Björn Falkson

Name Björn Falkson AKA Nalle Nationality Thule Protectorate (Iceland) Metatype Troll Archetype Shaman Birthdate Oct 5, 2042 "You should know, never make a bear angry. Y'wouldn't like us angry." Appearance Standing at a full nine feet tall, this troll can certainly be intimidating to those unused to metahumanity. His facial features are bulky and angular, yet manage to give the impression of Nordic descent to those familiar with it. His black horns jut upwards from his temples, almost following the curve of his skull and tapering to a point. Even his yellow eyes might seem predatory at first glance. Aside from his angular features and toughened tan skin, he also has thick, dark brown eyebrows, not to mention a facial hair to match. Notably, his thick beard has been formed into five braids, reminiscent of the trids of old vikings, yet tipped with beadwork more matching the Sioux fashions. His hairline starts level with his horns, slicked back with a line of short ponytails tied into it with more Sioux beadwork. Distinguishing Features As far as trolls go, Björn is nothing special. But its his attire and decor, a strange mix of Sioux and Viking, that really catches the eye. Feathers and braids, runes and beads. Certainly is eye-catching, if nothing else. Mannerisms and Habits When it comes to dealing with people, Björn can be of two minds. Those not amongst his friends or contacts are welcomed with a somewhat gruff, grumpy troll who doesn't seem to have time for idle chatter with them, preferring to keep contact to a minimum when business isn't involved. He won't brush them off with threats of violence, but he'll still prefer to deal with them and move on to other matters. Those who stick around may get the troll to warm to them, depending on their actions and reputations. Those who go out of their way for others (such as shadowrunners who use non-lethal methods) are worth far more of his time than those who needlessly kill. They likely also end up in Björn's circle of friends in short order. Björn doesn't limit his good graces to just his friends, however. Those in need are those Björn has believes Bear would want him to assist. To those people and his friends, they find Björn a welcoming face willing to go out of his way to help them out, be it healing, a place to lie low or just someone to pass the hours with. To those people, he'd put his life itself on the line to keep them kicking, his loyalty to them perhaps bordering on fanatic. He asks little in return from those in need, though does expect to be able to trust his friends to have his back should he become the one in need. Despite the duality, Björn is quite jovial, fond of spending time getting to know people who make the effort to look past his exterior, be it drinking or the occasional gambling (which he tends to be terrible at). Even complete strangers who stick around can get him to peel back the social armor. His main goal in life is to follow Bear's wishes, helping out where he can and trying to bring some good back into the world. Some would argue his facade is a pointless armor he carries around, and he would admit they might be right. However, he has found that the right amount of pressure on a first impression can get people to rethink causing trouble that might draw in bystanders in his presence. There is, however, one exception. Those who purposefully exploit and abuse the less fortunate of the world draw out the far more angry side of Björn. While he used to believe that all criminals would get their dues, events in his past have since shattered that view. He believes now that the only justice to be had for the unfortunate is that which they find for themselves. Shadowrunners have the ability to do so, should they wish, which is why he turned to the line of work himself and he respects them, especially those who still aid others. The more exploitative people are irredeemable in his eyes, preferring that they be put down for good and tirelessly searching for them to exact his own justice upon them. However, he doesn't see himself as some kind of hero either. He realizes he's just some troll with a gun able to put a bullet through someone's head. Running the shadows isn't ideal, but it gives him the money and contacts needed to build up and support the less fortunate, without the meddling of corporate politics. Helping out his friends and contacts in less than legal ways is the same. Unfortunate, but necessary. So long as he can keep casualties to a minimum, he's happy. But he won't start a fight over killing a ganger looking to geek him or others either. Associations Currently none. Capabilities Björn focuses himself on his healing magic granted to him by Bear. That, and some talismongering. But don't discount him in a firefight, he knows his way around a handgun, not to mention a rifle. And then there's that big axe of his. But he's no street sam either. He's more of a support for the front-liners in a run, but you can be