Njord Camareno

[The Warrior Poet]

Name: Njord Camareno
Age: 25
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 254 lbs
Build: Muscular
Skin Tone: Fair
Eyes: Ice Blue
Hair: Brown
Race: Human/Valdyr
Nationality: Caelteth Eyropian

Supernatural Information –
Being: Valdyr(Lycan)
Vestige(Type): New Moon – Myrkr
Tribe: Shadow Masters

Possessions – Njord carries very few possessions, but does keep a half-moon battleaxe with a balance spike on his back. He also carries a composite longbow, and is quite skilled at setting up long-range shots from the shadows(as per his nature). He specializes in Stealth, preferring for the battle to be already decided when it comes time to unleash his claws and teeth.

Appearance – Njord isn’t one to care about his appearance, but beneath the wild and dirty exterior, a quite handsome man lies beneath. Because this is hidden beneath years of survival in the wilderness, it has no effect on any of his day to day life. He has long brown hair that touches just past his shoulders and piercing sky blue eyes, reflections of his snowy mountain home. His fair skin is seems tanner than it is, having been baked in the dirt and snow of the marshes. Whatever handsomeness his face may hold is ruined by a single, wicked scar that curves down from the corner of his left eye down to his jawline. He doesn’t know where he got it from, but feels that it is important somehow and doesn’t try to hide it. When in his animal forms, he takes on the appearance of a white grizzly bear, albeit a much larger and scarier grizzly bear with supernatural strength and speed. His eyes retain the same color as they do in their human form, and the scar on his face is revealed by jet black fur.

History – Njord was born to Joseph and Isabel Carver the youngest of five children. They were a family of mid-wealth in the Scandinavian Region of Caelteth Eyropian. His given family name was Eric Carver, and for the first sixteen years of his life, everything was relatively normal.

Relatively, however, does not mean completely. At night, he would hear strange sounds from the woods outside his home, but was always too afraid to investigate. There was also the wolf that would sit outside his window from time to time. She would watch him. Only him, never any of his siblings. He would stay up late at night watching her, but the few times he worked up the courage to venture outside, she would disappear. These weren’t the only strange happenings, however.

From a young age, Eric seemed to have an affinity for the supernatural and spiritual. Mages would amaze him, and stories of vampires and other monsters of the night intrigue him. He began to seek after more knowledge on these, and when his parents found out he was doubly punished for “seeking the works of the Dark.” It was not mere curiosity that drove him, however. When he was alone, beings from the Twilight Realm would come to torment him, calling him “Kinslayer” or “Luna’s Bane.”

When he turned sixteen, something happened that would forever change Eric’s life, and make him an outcast even among those whom he was about to join. On his sixteenth birthday, when the moon was new and its countenance hidden, his First Change overtook him. His blood, rich with his Valdyr heritage, finally boiled over and released a monstrous beast.

It had been a most peculiar night. Eric had ventured from the safety of his home to once again try and meet the wolf. Unlike the other nights he had done so, however, she had remained in place. Snow had covered the ground and trees, and the reflection of the torchlight off of its surface cast an eerie glow over the scene. Eric’s heart was beating fast within his breast, but he didn’t know why. He inched closer and closer to the wolf, afraid that she was going to run off, but she remained still. Her icy blue eyes regarded him with interest, as if beckoning him to come closer. He reached out a shaking hand, moving it forward for her to smell, not wanting to alarm her. She sniffed it carefully, then began to lick his palm. Just as Eric relaxed and began to pet her, she struck.

Blood gushed from a deep wound in his hand, and he recoiled, groaning as his hand throbbed with white pain. For some reason, being bitten by this animal made him the angriest he had ever been in his life. He felt a boiling RAGE begin to build within his very bones, mixed with a deep fear as the forest around his home seemed to spring to life. Suddenly, two large shapes burst forth from the edge of the woods, barreling towards him at high speed. The only things Eric could make out were teeth and claws, but something deep down inside told him he knew what they were. That he was one of them, and that they were going to KILL him.

As Eric’s body shifted for the first time, his skin split, peeling away from his body like a snake’s, revealing white fur beneath. His bones seemed to liquify, expand, and harden again into new shapes. Slabs of muscle burst forth from his arms, chest, and legs, and his face elongated, making room for rows of razor sharp teeth. When the transformation was over, Eric was no longer human, but a creature of ancient spirit magic. He had become Valdyr, a were-bear.

