The House of WolvesJarl: Zarathustra Metsamees(The Old Hound)
Path: Way of the Warrior
Zarathustra Whitemane(The Old Hound) age 57, Zarathustra is a towering hulk of a man, deep almost pale blue eyes with harsh dark brown skin, and sporting a graying bread trimmed short that complements his rough features. To most Zarathustra cut's an impressive image, a not all to surprising fact considering his warrior heritage. Zarathustra firmly holds to the old ways of the Whitemane's, adhering strictly to the way of the warrior. A self-disciplined though somewhat egotistical man, he is none the less a capable leader. Zarathustra has been the Great Wolf, or Jarl of Amriel for over 20 years and Zarathustra, like his fellow Whitemane kinsmen, is a fearsome warrior with great martial pride. He has led his Hold against many enemies of the Norsia and has shown a renowned thirst for battle, which some say, even rivals that of their legendary ancestor Snorri Metsamees.
An able tactician, Zarathustra lead numerous victories, most of which in the war between Gothra and Norsia where his ferocity and battle plans played pivotal roles in the war. So much so that Gothra made to assassinate him four times. With each attempt ending in failure, though the last came closest to killing him. It was Zarathustra who's voice spoke loudest in protest to peace, however, unable to convince Beron, instead returned to Amriel in anger. Zarathustra never took up arms, in part to wise counsel from his advisers, including his brother Zercrow. In fact it was his advice to convince Beron to set out in expedition to Everwinter.
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Zercrow Whitemane, Clans quartermaster and active ealdorman over Amriel's standing armies, age 40. An intelligent, skilled, and often talented bureaucrat, Zercrow has proven to be indispensable in helping his older brother manage the realm, as well as offering sound advice. This combined with his lack of personal ambition has allowed him to be the sure rocks of the Jarldom, and the few men Zarathustra can completely count on. A adapt sailor and warrior in his own right, he is untouched by the wolfs blood, though the taint has still affected him in the lesser condition of the berserker rage, something he has since mastered.
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Sorarik Whitemane second in line as head of Amriel and the clan, age 22. Title: Arl and Thegn of Balefrost city. Sorarik is a Thegn, son of of Amriel, he is young, intelligent, and ambitious and bold all these make good traits in any warrior (in the right amounts). Sorarik is very loyal to his father and still inspires to do great things under the banner of his clan, his sense of loyalty and ability to look into the face of danger unflinchingly has made him renown during the Gothran Wars. He will likely make a great leader one day or would if it was not for his snobby attitude, quick temper, and often down right rudeness to those he deems lower than he is. Commanding his men with an iron fist, he often demands absolute loyalty from his soldiers, believing long ago it is better to rule through fear rather than love. It is said though that Sorarik was born with a blood clot grasped in his fist, a sign that he was destined to become a great leader.
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Kjarik Whitemane first in line as head of Amriel, age 32, Arl. He speaks little, but he is not a lackwit. He knows full well that he will always be a warrior and not a leader. He is modest and unassuming in person, though he cannot deny his rare gift for crushing the mightiest of foes. While larger and more skill in the ways of the sword, he lacks the same level for a talent of command and leadership found in his younger brother Sorarik. Broad shouldered with short white snow white hair, the wolfs blood has touched Kjarik, giving him an unnaturally bushy eyebrows and a thick brow. Kjarik is also something of a loner, more at home amongst wolves than men. His steel and courage are beyond question, and it is rumored all wolves instinctively obey his commands. He is well-known for his terrible battle frenzy, and rides the monstrous Dire wolf Fangir into battle.
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Hellne Whitemane Sorarik's Twin sister, age 22, Hellne Whitemane is considered to be quite a skilled archer, as a well as voluptuous, warm, caramel-skinned beauty. Though nothing in her demeanor is strictly 'lady like.' Growing up within a highly marital focused clan has caused Hellne to be every bit as tough as most hardened warriors.