sure he'll try to get the job done with as few major injuries as possible. Background Björn Falkson was born on October 5th 2042, in Akureyri, Iceland. At the time, his mother, Brynhildur Olafsdottir, was in a strained relationship with his father Johan Finnsson, a commercial fisherman. The disagreements stemmed from the fact that Björn was unplanned and Brynhildur desired to keep and raised him. In the end, Johan left Brynhildur a year after Björn was born, leaving the pair to fend for themselves. Brynhildur wished for a better life for the young Björn than cooped up on a cold island, and so sold many of her remaining possessions to relocate. For a long time, it looked unlikely, but the two were approved to relocate to the CAS. Brynhildur saw this as a new start for the pair, and she was correct in more ways than she could have realized. Touching down in Bull Run International, the pair travelled to their new home in Castle Rock. Though far from ideal, Brynhildur felt it was better than back in Iceland. Pushing aside the prejudices of being both a troll and a single mother, she worked hard to ensure that Björn could grow up as he needed. However, as Björn started schooling, sometimes she would need to work late, leaving Björn to fend for himself. It was during this time that Björn attracted an unexpected visitor. At the tender age of seven, he recieved a vision from Bear, of her welcoming him and beseeching him to seek tutelage for his Awakening. When the young Björn told his mother of his vision, she initially wrote it off as nothing more than a child's fantasy. It wasn't until returning home a few days later, catching Björn playing with a tiny sprite he had managed to coax out, that she realized he was telling the truth. On one hand, she was glad her son had something more he could offer to the world. On the other, she was terrified that she had no idea how to properly train her son's abilities. She sought help in various places, yet she struggled. Either they wanted nothing to do with a troll, or simply would charge her exorbinant sums she couldn't afford. It wasn't until she stumbled upon a Sioux native shaman, Nahuel Grey Mountain, that she recieved a good offer. Nahuel didn't care that Björn was a troll, or that Brynhildur couldn't afford to pay him for teaching her son. He cared only that they were in need, and that Prairie Dog would wish that he mend broken bridges between two different peoples. He would take Björn under his wing, allowing Brynhildur to visit, and teach him all that he would need to know to properly serve Bear. Brynhildur wasn't sure at first, leaving her son with a complete stranger, but eventually conceded that it was better than leaving him to fumble around with forces he didn't understand. Despite the parting, Brynhildur was able to keep visiting regularly and focus on her work. For the next two years, Björn was tutored by Nahuel in his ways. He was raised almost as if he were Nahuel's own son, both in the mundane and magic. He learned respect for the spirits he would speak with, how to summon and banish them, and how to use the power that Bear had granted him. Björn took to it like a duck to water. The mystic world that Nahuel had shown him captivated the young troll, and his curiosity grew by leaps and bounds. Nahuel meanwhile was all too happy to satiate that curiosity. Björn threw himself at every challenge laid before him, and though he stumbled more than once, he would pick himself back up and try again. Over ten years, Björn grew into his role as a Bear shaman, learning various abilities to help heal those in need and better serve Her. He moulded his ideals into someone that would wish to help those in need, however he could. He also learned how to craft fetishes, foci and other magical items, though his ability would still need work. His time with Nahuel also fostered an interest in Sioux tribal politics. Deciding to leave for a time, Björn left to return to Brynhildur. It was then he saw the state in which she had left herself, living a life near-poverty in order to keep visiting her son in his training. Björn felt that Bear would never forgive him if he let his mother continue to live such a life, and so sought employment. While work for a Bear shaman wasn't limited, it was a position with Lone Star that jumped out at him most. He would be able to take his mother into UCAS territory, to a better home, while he worked the beat. He accepted the job, and having beaten the prejudices within Lone Star, came out of basic training a capable policeshaman. It was here he met his partner, Michael Hudak. At first, the dwarf and the troll rarely got along, both convinced they were paired with the other as a joke. But over the span of a month, they bonded over this communal feeling. They became close friends in short order as they opened up to each other. Michael admired Björn's dedication to work hard for his mother's sake, while Björn admired Michael's determination to not let his