The Slayer

First Paragraph/Summary

Birth and Childhood
"All men are born." -Pearse

From a young age, Pearse was an Exile among Exiles. His father was killed on a hunting trip, and his mother was sold into slavery while pregnant with him. Due to harsh treatment and unsanitary conditions surrounding the event, his mother died in childbirth. No one stepped forward to claim the newborn babe, so he was at the mercy of strangers to be fed and raised.

Through the luck of the draw, Pearse was able to survive being alone as a newborn in a harsh city and climate. Families rotated the wee Slayer among themselves, passing him along from hand to hand till he learned to ignore the tug of parental affection. When he learned to walk, he started to steal. He took many beatings by guards and shop-keeps alike when caught, but was able to escape capital punishment for his crimes.

By the time Pearse entered his teens, he was already a fairly accomplished thief and had formed a few friendships with the other thralls, slaves, and urchins of the city. It was one such connection that got him placed on the hunting team one cold afternoon. And this is where he shone.

The Hunt
Forgoing the bow, Pearse stood his ground against the charge of a wild boar, and planted his axe deep into its skull. He ate, the city ate, and his fortune started to change for the better. He was now a proper Nordheimer and a member of the Heirs of the North. He would learn to hunt, skin, and butcher. Even to this day, the sent of pigs blood brings up prideful memories. These skills would serve him well.

Exile
They were all Exiles in their own right. This was The Exiled Lands, and seldom did people come here of their own volition. But Pearse was born here, and thus had no bracer. That is of course, until he was exiled from New Asgarth. A rival hunter did not appreciate being upstaged by a young man and over time grew to resent Pearse. The hunter, who had been in good standing for his entire life, being born to the someone well known by the Chieftain, made his move.

This rival hunter lured Pearse into a clearing, alone, where a serpent considered sacred to the tribe dwelt. Pearse slew this creature in self defense, not knowing it to be sacred to the tribe due to his poor upbringing. Returning with the carcass of this revered creature, Pearse was charged as an enemy to Ymir. However he wasn't exiled until the rival hunter stepped forward and accused Pearse of crimes he didn't actually commit. Despite the lack of evidence, Pearse was sentenced to death by crucifixion and dragged south to be sentenced to death...

The Slayer is Born
"All men are born twice."

The desert is a cruel place, especially when being crucified under the blistering rays of the sun. Baked beyond recognition by the light of the sun, Pearse was freed from his cross by a passing wanderer. The wanderer let him down, and then left him there, laying in the sand.

Upon waking, Pearse was covered in a layer of sand, which was nice upon his sun-pocked skin. He groaned, struggling to his feet and making his way across the brutal sands north. Pearse fell upon an unsuspecting worshiper of Yog, bludgeoning him with a rock and taking his sword. With iron in his hand, Pearse got to work. He killed and ate people until he was back to full strength, he then made his way north. On a campaign of vengeance against anyone who got in his way.