The ancient, colossal brackern Skarner is revered in Ixtal as one of the founding members of its ruling caste, the Yun Tal. Devoted to keeping his nation safe from the rest of the world, Skarner dwells in a chamber beneath Ixaocan where he can hear the vibrations of the earth and detect potential threats. As more members of the Yun Tal begin questioning Ixtal's self-isolation, Skarner grows increasingly paranoid and will do anything to keep Ixtal and its people safe—no matter the cost.
 | "I may have faded into legend—but I am no mere story." — Skarner |
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Background[]
Early Life[]
Skarner was born to the legendary brackern broodmother Nixalẹ alongside many other bracklings in his brood. While most left to form their own clans, Skarner remained alongside Nixalẹ to study her power and wisdom out of curiosity, giving him the opportunity to hone his elemental geomancy and learn how to feel underground vibrations to detect movement across the earth.
Founding of the Yun Tal[]
When he got older, he felt a dramatic shift as humans came to the land to found their settlement now known as 
Ixtal. While most of Clan Ọ̀pal-hin distrusted the humans, Skarner was curious to learn more about them. He silently observed their civilization, noticing how they made the most of their lives creating and innovating before passing away. Believing the subjects of his curiosity to be fragile, he intervened to save them from a rockslide that would destroy their settlement, earning him their worship towards him as their protector. Believing his protection was the only way they could survive, Skarner made it his duty to guard the Ixtali while also shaping the earth to create new plots for them to expand their civilization, and in return they shared their culture. He was one of the founding members of the Yun Tal, a ruling caste dedicated to leading the Ixtali to a brighter future.
Isolation Beneath Ixaocan[]
As the protector of Ixtal, Skarner listened to the earth's vibrations for any threats to the nation, the most concerning being the encroaching Shuriman Empire. Eventually, the forces of 
Shurima would arrive at Ixtal and offered them an opportunity to form an alliance. The Yun Tal accepted, despite Skarner's protest, due his distrust of their lust for power. After Shurima collapsed as the result of the Icathian rebellion, Ixtal had regained its independence, but Skarner was left distrustful towards the world outside Ixtal. His fears worsened after witnessing the destruction caused by the Rune Wars, eventually convincing the Yun Tal to isolate Ixtal from the rest of the world. Left bitter towards the Yun Tal's failure to protect Ixtal, he decided that he would be Ixtal's sole protector, creating an underground chamber beneath Ixaocan to amplify the vibrational threads around the continent so he could always sense any potential threats. Eventually, he decided to stay in his chamber permanently, but as newer generations of Ixtali started to question their civilization's self-isolation, Skarner's paranoia began to grow. Believing that ending their isolation would lead to disastrous consequences for Ixtal, Skarner swore to protect Ixtal no matter the cost, even if it meant their destruction.
Appearance[]
Skarner is a kaiju-sized scorpion-like creature with six legs, a pair of thick grasping pincers, and three long tails ending in stingers. He has a teal and white carapace decorated with orange, teal, and white paint. His head is vaguely human-like despite its chitinous exterior, having two glowing teal eyes and a hinged jaw and mouth, but with two insect-like mandibles. He wears (relatively) small decorative ornaments on his upper arms and central tail.
Personality[]
Skarner is a commanding and imposing presence, speaking with the authority of an ancient, powerful being. Still, he carries an aura of formality, wisdom, and solemnity. He is single-mindedly protective of Ixtal, seeing himself as its steward and most important protector. Though he cares greatly for mortals, he is keenly aware of their flaws and weaknesses, seemingly having little faith in them. Thus, he is extremely stubborn, prioritizing his own judgment above that of all others. He is absolutely certain that Ixtal should remain in isolation and is growing increasingly paranoid as more Ixtali begin to question their nation's solitude.
Abilities[]
- Brackern Physiology: Skarner is a brackern, a giant scorpion-like creature with a thick carapace, immense strength, innate elemental magic, and a long lifespan.
Prehensile Stingers: Skarner has three stingers which can be used to grab objects.
