Long ago, Gods walked upon Russian soil. Dazhbog cast his solar light; the cold of Hors blew over the tops of the tall trees as the god himself flew past; and Mokosh spun her cloth and webs. And their were lesser spirits and heroes among them, who walked among the mortals and smelled the sweet and cruel odors of their sacrificial offerings: mighty Kashey the Deathless; cruel Baba Yaga; and always there was Ivan Kupala, the spirit of nature, of drunkenness, and of wine.

But then time flew by. New gods came from the west and the south, vying for the hearts of the peoples of Russia, and the old gods proved too weak for the vitality of the young. And they were old. They retired to the far reaches of their domains to contemplate and to dream. They are still there, or so say the sages, but they are far away and not to be touched.

All save Ivan Kupala. For Kupala was one with the land, and the land remained, regardless of the passing vagaries of faith and belief of those dwelling upon it. He was weakened, oh yes, but still he dwelled in the far-off reaches of Russia, and he watched from his arbor high in the trees. And on occasion, when need demanded it, he reached out. Through the blood. For Kupala had had many progeny when he walked upon the Earth and capered in the ancient rites of spring, and a bit of his divinity has passed into many bloodlines. Mostly weak, ever-weaker as the ages fell away, but sometimes strong, very strong indeed. And Kupala could cause the blood to awaken, and for the spirit of Russia's beneficent and savage nature to arise within the one his mind touched.

And so these chosen of Ivan Kupala, the paladins of Russian nature, would arise when the Motherland was threatened. There are tales of the Great White Wolf that fell upon the Knights Templar as they struggled to release themselves from Alexander Nevsky's watery trap; of the Eagle that soared from the skies to pluck up the hapless Mongol soldiers of the mighty Genghis Khan's Horde; and of something vast, pale and cold that struck among the German lines as they laid siege to Leningrad.

One such time is now. Russia has just emerged from chaos, and from the Soviet regime. The world was also changing: there were the always increasing numbers of the so-called "ubers," a new potential threat to Russia, as well as a possible new asset. And so Ivan Kupala reached out his mind, seeking the trail of his bloodline, looking for a strong spark of his divinity within a mortal frame.

He found one – a very strong one, perhaps the strongest in centuries -- in the person of one Natalia Nikolaevna Ivanova. Natalia was a simple girl in the provinces, a single child born to a

rural couple of collective farm workers who had relocated to the industrial city of Magnitogorsk to better their lot as the economic upheavals of the 1990s were ravaging the Russian countryside. She was working as a cashier in a kiosk selling cigarettes and beer when Ivan Kupala's mind reached out to her and she felt something surge in her blood. "You, my young one, are the one I seek. In your veins flows my blood, and in your soul will know flow something of my power. You have been chosen, and you have been called. You are the defender of Russia, in a sense its soul. Let the Earth, the trees and the beasts speak to you and tell you what you now are – the

defender of the Rodina, the Great Bear, my chosen, the paladin of Ivan Kupala." Thus spoke the voice of the godling in the young girl's mind, and her life – and that of Russia – were to be forever changed.

As the ancient magic returned, flowing into its new human vessel, shockwaves rang out among those sensitive to such things. Shamans in far away Chukotka saw the portents in the bones they cast to foretell the future, and they knew that a chosen of Ivan Kupala once again walked the Earth. Baba Yaga lifted her wizened face to the sky and smiled an odd smile – she knew it as well. The wizard known as Yurodvi felt something stir about him. And Russia's immense breadth was filled with the howls of wolves and bears, the screams of white tigers in Siberia and even the yapping of common dogs in the streets of Moscow, as they greeted the new coming of Taiga, the defender of the Rodina, the paladin of Ivan Kupala.

The girl who was Natalia Ivanova (Natasha to her family and friends) has now been merged with the spirit of Russian Nature. Her personality, however, while it has been modified by the experience, is still very much there. She is still a shy girl from the provinces who is overawed by simply being in the megapolis of Moscow, much less having been chosen as Russia's protector. She is kind-hearted and cares deeply about others; however, she still has a tendency to feel out of her depth. This trait will likely gradually vanish as she gains in experience and confidence.

At the same time, she is fully aware of her role as the protector of Russia and the greatness of the gift (and duty) Ivan Kupala has given her. And within her dwell the spirits of both the beneficence and cruelty of Mother Russia, influencing her with their various personality traits. As Taiga, she is a committed defender of Russia and its various inhabitants; as Snowbear, she is their protector and avenger.

"The Spirit of Russia has withstood the Yoke of the Mongols, the wrath of the Poles, Napoleon's ill-fated army and the twisted vampiric Wotan spirits of the Nazis. It has never been broken, and never shall be. I am here to make sure of that."

Taiga is a guardian spirit of Russian nature, the embodiment and protectress of the Motherland, especially its people and nature. She possesses a peculiar bond with the land and the things that dwell upon it, and is known and aided by them. She can communicate with animals telepathically, and, though she cannot actually control them, she can usually count on them as friendly assistants/subordinates. Nature will also assist her in various ways – plants will move to cover her traces and presence, the land itself will reveal the tracks of those who have passed upon it, and, in areas like those of Russia, offer up its bounty in times of need (i.e., her high Survival skill). Being close to the cold of Russia, she is immune to extreme temperature lows. She also has extraordinarily sharp senses.

When she calls forth the fury of the Russian winter and the inhospitability of the Far North, she becomes the Snowbear, the cold of the Arctic Circle given flesh. The Bear is possessed of immense strength and durability. Moreover, it is in a way composed of the winter cold. As such, it will suck the heat from those who touch it without protection and is of course almost immune to cold attacks. As Cold Incarnate, it is also very difficult to injure with any attacks involving heat, as any flame or other heat source coming in contact with her instantly starts to drop to her subarctic temperature.

In her more "human" form, Natalia is a slim young woman, attractive but not classically beautiful. Her costume, when she is wearing one, appears to be composed of bark and leaves, which is the traditional attire for a Russian nature spirit such as herself. The costume is magical, and thus merely vanishes when she brings out the Snowbear, rather than being shredded by the metamorphosis. Her hair is long and dark brown.

As the Snowbear, she appears to be a very large, snow-white bear that most resembles a polar bear; however, a specialist could easily determine that the "species" of the bear, if that is the proper word, is unique. Being the quintessence of the Russian winter, the bear emanates an aura of deep cold, enough to discomfort those not protected against it within close range and detectable at some distance, depending on the ambient weather and temperature conditions.

Her nature as a creature of magic is detectable by those with the appropriate senses/abilities in both forms.