Yrsa

What's a good story without characters? Exactly. This is Yrsa (and the first painting I've done in a year and a half...eek):

She is a young skogsrå; a "forest-keeper". They are female creatures that are sometimes described
as naked, beautiful women who run around the woods looking for men to seduce/devour/suck the
soul out of/any other other horrors that hot, mystical and ultimately evil ladies traditionally do to
defenceless dudes. Sigh.

(At this point I want to make it perfectly clear that I will take generous liberties with the folklore...)
However, a skogsrå also cares for the forest and its inhabitants and they can help farmers and coal
pit workers (provided they treat her with respect, of course). Sometimes their backs are hollow or
covered in bark, like tree trunks, and they can have cow or fox tails. Yrsa is a very young forest keeper - only a few hundred years old, which I suppose would make her about 10 or so in human years. Her mother is an enigmatic and powerful Galadriel-like being who cares little for human affairs.

"Yrsa" is an old nordic name meaning either "bear" or "wild", which I thought was appropriate. I gave her fox ears, big, dark eyes and bushy eyebrows in addition to the tail, as well as a fox-like
colour scheme.

 This skogsrå wears a coat - take that, sexualised folklore!

She is sparky and energetic but there is wildness to her, which can be both fascinating and frightening. She is the fi rst character that the player meets and she accompanies them on their quest. Yrsa is deeply intrigued by the player - she has never met a human before - and acts as a companion and guide in this new and strange world.