The Frostbane Clan

“Vigilance. Patience. Discipline. These are the tools of survival.
Each day is a fight against starvation, and each night is a duel with
icy death. Greed and lethargy lead to destruction - so share your
burdens and your bounties with your fellow men, and hold fast against
the withering that comes with the passing of time.”

- Bonelord Uthlir, Necromancer.

Bold and proud, Clan Frostbane have held fast against famine,
disease, insurrection and appropriation. They have stood their ground
against those who would seek their destruction, and overcome
adversity the likes of which no other Clan has experienced.

Perhaps the eldest of the Clans, the Frostbane first settled in what
is now their holding at a time where the earth itself was rotten, and
the forests held little insofar as game to hunt. They survived from
what supplies they had, and desperately sought a solution. Day by
day, members of the Clan were growing sickly and frail, and those who
passed became restless.

When the dusk was at its bleakest, salvation presented itself. The
elements themselves manifested and spoke with the Clan – offering
the creation of a wondrous, bountiful river in which life would
flourish. All they asked in return was that the spirits of the dead
were permitted to pass on honourably, so they may be nurtured once
more.

It was then that the young healer Uthlir stepped forward, asking how
such a momentous task would be accomplished. The elements responded;
gifting him with knowledge of the dead, forever changing his
perspective of the world around him. Uthlir took the mantle of
Bonelord, and aided the passing of the restless spirits that once
called him brother.

Uthlir's brother and Chieftain of the Frostbane, Garron, grew
jealous. The Clan revered the Bonelord, for he alone had cleansed the
earth of taint and allowed their beloved Clanmates to find peace.

Garron travelled east, leaving the Clan in the
capable hands of his brother, to search for a way to bring glory to
his name and prosperity to the Frostbane. He travelled past the grand
tree spirit Anakh, and found the Anuk'Amani. He stayed some time
within their dwelling, and a malevolent plot began to take root.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of Ulthir, the Clan faced a new
threat – those loyal to Garron were growing evermore restless at
the situation. While they were grateful for the Bonelord's affinity
for spirit-mending, they viewed him as a follower rather than a
leader, and the way he operated the Clan displeased them greatly. One
night, they took up arms against him.

They were utterly crushed.

Time passed, and all was well, until the Chieftain returned.

Through the manipulations of Garron, the Frostbane were goaded into
conflict with a competing clan under the pretence that they were
treacherous and sinister, simply waiting for an opportunity to strike
– a cruel deception, and a stain on their honour they have yet to
rid themselves of. Garron boasted of his alliance with the
Anuk'Amani, and claimed the Clan had no choice but to act. Ulthir
tried to intervene, but the Chieftain demanded his silence.
Honour-bound, the Bonelord said nothing as his people descended upon
the Iceblade's village.

It took months for the Frostbane to come to terms with the conflict.
Bodies were burned, buildings were rebuilt, all the while the
Bonelord spoke to no-one save for the spirits of those who perished. A year passed, and Garron's thirst for blood began to come to the
surface once more. Rumours spread that he had planned on decimating
the inhabitants of Morrigan's Grove next, but he would never get that
chance.

Bonelord Ulthir flew into a furious rage, and a fight unlike any
other erupted as he threw himself at Garron. The Chieftain rose his axe high and snarled,
slashing wildly towards his brother. Ulthir, always having been the
more nimble one, managed to evade most of the attacks, bringing down
his dagger upon the skull of Garron in a vicious stab that echoed
throughout the land.

His hands seeping with a deep, inky blackness, the Bonelord lifted
the Chieftain high into the air with the unrelenting energies of his
sorcery, and as light streamed from the eyes of the body it eroded to
nought but ash.

From that day, until this day, the Bonelord has ruled over Clan Frostbane with unquestionable authority.