Ivartha the Skinner is the warrior-queen of the Cinsina tribe.
Ivartha’s family was savaged in a Telmori raid when she was a young girl. She killed and skinned her first wolf in the year of her initiation to Vinga.
Ivartha was exiled from the Red Cow for her part in the feud with the Split Waters clan of the Maboder over the burning of Eoric's Stead. Whilst in exile, she was part of the attempt led by King Kathelranda of the Maboder to colonize Torkan's Vale with a disparate band of outlaws, bandits, and adventurers. There she first showed the leadership that marked her out for greatness; there she also learned her limits. She bears the scars of a werewolf ’s claws raked in three jagged lines across her face, earned when the Telmori overran the Maboder, whose king she served. She hates the Telmori for her losses, the itching of her scar a constant reminder of her hatred. The failure there still drives her.
She is a friend to Jomes Hostralos, a bond they forged in the Wolf Hunt. That bond helped her rise to become queen. The Lunar Empire wanted someone who they could work with, and Jomes was willing to vouch for her.
Once elected, she proved anything but the Empire’s puppet. She did not despise the Lunars, but did reject the dishonor of the Occupation, the prohibition of the worship of Orlanth, and the collaboration of leaders like Ivar Quickstep. Forced to dance with the Empire she keeps the tribe out of the rebellion and prosperous while the Culbrea suffer. Moreover, she always watches the tribe’s true enemies: the Telmori.
Ivartha has an on-off love affair with Kallai Hairy-Breeks on the Cinsina Ring, but she has known many lovers.