ORIGINAL FANTASY HERO CHARACTERS

Background/History: Aamurusko Hamara is the seventh (and youngest) daughter of the Sun and the Moon. As three of her sisters went to live with Father Sun, and three with Mother Moon, Aamurusko found herself homeless and unwanted, neither accepted or acknowledged by either of her parents. Instead, she left the Sky and came to dwell on the Earth, wandering the frozen wastes as a spirit of the endless nights and the midnight sun, sharing aspects of both her parents, the Sun and the Moon.

In the countless millennia since her exile, Aamurusko has become a patron to those who walk alone—such as trackers, hunters, rangers, and scouts. Her dual nature is felt to represent the known and the unknown, the life-giving sun of summer and the deathly cold of deepest winter, the light of reason and the shadows of mystery. She is a keeper and revealer of secrets, a gatherer of the dead and healer of the wounded, a goddess of the day and the night, and the lady of the twilight hour.

It is said she can be found in the deepest wastes, dwelling away from the other gods, avoiding the eyes of her mother, father, and sisters by coming out only at twilight, when the power of both the Sun and the Moon is at their weakest. Others say she wanders the world, aiding warriors of both light and dark as she pleases, seeking to maintain the balance between the two, so neither can get the upper hand. Still others describe her as a protector of mortals, standing with him against the heat of the Sun and the cold of the Moon, and ensuring neither takes a man before his time.

Personality/Motivation: Rejected by her parents, the Sun and the Moon, Aamurusko left her celestial home, to be welcomed into the open arms of Mother Earth, who adopted Aamurusko as one of her own, and gave her domain over the far northern wastes. Here, Aamurusko lives apart from other gods, with only the Nature Spirits for company, and avoids the sight of her all-seeing father for months at a time. She enjoys her solitude, but also enjoys the company of the spirits of the wind, water, trees, and land. She also has come to care and watch over those who are outcasts like herself—either by choice or circumstance.

Quote: “I am many things—the cold of the darkest night, the heat of the brightest day, the joy of the sunrise, the despair of nightfall, the watcher of the far reaches of the North. I am Aamurusko Hamara.”

Powers/Tactics: Although only a minor goddess, Aamurusko Hamara is still immensely powerful by mortal standards. Her strength is equal to a giant’s, while her agility and speed are supernaturally quick. She’s virtually immune to any harm the mortal realm can offer and can walk the frigid wastes near nude with no ill effects (and often does).

As a goddess, Aamurusko Hamara has access to a wide variety of powers, both innate to all divine beings and those granted to her by Mother Earth to enable her to watch over her domain of the far north. Normally, she avoids conflict, preferring to wander battlefields after the fighting is done, sending the dead to the afterlife or healing the wounded (depending on the time of day). If pressed, however, she won’t hesitate to defend herself, usually starting with Surround Herself In Winter's Chill before using Daughter Of The Moon to take down any foes who try to approach. If anyone does manage to get within hand-to-hand range, she’ll draw Taivastera and promptly show them that even a minor goddess is not to be trifled with.

If the time is right, Aamurusko Hamara may transform into one of two forms: Paiva (day) or Yoh (night). She can only become Palva at night and oh during the day. While somewhat less powerful than her normal form, each has specific powers relating to their domain, which Aamurusko Hamara will use as needed.

As guardian of the North, Aamurusko Hamara is loathe to leave any confrontation she finds herself involved in. However, if she feels outnumbered or overpowered (a rare thing), she will leave using whatever means she has. That said, she will never be gone for long, and has been known to pursue unwanted intruders for days until they leave her realm.

Appearance: Aamurusko Hamara is tall and perfectly shaped, with a lithe body she scarcely adorns with clothes. The right half of her body is midnight black in color, while her left half is pure white and devoid of any features. Her thick hair is silvery in color, and worn long, falling to her waist in rippling waves. Regardless of the cold, Aamurusko tends to appear clad only in tall boots of fur, leather gauntlets, a sword harness, and a scant loincloth.

When appearing as Yoh, Aamurusko body is midnight-black all over, and she is fully featured on both halves of her body. As Paiva, she becomes a featureless humanoid with bright white skin. Both forms retain her silver hair.

Designer's Notes: Aamurusko Hamara is based on a drawing I did about twenty years ago, which in turn was based off of a female figure sketch someone had left lying around at the art store where I worked. I'll admit to getting the idea for the appearance of the character from the description of Hel (or Hela) in the AD&D sourcebook Deities and Demigods. Recently, when I asked a friend to scan some of my sketchbooks, he labeled this one "goddess," which started me thinking about what sort of goddess I could make her. Working from the visuals, I came up with the idea of her being the daughter of light and dark (the Sun and the Moon), and started to fill in ideas from there. Her scant outfit is due to her swords-and-sorcery origins (Robert E Howard had the front giant’s daughter dressed only in sheer silks after all). For a more “realistic” version of Aamurusko Hamara, dress her in fully-covering furs and leathers.

For the record, Aamurusko Hamara is Finnish for "dawn" and "dusk," while Paiva is "day" and Yoh (actually "Yo"), is "night."

(Character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

Aamurusko Hamara's Hero Designer File