To kick off the Centoros Spotlight series, allow me to present the concept painting for Freja, the White Lady of Wintergate.

Located in the frozen north, the great citadel of Wintergate is no stranger to hardship. Freezing winds from Alovul's Cradle bring harsh winters, and the few warm months of the year are spent diligently stockpiling supplies. Agriculture and trade are both vital to the well-being of the city's inhabitants. Nothing comes without a price, however, and in exchange for material goods Wintergate offers protection and solace to the outlying communities of the coastal lands, as well as military support for its allies.

Freja inherited the throne at a time of great strife. Orcs from the Gilgak Tribe Lands across the Dragonspire Mountains had banded together and were beginning to raid settlements on the coast. As more orcs joined the lucrative raids, they took on higher profile targets-- until the town of Blackbird Hill was nearly overrun. Recognizing the threat that the orc raids posed to everyone, Freja urged the peoples of the north to join forces in opposition. She even went so far as to approach the roaming barbarian tribes, which had little in the way of association with outsiders and preferred to keep it that way.

No one knows exactly what transpired between Queen Freja and the king of the barbarians. Many find it very suspicious, however, that she became pregnant a short time after they met. Particularly considering the fact that her husband-- by way of an arranged marriage-- met his untimely death in battle just when Freja was in talks with the barbarian tribes. Though there was never any official challenge to the parentage of Freja's child, there are still rumors today that the royal line of Wintergate has barbarian blood.

Potential indiscretion aside, Freja was an effective diplomat throughout her rule, and after leading the northern alliance against the Gilgak Tribes, she worked hard at recouping their losses. The alliances that she forged stayed strong, securing peace and prosperity in the north for years to come.

Freja died in her mid-thirties from a case of consumption during a particularly vicious winter. A terrible blizzard heralded the White Lady's death, and the very next morning, the barbarian king arrived at Wintergate to retrieve her body. Though the people of Wintergate were vehemently opposed, it was her son who ultimately decided to relinquish the remains. The barbarian king took her to the islands on the northwestern edge of Alovul's Cradle, burying her in a tomb located in a solitary frozen peak-- which eventually came to be known as Freja's Tomb. 

Admirers of the legend of the White Lady occasionally make the pilgrimage to those frozen lands in order to pay homage at her icy tomb. It's even said that in times of great need, the White Lady's spirit has been known to bestow guidance to those who prove themselves worthy.