The Iceborn of Old

INDEFINITE HIATUS. League of Legends OC, crossver/AU friendly. Arkyn is a 2nd-generation iceborn from 8000 BN. Theme header by Teiahn-frost, profile header by tixnshi-blog, PFP by self

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

Artwork by askpiltoverjayce

“My people’s history has been twisted and forgotten. I intend to rectify that.”

Independent semi-selective ask/rp blog for Arkyn Baldr, a canon-divergent League of Legends OC written by [Matrota]

[Rules]

[Arkyn’s Backstory]

[Arkyn’s Character Details and Stats]

[Permanent Starter Call]

What’s New (6/22/23) - Arkyn now has a Spiderverse AU!

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// Yo! I'm alive! Been over a year since I posted, so a little update from me. I moved, got a new job, and lost the motivation to write.

I've been super into Monster Hunter World, Elden Ring, TFT, and the Yakuza series these days. D&D has sated a lot of my hunger for writing and roleplay, which i think contributed to my losing the drive to write Arkyn.

I'm gonna put this blog on an indefinite hiatus, but i may still pccasionally post over on @matrotas-muse-hub. Mutuals, feel free to hmu for my discord if you wanna stay in touch. I may pop back in from time to time to see what everyone's up to, but idk if I'll be back to writing Arkyn again for a while.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// Yo! I'm alive! Been over a year since I posted, so a little update from me. I moved, got a new job, and lost the motivation to write.

I've been super into Monster Hunter World, Elden Ring, TFT, and the Yakuza series these days. D&D has sated a lot of my hunger for writing and roleplay, which i think contributed to my losing the drive to write Arkyn.

I'm gonna put this blog on an indefinite hiatus, but i may still pccasionally post over on @matrotas-muse-hub. Mutuals, feel free to hmu for my discord if you wanna stay in touch. I may pop back in from time to time to see what everyone's up to, but idk if I'll be back to writing Arkyn again for a while.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// Hey everyone! 

I apologize for the inactivity, life’s been a bit hectic recently.

I finished moving into a new apartment, and right as I finished moving, my workplace finally pulled the trigger on moving the store. This means that I am doing a lot less store-managing and more store-moving. It’s been busy AF and I’ve been a bit burnt out. Without getting much into it, I used to love my job to bits, but now I despise it and I’m looking for work elsewhere. Hope I find something soon.

On top of that, I was regularly suffering 80+ degree F temperatures inside my house at my old place. Moved into my new apartment, AC worked fine for the first few days, but yesterday and today it hasn’t dropped below 82. Hoping it sorts itself out soon otherwise I’m gonna have to call someone tomorrow and I am so tired of fighting with landlords over outdated and broken AC units during the Texas summer.

Anyways, I hope to get back to replies next week, sorry for the delays friends.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// I’m mostly finished moving

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// Update: I’ve finished moving into my new place! Gonna spend the next day or two unpacking and settling in, once I have the energy for it I’ll get back to my drafts and replies. I’m still working through Saturday too, so I’m expecting to be entirely wiped out lmao.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// I’m mostly finished moving

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

SHIPPING INFO //ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR MUSES SO PEOPLE KNOW HOW SHIPPING WORKS ON YOUR BLOG.

WHAT IS YOUR OTP FOR YOUR CHARACTER(S)?

My OTP with Arkyn is definitely Ahri. More specifically, Arkyn with @ahrichus--archived-blog‘s Ahri. Mo is one of my best friends and one of the main reasons I got so involved in the LoL RPC back in the day. The mixture of fluff and angst between these two immortal goofballs was such a pleasure to write. Mo’s retired from the RP scene, but I still often send them HCs and such about the two characters.

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?

Great question, especially since Arkyn is at least 9,000 years old (though depending on verse, most of that was in stasis). I’d say that any character around 25-ish can reasonably date any older character without me feeling very weirded out by it. There’s exceptions to every rule, obviously, but that’s the first thing that comes to mind. If the hypothetical 25-year-old has known, say, this 60 year old since they were much younger, that can definitely feel weird to me. Otherwise, I feel like the half-the-oldest-character’s-age-plus-seven rule makes decent sense for me.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED NSFW?

