[Interest Check] Valhalla Fallen

[MiraMirror]

As mentioned, this will be both a combination of games and lore, and step away from them in favor of DM fiat and changes.  With that said...I'll be doing these little blurps this week as I explain things.  I'd type up more tonight, but it's getting late. To compensate, have this explanation of magic, Aether, and...a poem?

Disclaimer: I never said I was a good poet.

The Taboo Arts: On the Subject of Magic

Magic and the application thereof is rarely seen in the realm of Midgard, but it is a common sight in the other realms, such as Asgard and Niflheim.  This is due to differences in the composition of each realm.  Two identical trees between two realms might have the same appearance, but the fundamental makeup of each is different.  Namely, the power emitted by Odin before his murder created something similar to a run-off, something so mighty that it not only permeated the air, but fused with it.  There is magic in every conceivable area of Asgard, to the point where it is quite possible to feel it, even for a mortal.  There are many words for this essence, but a common name for it is "Aether", sometimes spelled "Ether". While it's possible for some mortals to absorb Aether from the air around them on Midgard, it's significantly more difficult than it would be anywhere else.  Elves and half-elves in particular seem to have a particular affinity for sensing it nearby and absorbing it into their bodies.

Those precious few Midgardians who find themselves able to cast magic rarely understand the exact method behind it, the intricacies and dangers of Aether, only that casting magic pulls and yanks at their constitution and willpower, draining stamina from them.  Of course, drawing upon deific power is a tiring affair.  A large factor behind the low amount of magic-users is the lack of proper texts on the matter.  Magic is, once again, seen as a deity's ability, and tomes involving specific information on this magic are often hidden away as precious treasures, or burned outright.  It's no surprise, of course, that a mage is often viewed as one of two extremes. Some who see his channeling of deific might see him or her as a prophet, a mouth of the gods and goddesses above. Others might see that same person as a heathen, stealing powers that mortal man was not meant to tamper with.  Of course, if the person is unable to summon forth the necessary magics, many choose instead to call him/her a stumbling drunk and laugh at the tomfoolery.

While the immediate effects of casting magic are quite evident, there is a silent danger beneath the surface, something even practiced mages do not realize until it's too late.  Aether is a divine substance, but despite this inherently divine quality, it is also a toxin in the bodies of mortals.  Each tiny little particle of Aether, every expenditure and regeneration, corrodes the body of the user from the inside out, eventually acting akin to mercury, albeit much slower in activation and completion.  This, combined with the raw power available through its usage, makes magic the taboo subject that it is today.

When the mocking pits of hell below
Are silenced, dead to one's own eye,
Cursed ashes of generation's past
Will set alight the treasure's lies.

Foreshadowiiiiiiing!

[Angie]

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

On a related note, shall we wait for you to get the rest of the setting up before we start furiously making character sheets?

[TheHangedOne]

Hey, cool.  I like the idea of corrosive power; power that you're not even properly designed to channel.

As far as poetry goes, I could write up some poems for you if you'd like. I have a bit of my work here on E if you'd like to see my quality/style.

[MiraMirror]

Ah, I can type up a character sheet format for you all. It'll just be a few minutes.
You can start on characters now if you'd like.  The next bit of info will be on the Kingdoms...The old kingdoms.


Name: Self-explanatory. Don't be too worried about creating a time-accurate name, though.
Personality: How does your character act and interact with others? What motivates them? What irritates them?
Appearance: Self-explanatory again.  This is more of an add-on for your picture, since it's rare to find a picture that captures the visual idea behind your character perfectly.
Gender: This is only here because it has to be.
Race: I need to know for...reasons. Yes, reasons.  (Human, Half-Elf, Elf, Dwarves [I reserve the right to change the name of Dwarves to something else, mind you.] )
Picture: We want to see your character! Please do try to keep it smaller, or alter the image size via code if necessary.
History: This is the meat of the character, and what makes them.  Where's your character from? What's their story, what drove them to the start of this adventure? Friends, family, some dark secret, or perhaps duty to a kingdom? None of it is insignificant.
Combat: How does your character handle combat? Death from afar? Up-close and personal with some big-ass weapon? Conscientious objector and pacifist? Tell us!

