Baldur the Brave and Valiant
By Athyra Di Giovanni (demonsreiche@yahoo.com)
Totem of Beauty, Respect, and Honour
Background Cost
Description
Baldur (or Balder, depending on the spelling) was the most handsome of the Aesir (the gods of the Norse mythos). His only true rival (by way of appearance) was Loki, the youthful God of Fire (and the Trickster God of the Norse). He was the "shining star" of the Aesir, being a friend to all and always showing respect to those who deserved it. He was the half-brother of Thor, Hodr, and Brage (the god of poetry). Baldur was famed throughout Asgard for his prowess in swordsmanship. When Loki, jealous over Baldur's fame, used Hodr (who was blind from birth) to slay him using mistletoe, it started the series of events that would lead to Ragnarok (the end of the world).Baldur's children have never forgiven Loki for his callous and craven actions, but they will still fight beside his followers when the Wyrm attacks. Baldur teaches his children that the greater good must always come before personal differences, and that the true worth of a person will show itself in their actions.
Merits and Gifts
Baldur, being a humble individual, is loathe to extend the abilities of his followers. Instead, the youthful Baldur prefers to make life easier for his children. All those who follow Baldur and his ways get a (-2) to the difficulty on the following activities: Acting, Athletics, Performance, Empathy, Seduction, Melee, Brawl, Dodge, Etiquette, Animal Ken, and Medicine. The followers of Baldur also receive Charmed Existence as a Merit. (Note: this does not counteract their flaws in any way.)
Flaws and Bans
All those who follow Baldur are doomed to die. Therefore, the followers of this totem automatically receive the 5 point flaw: Dark Fate. Furthermore, Baldur was a naïve young man, and his followers suffer a +2 difficulty when trying to outsmart an enemy. This penalty doubles when dealing with those who follow Trickster totems, including Loki. Wooden weapons are forbidden to them, and all of Baldur's followers gain the flaw "Allergy: Mistletoe(Severe)". Finally, anything involving Manipulation (other than the items mentioned above) are all at a +2 difficulty, because of Baldur's loathe to manipulate and twist people to his will.