When he awoke the next morning, he found himself naked and in the care of a hermit in a swamp far from home. This hermit would become his mentor and friend. Eric remembered nothing of his former life after waking, but he knew instinctively he was different than he had been, and that he could never go back. The hermit, a clergy by the name of Reverend Tackyjack, taught him how to use his newfound abilities. He taught him how to hunt, how to shift, and how to track. His lessons ranged from the inherent magical abilities of the Valdyr, to the Gifts granted by spirits in the Twilight Realm, and it wasn’t long before Eric joined the Shadow Masters, the tribe of his mentor. Here, through merits of combat and skill, he earned the tribe name Avalanche. Eric chose a name for himself, and decided that Njord, a name shared by a god of Norse Mythology, would fit. For four years he studied beneath the Reverend, before leaving to seek his place in the world.

After travelling for some time, he arrived at the gates of Marn, and has since set up a small butcher’s shop in the Market. By no means wealthy, he does make enough to provide for himself, all the while doing what he can to keep his magical heritage a secret. By night, he hunts spirits, making pacts with them for Essence, the spiritual energy that fuels his unnatural powers. He is still actively searching for a nearby Locus, a place where the Gauntlet separating the Material and Twilight realms is weak enough to allow spirits entry and vice versa. He knows what his duty is. He is Myrkr, a protector of holy places and shadow guardian of mortals. There are several mysteries that still plague Njord’s thoughts and dreams. Spirits still visit him in the darkness, continuing to echo “Kinslayer” in his ear. These mysteries may unravel themselves in time, but that remains to be seen. Will he unlock the mystery of his past? Or will he forever wander in darkness…?

Magical Information – Valdyr or “Werewolves” as they are sometimes called, stem not from disease, but from bloodline. The First Hunter, Father Wolf, mated with Mother Luna, the spirit of the moon, and thus the first werewolves were born into a litter of nine. Father Wolf took them and raised them, teaching them to protect the two realms from one another. However, when father wolf mated with Mother Luna, he also brought upon himself mortality. Of course, it didn’t happen at first, but over the years, Father Wolf’s teeth and claws began to dull, his wits slowed and more and more spirits began to slip by his notice. As all wolves do, when the alpha gets weak, he must be replaced. Father Wolf’s bane was that if his children ever made a move to truly strike him down he could not fight back. All but three of Father Wolf’s children fell on their progenitor, and it’s said that his deathcry split the two realms apart. It supposedly killed the wolf that struck the deathblow, and every spirit and mortal alike heard the piercing howl.

When Mother Luna heard the cry, she cursed her children, turning her back on them. Thus, the Valdyr became forsaken. Over the centuries, some measure of this curse has been lifted, and Mother Luna’s grace has shifted from those that stayed their hands against Father Wolf, to those that did not. The world they exist in is a broken, tattered shadow of what it once was, and now the Pure, those descended from the cowards that did not strike at Father Wolf have multiplied beyond the forsaken’s control, and now hunt them as their prey.



Benefits – Valdyr are inherently magical creatures, but unlike traditional folklore, they maintain their composure and human intelligence in most of their forms. Valdyr have five different forms ranging from full human to full wolf. These are as follows:


Hishu - human form. An Valdyr appears to be a normal, if very fit and healthy, human. An unconscious or dead werewolf returns to this form.

Dalu - near-human form. The Valdyr is slightly bigger, hairier and stronger. (This is the traditional werewolf form of folklore)

Gauru - wolf-man or war form. Half-human, half-wolf, Gauru form Valdyr are generally 8 to 9 feet tall and much heavier and stronger than any human. In this form a werewolf's blood-lust rises to the surface and is much harder to control. Valdyr can only channel the power of the Gauru form for a limited time, and generally only take this form to kill.

Urshul - near-wolf form. An Valdyr in this form is a huge wolf 3 to 5 feet high at the shoulder.

Urhan - wolf form. The Valdyr is indistinguishable from a normal wolf, though different Valdyr resemble different breeds or species of wolf.

Each Valdyr has an Vestige, a traditional role in Valdyr society, tied to one of five phases of the moon. Luna decides each Valdyr's auspice, based on their personality and abilities; accordingly, an Valdyr will go through the First Change during the corresponding moon phase. The five auspices have the following names in the First Tongue.

