Belsnickel

* Biography
* Threat Assessment
* Trivia and Notes
* Gallery

Stekkajarstaur, Stúfur, Askasleikir, Gluggagægir, Gáttaþefur, Ketkrókur, and Kertasnikir (Brothers)
Gilijagaur, Þvörusleikir, Pottaskefill, Skyrgámur, and Bjúgnskrækir (Sisters)
Bleisnickel (Son)

### Affiliation

Yule Ladds (Member)
The Fellowship of the Good Servants of Nóatún (Former Member)

## Biographical Information

### Marital Status

*Unknown*
Exes (Befana and Qemara, Ex-Lovers)

## Physical Description

### Belsnickel: ~345 CE - Present

One of the middle children of Grýla, from a young age this child was different. He was born of exceptional size, nearly one-and-half times larger than most other elflings at birth. This immense size would be present throughout his childhood, as the elfling stood head and shoulders over his tallest peers. Of course, this was even more exaggerated due to his family being the entire population of Svartálfar living among a population of Hvítálfar, specifically the Huldufólk tribe.

It was traditional among the elves of the Huldufólk to not name their children until a respected elder could bless the child with an appropriate name or the child exhibited a distinct personality trait. When this child was somewhat older, his parents finally gave him a name: Hurðaskellir — meaning "door slammer", due to the child's habit of doing just that: slamming doors, often as a means to scare others. It turns out that Hurðaskellir had a nasty addiction to rousing fear in others. This probably should have been expected as his parents were vindicative and cruel sort. Hurðaskellir was often beaten as a child in order to discipline him for denying his parents and was also encouraged to use violence against his peers and siblings.

When Hurðaskellir left home to begin his journey of self-discovery, he likely never intended to return. Eventually, he ran afoul of the Aesir. Drunken gods harassed him for being Svartálfar. As the abuse went on, the elf became impatient and displeased. The gods did not appreciate his retorts and they attempted to clip his ears. Luckily, the Vanir gods intercepted this incident, saving the elf's life.

The Vanir gods brought Hurðaskellir to their court, introducing the elf to their king, Njord. Grateful for the gods' protection, Hurðaskellir pledged his devotion and even his name to the Vanir, and later the combined Norse alliance of Vanir and Aesir, the elf became seen as a figure of great renown for his service and devotion.

A minor cult formed around the nameless elf which became the basis for the religion known as The Fellowship of Good Servants of Nóatún, or the "Goodfellows". The nameless elf took on the title of Knecht, meaning servant, and formed the doctrine and traditions of the holy order built around service to others, particularly the gods.

Due to his own harsh abuse as a child, the faith's disciplinary practices usually made use of the whip or switch. The Knecht was known to carry a whip on his person at all times, and elves often referred to him as "Father Whip" or simply "The Whipper". Of course, at that time, there was little fragrant about this. Whipping were more common in those days, so the Norse gods allowed this practice to continue.

These whippings, and other abuses (including the acceptable practice of drowning problem children with burlap sacks in ice-cold water), eventually led to the Knecht being challenged by a Myrkálfar named Aloysia, who dared to oppose him.

A schism formed. For two hundred years, the faith was split between the "Old Fellows" and Aloysians. Unable to tolerate the prospect of losing all that he had built, the Knecht ordered his followers to take care of Aloysia. They carried out the execution, but it was unsuccessful and word of it got out to the Yule Father, who exiled him from Fellowship, giving him the name Ruprecht.

It was not long before Ruprecht shed his name in favor of one of his own making, becoming Belsnickel (roughly translated to "Santa in Fur"). He carried out of his own perverse mockery of the Yule traditions, but in lieu of giving bad children coal, Belsnickel would drag the wicked children's parents from their beds and beat them while their children watched. Before leaving, Belsnickel would threaten the children that he would return if they did not shape up. There were even instances of Belsnickels even carrying away some abusive parents or truly awful children into the night, their cries muffled by the burlap sack they had been crammed into.

Eventually, the Thule Society captured Belsnickel after he began hunting Nazis. He escaped from captivity, returned to Bjorland to find his family, and then brought his family to Nóatún. Due to Belsnickel being an exile, he and his family were rejected from residence in the elven sanctuary. Still, they squatted on the outskirts, harassing the Wardens and hunting Yule Cats.

