❆ — Have you heard? [ INGER BARGSSON ] has just set foot on Hlandul’s soil. She is the [ 30 ] year old [ JARL'S WIFE ] of [ YNGVARR ]. Take heed, they are said to be [ RIGHTEOUS & FAIR ], but are also quite [ OUTSPOKEN & VENGEFUL ]. You might even say they are the [ HIDDEN INTELLECT ].
inger bargsson was born inger stendottir, child of the ( old ) jarl of yngvarr’s hersir. she never had the opportunity to meet her father, for when she was born he was across the border raiding one of the nearby lands with arvid’s father. when a lone warrior broke from the battle fray and lunged at the unsuspecting jarl, inger’s father took the axe to the stomach - though not without managing to skewer the attacker himself. dying in his jarl’s arms, the jarl promised his actions would never be forgotten. and they weren’t. after retreating with his remaining forces, the jarl of yngvarr broke the news to inger’s mother, and promised that so long as he lived she and her newborn inger would never go hungry, nor ever be without a warm hearth.
as it was, inger grew up with a privilege most children of yngvarr did not. though not one of the jarl’s family, she was made to be treated as such. and of course, it was no secret that one day she would marry one of the jarl’s sons and officially become a bargsson. no matter how badly they wanted, the town’s children could not call her strange-eye to her face, nor pull her braids - they would face banishment or worse.
when she was five years old, inger’s mother married one of the town’s finest blacksmiths, and a year later inger had a brother. she took a great liking to caring for him, and when her sister was born two years after that she hardly bat an eyelid. a tough, loving girl, she seemed made to be a matriarch.
it seemed, however, that the gods thought inger strange-eye had been blessed enough. after the jarl’s death, arvid ascended to the role, and he and inger got married. but for all they tried, inger could not concieve a child. just as soon as the seed was planted it withered and died, soaking her linen in blood, leaving her screaming herself hoarse. she came to believe she would never be able to bear arvid a child. and, she worried that the man she loved might listen to his advisors and take a new wife who could.
alas, this did not happen, and by some miracle, a son was conceived and born. today, at four years old, he is the light of inger’s life. the already commanding, strong, and righteous woman grew even more so after her family expanded. many underestimate her, a petite pretty woman who is kind to children. many pay for that mistake. she is strategic, committed, and invested in yngvarr’s future... perhaps more so than her her husband.
