Pali

Pali is a massive and imposing figure, even by the standards of the Tribe of Ulfbjorn. His bear-like physique is heavily muscled, with thick, scarred skin that speaks to countless battles and hunts. His werebear form is monstrous, standing over eight feet tall with dense fur, claws like daggers, and a savage maw. His eyes burn with a feral intensity, one green and the other glowing a faint red, a mutation granted by Skoll, the Khaos God of Savagery, reflecting the dual nature that consumes him. In his human form, he is more reserved, but still a stout, powerful man, his face showing signs of the internal battle between his two personas.

Origin

Pali is the son of Orsin, elder of the Ulfbjorn Village, a hardy people known for their close bond with nature, strength in battle, and ability to assume the form of monstrous bears. Pali’s upbringing was a harsh and abusive one under his father’s cruel expectations. Orsin sought to mold Pali into a warrior from a young age, pushing him into grueling training and leaving little room for anything else in his life. Orsin’s harsh methods created a deep-seated resentment in Pali, and the young werebear found solace in the care of his uncle Tarlo, a more understanding figure who often sheltered him from his father’s wrath.

This divide in Pali’s upbringing led to a splintering of his personality. Under the watchful eye of his father, Pali became a stern and disciplined fighter, while the influence of his uncle nurtured a more forgiving and understanding side of him. However, the rage and pain he endured could not be entirely buried, and this fury found its outlet through the werebear within him—a primal, wrath-driven beast who sought to unleash his anger upon the world. The duality within Pali has been a constant source of inner turmoil, as he struggles to balance the compassionate warrior he could have been and the savage force he has become.

Existence and Transformation

Pali’s prowess as a warrior grew quickly, earning him the title, "The Bearserker of Ulfbjorn". His strength, skill in battle, and savage fury made him a figure to be feared and admired within the tribe. He led many hunts into the Fralskar Forest, bringing back prized game that ensured his people’s survival. These hunts earned him the favor of Skoll, the god of savagery, who saw in Pali a kindred spirit of wild, unchecked violence. Over time, Pali became one of Skoll’s most favored warriors, granted a mutation that further enhanced his primal might.

As one of the Chosen of Khaos, Pali was quickly ascended through the ranks, finding his place among the most dangerous and ruinous champions who served directly under Varaghast Ghuul, king of the Khaos tribes. Under Ghuul’s command, Pali became a blood-soaked figure in the pantheon of destruction, earning renown and fear for his ruthless efficiency in battle.

Powers and Abilities

Werebear Form: Pali’s werebear transformation grants him immense physical strength, ferocious combat ability, and heightened senses. In this form, he becomes nearly unstoppable in close combat, relying on brute force and savagery to tear his enemies apart.
Berserker Rage: When pushed to the edge, Pali can enter a state of uncontrollable fury, heightening his strength and endurance while making him resistant to pain. This rage allows him to overpower even the most formidable foes, but it also leaves him vulnerable to reckless behavior.
Skoll’s Mutation: As one of Skoll’s chosen, Pali was gifted with a mutation that grants him heightened reflexes, increased healing abilities, and enhanced predatory instincts. The mutation also gives his werebear form an unnatural ferocity, making him a terror on the battlefield.

Connections

Orsin: Pali’s father, whose harsh upbringing left a deep scar on him. Pali harbors intense resentment for Orsin’s cruelty, but the two share a complicated relationship built on survival and strength.
Tarlo: Pali’s uncle and the only figure who provided him with compassion during his childhood. Tarlo’s influence shaped Pali’s more compassionate side, though it is often overshadowed by his rage.
Varaghast Ghuul: The king of the Khaos tribes and the one who elevated Pali to his status as a Chosen of Khaos. Under Ghuul’s command, Pali carried out many acts of brutal destruction in the name of Khaos.
Skoll: The god of savagery and the hunt, who favors Pali for his predatory prowess and primal rage. Pali’s connection to Skoll has granted him immense power but has also deepened his descent into savagery.

Legacy and Legends

Pali’s legend grew as he continued to prove himself in battle. He ascended further into chaos by butchering Atropos and Morai, elder Fyrashan Spirit Seers. Additionally, Pali helped to both release and later slay Fralskjar, a Fire Giant whom caused a volcanic eruption which destroyed Unknown. His victories continued, and he eventually became poised to ascend as Skoll’s chosen. His final act of ascension came after he aided in slaying the Elementari, Skald, feasting upon the behemoths frozen flesh as he satiated his savagery. His role in these events solidified his status as one of the most feared figures in the northern lands.

Ascending Daemonhood

In the final stages of his journey, Pali’s destiny came full circle when he was granted daemonhood, drinking from the blood of the Chained Gods after slaying Skald. This act bound him eternally to the will of Skoll, transforming him into a daemon of wrath, forever cursed to roam the realms as a harbinger of savagery and bloodshed.

The tale of Pali is one of raw fury and inner conflict, a man who could have been a protector but was consumed by the brutal reality of his world. As Skoll’s chosen, he stands as a symbol of winter’s wrath, primal instinct, and the power of desperation.

The Blood of the Bearserker marked the bloody and violent end of Pali, the infamous Chosen of Skoll, whose wrath and primal savagery left scars upon Norska for generations. His demise occurred deep within a glacial cavern hidden beneath the frozen expanse of the Norden Wastes, where he faced Solandir, the Rift Mage and inquisitor from the Talons of the Timeless Tome, alongside Drogar Frostfoot, the legendary dwarven explorer of the northern realms.

Following a brutal confrontation within the icy caverns, the two heroes managed to corner the enraged daemon-bear. Drogar Frostfoot, wielding strength and precision forged through a lifetime of battle, momentarily subdued Pali, breaking through the relentless fury of his berserker state and crippling his monstrous Werebear form.

In that crucial moment, Solandir seized the opportunity. Channeling the arcane might of Rift Magic, he unleashed a devastating spell of profound complexity—dismantling Pali on a molecular level. In an instant of blinding ethereal light, the Bearserker’s immense form fractured and dissolved into motes of drifting Khaos energy, forever banished from the mortal realm.

With the fall of Pali, a harbinger of wrath was extinguished, and the northern tribes suffered a critical loss. Yet his legend endures, whispered as both caution and lament—a testament to the devastating price of succumbing wholly to savagery and chaos.