Lady Inga Draegonia

I am Lady Inga Draegonia of the House of Draegonia, once a prosperous family in Torvaldsland. The following is a brief family history as I know it and my story up to the present.

My family was once prosperous, living the way of the North, following the tenets of Thor and Odin, All-Father. My father was a Hold Jarl and mother was from the Plains of Turia. She was one of his conquests as a raider, captured on her way to visiting family in Asperiche and Bazi. From that I've been told, they were happy as a couple, Mother supporting Father on his various endeavors and the family continued to prosper during their lifetime. My family was decimated when I was young by a combination of disastrous circumstances. We had been hit with a virulent sickness that wiped out entire families in our village, then we were raided a few times until the village was wiped out. My home, my lands, and my family were wiped clean and left for the animals to pick over. The only reason I wasn't among my family at the time of their demise is that I was with Father's Harbormaster at the time, learning the family business. My parents noted that I was truly smart and showed an aptitude for business dealings. I was told they considered this an asset to the family that I learned the business along with history, accounting, laws of the land and household management from others to expand my knowledge base. I was sent to southern schools for short periods of time and even apprenticed for short periods of time to various castes to learn what I could. Yes, I was a female child, but for us, that didn’t matter. Everyone contributed to the family what they could.

I was fostered with the Harbormaster's family and from time to time, he would give me things that had belonged to my family and tell me tidbits of my home. I wore a pendant on a long bit of leather and chain; the emblem of my household, a dragon, with wings raised. It resembled a tarn and I learned that my father's family had originally hailed from a land called Earth. This dragon was supposed to represent strength, honor, and wisdom. That emblem stayed with me all these years and it was something I clung to when things were not at their best. I grew up alongside the children of the Harbormaster. The closest of these children to me was Storm, later to be known as Captain StormRaider and to have a place in this narrative. We grew up, learning our various duties and as children will do, fighting, playing together and fighting again. But as a family, we were all close. Yes, we were close when we were young, but when I was about to blossom into young womanhood, we were separated.

Now, as a Free Woman of Gor, there were certain constraints on me that did not allow for me to regain my family lands as a Man would have. I could not pick up a sword and win back my lands with honorable battle. I didn't have the riches to hire warriors to take back my family lands. So, you might ask what I managed to do instead. I learned. I learned everything I could. When sent to a new place to learn the basics of a new caste, I would read everything I could get my hands on. I learned how to set up businesses and the laws ruling those businesses. I learned about various people and how they were treated and how to use that to my advantage. But the one thing I needed above all was the riches and money to get all my ideas off the ground. And I learned disguises. As a Northern child, I was not as tall as most of the Northern women were. I was small and petite, but my one outstanding trait was my fiery red hair. That was my pride and joy. I, however, did learn how to dye that hair, so that I could blend in with the population of my chosen areas. Now, how do I earn funds for my various ideas to get off the ground? I did one of the few things that only required a bit of time and a strategic contract to complete. I contracted by body out to breed the future. The contracts were lucrative, 1 year or 1 child, to be raised by the father regardless of gender for a specific amount of treasure, land, and/or advantage. Strangely enough, all those years, and I only produced daughters. But those daughters were fine, strong women. All born with varying shades of my red hair.

As I managed to earn those funds through my various matings, I invested those funds into business ventures. I went into business with the Harbormaster’s family, and Storm became Captain StormRaider, taking over the family business of Harbormaster and Ship's Captain, a combination of raiding and landholding. We built the boats that was needed and we prospered. I had buried my family name and opted for a shortened version of the family name of Dragon. Not very imaginative, but I would not give up the complete family name. All during the time of building the family fortune up again, I continued to court those lucrative contracts for my body. I was young, healthy and my company was sought out. And as I might have led you to believe, I did not turn my back on my many daughters. I managed to build doweries for each one of those beauties, presented to them upon their reaching their adulthood. Even StormRaider and I managed to produce a daughter, but that is one that was not planned and was not for gain. He and I were shipwrecked and spent a period of time on a deserted piece of land until we managed to finally wave down a passing ship. Storm hid his identity, managing to pass himself off as a trader that had been sailing home with his mate. Storm raised his daughter, his mate helping to raise her.

