Drew2_dude 2130 Share Posted July 8, 2021 CHRONICLES OF AYR: THE TALE OF THE BEAR Authored By: Sigmar Joren Baruch, 298 E.S. | 1745 FOREWORD When I was a child, my great grandfather Marius Baruch told me this story, as every Baruch Lord prior to him told their sons and daughters. This is a story which fully demonstrates the strength, stubbornness, and determination of our old family. A story that is told to every Ayrian lad and lass as they’re tucked into bed, at every alehouse as the people gather around the orator, and by every bard that ventures up North and carries the tale South to corners of the world. This is the first manuscript of this old oral tale and shall serve as the first story in a long line of Ayrian chronicles that have yet to be translated from oration to quill and paper. The North, a cold and hard land. A stark and desolate place where most dare not venture, especially in the days of Axios. This is where House Baruch made its mark and began the traditions that are carried out even today. Have you ever wondered where our sigil came from? How House Baruch, a family of poor fishermen, got the sigil of a strong and formidable Bear? Well, this is that tale, the tale of how House Baruch became the House of the Bear. A painting of early Voron, 1572 Our first lord and notable patriarch, Eirik Ludvik Baruch, was only a young man at the start of this story, years before his ennoblement and elevation to Baron. He, and his younger brothers and sisters settled down north under the recently crowned King Petyr I of Hanseti-Ruska. Eirik and his family built an encampment quite the distance from the capital of Karlsburg, under the mighty Greyspine Mountains in the dense snowy forest by the coast, this would later become House Baruch’s Ancestral seat of Voron. But for now, the encampment was nothing but a few log houses and tents near the coast, far away from any unwanted guests and, to their detriment, from any help if ever desperately in need. Eirik, the eldest of his orphaned siblings, became the Head of House. The responsibility and survival of House Baruch depended all upon him. So, he did what he knew, fishing. He did not fish for entertainment or to pass the time, he fished because his family's life depended on it. The ground was too rocky and too frozen to bear crops and they did not have the resources yet to raise livestock, so all depended on Eirik and his fishing to sustain the family. After a time, he mastered his trade, he soon taught his brothers and sisters how to fish as they grew, and they did more than just survive, they thrived. They would go to the Karlsburg market and sell their fish, finally making a living past just mere survival. This, however, did have its drawbacks. The isolated and seemingly defenseless fishing village soon became a target for thieves, brigans and raiders. Easy prey, they thought, for a rather large sum of gold. Eirik, however, was not naive; he saw the darts that were glared in his direction as he made his way home from the markets. The greed of man was clear to him, and it was something he always feared would come to haunt his growing family. He knew one day that they would finally be the victim of an attack, yet he did not know when or how to properly defend his family from it. As this sweltering thought weighed heavily on his mind, the day did eventually come, the inevitable massacre he always feared finally did befall on his family. A depiction of the bandit ambush of House Baruch, 1579 It started as a usual day for Eirik, with fishing. He went along with his usual routine, however as he had come to find out, it was not so usual. As he fished, he felt eyes almost blazing a hole through the back of his head. He wasn’t sure what or who was watching, but he knew something was wrong. He made his way back to the main encampment, dropping off the fishnets and starting the fire to cook dinner. As the sun began to set, a dark and eerie aura befell upon the encampment. A lone man out of nowhere approached Eirik and the Baruch family as they settled down for dinner around the fire, this startled them all, as they hardly received visitors this far north, especially without forewarning. Soon, more and more men appeared around the encampment, it seemed they were all but encircled. “Pay with gold or pay with your life, either way, we aren’t leavin’ empty handed!” one shouted out to Eirik and the Baruchs as they drew their swords. It was all for naught however, Eirik and his family were surrounded and outnumbered, five to one. It was too late to call for help and almost certainly hopeless to fight back, but Eirik and his family refused to surrender, just as years ago they refused to surrender their lives to the harsh north. They were going to fight tooth and nail for what they had built, no matter the probability, no matter the outcome. As the heated battle ensued, Eirik, his three brothers, and his three sisters fought back against the raiders with all they had. Sword, harpoon, fire poker, and trident; anything they could find they used as a weapon. They fought hard for their home and their lives, but it likely wouldn’t be enough. They fought with such valor and intensity, but being so out supplied and outnumbered, only Godan or a miracle could save them now. And that’s just what happened. The depiction of the Great bear that saved Eirik and the Baruchs, 1580 A fierce rumbling could be heard around the forest as the fight ensued. A low growl and the thud of paws shaking the ground around them distracted all those there. Suddenly, out of what felt like thin air, a giant bear emerged from the forest, mauling those in its path, tearing them limb from limb. As it rampaged through bandit after bandit, it left those of House Baruch unharmed, only targeting the raiders that had ambushed Eirik and his family. Soon, the raiders, or at least the lucky few that left with their lives, ran from the village in terror, carrying the story with them to Karlsburg and further south as the fear of the Great Bear and Baruchs sent them far away from the northern lands. After the Bear realized it had killed and chased off all the raiders that came, he disappeared back into the woods, never to be seen by Eirik or his family again; although the feeling of eyes watching over them, protecting them in the darkness was carried along with Eirik and his family for years after the event. When the time came, for the ennoblement of Eirik and House Baruch, he thought back to the bear that had saved him and his family's life from the devilish raiders. He thought back to what all he and his family had been through. Surviving the harsh north alone and isolated from everyone else, building up a family and home from nothing to a wealthy fishing village, and surviving a massacre through their own mettle, self-determination, and a little help from Godan. He realized that his family symbolized what a bear stood for in his mind. House Baruch had weathered the harshest of winters all by itself, it had become a strong and formidable family as it aged, and it had fought its own battles and wore its scars proudly. This is why House Baruch chose the bear for its sigil. This is why House Baruch is the House of the Bear. 22 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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