Post by Ingrid on Feb 12, 2008 2:24:01 GMT
NAME: Ingrid Reiter.
NICKNAMES: Ingrid isn't exactly easy to shorten creatively, so none.
RACE: Werewolf; bitten.
OCCUPATION: Pack Fighter; Rayne's Pack.
GENDER: Female.
SKIN COLOUR: Caucasian, with a slight tan.
AGE: 547; though she looks to be in her later twenties/early thirties physically.
CLOTHING: Whilst in and around the hotel, Ingrid's choice of clothing is pretty easily described as casual; jeans or slacks with fitted t-shirts or tank tops in solid colours tend to be the norm for her, though she will layer clothing with varying sleeve lengths and colours she actually shies away from patterned fabrics and the like, finding them too 'busy' for her tastes and where she can she likes to keep whatever she's wearing on a day-to-day basis as simple and above all comfortable as possible. Footwear wise, she usually likes to be barefoot around the full moon, everyone has their little quirks, especially around that time of the month, and she can't deny that the lack of footwear for those three days is certainly hers. When it comes to her attire on an outing, or a patrol Ingrid dresses mainly in dark colours and mostly black to be honest, and has a strict form of professionalism about her choices. Mostly she opts for variations on a theme, wearing a short black leather jacket over black jeans or combat pants and a pair of well broken in tactical boots, she is always neat and presentable in a 'hitman' sort of way when out side the hotel, on each wrist she tends to wear a leather 'cuff' that fastens snugly, but accessory wise that's about as far as she goes, believing that less is most definitely more in those circumstances. Ingrid is never off the clock in that respect, like most fighters, she sees it as her duty to defend the pack and that doesn't come with the option of taking a break, her clothing reflects that.
HEIGHT: 5'9"
WEIGHT: 135lbs.
TATTOOS: Ingrid has a distinctive set of wings spanning her back on either side of her spine, the feathers reach down towards the small of her back, and they're done completely in black ink.
PIERCINGS: Just her ears, once.
JEWELLRY: On the whole the fighter isn't all that into jewellery, but though she inherited nothing from her parents she does wear one piece without fail; a pendant depicting Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, the first object that was ever given to her as a gift, she has worn it since her childhood, even though she is not remotely religious. Apart from that she has a few necklaces and pairs of earrings but she honestly tends to forget about them unless the occasion calls for it.
BODY MODIFICATIONS: Ingrid's right shoulder, from approximately where her clavicle joins the shoulder blade, wrapped around the joint and down diagonally towards her spine bears the scarring of her turning, though nowadays most of it is covered by her extensive tattoo.
Wolf Form
img]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y295/Hezyfaerie2/Brutality/Ingrid/Werewolf_by_dypsomaniart.jpg
[/img][/center]BUILD: The slenderness of Ingrid's wolf form has often served to have her enemy underestimate her because despite that she is large, most of her muscle mass is in sinew and in her weight is in her a combination of this with her almost overly large paws and head. In wolf for she is neither one thing nor another by definition, she can run about as well as she can fight, not really specialising in a particular area when in this form as some wolves may do. Weapons wise, though she has the correct ligaments in her hands to wield human form weapons they're all rather small and more of a hassle than anything else, so Ingrid will rely in her extremely sharp claws and her wicked fangs.
HEIGHT: 8'2" when bipedal, 5'7" on all fours.
WEIGHT: 294lbs.
HAIR: Coarse and short all over, in a sort of pale brown colour, Ingrid's pelt is actually rather sparse in coverage.
EYES: A hot, bright yellow/gold.
DEFINING MARKS: The shape of Ingrid's skull in wolf for is very unusual, wide at the back and narrow at the front it gives her features an almost squashed look to them, her ears are practically on either side of her head.
PACK
PACK: Rayne's Pack.
POSITION: Fighter.
TERRITORY: Rayne's Territory; roughly half of LA.
HAIR
LEGTH: At its longest her hair skims the bottom of her shoulder blades towards the back with long layers cut into it for volume with some shorter, feathered lengths around her jaw and brow.
STYLE: Ingrid's hair holds a noticeable curl to it, not really tight enough to consider her hair 'curly' but not loose enough to be called straight, her hair is somewhere in the middle, perhaps best described as 'tousled'. When at home and relaxed, or as relaxed as she can be, Ingrid is happy to leave her hair loose, but will tie it back in a ponytail, braid of some sort of secure knot when out and about to keep it from bothering her or hindering her in any way.
COLOUR: Chestnut brown with natural highlights and low lights.
FACIAL HAIR
LENGTH: N/A.
STYLE: N/A.
EYES
COLOUR: Brown.
