Sinikka Henrikstytar Kalsarikannit
(she/her)
The seventh child and daughter of Taija and Henrik Kalsarikannit. Her father Henrik is a blacksmith in service of Baron Haakon Tiilikainen von Eadwald and serves in the castle of his household. Sinikka became a Page Girl in service to the Baron at eight and at 14, was elevated by the traditionalist Baron to Shield Maiden, in accordance with a mossbacked tradition long out of practice.
At the Baron's command, she apprenticed to her father in times of peace. Learning the craft of armor and weapon smiting that she might better serve afield at tournaments and war. She was also allowed to "train" in the arts of Spear, Shield, Sword and Axe. This mainly consisting of being a punching bag for the Baron's noble born Squire and less so, actual instruction by the weapons-master of the house.
Nevertheless, Sinikka learned by painful necessity to block with shield, parry with sword and axe, and attack with the advantage of reach with spears. And to do so with desperate speed and agility lest she be drubbed near to unconsciousness by the over-eager Squires.
Now 18, she's a passable fighter, veteran of two short campaigns against Red Orcs and wildling bandits, and discharged from her service as shield maiden to the Baron. Being of common blood, the path of knighthood was not open to her as far as the hidebound Baron was concerned. She is striking out on her own to find fortune or death as an adventurer or mercenary woman-at-arms.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
General Physical Condition
After a teenage life filled with squire's training and blacksmith apprenticing, Sinikka is fit, athletic in build and stature. And in good fighting condition. She enjoys a decent degree of stamina, capable of sustained marching and is perhaps stronger of arm than one might expect from a teenaged girl.
Body Features
While not classically beautiful, Sinikka is a reasonably handsome young woman. Hard work has given her a good figure if a bit broad-shouldered. her auburn hair is locally rare enough to catch the occasional eye. Her sisters chide her that she inherited her father's large hands.
Facial Features
Plain-featured with a small, round nose, pale lips, and large green eyes. Her face is pale with a naturally clear complexion slightly wasted on a young lady not overly concerned with appearance.
Identifying Characteristics
Her auburn hair and large green eyes stand out as features by which one might notice her in a crowd.
Special abilities
Fighting Style: Superior Technique You choose one maneuver of your choice each day from among those available to the Battle Master archetype. If a maneuver you use requires your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects, the saving throw DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice). You gain one superiority die, which is a d6). This die is used to fuel your maneuvers. A superiority die is expended when you use it. You regain your expended superiority dice when you finish a short or long rest.
Maneuver Versatility You can replace one maneuver you know with a different maneuver whenever you finish a long rest. This change reflects your physical and mental preparation for the day ahead.
Second Wind You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your fighter level. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.
Apparel & Accessories
As a recognized Arma Patrina with full honors upon her discharge, Sinikka often wears the House Tiilikainen livery when going about. Her fighting gear, while not new, is very well cared for. Outside of the civilized confines of Eadwald, her self-made half-plate armor made from recovered battlefield cast-offs is distinctive for it's mixture of styles but is also very well fitted and crafted to her body.
Specialized Equipment
Sinikka was passed-down her father's bridal gift spear upon embarking into the world to find her fortune. A masterfully crafted great-spear in the noble tradition of Eadwald and the central North Morely. It is her prized possession and it is a beautiful and deadly weapon of great skill and creaftsmanship.
MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Personal history
Born the seventh of several sons and daughters, Sinikka started life as a largely unsupervised, free-spirited girl, fighting and playing with her many brothers and sisters. Rambunctious and dauntless to a fault, she was the secret darling of her mother and the source of constant trouble to her father.
Education
As with many castle-raised children, Sinikka benefitted from the opportunity to receive some tutelage from the governess of the children of Baron Tiilikainen as well as occasional learning from itinerant tutors and visiting scholars. She can read and write, albeit slowly, with reasonable facility and speaks both High Eadwald and Low with ease.
Employment
At eight, she was called upon to serve as a page in the baron's household. Educated in service and taught the operations of the castle inasmuch as she needed to know it in order to fulfil the commands of the butler, chamberlain, housekeeper, cook and Lord and Lady themselves. A keen explorer, she did well at the work, quickly learning where to acquire anything in the household and all the shortest routes to retrieve it.
By the time she was twelve, she had become one of the Baron's favorite pages, called upon often to follow complex tasks. Her vigor and rough and ready attitude reminded him of a historical maiden from old tales his governess used to tell by the fire in winter. And he thought to mold her in the likeness of that historical girl.
At fourteen, he elevated her to the largely historical position of Shield Maiden. An archaic post in a household that took on the duties of a squire and had leave to study the arts of war. Which suited her quite well. With an outlet for her fierce proclivities, she learned to think calmly in a fight, gained situational awareness, and took a keen interest in the lore and history of battle.
