Birnir Rekkar

*Berserkers. **Bear Warriors or Bearkin**. This is the only Clan not entirely made up of men. Savages. There are a number of epithets to define the folks from the mountains of Norrvegr and they all describe their lifestyle pretty accurately. The Bear Warriors don’t talk much. They are practical, spontaneous and tend solve every problem with brute strength. Almost nobody can stop them once they commit. A true Bear Warrior will never pass a chance to show his or her strength and will always be at the forefront against any opponent. The Bears tend to wear heavy furs from mountain animals and wield heavy weapons to maximize their strength advantage with devastating effects. Those who are skilled in magic wear totems upon totems, made of bone, wood or any other material avaible at the top of their mountains. An ancient motto of the lands of the North says: “It’s not important to be friend with a Bear, what’s important is that the Bear is on your side of the shield wall”.*

## ***The King of the Mountain:***

The Bear Warriors aren’t a proper clan, but they are identified as such by the other denizens of the White Mountains. The people of this region are, in fact, primitive, savages, violent and have little time or interest for politics. The reason behind this error is that almost all the chieftains of the villages scattered across the mountains live in fear and under the thumb of Snjallrsons. Ever This family have ruled Fjalltindr (“top of the mountain”) the topmost village on the mountains for many years. The current “King of the Mountain” is Gamallbjarki (“old little bear”) of the Snjallrson. Strength is the only law on the mountains and another clan might challenge and replace the Snjallrsons at any moment.

## ***Cold as a Glacier***

The Great White Mountains are cold, inhospitable and the resources are scarce. The inhabitants struggle to survive each passing day. Over time, this extreme lifestyle transformed these people into mighty creatures with a strength vastly superior to the dwellers of the valleys. Some say they have been blessed, other, cursed. Bear Warriors have a legend where they cut a deal with the Fae Lord Known as 'Old Honey Paws or Mesikammen'. They claim they could not survive without the Fae's help and struck a bargain well and true. Once this occured men of the mountain forever changed in their bargain. No one truly knows for sure, and Mesikammen isn't talking.

## ***Natural Raiders***

Since time immemorial, the lack of natural resources has driven the mountain clans to cross the ford during the more mild season, when their’ not blocked by ice. Only the most ferocious and powerful warriors undertook this journey and their objective was to raid everything in their path. After many years of conflicts, this tradition mellowed out, as the other clans started offering the Bears to participate the spring raids. Over time, this new custom became more and more common, up to the point that no ship sailed without a couple of Bears on board and they became a curiosity in the coastal villages thanks to their fame of mighty warriors.

## ***The Priests of the Mountain***

Contrary to the popular opinion, the mountain dwellers aren’t just mighty warriors. every village hosts at least one priest that is skilled in the ancient rituals to commune with the spirit of the mountain and harness its power. These seers and sorcerers are highly respected and they often clash with the those Icy Crows that visit the Bears’ villages. While the Bear Warriors are, in their own way, followers of Dearith Ri and Pug, they also practice many rituals to cuddle the favors of the Mountain, which they worship as a true deity. These barbaric religious practices are blasphemous in the eyes of the Crows, who do their best not to speak about them, because abusing the Bears’ hospitality might have lethal consequences.

## ***The Curse of the Bear***

Recently, the snowstorms have become more and more powerful, blocking many mountain passes, but strange rumors started to circulate between the high-altitude villages. They spoke of a terrible curse that turns warriors into bloodthirsty monsters. Many were cast out of their villages under the suspicion that they were “cursed” and, according to other rumors, they founded their own village beyond Fjalltindr, in the uninhabited part of the mountain. Some villages literally disappeared overnight, as if they were swallowed by the mountain itself. According to the Bears’ sages, the Mountain is angry and it lust for blood have to be satiated before the Final Days.