[TheHangedOne]

Name: Aelfwine
Personality: At times a playful trickster, at others a very serious-minded fellow. He likes to laugh, and does it easily and readily, so he dislikes those who do not appreciate the value of a good laugh. While serious at times, he knows when and how to lighten up, and also dislikes those who don't understand the need to loosen up and relax.
Appearance: work-in-progress
Gender: Male
Race: Half-elf
Picture: work-in-progress
History: Aelfwine is a half-elf. That means, at some point, one of his parents got it on with an elf. He's not entirely sure which it was, since he wound up at an orphanage. His earliest memories are of the orphanage, and the owner of it had no clue as to who his parents were; he had simply been left there on their steps, swaddled in fine cloth, curled up in a wicker basket.

he was always an odd child growing up, being that he was effectively stuck between two different worlds, even if he was stuck living with mortals. He got along with the other children, though; they didn't care that his ears were pointy, that he grew mentally quickly, or any of the other oddities that were  bestowed on him through his mixed heritage. Children, cruel as they could be, could also be so accepting and understanding.

Eventually, though, children become adults. New kids came, and old kids left, but no one ever adopted Aelfwine. That was okay, though. Times were tough, so a lot of the time, orphans didn't get adopted. People could barely get by with the kids they did have, never mind introducing another mouth to feed. But the orphanage didn't run on charity, but hard work. Aelfwine was always willing to do his part of the chores, and even worked on the side to help bring in additional money.

One of the orphanage kids he grew up with, an older kid by the name of Leofwine, came back one day when Aelfwine was getting ready to leave. He had grown too old to linger, and there wasn't enough room anyways.

Leofwine had gone off and become a soldier. Remembering how solid and reliable Aelfwine could be, his friend offered the half-elf a chance at joining a mercenary company. He said not to worry about training, they'd get him up to snuff in no time.

With a hardened body from physical labor, a crafty and keen intellect, and an elf's natural affinity for some of the finer arts in the world, he found his niche in the group. He took well to the spear, and quickly grew adept with its use.

Seasons come and go. Time moves on. Things change. He did well, earned money, saved it up. Eventually, Aelfwine parted ways with the mercenaries, amicably. He had his own journey, his own quest to undergo. Without anything to go on, he wanted to see if he couldn't find some trace of his parents.  Since then, he's wandered, taking up odd jobs along the way, or just doing what pleases him.

He's also made it a point to seek out the power of the Runes, to further empower himself.

Combat: Aelfwine loves to use his spear in combat. He is masterful at maintaining the distance needed to effectively fight with the weapon. He also uses the power of Rune tattoos to augment his abilities both in and outside of battle. The current runes he knows are:
Vegvisir: The runic compass, prevents getting lost. Tattooed onto the back of his left hand.
Odin's Illusionary Rune: Camouflage & deception. Tattooed to his left shoulder.

[Angie]

Name: Jarl Dawn Stormcleaver
Personality: Fair and even-handed, she acts cautiously outside of a fight, and often seeks additional perspective on problems. That's not to say she won't get a little angry, but she acts rather conservative most of the time. In a fight, she howls with rage as she cuts through the enemy.
Appearance: Fair-skinned with a slim, yet muscular, build. She often wears a cloak made of the pelt of a bear that she hunted alone.
Gender: Female
Race: Human
History: Dawn is no stranger to storms, as her name would imply. Her home was far north, wracked with cold all days of the year. Even in this inhospitable environment, her people thrived, hunting the wild animals and foraging for food, and mining the rich veins of ore beneath their feet. Their steel was known as the best in the land, and to hold one of their blades was an honor.