ODDITIES: Like all of her kind, Ingrid's eyes will turn the colour of her wolf's when she is feeling something intensely, fear, pain, anger; alternatively she can call up the colour change when she merely wishes to tease or intimidate.
PERSONALITY: Independent, forthright and wilful are traits that one would probably expect to find in a rogue wolf rather than a pack fighter, but they are the characteristics that best define Ingrid; even though she was always an obedient child and young human woman, raised to follow the orders of others and carry them out without question, she has always managed to do so but still retain her unique take on situations. Another obvious personality trait of her is her passion, she attacks life with an odd mix of earnest fervour and painful stubbornness; years of relying on herself alone have engrained that into her psyche, have given her an obstinate, tenacious streak a mile wide. Part of this seriousness comes from her intelligence, even though she didn't have what anyone could call a standard education, she exhibited unusually high intelligence from a young age, able to use lateral thinking in high stress situations, she is innovative in combat, quick witted and focussed, some would say she's rather intense, in fact. It's not that she can't or doesn't laugh either, because under the right circumstances she does, but she really has to feel relaxed, to know there's no danger just around the corner, a feeling which can sometimes be very difficult for her to achieve, humans might call her 'highly-strung', and they might be right about that, but at least she is aware of that as a personality flaw and she does work at it.
There is a typical 'fighter' front to her, masking insecurities that have followed her from Austria and her youth in order to prevent their being used against her in a saturation where any sort of weakness could prove to be fatal. Ingrid cannot mentally get over the trauma she suffered before her turning; the nightmares she is powerless to stop and will wake from frequently with a feverish heat coursing through her body and sweat on her brow, but she has learned several tricks over the years to ease some of the worst symptoms. After a period of time spent in sensory deprivation, for example, she finds the combination of dark and silence oppressive, too similar to the period in her past, and she tends to put a CD on the stereo when she is trying to get to sleep, something classical and quiet, not too many instruments, a clear melody to it that she can focus her attention on rather than the memories that invariably attempt to swallow her when she turns out the light. Sometimes she unlatches the window a few degrees instead of playing music, so that she can hear the traffic of the city beyond, a noise that while obnoxious to many, she finds comfort in, knowing that the world is still out there, it eases her into sleep. Sometimes after waking up from these nightmares her thoughts are muddled and she heeds a few minutes to remember who exactly she is. Though the methods used were brutal and even primitive by modern standards, Ingrid's personality was effectively rewritten when she was a human and while she knows who she is now, having spent a good amount of time wrestling with herself over the fact, in her sleep her real and false memories blend together in a confusing, gruesome mix. Upon waking she can spend several minutes confused and dazed, unsure of who or where she is, which memories are really hers and which are the implanted ones, she always returns to 'normal' after a few minutes, and a few deep breaths but she is wildly insecure about these times, anxious for a time after them and sometimes she won't sleep for the remainder of the night because of them.
Despite all that, all the desire and even the need for self-sufficiency, Ingrid loves the pack and would defend it to her last breath if she had to; she doesn't like the tension, she doesn't like the current leaders, nor does she respect them, but she knows that as a family this is just another storm they will have to weather as a group and try to come out of it in one piece on the other side. She is a pack wolf through and through, she may have spent many years as a rogue but her loyalty lies firmly with the pack if not the leaders, and in point of fact sees it almost as part of her role these days to keep an eye out for the pack members, attempting to provide subtle support to those who might need it. Though it's not obvious all the time, she is actually a compassionate woman, she cares about each and every pack member, and wants to protect her family physically as well as emotionally, because they are her family, the only real one she has ever had. Within the same theme, playing her cards close to her chest so to speak, Ingrid would frankly be lying to herself if she tried to deny that she has feelings towards one of the other fighters. It's blatantly obvious though, that Dane Caldwell has his sights set on one Samantha Mosley and though Ingrid feels rather strongly that the other female is stringing Dane along, it's hardly her place to say anything, so she keeps her feelings well and truly to herself.
WEAKNESSES: Being a lycanthrope her main weakness is obviously silver; it physically burns her skin upon touch and can cause her to become dizzy and nauseated during close proximity. This can be fatal depending upon length of exposure and the type of contact, and if the metal enters her blood streams and subsequently a major organ such as her brain or heart silver poisoning would soon follow. Emotionally, Ingrid has some lingering issues from a period in her life when her very identity was stripped from her; though she now possesses a strong sense of self, in her dreams she is often caught between two sets of memories, real and implanted ones that, while she knows they aren't real and never happened, her mind seems unable to let go of because of the way they were, literally, beaten into her over the course of several months. Obviously she is very private about this too, and has never actually told anyone within the pack about much of her past, not even Rayne and Dante and while the lack of restless sleep and the confused state of mind she suffers from because of it is an obvious weakness, in a way this introversion surrounding it could also be seen as one too, she struggles through it alone as she is used to doing, her stubbornness making her see it as her problem and hers alone.
