Harbringer of the Companions

A job title that basically translates to, 'The father of many large and armed children.' My name is Kodlak Whitemane, The Harbringer of the Companions of Skyrim.

[platonicrpmemes]

Family Sentence Starters

“I’ll take care of it.”

“You worry too much.”

“I’ve got your back.”

“Will you stop that?”

“Give it back!”

“Do you remember… ?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not leaving you.”

“You know I’d do anything for you.”

“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”

“You’re so weird.”

“Could you not embarrass me for five minutes?”

“Don’t mention it. Please.”

“I’m not letting go until you stop looking sad.”

“This is not a negotiation.”

“I think you want one. Come here.”

“Don’t forget a coat!”

“Be safe out there.”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Stop hugging me!”

“You’re going to come back to us, right?”

“Thank you for everything.”

“I like it better when you smile.”

“You can’t do that. You’ll get hurt.”

“I’m not going to stop.”

“I’m here to keep you safe.”

“I’’m scared, but I’m less scared around you.”

“I love you. Don’t forget that.”

“Let’s go. Take my hand.”

“It will be okay as long as we stick together.”

“I’d never just abandon you.”

“I’ll always come back. I promise.”

“Let’s go. Together.”

“Don’t you want to come with me?”

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

"I have gathered you here, in our secret place, to tell you something that may change our lives forever." He had gathered the Circle under the Skyforge, and was observing them carefully as he prepared to make his announcement. He knew that Skjor and Aela would refuse the cure. But would the twins? Indes? Herryk was cured already by some means, but as a Circle member, Kodlak had asked him to come. Taking a deep breath, Kodlak lifted a bloody sack and let the contents spill into the stone bowl. Twisted, tattooed, branded, snarling with hate, the heads of several witches glared up at them. Vilkas cursed and stepped back, while Skjor glared at the heads and his Harbinger. "I do not wish to go to the Hunting Grounds." Kodlak said quietly, looking at their faces, "I wish to go to Sovngarde, with the spirits of my fathers. After careful research, I discovered that the original witches that offered us the strain of lycanthropy that the Companions are under still lived. And that their blood and a special place would allow those under the strain to be cured." He held up his hand, silencing the sudden voices, some angry, some excited. "No one will be forced. It will be the choice of the person, and we will not judge a sibling who wants rid of the Wolf or who wants to keep it. I chose a Companion who was not a member of the Circle to retrieve these heads for my own reasons, but I apologize for my seeming distrust. Before you ask," His eyes flickered to Indes, "This cure will not work for our brethren who are not of our strain. If they were marked by another of Hircine, they must find their own way." Kodlak leaned against the bowl briefly, taking a breath. "I will leave soon to cure myself. Any who wish to come may. You may discuss this amongst yourselves, but my path is assured."

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

@tural-amring Kodlak sat down at the table, briefly watching Tural before clearing his throat. He had known the elf in his youth, and was still amazed at how much he had changed yet stayed the same. As the cold made his bones ache, Kodlak smirked at how much he had changed over the years. Once hale and hearty, now old and rickety. He drew himself from his musings as he came back to the present. "Tural. I have a request and an offer to make, if you would be willing to listen."

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

"Harbinger?" The voice on the other side of the cracked door was hushed and hesitant, as if she were still unsure of whether or not it was supposed to be there. "Do you have a few minutes? I... I can wait if you are busy."

Kodlak looked up from his journal, closing the cover and setting down his quill as he looked towards the door. "Come in, of course I have a few moments. What do you need?"

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

"You need not worry so much. It's not good for an old man's heart." Kodlak snorted, keeping his comments about old to himself. He was cold, and Tilma would be petty if he pointed it out. "I may have sent a Companion to his death." "He needed something. After what has happened to him in the past year and a half, he needed to know his own strength." Kodlak stood, grumbling and frustrated. Tilma patiently sat by the fire, working on some matter of sewing. She refused to show him, which only added to his consternation. "He's not healed fully yet. Not from the barrow anyways." "He walked out on his own power. Swears he's fine." "And not to mention, I don't know where his mind was at when I told him about the Witches. I ask for myself, but he may take the cure as well." "He seemed rather comfortable with his other side." "His other side almost killed his friends and the womer he cares for." "Do you think Korgul fears the wolf hurting others, or is this Kodlak projecting on a shield brother that reminds him of himself?" Kodlak glared at her, finally sitting down on the edge of the bed and sighing. "They are like my children. I worry for them, and I have just sent one of them off into a literal witches den, when his hand may as well be tied behind his back. Korgul is as willing as any to spill blood for the Companions, but he does not listen when I tell him he has spilled enough. He thinks he needs to lose more, to come closer and closer to death to show those he cares about that he truly does care. I worry because I see myself in him, and I worry because I do not want one of my children to die, especially if they think it's for acceptance they already have." Tilma placed her stitching on the side table, bones creaking as she stood. Crossing to Kodlak, she placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, cupping his jaw in her hands. "You are just like any father, worried for their child. But they are not your children, they are grown with motivations of their own. You cannot heal every stray pup that wanders through our doors, my love. You merely can guide when the opportunity arises, and to give them a home to return to. Now, it is late, and we both must sleep." As Tilma turned to blow out the candle, she spoke softly. "I do not think we have seen the last of young gro-Marzinar." The twinkle in her eyes shown briefly before the candle was out, "He knows if he died, Indes would track him down and kill him in the afterlife."

