So..I've made a new character. Meet Elena! The grumpy German bear. However, there's something a little extra special about her besides being a random new oc, she's going to be my LARP character (or one of them anyway). This is the most basic reference for her, showing her body type, colors, and markings. Later I'll be posting another reference of her in armor, along with some of her weapons. I've created a whole backstory for her, including the background of her origins. Interested? Read below. :3

Personality: Elena is serious, often grumpy and has an attitude with most all humans she encounters. She can have a short temper and won’t hesitate to defend herself. Also, she’s cocky when it comes to her blacksmith craftsmanship, boasting whenever somebody makes a remark about her armor or weaponry. Elena is extremely untrusting, rarely forming friendships with any human. She has a very, very hard outer shell, hiding a soft center. Anyone who manages to “break” through her tough exterior will find that she is a loyal friend who’s also very protective. Friendships are all she will form, as she is aromantic and therefore lacks the desire to be with someone. She can also be notoriously clumsy, often finding random small injuries on herself that she has no clue of how they got there, and tends to overheat quickly due to her thick fur, so she may often be seen resting to cool down. Also, as she is a bear, she has the appetite of one. She’ll munch on all kinds of snacks throughout the day, much like a foraging bear in the wild. She’s not a very fast runner (comes with being chubby) but her brute bear strength makes up for it. Humorously, a big bear like her is actually quite terrified of insects and spiders. She greatly enjoys calm music and cold nights, and secretly finds comfort in the company of those she tolerates/likes. Being alone is rather miserable for her, but she is used to it.

Information/background of the Braunbär Republic: The Braunbär Republic was a hidden society of anthropomorphic, talking brown bears, located in a heavily forested area of Germany that, according to rare, hidden records, existed around the middle ages. It is unknown how they arrived in Germany, as the country has no native population of brown bears.Very few humans were aware of the bears’ presence, as none dared travel so deep into the forests due to all the potentially dangerous wildlife. And even if few dared, it was prohibited. The few people who knew of the bears worked for the German kingdom. And so their land is bordered and protected by them-in exchange for their heavily valued, high quality armor. At least they were protected, for some time. The Braunbär Republic consisted of a tight-knit population of intelligent bears. These bears were obviously different from the average grizzly. They were plantigrade - that is, they always walked on two feet, and were of course, capable of speech. Also unlike normal bears, ursines of the Braunbär Republic had hand-like paws. They had digits that were capable of more separation and they had opposable thumbs. Their native language is currently unknown, as it eventually changed and was forgotten as it developed into fluent German, which was taught to cubs with help of the German kingdom. The bears thrived for many centuries, but eventually were, for the most part, wiped out when they were betrayed by the kingdom that once protected them. A small war went on, never written in today’s history textbooks. The problem occurred when the republic’s leader, also known as the alpha- grew tired of overworking his pupils to create loads of beautiful, unique, and immensely durable armor, that no human-crafted armor could compare to- for the soldiers of the German Kingdom, in exchange for nothing but keeping the republic a secret. It was fine initially, until the king demanded more and more of the bears. Despite the armor and brute strength that the bears were known for, they were largely outnumbered and therefore had no chance of surviving the war.

Elena’s background: Elena was born when tensions really began to arise between the Braunbär Republic and the German Kingdom. Her father, Vikas Eigenwillig, was a well-renowned, talented blacksmith, and her mother, Elenore Eigenwillig, stayed at home, tending to their home and daughter. She was an only child, and was extremely loved by her parents.

At the age of 3, when she could walk and began to speak a few words, Elena showed a heavy interest in her father’s work. He would carry her out early in the mornings and she would watch her father with big shiny baby bear eyes as he worked to prepare leather, and shape metal into weapons and armor. At the age of 5, she began to assist her father in the mornings by bringing whatever materials she could carry over to him. It wasn’t much, but she was still useful nonetheless.

Being so young, Elena didn’t understand the growing problems in her society being caused by the German Kingdom. She was a happy little bear. At 9 years old, Elena’s father helped her create her first weapon- a small, cub-sized dagger. She surprised her father with her natural talent for blacksmithing. She did most of the work herself, and the blade came out nicely. A few more years passed, and Elena continued to assist her father, this time helping with crafting the weapons and armor as well. She was a quick learner.

