More so than any other culture, myth and history are woven into a single tapestry for the Nords. Their legends still walk among them as living, breathing proof that the myths are very much a part of their lives. But the Einherjar were meant to be powerful, glorious combatants who would save the world in a single, incandescent release of fury on the field of battle. They were never expected to survive, much less breed…

The Half-Bloods are the first, and faintest, shadow cast by the Einherjar: mortal vessels, twisted by the exalted blood they inherited from their divine parents. The descendants of these mighty heroes often inherit portions of their awesome gift, but regretfully lack the control or grace of the parent. Stronger, faster and possessing senses far beyond the ken of mortal men, as children of the blessed Einherjar they should occupy a position of prestige and power… but the truth, like in almost all cases with the Half-Bloods, is somewhat more complicated.

The Ogres possess the strength of ten men, but the intellectual capacity of a small child while the Valdeyr, the Skin-changers, possess the amazing ability to shift into beasts and back, but with none of the control of their ancient forebears. The Stalkers have inherited their keen senses of the greatest of hunters… and find themselves repelled by the scents and sounds of community. Even the Trolls, shunned and feared as they are, were once numbered amongst the great tribes before hardship and impossible choices forced them down a dark path.

It would be easy to differentiate between the Exalted and the Half-Bloods by placing the first closer to the Einherjar’s divine nature and the Half-Bloods closer to their bestial devolution, but this is an unfair oversimplification. The two, after all, walk hand in hand for the Nords. The difference rests not on power or control, but in ambition: should a Half-Bloods individual possess the will to regain control of his gifts he could very well walk in the footsteps of the Einherjar. But whether by choice or simply passive acceptance, the Half-Bloods heed the wild call of their Einherjar blood.