Alias: The Fang of the North, The Sly Bear
Race: Apoc Churl
Aspects: Body 8, Mind 3, Soul 1
Sex: Male; Height: 8'4"; Weight: 442 lbs

"The long night of the north sea cannot bring me to heel; why should you be the one to master me?"

Character Description/Notes: Stash, often referred to as the Sly Bear by the Churl tribes of his northern homeland, is something of a legend; a aurora-spawned Flux storm one long winter night spat several horrors into his tribe's encampment on the northern shores. While many of his tribesmen fell in the ensuing battle, his raw, animalistic cunning allowing him to outflank and slay most of the writhing abominations. More remarkable was his behavior the rest of that winter, hunting Flux-spawned horrors until he was an expert in their destruction; many of the smaller tribes have members who owe their lives to the sudden appearance of the Fang of the North from a snowdrift, his glistening spear piercing some monstrosity just before it could kill.

His weapon is nearly as legendary as he is; crafted by his own hand from the horn of a Flux-infested narwhal, the spear is said to be as strong as the metals of the old world, and sharp enough to pierce even a Bulwark's hide; his garments taken from creatures who unwisely thought to fight him over a place to sleep or a helping of the scarce food of the northern lands, their own fangs adorning the hides as a warning to all others. Beyond this, Stash wears little; like his father and his father's father, he bears the blessing of Winter itself, resilient against the encroaching cold and able to call upon simple blessings of the frost and long night.

His 'truename', as his people call such things, stems from his habit as a child - continued to the current day - of only using what he needs at the moment and hiding the rest away for a later time. As a result, there are pockets of equipment and supplies hidden all over the northern lands, carefully shielded by well-tanned hides from the elements. He often bolsters his reputation among his people by appearing as a ring-giver - appearing in lean times with needed supplies from his many stashes.

Today, Stash roams the cold lands of the north, held as a sacred guardian by the other Churl; any outsiders who seem like a threat soon find themselves harried by ambushes and vicious hit-and-run tactics that make it seem like an entire legion of Northmen are hounding them, rather than one man and a few allies. As such, tales of the Sly Bear have begun to slowly filter south, carried by terrified High-Bred survivors and confounded Klik expeditions; even some of the L'na find themselves forced to flee, the savagery of the Fang of the North too much for their magic to deal with. His greatest fury and guile is reserved for invaders born of the Flux, however - his hatred of such creatures may well be his greatest weakness, as he cannot abide the idea of his homeland being contaminated by their presence.

Those who can find and befriend the Flux-hunter find a great ally in the northern lands; not only does his own considerable expertise in survival make it easier on visitors from the warmer lands, but his reputation among the Churl tribes is such that simply arriving in his presence accords outlanders some measure of tolerance and respect - for the Sly Bear is nothing if not discriminating in who he allows as his companions.

Tactics: Stash is a surprisingly stealthy and cunning warrior for a barbaric Churl; if he has the opportunity, he much prefers to set up ambushes and otherwise set the situation up to be as heavily in his favor as possible. He's more than willing to play on his reputation, if he knows his opponents have heard of him, and often carries polar bear's his bundled on his back for the moments when he needs to be particularly intimidating. When forced to, he's not above a straight-up fight, but he always looks for ways to turn the battlefield to his favor, including channeling the power of the winter to twist the battlefield itself in his favor.