Gyda Torvidottir was born in the dimension of Valhalla, the daughter of a valkyrie and a soldier reaped from the battlefield for his prowess in battle. She has trained to become a valkyrie for most of her life, though her fascination with Midgard has led her to be banished from Valhalla until such time as the chief valkyrie decides she is permitted to return. Gyda's mother arranged for her to enroll at Coral Springs, accompanied by her flying steed, Mist.
As a daughter of Valhalla, she has the enhanced physique of the native people of her realm. She is incredibly strong and tough. She can punch through concrete and lift a car, and can withstand most assaults of brute force.
Gyda sees when a person may be about to die. At her young age she doesn't have the finesse to be able to determine how soon, how likely, or where the person's death will occur. She sees possibilities, not absolutes, and on a field of battle she doesn't have the ability yet to judge who is most likely to be killed.
Gyda has been trained in the warrior arts from the time she was very small. Most notably the use of sword, shield, and spear, but she can use a bow, a dagger, or a staff as may be needed. If it's a basic weapon in a medieval armory, Gyda can at least use it competently, though she only wields the three primary weapons of the valkyrie with true expertise, though she lacks experience that comes with age. She can also fight without a weapon, though those sort of fisticuffs are usually reserved for fun and games…until they're not.
All young valkyrie are matched to a flying steed when they are still foals, developing a bond of trust and affection. Gyda was matched to Mist, a winged palomino stallion of the herd. In addition to his ability to fly at high speeds (almost 300 mph at top speed) and his incredible endurance, Mist is able to open portals between Valhalla and Midgard at will.
This brand of magic frequently used by Norse shamans is incredibly powerful and like all beings who are tied into the source of its power, Gyda is especially bound by it.
Gyda Torvildottir is a valkyrie. Which is not to say she's just a strong, beautiful blonde (she is), but she hails from a dimension called Valhalla, which some mortal men of Earth (or Midgard, if you will) believed to be an afterlife for the glorious slain of the battlefield. Indeed, the role of the valkyrie was to transport the spirits of the most valiant fighters of mortal men and women to their dimension, where they are blessed with feasts and fighting forever after. And as one can imagine, that can get rather crowded.
Gyda is the daughter of a valkyrie and a warrior her mother recovered from a long ago battle. (Yeah, her dad's a dead man. Don't ask, okay? It's weird interdimensional pseudo-physical, pseudo-spiritual being stuff). Gyda was raised in the community of Valhalla, but having heard stories from her father of life in Midgard, she was endlessly curious about it. She wanted to travel there for more than just reaping the slain. She wanted to experience it, and understand why the warriors felt compelled to fight, what was worth fighting for.
When she was small, she was bonded with the winged foal that would become her steed when she was ready to take up her duties as a valkyrie. Mist, as equally curious as his mistress, became as fascinated with Midgard as she over the years, and as she trained in the ways of a valkyrie warrior, the two made many unauthorized trips to Midgard. Of course, it was inevitable that they would be found out.
Gyda was brought before the chief of the valkyries, Brunhilda. Save for her visits to Midgard, she had been an ideal pupil, and so Brunhilda was especially angry, as she'd had high hopes to groom Gyda to be the next chief. Gyda's punishment, it was decided, was to be banished to Midgard along with Mist for a predetermined amount of time. If Gyda loved Midgard so much, she would be sent there to learn the foolishness of her ways.
Since the first time Gyda was permitted to attend other valkyries on jaunts to the mortal realm, Gyda has been fascinated with Midgardian societies. In her own secret trips she has managed to gain a grasping knowledge of technology and pop culture, but there are arguably comical gaps in her knowledge.
Gyda lives life to the fullest, with little inhibition. Eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow you may die. Commit yourself in battle, for in the end, your time will come, and if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. Do not betray your leader or your shieldsibs. Strive for glory in life and death.
Despite the fact that she is one of the most promising young valkyrie of her generation and a possible heir to the leadership of her kind, Gyda does what Gyda wants and her many forays to Midgard were against the rules. Gyda actively chooses to do what's right, or what she wants to do provided it does no harm, rather than what's lawful if she thinks it's pointless or foolish. This would be dangerous in someone who was malicious, but fortunately Gyda is not.
Despite a rudimentary knowledge of Midgard, Gyda still has a lot to learn. The way she speaks, the way she interacts with others, and her instinctual tendency to put the world around her into a framework she's familiar with mark her as an obvious outsider.
