Astrid Sifsdoterdoterdoterdoter
Nerrid Researcher
Astrid has been old for longer than most Gartchans great grand parents can remember. And while the white haired, hunch backed little Nerrid still lives in the same squat, round little clay brick home in the Nerrid Quarter in which she has always resided, almost all of her neighbors have changed. In fairness, there are seldom more than a hundred or so Nerrid living in the city at any one time, with perhaps twice that passing through - the distinction between resident and visitor somewhat blurry to the Human residents of the city. Still, Astrid has outlasted all of her neighbors and even the oldest of them says she was old when he arrived. Of course, she will waggle a crooked finger and remind them that its not polite to talk about a lady's age.
In fact, one might come to believe, Astrid is one of the reasons that Nerrid - explicitly prohibited from practicing magic in the city - still flock to Gartcha. She seems to know a bit about everything, even if that knowledge might not be strictly legal. And, if she does not have an answer, she is sure to find it, hobbling over to the ladder in the middle of her home that leads to her basement library. With a whoop she'll slide down the ladder and, some hours later, likely return - floating up the shaft - with a dust-free tome on the subject.
If asked why she still practices magic despite the prohibition, Astrid will wink and waggle her crooked nose. (Though any comments about the bent of her nose will result in a dark look and a reminder that it's not polite to talk about a lady's nose.) With a smile she might even reminisce about the time the former duke - someone's grandfather or something - arrived with a small cadre of guards and mob of commoners all armed with pikes and torches respectively. If she remembers correctly, which she is certain that she does as her memory has not faded with age, she had called them all chickens and they simply fled. "It was the strangest thing," she might say will a smile, "They clucked all the way down the street and never came back". Indeed, while its true that few members of the 12th Legion have any interest in visiting the Nerrid Quarter, none of them have any desire to cross Astrid.
Short, wrinkled, and older than the hills themselves, Astrid has lived in the Nerrid Quarter of Gartcha since before city gained its independence from Zennon. Her, tucked below her small stone home, is legendary.
Character Location