[ Animal Lords ] of the [ Land | Past | Skies | Tundra | Waters ]
[ Ape | Bear | Boar | Cat | Chameleon | Dinosaur | Dog | Elephant | Fox | Lizard | Mouse | Sheep | Wolf | Zebra ]
Boar Lord
Seyhrain Scrofa. Planar animal lord [he/him] N
Realm: Beastlands / Brux / Boar Lord’s Delve
Long ago, Wolf and Boar met at the edge of a thorny thicket. Both sought the same prize: a hidden spring deep within the brambles, said to flow with the purest waters on Brux.
Wolf sneered at Boar. “Your thick hide will slow you down. I will win this race before you even get to the edge of the thicket!” Without waiting, Wolf lunged into the brambles, his sleek coat slipping through the first few rows of thorns. But as the brambles grew tighter, he was cut, and began to bleed. The thorns tore through his fur, and his howls echoed across the forest as he stumbled back, battered and still thirsty.
Boar watched in silence. Slowly, he lowered his head, using his tusks to clear the path. His thick skin protected him from the worst of the thorns, as they bounced off harmlessly. Slowly and surely, Boar worked its way into the thicket, carving a trail. It took him much longer than Wolf’s sprint, and Boar’s muscles ached from the effort, but when it reached the spring, the water was cool and untouched. Boar drank deeply, then left the path open for others who might need it.
Some time later, Hare bounded through the forest, her nose twitching with alarm. She called out to Boar, who was rooting for truffles at the base of an ancient tree. “Boar! Boar! A storm is coming! Seek shelter before the wind begins to howl!”
The Boar Lord did not even look up. “I am strong,” it said. “The storm cannot move me.”
Hare tilted her head. “Even the mightiest tree bends before the wind. You should seek the safety of the caves.”
But Boar only snorted. “Go hide in your burrow, little one. I will stand firm.”
The storm came, fierce and wild, tearing at the trees. Boar stood against it, as he had promised, but the rain soaked the ground beneath his feet, and after Boar’s digging the roots the tree relied upon gave way. Boar fell with a crash, trapped beneath a broken branch.
When the storm passed, Hare returned. It pointed to the nearby cave. “Had you listened and joined me, you would not be trapped now.” Boar nodded, humbled, as Hare helped dig him free.
Another time, the Sheep Lord approached Boar with a plea. “Cousin Boar,” said Sheep, “your tusks churn the earth and reveal the sweetest roots. Will you share them with me? My flock grows thin, and we are hungry.”
Boar thought for a moment. “If I turn the earth for you, what will you do in return?”
Sheep stepped back, sheepishly. “I cannot dig the roots as you do.”
“No,” said Boar, “but you can leave seeds behind where you graze, so that what is taken may grow again.”
Sheep agreed, and so Boar rooted up the earth, revealing a feast for Sheep and his flock. True to his word, Sheep scattered seeds with each step, and soon, new plants began to grow. Where once there was just grass and mud, the land flourished with bushes that bore fruit, thanks to both Boar and Sheep.
In his human form, the Boar Lord is a broad-shouldered warrior with rugged, earthy features. His skin is rough and tattooed, and his hair is a wild mane of thick bristles, streaked with shades of black and brown. Boar has two prominent tusk-like teeth, and a heavy metal nose ring. His eyes are black and glint like embers in the darkness. He has an excellent sense of smell, able to track predators and hunters alike, and his own distinctive musky, earthy scent.
The Boar Lord is a creature of extremes, embodying both nurturing and destructive qualities, tempered by wisdom. He is wise and patient, attuned to the rhythms of the forest. He’s also fiercely loyal to his domain and his wards. His realm, the Boar Lord’s Delve, is a region of Brux where ancient oak trees form a labyrinthine forest, which supplies endless acorns that his boars so love. Within his domain, the boars turn and churn the soil diligently, ensuring that new life emerges constantly. Boar will defend this territory to the death if necessary, even if the odds appear hopeless. Boar also has a long memory, and seldom forgives betrayal or disrespect. Perhaps this is why there’s an ancient rivalry between Boar and Wolf—their clashes are legendary. Chant goes that when the Boar Lord battles a cutter strong enough to challange his authority, his rage creates earthquakes that ripple across the land. The druids of the Verdant Guild call this phenomenon the Shivering, and see it as a omen of major change coming to the Beastlands.
Source: Jon Winter-Holt. Canonwatch: The Boar Lord is homebrew.