In my past, I had been a representative of various castes, Merchant Caste, Slaver Caste, short time as Physician Caste and even a passable musician, but mainly Scribe Caste. I have been a seamstress, a tanner, and a farmer even. Between Merchant Caste and Scribe Caste, this gave me more opportunities to meet those people I was interested in meeting, with more opportunities to expand my growing empire. Much of the gains I collected were from StormRaider's ill-gotten gains from raiding. I was even a Tatrix for about 10 years, with my own enforcer (or Hammer as He liked to be known) and guardian. That person was KarHallarn. He was a one-of-a-kind being that resembled an Earthen wolf or vaguely a Kur. That was probably the most lucrative years of our lives as Captain StormRaider continued his raiding and I set up the warehouses and businesses to dispose of his ill-gotten gains. Kar was my enforcer and knew and kept track of all my business ventures. In return for the warehouses and businesses, I kept a small percentage of each shipment either in funds or in goods. I had managed to set up several storage caves that I kept hidden with treasure and goods for that proverbial "rainy day". When the Tatrix was overthrown, I was not unaware of the plot and managed to escape with the aid of Kar, the Harbormaster and a few trusted staff.

Now to recent events. I knocked about a bit in the intervening years after my time as a Tatrix. During that time, I contracted with a man from Lydius for again the 1 year or 1 child, whichever came first. He was a good man, but unfortunately, he was killed when a raiding party tried to take Lydius. When I learned of his death, I traveled to Lydius and retrieved the child we had produced as he had no remaining family to rear the child. Leaving Lydius, I travelled the Laurius upriver for a time, settling in an Outlaw camp for a time. We built the Outlaw camp up into a small town, naming it River Cliffs of Laurius. Along with the Outlaw camp, we had befriended the local Panther Women, opening trade with them also. Our camp began to thrive, exporting lumber, handcrafted furniture, furs, and some ores from mines that had been abandoned and handcrafted items. I became the Village Elder and the village prospered. I grew close to the Lead Huntress. We were as close as sisters. During this time, I raised my daughter, the only one I raised myself. She wanted for nothing and was spoiled. I had her sent to southern homes and trained as a scribe and she became interested in the law, specifically Merchant Law and became a Merchant Magistrate. I was quite pleased with her overall. She accepted a posting on the Isle of Asperiche and asked if I would join her. Clearing my affairs and setting up the village with a good support base, I departed downriver and again, met up with Captain StormRaider for a trip down to Asperiche. During the time I was clearing my affairs and her posting as Scribe Magistrate, she had met and mated a Northern Man. Upon my arrival at Asperiche, I had a full family, rented a small house. The City Administrator asked me to become the Head of Caste of Scribes for the area.

Now my Daughter's Mate was an ambitious man, wanted to return to the North and set up his household there. He knew that my daughter was financially sound, but he didn't know just how well financed. He soon learned that I was the brains behind the finances and he and my daughter proceeded with a campaign to finance his return trip to the north and settling in his family's lands. I set up a few warehouses for building goods. I was also thinking that it was time to re-establish the family name and family honor. None of my daughters knew the true family history, except for my daughter with StormRaider and another daughter, Lykopsis, that showed an aptitude for the business.

I financed the trip North, staying with my daughter in Asperiche while he began the building of the long houses and such in Axe Glacier. While he was gone, I began the process of gathering things that would be needed in the north and shipping them up the coast to the area of our new home. I also built a couple of warehouses, and I began stocking those warehouses of things that would be needed at some point in time. The settlement would not want for anything.

Now while I was visiting an outlying village, my daughter received notice from her mate he was ready for her to move north. She completed her preparations to join him and left, leaving me a message to join them when I returned. Upon my return, I contacted Captain StormRaider and arranged to travel to the north. On the way, we stopped at several ports of call and visited various daughters, picked up more supplies and such. Now, while sailing North, Storm informed me of what he had seen of the settlement and noted that certain items in the warehouse were being systematically removed. Storm had ceased delivering items to those specific warehouses, instead, storing the items I had sent North in Torvaldsberg in the warehouses there. Storm also presented me with the cape of my Father with the family crest emblazoned on the back. The cape had been resized to the size of a normal Northern woman, which meant it was still a bit largish on my petite frame. Storm's mother was a fine seamstress, but she always expected me to be much larger than I really was. I decided at that time to reacquaint the world with the family name of Draegonia and resumed my actual name of Lady Inga Draegonia.