## Threat Assessment

### Resources

* **Svartálfar Physiology:** Belsnickel is a member of the Svatálfar, a strong and hairy breed of elf that commonly lived deep underground in settlements alongside dwarves. Though many Svartálfar are shorter than other elven tribes, they often easily adapt to the environment in which they are raised. As a "surfacer" Svartálfar, Belsnickel grew tall and stocky, surpassing the height of nearly all other elves.
	+ ***Enhanced Agility:*** Belsnickel have a level of agility, coordination, and general dexterity that exceeds the capability of most humans. With his considerable size, many are caught off-guard by how quick and agile he truly is.
	+ ***Enhanced Balance:*** Belsnickel never lose his balance. He can run across icy ledges without fear of slipping and can climb the tallest of trees without trouble.
	+ ***Enhanced Hearing:*** Belsnickel has exceptional hearing.
	+ ***Enhanced Reflexes:*** Belsnickel has reaction time and reflexes that are heightened to levels unattainable by mundane humans.
	+ ***Enhanced Sight:*** Belsnickel's good eye can make out incredible detail, even in complete darkness. His other eye, though impaired, is still considerable.
	+ ***Enhanced Strength:*** Belsnickel has considerable strength, similar to a dwarf's. His strength is likely in the range of Class I — II Enhanced Strength.
	+ ***Longevity:*** Depending on their diet, lifestyle, and the ambient environmental essence, Belsnickel has lived an exceptionally long life and is still considered in his prime.
	+ ***Supernatural Senses:*** Belsnickel can see, hear, and interact with ethereal entities such as ghosts, unmanifested ephemerals, and astral projections.
* **Arcane Aptitude — That Which Is Mine:** Belsnickel has the power to impart a piece of himself onto which belongs to him. While that portion of his soul remains on that possession, Belsnickel can track and find what belongs to him, no matter if it goes missing, is stolen, or claimed by another. In fact, Belsnickel does not need to legally own whatever he claims, he simply has to have it in his possession and conduct a short ritual to invoke his claim.
* **Arcane Aptitude — That Which Must Be:** Belsnickel can pledge service to another, requiring sacrifice of something important to him. Once completed, Belsnickel finds himself stronger, more focused, and better able to resist that which would distract or deter him from carrying out that which his master requires or requests. He is under no compulsion to do anything which he does not wish to do and can freely break this connection at any time — however, if he does choose to carry out that which he objects to or finds untasteful, this magic can (and has) rewritten his personality to justify his actions.
* **Arcane Aptitude — That Which Is Hidden:** Belsnickel can detect deception, illusion, and mental coercion. All of these do not affect him unless he permits such to happen to him. He is also impervious to any psychic or magical effects that would alter his mind discreetly.
* **Arcane Aptitude — That Which Is The Way:** Belsnickel has the preternatural ability to avoid detection and bypass obstacles while he travels. He simply needs to visualize his destination, prepare for the travel, and then begin. As he traverses the terrain, obstacles are made easy to overcome and the environment seems to shield him from detection. He can travel in this manner for three hours every day, but can only do so on foot and only with kids and kin in tow.
* **Cruelty:** Belsnickel is skilled with a whip and has no reservations about cold-blooded murder. It is worth noting that Belsnickel's family is known as the "Yule Lads" in Bjorland, but this refers to the "ladd", an ancient word for the burlap sack that Belsnickel in his signature executions and kidnappings. Turns out, this was an old family tradition.

### Weaknesses

* **Vice — Pride:** Belsnickel is a proud elf, who does not handle rejection or denial well.
* **Vulnerability — Pure Adamant:** Belsnickel finds the touch of pure Adamant painful.
* **Vulnerability — Pure, Unforged Iron:'** Belsnickel cannot abide the touch of pure iron.

### Analytics

* **Physicality:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Occult:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Weaponry:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Expertise:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Range:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
* **Strategy:** 5 — Master / Remarkable
	+ **TOTAL:** 90
	+ **RANKING:** Elevated Threat

## Trivia and Notes

### Trivia

* Halida believes that during around World War, the Nazis or The Thule Society captured Belsnickel and Qemara and performed experiments on them including forced breeding resulting in Blay's conception and birth.

### Notes

* Belsnickel is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas gift-bringer figure in the folklore of the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany.
* He's composited to other "dark" or threatening companions of Saint Nicholas in different folklores:
	+ Père Fouettard is a character who accompanies Saint Nicholas on his rounds during Saint Nicholas Day on December 6th, dispensing lumps of coal and/or beatings to naughty children while St. Nicholas gives gifts to the well-behaved and is known mainly in the far north and eastern regions of France, in the south of Belgium, and in French-speaking Switzerland.
	+ Knecht Ruprecht is a companion of Saint Nicholas in the folklore of Germany.
* His lover Befana in the Italian folklore, is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve, the night of January 5th.
* His family are figures from the Icelandic Christmas folklore:
	+ Grýla, a giantess with an appetite for the flesh of mischievous children, whom she cooks in a large pot. Her husband Leppalúði is lazy and mostly stays at home in their cave.
	+ The Yule Lads are a group of 13 mischievous pranksters who steal from or harass the population and all have descriptive names that convey their favorite way of harassing.

## Links and References

* Appearances of Belsnickel

1. ↑ Network Files: Belsnickel
2. ↑ VOX Box: Hellboy Saves Christmas 4