Thrulldr

The leader of the Redclaws, a circle of druids that oppose The Prismatic Circle. Each of the Redclaw druids is a shapeshifter, and Thrulldr himself is a werebear. The Redclaws advocate balance between mortals and nature, and have styled themselves protectors of the forest and all that live within. They fight for balance, the eradication of corrupted beasts, and an end to the Prismatic Druid’s monstrous practices.
The Redclaws hold exacting tests for those who would join their ranks. They understand that the process of becoming a werebear is both excruciating and permanent, and not for the faint of heart. Of every hundred trainees, only three make it into their honoured ranks.
A giant of a werebear, Thrulldr spends his time equally between his human and bear forms. The leader of the Red- claws can trace his family lineage back to Kentigern of the Wastes, but his hulking appearance is due more to the trans- formation he underwent as a boy than his Valikan heritage. Even in human form, Thrulldr’s body is covered with dark hair so thick it might as well be fur, and he proudly displays a braided beard that extends down his chest.
Among his people, the Redclaw druids, Thrulldr is known for his great rumbling laugh and his generous spirit. But until anyone enters the circle he considers his family, the huge man treats them with suspicion, or even derision. To Thrulldr, druids who have undergone a final transformation to give their bodies a second, permanent shape, are not close enough to the wild to be trusted.
For clanfolk who fear Thrull’s invasion, or coldfire’s looming presence, the Redclaws offer a kind of hope for another path, one that embraces their harsh natural world rather than fighting against it. Farmers, raiders, and fishers look to the Redclaws in one of two ways:
1) if it gets worse, we can always seek the Redclaws for shelter, or 2) at least it’s not so bad that we’ve considered joining the Redclaws! Thrulldr views all recruits to the circle as potential allies, but he withholds judgment until an older member of the circle can speak for them.
The Redclaws are primarily druids, but other shapeshifters are among their number, and the final test—the transformation into one of the werecreatures within the ranks of the circle—is not determined by skill with nature magic, but strength of heart and will. In this way, Thrulldr has built a widespread following, all beholden to him as their alpha, but few gathered in one place. The Redclaws include both natural-born and transformed shapeshifters. Thrulldr has two daughters who serve as his advisors. His elder daughter, Yrsa, is a werebear like her father, and has chosen a path of battle rather than magic. Yrsa guides a small community of Redclaws who live along the Ormralva. Thrulldr’s younger daughter, Thyra, prefers human form to such an extent that rumors circulate among the Redclaws that she cannot shapeshift (never in front of Thrulldr, who would see such comments as a deadly insult). The snow-skinned Thyra, whose platinum hair blends into the tundra, is undisturbed by such rumors, however, as it allows her to keep her other form a secret—and her father uses her as his agent beyond the borders of Kandar.
It was Thyra who made the first inroads with the Sarvif werewolves of Thrull. She travels between Lief Sarvif’s pack and the Redclaw enclave in the Njukca Mountains, where her father keeps his primary den, working out the details of their mutual defense treaty. The Sarvif werewolves are the best lead Thrulldr has to directly combat the Prismatic Circle, and Thrulldr aches to meet the war-hungry druids of Thrull by giving them the war they seek—and ending them.