I’m more than happy to write violence n gore, but smut is something I’m rather averse to writing. The moment the clothes come off or when hands begin to wander, I’m fading to black.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?

I feel like I’m just as selective as most people would be. I like seeing Arkyn’s character develop by meeting someone and entering into a romance, but I’m not gonna smack characters together and expect things to work out. I prefer the characters having known each other for quite some time before they “fall.” Slow burn / mutual pining is the best. If I don’t feel like there’s good chemistry between our muses after a few interctions, it’s unlikely a ship will come to fruition.

WHO ARE OTHER CHARACTERS YOU SHIP YOUR CHARACTER WITH?

Arkyn’s had lots of relationships here on tumblr throughout the years. Most of them were with other peoples’ OCs, but there were a few League characters mixed in. Ahri, Ashe, canon-divergent Katarina, very canon-divergent Lissandra, and I’ve always been curious about trying a ship with a Sejuani. I like the idea of a Sejuani ship being a slow burn or a forced proximity since Arkyn’s first impression of Sejuani was poor, and both are proud and competent warriors with differing world views. It could even be a relationship that fails and they’re bitter exes. Really, I just want to interact with a Sejuani more because I rarely got the chance to write with any back in the day. If I were to pick any other champs, I would be curious to have Kai’sa interact with Arkyn if only for them to have shared void trauma to bond over.

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?

I would like to discuss ships before we just jump into one, and, as stated before, I can be selective about who Arkyn would reciprocate feelings for. However, that doesn’t mean characters without many Arkyn interactions can’t send in ship-related asks or starters. In fact, unrequited love is a side of writing I haven’t often explored. I’ll probably DM you if we haven’t discussed it yet to hash out ideas, but if your character wants to put some moves on the ice boy, feel free! I can’t guarantee he’ll immediately be into it, but we can always wing it and see where it goes.

ARE YOU SHIP-OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?

My desire to write romance comes and goes, but judging from past experience in the RPC, if I’ve got an active ship I’m likely to err more on the side of obsessed rather than not. I don’t think I’m one to go out of my way to find new ships for Arkyn, but I do love to write him dealing with his own feelings should I have an active shipping partner.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE SHIP IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?

That’s a tough question, honestly. I’ve been only tangentally involved in League for a long time, and I’m not sure if there’s a ship I particularly prefer to others. Ekko/Jinx is interesting from a tragic perspective, but I wouldn’t call it my favorite by any means. Once upon a time I shipped Shen and Irelia, but current lore makes me feel like Shen would have too many problems with Irelia’s philosophy for them to mesh.It’s been a while since I had any sort of CanonxCanon OTP.

If I were to step oustide of the LoL fandom though, I’ve been playing a lot of Octopath Journey 2 recently and I’m seeing some chemistry between Agnea and Hikari 👀 Also seems like Hikari and Throné have a lot in common but I’m not sure if I’d necessarily ship the two together.

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?

Message me! I’m always down to discuss ships, especially if there’s a certain dynamic or trope we want to achieve with the relationship. I haven’t really done any pre-established relationships before as far as romance goes, but I’d be willing to give it a go if I felt it was justifiable between each muse. Honestly, even a one-off comment in a tag or some inner monologue in a thread that implies a muse might be catching feelings could be enough if I feel the two could be a good pair. But yes, the most reliable way is to message me privately, and I would be more than glad to figure out any sort of shipping.

Tagged by: @misstantabismuses and @witchcraftandburialdirt Tagging: @cherrychitters @the-expatriate @chronicparagon @korvyna @eightfoldjourney and YOU

[inncarnat]

Do me a favor. Reblog this if you welcome the use of ask memes as icebreakers between characters that have never, or rarely, interacted before.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

Spiderverse AU - Open Starter

The Arctic Wolf was still having a hard time adjusting to this... spider-society, as they called it. He was loathe to admit it, but his powers and history seemed oddly aligned with these spider-people, and he’d luckily not ran into any actual spiders yet. Apparently Arkyn’s powers made him more of a symbiote-spider than anything. Judging by the tone of the person who told him this, it seemed that symbiotes were a touchy subject. Regardless, he’d still been allowed on the team.

