In Dear DovahQueen, I answered questions and gave advice to my readers. In Bend the Knee, I wrote questions for my guests. Audience Chamber is something less regular and less formal. It’s a format where I talk about whatever RPG-thing is on my mind.

I don’t always buy myself a Christmas present, but I did last year—money very well spent. Sheppi is a good friend of mine, but he’s also the guy who did the art for my characters in Adventurous, Fall of Plaguestone, and Three Ring Adventure. If you’ve seen some of that art, you’ll know that he’s an *incredible* artist, so when I decided that I wanted to have my favorite character’s art in my office, I knew who had to make her.

Sivrunn “Siv” (pronounced Seef) Freyrsdottir carries the familial name exclusively given to women born of a bloodline that claims to trace its origins back to the first Valkyrie. Sons are given the traditional father’s family name as they don’t show any traces of the extraplanar influence. As minor nobles, this name carries with it some small measure of power since all Freyrsdottir are trained from birth to be mighty warriors, spiritual advisors, and masterful tacticians. They’re commonly found serving a Lord as a military officer and/or advisor. The Freyrsdottir are often set in arranged marriages with the sons of politicians looking to appeal to more traditional demographics.

Additionally, all Freyrsdottir have some amount of magic due to their unique ancestry. In Siv, this power manifests as lightning. It is also well known that a Freyrsdottir who has proven herself honorable and courageous will be gifted a supernatural raven from the first Valkyrie, which will serve her as a loyal companion. This raven is the house sigil of the Freyrsdottir.

Sivrunn, and her younger sister Hrotti, are the last two women of this ancient lineage. She is a true Viking and grew up with a blade in her hand and salt in her hair. Her mother served as general and advisor to her father, Jarl of the largest free-city in the North. Siv’s mother a stern woman who didn’t know how to show her love and never allowed Siv to have a real childhood due to martial training and spiritual studies being too important. Siv’s father spoiled her in secret, and Siv still carries a now-headless doll that he snuck to her. Her mother died on the battlefield beside Siv in an unexpected defeat. Stories circulated that Sivrunn’s hesitation that day caused her mother’s death, which led to the battle’s loss. The pain of his losing his wife and seeing Sivrunn was too much to bear; she was asked to leave the North until she earned her raven to restore her honor.

Wielding the iconic silver sword of her mother, she helped prevent the destruction of a nation, end a horrific cult, escape an inescapable prison island, freed thousands of trapped souls, and finally earn her raven. She returned to her homeland, prevented a civil war, helped establish a new King on the throne, and officiated that King’s wedding with her childhood best friend. This new Queen set Siv in an arranged marriage with a hero-prince from across the ocean to cement an alliance between the two lands. Queen Sivrunn is now a general, an advisor, and a stern mother who doesn’t know how to show her love.

 

Along with some pictures of the miniatures I made for Siv, this is what I sent Sheppi to work with.

First, Sheppi sent me a pair of poses to pick from, and I was already blown away.

After I picked a stance, we talked about some face and head designs.

Finally, it was time to look at some armor options.

I make my choices, give some feedback, we talk about colors, and then I wait to see what Sheppi’s got next.

This is Sivrunn Freyrsdottir. This is my Siv.

And now she’s home where she belongs—in my ultra-messy office.

Thanks for the incredible work, Sheppi!

You can check out some of Sheppi’s other work at https://tsrodriguez.carbonmade.com/.

And if you’re interested in commissioning him for some art of your own, you should email him at em.sebarodriguez@gmail.com to talk about pricing and scheduling!