The Northman Blessing
Current Date:
Peaceday 5th of Primus, 6017, in the Era Secundus
Peaceday 5th of Primus, 6017, in the Era Secundus
The Northman Blessing is the gift the Nordic God-King of Knowlegde and Magic, Odin, gave to the people of the Frozen North, so that they may survive the harshness of the region.
Transmission & Vectors
It is thankfully not infectous, but can be bestowed by Thor.
Causes
The Northmen, long ago, before they were proper Northmen, were having trouble surviving the Frozen North. Odin, recognising this blight, decided to throw them a bone, one that would also benefit his own agenda. Creating a powerful, hereditary blessing, Odin would give the methods of applying it to his executioner, Thor. Thor would then seek out the desperate humans and grant them the Northman Blessing.
Symptoms
The Northman Blessing manifests in a set of various abilities that enhance its reciepents. For one, it grants protection from icy colds and deadly frost, as well as make the people themselves tougher and less hungry. It also allows them to wield specific items, such as Frostgale weapons and armors, as well as utilise their own brand of magic, called simply The Voice.
Physically, it makes the reciepent more muscular, taller, and often changes minor physical aspects, such as eye and hair color. These changes include the introduction of an icy glow to their eyes, blonde hair of strength and quality to make even the most laid-back hairdresser into a violent crusader, and the growth of their canines.
Mentally, the Northman Blessing lowers the overall barrier of aggression amonst Northmen. This makes conflict between their many tribes common, though their aggression has extended to southern folk as well. It also gives them a natural resentment of Thor, a quality Odin gave the blessing by design, just to make Thor's life more miserable. It also gives all Nortmen a natural urge to die in glorious combat, though they often suffer the unfortunate fate of only finding death in old age.
Physically, it makes the reciepent more muscular, taller, and often changes minor physical aspects, such as eye and hair color. These changes include the introduction of an icy glow to their eyes, blonde hair of strength and quality to make even the most laid-back hairdresser into a violent crusader, and the growth of their canines.
Mentally, the Northman Blessing lowers the overall barrier of aggression amonst Northmen. This makes conflict between their many tribes common, though their aggression has extended to southern folk as well. It also gives them a natural resentment of Thor, a quality Odin gave the blessing by design, just to make Thor's life more miserable. It also gives all Nortmen a natural urge to die in glorious combat, though they often suffer the unfortunate fate of only finding death in old age.
Prognosis
The only way for the condition to end is to die. There are two ways it can go, depending on the kind of death.
If one has died in glorious combat, they will gain a supernatural glow, invisible to any unable to see magic. The Valkyries of Odin see this glow from any distance, and shall be quick to take the champions body to lift them to Asgard, Odin's personal fortress. There, they rise again, as the Einherjar, elite soldiers of Odin, preparing for a event Odin himself calls "Meistaridaudoa" (pronounced Mei-stri-dau-dua), hinging on a dubious prophecy that is, according to Odin, "like Ragnarok without all of the problem players".
In case one doesn't die in that same way, their bodies lay dormant for 14 days and nights, before rising again as a Draugr, an extremely powerful undead, mostly loyal to Asgard. Controlled by a force unknown, the Draugrs main purpose is unclear. What is clear is that they often attack Northman villages, laying waste to the local snowy plains and valley and being an overall thorn in everyones side. This is what many call the Draugr Curse, the other side of the coin that is the Northman Blessing.
Thus, many try to avoid the conversion into a Draugr. Very influential warriors and chiefs choose to have a so called "Viking burial", which involves putting their bodies on a boat, shoving it out to sea, and lighting it aflame. More modest souls wish to be buried in a grave mound, often in the ones of their family, so that the magic wards of the mound may protect them from the energies that make Draugr Draugr.
If one has died in glorious combat, they will gain a supernatural glow, invisible to any unable to see magic. The Valkyries of Odin see this glow from any distance, and shall be quick to take the champions body to lift them to Asgard, Odin's personal fortress. There, they rise again, as the Einherjar, elite soldiers of Odin, preparing for a event Odin himself calls "Meistaridaudoa" (pronounced Mei-stri-dau-dua), hinging on a dubious prophecy that is, according to Odin, "like Ragnarok without all of the problem players".
In case one doesn't die in that same way, their bodies lay dormant for 14 days and nights, before rising again as a Draugr, an extremely powerful undead, mostly loyal to Asgard. Controlled by a force unknown, the Draugrs main purpose is unclear. What is clear is that they often attack Northman villages, laying waste to the local snowy plains and valley and being an overall thorn in everyones side. This is what many call the Draugr Curse, the other side of the coin that is the Northman Blessing.
Thus, many try to avoid the conversion into a Draugr. Very influential warriors and chiefs choose to have a so called "Viking burial", which involves putting their bodies on a boat, shoving it out to sea, and lighting it aflame. More modest souls wish to be buried in a grave mound, often in the ones of their family, so that the magic wards of the mound may protect them from the energies that make Draugr Draugr.
