Thursday 16 February 2012

More Planetouched: Ysgard-Touched

Ysgard-Touched are the heroes and villains of great sagas and epic tales - whether they want to be or not. Ysgard is a place of eternal battle, where the mightiest of men prove their valour and courage forevermore.

Many settlers here come to be closer to their Gods, though some find themselves here for the challenge of proving themselves to the locals. As usual, Ysgard-Touched are mainly human, though Orcs, Half-Orcs, Dwarves, Goliaths, and other "barbaric" humanoids (of Good or Neutral alignment) frequently settle here.

Your average Ysgard-Touched is tall, strappingly-built, and damn handsome (or pretty, for the females - though there are a higher amount of masculine-looking Ysgard-Touched than in most populations). They normally grown their hair long, and it comes in shades of red, black or brown, frequently in wild curls and braids. They hold the Plane's sense of heroism in their hearts - they are friendly (if boisterous), stoic (if prone to manic periods of happiness), and valorous (if occasionally prone to great rages).

Many are adept on one particular field, to almost superhuman levels - where one is "the strongest in the land", another is smart, some are fast, or wise, etc. - much in the manner of great heroes of folk-tales. Some are just plain all-rounders - not as great as their fellows, but pretty decent in all areas of application. These are frequently achieved through perseverance and hard work - though equally, the man who does nothing but drink and whore can find himself easily the strongest of his fellows.

Personality-wise, your average Ysgard-Touched can vary - from the great stoic warrior, taciturn and reserved until he hits the battlefield, to the great charmers, expert storytellers and Skalds. Most sit somewhere between these two extremes - they are mostly personable, happy people, always wanting for competition and a chance to prove themselves. They follow a strong oral tradition, and can often be heard reciting great epics, or quoting the deeds and sayings of great heroes past.

Most will, at some point in their life, become adventurers - the chance to prove themselves as great heroes is too strong to ignore. Most are trained from an early age to swing a blade, move well in armour, and shoot a bow - indeed, by the time they reach their teens, they are expected to have taken part in a hunt and bloodied a beast. Many will take very physical paths, such as athletes and warriors, and will be as competitive as they can be about their chosen pursuit. Few, however, take to magic with any great focus - it is seen as "untrustworthy" for mortals to wield, and generally the provenance of Powers and their Proxies to be flinging magic around.

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