Eirik

Eirik

Young Eirik has always been considered something of an ugly duckling. His father, Brunor Frostbeard, is First Chieftain of the Ice Bear tribe of the North. Many of his numerous siblings, human and beastman alike, are Chosen of Luna, like their father, while the rest enjoy life as Full Moon Half-Castes. And yet, Eirik has always been glaringly normal, without a shred of God Blood or Lunar favor to mark him as the offspring of one of Creation's champions.

And yet, it was this seeming frailty that earned Eirik much of his father's attention. His mother had died birthing him, and so Brunor had been left with the task of raising the boy alone. Though Eirik came to appreciate the affection his father heaped upon him, there were times when he found it to be stifling (one might even say 'over-bear-ing'). As soon as he was old enough, young Eirik would give in to the powerful wanderlust he felt, roaming the edges of the Ice Bear tribelands and getting himself into no end of trouble.

Because he was Brunor's favorite son, Eirik often found himself under the watchful eye of one of his older sibs. To be sure, his elder half-brothers and half-sisters came to resent his presence. Why should they, inheritors of God-Blood and Exaltation, be saddled with a mortal boy who would be dust in a mere handful of years? And yet, Brunor was firm with them all, for mortal or not, Eirik was still their brother. And so, they would accept the role of babysitter grudgingly, often bullying their youngest brother when they were sure their da wouldn't find out.

Eirik bore all this stoically, for he refused to be considered weak. He just knew that one day, Luna would Choose him, and he'd show them all. They'd all be sorry when they learned just how wrong they all were.

The truth was more shocking than any of them could have imagined. On the eve of his fifteenth birthday, Eirik felt himself drawn out beneath the night sky. While the rest of the tribe caroused in the longhouse, he yearned to get away, to travel, to see new vistas, to speak other languages, to taste different food. As he beheld the night sky in all its Celestial splendor, he watched as a star flared into being. At the time, he was ignorant of astrology, and so he could not know that his star had just moved into the ascending house of the Sorcerer. In that same instant, Mercury set Her mark upon him, and he drew his Second Breath.

It was not long afterward that his sifu, Exuberant Song, came to him, wearing the destiny of a barbarian medicine woman. Song was Chosen of Venus, and she had been dispatched to the North to take Eirik to Yu-Shan for his training. Brunor raged long and hard, and for the first time in his life, Eirik saw his father be afraid of something. He knew it was not his place to speak out against his da, but he needed to go. The wanderlust ate at Eirik like a sickness, and uncontrollable visions of a thousand possible futures threatened to unhinge his mind. Finally, he spoke out for the first time against his beloved da, confirming the only choice that any of them could have possibly made. Without training, Paradox and the Curse would slowly destroy him, and Brunor could not bear the thought of causing harm to his beloved son.

So it was that Eirik travelled to the City of Heaven with his sifu, and for a year and a day, she taught him the skills he would need as a minister of the Golden Barque of the Heavens. Though his heart quailed to learn the ways of 'civilized' folk, Eirik soon learned of the Silver Faction that resided within the Gold, and it was there he knew he was destined to set his loyalty. He also befriended Zeezee, a small and energetic owl-god, who chose to pact with Eirik and take on mortal form in Creation, acting as his companion and Familiar. After passing the bureaucratic exams, he was released to return home, where he was to await his first assignment.

Travelling with the aid of his magic sped Eirik's passing back to the Ice Bear tribelands. The spring thaw had turned the Northern tundra marshy, but his Charms enabled him to journey without fear. However, he heard a call for help, and left the Yellow Path set before him despite his apprehension. There, obscured by a stand of gorse-bushes, Eirik found a man struggling in one of the deep bogs left by the thaw, and he wasted no time pulling the poor fellow back to firm ground. The man introduced himself as Jarrol, chieftain of the White Stag tribe, and there was something about him that was familiar to Eirik, though he could not say just what.

Jarrol insisted on swearing a life-debt before Eirik's chieftain, and so they travelled together back to the Ice Bear's holdings. The meeting was dramatic, for Brunor recognized the Essence of his long-lost wife and lover, reincarnated in Jarrol's form. This realization led to the reaffirming of their marriage vows and the alliance between the two tribes, and everyone had Eirik to thank for it.

