Yullder, Bane of All Beasts

"Within nature, respect and fear are one in the same." - Yullder, Bane of All Beasts

Written by: jester2b

Cover Artwork by: Rafael Sewa

Early Life

Yullder Vingay was born on the 22nd of Winter's End in the secluded village of Vas Fillal. From an early age, Yullder took an interest in animals and the hunt, with his rural home located within the jungles of Mongrasil providing many opportunities to explore his interests. Even while living in a secluded village far from the rest of society, the civilized world felt alien to him; the simple peace of nature called to him, while the chaos of village life made him anxious. As his skills in the wild grew, Yullder would spend days, sometimes even weeks, living off the land in the jungle.
By the age of 14, he had become the greatest hunter Vas Fillal had ever seen, mastering the art of tracking and locating prey. By age 15, he claimed the first of his great prizes, the head of a Bunyip, after luring it into a trap and impaling it through the heart. In his early adult life, the ambitious Yullder challenged some of Stelwen's mightiest beasts, such as the grand Monarch Drake, the stealthy Aranmorta, and the horrific Lichspider. On his 24th birthday, Yullder would face his greatest challenge yet, a fight that would make him a legend among the elves of Rocturra.

Clash of the Hunters

Upon reaching the age of 24, Yullder found himself roaming the woods as he usually did, uncaring of his new age, when he stumbled across something he had never before seen. Walking through the trees was a massive beast, a rare and ferocious predator feared by dragons, a Draugovenan. Once he spotted the imposing monster, he knew slaying it would be his calling in life. For the next week, Yullder tracked the Draugovenan through the jungle, noting its every movement and behavior. He spent every night formulating his plan to slay the great beast, plotting the best spots to ambush it as it roamed the jungle.
Once he was ready, Yullder laid out a pitfall trap along a route the Draugovenan commonly took and waited in the trees. When the creature came close, its complacency allowed it to get caught within Yullder's trap. The elf jumped down from his tree top hideout onto the beast's back, attempting to find a weak spot to stab it with his spear. The Draugovenan thrashed violently within the trap with strength far stronger than Yullder anticipated. He was thrown off its back to the ground, watching in horror as it climbed out of his trap. Now free from the trap and enraged by Yullder's attempt to kill it, the Draugovenan lunged forward with its jaws. The elf narrowly dodged the beast's crushing maw and ran through the jungle, reformulating his plan as he went. As the spry elf weaved through the dense vegetation, the Draugvenan used its weight to clear itself a path.
The fleeing elf soon found an opportunity when he spotted two mating Bunyips by a pond. Planning to use them as a distraction, Yullder ran towards the mating pair, luring the rage-fueled Draugovenan towards the pond. The territorial Bunyips responded to the threat and charged at the Draugovenan. The massive beast directed its attention away from Yullder to react to the new and greater danger, giving him a chance to reposition. The Bunyips landed a few nasty claw swipes on the Draugovenan, but once the beast landed a bite on one of the Bunyips, the fight turned in the Draugovenan's favor. As the fight continued, Yullder jumped down to the Draugovenan's back again, this time going to the head. As the Draugovenan was about to land a killing blow on a Bunyip, Yullder plunged his spear into its eye, causing the beast to unleash a violent roar of pain.
Having been grievously wounded by Yullder, the Draugovenan resorted to more extreme measures. The small black spines along its back glowed an ominous red color, followed by a deep, evil bellow from the creature. The hellish light shone from the Draugovenan's mouth before unleashing an unrelenting beam of Entropic energy from its maw. The beam tore through the trees like they were nothing. The remaining Bunyip fleed in terror, something Yullder believed would never happen, only to be killed by the Draugovenan's beam. With the Bunyips dead, the beast turned its attention back towards the elf that had blinded it in one eye. The remaining eye shone with an angry red hue, locked in on the grounded Yullder. He knew what was coming and quickly avoided the volatile beam that erupted from the Draugovenan's mouth and kept running as it followed him. His options were limited and fast fading; he would die if he didn't think of something now.
Yullder darted into the nearby vegetation to escape the beast's sight and reposition. If he could land on the beast's head again, he could land a killing blow if he acted fast enough. It was his last and only chance to slay the Draugovenan, or the raging monster would eviscerate him. Having lost sight of Yullder, the Draugovenan ended its luminous rampage to locate its target, giving the elf the opportunity he needed. Using the cover of the trees, Yullder positioned himself right above the creature's head. After composing himself, Yullder jumped down and thrust his spear downwards unto the distracted Draugovenan's head. The spear's tip hit its mark and plunged into the beast's skull, killing it almost instantly. The Draugovenan's corpse tumbled to the ground with the spear still lodged in its head. The triumphant Yullder passed out from exhaustion only a moment later.
The sleeping Yullder was soon woken up by a passing traveler from a village to the south. The traveler stood in awe at what they saw and wished for the entire nation to know what Yullder had done. Within days, word of the hunter who slew a mighty Draugovenan spread through the rural villages of Mongrasil. Soon the stories of Yullder the Great Hunter spread across the entirety of Rocturra, cementing him as a legend of the people.

Yullder's Great Hunt

Following his explosive rise to fame, Yullder set his sights on a land north of Stelwen, an untamed forest larger than many nations known as Virginwood. Traveling with twenty other experienced hunters, Yullder sailed northward to slay whatever beast lurked within the Virginwood. He and his crew made camp along the shore, preparing for the long hunt they would partake in. Over the next three years, the hunters charted the feral woodland and fought whatever stood in their path. Through his efforts, nearly fifty previously unknown species were discovered and slain by Yullder's crew. Through quick wit and skill, Yullder overcame any obstacle, earning the title Bane of All Beasts.

Hunter's Legacy

Upon returning to Rocturra, Yullder was summoned by the Orkina Temple to be offered the position as a Marked Defender. To be a Marked Defender is to become one of the most honored and respected people in the nation, something that Yullder wouldn't turn down. After drinking from the blood-red waters of the Blood Lake of Monurga, Yullder joined the ranks of the Marked Defenders, sealing his name within Roctane legend.
During his tenure as a defender, Yullder and his companions from the Great Hunt founded the Tevan Tay, a group dedicated to studying wildlife and training new hunters. Yullder would be the leader of this group until the year 578 1E, when he choose to step down from the position due to his failing health. He would eventually pass in his sleep in 581 1E in his hometown of Vas Fillal. His body was interred within a tomb tailored for him near the village. The Bane of All Beasts is a symbol of Roctane might and the will to persevere in the face of adversity.

Species

Roctane

Date of Birth

22nd of Winter's End, 513 1E

Date of Death

31st of Autumn's Sorrow, 581 1E