Halgrim Kraitsbane, The Jade Bear

Introduction:

So, Halgrim Kraitsbane is my Power Ranger (Who is Green and has a flute, by the way. HAH!) and I have had an absolute blast on him. So much so that I made an awesome armor set for him and I thought this contest would be a good opportunity to see what people thought about him! Best of luck to everyone and I made a little background story to go along with his sword/general appearance (technically a smaller version of what is in my mind). I am not the best writer, so please be kind.

The Bear Awakened

Halgrim, born of Bear, had spent most of his life unsure of what path to take next. What new adventure would declare his story to the world? What amazing feats would he accomplish? He did not know, so he slept–hibernated.  His love of the drink took him over and it appeared as though nothing would wake the bear from its slumber. Months passed until a glimmer of hope appeared and shook the foundation Halgrim rested upon.

Patrols arrived and shouted about Krait attacking a nearby settlement. “Again?” Halgrim barely managed to raise enough interest to look outside when a sudden green flash blurred past him. He jolted upright and blinked several times. “What was that? WHAT WAS THAT!?” He had not felt so energetic in a long time–it was amazing. At that moment, he knew what he had to do: “I need to find out what that was.”

The Bear Blinded

After asking the patrols if they had seen the green flash, Halgrim was informed that the light rushed past them towards the Krait. Halgrim followed in suite and eventually made his way to the settlement. His adventures never truly led him very far from his own home, so he was not prepared for what he witnessed. The settlement was in ruins–the dead painted the ground red and the stench of death poured through his nostrils. Halgrim almost turned to run when he was momentarily blinded by a flash of light. That is when he saw it–no, her. “A woman? By Bear…” He couldn’t fathom it. An ancient aspect of some sort, maybe, but his eyes claimed a different truth. A woman clad in beautiful green armor danced across a battlefield and the Krait were defenseless to her–screams ripped as limbs and tails flew in every direction. Suddenly, everything went quiet–the Krait were dead.

Halgrim began to approach the woman:“How did yo–“ Halgrim was cut off when he noticed that the woman was bent over something. Wait. Someone. She was crying–distressed–as she looked up at Halgrim. She cradled the body and began to shout. Halgrim didn’t understand. She shouted again and buried her face into the body. Halgrim still didn’t understand.

The Bear Calmed

Many months passed and the Krait attacks continued to persist; however, the attacks triggered the Norn to act. Halgrim, inspired by the woman in green, aided many of the missions against the Krait. Every mission he was involved in led to further encounters with the green armor-clad woman. She was different though–her face near the Krait was one of pure fury. He understood her rage–he could feel it brewing too. He soon found out that she was from somewhere called Cantha and many of the Norn took to calling her the Jade Serpent. This title was due to her incredible speed, her elegantly flowing armor and her unique weaponry.

The Jade Serpent’s weapon of choice was a great sword of incredible strength, which she used with great proficiency. Many Krait fell to that blade and Halgrim couldn’t help but study the Jade Serpent’s technique. She was seemingly reserved in her style, but would often explode with power upon whatever came into her way at precisely the right time. It reminded him less of a serpent and more of, well, a bear. After many more months of fighting with the Jade Serpent, Halgrim too became the bane of Krait. Together they seemed unstoppable; however, the Jade Serpent was still significantly more developed a fighter than Halgrim. It would not be until his next mission that he would fully become Halgrim Kraitsbane.

The Bear Developed

News of where the Krait’s main forces were emerging from spread–a base off the coast far south of where Halgrim resides. This was their chance to finally stop years of torment inflicted by Krait upon Norn settlements–to get vengeance. Halgrim realized how much he had changed. He wore a reliable leather armor with an almost gold tint to it–it had served him well in the past years. He still drinks, but not much and it only serves as a reminder of what he used to be. Weak. He was far from weak now and he carried himself that way during the battle against the Krait’s main forces. The Jade Serpent and Halgrim shot across the battlefield–streaks of gold and green clashed throughout. The Krait were hopeless against the duo and started to retreat. Halgrim cheered as he watched the cowards run, but the Jade Serpent didn’t stop to join him. “Kumi…?”