Arkyn had heard from one of the many Peters - he wondered why there were so many - that there was a “food court” he could eat in. They had shown it to him during an orientation of sorts. As the line moved enough for Arkyn to reach the front, he was thrown off when asked what manner of food he wanted. Everything looked unfamiliar to him, and so the vikingr turned to the nearest person behind him in line for help.

“Do you have a recommendation?” he asked, “I have never eaten future food.”

[the-expatriate-has-moved]

Pari listened on, although she did find it rather weird that he’d decided to offload a little bit of a history lesson regarding why he didn’t take the stealthy option.

Of course, she couldn’t judge. Given how she was just as much a person for hitting someone where it hurt the most. Hence why they were both in that mess.

However, she wouldn’t be disrespectful.

“Well.. I mean, each to their own. I guess everyone’s got different ways of approaching shit. I assume you are still on good terms with her, yes?”

One could hope at least.

“Can’t relate personally. Lots of bad blood between me and my mother.”

The less said on that part, the better.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

“Well, we left on good terms. Haven’t talked to her in a while though.”

The surprise of his escape accomplice had somewhat shaken Arkyn back into focus. He was doing what he could to gain control of his nerves, a flurry of emotions slowly being pushed down. Fear, anger, and a touch of thrill. Well, he never would have become an athlete if he weren’t already an adrenaline junkie. He wouldn’t admit that a part of him was entertained by this absurd situation though.

“Here’s where I might have said we’ll need to succeed in our escape so we can see them again, but it sounds like that may not be in the cards.”

He let out a soft chuckle, little more than an uneasy reflex to the awkwardness.

“Then again, I don’t think anyone needs an excuse to skip out on an appointment with a ‘scumbag kingpin,’ as you put it.”

[oc-menagerie-archived]

@arkyn-iceborn-vindication (Spiderverse Kyana starter for you!)

What had happened? Kyana had been chasing down a villain, the police on their way as well and she almost had him when suddenly...she fell into a portal.

Her web snapped causing her to face plant on the ground right in front of someone. Groaning, she peered up, only to gasp and scramble to her feet. Was that...no way. The appearance was rather intimidating and her hands started to glow and burn. "Wh-Who are you? Are you...another Spiderman? Like me?"

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

Arkyn was supposed to have today off from dealing with multiverse nonsense. He’d only just dealt with the Kraven of his own dimension, let alone anyone else’s, taking the violent hunter into clan custody. It was the Law-Speaker’s job now to handle him.

That said, it seemed Arkyn would not be able to rest easy. He received a notice from Lyla only moments before a portal opened, rushing to don his battle regalia to prepare for the invader. By the time Arkyn made it to the portal, whatever villain had entered his realm through the portal was no longer there. Instead, he saw strangely-clad woman. 

The Arctic Wolf paused, feeling a strange shiver run down his spine as the Observer’s clairvoyance attuned to this newcomer - another one of those spider-people, no doubt. Their "spider-sense" and the Observer's clairvoyance often... resonated.

“Well, I’m part of their strange clan,” he said, offering a hand to the unfamiliar spider. Upon noticing her palms flaring with heat, Arkyn reconsidered the handshake, deciding maybe he’d save the greeting gestures for later. No need to damage his cryoskeleton.

“You’re... like me, it seems. Did Miguel send you?"

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// That feel when you nail the torso anatomy in the sketch but can’t draw legs or feet to save your life…

Keep reading

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// Armor sketch done, may change a few parts of design during cleaning + lines.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

// That feel when you nail the torso anatomy in the sketch but can’t draw legs or feet to save your life...

I’ll be covering it with clothes anyways, but man, it looks so bad... fml. Need to do some leg studies and figure out how these body parts work.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

The Arctic Wolf - Spiderverse AU

“Very well, let’s do this a final time. My name is Arkyn Baldr. I consumed an alien arctic wolf spider, and for the last four years, I’ve been Vinland’s one and only Arctic Wolf.”

“I’m pretty sure you know the rest.”

“I saved a great many people. I lost my uncle Bjorn. I fell in love, and I saved my homeland. I couldn’t save Freja. I had my revenge, and I nearly went too far. I buried my friends. But I got back up. I defended the peace, and I defended the innocent.”

