Bron Skallagrimsson Character Development Thread
Goal: Battlerager
Original Character History Submission/Bio:
https://forums.layonara.com/approved-characters/new-character-submission-bron-skallagrimsson/msg1157892/#msg1157892
Anguish and RageLong the bitter years since Bron stalked out of his father’s mine and home, and made his way into the wide dangerous world. Long the years, of dulling the rage through ale and pick on stone, hammer on anvil, and axe on bone.
“Why live?” This had crossed his beard repeatedly. The weary tread of hikes, selling goods, surviving, drinking, camping in caves and under trees, all were tedious. “Why live?”
And yet whenever he considered ending his fruitless life, the rage would stand him up, shore him up, and move him onward, to the next mine, anvil, or battle.
Rage. Not a way to live. Yet it did let him survive. Living would be in a clan of friends, with a wife, a family, with Vorax-blessed will and …. with purpose. He had….nothing. Only rage.
He was raised honoring Vorax. Yet these years of surviving, not thriving, led to a crisis of faith. He knew that in Vorax’s eyes, Bron was pathetic. No mastery of blade. No mastery of weaponsmithing. No mastery of anything. He hated himself for the lack of commitment, lack of focus, lack of dedication to the mastery of….anything. And as much as he hated himself, and thought to end it all, he hated his father even more. And somehow, in the pit of childish emotions, he sometimes disbelieved in Vorax, or blamed Vorax, and disbelieved in anything that shined with pure courage, pure honor, pure warriorship.
His self-loathing was so deep, that If the Father of Battle existed, Bron knew that in his eyes Bron was unfit to carry Vorax’s shield or hammer.
Forty years have passed since escaping his father’s abuse and beatings. Forty years, mostly alone. And now Bron’s boots have lead him back to Mistone. His dull mind, self-shamed spirit, and ornery scowling cantankerous close-minded brute of a spirit has begun to thaw over these few months, due to the slow friendships developing with others of his kin. Traveling, talking, smithing, and battling with Khrom, Jinn, Van, Gumbo, and Mica have lead to a tiny spark of hope, of light, of ….faith.
When he had left his father Skallagrimson Troll-slayer, Bron had vowed to become better than his father, stronger, swifter, more masterful - and he had vowed to become a Giant Slayer. And last week, shoulder-to-shoulder with Khrom, Bron hewed with hammer and might, summoning the rage to embolden his spirit and limbs, felling giant after giant. He could barely think…..and he knew not what the sharp bright pain was in his chest.
Later, nursing the bruises and stitched cuts from the long battling, Bron wept. Deeply. And remembered. Giant-Slayer. He had vowed to be a Giant Slayer. And now he was. Perhaps he was not so worthless as he had thought. Perhaps Vorax did live inside Bron, in his strong limbs, wide gut, thick skull...perhaps there was something bright inside to live for.
And here were kin, friends, brothers, voicing the goal of living together in a cave hearth-home. Bron’s chest broke, shattered, melted, like an ice flow bursting upon a cliffside under the summer sun. This is it. What he longed for. Vorax…….Vorax…….forgive my disbelief, my cowardice, my lazy lack of focus. I will…..I will to be a warrior in your name. I will to channel this rage into the defense of my kin and kingdom. I will to focus this rage for the building of a hearth-home with those kin who are battle-comrades now.
Relief. Bron lay in the tavern bed. The whiskey on the table forgotten. Cheeks and beard wet with tears. His whole body relaxed…..like autumn leaves falling to the damp earth. He let go...and something inside chose life.
Then Bron heard the old voice, the nay-sayer, the doubter, the trouble-maker, the blamer and shamer, “but you didn’t kill the giants by yourself. There were others, spells empowering you, other blades rising and falling. You were amidst many, slaying giants. Alone, you would have died. As you should….now.”
Bron shook, in shock and sudden panic. Then he lept from the bed with a roar of rage. “Silence! No more!”
Rage rushed in hot fury through his body. “I will not listen to you! I will slay you as I will slay the giants! I have my courage now! I have my battle-comrades now! My rage sustains me! And my kin sustain me! And I will slay giants alone, when I Vorax guides me to!!”