Upon landing in the Axe Glacier region, my daughter and her mate met my boat and welcomed me with smiles and dinner, showing off my quarters and so forth. I was told I would be sharing in the Hold duties as my daughter was the Hold Jarl's woman. I was also asked to be the Ambassador for the home, make treaties and trade agreements with other homes and settlements. While setting up the Ambassador’s quarters, I got word that I needed to return to Asperiche to take care of some business dealings. Storm and Kar returned long enough to Axe Glacier to deliver a message from me that I would not be returning, that my business dealings were not as healthy as they once were and that they were on their own. My daughter sent messenger birds on a regular basis, begging me to return. I was of the mind that she was a grown woman now, with a mate.

I settled back into life at Asperiche as it had become my home. It wasn't a northern area, nor was it Southern in that it was a port city that catered to everyone. I remained torn between 2 societies of Gor. I became the Scribe Magistrate, enjoying life again. My daughter, Lykopsis, came to stay with me for a time and moved into my home. She had shown an aptitude for medicine and the family business, so I took her on and while she practiced the physician’s duties, Storm and I began teaching her more of the business.

Lykopsis was the daughter of a Tuchuk warrior. He was the love of my life and at that time of my life, I had planned to settle down with him and live the rest of my life with him and the people of my mother. Ly was so much like her father, but there were parts of me in her too in that she was torn between the north and the south. She showed an aptitude for learning and running our businesses. I trusted her. Ly’s father had died years ago in a freak accident during a raid. I had arranged for his family to raise Ly, thus she was raised by his people as we had agreed. I petitioned the Council to leave the lands of my mother once again, seriously aggrieved in the loss of my beloved. They granted the petition and I hitched a ride with one of my own caravans to once again go out into the world of Gor and take back what belonged to our family. Ly came to live with me when I settled down on the Isle of Asperiche. While she and I lived together, she met the village blacksmith, and they planned to FC.

Unfortunately, there was a series of events that led us to depart the Isle of Asperiche. We settled temporarily in a hideaway I kept for such reasons until the search died down for us. While we were there, by pure accident, StormRaider found that the Panther Woman I had befriended and grown close, was my natural born Sister. She had not escaped the raid but had been taken and raised as a slave by the raiders. She had escaped to the woods, learning how to survive as best she could. No wonder she and I got on so well. She had struggled with the information but had decided that she wanted to reunite the family and had arranged to relearn the ways of a FreeWoman. She joined us and is now trying to learn how to be a proper Free Woman. It was a struggle, but she will manage it. Our family are survivors and we WILL endure what we must, to get ahead in this world.

While discussing our options, Ly suggested a return to the wagon camps and the lands of her father. I remembered the time I had spent there fondly with Lykopis’ father. So too, the lands of my own Mother. I agreed that returning to the wagon camps would be beneficial. And so, we made our preparations and began the long journey. Ly and I continued to grow close. We had arranged a trade caravan to make the journey also with various trade goods that would be useful to the camps. In this caravan we also added in our luggage and trades that we could practice while with the caravan. That was a short-lived venture as I just couldn’t seem to settle down there and be at peace.

Once again, we travelled north, back to Asperiche. I resumed the duties of the Scribe Magistrate while visiting various homes. My daughter and her Blacksmith are taking up living in my Hideaway, keeping things running there while I’m off travelling around and performing sporadic duties.

Havagar, my daughter’s intended, has found a Northern settlement that he thinks would be a good place to settle down. Havagar, his slave Kenina, Meself and my thrall savi made the trip to Dark Rune Outpost, Captain Storm set us up with a boat and one of his captains to get us there. We were met by the First Axe of the Chieftain. The Chieftain was travelling at the time and would not be able to return for several days, but the First Axe, although a bit crude, did pay attention to what was going on around him and offered me safe passage to return. I’ve returned several times, meeting some of the inhabitants of the settlement. I found that I was more homesick than I knew. But I also found that I liked the people and the settlement too. I began settling in, waiting for Captain Storm to get my supplies and goods delivered. My slaves were on that boat, and they were needed here. I finally met the Chieftain and was welcomed to the settlement. So now, I am a seamstress for a small northern village. Once I get my bearings, I’ll figure out where my family’s settlement had been located and see what I must do to reclaim that heritage.

Next Adventure – Dark Rune Outpost.

I am Lady Inga Draegonia, eldest known surviving member of the House Draegonia.