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All contents copyright © 1997, 1998, 1999 Byrnhild.
5th Consulate Crystal Helix, Church of St. Dino the Avenger
Deputy Director of R & D Brynhild, Verthandic Rangers R&D
Brynhild's usual outfit is a t-shirt with some irreverent slogan or cartoon (The Far Side is good), a pair of old, broken-in jeans, and a bizarre pair of sneakers that most resemble blue suede combat boots. She also carries a small backpack at nearly all times and wears a pendant with an unusually large crystal set in it.
Brynhild's early life was mostly peaceful. Aside from being a gifted child, she was normal and lived that way. The turning point in her life, when she first recognized B'harne's power, was when she was 11 and in fifth grade at Woodriver Elementary.
One student running for student council, a girl named Jamie Synk, had a bizarre campaign consisting of mostly life-size posters of B'harne. At first that were vandalized and generally subjects of contempt, but slowly the tables turned. Brynhild found herself the last mental survivor of what she would later know as a mass spongification.
One day at recess, as she sat trying desperately to drown out the Happy Songs, a strange boy about her age sat down next to her, gave her a small package, and wandered away as mysteriously as he had come. When she opened the package later that night, she found only the pendant she now wears and a cryptic note signed "H.P." Confused, she wore the pendant as the note instructed her to do, but she continued to wonder about it.
Years later, when Brynhild finally discovered the Jihad, she learned more about the Hellwyrm and the truth about the pendant: It's a magical weapon of some power, and she must use its power wisely and keep it from falling into the claws of the Beast. Why she has been chosen for it, and who her mysterious benefactor "H.P." is, she has yet to figure out.
The pendant gives her a seemingly wide variety of magic to choose from. Although she still can't control most of it very well, the possibilities are limitless.
One bit of magic she can control is the ability to open a portal to virtually any destination. The portal can get her there instantly, but she loses time with each use of the portal ranging from about a minute (for short jaunts) to 15 minutes (for a trip halfway around the world).
Yet another side effect of the pendant is that it's reduced her need for sleep to about two hours a night. Six extra waking hours a day gives her enough time to work on her magic or that nifty new prototype for R&D.
Aside from a relatively high IQ, Brynhild is basically a normal human being. She's not all that great a non-magical fighter, and she can't shapeshift or use psionic abilities. She thinks she's mortal, but she's not willing to test it.
As far as she knows, all of her power comes from the pendant. It's a little unnerving at times knowing that she wears one of the few things standing between B'harne and victory and how badly he wants it for his own.
It's kind of stupid and more than a little embarrassing, but since early childhood she's had the occasional chronic nosebleed. She has no idea what causes it, but it's a serious drag, and it doesn't seem to be going away any time soon.
Brynhild has a complex personality. If you don't know her very well or get on her bad side, she can seem pretty acerbic, overlogical and generally cynical. (One of the biggest ways to get on her bad side is to tell her to cheer up.) Once you get to know her a little better, however, she is a devoted friend, and on a good day she can get nearly as silly as Keebler. She's an INFP personality, which means she does a lot of daydreaming and can take one silly idea and run with it on a whim.
Brynhild is also naturally sympathetic. At the base of her philosophy of life and the CauseTM is the desire (and to some point, the need) to help people in any way she can, even if that means killing them (spongin need to be put out of their misery). Saving children from a lifetime of being walking, talking vegetables is her strongest motivation.