Va'sha Battlefleece

It is said, amongst the bariaur, that as long as a single member of their proud race lives, so will Va'sha. Whether she is actively worshipped or not, it matters not - for it is the very core of the race of bariaur, the three truths of war, honor, and independence, which give her life. The accuracy of this statement is nearly unverifiable (although if some members of certain lawful factions had their way, it would certainly be tested), it does provide a very jarring view of this grim war goddess of the proud race known as bariaur.

If the bariaur pantheon were compared to mortal children, Va'sha would be neither the oldest nor the youngest, but rather, the oft forgotten child that must lash out in fits of rage to gain their parent's attention. Now, Va'sha's reasoning seems to be different, but the end result could only be described as strikingly similar. The daughter of Nomolos and Nor'bah, Va'sha gained neither her father's even-handed temperament nor her mother's gentle nature. Rather, she gained the darker parts of both parents and in her actions, these dour, grim parts are magnified.

Va'sha changes her appearance as often as the wind alters the direction in which it blows, or so say the bariaur. Apparently, however, she tries to maintain (at least in the presence of the other deities of the pantheon) a visage of a lean, well-muscled, and fiercely wild gray-wooled bariaur. She often appears with unruly and tangled mats of wool hanging in disarray about her and constantly flaunts her individualism in both word and deed. Her eyes appear as swirling, colorful pools of pure light and it is said that any who can peer into those orbs and not perish of fright will see his last day played out before him.

She always carries a massive version of the bariaur's honored weapon, the G’wrn-k’ton, at her side and utterly disdains the usage of armor. It is said that her hide cannot be pierced by anything other than the deeds of a cowardly warrior. Truly, this is one of the few things in the multiverse that can harm her, for it strikes directly to her heart and not her hide.

No matter which form she takes, however, there are always three things which remain constant in all of her visages. First, she always bears horns upon her head, which normally is considered a disgrace for females amongst the bariaur. To Va'sha, however, that are the weapons of a true bariaur warrior and she considers them anything but a disgrace or dishonor. (It has often been found that those few bariaur females that do sport horns often become followers of Va'sha for this very reason). Second, her horns are always decorated in the manner of a true warrior, with carvings and gilded trappings unlike any known to bariaur kind. Thirdly, her skin is always covered with ever-swirling and scintillating tattoos, depicting every deed of honor or independence that has ever been amongst her people.

Relations between Va'sha and the rest of the pantheon are, to say the least, tenuous and strained. Other than The Rutting, it is rare occurrence (and usually one that foretells ill times to come) when they are all together. Relations with her father, Nomolos, are by far the closest of the four but many graybeards theorize that this is due to the fact that their portfolios overlap so intimately. Va'sha tolerates her brother, Tirag, but only for short periods of time which usually end in tumult, or rarely, violence. Finally, she seems to utterly despise her mother, Nor'bah, (whom she has the least in common with) with a passion bordering on fury. Not that the goddess would ever lash out against her mother - neither her father nor brother would allow such a deed to go unpunished. However, it is this rumored that due to this feeling of near hatred betwixt Va'sha and Nor'bah that the War Mother's realm, BattleGrim, seems to be shifting away from Ysgard and closer to Pandemonium.

BattleGrim, ruled by Va'sha's single proxy, Klorn 'FoeHammer' Warhorns (Px//F15/CN), is a foreboding realm where the sounds of constant battle can be heard, but only barely over the cries of those found guilty by Va'sha's Justice. Their cries resound with such magnitude because of the punishment they receive for the crimes they committed in their mortal lives - they are eternally reminded that gone forever is their independence. Most of those that are judged worthy, enter into Nomolos' realm, The Echoing Vale, but a select few are chosen by Va'sha herself to remain within BattleGrim where they are hardened by an eternity of battle. After this 'hardening', beneath the astute tutelage and direction of the constantly growling or yelling Klorn, they become the elite guard of BattleGrim, protecting it and leading heaven-shaking battles against the loathsome giant-gods of Ysgard.

Truly, of all of the bariaur pantheon, it is only Va'sha that seems to be on more than good terms with the Norse gods. Not suprisingly, she and Odin, the quick-to-do-battle Norse Power of war, see nearly eye to eye. Some planar theologians believe that Va'sha has more of an affinity for Odin than for her own father, Nomolos. It is these same theologians that reason that this, not a difference in belief, is the true dark on the unusual distance that exists between the two Gods of Wisdom.

There is, however, little doubt that Va'sha 'tends to her flock', so to speak. Those that worship the war goddess do so with a fervor that is unmatched (although the faithful of the "Ring-Winner" beg to differ) amongst the bariaur pantheon. It seems that it is this sole fact that allows Va'sha the leeway that she is often afforded by the other members of the pantheon. Further, it seems that as long as the "Blessed Fury" maintains the strength of the Ysgardian bariaur and the Outland flocks, she will continue to be so 'respected' - (or should that be 'feared'>)?