Brackern Geomancy: Skarner can manipulate earth to his will, being able to use it as a weapon or to shield himself.- Vibrational Thread Sensing: Skarner can feel vibrations across the earth, allowing him to sense the actions of others even across a great distance.
Relations[]
Milio[]
Skarner views Milio negatively and sees him as an extension of his great aunt, who rebelled against the Yun Tal.[2]
Qiyana[]
Skarner is aware of Qiyana's plot to seize power. Presumably, he disapproves.
Read More
Biography
Starring Champion
Alternate Universes
Trivia[]
- The full name of a Brackern consists of their first name, which clan they are part of, and whom they are the progeny of.[3]
- When Skarner uses
Seismic Bastion, he uses his geomancy to create earthquakes, while also summoning the earth to shield himself.[4] - How Skarner senses vibrational threads is similar to how Toph Beifong from Avatar: The Last Airbender sees the world, by feeling movement on top of the earth, which are like threads that track back to him.[5]
- Clan Ọ̀pal-hin were originally from the jungles of Ixtal, but there are numerous other clans across the Shuriman continent.[6]
- Skarner and the Brackern speak in vibrational tones that, when heard, burrow into the mind and are translated to the listener's own tongue.[7]
- The adornments on Skarner's body were painted on by Ixtali people and he cherishes them deeply.[8]
- The Brackern are VERY old. They've been around far longer than humans, and because of their long life they experience time in a very different way than most other beings.
- The crystals existed before even the Brackern, who evolved with the life stones' power. The Brackern possibly don't know how to create a new one, so it's possible they could eventually run out of stones if they're all destroyed.
- Since Skarner has one of the oldest and strongest life stones in existence, he is the most powerful Brackern, but he's not stronger than all of them put together. Also, the consciousness within the stone chose Skarner in particular, not just for his strength but for other qualities like his persistence and courage.
- The crystals existed before even the Brackern, who evolved with the life stones' power. The Brackern possibly don't know how to create a new one, so it's possible they could eventually run out of stones if they're all destroyed.
- The Brackern's experience with humans has been steeped in violence. They believe humans caused so many conflicts and forced the Brackern to go into hibernation. Now that humans are exploiting the sleeping Brackern for their crystals, they're not going to become BFFs anytime soon.
- Skarner certainly had trouble communicating with humans. The Brackern use their life stones to communicate telepathically by sending raw emotion, images, and thoughts into each others minds in a kind of melody. That's part of why Brackern without life stones cannot communicate as well with their species. His connection to his fellow Brackern is very nearly unbreakable. Their minds reach out to each other and sing over great distances, even while they are unconscious - for example, they can hear each other's dreamsongs while hibernating. Skarner has never spoken in any other way, so he doesn't understand the human tongue, at least not yet. By the end of Dreamsong, he does learn to understand (and speak) their language of violence. However, it's possible that Skarner could learn to trust a human, though, if they can hear his song or communicate another way.
Seraphine is able to hear Brackern soul crystals, and her special interaction with Skarner implies that she is aware of the brackern's existence and Skarner's grief for his kind, so she is possibly the most likely to be able to communicate with him.
Change log[]
| Character blurb | |
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| V9.12 (25 June 2019) | Updated to current version. |
 MISSING
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Skarner is an immense crystalline scorpion from a hidden valley in Shurima. Part of the ancient Brackern race, Skarner and his kin are known for their great wisdom and deep connection to the land, as their souls are fused with powerful life  crystals which hold the living thoughts and memories of their ancestors. In an age long past, the Brackern entered hibernation to avoid untold magical destruction, but recent, threatening events have roused Skarner. As the only Brackern awake, he strives to protect his kind from those who seek to harm them.
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References[]
- ↑ apothecarie on Skarner's age
- ↑ apothecarie on Milio and Skarner's relationship
- ↑ apothecarie on Brackern names
- ↑ apothecarie on Seismic Bastion
- ↑ apothecarie on Skarner's Vibrational Threads
- ↑ apothecarie on Clan Ọ̀pal-hin's origins
- ↑ apothecarie on Brackern Speech
- ↑ apothecarie on Skarner's markings