Physically her right shoulder is definitely a weakness, the point where she was turned has always given her trouble from the muscles tightening up to the point of ceasing to the joint and muscles simply feeling weaker than her other side, which has meant that she has had to train herself to be at least competently left handed should she need to rely on that side in a combat situation, then again even without that weakness, she might have done the same anyway, as good practise, preparing herself for any eventuality.
ABILITIES: As a werewolf Ingrid rather obviously has access to all the preternatural skills and gifts that come with it; enhanced speed, strength and sense of smell, sight and hearing, not to mention impeccable balance, on top of the ability to leap large distances and transform into a fully recognisable wolf at will. Given her age, Ingrid can fully control her wolf at the full moon too, and while like all wolves, whatever their age she still feels the distinct pull of the moon on those three nights, she no longer succumbs to it. Ingrid has an uncanny attention to detail, on an almost frightening level, she can recall long strings of numbers, names, dates, objects, times and places, it's probably her memory that has also made her something of a polygot as she speaks a fairly large number of languages; English, French, German, Italian and Hungarian to name a few, she has also branched out over the years into Russian, Portuguese, Arabic and Latin. In addition she is familiar with and actually upholds many Austrian traditions, such as the Ländler - a traditional dance - and a handful of simple, Austrian dishes.
WEAPONS: Ingrid's range of weapons is fairly standard as far as most fighters go, in the field she'll happily use what ever is on had as a weapon if she has to. Though she mostly prefers hand-to-hand, she does carry twin Smith and Wesson M&P .40 cals without fail, it's just good sense to take them, along with a number of blades either sheathed at her belt or in her boot, or, more often than not, both. When it comes to her individual preferences though, Ingrid prefers blunt force weapons; she owns a Rattan Bo staff and a similar Three-section staff. Obviously the full length Bo Staff isn't exactly easy to carry around and as such she tends to take her three-section staff with her on outings as it folds up into a clip she can wear on her belt. Ingrid is highly skilled in Krav Maga, a self-defence and military hand-to-hand combat system that utilizes no quarter - no mercy - and emphasizes 'maximum threat neutralization', it's a brutal, sometimes clinical form of fighting and Ingrid, honestly, loves it.
Three-Sectioned Staff.
Rattan Bō Staff.
Decorative Dagger.
Tactical Knives.
Smith&Wesson M&P .40cals (note: Ingrid carries two).
PRIZED POSSESSIONS: Obviously her necklace, being her oldest possession is the most valued item she owns; she considers it irreplaceable and wears it at all times.
Ingrid's Necklace.
HOME(S): The Four Seasons Hotel with the rest of the pack.
HISTORY: In 1459 Ingrid Reiter was born and orphaned in the space of six months; she never knew what happened to her mother and father, or even if they were together at the time of her birth, in fact her first memories are of the religious run orphanage where she grew up. Childhood was uneventful, she and the other children worked hard for the nuns that cared for them, cleaning and working in the fields that they kept and grew their own food in. Not a full week after she turned ten years old a man visited the orphanage looking for well behaved, physically capable and most importantly healthy children to work in the kitchens and stables of his employer. Four girls were selected, boys never lasted long in the orphanage as they were seen as the better choice for labourers, but rather than wait or more boys to arrive, the man simply picked out the four oldest girls and had them pack what little possessions they had, namely their one change of clothes, before he led them to his carriage and they were on their way. These four girls were brought to the House of Habsburg in Vienna, one of many homes owned by the reigning royal family of Austria, where they were to work as scullery maids, having known no other way of life, Ingrid accepted her position without objection, in fact she and the other children who had moved into the large manor house were better off than they had ever been; though they wore bulky uniforms of thick, scratchy wool and linen, it beat the flour sacks they were used to, they shared a room but they each had their own bed, the sheets were clean, they could bathe frequently and though they were worked to the bone, they were well fed, even comfortable.
It was another seven years of this sort of back breaking, intensive work before things changed again for Ingrid. She was a quiet girl, loyal to those who kept her, without the Habsburgs she would have literally nothing in the world and she was extremely aware of that, always going out of her way to make sure that tasks assigned to her were carried out meticulously. It was her attention to detail, her almost obsessive accuracy that attracted the attention of the master of the house. Ingrid checked all the boxes, she was smart and resourceful, pretty and above all, she was loyal to the Habsburgs. In short, she would make the perfect secret weapon; the soldiers were all men at that time, it was not thought fitting for a woman to engage in combat or anything connected to the dirty side of ruling a kingdom, and yet that was what made having a female in such a position the perfect weapon; no one would see it coming. Ingrid was taken aside and informed of her 'promotion' and naturally she went along with it, sceptical that she would be remotely useful but eager to please. A handful of men were selected from the armed forces and given the task of training Ingrid in combat and over the course of two years she was given an intensive course in hand-to-hand combat, both with and without a range of weapons ranging from daggers and swords to bows and arrows and other projectiles. More specifically she was taught the intricate arts of lying and espionage.
