Appearance

Physical Description

Strong, tough, and hardened from his youth in the Ursine Lands.

Identifying Characteristics

Scar across snout from his father, piercings in left ear.

Physical quirks

Smooth gait like that of a soldier.

Apparel & Accessories

Armor and adornments from his many travels.

Mentality

Personal history

Born simply "Iorek" to tribe leaders Bjarki and Granmamare Byrnison, he and his brother were the long-awaited potential heirs and now the youngest male descendants of the Volibear himself. From age two, he and his brother, Iofur, were made to train daily, and were put through survival tests in their harsh environment. Daily combat, time alone in the frigid wilderness, trials only increasing in difficulty as they aged. At age eight, his brother failed to return from a month in the arctic wilderness. Iorek took on his family's name and his place as heir to his father's seat as heir to his father's seat as the leader of the tribe.
Two years later, his mother gave birth to another litter- this one of three young pups, a very rare occurrence. The runt of the litter was fated to die within days, and the tribe did not weep, for the weak had no place here. Iorek did weep, for this was the only girl born yet to his mother, and he could see in her eyes that she loved her as much as he did. They worked in secret, day and night, to nourish the child and push her to survival. The tribe was surprised when she made it a week, and then a month, overcoming every obstacle put in place to stop her. Iorek became her fierce protector, and no one dared to intervene with the King-to-be.
The girl, named Lyra by her mother, was a marvel. Always getting into trouble, she could talk herself out of anything and she made Iorek see the world in ways he never would have before. She showed him the wonder of the norther lights, and told him how every snowflake is different from the rest. When she was four, he made her a necklace to commemorate her survival and taking of the family name. For her, he was soft, and for him, she was strong. But she was not strong enough to survive their tribe, and she was far too curious and full of wonder to stay in this place her whole life.
She often told him that she was drawn by the lights across the Ice Sea, and that she would go see them one day. He always laughed her off as joking, until he one day heard cries for help coming from the water. Lyra was clinging desperately to a jagged rock in the middle of the sea as the current roared around her, screaming his name. Rushing into the water, Iorek was able to save her, although he never shook the thought of what could've happened. He was ever more careful to not let her out of his sight, but his tribal duties grew with age, and his father did not well tolerate the distraction. She begged him once to leave, to leave before he was crowned the new King and was bound to this block of ice forever, but Iorek refused, as a matter of honor and duty to the tribe. They never spoke of it again, but Iorek knew she never stopped believing he should leave. He awoke one night late in his twentieth year, with a horrible feeling deep in his chest. He ran to her tent immediately, only to find her bedroll empty, her belongings gone save a note on her pillow, "Goodbye big brother. - Love Always, Lyra." He ran to the water as fast as he could, faster than he'd ever ran before, but found nothing. The darkness of the sea stared back at him, and the quiet of the night was deafening.
He woke the tribe, and search parties were sent immediately. In the morning, sought his father to tell him of his intentions to leave, to go search for her, only to find him standing over his mother in their shared chambers. She was clearly distraught, and Iorek saw his father's face come the closest it had ever come to showing an emotion other that rage. Unable to look his son in the eye, Bjarki held out a closed fist to him. Iorek reached out and opened his hand, and a keepsake all too familiar fell into it. Lyra's necklace, waterlogged and broken, weighed heavily in his paw. "Found this morning, by the rocks," his father's voice rang in his ears, but he denied it, denied him, "No. I will find her." The conflict quickly escalated, and when Iorek raised himself to his father, his father struck him down, leaving him bloodied on the chamber floor. "If you will go, then go. But you are no longer a son of mine. The weak do not survive here." It took him a month to heal and find the courage to leave, and it was the eve of his twenty-first name day, the eve of his coronation ceremony, that he packed his things and left in the night. His mother found him leaving in the night, said the spirits had told her he would, and sent her blessing with him. He sends her letters to this day.
Lyra's necklace tied tightly around his paw, he crossed the Ice Sea, and made landfall near the lights his sister so often pondered. When he approached the fortress that appeared to contain them, something in his gut held him back. Evil emanated from within the tower's walls, and he chose instead to seek shelter in some nearby ruins. Within, he encountered a beast and a boy, later known to him as Nunu & Willump, and saw the wondrous bonds that can be formed when softness is allowed to enter one's heart. They confirmed his suspicions that he should avoid "the Citadel" as they called it, and he carried on his journey west. In place of what should've been the village Vathcaer, he found instead a powerful woman sobbing in ruins. He befriended Ashe and the Avarosan tribe, fighting alongside them against the Ice Children. When he continued his travels, he also encountered the Winter's Claw, and was greeted with peace by their warmother Sejuani, who had always admired the strength of the ice bears, and considered her own people to be much like the Ursine. He ventured further still, finally making his way to Valar's Hollow and finally to Frostheld, where he secured passage on a ship and began his voyage. He would find his sister, wherever she may have ventured, no matter how long it took.

Education

Highly educated in combat and survival techniques, thanks to his tribe's traditional training. Well spoken, thanks to his mother's education.

Employment

Sellsword, hired protection

Personality

Motivation

Finding Lyra and seeing the world through her eyes every day

Hygiene

Impeccable

Social

Birthplace

Ursine Lands (North of the Freljord)

Current Residence

The Hell Train

Contacts & Relations

Considered lost to the Ursine Clan
Friend of Willump & Nunu
Friendly with the Winter's Claw
Revered with the Avarosoan Tribe
Friendly with the merchants and traders from Valar's Hollow to Biglewater

Honorary & Occupational Titles

The Wandering Warrior, Ice Bear, Ursine

Wealth & Financial state

Medium/well off

Family Ties

Exiled by his father, Bjarki Byrnison. Supported in secret by his mother, Granmamare Byrnison. Younger sister, Lyra "Silvertongue" Byrnison, deceased.

Religious Views

Believes in the old gods of the Freljord, having been raised in the Ursine clans as a descendant of the Volibear.

Social Aptitude

Getting there

Hobbies & Pets

Thorough enjoyment of small creatures, will always seek to defend and perhaps even adopt them.

Speech

Formal speech, having been of noble/pure blood. Tendency to say full names. Deep, commanding voice.