Dynasty Bio:
The family of Metsamees, also known today as the Whitemanes, has deep and strong bonds with nature. Much isn't known from their ancestors, it is said that their ancestors come from far west from small shamanistic tribes that was rumored to have powers of wendigo (guardian of the forest) or lycanthropy and that they were able to speak with all sorts of animals, plants and nature, organic or not.
Regardless what their ancestors are rumored to be the last remains of their family eventually fled then settled in Amriel (on the isle of Wolves), and as a clan set up a trade of monster and undead hunting, eliminating undead and the ones who create them as well as monsters all over the Norsia. After some generations their influence grew and eventually they were lifted to state of nobles having proven their prowess despite being largely foreigners.
This much is certain, their ancestors have perfected their martial skills and honed their bodies, minds and senses, in every generation starting from early youth and not stopping even in old age and passing on this tradition to their children, continuing to train, from generation to generation. It surpasses mere tradition and resembles breeding.
The Clan of Whitemane are the largest and most powerful Clan on the island of Amriel, as they are the descendants of Zachariah eldest son of Snorri. Snorri was said to be one of the greatest warriors in history, a companion of Thor himself and the strong bloodline he has left behind reveals this perfectly.
All members of the clan have white hair, and dark brown, or red to light red eyes and the rarer light blue hues with an ebony colored skin complexion. This leads many to believe that the Clan of Whitemane have mixed with the blood of dark elves. This has been denied by members of the clan as untrue, but still the rumors remain and for what anyone knows it could very well be true, though such things cannot be easily proven. What is known through much of the clan’s history the clan of Whitemane had always tried to keep their bloodline ‘pure’ to the point of fanaticism.
In fact this has only recently seen a change, for the clan of Whitemane have always sought to breed their line. Killing off those who were deemed too weak or incompetent and those that we thought to be inferior, with members only married under strict arranged marriages. The descendants of Snorri also inherited his beast curse, leaving a line with berserker tendencies, which has caused many within the line to inherent the curse of the wolf. Due to their marital ancestry the moment they can talk and walk they are trained in the ways of the warrior, often trainings solely in the martial arts, honing their skills and strengthening their body though vicious rights of passages with the aim of controlling their feral side.
Archery and sorcery by and large is looked down upon, with warriors of the clan prefering to fight their opponents up close as is the time honored tradition. Thus they find other families of Amriel like the clan of Dryic cowardly (though still respect some of their warrior prowess).
Failing the right to passage means one is not yet a man, and failing a total of three times means they are ether abandoned by the family, or even killed. Weakness is never tolerated within the family, because of these harsh methods however they Clan of Whitemane are of some of the strongest, if not finest group of warriors in the far North West. This reputation has made them arrogant however, and they often share arrogance on par with high elves themselves.
Many have sought out members of the clan to hire them as mercenaries or bodyguards. It is through hiring themselves off as sell swords to other realms that the Clan largely acquires most of its wealth. The weapon and armor smiths of Whitemane are some of the finest in the region. Though it is said their skill pales when compared to the dwarves of Highathar.
It is foretold that early in the adventures of Snorri Metsamees that he angered the god Loki, after the former successfully tricked the conniving god and thus stole a great sword known as Winters Breath, a magic sword of some significant power. However, for this transgression Snorri and is line would be forever cursed with the blood of madness that is their inner beast. Dooming their children with the burden of eventually killing their parent before the beast competently consumes their mind.
The curse of Lycanthropy is a hereditary condition among members of the line of Metsamees that causes them to forcefully change form, usually into a hybrid humanoid-animal state that resembles a wolf and man merged. Superficially, lycanthropes resemble their original species but with the head of the specific animal whose shape they are cursed with, in the case of the Whitemane's, it is the curse of the wolf. In humanoid form, they appear no different than before and their natural life expectancy is the same as any human. The clan of Whitemane have learned to disguise themselves somewhat as they are almost identical to a normal humanoid but with subtle details revealing their true nature such as pointed teeth, long fingernails and their trade mark red eyes.