It was to be Ingrid's job, under the guidance and instruction of one Jürgen Buchleitner, to use her learned skills, along with her natural resourcefulness and her looks to gather intelligence for the Habsburgs; all thing that would be considered 'cloak and dagger' were to be her jurisdiction and by the time she had turned twenty she was building a solid reputation by name alone for her work, through the accumulated small victories and successes she had quashed any doubts regarding whether a woman was fit for such work. Soon though she was to face her biggest challenge; someone was plotting to assassinate the monarch of the day. Ingrid discovered the plot through her contacts, a network of people indebted to either her personally or to the Royals as a whole and immediately got to work attempting to obtain the particulars, alerting her mentor to the plot as she did so. In number of weeks she had tracked down someone involved in the plot and was moving in, working on the possibility of infiltrating the network of those who were seeking to overthrow the Monarchy. Under the cover of night she stole into the free house where she knew a meeting was to be taking place between conspirators, climbing up the back of the stables, crossing the roof and slipping in through an attic window. Ingrid crept through the attic until she was directly over the room in which she heard the voices of her targets, she crouched there in the gloom and listened to them, taking mental notes of everything they said, times, dates and names and then waited until they left before she made her way to report her findings back to her superiors in the military.
Ingrid slinked into the forest to where she had tethered her horse up out of sight, but before she could actually reach the animal, several men emerged from the surrounding foliage. It was an ambush, the whole thing a set up, though in that split second before the enemy engaged her, Ingrid could not think why. Naturally she fought hard, sustaining almost as many flesh mounds as she inflicted, at least until Jürgen appeared from the trees and things started to fall into place in her mind. Before she could react bodily or vocally to his presence something hard and cold smacked against the side of her head and darkness consumed her senses before she had even hit the ground.
When she awoke she was lying on filthy stone flags in complete darkness, the hit to her head made focussing difficult, more so than the fact that she couldn't even see her hand in front of her face, but immediately, drawing on her intensive training and experience she got to her feet and she began to assess her situation. Needless to say it was dire; the room was approximately five by five feet, the dampness of the stone told her she was below ground, in some sort of cellar. The door was sold oak, reinforced with iron, not something she could hope to break through. Ingrid came to the conclusion that she would need to wait for an opportunity to present itself when her captors entered or left the room to escape, preferably the former as she had no idea what they were going to do to her and therefore what condition she would be in by the time they left. Jürgen entered, his presence rendering Ingrid numb; though her brain told her to accept his involvement in whatever the hell was going on, her gut didn't want to acknowledge it; he had trained her, he was the man she took her orders from. How many of those orders had damaged the royal family and their position rather than strengthening it? How long had she been doing his work without even knowing it? Standing there, humiliated and degraded, Ingrid's blood began to boil, revenge seeped into her mind and she quite simply, blindly lunged at the man who stood there smirking at her. There followed a short scuffle, not worthy of being called a 'fight' at all. With a split lip and a broken wrist, Ingrid hit the wall and then the floor, a rough yell grinding out from between gritted teeth. Jürgen informed her calmly that she would soon see their way of thinking, that she would be joining them and that she would be one of their greatest assets in the coming war. With that he left her with his men.
Months of physical and mental abuse were inflicted upon her, she lost sense of time and place, Jürgen was trying to break her, depriving her of food and sometimes water, subjecting her to a slew of different techniques in order to get what he wanted, trying to break through her mental defences and turn her to their side and for the first few months she was stalwart, refused to listen to him or to buckle in any fashion. Soon though, her mind began to weaken and she felt it happening, the walls she had built over her years in the field were crumbling around her, she was forgetting herself in just the way that was intended, but she had no way of escaping, as much as she hated to admit it to herself, even she in all her experience of getting out of tight spots was failing her and the only thing she could do was to play along and convince him that he was succeeding and hope to hold out long enough to gain his trust and then escape. It was a dangerous game, and she knew that she would be cutting things close, in the end, after months of torture ranging from sensory deprivation and water boarding to starvation and the almost simplistic by comparison physical abuse, the inevitable happened and Ingrid, quite simply, broke under the pressure.
History Continues Below.