Halvar Leifson

"I have nothing left to live for, but I have everything to die for. Valhalla holds no fear for me."
-Halvar Leifson

A common enemy can be important for warring factions to find some measure of peace. Still, this cannot replace the work of great men and women. For the clans of Bjornland, one name rises above all others in this regard. This person is Halvar Leifson, of the Jondrakr clan, the first king of Bjornland.

Physical Description

Body Features

For all his importance in the history of Bjornland, Harvard looked rather unremarkable. He was neither especially attractive nor remarkably ugly. I'm addition to his rather plain facial features, he had deep blue eyes, earthen brown hair, usually lacking ostentatious braids, and a well-trimmed beard. Later likenesses were never accurate, tending to make him seem more handsome than he truly was.
As a warrior, he was quite tall and well-built. By the end of his life he had collected a collection of battle scars across his body. Tattoos of runes offering prayers to Tyr, Odin, Freya, and Thor were written across his skin, dominated by a very intricate tattoo of Mjolnir across his back.

Apparel & Accessories

As is popular in Bjornland, Halvar favored scale mail to protect him in battle. He disliked especially ostentatious armor, even after being crowned king of Bjornland. He felt it would needlessly elevate him above his fellow warriors, which was wrong for those he would be shedding blood with.
As with his armor, his sword and shield were also very unremarkable. After the loss of his clan, he began wielding a blank shield, free of his clan's colors. At first, he felt unworthy of the colors of the Jondrakr clan, then he felt he was fighting for Bjornland as a whole. This has since become traditional of all kings and queens of Bjornland.
For his entire life, he wielded the same sword, his father's broadsword. After the loss of his clan, he named it Ensomtblad, or "lone blade". After his death, Odin, himself took it to Valhalla when he collected the king's soul. Occasionally, the god gifts it to those he deems worthy. Even blessed by the gods, it retains its same simple appearance, scratched and gouged from countless battles, but still as sharp as it ever was.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

For a hero, Halvar, has very simple origins. He was the son of Lief Odason and Helga Eriksdottir, a simple warrior and weaver from Clan Jondrakr. Ever since he was young, he wanted to be a warrior like his father, but he always had bigger dreams, even before fate pushed him as it did.
When he was a mere twelve years of age, two things happened: the The Wild Hunt rode the skies above all Skogsmark and he had a vision of the Norns. As they often do, they argued whether he was the one they needed, and answered none of his questions. Thus, he knew terrible things would come to the land, and he was somehow in the middle of it.
Just one year later, he got the answer he was looking for. Creatures that looked like men but behaved like monsters swept in from the wilds. Clan Jondrakr fought hard, but there were too many. The entire clan was put to the sword, but at his father's behest, Halvar fled with his father's sword in hand.
These creatures were the orcs, and they had come from a mysterious other world. They had invaded Bjornland and Fasach looking for a home to call their own by any means necessary. As Halvar grew, he did what he could to stem the tide, becoming quite adept at fighting the orcs on his own.
Still, no matter how many raiding parties he killed, there were always more. In response, he developed a plan. He collected favors from many of the other clans, truly becoming a man from all of Bjornland. He gathered the jarls of the clans together in Hjalwick, and shouted at them until they agreed to fight together.
Around this time, the bard Cinniah Mac Lainne had inspired the clans of Fasach to rise up against the orcs. Unable to fight against both forces, the horde broke into disparate tribes, and it has remained so ever since. To Halvar's shock, the clan's jarls then crowned him their king after their victory.
From then on, Halvar's reign was a peaceful one, as the jarls began to understand the power of unity. Despite pressure from the jarls, Halvar never married or had heirs. This created the precedent of the jarls electing each subsequent monarch-- a tradition that has continued ever since.

Legends

As with any of the heroes of Covenant, there are many stories about Halvar Leifson told among the people of Bjornland. Historians doubt these tales, but that does not stop them being told by parents to their children or among drunken warriors in mead halls.
Primarily, it is said that Halvar's strength marked him as more than human. The story goes that as he began to fight for Bjornland, the spirit of the land itself appeared before him as a bear and granted him a portion of its power. From that moment on, he had the power of a bear-- and became a werebear.
Another story involves Halvar's love life. Even though he never married or produced any heirs, there are many tales involving the affairs of his heart. The most popular involve a romance between him and Fasach's champion, Cinniah. It is said, they knew their peoples would never understand and so they met in secret until the day he died.

Alignment

Neutral Good

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

First King of Bjornland, Last Son of the Jondrakr Clan, Hero of Bjornland, Champion of the Einherjar

Circumstances of Birth

Natural causes

Sex

Male

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Pale

Height

6 ft. 2 in.

Weight

205 lbs.

Aligned Organization

Bjornland