Thank you Achak for supplying and coloring this image of Njall!



NAME: Njall

GENDER: Male

SPECIES: Dilo

AGE: 17 (birth year: -2?)

ALLEGIANCE: Mannavegr Tribe

VIRTUES: Persistence, loyalty, caution

PARENTS: Hildigunnur (mother) x Höskuldur (father)

APPEARANCE: Njall possesses a larger size than most others of his kind, but only by a small margin. He has several scars, as healed as they can get over the years, and is missing two fingers on his right hand.

TEMPERAMENT:
+ Patient
+ Vigilant
+ Cautious
+ Determined
+ Level-headed
+ Resilient

- Bitter
- Stubborn
- Perhaps too cautious
- Prideful
- Antiquated
- Blunt

BACKGROUND:
Njall hatched from a small clutch of eggs in the Eastern reaches of Mannavegr territory. Though the number of eggs in the clutch was small, both Njall and his eldest brother, Gunnar, soon outgrew the rest of the hatchlings by a noticeable margin. As Njall grew up, he became especially good friends with his older brother, and the two were nearly inseparable. Gunnar was bold and adventurous, while Njall was more cautious; they made a well rounded duo.

In those early days of Njall's life, there was conflict with the raptors on the other side of the river. He and Gunnar were both trained to become warriors by their father, and Gunnar excelled at the task. However, just before the two brothers reached sub-adulthood, the Saurian Dynasty established control over all the lands. Njall was sent by his tribe to the heartland of the dynasty in the South alongside a few other dilos (as a gesture of loyalty to the dynasty), while Gunnar was kept at home to further his training.

Njall disliked the Dynasty. He was far from his home, his family, and surrounded by all sorts of strange saurians he'd never seen before. But there was a benefit from being there. While Njall stayed in the Dynasty, he learned from hunters and trackers from all around the Eo Isle how to track, hunt, and scout.With his keen mind and sharp senses, Njall became quite good at tracking both prey and other saurians, acting as a scout for the early Dynasty's military upon reaching adulthood.

After four years in the Dynasty, Njall made the journey back with some of the others sent with him who wished to go home as well. When he got there, he reunited with his parents and siblings, including Gunnar. The two brothers were ecstatic to reunite, but as the excitement wore off, Njall noticed that something had changed about Gunnar. Without Njall's tempered attitude to keep him reigned in, Gunnar had only grown bolder and more prideful. Still, the brothers enjoyed each other's company. Njall found a mate shortly after arriving, named Bergþóra, who he had been friends with before he left for the Dynasty. They raised several clutches together.

However, a perfect life was not in Njall's future. One day while hunting with Gunnar and a few of their friends, the deer they were chasing fled across the river and into Utah territory. Njall wanted to turn back, but Gunnar, emboldened by the years without Njall's guidance, convinced the rest to continue the hunt. They all crossed the border, Njall among them. On the far side, a raptor on the hunt had taken down the deer. Gunnar was reluctant to give up his prey, and killed the raptor after a brutal fight. The dilos carried the deer back across the border, thinking that they got away unseen. However, in their haste, they had not the time to cover their tracks.

The consequence came only days later. Njall had explained to Gunnar his worries, but the older brother had brushed him off, claiming that if they came for revenge, he'd simply kill them all. Njall was still worried. Shortly after one such argument, Gunnar had stormed off into the forest alone to clear his thoughts. It wasn't long before the barking of raptors and the sound of battle was heard. By the time Njall and the other fighters had reached the scene, the damage was already done.

Gunnar had slain two of his attackers, one of which was the brother of the raptor he had killed earlier. As the revenge force retreated, Njall could see that his brother had left several others wounded. But Gunnar's own injuries were too deep, and he bled out before they could get help from a healer.

Njall was enraged. For once, he abandoned his caution. As the news spread, his other surviving male siblings arrived for the bitter reunion, and Njall and Gunnar's closest friends came as well. With a warband assembled and vengeance on their minds, Njall led the dilos across the river in many raids on the communities of raptors living on the other side. Many a battle was fought. The raptors didn't stand by and take it, either; conflict erupted on the border between the dilos and raptors, fueled both by this vengeful blood feud and other grievances that made way for violence. The raptors would make strikes into Dilo territory too, and much blood was spilt in these times.

After a particularly hard fight in Dilo territory, in which two of Njall's three surviving brothers (there were five initially excluding Njall and Gunnar) and one of Gunnar's closest friends were killed, Njall's mate begged him to stop his revenge and make amends with the raptors. If he continued down this path, she explained, their children would live in a world of suffering. His eldest son had already been wounded in battle, as their first clutch was now coming of age. Njall refused. His older, more logical way of thinking was gone, replaced by an insatiable thirst for revenge and the boldness of his late brother. After he returned from the next raid into raptor territory, she was gone.

Njall left to track her, in the direction of the Fimbulvetr Tribe. No one knows what happened while he was looking for her, but when Njall returned alone, he returned changed. He seemed more empty, and violently refused to lead more raids into raptor territory.

What had revenge gotten him? In the end, all but one of his brothers lie dead, alongside many of his closest friends. No one knows what happened to Bergþóra but possibly Njall himself, if he indeed managed to find her. As the green Dilo grew into his older years, the only thing that seemed to bring him joy was the news that the Dynasty had collapsed.

Since then, Njall has patrolled the borders of Mannavegr territory alongside the river, intercepting any trespassers and spoiling the fun of adventurous young dilos hoping to get a glimpse of the raptors across the waters. Now old and prickly, Njall keeps diligently to his task of guarding the border, but he never dares to cross, his caution and level headedness returned to him since his vengeance cooled to regret. Regardless of his attitude, he has a lot of knowledge on the enemy, and sometimes is called to speak in dire times. However, he typically keeps to the riverside, having guarded it longer than many can remember.