“In my universe, it is the year 1012, and I am the right hand of my clan’s chief Law-Speaker. When I am not assisting Law-Speaker Jorukk, I like to learn from the nearby natives and dance. And, when duty calls, I join my brothers and sisters as a vikingr.”

“I was fighting the Verdant Dwarf when something strange happened. Being host to The Observer, such strangeness is not uncommon. But this was... stranger than normal. A myriad-colored hole opened within the air, and out from it came an iron monster painted the color of blood. My cryoskeleton was only barely able to sustain the blows, and chances of victory were looking grim until another stranger emerged from the scintillating hole.”

“A man in black and red, a man with spikes protruded from his arms in a way not too dissimilar to my own. We fought side by side. He introduced himself as Spider-Man and asked me to join his clan. I accepted, and I have been working to help stabilize this “multiverse” ever since.”

“Why Arctic Wolf, you ask? The source of my powers was an alien, mutated arctic wolf spider the size of a grown man. I... hate spiders. They disgust me, and their appearance is nothing short of repulsive. I don’t want to be called a spider-person because it makes me think of those ugly things. I’d much rather be called a wolf.”

Powers:

- Clairvoyance: Instead of the typical spider-sense with buzzing in the base of the skull, Arkyn has bonded with the mind of an alien monster who calls itself “The Observer.” The Observer does not see things in the way that mortals do, and to protect the host of its eyes, it forewarns Arkyn of incoming danger with psychic impulses. He feels these in the form of a chill running down his spine. - Spider-Climb: Arkyn can stick to surfaces, allowing him to walk on walls or hang from ceilings. He did not have much use for this in Vinland, though it was occasionally helpful for fighting in forests. - Arm-Fangs: Arkyn has retractable spikes that can emerge from the ulna bones in his forearms. These spikes curve slightly inwards, starting from just under the elbow and extending about a foot past his wrist. - Cold Resistance: Arkyn possesses incredible resistance to the cold, the full extent of which has not been tested. Thusfar, he has comfortably withstood up to -25 degrees Fahrenheit for a period of 12 hours straight with minimal protection. - Cryoskeleton: Arkyn can secrete an fluid from his pores that rapidly freezes into a dense chitin. The chitin forms with a web-like pattern, serving as a protective exoskeleton capable of absorbing great impacts and deflecting blades. This exoskeleton is harder the colder it is, and being exposed to high levels of heat can weaken its defensive capabilities. - Heatsink:  Arkyn is able to forcefully absorb heat up to a certain point. This can allow him to do things such as freeze sections of water by taking all of the heat out of them, or to grab an enemy and draw the heat from their body, causing great pain and possibly causing them to fall into shock, depending on the severity. The heat he absorbs can be converted into energy, but he can only store up to a certain capacity before he can no longer absorb heat. - Enhanced Eyesight: The Observer that Arkyn ate enhanced his vision to allow him to see from great distances, as well as being able to see clearly in darkness. - Superhuman Physique: Arkyn posesses vastly increased strength, as well as truly superhuman speed. His bursts of speed can reach up to 300 mph, though he cannot sustain this speed for long distance. This comes from the wolf-spider’s nature as a true ambush predator, not the conventional web-spinning spiders. Arkyn has neither natural web nor web-shooters. - Healing Factor: Arkyn heals slightly faster than normal, recovering from wounds in roughly a third of the time a normal human would need. However, this healing factor becomes less effective the hotter the temperature is. If the temperature is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, his healing factor is rendered entirely inert. Possibly related to this healing factor, Arkyn has not aged a single day since he ate The Observer.

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

Canon-Adherent League of Legends AU

In the year of 8024 BN, a child by the name of Arkyn was born to Sindri and Tyra Baldr, the firstborn of their family. Only four years later, he would be followed by a younger brother named Aethin.

Arkyn’s family was part of the Eynvarg tribe, a now long-forgotten clan that was allied with Serylda’s Tribe of the Winter’s Claw. The Eynvarg’s leader was Arkyn’s grandfather Tyrvald, a veteran of the wars fought against the old gods of the Freljord.  Arkyn's father and mother had also participated in the battles near the conclusion of the wars, being able to turn the tide with a powerful blessing bestowed by Lissandra to the allies of the Three Sisters.

