Niði Hákonardóttir af Hraustlig, Margravine of Werra (known mononymously as Niði, anglicized Nithi) is a Nordennavian noble heiress and decorated flying officer. Born as the eldest child of Hákon, reigning Duke of Weser and patriarch of the noble House of Hraustlig & Stórláta, Nithi was set from an early age to inherit a lifestyle of both privilege and responsibility. Defying familial and societal expectations, she joined the Nordennavian Royal Air Force (NRAF) in 1985 via her enrollment as a cadet in the Royal Air Academy.

She is most notable for her participation in both the 1994-1995 Feðgar War and the 1997 Sapinish Civil War, the latter of which saw her join the Nonaligned Advisory Task Force (NATF)'s deployment to Sapin.

Niði Hákonardóttir af Hraustlig was born March 6, 1967, in Stórfjörður, a port city in the northern reaches of Nordennavic's Stor province. Her unusual given name is an archaic Old Nordennavian name that means “waned-moon.” As the daughter and first child of Hákon Björnson af Hraustlig, Duke of Weser, she inherited the title Margravine of Werra, signifying her position as heir apparent to the Valdean Dukedom of Weser. Growing up in the city of Idisiaviso, she was heavily inspired by stories of chivalrous knights and powerful warrior-women (primarily shieldmaidens and valkyries).

In her youth, Nithi swore an oath that would continue to guide her decades later:

I, Niði Hákonardóttir af Hraustlig,
Shall serve with utmost devotion the Kingdom of Nordennavic and her people,
Shall defend the honor of His Majesty the King with unparalleled valor,
Shall live a magnanimous life of benevolence and honor,
Shall obey those of authority as I wouldst have others obey me,
Shall protect to the best of my abilities the meek and downtrodden,
Shall fight only in the name of the common good,
Shall undertake no action with avaricious intent,
Shall speak truthfully, and refrain from cruelty and deceit,
Shall never back down from an equal's challenge,
Shall never turn my back upon an enemy,
And shall espouse the most resolute virtues of justice, truth, and charity.
A scion of House Hraustlig keeps their chin up,
Their head high,
And their heart strong.
I shall too.

In 1972, Hákon and his wife Iðunn produced a second child—a daughter they named Hilda—followed by a third—another daughter, Alruna—in 1979.

Due to their closeness in age and her father's close relationship with the royal family, Nithi frequently spent time with then-Crown Prince Harald III at such events as formal banquets.

In 1985, Nithi enrolled into the Nordennavian Royal Air Academy as an officer cadet with a stated preference for flying fighter aircraft. The perceived suddenness of the decision prompted widespread surprise among members of Nordennavian high society, who typically sought to eke out a military career in “safer” positions, usually as officers in the Nordennavian Royal Navy's littoral fleet.

During her time in training, her perceived haughtiness led to the derogatory nickname “Princess,” though in most other respects she proved herself a capable and model cadet, eventually leading to her nickname being changed to “Duchess,” in reference to her future title.

After graduating the academy and earning her commission as a Fenrik in 1988, she spent another year in training before being qualified for flight and being assigned to the 1st Air Wing's No. 468 Squadron (the so-called “Valkyries”) in the Capital Islands Air Defense Region. During the subsequent six years, she was promoted to the rank of Kaptein, eventually becoming the unit's second-in-command under its flight leader, Major Helge Einarsson.

During the initial stages of Exercise White Flag, Nithi displayed merely modest (if slightly above-average) abilities. Participating in the Christmas airshow of December 25, 1994 allowed her to witness the start of Crown Prince Harald's coup against his father. Communications to Heorike Air Force Base—where her contingent of the exercise was based—were cut shortly after, resulting in a comms blackout. On December 30, she was scrambled to engage inbound Osean and Erusean aircraft, scoring three victories against Erusean Tu-95 Bears. Her next sortie took place in the early morning hours of January 2, where she led a flight that conducted a destruction of enemy air defenses (DEAD) mission against Erusean AA emplacements on the Valdean coast, clearing a path for the evacuation-via-airlift of Verusan troops that had become trapped on the mainland. On the evening of January 9, she earned the appellation of “ace,” via scoring three additional aerial victories against members of the Erusean Air Force's Oriflamme Squadron.

By January 10, upon the request of Major Einarsson, Nithi began to use the P-26 Roller, a prototype chimeric airframe created by the Nordennavian Polar Star Flight Test Center. Upon expressing her distaste for the P-26's official designation, she chose to name hers Róta, after a valkyrie whose name roughly translates to “sleet-storm,” or “stormbringer.” She used the airframe to score a further three victories against Erusean MiG-31 Foxhounds in the early morning hours of January 13, leading a quick response force (QRF) to rescue an allied squadron that had come under threat while striking enemy ground forces. On the morning of January 15, she engaged the Belkan mothership Frea over the open ocean, scoring five victories against the mothership's microfighters before striking the final blow against the aerial carrier, bringing her tally up to fifteen victories. On January 16, she undertook a reconnaissance flight to search for the downed Captain Ameline Halley. During this sortie, she indirectly made contact with her father, who was serving as a partisan on the ground.