Njord's Vestige:
New Moon Vestige - Stealth, Guile, and Cunning (Myrkr)

Waning Crescent Vestige - Twilight Masters, Keepers, Craftsmen (Midhu)

His Clan:

Shadow Masters - Lords of the Hunt, Guardians of Spiritual Nexi and masters of Stealth

New Moon Vestige - Stealth, Guile, and Cunning (Myrkr)

Waxing Crescent Vestige - Shamans, Mystics, Necromancers (Uggae)

Half Moon Vestige - Wise Men, Judges, Mediators (Dayyani)

Waxing Gibbous Vestige - Record Keepers, Scribes, Scholars (Vizu)

Full Moon Vestige - Warriors, Hunters, Guardians (Etlu)

Waning Gibbous Vestige - Visionaries, Healers, Bards (Nabu-Asar)

Waning Crescent Vestige - Twilight Masters, Keepers, Craftsmen (Midhu)


Weaknesses – Valdyr suffer(as all werewolves do), from a severe weakness to silver. This is because Silver is representative of the moon, and Mother Luna. Silver weapons are hard to come by, and being a weak metal, easy to blunt and distort. They are also quite expensive, but this doesn’t mean werewolves don’t run into them. A supernatural weapon acts like a bane to the Valdyr’s spirit half, rending flesh and bone twice as efficiently as a normal weapon.

Valdyr are also very emotional creatures, and their anger, fear, or any other strong emotion can trigger what’s known as a Death Rage. When in Death Rage, the Werewolf sees only in red, with anything living or moving becoming black. In this blind fury, the werewolf cannot tell friend from foe, from food, and literally goes on a rampage. Giving into their bloodlust can also trigger a Death Rage, and the more powerful the werewolf, the longer the Death Rage lasts. Also, Spirits can tell how many times a werewolf has gone into Death Rage, and are less keen to work with Valdyr that show a lack of self-control in this regard, considering them little better than animals.

Werewolves also have difficulty in dealing with mortals the more powerful they become. A newly Changed Valdyr is easily able to deal with mortals, whereas a more powerful Valdyr gives off a predatory sense that makes people uncomfortable or even hostile towards him. A werewolf of great power gives off such a taint that she bleeds Essence.

Gifts – Njord is still considered a newly changed werewolf, despite his training. He only has three Gifts and one Rite at this time.

Feet of Mist (New Moon Gift) – Using this gift allows Njord to move silently even when running, the sounds of his footfalls almost impossible to detect. This does nothing for him on a visual basis, however.

Blending (Stealth Gift) – When he invokes this Gift, Njord effectively blends in with whatever is surrounding him as long as he remains still. This can be a stone wall, a grassy field, or even a tapestry. This Gift only works as long he remains still.

Slip Away(New Moon Gift) – This Gift allows the Valdyr to escape ANY mundane bond, whether that be a grapple, handcuffs, or even shackles or the stockade. This gift cannot be used to escape magical bonds.

Rites – Njord only has one rite at the time being

Rite of Dedication: This Rite is performed when the Valdyr spreads her blood over the gear she carries, and allows it to shapeshift with her, melding into her body as she takes the different forms. Thus, the werewolf doesn’t lose all of her possessions each time she shifts.


I'm sure as with any first character submission there will be some issues. Let me know and I will be happy to make necessary corrections. I look forward to playing in this setting! :-D

- The Warrior Poet

[Frug]

My first impression was that I hated your avatar, but then the words started appearing and I laughed.

The character makes too much direct reference to the world of darkness. This is not the world of darkness we're playing here, it's Pal Tahrenor. It shouldn't have all the exact same breeds and clans that wod has. I appreciate that it's interesting how the shifter lore coincides with the end of the changers' war and restoration of the seal, and I myself make reference to Luna and Inari in Chrishton's profile, but both of those gods are real world gods as well in some form or another. I treat their inclusion as derived from our world rather than world of darkness. Likewise for powers, or rather the names of the powers, are just ooc references.

Please give your character his own path, with descriptions of his relationship to other shifters where necessary, rather than bring the entire wod shifter structure into pal tahrenor.

[Frug]

To clarify, the history is well written and fits fine along with the powers which seem reasonable to me at the moment, but everything after the magical information which you got from the wikipedia article does not fit with this world, or hasn't yet been adjusted to the point that it does not cause a contradiction with existing characters or the more general premise of the setting. The world gets developed by the players over time or as things need to get established.

The only rules on werewolves that have been established are here http://www.tharshaddin.com/wiki/Races

Anything beyond that would need to be discussed, but it should give you the freedom not to change anything significant about your own character without using wod canon.