With the conclusion of the war against the old gods, it was soon discovered that the blessing Lissandra had bestowed had a steep price. They had become nigh-immortal iceborn, but the price was subservience to the emptiness below, the consuming void. Lissandra had sold her people to otherworldly masters in order to help them fight the old gods. Avarosa and Serylda believed subservience to be a fate worse than death, and their tribes rose against Lissandra in order to break this pact.

By the time the war was truly heating up, Arkyn had already grown into a man. He took to the front lines, fighting a brutal conflict against other iceborn and eventually earning the honorary title of "Brýnt Drengr," or "Swift Hero." He lost many friends in the war. His family survived, but the same couldn't be said for Arkyn's first love, Freja Aldhomr. Whereas he had originally joined to fight for liberation and glory, after many near-death experiences, Arkyn was slowly becoming jaded and tired of the war. But it would not last for much longer.

A final siege against Frostguard Citadel saw the advent of the unthinkable; the descent - or rather the ascent - of the Watchers. The masters of the void who rose from the emptiness below the howling abyss. As these eldritch beings began to materialize in Runeterra, they were forced to take on a physical form, something they had no need for within the void. Lissandra, the dreamwalker who had sold her people out to the Watchers for power, now realized just how dire of a mistake it was. The iceborn raging at the gates of the Citadel prepared to fight not only Lissandra's followers, but even the voidborn monsters who they wished to be free of. Lissandra, witnessing the manifestation of these elder monsters, could not possibly fathom overcoming them. Using the very magic she was given in exchange for pledging servitude, Lissandra summoned a truly colossal amount of True Ice to trap the Watchers within. The iceborn laying siege, as well as all the iceborn within the citadel, were all caught in the crossfire. This included Arkyn.

Arkyn had been running supplies when this happened, and when the Watchers began to make themselves real, he sprinted with desperation to back up his allies at the gates. He saw the wave of true ice as it consumed friend and foe alike, and he realized he would not be able to escape it. That was when he caught sight of his younger brother Aethin. A prodigious mage and controller of ice magic. He reached for his brother as the ice overtook him, and all was dark.

Eventually, Arkyn would awaken. He found himself within the depths, some underground cavern system barely lit by bioluminescent moss and crystal. He was partially encased in true ice, but he was conscious. With great effort, and over a span of time that he could not truly tell, he used the iceborn magic he possessed to free himself of the ice. He had never been particularly good at controlling ice magic, his iceborn gift manifesting more in raw physical might than magical power. But it was still enough to free him.

Once he was out, Arkyn soon realized that he was alone. The ice he had freed himself from was not part of a larger glacier. The wave of true ice that encapsulated the iceborn and their masters was nowhere to be seen. It was just him, alone, and lost. Unbeknownst to him, the thing that had saved him was his very brother - conjuring his own true ice tomb for his brother under Aethin's jurisdiction, not Lissandra's.

Arkyn wandered within the caves for years, subsisting off underground springs and strange plants, occasionally able to indulge on other creatures that inhabited the caverns. These occasions were few and far between. Exploring with the hopes of finding his way to the surface and making it back to the citadel to see what had become of his kinsmen, Arkyn encountered many hardships before he ever saw the light of day. But the light did come.

When Arkyn finally emerged to the surface in 920 AN, the Freljord was nothing like the one he knew. The structure of the buildings, the language of its people, it was all foreign. It took Arkyn years to adjust to the modern Freljordian tongue. He took up residence in a city near the Northern coast and learned from the people there, eventually becoming fluent in both modern Freljordian and common. When he inquired about the fate of the iceborn, Arkyn was astonished to learn that, according to their history, the War of Three Sisters would have ended nearly 9,000 years ago. While the iceborn were said to exist, they were incredibly uncommon, something like a recessive gene that only certain descendants would acquire.