While not all members of the clan inherent the curse to fully transform into a werebeast, almost all are burdened by it to some degree though it seems strongest in male members. The curse truly manifests itself on the full-moon, forcing the bearer to take the form of a hideous beast until sunset. Great trauma or anger can also cause an unwanted transformation, hence the Rite Of Passage each member must take that harbors the curse must take is designed to help them control it. Well most have gained enough force of will to control the beast within; eventually it will consume them utterly, forcing members of Whitemane to hunt down their own kin. It is in fact tradition that before the madness takes them, that the heir to the Jarl must kill their parent in a battle to the death, which also cements them as leader of the clan.
While some have learned to use their accursed powers to benefit them, each transformation in fact causes that bearer to lose more and more of themselves. Furthermore, while it is true they can regenerate most wounds, all remained especially vulnerable to silver or enchanted weapons, with a special herb of plant known as wolfs bane being particularly effective.
The Whitemane have gone to great lengths to keep their curse a secret from the other holds and kingdoms of Norsia never learn of their secret. As minor notes, their wolf blood allows all members of the clan some empathy with wolves, keeping them as pets as they are quite plentiful on Amriel. A unique breed of Dire Wolves thought to be found only on the island are sometimes used as esteemed if somewhat particular mounts for many Whitemane warriors.
Province Name and Number: Amriel, The Isles of Wolves, Region One.
Fiefdom Bio:
The land of Norsia is considered harsh by most southerner’s standards, but the island of Amriel is a world of its own. It is a vastly cold region, with most of the island covered in heavy snowy forest underbrush and high mountain icy ranges. Along the coast is a polar environment of glaciers and iceburgs. Central islet of Amriel are a volcanically active area, housing plains with steaming gas leaking in between great fissures in the ground, colorful, mineral filled bodies of water, and geysers. The far west of the hold resembles much of the rest of central Amriel, and the north island mountainous tundra, where the hold's capital Hornstrandir lies. Much of the isles are covered in heavy forests and rocky hills, with a fine mist often rising around the woods most visible at night. The waters around the Isles of Wolves are dangerous to say the least, with many low rocks and stones capable easily of ripping a vessel to timber, while whirlpools pull the unwary to a watery grave.
Thankfully Norse longboats with their flat bottom are quite capable of navigating most of these dangers. The tough waters of Amriel have breed fine sailors, but the harsh environment of the islets have also breed strange and powerful natural beast, some such as the Great Elks, dire boar, Great Bears, or Glorka, walrus-like creatures much larger than their cousins. However, of all these abnormally large or powerful animals, none are as well known-or feared- as the dreaded Dire Wolves. Dire wolves are a larger breed of normal wolves; existing in a more primitive form. They are the size of horses and far more aggressive than normal wolves, often attacking humanoids and their settlements when hungry.
Greatest of these greater wolves are the Thunder wolves, these titan beasts are said to be so rare as to be on the verge of extinction. Perhaps this is a good thing. One major factor of the Holds wealth however are from it's odd abundance of iron and salt mines, and combined with the legendary Forge of Kings in Hellisfitjar, otherwise known as the Flamekeep, has allowed the Whitemanes to craft truly extraordinarily beautiful weapons and armor. It is in Hellisfitjar that the extraordinary metal known as 'Nordic steel' is forged. It is said blades forged using Metsamees ancient sword-making techniques are true wonders of art.These swords are characterized by distinctive patterns of banding and mottling reminiscent of flowing water. Such blades are reputed to be tough, resistant to shattering and capable of being honed to a sharp, resilient edge. Hellisfitjar is found on small isle just north of the most southern islet. The last settlement of note is Dyrafjoror, found on the cost of the most eastern islet.
Edit: Still need to add another Arl, tell me if I need to change or add anything else.
