Lore
Sykes are found where hearts gather, be that near village hearths, along farm paths, or in quiet caves where travelers seek shelter. They are drawn not to places, but to the bonds formed within them. A Syke may linger for seasons near a thriving homestead, only to vanish overnight when a family fractures. In battle, their cooperative nature shines: they forge invisible psychic tethers to allies, sharing vitality, mending wounds from afar, and unleashing pulses of energy at distant threats. A bonded Syke fights not for itself, but for the one it has chosen. Yet there is a shadow to their empathy. Sykes feel what others feel, and some learn to nudge those feelings in subtle ways: a flash of courage when fear would serve better, a calm that smothers justified anger. Most seem unaware they do this, their influence as natural as breathing. Others grow deliberate, gently steering companions toward choices the Syke believes are right. Vikings who bond closely sometimes speak of decisions that felt like their own, only to wonder later whose heart truly made them.