At the age of twelve, she began to notice something in her father that she had not seen before. He looked weaker to her. Tired, and aging as he worked to create more and more armor than he was used to on a daily basis. She herself found herself more tired at the end of the day, it was much more work than she remembered. But, being young, strong, and healthy, she quickly adjusted to the new work load. Her father-not so much. More years passed, seven, to be exact. And as each year went on, her father seemed to age so much faster. The workload was weakening him. He was not a young bear. Elena’s mother worked hard to keep her husband in decent health, but eventually, it was only barely enough.

Now a larger, strong young lady, Elena helped her father a lot more with his work. She was a prodigy at blacksmithing, and what took Vikas many decades to master, took Elena less than two. One night, Elena and her family were eating dinner. Her father looked exhausted, but he was mentally stronger than his body, and still managed to laugh and joke and love his wife and daughter unconditionally. It was a rather normal night for them. They were about to rise from the table to clean up and rest when the announcement bells rang loudly outside their home. This bell had not rung in some time, and never in this specific pattern. Elena and her mother wore confused expressions, but Vikas knew very well what that song meant. The bear family all stepped out of their home, along with the rest of the bears in the republic, to gather around and listen to what had to be announced. Two bears stood in the center of the crowd. High figures of the republic who were not seen very often by common-goers; the alpha male and female. What they had to announce struck fear in the eyes of every bear in Braunbäur. War. All male bears above the age of twelve were to be drafted to fight against the German Kingdom. All women and children were instructed to stay at home and lock their doors, bar them and block them if possible. The war was to begin in the next four days. And all the families had this exact time to bid farewell to their soldiers as they prepared to fight.

Elena and her family were heartbroken, and fearful. Despite what was announced, Vikas pleaded to his wife and daughter not to stay here. Instead of preparing to block and bar their doors, they packed food and supplies to help them survive their escape. It was the third day of preparation. The family had packed substantially to survive for months. That night, they all slept in the same room. Tomorrow would be their last day together.

A loud thumping noise awoke Elena and her family. They sat up and looked at each other- then the sound came again. “They’re ramming through the doors!” Yelled an individual. The Eigenwillig family quickly stood up and looked out their front door. A few seconds later, a battery ram came crashing through the republic’s large wooden doors. Humans in armor bearing weapons of all kinds came swarming in. Vikas immediately shut the door behind him and locked it. He shouted at his wife and daughter to gather their things and leave through the cellar door. As they did so, he quickly equipped his armor and grabbed his weapon of choice- a large battle axe that had been in the family for decades. Not too long after, they heard loud banging noises at the front door. Elenore and Vikas embraced tightly, in tears, and she kissed her beloved in a hasty goodbye. Elena quickly followed suit, hugging her father tightly. But their goodbye was cut short when men broke through the door. It was only a few, and vikas easily took them on. Knocking out each one as they entered. “Go!” He yelled as he shoved another man out the door way. Elena stared, frozen in disbelief. “GO!!” He yelled again. Snapping Elena out of it. Brought back to reality, she scrambles to help her mother gather their things. They run towards the cellar and open the hidden door. With one final look at her father, she closes the cellar door. Her final memories of her father being those of bloodshed and the loud roar of Vikas Eigenwillig as he fought through a hoard of savage knights.

The cellar was pitch black. Elenore lit a candle and led the way through the long tunnel located at the far end of the room. Hours felt like an eternity, but eventually they reached the exit of the tunnel. They knew not where they resurfaced at, but it was heavily forested and the republic was nowhere in sight. Elena and her mother traveled for weeks on end, stopping each night to rest and eat. About three months passed. Her mother had entered a state of deep depression. She missed her husband deeply. And Elena would often find herself comforting her mother as she fell asleep with tears in her eyes. One month later, Elenore died. Elena was heartbroken initially. First her father, now her mother. She was alone. Her life once so perfect, now destroyed. The young bear grew to resent humans. If it weren’t for them, her family could very well still be with her. She continues to travel, alone. Hoping that somehow, maybe someday, she’ll encounter another bear such as herself again.


Art and character are mine, and mine only. Do not steal my work or use any of my characters for any reason whatsoever without my consent.