Over a period of fifty years the pagan Beornice, the werberas and their larger, wilder kin were heavily persecuted by the followers of the one god, especially once the royalty of Northumbria were baptised. Whilst their resistance was strong initially, the pagans and the wildmen were few in number and most simply fled to the south, where their cousins the Miercna welcomed them; for they are still proud and strong, man-bears and slayer-bears and murder-bears, devastating warriors in their own right.