Arkyn sought out one of the better-known iceborn, Sejuani. She lead a tribe named after the same one he was once allied with, the Winter's Claw lead by Serylda. He met with her to discuss her nature. It seemed the iceborn of this era were not aware of their roots, disconnected from the reality of the Watchers. Additionally, it seemed that the true ice weapons that had been passed down through generations were seen as double-edged blades, harming those who wield them. To Arkyn, the concept of suffering immense pain just by holding true ice was confusing. The iceborn of his time were much more resilient to the cold. Perhaps the disconnect from the Watchers had weakened the iceborn's "blessing."

Frustrated that the ancient history of the iceborn was all but lost, Arkyn couldn't help but feel despair and rage. Lissandra. She was the only one capable of conjuring that amount of true ice. His people's history was naught but a myth, and even Sejuani did not fully understand her powers. Arkyn resolved himself to amend this. The iceborn existed. They were his family. His friends. His kin. His enemy. The culture and history of his people was gone, and Arkyn wanted to scream out and declare "I'm here. They mattered."

Arkyn packed what few belongings he had accumulated in the past couple years he had been on the surface. He would travel the land and scour it for truth. To discover what had become of his people, what had become of the Watchers, and to reveal the truth of it all to the world. His people's history would not go forgotten, caged in ice beneath entombed beneath bloody snow.

[angstmemes]

First-Time Interaction starter sentences

“I realise you don’t know me, but please help me, I think I’m going to pass out.” “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I saw someone put something in your drink. You didn’t drink from it already, did you?” “I got robbed and have no way of getting home. They got my phone, so I can’t call anyone. Could I please borrow your phone?” “Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you there… Are you okay?” “Charlie! Imagine seeing you here!– Oh. Wait, you aren’t Charlie…” “Excuse me, I was looking to get my girlfriend a bra, could you help me– You’re not the shop assistant, are you?” “Watch out for that truck!” “Is this your wallet?” “You look very different to your profile picture…” “Look out where you’re going, asshole!” “Did you see that?! He had a gun.” “Are you the girl/guy from So You Think You Can Dance?!” “Err– I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was just walking behind you and I think you must have sat in something…” “I know I don’t know you and this might sound really strange, but do you have a room or a spare settee or something I could crash on? I could pay you… I just… I really need someone to help me out right now.” “HELP ME!” “Oh my god, are you okay? I’m calling the police. I think I saw who did this to you.” “Are you alright? You look really pale.” “The whole street is blocked off. The police won’t tell us anything, but I think there’s been some kind of attack… Maybe a bomb?” ”Have you lost something? Can I help?” “Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?”.

[dolls-runeterran-dollhouse]

Lee Sin offered a chuckle, pulling up his shoulders. "I see things others do not. I also feel things that others cannot. And I am very attuned to one's magic, one's nature, and the living breathing world around us. That does not make me certain, but it does give me some insight and allows me to speak with more clarity."

"I am delighted to meet you, Sir Baldr. You have certainly traveled a distance. I hope you have felt welcomed in Ionia thus far."

"Ah, forgive my lack of manners. I was so surprised by your presence that I completely neglected to introduce myself properly." Lee Sin brings up both arms, dropping into a bow. "I am Lee Sin, Elder Monk to the Shojin Monastery. You may call me Lee Sin. Or Lee, for short."

[arkyn-iceborn-vindication]

Arkyn mimicked Lee's bow, his mind lingering on one of the lines she had spoken in particular. "I see things others do not." A curious thing to say, especially seeing as they wore a blindfold. Then again, Arkyn knew the world to be full of strangeness.

"The honor is mine. I have only been within these lands for one months' time, but I believe I had first heard of the Shojin Monastery long before I set foot on your shores."

As someone who had relentlessly immersed himself in studying history, Arkyn had come across more than a few accounts of Noxian Imperialism. The Ionian invasion had only ended within the last decade or so, and even though Ionia was not his main field of study, Arkyn could not help but indulge his curiosity in the late hours of the morning.

"And you need not feel obligated to address me formally," he added. "Brýnt Drengr is a title in my native tongue, one I am too sentimental to detach myself from. Please feel free to simply call me Arkyn."

While it was true that the title was in his native tongue, Old Freljordian had many differences to modern Freljordian. But Arkyn doubted this monk was fluent enough in such a foreign language to note the distinction.