Berda, known in references often as Shaman Berda or Mistress Berda and later as the Spirit of the Slopes, was a Bonecrunch shaman and leader in the 7th century.

Youth and Upbringing with Sweetpine

Tribe Sweetpine encompassed three settled communities and a few roaming hunters in northeastern Balebu, on the orcish road through the hills between the Everriver and the Ferdrskjisle. Like many orcish communities in the region, Sweetpine was used to its human Ferdskjonner neighbors, engaging in good trade and even being allowed to fish with their permission. As a result, Sweetpine's culture had somewhat deviated from the Continental standard of the large tribes further south, resembling Ferdskjonner mores in some respects, including spiritual veneration and words.

Berda was born in 674 to a mother of the same name, and an unknown father, likely a passing mercenary. Because her mother struggled alone, she was partly raised by the tribe's shaman circle, learning how to commune with spirits from a very early age. She also traveled between the Sweetpine villages, noting their small differences and getting involved in tribal politics even while she was still 9 years old.

A greater shaman who had fallen out of favor came north to seek a safe place, and chose to settle with Sweetpine. He proved a very useful mentor to Berda, teaching her much more about shamanism, and even more about clan politics, than the locals could.

At age 17, Berda was formally anointed a shaman, but she refused offers to join the local circle and instead chose to travel south. She was certain she'd find success in the powerful spheres, and did not want to spend all her life in the small, powerless Sweetpine community which always had to maintain careful relations with Ferdskjonner and Dwarven trappers in order to survive.

Shaman Service with the Greater Tribes

Berda initially found a position in a temple of Brekka, in northern Balebu. However, she did not care to stay for long - upwards mobility within the temple was very difficult, and even the head shaman did not have a very politically influential position - and managed to join herself into a visiting greater tribe chief's entourage in 655.

Shaman Berda soon enough became one of the chief's favored spiritual attendants and advisors, which gave her access to the meetings and councils of the Greater Tribes. She moved from one location and position to another, maintaining her strong influence and occasionally even taking local commands; managing a tribe while the chief was away on campaign, or overseeing spiritual-military efforts notably on the western border region.

Her pure shamanistic powers were exceptional; though she was not better than most greater shamans, she was able of unique feats. Likely, these derived from her Sweetpine training, which after all included some Ferdskjonner spirits (and so the holy powers of the human gods).

Ruling the North

Bonecrunch's far north - the tribes north of Sweetpine - had been left mostly autonomous, to their own devices, because they were quite far away and of little economic interest. However, in light of warming relations with Drubark and increasingly ambitious plans for offensives against the Dwarven territories in northern Balebu and the Evervale in 648, it was decided that someone had to go and make sure of the proper organization of the northern territories, such that in a few years' time they'd be able to support a mid-sized military presence.

The delegate sent to accomplish this was Mistress Brekka; she was capable, knew the region, and had gotten on the wrong side of a few powerful chiefs. Thus she traveled with a small entourage to the small territory, sandwiched between the Evervale and the hill ridge, that was notionally part of Clan Bonecrunch. Just days before she arrived, the local chief was killed by Dwarves, likely because they'd expected her to get there sooner. She immediately took full power from her predecessor, ruling the slopes out of Vorrev Castle. She coupled her clan and spiritual authority with direct relations with various local officials, and carefully built up her image as a strong, decisive leader who'd keep the slopes tribes safe and strong. In her first years, she also made use of a Human Auxiliary captive she'd inherited from her predecessor to show how strong she was, controlling a fierce Andan elite warrior.

Wartime Command

The 41-year old Berda was the well-established ruling dame when total war between Drubark-Bonecrunch and the Dwarves-Ferdskjonner began in 633. Receiving no resources or leadership from the south, Berda relied on a corps of 100-odd mercenaries, which she paid with the modest treasury she'd build up, and the authority of a bullish but strong orc whom she'd taken from Karogeburg and installed as chief (it was fine for a shaman to rule in peacetime, but a war leader had to be a strong man). With this force, she managed to keep the unity of the slopes tribes and even use their military force to keep out probing dwarven militias and small cavalry units.

Berda built up a terrifying reputation during the fighting. She was always at the chief's side when he made leadership decisions, but was also often seen among the troops, inspiring them and giving fiery speeches motivating them to slaughter their foul enemy. She also appeared on battlefields, protecting the orcs from enemy magic and fiercely pushing them on.

The slopes orcs relied mostly on mobile, guerilla tactics to annoy the Dwarves; it was difficult for any large units to traverse the steep forests, so the orcs could use the slopes as safe refuge to strike out at the Evervale. Castle Vorrev was destroyed by the Dwarves in 632, but Berda survived and continued to command out of the forests and the ruins. Eventually the dwarves were pushed out of the Evervale and a temporary military government was established by the clan, which Berda participated in as a staff member.

A dwarven army pushed back into the Evervale in 626, swiftly marching south. The only Bonecrunch field army was further south, so most abandoned their posts and fled there; but Berda chose to resist, and rallied many soldiers to "her" tribes in the slopes. This was when she lived up to her nickname of "Spirit of the Slopes", continuing to elude Dwarven forces while fiercely attacking them.

She was unfortunately cornered when she fled into a steep ravine in winter of late 626. She was brought to a Dwarven fortress and questioned about all she knew, and then summarily executed.