Torben

Torben the Mighty is a hunter of the Blacksole Folk, a Freefolk band far north of the Wall. Broad, brawny, and a champion of the small, his moniker is a fitting one.

Appearance and Character
Torben is an old ginger fellow with a scraggly beard and the build of an ox. His eyes are a piercing blue, and his mouth houses a mess of dark yellow teeth.

Exterior aside, he is a kind man. Although Torben will kill a beast to put food on the table, he will never slew a man over lust for blood.

History
Torben was born as a member of the Hornfoots in the foothills of the Frostfangs. His first decade was without note; he shed his milkname at two, blackened his feet by nine. Like all of his clansmen, he learned the art of the spear at a young age. He tagged along with hunting parties when he could, doing his part to aid in the felling of elk and auroch.

However, once he reached the precipice of manhood, there was a division amongst his people. Ekkill Crowsbane was gathering the various clans and tribes of the true north for a campaign against the wall and the kingdoms that dwelled below it. The chief of the Hornfoots pledged to his cause, but many of his people did not share his want for war. They were happy with their lives, and had no wish to shed Freefolk blood for a land they did not desire. As such, Hamdyr Owleye, a young hunter with a wisdom beyond his years, split from the Hornfoots with all who wished it. Torben joined him. There were fifteen of them who ventured further into the wilds of the far north. They settled on the Milkwater where the forest meets the foothills of the mountains, with as much distance between them and the Fist of the First Men as there was between the Fist and the Wall. They called the place Camp, but it became a home. And such is how the Blacksole Folk came to be.

The decades treated Torben well. He honed his skills with the spear, became a champion of the hunt. Food was plentiful for the man, and the fatty brawn he packed on with each passing year reflected it. He stole a wife, Ygga, and they had a son. He was a sickly thing, but by his tenth year, Torben unclothed him of his milkname. They called him Vodyr.