[The Warrior Poet]

Well the funny thing is, I had already made up a conversion for the Tribes, Auspices, Backstory, and setting for my own stories. I figure this would be a good chance to playtest them here. The one question I have about the backstory is, would you like me to change in completely or remove it and have him find out through exploration and research? Or is it possible to say that only that "breed" of werewolves have that backstory(which is what I meant in the first place). As I said before, I'm more than willing to make necessary changes in order to make him playable.

*Note: I kept the names of the different forms the same, I hope that's not a problem. It just makes it easier to describe what he shifts into, without having to write out a full paragraph each time he shapeshifts. Yes I still want to add flourish, but writing the same cold, hard facts every time he shapeshifts. Hopefully that makes sense, lol.

-The Warrior Poet

[Frug]

would you like me to change in completely or remove it and have him find out through exploration and research?

Have him find what out?

Or is it possible to say that only that "breed" of werewolves have that backstory(which is what I meant in the first place).

It depends what aspect of the backstory you're talking about.
As far as their creation story of Luna and father wolf goes, yes, you could say a certain group of shifters believes that story applies to them, although you have to keep in mind that werewolves in Pal Tahrenor are younger than humans by a long, long time. Werewolves are only about 3000 years old as a species, just like all magical races. You'll also have to account for that fact that it's just these ones who believe it, and not necessarily all lupines. If you want to start writing canon for Pal Tahrenor, I would want it to be much more separated from world of darkness.

It's safe to assume that (nearly) all werewolves on Pal Tahrenor worship Luna. She's not strictly part of wod, but a greko-roman goddess on our world. It's not safe to use the word Forsaken with a capital F. It is safe to say your character has a chosen path of a stealthy tracker. It's not safe to say that there are five auspices relating to the phases of the moon. It's safe to give him a clan name. It's not safe to say there are five clans that happen to be the same as the wod clans. The last tribe, glass walkers (or bronze shapers or iron masters) don't even make sense on Pal Tahrenor because there is so little technology to speak of.

So instead of opening that can of worms, it would be easiest if you just took the descriptions of the other tribes out and just focused on what your character is.

[The Warrior Poet]

Fair enough. If you noticed I changed the auspices. I edited it towards my own system, giving them nine, one for each ACTUAL phase of the moon(Waxing, Waning, etc.). The other alterations are fine with me, and I was aware of Luna's natural history. Did you look at the alterations I made there? And on the note of the Bronze Shapers, I assumed since Gnomes and Dwarves have some sort of advanced technology, certain werewolves would have adapted their magics for technological purposes. If this is a problem, however. I will change it.

To answer your first question, nevermind, lol.

To answer your second question, I meant the Father Wolf and Mother Luna part of the backstory.

Note: Saying that a Lycan's powers coincide to the moon is not a new idea or concept. It has been used by many writers, not just white wolf. However making them different is important, which is why I added the waxing and waning phases of the moon to represent a greater variety in these beings. However, for the time being, I have removed their explanation in his profile.

Fair enough. I will indeed separate it moreso. I will erase the other tribes and whatnot, but I believe we are seeing along the same lines, but poor communication is preventing us from reaching the same goal(it often happens online). Please believe I am not trying to turn your game or setting into something it's not. I am just trying to adapt something I love and enjoy and bring it into a new setting that is as true to that setting as possible. Your help is appreciated here. My new plan will be to strip down this character to the bare bones of his abilities, and build up his race's legacy through play and experimentation. So, I will erase the other tribes, but I would like to keep the other Vestiges if possible. Each is much more focused than anything in WoD, allowing for much more specific abilities.

[Frug]

I didn't notice you changed the number of auspices. I don't know either wod or the phases of the moon that well.

Regarding bronze shapers, that's a can of worms. Human and gnomish tech are two very different things. Dwarves don't really have it so much. Gnomish tech is all magical and weird inside, and the whole image of technology being the way of the future is not the same. I don't see why the clan should get brought in.

You can keep the vestiges since a religion like that could spring from other sources, feel free to add those again.

I'm not worried that you're trying to turn this into a WoD setting and you're taking my criticisms very well, but I have to push the other way - especially with new players. When I see all the wod references (and it wasn't just me who noticed) I have to clear that up.

[The Warrior Poet]

Appreciate it, so it was unclear whether or not you wanted me to do anything to the character, or whether or not he's approved. I will put the Vestiges back up there though, and I'll concede the point on the Bronze Shapers, they weren't really going to be an imporant influence on his adventures, and I can see how it doesn't fit well.

-The Warrior Poet

[Frug]

approved.