Icon of the Bjornling tribe as seen in Total War: Warhammer.
The Bjornlings are a Norscan tribe which lives by trade, fishing, and raiding -- adapting by circumstance and the whim of the gods. During times of hardship or when Chaos waxes strong in the north, the Bjornlings are warlike and contemptuous of the soft southern folk of the Old World. However, during times of peace, the Bjornlings are one of the few northern tribes which willingly put down their axes in pursuit of trade and exploration, making them some of the greatest sailors and explorers within the north. The infamous explorer Erik the Lost and his son Losteriksson, as well as the infamous pirate Aranessa Saltspite, all hail from the Bjornling tribe.[1a]
The fortified hold of Skjold is considered the capital of the Bjornlings.[1a]
Lands[]
Map of Norsca, the Bjornlings claim the lands of the south-western tip of the peninsula.
The lands of the Bjornling tribes are as harsh as any part of Norsca. The far west of Norsca is as mountainous and inhospitable as the rest of the northlands. Where the Sea of Chaos and the Sea of Claws meet, tall waves and heavy weather crash against the shore. This is the land of the Bjornling tribe, a loose confederation of Norscan clans known for the knack for trade and exploration. This coastline faces the wider world. Across the Gloomwrack Strait is the fog-shrouded isle of Albion, which remains mysterious even to Bjornling explorers. They occasionally penetrate the mists to make landfall and take thralls, but many more longships are lost than return from the fog.[1a]
Bjornling settlements cling to the cliffs and fjords as hardy crews of men and women set sail in their longships to satisfy their wanderlust. Skjold is the largest coastal town, where the Bjornling high king sits on his throne, surrounded by chieftains, traders, and explorers. Eyristaad is a collection of villages ruled by the godi Eyri Goldfinger, an opportunistic raider or merchant, depending on circumstances. Goldfinger has a pet Troll which has been "killed" and regenerated many times. Several miles out to sea is Svunum, an island dominated by a fortified preceptory of the Knights of the Blazing Sun. The Bjornlings fear and despise the southern knights and claim they are far worse than the Skaelings in cruelty and corruption.[1a]
The island of Horvenghaast lies ten miles off the northern point of Bjornling country. It is a great slab of granite carved with tunnels and chasms by an ancient, lost race. The island is dominated by a town frequented by a diverse mix of Norscans and other northern tribes, who flock to Horvenghaast to trade and partake in the famed "Duelling Circles," rooftop fighting rituals sacred to Khorne.[1a]
The rocky hillside village of Fjirgard is known for trading furs with southern merchants. The Norscans here harbour ulfwerener and claim that the Skin Wolves are blessed by the gods rather than mutated.[1a]
Further south is Bragnir, a hilly island close to the mainland. Many Bjornling chieftains are buried in barrows across the peaks, while the valleys are unusually fecund for Norsca, possibly because the thralls use kelp to fertilise crops.[1a]
The Bjornling coast has several notable geographic features. The mountain Kronfjall rises steeply to a considerable height from the shore, its western slopes disappearing below the waves. During stormy weather, the peak is lashed with lightning, testament to the Dragon Ogre laired in the hollow summit.[1a]
Society[]
Usually, the Bjornlings are a pragmatic bunch and prefer to enrich themselves through trade with L'Anguille, Marienburg, Hargenfels, and ports further afield during times of peace. Bjornlings are known for their wanderlust, and few settle for long without wishing to explore the world.[1a]
A celebrated Bjornling was Losteriksson, the Norscan who "discovered" the continent of Lustria in the New World and established one of its few enduring Human settlements, the rotten town of Skeggi.[1a]
Bjornling dragon ships ply the trade routes and can be found sailing almost every ocean in the Known World. They believe themselves the greatest explorers and sailors in the Old World, blessed by the spirits of the oceans. Expeditions from Skjold have set foot on Albion, delved into the interior of Lustria, and rounded the cape of the Southlands to voyage to Ind, Grand Cathay, and Nippon.[1a]
Graeling raids are a frequent threat to Bjornling coastal villages and throughout the valleys of the Helspire Mountains. There is some seafarer's rivalry -- while the Bjornlings can out-sail them, they lack the ferocity of the Graelings in their Bloodships, Ironsharks, and Deathgalleys from which they plunder and kill indiscriminately. Bjornlings trade with the Skaelings and may join them on raids, but it is an uneasy relationship -- the more bloodthirsty tribe to the east are not to be trusted.[1a]
Amongst Bjornling society mutation is conspicuously absent, as those found tainted in body are thrown from the cliffs. Most die, but a handful are rescued from the waves and raised by their fellow mutants in hidden coves along the coast.[1a]
Bjornling settlements are more cosmopolitan than the towns and villages of the Skaeling and Sarl tribes. Merchants from Marienburg, Erengrad, L'Anguille, and Nordland can be found haggling on the waterfront or enjoying the hospitality of the local chieftain in their hall. Providing they keep their wits (and their weapons) about them, most southerners leave safely for their home ports.[1a]
Religion[]
The Bjornlings are the least overtly Chaotic of the Norscan tribes. They worship a pantheon of gods that include many borrowed from the lands they have explored over the centuries, some twisted by Norscan spirituality into something more savage. It's not unusual to hear a Bjornling trader invoke Olric, Taal, or Dazh alongside their own gods, the Bloodwolf, the Crow Father, the Wanton Shornal, and the Great Schemer.[1a]
The Bjornlings' religion is harsh, but they honour the Ruinous Powers as inevitable rather than beloved. Unusually for Norscans, they abhor physical mutation. Bjornling mutants are sentenced to die and are thrown from cliffs into the sea. The Bjornlings loathe the Graelings to their north, whom they view as wild animals, dominated by the shadow of Chaos and near mindless in thralldom to their gods.[1a]
Notable Bjornlings[]
- Erik the Lost - Erik the Lost was a famous Bjornling explorer who travelled the whole world, and eventually discovered the lost continent of Lustria in the New World.
- Losteriksson - Losteriksson is the only son of Erik the Lost, and was famous for establishing the Norscan colony of Skeggi on Lustria's western coastline.
- High King Ulfric Grondal - Ulfrik Gronadal is the current high king of the Bjornlings and the father of Aranessa Saltspire who rules from the capital at Skjold.
- Aranessa Saltspite - Saltspire is a former princess of the Bjorling tribe, the daughter of High King Ulfric Grondal. She was cast out by her father because of her mutation and gender. She went on to survive and become an infamous pirate of Sartosa who has vowed vengenace upon her father for her exile.