Bjarni's Story
Bjarni Bare-skin has always been plagued by visions. Sometimes the
visions were easily understood, like locating a lost item, but more often that not they
were incomprehensible. No one knew what to make of this until Chief Skorri finally decided
that a divination was in order and the priest spoke but a single line in return, "The
winds speak to him of what they see, have seen and will see." After some discussion
it was decided that Bjarni had been 'blessed' by Orlanth and the best thing the tribe
could do would be to let him be.
In Bjarni's 10th year, his visions led/drove
him from his comfortable homestead in Heortland into Dragon Pass. For some time, he was
able to follow clansmen of the Colymar who were travelling north to join their new
settlement but there came a time when they continued north and he headed northwest to Kero
Fin. Bjarni still wonders how he managed to live through trip, but his visions drove him
on and perhaps sustained him as well.
At Kero Fin Bjarni met Old-man Yorsar. Yorsar taught him the
traditions of the Kolating Spirit-Talkers and helped him to awaken his fetch. Yorsar also
showed him how to create fetishes and helped him in his first travels in the spririt
plane. Then, for several years they travelled about Dragon Pass and Yorsar introduced
Bjarni to many of the secrets of this land.
In the far north-west Bjarni met strange Orlanthis who fought naked,
protected by nothing but their woad tattooos. He met creatures like incomprehensible
dragonnewts and strange duck-folk who had thir own traditions of Orlanth. All too often
they also met spawn of Chaos from their vile nests which infested this. He climbed many
mountains to speak to the winds and hopes one day to climb to the peaks of Old Wind and
Kero Fin and speak directly to the great Wind Spirits. They even visited the Grazelands
(in the east where the horse riders live) and to the edges of Prax (to the far southwest
where the beast riders live). In was in Prax that Yorsar was able to introduce him to
shamans who undertook to teach Bjarni something of their traditions. It was also here that
Yorsar left him, following a wind that took him to the far north.
Bjarni also began to understand something about his visions, that
they were not incomprehensible but that he could not comprehend them. For as he learned
more he understood more and as he understood more he found that he was sometimes able to
direct these visions. Still they most often came unbidden and their result was usually to
set Yorsar and Bjarni on some new path. Still, even Yorsar was unable to provide a clue as
to why these visions came to him. It appeared that he was being prepared for something but
for what?
Recently, his visions have led him back into Heortland. A vision
which showed him his old clan moving to a new home led by an axe and a spear. A vision
which showed him leading this axe and spear to a new land and then burying the axe and
spear in that land, thereby making it theirs. Bjarini doesn't talk about his vision that
much.
Narrative
Bjarni Bare-skin is a Kolating Spirit-talker from Heortland.
He has visions which he can occassionaly control. He has a Vrok Fetch and
has integrated many spirits. Old-man Yorsar taught him how to do these
things. Bjarni has travelled extensively in and around Dragon Pass and is quite
familiar with its customs, geography and people. Bjarni is very agile and an accomplished
hunter. While travelling, he found a magic spirit torc, learned the secret
of woad tattoos, the languages of the birds and beasts and the Praxian
Shamanistic traditions. He is known and respected in Prax.
Flaws
Bjarnis appearance is odd even by the minimal standards of
Heortland Orlanthis. He's practically naked (typical garb is a loincloth, a bag, a spear
and a shield), covered in blue tatooes, and his body is piereced in many places by Vrok
feathers and Alynx claws and teeth. Finally, his habit of only washing when he gets caught
in a passing rainstorm tends to lend him a certain 'natural' smell. Finally, he appears
to be crazy, when he is struck by a vision in the middle of some other task and starts
to react to situations which are not apparent to any bystander.
Character Sheet
Last modified July 06, 2000
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