Icelokk

Sebastien

The wind blows bitterly cold in Icelokk. It’s barren tundra stretches for miles in the north. Situated on a rocky bluff, are the dark basalt walls of the Hibernal Bastion and below it, Hearthfire Village. The people that inhabit it are tough and stoic, leaning on logic and wisdom. But they love a good story and are prone to drinking in excess as it can be difficult to entertain oneself on cold snowy days. The children enjoy helping their mothers in the garden, sowing potatoes and leeks, and other hardy cold winter vegetables. Evergreen pines and spruces dot the town with dull color and provide a wind break for the delicate snowdrop flowers, tulips, and crocuses that grow in rows along streets. The townsfolk enjoy the warm delight of a cozy fire at night, surrounded by loved ones. Living in such frigid temperatures have seeped into their personality and newcomers can find that making new friends in town is difficult as people are slow to open up.

But they are grateful for the prosperity that the Lord of the Hibernal Bastion has shared with them. Mining expeditions have yielded precious metals, crystals, jewels, and salt. These are traded with allies in Copperleaf and Grun. It has been the source of most of Icelokk’s wealth. The townsfolk work with the Kothar and Rock Golems that mine in the hazardous caverns located in Black Rock Mountain. This unlikely alliance was initiated by Sebastien Frostooth, Lord of the Hibernal Bastion. He had been Lord of Icelokk since King Nodens Frostooth had collapsed at Sebastien’s Rite of Passage Ceremony.

Every young boy becoming a man has to go through the ceremony. They perform a magick ritual for the Horned God’s blessing and protection. The boys then form a Wolf Pack and they must survive in the woods naked without any supplies, only their wits and training to keep them alive. On rare occasion, they turn on each other, resulting from fatigue and hunger. They may fight and kill each other but they may not cannibalize any of their pack members. This is regarded as highly taboo and punishable by death by burning alive on a funeral pyre.

Sebastien’s leadership skills brought his Wolf Pack close together as they fought to survive in the frozen Wilderness. He delegated work fairly and helped set up a temporary camp. They were able to keep warm, hunt for food, start a fire, build makeshift shelter and hunting spears. They stayed out in the tundra from one full moon to the next and were regarded as one of the most successful Wolf Packs to survive in the Wild.

When Sebastien returned to the Hibernal Bastion, he was told that King Nodens Frostooth had collapsed from illness after Sebastien had left with his troops into the Wilderness. He passed from a high fever that drained him of his lifeforce. Sebastien was not saddened by this news, his Father had been a bitter and cruel man since his wife had died. He raised Sebastien with a cold heart and a hard hand. He demanded constant perfection in his training, any less and Sebastien was beaten, sometimes until he was bloody, other times just a few bruises, depending on if the King was feeling more benevolent than usual.

Sebastien grew up with an iron will and a fiery temper. The rage against the unfair treatment by his Father simmered deep in his core. He was prone to violent outbursts against his trainers and teachers. The only teacher he felt no resentment towards was his martial arts teacher. She was a monk from the Black Rock Monastery. She was a woman in the autumn of her life cycle, with a shaved head, which she cut to dedicate to her Vordor (a Spirit Guardian), a white owl named Galewind. She taught him the value in practical wisdom and how to breathe deeply before reacting with anger. They would pray in the Temple together for hours, praying for guidance and peace. She also taught him how to read and gave him his first book on Spiritual Magick. They were able to summon his Vordor in his dreams, a white dire wolf with bright violet eyes. They would run through a summer sunlit meadow, and Sebastien felt joy for the first time in his life. The monk began to notice a change in Sebastien, he was more patient and respectful towards his teachers. They formed a very close bond, as he began to see her as a gentle yet fierce spirit, as he was used to cold demanding brutality.

When the King began to see how close to her Sebastien became, he grew jealous and paranoid of their bond. He accused her of witchcraft and she had to flee from his wrath under the cover of darkness. His soldiers hunted her but her horse was as swift as a gale of wind, she flew away into the night, losing them in the Wilderness.

After that, Sebastien made sure to hide his emotions from the King. He never got close to anyone after that and in his isolation, focused on meditation, martial arts, and spellwork. He perfected every one of his techniques and became a skilled master in martial arts and sorcery.

His favorite thing to do when he could find quiet solitude was to read. He would hide away in a nook deep within the castle and read for hours about distant lands, creatures he’d never seen, and epic battles against dvergr, drakes, and serpents.

As he grew older though, the King placed more royal duties onto Sebastien. So when the King was announced deceased from his disease, Sebastien felt a heavy weight lift from his shoulders. He would take over as Lord Sebastien Frostooth of the Hibernal Bastion. He was able to expand his kingdom all over the northern lands and the lands prospered under his prudent leadership. They grew as a wealthy nation due to their mining efforts and established better relations with foreign allies. Sebastien delegated liaisons with allies to his bard, Balthazaar, who was renowned for his charm and eloquence. He organized lavish banquets whenever allies would visit the Hibernal Bastion. Music, jesters, and dancers displayed their talent while the guests feasted on wild deer meat and smoked pork, served with vegetable stew. For dessert, frostberry cake with soft cheese and nuts on the side.

The Bastion became a joyful place under Sebastien’s reign but he himself felt little joy. He found himself standing on his balcony overlooking the great expanse of tundra, with it’s spruce wood forests and mossy rivers. Some days were colder than others but whenever the wind stopped blowing hard, the temperature was warm enough for Sebastien to look down at the Village, the fireplace lights in the small houses making the houses glow with flickering gold. He longed for that feeling of warmth he felt when he dreamed of playing in the sunlit meadow. The lights from the fireplaces taunted him with the happiness he never felt.