Saldr
Saldr (Sahl-dur), Unvanquished, is the Goddess of war, combat and conflict. She is known to be level-headed and quick-thinking, more so than any other god. Her abilities to strategise are beyond that of any other God, with an uncanny capability for pinpointing the weaknesses and recognising the strengths of any given individual, army, or city. She is seen as emotionally repressed and calculating often, which is why she is often considered to be the closest sibling of Tida’el, with both having strong presences and origins in Ayr’razor and similar clinical outlooks.
Her championship is awarded rarely to heroes of war and veterans, a medal of honour more than a function for warmakers to be more effective. While some of her champions return to the battlefield, many retire and become advisors after having achieved the highest tier of military achievement. However, for those who remain in their field, they are often win-conditions for their allied forces, relentless in their mastery and supported by divine arcana afforded by their Goddess. Often, those who find their opponent to be a Champion of Saldr surrender without further incident.
Depiction
Saldr is depicted with fair skin to denote her continent of origin, Ayr’razor, where she is a patron saint to the warring capitals. She is never seen without dark warpaint over her eyes and wild black hair, with one eye always covered with a patch (religious leaders are always careful to note that her eye is still there, simply covered). She wears dark leather armour and is equipped with multiple blades, two long swords and a handaxe in her belt, standing at 11'4" alongside her brother, Demi'kes.
Umbra-Arcana - The Cadence of the Anthem
Her covered left eye is often a point of contention. Some say it was lost in a fight, others remind them that only Rhongomyniad can harm a God, and the only injury that was not outright death in all recorded history fell on Demi’kes, who himself had lost an eye. Others claim a different story entirely - her eye is not only there, but acts as a pool of mythical and divine destructive energy, a fictitious type of magic referred to as ‘Umbra-Arcana.' - the Long-Song. This sect of religious canon claims that upon lifting her eye guard, that swirling pool of Arcana can be drawn from. She could theoretically encompass her blade in it, and to strike anything with it would mean its total death and/or destruction. It is also said that even looking at something with purpose and intensity would atomise it, reducing it to dust. The final legend of this theorised Arcana is that she can elect to destroy the entirety of the Bright Realm, reducing it to nothing but space. The only thing it cannot affect in this religious canon is a fellow God. Not even the Arcane Anthem is safe from it - Saldr may force the choir to halt its singing, bringing the symphony to a stop.
Those felled in battle are said to hear Saldr whistling the tune of the Long-Song - the cadence of every warrior welcomed to the afterlife.
In Life
In life, she was a relentless warlord that combined Ayr’razor under one clan, Clan Grimsaldr. The capital city was closest to the east point of the South Plateau in the region Eiyrr, which bore the namesake of the clan.
However, the Concordant Holy Empire thwarted them, sieging the land from Frosthelm first, before swallowing the rest of the regions in turn. The final stand was in the capital city, a standoff lasting six months of relentless combat. On the first day, Saldr’s eye was lost. In the finale, Selstrite Legionaries divorced her head from her body. She swore first that she would return as a shade (a spirit from the White Wilds, also known as fae) and would raze the empire and their castles.
As she was killed, a great thundering clash echoed through all of Draconem, rumbling like thunder and rapture through the sky. The World-Walker's slaying had occurred. This frightened the legionaries deeply, who retreated, leaving behind Saldr’s body. Both her foe and ally whispered the same thing: had she done it? Had she somehow orchestrated the death of the King of the Gods? Who, then, if not the World-Walker, was safe? Did that designate her to be a Goddess as well?
The whispered legends were enough. She was canonised after the death of a father she had never met.
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