| “ | I hail from the land of Kreath, from the foothills of what you would call the Jerall Mountains. I have come a long way for this buhurt, so sign my name, Northman. | ” |
— Braonán signing up for the melee
|
Braonán is a Half-Breed warrior of Nede and Atmoran blood. He is a Men-of-Kreath, a Nede native to the lands of Falkreath, being one of the last of his particular tribe - the Chandryll - that suffered greatly at the hands of the Atmorans. In 1E 140, Braonán joined the army of High King Harald fueled by wanting vengeance against the Thane of Harald's enemy, Jarl Ivar.
History[]
Backstory[]
Like many of the Men-of-Kreath, the Chandryll clan got caught in the crossfire of Atmoran invaders and, later, conflicts between their Atmoran dominators. Even retreating into the foothills of the Jerall Mountains could not spare them from violence; the War of the Pines brought with it raids against the Men-of-Kreath, mostly (but not exclusively) from Hvitstrad's forces. The Chandryll's village was no exception - a company of men, led by Thane Hallbjorn Raeflykt, rode in and ravaged the village, slaughtering men and taking women. The Chandryll clan was decimated.
Braonán was born less than a year after the war, one of several half-Atmorans to be born into the Chandryll around that time. His mother died in labour, leaving him in the communal care of what little remained of the clan. He was trained as a hunter growing up, but then, fifteen years later, more Atmorans came, once more led by Thane Hallbjorn Raeflykt. None of the Nedes in the village understood why they attacked again, but the result was the same: the Chandryll clan was driven to the brink of extinction.
The remaining handful of Chandryll clansmen, scattered and decimated, finally abandoned the village, to join up with other clans. Braonán, however, struck out on his own. He hunted in the mountains, but more importantly, he trained. He trained and trained and trained... to one day take revenge on the Thane that had destroyed his life. Very recently, it would seem Braonán might get his chance. It just meant that he'd have to join forces with other Atmorans.
Walking Winter's Woe[]
Braonán heard that an Atmoran ruler had declared himself High King, which would no doubt bring him into conflict with the other rulers. He saw this as the best opportunity for him to get his vengeance and so sought out the High King in his city. Once in the city, he learned that the High King was holding a tournament of sorts to find new soldiers for his court. The Nede entered, seeking to make himself known to the ruler.
At the Hall of Trials, where the melee was taking place, he got a look at his competition. Unsurprisingly most were Atmoran warriors, though there were a couple Nedes and giants that entered the event. The two giants started the fight with quite a show, the giant Styld summoning a spectral version of himself to fight the Companions while he attacked the veteran pit fighters. Braonán fought against one of the Companions. His opponent was strong, but too slow to catch the Nede. He wittled the man down with several cuts, making him tire quickly from bloodloss and promptly defeated him. He then moved against a Companion archer which was focused on the giants, catching her by surprise and forcing her to surrender at blade's edge. He was then caught up in the fight against Styld, whom had become the biggest threat after defeating several fighters. He helped a Tongue defeat the giant, distracting him with his nimble movements and strikes. He tried taking out the Tongue next, but was intercepted by a female mage. She caught him off-guard with her magic, but one spell did not defeat him. With his agility, he avoided her second spell and quickly closing the distance between them. The two clashed blades, all the while the others were fighting the giantess. The Nede's agility and swordsmanship was more than a match for the woman, but she had her magic to get the upper hand. She was able to time her spells well enough to hit him, weakening the Nede and pinning him with her sword. He surrendered the duel and returned to the undercroft to await the end of the event. It came down to the woman, Reyla, and a young Companion. The woman won as the man was too injured from his fight with the giantess.
Harald soon arrived in the undercroft to meet with the fighters. He complimented the fighters and thanked them for the blood they spilled in the Hall, promising them all compensation for their sacrifice. The king ordered the Pit Master to bring in the gold, paying all the fighters. To Reyla and the Tongue Geld he extended the offer of making them a housecarl. Both accepted the offer. To others he offered service or work. Among those were the two giants and Braonán. One of the fighters had turned out to be an Orc that snuck into the city. He had entered the melee as a masked stranger but was unmasked by Geld. Harald offered him a choice of either prison or service. The Orc accepted reluctantly, but in the process also gave up his accomplice whom became Harald's prisoner. Braonán was given room and board at the city's barracks and he became a soldier for the High King.
A couple days later, Jarl Arngrim of Saarthal had arrived in the city and challenged High King Harald for the right to rule in the old traditions of Atmora. The two dueled in the Hall of Trials, with Harald pulling a victory after a hard-fought battle. However, Arngrim's son Hrani tried to assassinate the injured Harald. He shot Harald with an arrow, hitting him in the chest. Before he could finish the assassination attempt, Arngrim's former housecarl Ragnarr stopped Hrani and protected the High King. The Housecarl Kane, a southern Nede, rallied Harald's soldiers to fight the Saarthal men. Braonán fought with them, though stayed back for most of the skirmish. Soon enough, the battle was over. Hrani and his warriors were defeated, most of them killed and the others surrendered. Following the attempt, Harald called his banners to march his army to Saarthal, intent on conquering the holds.
Braonán fought in the war as a part of Harald's army, taking part in the conflicts of the Battle of the Valley, the Siege of Hnukavirki and the Siege of Saarthalr. Prior to the Battle of the Valley, he served as a scout alongside the Orc for the female Housecarl. They scouted out the terrain ahead of Harald's army to catch any ambushes before they occurred. They were successful and spotted the Jarl's army, allowing Harald to turn the planned ambush into an opportunity and win the battle. The war ultimately ended in Harald's favor as the siege of Saarthalr concluded with the Jarl's surrender and death.
Personality[]
Driven. Loud. Unfamiliar with Atmoran society.
Statistics[]
- Attributes: Agility, Strength
- Skills: Master One-Handed, Master Light Armor, Expert Archery, Expert Survival, Adept Sneak
- Equipment: Reinforced Gambeson Armor, Steel Sword