Halgrim watched as the Jade Serpent cut down everything in her path–she was gleaming with utter rage. She reminded him again of the first day they had met as she danced around the battlefield with perfect poise. That is when Halgirm noticed it. How didn’t he notice it before? Stupid. Stupid! “KUMIKO!” He rushed forward toward the Jade Serpent when suddenly a huge geyser burst from underneath. Warriors and Krait alike flew every direction. Halgrim landed harshly on his sides and it took him several moments to recover. Pain subsided and he looked up in horror to see a giant fortress of scaffolding before him with no sign of the Jade Serpent. “By Bear, they built all of this without us noticing!?” Halgrim’s increasing fear washed away when he saw the Jade Serpent balancing on some scaffolding high above. She looked down at Halgrim and gave a grin.

              “Kumiko! Thank the Spi–“ Everything went white.

Halgrim watched in horror as the Jade Serpent processed what was happening to her. Why there was a Krait spear jutting out of her stomach. Why she was so far ahead of everyone else. Why she is remembering all these past events so quickly now. She fell. Water pushed upwards as she hit the water, but Halgrim was already there and dragged her out. The Jade Serpent’s blade crashed into the nearby coastline. “No…No…No, no, no, no…Kumi? Kumiko?” He shook her, but there was no reaction. He began to weep–it had been a long time since he had done so. Suddenly, his tears stopped. His eyes filled with fury–a rage he had never felt before. He felt as though he was exploding and nothing would stop him. “I’ll kill all of you! Every single last one of you will die for what you did this day!” Halgrim was starting to rise when he felt something touch his arm. He looked down and saw the Jade Serpent barely lifting her hand to touch him.

“No…” she said. Halgrim had attempted to teach her his language during their time off from fighting Krait–all he understood from her language was her name. He did not realize she had come this far and it ate at him. Halgrim quickly sat back down and cradled the Jade Serpent’s body in his arms. She continued, but with pain in every word, “no…y-you…strong…I…weak.” She inhales, but it sounds terrifying. Halgrim’s anger is still present in his words, “You? Weak? Nonsense! You’re the Jade Serpent,” he hesitates, “I could never be as amazing as you.” He looks down and feels her hand lightly on his cheek. She calmly says, “Serpent…me…quick…reck…less?” she agrees with her word usage and continues, “You…Bear…wise…think…strong…no…anger…no…reckless.” She inhales sharply again and Halgrim can sense a feeling of dread run through him, but she continues to speak, “I…leave home…be…stronger…return when…stronger…fail…take…” she grabs something near her–her sword–and fails to lift it as she says, “protect…no anger…only think…live…be Bear…” She coughs and blood spurts onto her chest as her eyes begin to slightly glaze, “I…fail…but…life…still…good…thank you…I…I…love yo-,” Halgrim interrupts, “I love you, Kumiko…” he starts to cry as The Jade Serpent smiles, “you…strong…become…bear…##### #### ###…” The Jade Serpent drifts off–her final words in Canthan. Halgrim pauses a moment before lightly putting her body down. He grabs her fabled blade and stands up.

Halgrim understood. He still understands to this day and all of Tyria has heard of Halgrim Kraitsbane–the Norn who calmly took on an entire army of bloodthirsty Krait and won.

Fin

What Halgrim is up to now:

The summary of what happened above is that Halgrim starts off as a random drunkard who is eventually inspired by woman of foreign heritage to join a militia group against a constant Krait threat. After fighting side-by-side with this skilled female fighter, he eventually becomes a talented fighter himself. During an extremely key fight, the female fighter is ambushed with a trap and killed. Before her death, the woman explained to Halgrim that he needs to not let his rage overcome him and to remain calm and wise. That is the short end of what happened.

Due to this event; however, Halgrim adopted some of the woman’s appearance as a tribute to the individual that changed his life. He originally was equipped with a yellow/gold-ish leather, but he then equips himself with a heavier mix of green leather on top of it after the above events. He also uses her great sword, which is a powerful weapon that rewards patience with powerful attacks. As a result, he tends to leave a sort-of green/gold trail when in combat–representing the combination of his upbringing of Bear and influence of the Jade Serpent; thus, the Jade Bear.

What I am wearing:

• Helmet: Anonymity Hood (Thief Starter Hood)
• Shoulders:  Wolf Shoulderpads (Tier 3 Norn Medium)
• Chest: Wolf Vest (Tier 3 Norn Medium)
• Gloves: Shiro’s Gloves (Auction House)
• Legs:  Leather Leggings (Auction House)
• Boots: Duelist Boots (Auction House)

The Colors:

Halgrim in motion:

 

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