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

Gonna do most of my RP stuff here cause I'm just not feeling up to writing korgul (though it is very possible i will post some small stuff there) and I don't have a computer anymore so it's all going to be on mobile really. Prepare for the typos.

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

Companion Announcemens

"Korgul has decided to take a brief leave of absence from us." Kodlak looked at the Companions that had gathered around him for his announcement, gauging their reactions. "Our brother has much healing to do. Some of you know this and some do not, but he has given me permission to discuss it. The loss of his eye has bothered him greatly, and some of you have felt his unwarranted anger because of his sense of being lessened. As such, I have given him a personal mission, one he is undertaking on his own." The elderly Harbinger pushed himself to his feet, nodding slightly. "Know this. He has made no promises to return, and I do not fault him if he does not. But if he does, his burdens may be lighter, and that is what is important."

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

nordicdragonborn

He knew that stony look all too well. Not so much from Kodlak than from his old mentor and father figure, Lugdush, such a look never came without some scathing words. Talk of frustration or disappointment strong enough to make him want to crawl under the nearest rock, Herryk prepared himself for a scolding but instead got quite the hug.

Kodlak was an old man, and it might not have been all too wrong to suggest he only had so long if what Aela said was true about how the rot was taking him. But despite that the strength of his embrace was something to behold, certainly a good reason how and why he came to be Harbinger.

The younger Companion returned the sentiment with a hug of his own. “I’m so sorry to have caused so much trouble, Kodlak. I won’t let such a tragedy happen twice, I promise.”

“The last time I lost a Companion was an accident. There was a spar, and the boy didn’t survive.” Kodlak sat down at his chair, offering the other to Herryk. “It is hard on the hall to lose one of their own. And as silly as it is for me to do so, I look upon you all as my children in many ways. So that makes it hard as well.” 

The Harbringer poured himself a drink, spiced wine that Tilma had concoted for him to help his ailing health. It made the rattle in his lungs ease a bit, and helped him breathe more often. They both knew it was only prolonging the inevitable, but until he was sure that his children would be well taken care of with a new Harbringer, he wasn’t ready to go yet. 

“Have you decided what your next step will be? Will you remain with us while you learn about your abilities?” 

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

tural-amring

Tural had figured that he would be approached about this eventually. His face straightened, and he nodded solemnly.

“I’ve ‘ad time ta consider ‘ow I’d answer,” he said, looking at the Harbinger. “An’ I will not ask for any particular punishment. ‘E challenged me, an’ I accepted, knowin’ full well what state ‘e was in. I knew tha’ ‘e would try ta ‘urt me. I decided ta fight ‘im, so I can’na ask ya ta punish ‘im ta any further degree on my account.”

“I feel at fault for these incidents in some ways.” Kodlak said softly, running his hand down his beard. 

“I approved competition at the tourney, because I thought there would be some standard of honour amongst the competitors. I thought they would hold themselves to the same standard my own Companions hold themselves to, and it backfired and one of my children was hurt.” The Harbringer sighed, shaking his head, “And that hurt caused others pain because he didn’t deal with the loss well. Korgul is being placed on a probationary period. We’ve asked that he refuses any sparring matches for the time being, until he can show a little more control when it comes to his emotions. If he cannot, we will decide if being a Companion is what is best for him.” 

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

nordicdragonborn started following you

Kodlak waited patiently, letting the other Companions unload their emotions on the returning Nord. From congratulations, tears shed from both happiness and the stress and disbelief of a loved one coming back from beyond the grave hale and hearty, and some had anger on their faces, wanting to know answers, wanting to know if it had been some elaborate prank that had hurt all of them. 

Finally, Kodlak had stood, walking around the crowd of rapidly intoxicated Companions. A light hand laid on Herryk’s shoulder, and Kodlak smiled warmly at him. But when his voice came out, it was as hard as steel and as cold as the mountain winds around Windhelm. 