Accomplishments & Achievements
By command of the Baron, Sinikka also became apprenticed to her father, much to the teasing of her feminine sisters and the good natured hazing of her brothers who were already long practiced at the bellows and forge. The baron commanded her to learn the arts of repair and maintenance of weapons and armor. And of barding, tack and harness. Despite some initial difficulties, the learned hand of her father, glad to see her on a path less reckless, guided her to a solid and fundamental understanding of the Blacksmith's arts. She became a proficient hand at Armor-craft and Weapon-smithing.
While born too low of birth to qualify for knighthood, her upbringing is still recognized by the courts of North Morley. She is lawfully bestowed the title of "arma patrina". Allowed to wear the livery clothes of House Tiilikainen, carry a shield displaying her escutcheon, and bear the greatspear exclusive to knights. She has emerged a warrior with courtly savoir faire, a knowledge of the conventions of life at a castle: graceful greetings, dining etiquette, rules of tournaments, where to find the blacksmith, and so forth wherever she may finder herself in Alcott.
Failures & Embarrassments
It is a secret and personal source of bitterness that the harshly traditional Baron Tiilikainen chose to dismiss her as a Squire and not sponsor her for the tests of knighthood due to her low birth. She hides this shame and disappointment inside, believing that she could have risen, given the chance.
Intellectual Characteristics
While not of keen or exceptional intelligence, courtly life and survivability in battle require a stringent degree of common sense and a pragmatic attention to the situation and ever-changing conditions around one. Sinikka is attentive, deliberate when time permits, and forthright when the moment demands. She also knows the value of having friends at one's back in a fight.
Morality & Philosophy
(Neutral Good) Sinikka does the best that a good person can do. She is devoted to helping her countrymen and works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them. However Sinikka has ever-been and will always be a bit of a rowdy. And that means doing what is good without bias for or against order. For her, law and chaos are merely tools to use in bringing life, happiness, and prosperity to all deserving creatures. Order is not good unless it brings this to all; neither is randomness and total freedom desirable if it does not bring about the greater good. She values life and freedom above all else, and despises those who would deprive others of them. She may find herself forced to work beyond the law, yet for the law, and the greater good of the people. She is never vicious or vindictive, but is driven to right injustice but will always attempt to work within the law whenever possible, however.
Taboos
Sinikka will keep her word to those who are not evil and will lie only to evil-doers. She is hesitant to attack an unarmed foe and will not willingly harm an innocent. She disapproves of torture to extract information as barbaric. She will generally kill only in self-defense or in the defense of others. She would almost never use poison, which she sees as personally dishonorable. Sinikka would never betray a family member, comrade, or friend except under the most extreme duress and circumstance.
PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS
Motivation
Impressed from an early age by the great female gladiators of the arena, Sinikka seeks to test her mettle and prove herself as a fighter who might one day rise to fame as her idols of the Gladiatorial Pits have. She believes that good tactics and putting in the practice can win the day in almost any fight.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Sinikka knows how to act around the upper classes and is a shrewd judge of the right words at the right times when dealing with the nobility. However she has very little experience with and respect for the criminal class and can be tricked by relatively common confidence schemes.
Likes & Dislikes
Horses, sport-hunting, and afternoons at the arena watching the rise and fall of her heroes are Sinikka's cup of tea.
Brutality, injustice, needless conflict incite her to action.
Virtues & Personality perks
Sinikka has the virtue of being a good comrade, genuinely looking out for the well-being of herself and others.
Vices & Personality flaws
Sinikka will sometimes tire of tedious people and treat them harshly. She disrespects the obsequious, the crass, the tedious, and the unusually stupid. She will sometimes rush headlong into a fight when she feels unduly mocked or discounted. ( Especially against monologuing villains! )
Hygiene
Presentability, comportment, grooming and hygiene are upper-class hallmarks drilled into her as a page-girl and shield-maiden of House Tiilikainen. Outside of the field of battle, Sinikka is a fan of a nice bath, clean clothes and soft underthings.
SOCIAL
Contacts & Relations
Baron Haakon Tiilikainen, Henrik Kalsarikannit, Taija Kalsarikannit,
Family Ties
Older Brothers: Jori and Tuukka Kalsarikannit Older Sisters: Miksitär, Suomi, Gudlög and Osma Kalsarikannit
Religious Views
Sinikka is an occasional devotee of Azri the Lord of Nature, God of Weather and the Skies, and the God of War. She is not strictly observant and mostly attends festivals and the events devoted to Azri at the Arena.
Social Aptitude
While not especially charismatic, Sinikka is personable and generally liked among the household of Baron Tiilikainen and her family. Being a fairly common example of a citizen of Eadwald, she has little trouble interacting with the people of North Morley, getting along easily with most folks.
Mannerisms
Preferring action to words in many instances, Sinikka can come off as blunt on occasion, but generally has an amiable demeanor and is about as affable as any other Eadwaldian. She is generally forthright, honest except where it would be imprudent to be so, and has an open mind and personality.
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