Jolaf Bearbreaker

## Appearance

Shorter than an average man as a dwarf, a fire red beard and ginger hair. A long scar crosses just above his left eye, running from his left eyebrow to his cheek. He wears a snowy white fire bear pelt over his shoulder as a cloak.

## Biography

In the cold wastes North of the Wall, a crippled man or a dwarven baby is doomed to die, or so it is thought. So when Jolaf was born, kicking and screaming with way into the world at the tail end of 255 AC, his father took one look at the overly large head and shrunken body and declared Jolaf not his son. He gave the mother, Helena, a choice, abandon the baby and he could forgive her or stay with it,as he called Jolaf, and be left alone without a protector from other wildlings. His mother, surprisingly took the latter, and his father left, never to be seen again, Jolaf took To wishing he had been eaten by a bear.

After his father’s departure, Helena was forced into join the Clan of the Icehooks, for they provided food and shelter from the more unsavory warriors far beyond the wall. Jolaf’s early life was menial choirs and being used as a jester for the Chief of the Icehooks, forced to throw and catch flaming axes which fueled his rage and helped him develop into quite the Ambidextrous person. Him and his mother were treated as servants, slave even at times. With her even being used as the chiefs... personal companion at times. The other young boys of the Clan would tease Jolaf for his size and bully him for his bright red hair. Jolaf, letting his temper take over, would fight back with whatever he had available, usually just his fists. Unarmed. Over time and after years of fights, he slowly began to learn how to fight, how to duck and weave and beat his opponent into the ground with just his fists and his wits. Duelist.

After years of fighting, slaving away and serving the Chiefs of the Icehooks, Jolaf and his mother received a chance at freedom. There was a bear killing any hunters that went into the haunted forest. Some nights it would even be bold enough to wander into camp, killing some poor soul before dragging the body back into the darkness. It was terrorizing the tribe, starving the people and the Chief wanted it dead. Jolaf volunteered, but only for his mother’s freedom now and his own freedom when he returned with the bear’s pelt in hand. His elders laughed, handing him a rusted axe and wishing him “the best of luck.” Jolaf found the bear, sleeping in its cave over the body of one of his tribesmates. This wasn’t just any normal bear, it was a dire bear, with a Snow White pelt and red eyes which would glow in the dark. he snuck up behind it and swung from behind breaking the axe in the process and enraging the former sleeping bear. It raked its claws across his face, narrowly missing his left eye, but blinding it with blood. Jolaf, using all of his combat experience punched the once in the nose and used a sharpened bone from the ground, stabbing the bear and blinding it in one eye. Jolaf backed up, and using the splintered hilt of the axe, stabbed the bear through the other eye blinding it before jamming it through into the brain.

The next morning, the scouts outside the Canp of the Icehooks would spit a small man, walking towards the camp with a bear pelt wrapped over his shoulders. Jolaf was welcomed back to the tribe as a hero, freeing them from the bear and avenging the fallen. The Old and fat Chief of the Icehooks sat upon his wooden throne and didn’t see a hero, just an up jumped slave who was gathering too much support within his tribe. The Chief summoned Jolaf and the tribe before him, and all expect him to grant the *Bearbreaker* as they called him the freedom he deserved. Instead, the old fat fool sent forth his warrior brother, who challenged him to a duel for his freedom his rightfully deserved. “We duel as we are dwarf,” he said before pulling out a old rusted sword and charging straight towards Jolaf, intent on catching him off. Jolaf, veteran of a hundred beatings from this man, side stepped and tripped the wildling, sending him crashing to the ground. He jumped on top of the downed man and began pummeling the man, breaking his nose, knocking him out and eventually breaking through his skull. Jolaf, soaked in brain matter and blood, removed the man’s crude steel gauntlets and placed them over his own fists, before turning towards the Chief.

The Crowd was shocked, their hero, their savior had just been attacked by the very man who sent him into the forest with an axe and expected him never to return. The man who was supposed to protect them, to lead them had turned into a coward and they turned on him. This man was no Freefolk, he was worse than a Kneeler, worse than a Crow, he was a traitor and he must die.

The Old Chief was dead and another must be chosen before others take advantage of their weakness. Who better to lead them than one who had just proven his Strength, one who had just proven his will to fight and survive which is needed North of the Wall. But now the Horn of Winter has been found, the Lands South of the Wall are in Chaos with their Kneelers quables and a supposed King Beyond the Wall is calling the Freefolk together. This is a time for action and war, not peace and weakness.

## Timeline

255 AC- Jolaf is born and his father disappears

257 AC - Jolaf and Helena Join the Icehooks

270 AC- Jolaf becomes a renowned boxer within the Icehookers, stopping most of the fights

279 AC-Dire Bear begins harassing the Tribe

281 AC- Jolaf Kills the Dire Bear, the Chief and his brother and assumes control over the Icehooks