Latest revision as of 04:14, 9 June 2010

Hakkal Stoneclaw, Lunar Full Moon Bear Totem

Caste: Full Moon
Spirit Shape: Bear
Concept: Savage Guardian
Motivation: To avenge the deaths of his and Avrin's previous reincarnations
Anima: A roaring bear on hind paws.
Tell: Thick fur, covering his back like a cloak.

Attributes:

Physical: Strength 5, Dexterity 2, Stamina 5

Social: Charisma 3, Manipulation 1, Appearance 3

Mental: Perception (Favored) 4, Intelligence 2, Wits 3

Abilities:

War: Athletics 3, Awareness 3, Integrity 3, Martial Arts 5 (Favored), Resistance 3, War 2

Life: Linguistics 1*, Presence 3, Survival (Favored) 3

Wisdom: Lore 1

Advantages:

Backgrounds: Solar Bond 3, Heart's Blood 2**, Backing (Seneschals of the Sun Kings) 2

Knacks: Deadly Beastman Transformation

Charms: Strength Triumphant, Stamina Overwhelming, Claws of the Silver Moon, Relentless Lunar Fury, Impressions of Strength, Steadfast Yeddim Meditation, Armor-Forming Technique, Ox-Body Technique (4x -2)

Willpower: 6

Virtues: Compassion 3, Temperance 1, Conviction 2, Valor 3; Virtue Flaw: Curse of the Mother Hen

Limit: 0/10

Intimacies: the barbarian tribe he left behind, his grandfather Leifrin

Essence: 3 Personal: 15/3 Peripheral: 36/36

Health Levels: -0/-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4TirrikTheWise/Incapacitated

Soak: 5B/2L normal, 11B/8L DBT, 21B/18L/3A with Armor-Forming Tech and DBT

Deadly Beastman Transformation: Strength: 6, Dexterity: 3, Stamina: 6; Armored Hide, Enhanced Smell, Thick Skin

Linguistics languages: Claw Speak, Riverspeak, tribal tongue (based on Skytongue)

Heart's Blood forms: Snow owl, tundra wolf, rattlesnake, walrus

The History and Early Life of Hakkal Stoneclaw (in progress)

The Steward known as Hakkal Stoneclaw was born in the icy North to an icewalker tribe that roamed the ice not far from the Elemental Pole. Hakkal was born to a well-known warrior of that tribe named Leifrin. Leifrin was a great hunter and warrior, and pushed his son to the limit to follow in his footsteps. The boy grew quickly, and learned quickly; Hakkal was one of the lucky ones who survived the trials of childhood in the frozen North. When he was old enough, Hakkal was set to his rite of passage by the tribe’s shaman, a hoary old man named Grimal. He was to walk through a cave supposedly inhabited by the spirits that served the tribe; Hakkal would walk into the cave a boy, and come out a man. It was a ritual that every male in Hakkal’s tribe performed, and no one completed it unchanged.

Hakkal soon learned why. In that cave, he saw things – visions of his mother, Halda, who died shortly after his birth; visions of himself as a man, hunting and raiding with his people; and one other particularly vivid and riveting vision. He saw a figure, a mighty warrior, clad in armor of shimmering, fluid silver, wielding a mighty waraxe made of the same metal, drilling troops in the courtyard of a great and splendid manse. In the midst of this vigorous drill, the warrior heard a scream, one that pierced the warrior’s – and Hakkal’s – very soul. With his fell weapon he raced inside the manse and up the winding, golden stairs, much to the consternation of the soldiers he was training below. He arrived at his mate’s room, a glorious and wise Solar Twilight sorceress named Ajinon Morning Bright. He opened the door and called her name in the darkness – her curtains were drawn, and the room smelled heavily of blood. She answered, weakly; rushing to her side, the warrior found his mate lying on her back, her lifeblood pooling beneath her from a wound to her back. ‘Who did this to you? I will slay him and his whole line!’ asked the warrior, but Morning Bright had no answer for him, for her spirit had departed. The roar that escaped him shattered the walls in its might and shook the foundation of the manse – and revealed a hidden Dragon-Blooded assassin, who chose this moment to strike. The mighty warrior held his own but could not land a blow with his axe – the assassin moved like the wind, uncatchable. The assassin was not alone, either; others like him, hidden in the shadow of darkness, soon joined the fray. Not even the mighty warrior could stand against seven swift shadows, and there he fell. As the last knife pierced the warrior’s heart, Hakkal’s vision ended, and he gasped, holding his own chest, a sharp pain having suddenly taken him.

With that, Hakkal made his way out of the spirit-cave, ready to end this ordeal, but his trials were not yet over. A great polar bear had taken up residence in the spirit-cave, unbeknownst to Hakkal and, most likely, to the shaman Grimal, and had tracked the boy through the caves. It stood between him and the exit, roaring defiance and striking at the boy. Hakkal bore no weapon, and the bear blocked the way out – he had to get past the bear, or somehow fight it off. Driven by his vision, Hakkal decided to try to push past the bear – and was rebuffed with an almost casual swat of the bear’s claws. Hakkal tried again, this time catching the massive claw in his own hands, pushing back defiantly. With a strength he did not know he had, he did indeed push back, managing to break the bear’s paw. It roared in his face and went berserk, and yet, Hakkal did not flee; deciding he was judged unworthy by the spirits, the boy held his ground against the bear, intending to die honorably. A silver nimbus surrounded Hakkal as he wrestled with the bear, his newfound strength and endurance serving him well in the battle. For what seemed like hours, Hakkal and the bear fought, but the boy emerged victorious. A woman’s voice whispered into his ear, ‘Take what you have rightfully won, my child. Take the bear’s heart, and with it, your spirit-shape.’

Hakkal dragged the bear from the spirit-cave, much to the amazement of his tribe. They watched in wonder as Hakkal, still aglow and flush with Essence, took a knife and carved the heart from the bear he slew with his bare hands. They watched in confusion as he ate it raw, and they watched in fear as he turned toward them. ‘You are possessed! A baneful spirit has taken hold of you, Hakkal!’ said the shaman, ‘You must leave and return not until you have appeased this thing!’ The confused Hakkal was hurt, and he looked to his father – who only grimly nodded. With the rest of the tribe brandishing spears, Hakkal turned and left, walking out into the tundra alone, once more seeking death.

Death is not what Hakkal found. A snow-white owl followed him for days, often circling him, evading Hakkal’s attempts to catch him. The vision he had in the caves haunted his nights and sometimes, his waking-dreams. He felt some sort of connection to the fallen warrior, some strange familiarity, but even stronger was his desire to find Ajinon Morning Bright. Over the next few weeks, this desire took root in his soul in a way that nothing else could. He followed the owl as an omen, and the bird led him to a gathering of other Moon Children.

Hakkal spent a good deal of time with these, receiving his markings and trials from the No-Moon in that pack. He proved a brave and steadfast warrior, much like his spirit-shape; the Full Moon caste was chosen for the new Steward, and Hakkal explained to them his vision. Hakkal was taught the Silver Way, and was adopted by the Full Moon into the Seneschals of the Sun-Kings – the boy’s strong bond to his former mate, as well as his desire to avenge her death, made him a prime candidate.

[ More to come. ]