“Herryk. Why don’t we walk down to my foyer, hmm? I am sure you have many things to tell me. And I have very many things to discuss with you.” Kodlak smiled still, but his grip tightened, “Shall I lead the way?” 

[nordicdragonborn]

Herryk was doing his best to keep up with what everyone else was saying to and about him when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Kodlak’s unmistakable voice, and it did not sound happy.

He’d have politely asked the voice to wait had it been anyone else in the mead hall that invited, perhaps too strong a word given the other’s tone, the Nord to a more private setting for discussion. But this was the Harbinger, and though the Companions weren’t bound to the typical regulations that’d come from a more disciplined ranking system, his boundless respect for the older Nord forbade refusal.

“Of course, Harbinger.” He responded. “You lead and I will follow.”

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

Kodlak gave a curt nod, politely fending off other Companions as he lead Herryk down the stairs and to the little foyer that was in front of the doors to his living quarters. With a sigh, his back to the Nord, he placed his mug very carefully down on the table. 

The Harbringer turned, making sure that no one was downstairs or in their general vicinity. He placed his hands on Herryk’s shoulders, stony eyes looking the Nord over. With a sudden pull, he gathered the younger man into his arms and half-crushed him with his embrace. 

“Do not ever do this to your family again, Herryk.” Kodlak whispered, squeezing Herryk tightly, “We cannot survive such a tragedy twice.” He finally let go of the Companion, looking him over once again, “Too many people love you like family to lose you over and over, whether you come back or not.”

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

@tural-amring

‘A course, Harbinger. Wha’ did ya need?

“I came to ask your opinion on something.” It was a delicate subject, but it still had to be handled. And as a wounded party, Tural had a right to ask for certain reparations that the Circle would take into consideration.

“Korgul has returned from family concerns, as you may know. With his return, it is time to decide what we will do about the physical altercations he was involved in before he left. As one of the people he fought, I have come to ask your thoughts on the matter, and wanting to know if there was any punishment in particular you wanted, within reason, so that we may discuss it as a possibility.” 

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

nordicdragonborn started following you

Kodlak waited patiently, letting the other Companions unload their emotions on the returning Nord. From congratulations, tears shed from both happiness and the stress and disbelief of a loved one coming back from beyond the grave hale and hearty, and some had anger on their faces, wanting to know answers, wanting to know if it had been some elaborate prank that had hurt all of them. 

Finally, Kodlak had stood, walking around the crowd of rapidly intoxicated Companions. A light hand laid on Herryk’s shoulder, and Kodlak smiled warmly at him. But when his voice came out, it was as hard as steel and as cold as the mountain winds around Windhelm. 

“Herryk. Why don’t we walk down to my foyer, hmm? I am sure you have many things to tell me. And I have very many things to discuss with you.” Kodlak smiled still, but his grip tightened, “Shall I lead the way?” 

[thereluctantwolf-blog]

@lycannalla

Indes was beginning to move around some, but with a lack of strength from the healing process and general fatigue from a plethora of things, it was hard to move more than a few feet at a time. The furthest she’d gotten was to her desk to attempt to do some kind of work, but was taken away by her sister not too long after. Now she was sitting at the foot of her bed, arm resting on the dresser while addressing the Harbinger. There were times while he was speaking that she wanted to look away, as if she were too ashamed to look at him, but she knew he wouldn’t appreciate that.

“They might,” she replied in a low voice, almost reminiscent of a reprimanded child. It was always hard to argue with Kodlak. He knew each of them too well. “But I… I know some of the whelps may start asking questions. I do not know if I am ready for that just yet.”

Kodlak took the answer as an invitation, stepping past the threshold of her door to be able to talk to her without worrying quite as much without others over hearing. Except perhaps Tilma. She heard everything. But they would be fine for now, Farkas and Vilkas had taken most of the whelps outside to train. They may have been asked by their Harbringer so that he could have this conversation in private. 

“Ehte.” Kodlak said softly, crouching down, ignoring the popping noises in his knees as he brought himself closer to the level of the Bosmeri womer. “The loss of Herryk has hit everyone hard.” The old Nord cleared his throat, shaking his head, “While he was all our brother, I know that you were closer to him than some of us. I do not think the whelps are so careless as to interrupt your mourning with incessant questions.” They all missed their brother, missed his laughter and story telling around the table. Kodlak’s heart went out to her, and to all of his children. Herryk would be missed sorely. But he had the duty to care for the living, and to mourn the dead in private. 

So the Harbringer managed to look her in the eye, and smile softly. “I think it may be good for you to visit your uncle for a day or two. No work, no responsibilities of the Circle.” He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper, “Mourn our brother in private with those you love, Ehte. We will be here when you come back. We are your family.”