Bear King

Dressed in hunting leathers with a thick bearskin cloak around his shoulders, the bearded king sits upon a throne carved from a whole tree trunk. A crown of holly leaves wreathes his head, and a blackened maul rests near his hand. An ornate clay pot filled with honey hangs at his hip at all times. Mesikammen the Bear King, called “Old Honey Paws,” rules the northern kingdom of Bjeornheim. The Kingdom of the Bear is home to a great population of its namesake. The forests are thick with bears, and werebears are common among its people.

Abuzz with Bees. The country’s chief product and export, thanks to the Bear King’s insatiable appetite for sweets, is honey. The Bear King’s hive-keepers harvest rich, blossom-sweet honey from the hives of giant bees they tend. The land’s brewers use the honey to create the finest mead, and the most potent brews are infused with Fae glamour. The Bear King and his court of bear jarls, witches, and oracles spend most of their time hunting in the hills, feasting, brawling, and drinking mead. Old Honey Paws maintains his rulership over this court by besting all rivals in a yearly series of challenges. The challenges are open to anyone, but the Bear King has defeated all comers since he rose to the throne.