parents' money buy his way through life. Rather than let the jokes tear them apart, the two instead turned it into a badge of pride, the unlikely duo who would defy conventions and become a crack team of officers. Björn's time with Lone Star was very eventful. He would spend a lot of time on the firing range, practicing with firearms as well as his spells, thinking it best to be prepared for any eventuality. He became more and more familiar with security procedures and tactics, while also picking up a slight poker habbit from (and large debt to) Michael. Various deployments that required his abilities strengthened his knowledge of medicine, as well. However, things were not to last. Lone Star got wind of a large drug deal going down near the border to the FTZ, and seeing a chance to cripple the gangs in the area, they deployed a large team to intercept it. Björn and Michael were on that team. When the team arrived and prepped to storm the building, the dealers were waiting for them, armed to the teeth. It quickly became obvious that someone in Lone Star had tipped them off about the raid. Despite their best efforts and Björn doing all he could to keep as many Lone Star officers alive as long as he could, the dealers escaped completely, leaving the raid a failure. When the top brass got word of this, they knew the fallout would be huge. An internal investigation would take too long to perform, so the nuclear option was the only option. Brass went through all officers on the raid that survived and immediately dismissed them for misconduct. While Michael was spared due to his parents' wealth, Björn had no such luck. With nothing to fall back on, he was jobless again. Worse, Lone Star had named his decision to remain healing the wounded as the primary reason why the drug dealers escaped. The alternate job offers dried up, as some suspected that he was the mole that tipped them off. Only Michael stood by him, but it was too late to do anything about it. Björn decided to return to Najuel, to see what could be done, while Brynhildur remained within UCAS with her own new job. While travelling, Björn stopped within the FTZ, where he stumbled upon Kristi Todd, another Bear shaman working her own clinic. Seeing as he had nothing better to do, Björn decided to offer his help there temporarily. He had intended only to stay a day or two to help Kristi handle the patient numbers, but one day turned to ten, and then to a month. Kristi had recognized Björn from tabloid stories about the botched raid, but respected his decision to remain with the wounded, telling him it's what Bear would have wanted of him. This made him realize he had indeed done the right thing, lifting his spirits somewhat. He left to continue to Nahuel, but promised he would return to assist her if he could spare the time. Upon speaking with Nahuel, he too confirmed that his decision was what Bear would have wanted. When he asked if there was more training he could recieve, Nahuel replied that there was, but now was his time to earn the training. While he felt they were like father and son, he also felt Björn would learn best when he saw how the world truly worked, through give-and-take. Nahuel then set Björn off to find his own answer, for what it is he wished to do next. Björn returned to the FTZ, helping Kristi once again before he settled upon an answer. He decided he wanted to track down the Lone Star mole himself. Kristi had a contact that she thought would be able to help, but did point out that Björn would have to put himself on the wrong side of the law, and put himself in danger. Regardless, Björn accepted, and stepped into the shadows. It was at this point he completed his first run. Instead of payment, he had his legitimate SIN completely wiped, making him a non-person. He then ordered new SINs, outfitting them with what he would need for his search. To anyone else, he would be Mato White Bear, a name that amused Nahuel when he returned with his answer. Still, Nahuel was pleased that Björn had decided, and so taught him more that he would need. How to move unseen, how to coerce and convince people, how to heal others using plants and how to shoot a rifle accurately. Though he didn't approve of Björn's crossing the line of the law, he understood how he felt, and made him aware that his doors remained open any time. Back in the FTZ, Björn set himself up to operate out of the Warrens, contacting Michael and informing him of his new crusade. Michael would keep an ear out on the inside, while Björn would work on a network of contacts and build up all the resources and equipment he'd need to find the true mole and either bring them in to justice, or put them down for revenge. In the meantime, it'd require running the shadows, and Björn would run as long as it took… The title you enter here is not shown and only serves as visible title in the indices. Simply enter the commenting character alias. 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