Ragnhild
Leader of the Elk tribe. The Reghedsmen follow the elk herds — they do not stay; they move. The Elk tribe’s return to camp with the Coldpeak is an old arrangement, maintained across many seasons by the understanding between Ragnhild and Broken Tusk. It is not a formal alliance. It is something older and quieter than that.
She arrived with her people as Pasha came back to them — Pasha had found the tribe on their circuit and walked the last stretch with them. It should have been the warm part of the night.
When the storm came and the spirits rose with it, Ragnhild did not run. She stayed. She made a decision, and put her bow in River’s hands, and pointed the party toward Rimetalon without a word of explanation. Some decisions explain themselves.
She is not easy to read. She notices things — who someone is, what they’re carrying, whether they’re worth trusting. The fact that she trusted the party with something of hers, in the middle of chaos, is not a small thing. Whether there is more to it than a warrior’s instinct is a question for later.