Natal'ia Volkovicha

AKA: Eadan) Her Ladyship Natal'ia is the mother of Sophia and wife to HL Khudukha, and currently resides in the Shire of Cold Keep, in the Principality of Avacal. She is a sister of the Wolfpack and a member of the Pure Wenching Tarts Society or PWTS.

Awards:
Princess's Knot - Feb 24 2007 (AS 41)
Goutte de Sang (June 2005, AS 40)
Award of Arms (Ivar & Asney, February Investiture, AS 37)
Cold Keep A&S Champion (AS 37)
Wolfpack Beaucoup Overall Bardic Champion (AS 37)
Ramsgaard Period Bardic Champion (AS 37 and AS 38)
Winter War Bardic Champion (AS 37)
Wolfpack A&S Tourney - Inspired Creation Winner (AS 38)

Forest War Awards:
Best Archer (AS 37)
Best Artist [bardic presentation] (AS 38)
Best Brewer (AS 38)

Offices:
Deputy Principality Chatelaine
Shire of Vinjar Chatelaine
Shire of Cold Keep Seneschal
Shire of Cold Keep Arts and Sciences Officer

Interests:
A&S, Bardic, Archery, Research, Heraldry, Waterbearing, Scribal, Midwifery, Medicine, Herbalism
Natal'ia's history:

Natal'ia Volkovicha was born in 987 AD to one of the estimated 300 concubines of Prince Vladimir of Kiev. Her mother, Banka, always called her father 'the wolf', and hence Natal'ia became known as 'little Volkovicha' to her adored mother. While some say her father has near to 3000 sons, Natal'ia feels that number is estimated a little, and is also slightly offended that the daughters aren't included in the number.

When her father converted to Christianity in 988 AD, everyone in Kiev was expected to also convert, and hence, Natal'ia has grown up with a combination of the old pagan beliefs that her mother still embraced and the Eastern Orthodox church beliefs she was taught. Natal'ia married Stepan Petrovich when she was 15. The marriage, while one based primarily on affection, was still advantageous for Stepan, it made him closer to Vladimir, which was an enviable position for any Boyar. He died before her 19th birthday of an undiagnosed and wasting illness, and she has been a widow since. She had no children from the union. She has remained close to her mother and father in law, often looking in on them and seeing to thier health.

Shortly after her husband's death, Natal'ia made a pilgrimage to Hagia Sofia in Constantinople. Overwhelmed by the opulence of the church, Natal'ia rededicated herself to her faith and returned to her home in Lyubekh, near Kiev.

It is now 1015, and Natal'ia is 28. Her father has just passed away, leaving his vast empire to be divided among many of his sons. Her favoured brother, Iaroslav, has been crowned Prince of Novgorod, and many of her other brothers and cousins have been granted lands elsewhere. While she hopes that Iaroslav will make a good prince in Novgorod, she has a sibling's concern about her other half-brothers and cousins, and fears war will soon be upon them. Iaroslav has recently begun to pressure her to remarry, but as she has been allowed a great deal of independence because of her station, she is hesitant to make the transition back to being known only as someone's wife.

While Natal'ia does not have many 'rights' as a woman, she has had the benefit of being raised the daughter of the Grand Prince of Kiev, as well as in the Orthodox church. This has led to her being well-learned and literate, able to both read and write. Natal'ia arrived in Cold Keep around the same time that Eadan disappeared, having been left all Eadan's worldly possessions, including family and friends.