Today, Eirik acts as a messenger between the two tribes, helping to coordinate their efforts while fulfilling his duties as Heaven's minister. He fights a secret battle, however, for his Essence once belonged to Lady Andromeda, the Bronze Faction Sidereal that betrayed Brunor and his wife at the end of the First Age. Now and again, he must fight down impulses and instincts that are not his own, urges that drive him to betray them once again. This ironic twist of fate has earned Eirik the personal enmity of Chejop Kejack himself, for he and Lady Andromeda had been close partners, once upon a time, and the fact that her new incarnation works for the Silver Faction galls the elder Bronze to no end. If events on the Blessed Isle did not demand his attention, it is certain that Kejak would be making life very difficult for young Eirik. Even despite this limitation, he makes his displeasure plain, and uses his influence to hinder the boy at his every opportunity.

For his part, Eirik wishes only to make his father proud. His elder sibs have finally begun to grudgingly accept him, but he is terrified of what might happen should Brunor or Jarrol recognize him. Unbeknownst to him, both Exalts do recognize him, and bear the lad no ill will, but this does little to allay Eirik's fears. He carries on despite those fears, secretly wondering what will become of him. How can he be sure that he acts of his own volition, knowing that his Essence has a will of its own and seeks to use him as its catspaw? But then, he remembers his upbringing, and carries on despite his fear. That is the way of the brave warrior. He may have been 'civilized', but he is still his father's son, and nothing, not even the Maidens Themselves, can change that.

Image: Eirik is a slender young boy of seventeen years. It is clear that he does not take after his father physically, being slight and slender, yet lithe and agile. However, a shock of silver in his brilliant red hair shows his Lunar heritage, the only sign of his father's Exalted nature. His large, liquid eyes are the color of tawny wheat, with yellow flecks creating a golden starfield in the irises. He wears a leather headband to keep his hair back (and to hide his Caste Mark when it begins to show), with an owl's feather given to him by Zeezee, his Familiar, as a token of their bond. He wears buckskin breeches with fringe down the sides and comfortable fur-lined boots. As a parting gift, his father gave him his old moonsilver breast-plate, which he wears with pride, even though it is difficult for him to attune. During his time in Yu-Shan, he has come to appreciate the cleanliness of ascetic living, and thus does not indulge in many of the vices that his father and siblings enjoy. Rather, he takes great pleasure in the thrill of danger and daring, often putting himself in needless peril for the sheer exuberance of it.

Statistics

Name: Eirik\\ Nature: Thrillseeker\\ Caste: Journeys\\ Faction: Silver

Strength 3, Dexterity 3, Stamina 3\\ Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2\\ Perception 4 (Clear Sighted), Intelligence 4 (Memory), Wits 3

Auspicious Abilities: Linguistics 3 (Airtongue, Riverspeak, Low Realm, Old Realm), Martial Arts 4, Thrown 4, Athletics 4, Endurance 3, Survival 5, Ride 3, Craft (Fate) 1, Dodge 3\\ Abilities: Awareness 2, Bureaucracy 2, Lore 3, Occult 2, Socialize 1, Stealth 3

Backgrounds: Artifact 1 (moonsilver breastplate), Connections 3 (Northern barbarians), Backing 1 (Gold Faction), Familiar 3, Salary 1, Savant 3, Sifu 3

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 3\\ Advantages: Essence 3, Willpower 6

Charms: Unserving Juggernaut Principle, Yellow Path, Becoming the Wilderness, Adopting the Untamed Face, Dreaming the Wild Lands, Pain Amplification Stratagem, Absence, Soft Presence Practice, Burn Life, Forgotten Earth, Crimson Leaping Cat Technique, Striking Fury Claws Attack

Colleges: Mast 2, Gull 3, Ship's Wheel 2

Merits: Internal Compass +1, Prodigy (Linguistics) +2, Jack of All Trades +4, Lucky +3\\ Flaws: Unusual Appearance -1, Barbarian -1, Enemy -5, Throwback -3 (Essence Nature: Bureaucrat)