Helwa

Helwa was a Human hill-folk Barbarian who led a small tribe in the Svalich Woods of Barovia. She was born during a winter storm on Mount Ghakis, her first cries drowned beneath thunder and wind, and thought to be descended from the Wolf-Father. Amongst the hill-folk of the Balinok Mountains, such births were seen as signs of strength, and Helwa lived up to the reputation, though she showed no Lycanthropy of her own.

As she grew, she ranged farther than others her age, hauling Stags alone to provide for her kin. She gave thanks not to the gods of distant cities, but to the Lady of the Mountain, a spirit revered by her people. Atop Yester Hill, she laid trophies and meat before the fane, and the druids of her tribe tribe honored her by making her their hunt-leader.

Helwa's tribe found the rift in the mountain that led into the Amber Temple; a quake had split the stone, revealing a frost-covered annex far from the main halls. She made camp there, away from the worst winds, and used it as a base to track Bloodhorn, a white-coated Giant Goat that had evaded hunters for generations. Though the annex was quiet, her instincts warned her of deeper dangers, and Helwa forbade any from going deeper; "fiery spirits" lived further in, and she was focused solely on the hunt.

Like most forest-folk, Helwa possessed an innate distrust and fear of Barovians. She did not understand civilized customs and did not speak Common, instead speaking an archaic dialect of Druidic that only her tribe could fully understand. However, unlike many of her kin, she also bore no loyalty to Strahd von Zarovich and the Mark of Strahd, viewing the Vampire as an usurper to the Huntress' rightful power over the wild.