Weregren Suncursed

In the frozen wastes of northernmost Teleria there once lived the Old Norr, whose descendants still tell an ancient fable about a blighted soul known as Weregren Suncursed. Weregren is perhaps the first Skinwalker ever to exist, centuries before their mass emergence in the Age of Treachery. Descriptions of his monstrous form indicate he was similar to, but not precisely like, more modern Skinwalkers. Perhaps he was a primitive prototype, a dark fruit of Siroth's premature experimentation. Or perhaps he was something completely unique. It is difficult for modern sages to interpret, because the legend records nothing of his previous history or personality. The story begins with Weregren's bestial transformation and descriptions of his hideous hairy visage, and of his great capacity for violence and madness. He went into a frenzy, killing and maiming, and the tale praises the valor of those who fought and subdued him. Then, the saga proceeds to its most lengthy section, which details Weregren's punishment. A Human would have been put to death for a rampage like Weregren's. But the Norr were spiritually uncertain about this monster — was he a rational being, culpable for his malevolence, or an innocent soul gripped by madness? Wise law-speakers were sought, and they ordained an extreme trial by ordeal not attested to elsewhere in Norr traditions. Weregren was branded so that he would be forever marked an accursed exile, should he escape or survive what was to come. The massive burn festered and scarred as his captors prepared the next part of his ordeal. His arms and legs were submerged in barrels of scalding water and held fast inside, one for each limb — torture to a normal Human, but Weregren merely snarled in contempt. Then, all four barrels were brought outside with Weregren's limbs still submerged, the water left to freeze solid. A normal Human might well have expired from the pain, shock, and cold by this point. Weregren endured, but his judgment was still not complete. The barrels were disassembled, leaving each appendage encased in a huge block of ice. He was dragged into the middle of nowhere and left upon the featureless ice sheet, having been blindfolded so that his disorientation would be total. He was told that the searing rays of the sun would determine his guilt. If they melted his massive shackles of ice, the Divine had taken mercy on him and spared him his monstrous existence, although his brand would remain to mark him an outlaw to the Norr forever. Otherwise, he would suffer the torment of the sun's glare burning his flesh while it yet froze, and he would perish an abomination. Blocking their ears against his deafening, inhuman howls, the Norr left Weregren to this fate — the 'Sun Curse.' Folklorists agree that such an elaborate and brutal punishment must have been pre-established rather than spontaneous, and intended for the most heinous crimes imaginable. But, being designed by Humans to torture and kill a Human, it was perhaps not sufficient for Weregren, a Skinwalker, or whatever he truly was. For the tale of Weregren Suncursed ends ominously. It is stated that for the rest of that year's season of endless sun — likely many months — the Norr heard faint cries on the wind, and distant crashes and tremors, as though Weregren were raging against the massive weights on his limbs and smashing them against the ground in fury. When the sun finally set for the season of darkness, the omens ceased. But there ends the tale: evidently, none were bold enough to confirm Weregren's ultimate fate.