Lycia Wintergale

Lycia Wintergale in 2023

Lycia's necklace

Lycia Ulrika Wintergale, also known as Lycia Ulrika Millwright (* March 17th, 2007), is a British witch and the child of Bernard and Amelia Wintergale who went into hiding when the hunt for members of the Wintergale family reached its peak after Winter's Treachery. Lycia is a protagonist in Powers Within.

Personality

Having spent most of her childhood on her own, Lycia is a bit reclusive and hesitant to interact with other people. She prefers to watch things unfold from the sidelines rather than being the center of attention. She is curious, inquisitive, and enjoys learning new things. She also prefers nature, especially forests, to civilization, as she feels more at home there. Lycia also has a practical side, which is reflected in the wristwatch she usually wears, a sturdy self-winding outdoor watch that does not rely on batteries.

Appearance

Lycia is 165 cm tall, weighs 58 kg (at age 16) and has her family's trademark silver-white hair and golden eyes. Her face is somewhat attractive, with a few freckles.

Visvalker

Lycia is a Visvalker, meaning she has a subconscious connection to the spirits of other Mundi. She has quickly learned to perform simple spells without a wand, or even just by willing it, and to bind the magic within her to her body. Lycia being a Visvalker is especially unusual as not only is she not the only Visvalker currently alive, but she actually has befriended Kathrin Summerdale, who is another Visvalker.

Personal History

Lycia is the daughter of Amelia and Bernard Wintergale. After her birth, her biological parents decided to give her away to allow her a happy childhood rather than growing up in exile. They wove a spell around her to hide her from magical eyes and left her at the doorstep of Jannet and Brenton Millwright.

The Millwrights, who had recently lost their child as it was stillborn, decided to adopt the girl and raise her as their own daughter. The basket contained a letter which stated Lycia's first name. There was also a necklace in the shape of a silver moon with a blue opal, and a strange snowflake-shaped piece of jewelry, which later turned out to be a Niviculum. The letter instructed the Millwrights to sell the necklace if they needed money but to give the Niviculum to Lycia when she came of age. However, the Millwrights kept the necklace and gave it to Lycia.

Brenton Millwright worked from home as a financial consultant, and her mother was a teacher. When Lycia was 4 years old, her mother received an offer for a position at Kielder Elementary School, and they moved from their home in Nottingham to the sleepy village of Kielder. Later, Brenton accepted a job in the nearby town of Hexham, where he commuted daily. When Lycia switched from elementary to middle school, she traveled there with him every day and returned with a family friend.

She never made any real friends and preferred to spend her time exploring the nearby Kielder Forest. Due to her magical talent, Lycia often encountered magical creatures that lived within the forest, such as a colony of Púca, which she befriended. When she told her parents, they simply believed she had a very vivid imagination.

Shortly after turning 16, her class stayed at a country hostel for a week. There was one student, Charlie Finkle, who constantly bullied her because of her appearance, calling her an old woman and frequently announcing her presence with the words "winter is coming". Eventually, when he wanted to go to bed one evening after teasing Lycia again, he found his room filled with snow. This is how the magistry learned about Lycia's abilities, and she was enrolled at the Greannmhar School of Magick as a Neophyte. On the way there, she met Kathrin Summerdale, and the two quickly became friends.

Special Abilities

From a very early age, Lycia had a connection with nature, especially forests. She possesses the ability to subconsciously establish a report with any animal with a mind more highly organized than that of generic insects. She can use this to gain the trust of such animals and call them to her, to the point that they will interact with her without fear, and even do what she asks of them.

Lycia has also learnt to control the magic energy flowing through her body, enhancing certain physical abilities. While this is not a unique talent, one of the manifestations of this ability allows her to actually see magic. This is a skill common within the Wintergale family.

Familius

A few weeks into her first school year, Lycia and Kathrin encountered a male Cŵn Annwn while walking through the forest after a visit to the village of Glenmoor, located near the school. After noticing the animal watching them on several occasions, Lycia eventually spent a night in the forest, bonding with it. It became her familius whom she named Storm.

Lycia's wand in its two forms

Wand

The blank for Lycia's wand was crafted from holly and imbued with Cŵn Annwn hair. It takes the shape of an 80 cm long silver scepter. The design of the scepter is elegant and simple, with a tip that forms an elongated eye, making it resemble an oversized sewing needle. When focusing a particularly large amount of magic or weaving a complex spell, the eye opens wider, and a delicate golden structure appears.

Trivia

• Lycia received her wand and met Storm, her Cŵn Annwn familius, before she learned about her heritage. The Cŵn Annwn appeared several times before she even knew that it is the heraldic animal of her family, which is considered "wyrd" by those who know her.
• Lycia is often compared to Myrrdin in terms of personality and her ability to communicate with animals on an intuitive level.
• Lycia's middle name, Ulrika, is of Germanic origin and means "Mistress of Wolves".