Lysa
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The great ice waste may be believed to be lifeless, but nothing can be further from the truth. The sun shines down upon the ice just the same, and it can be even more intense. Ever heard of snow blindness? Either way, the people of Stormgarde are a tough and dangerous people. Rarely do their people find a calling for anything beyond their clan, their family, or the next battle. Okay so it's not -that- rare. But it's not that common either.
Lysa Hrolfdottr was an only child, and her mother died in childbirth. This meant that her father, Hrolf was left to raise her himself. This also meant that she was raised more like a boy than a girl. The fact that she was most definitely female, a fact that consternated her father when she began drawing young men to her.... Her father raised her to be able to take care of herself. He taught her the sword and the shield, and even took her with him on occasional mercenary work because... truth be told, it was the only thing he knew how to do.
Lysa loved her father, but she did not approve of his work. She was an idealist, and she usually stayed aboard ship when the men went raiding. She learned how to sail from these mercenaries, and also learned how to make mead and ale. After all, she wanted to be useful, even if she was too young to fight with the men. But all of that changed the day her father died.
The mercs were raiding a nearby Jarl's territory, and things were going as expected, right up until the soldiers met up with an Orc raiding party that came in from the land. The two bands both attacked the same ground, and it ended in almost complete mutual destruction. One or two survivors from each side made it out. Among those survivors, was -not- Hrolf. Lysa mourned the loss of her father, but helped sail the wounded men back home and then tended to their wounds as best she could. However, she knew that she was not destined to remain there with them. So once they were on the mend, and their women had them cared for, Lysa set out on her own. She traveled to the site of her father's last battle, and in a moment of clarity, she cried out to the sun god in the heavens as she buried the warriors of both sides reverently. Apparently, Daeus saw her, and heard her cries.. for he shone down and blessed the fallen dead.
This blessing fell upon her as well, and she felt a calling. She knew that this was her destiny, and so she picked up her father's favorite sword, the one he had in his hand as he died, and his shield, and began traveling.
Soon, she found her way to a small monestary dedicated to Daeus and though she almost died from the cold and lack of proper food, she lived long enough. When she arrived, they began teaching her. For her calling was as evident to them as it was to her. For they began teaching her all of the things she needed to know about Daeus as well as the other gods. They improved her training in the arts of healing, and even taught her a bit about magic. Diplomacy, she was a natural with. She was able to charm the other staff from the beginning. But they formalized her training and after four years... it was known to them that darkness in the south needed combating. Who better to send than their newest Paladin? Word reached them that a priestess of Daeus was investigating, but nobody could operate totally alone forever. So Lysa was sent, Lysa who was named because she was born just as the sun crested the horizon, in her people's old language word for the Dawn, for the bringing of light.
She traveled aboard a small ship and aimed for Alexandria. After a few weeks, she pulled into the port. The problem was, it was not -her- ship, so she is here for the duration... and seeking Elisabeth, priestess of Daeus to assist her in her endeavors.