Helga the Red serves as the matriarch and co-leader of the Straven community within the narrative of Fierce. Her primary function is to provide the domestic and social stability required for the clandestine protection of the young Heroes Yngvild the Fierce and Noren. Alongside her lover, Old Bjorn, she manages the day-to-day harmony and welfare of the island's fifty inhabitants, ensuring their survival in the remote northern fjords. She acts as the spiritual heart of the community, leading the adults in prayers of gratitude to the Nine Gods during communal meals.

Born in 662 AM, Helga is a woman of significant divine bloodline (21%), which grants her an extended lifespan and a life multiplier of 2.52. Although her chronological age is 112, she possesses the physical vitality and apparent age of a woman in her mid-fifties. Physically, she is defined by her red hair and a stately, composed manner of movement. She is often seen walking at a deliberate and dignified pace, typically appearing in the company of Old Bjorn. Unlike the more martial and secretive Bjorn, Helga presents a nurturing but firm presence, focusing on the health and development of the community.

Helga the Red’s personal life is defined by her current partnership with Bjorn Johansson (Old Bjorn) and her role as a foster parent. Following the Great Schism and the retirement of Bjorn from his duties as a King's Justice, the couple settled on Straven to raise the next generation of heroes in isolation. Helga provided the maternal care for Yngvild the Fierce, who believed Helga was her biological mother until the arrival of Lady Helga Trollslayer revealed their true relationship in 774 AM.

Despite the revelation that she was not Yngvild's birth mother, Helga’s devotion to her wards remained unchanged. She is a woman of deep faith, regularly chanting grace in unison with the other adults to thank the gods for the bounteous catches of fish and the safety of the children. Her focus is dedicated to the preservation of the community's peaceful way of life, even as she remains fully aware of the international threats and the long-term contingency plans managed by her partner.

• Old Bjorn: Her life partner and co-leader of Straven.
• Yngvild the Fierce: Her “adopted” daughter and namesake of her political ally.
• Noren: Her ward, whom she helped raise from infancy.
• Lady Helga Trollslayer: Her political ally and the biological mother of Yngvild.
• Arne the Slow: A close community associate and second-in-command of the island's boat.

• Straven: Her home and the site of her administrative and maternal service.

• Nine Gods of Skyss: The deities to whom she offers daily prayers and gratitude.
• Heroes: The divinely-blooded class to which she and her household belong.