia's face at her natural means of procreation. Goss was reminded of that fact day-in and day-out. Goss was a eunuch. Goss was useless.

Shame took root.

  A D U L T H O O D
On the outside, Gosslyn was the picture of obedience and piety. Inside, she was a storm on the verge of breaking.

Aisla tried to stay close to her daughter, but Gosslyn found herself pulling further and further away, retreating to her inner world for comfort more often than not. She struggled to understand why Kaia would give her this kind of life without the mercy of killing her. Everything she did- everything she was- was wrong. Trapped in the familial ecosystem and without an external voice to set her mind straight, she tumbled into a deep spiral of self-loathing. Insomnia plagued her. Her physical health faltered- headaches came often. Too frazzled to think, too frazzled to

Around this time Aisla took in an orphaned Vagabond filly who showed up on their doorstep. Calder vehemently denied the filly provision and threatened to kick both of them out, but Aisla in a surprising twist of resolve demanded she stay if she could work the farm. The zebra cross was only 10yo, but Calder put her to work next to Gosslyn as a shepherd. Goss grew to love her like a sister, and the filly helped pull Goss out of her own mind for the time.

  I N - G A M E H I S T O R Y

Chapter 1 - n/a

Chapter 2 - On a routine trip to Skeldr Town, Goss gets caught in the middle of a tense altercation between two Bloody Flanks- Vidar & Astrid- and the townspeople. In an act of leverage, Vidar holds Goss hostage until he and Astrid are safely out of town. She’s told to run back and tell the rest that "The Bloody Flanks live."

Chapter 3 - In a public meadow, she & other herders are ambushed by Bloody Flanks led by Ansgar. Goss is spared the first time she’s seen (at the behest of Astrid’s words to Ansgar before he left to “spare the gray unicorn with the gold horn.”) Valkyries arrive to fight the Flanks. But when Goss attempts to get other herders out of the fray, Ansgar spots her and his mercy runs out. He kidnaps her, takes her back to the Bloody Flank Encampment, and hands her off to Astrid.

Chapter 4 - did not participate, but during the time she escapes Ghosthold with Astrid & they part ways. Goss returns home and moves her mother & sister to Skeldr Town, knowing now that the BFs are on the move and they won't be safe under Calder's eye. She begins working for Killian.

Chapter 5 - At Killian's portside on the Onean coast, they're met with Alcippe and her crew to trade goods. Goss has a panic attack and bolts out the side door, knowing that Alcippe might recognize her from her time in Ghosthold. Killian's secret dealings are revealed, his golem ruptures the earth, the Forged are taken hostage for questioning, and despite Alcippe's attempts Goss escapes into the forest.

Post-Chapter 5
After a hard winter, Aisla passed away in the quiet of their small home. Goss and Aisla buried her somewhere in the lowland forests. Goss secretly wonders if this was her fault. She begins to notice a change in herself- more resolved to suffering, hardier, a stronger tempering to her spine.

She starts working for Saoirse & Wolfe on their small farm, tending to the goats & watching the kids when necessary.

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N O T E S
- She’s illiterate. Never had the chance to learn how to read and write. Never had a Caenna to teach her.

- Loves rain, clouds, gray weather. Has a particular disdain for summer & its heat.

- Her earrings are a gift from her mom, one earring every birthday since she was 13. The tail clamps she bought on her own, bartering small items until she had enough to give a traveling merchant. The metal pieces were rare in Onea, and Calder threatened to sell them for money to feed the family, but she hid them when he was around.

- Her Shapeshifting blessing developed exceedingly fast for some reason. She can change into a deer & a snow owl with ease. She does not know what else she can turn into.

- Hopes her father thinks she, Panya, & Aisla are dead. Only one is true.

- Has a terrible sweet tooth

- Sings to herself, but poorly

- Is prone to crying, and she hates that fact

- Does not know that Astrid is alive

- Does not know that Vidar is alive

- During a break on her escape back home from Ghosthold, she stumbled upon a blue gem embedded in stone. Vowing to keep it to remember Astrid by in case they never met again, she strung it onto a chain & occasionally wears it.

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Character (c) tarried-sea
Reference: Brown Danish Warmblood 3