Gavrik

**Gavrik** is a Skelliger witcher of the School of the Bear. He was nicknamed *marbhadhse* by the inhabitants of the Small Mountains. Also known as the *Ebony Bear of Arden*.

## Biography

### Early life

Gavrik was born on the city of Arden, on the jarldom of Thule, on the Skellige Isles, to Lars and Yrsa. Lars was a prominent raider, a drunk, and had a rough temper; and would frequently, after drinking, beat both Gavrik and his mother. Yrsa on the other hand was a very loving and caring mother, and would often willingly take the brunt of the beatings in order to protect Gavrik, and the two developed a deep bond. Gavrik was often told that he had inherited the burly nature of his father and the good looks of his mother, and that he would make an excellent raider someday. However, he hated to be compared to his father in any way.

### Becoming a witcher

One day, after coming back from a raid, Lars got specially drunk and wandered off into the woods. There, he was attacked by a pack of harpies, but was eventually saved by a master witcher, Drust, from the School of the Bear. The monster hunter invoked the Law of Surprise, claiming "the first thing that comes to greet you" as a reward. This turned out to be Gavrik, as he begrudgingly had set out to look for his father after he wandered into the wild. Yrsa was outraged by this, claiming that "Gavrik's life was worth 1,000 of Lars'", which prompted him to give his pregnant wife a specially cruel beating, eventually stopped by the witcher, which deemed this unnecessary. Gavrik and a bloodied Yrsa proceeded to have a heartfelt goodbye, and Yrsa gave him a parting gift, a bracelet which was crafted by his long-gone grandmother, which depicted the goddess Artio protecting her bear pup. A 14-year-old Gavrik was then taken to far away Haern Caduch to begin his training.

Witcher training isn't easy, but on the snowy heights of the Amell Mountains it was specially hard, and specially deadly. All of Gavrik's adept friends died during training or during the Trial of Grasses. Gavrik's only lasting connection to his years-long hardship on the pass was with Grandmaster Aðalsteinn, who tried to be a beacon of warmth on the frozen peaks.

### Setting off on the Path

Gavrik wanted to return home to check up on his mother, but first he needed to earn experience and coin, and Arden was far away and difficult to reach. On his second year on the Path, Gavrik found himself on Tir Tochair, on a contract in a haunted mine. It is said Gavrik slayed hundreds of wraiths that night, and thus was nicknamed *marbhadhse*, "ghost slayer" by the dwarves and gnomes that had hired him, becoming a legend in the area.

### Home is where the heart is

Eventually, after 7 years of having concluded his training, Gavrik made his way back to Arden. Knocking on the door of his old home, he was greeted by a young girl. Upon asking after Yrsa, the girl told him that the Catriona Plague had taken her but a month earlier. Gavrik was devastated. A few weeks? He could've gotten there earlier. He apologized for the inconvenience and turned away, but was stopped by the girl, who wore a bracelet very similar to his own. She was his sister, born shortly after he was taken away. Aife was her name. She told him that Lars had died a few years past, on a raid, and that Yrsa had turned to prostitution to support the two of them. She said that his mother had never forgotten him, and that she would say a prayer every year on his birthday for his safety, and the two of them would speculate about beasts that the boy had slain. Aife admitted she was struggling to keep their house and was thinking about going into prostitution herself, being not much older than Gavrik was the day he left to become a monster hunter. Gavrik gave her the 7 years worth of gold that he had saved, and said that he would continue to send it her way as long as he had some to spare. Aife reluctantly accepted. The two proceeded to have a earnest conversation and developed a bond, but Gavrik, being a witcher, was not welcomed by the village for prolonged stays. He remarked that Aife reminded him a lot of their mother, both physically and in personality, and wandered off into the night.

### A thread of fate

Many years later, Gavrik had heard that a wyvern was assaulting the region near the village of Elkersjem, and the locals had put up together quite the bounty for its head. Gavrik accepted the contract, and set out to find the beast. He tracked his prey to the rugged mountains a few kilometers out of the village. After finding it's nest, Gavrik took every precaution necessary, a handful of potions and oils, since a wyvern is an extremely dangerous beast. The battle that ensued was hard-fought, but the monster hunter emerged victorious. However, victory always comes at a cost. Gavrik was injured. Badly injured. On the brink of death. He needed help, since this was too much for him to handle alone, as he never was the best healer anyway. He dragged himself for hours back to the village, only to be greeted by closed door after closed door. Of course. What should he have expected? The villagers would keep their coin, and get rid of the freak at the same time. He was almost accepting his fate, but then... an angel. A druid that had arrived while he was out hunting took him in and healed him. The two never parted ways again.

## Appearance

Gavrik is as clean as possible for a witcher. He wears hardened leather armor on top of a chainmail shirt, with fur woven into the neck, and most of the time covers it all with a black cloak and hood. He's tall and described as a "wall of muscle" by Cesna, but claims he's average sized for a Bear witcher, even a little lighter since he likes to have speed on the battlefield. He has very short, well-kept hair and a full beard which are jet black. He also has burning, amber, piercing eyes, with feline pupils, like any witcher. Cesna says that when he smiles, his whole face smiles too.