On January 19, Róta suffered a catastrophic APU fire while idling on the tarmac, resulting in a total airframe loss. The accident resulted in Nithi adopting her old JAS 39C Gripen, which she promptly named Róta II. The airframe was soon repainted in the colors of House Hraustlig by January 22, lending it a distinctive and recognizable livery. Despite this, she would see no further action until the morning of January 26, where she assisted in the interception of a flight of Osean strategic airlifters. After claiming the fictitious identity of OADF First Lieutenant Ayla Levana under the cover of darkness and heavy radar interference to fool the transports' relief fighters, she was credited with the bloodless capture of six C-5 Galaxies.

In the evening of January 30, Nithi led a flight during the liberation of her home city of Idisiaviso, scoring a single victory while testing out a new data link system. Upon the Erusean occupation forces' surrender, she sang the anti-war song “A Brand New Day” on open channels—a moment that was recorded by the presiding AWACS operator, Oberst Julia Egede. Less than an hour after landing back at Heorike, she undertook another sortie, this time leading a flight to cover the landing of Sotoan and Verusan marines on the shores of Mellom. The resulting engagement—which lasted well into the morning of January 31—saw her claim five aerial victories, including a member of the Osean Maritime Defense Force's VFA-200 “Merlin.”

On February 2, in an incredible display of airmanship, Nithi led a flight down the tunnel of Nordennavic Highway 41, using the underground highways to bypass an Osean surface-to-air missile defense system over Mellom. During the ensuing engagement with the OFS Kestrel's carrier strike group, she scored two aerial victories—one against an OMDF F-14 Tomcat, the other against a RIM-66 Standard Missile SM-2 ship-to-air missile that was locked onto her squadronmate, Circe "Crow" Galas. The battle, which ended in the surrender of the Osean contingent commander to Vice Admiral Haakon Hårfagre—a distant uncle of hers—marked the end of Nithi's combat sorties during the Feðgar War.

During the post-war reconstruction period, Nithi's combination of good looks, prominent lineage, and an exemplary combat record—totaling twenty-three victories at the time—led to her becoming a poster girl for the Nordennavic Royal Air Force. She frequently expressed dissatisfaction and chagrin toward her role, but accepted the reality that—as a “hero” of Nordennavic—she was serving her country best by playing along.

During this time, she also busied herself with reconstruction efforts, and additionally began to speak in support of defensive readiness measures with regards to the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid.

In mid-to-late 1997, Nithi was approached by her superior, Generalmajor Wiktoria Aniołpieśń, with an offer to join the Nonaligned Advisory Task Force (NATF) in a deployment to the wartorn nation of Sapin.

TBA

Cadet: 1985
Fenrik: 1988
Løytnant: 1989
Kaptein: 1993
Major: 1997

Officially, Nithi is credited with 72 aerial victories (23 during the Feðgar War, and 49 during her deployment to Sapin), though this number is sometimes disputed due to her position as an NRAF poster girl.

After several short-lived relationships in her late teens and early twenties, Nithi came to the conclusion that she was asexual. She would revise that assessment in later years, however, and currently identifies as demiromantic and demisexual.

During Exercise White Flag, she met Verusan Air Force pilot Michael Wong Ying, whom she quickly befriended. After a blossoming relationship forced the two to confront their growing feelings for one another, they began dating in January of 1995. The relationship drew some criticism from Nordennavian conservatives, who disparaged the notion of the Hraustlig heiress marrying a foreign commoner.

Nithi has expressed fondness for classical music, citing the works of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) as among her favorites. She also enjoys fencing, having trained in the sport since early childhood. Among her other hobbies are dancing, singing, and amateur stargazing.

In line with her close association with King Harald III, Nithi has expressed progressive ideals during her tenure as Margravine. She supports the welfare state, social democracy, free education, and government-funded healthcare. Notably, she has expressed opposition to the Unified Republic of Anea initiative, citing concerns over Nordennavic's diplomatic independence.

In the wake of the Feðgar War, Nithi adopted a much more active role in politics compared to her prior involvement, deeply entrenching herself in reconstruction efforts in her home province of Valde. In response to the April 1996 announcement of Ulysses 1994XF04, she used her platform to advocate for Nordennavian readiness measures against the asteroid threat.

As of 1997, the Margravine is officially styled Her Illustrious Highness Lady Niði Hákonardóttir af Hraustlig, Margravine of Werra, though additionally holds the title Countess of Felda. Upon her ascension, this title will be altered to Her Serene Highness Lady Niði Hákonardóttir af Hraustlig, Duchess of Weser. As a duchess regnant (a woman who holds the title of Duchess suo jure, or “in her own right”), any husband she takes will be styled as Duke-Consort.