Dawn came to power through conflict. Her people believed that the strongest warriors made the best leaders, so when her father, Jarl Dean Stormcleaver, died, she entered the tournament that would choose the next Jarl. She fought against the best warriors her people had to offer, and she defeated all opponents who stood before her. Taking her father's crown of iron and sapphires, her people bowed before her as the new Jarl.

The people flourished under her rule. She acted always with wisdom, compassion, and valor. In war, peace, and more, she was tested. Never did she falter...until the dead rose.

Corpses, the wise elders told her. Shambling husks that moved, but were devoid of life. She rallied her people to fight them, but each conflict with the dead monstrosities only weakened her forces, and strengthened the enemy. It swiftly became clear that the town of Falion's Rest was doomed. With a heavy heart, she turned to her people, only a fifth of them still alive, and commanded them to flee. Twas the only chance to survive.

Dawn set Falion's Rest, the only home she had ever known, alight with flame. The monsters would have no more then a pile of ashes for their victory. Agreeing to split apart so the monsters could not chase them all, Dawn went off alone on her horse. The distance, however, would not stop the dead from claiming one more victim. Two days after she set off, Dawn's horse became violently ill. Looking in his eyes, Dawn could see that whatever made the monsters walk had taken root in her faithful steed. In tears, she ended Snowstrider's life.

Now she wanders, with only her crown (tucked into her pack) and her weapons, plus a small amount of food. Potentially, she is the sole survivor of Falion's Rest. Heavy hangs her head, and the cold does little to ease her heart's suffering.
Combat: She is a master of many weapons, but prefers to use a one-handed sword or axe in tandem with a shield. She also carries a few throwing axes for range.
Picture:

[MiraMirror]

Prosperity Through Subservience: The Legend of the Seven Kingdoms

Mortals cannot remember a time that they were without their deities, as they seem to have been present forever.  While this holds true, there are many dead and forgotten myths in the past, one of the commonly believed ones is the legend that there used to be a total of seven grand kingdoms upon Midgard.

These seven kingdoms were:

Ruetin, the Kingdom of Knowledge
Arcanis, the Kingdom of Magics
Avacera, the Kingdom of Commerce and Trade
Brenton, the Kingdom of Bravery
Jerasch, the Kingdom of Tundras
Inand, the Kingdom of Harvests
Lisera, the Kingdom of Progress

Each kingdom was known for a particular export or specialty in these times, and each was blessed by a particular deity. Ruetin produced various tomes detailing past events with great detail, and was famous for its Grand Librarius. Arcanis, on the other hand, often exported guides on magic and on its usage. Almost every tome involving the taboo arts passed through Arcanis at one point or another, and it's likely that without this kingdom, there would be no knowledge of it today. Avacera has a reputation for producing many great artists and merchants. It always carried the reputation for being the kingdom if you really needed to find something obscure, not to mention various oddities and hidden treasures passing through hands. Brenton, the Kingdom of Bravery, was almost always prepared for conflict.  It was in their blood, something they prided themselves on.  War was an art, a meeting of wills, and there was only honor to be found in a death on the battlefield. Jerasch, Kingdom of Tundras, was known for its hardy citizens and freezing climate.  While outsiders found difficulty in adjusting to the tundras and fjords to be found in the area, natives had little difficulty in such conditions. Inand, as its nickname suggests, produces a bulk of Midgard's crops, possessing massive fields of wheat, vegetables, to say nothing of the forests that can be found nearby.  Blessed be the mortals who learn to grow their own food, instead of begging for it. Lisera, the Kingdom of Progress, was an oddity amidst the other kingdoms.  Many of its citizens were nothing more than wide-eyed idealists, coming up with numerous ideas on how their world could be made better. Pamphlets asking for outside assistance, alliances, and the like weren't uncommon, though many ignored them. So why, then, was it considered a major kingdom?  A few of the citizens, no matter how idealistic they were, carried considerable power in their bodies, amongst them several mages.  So was it any wonder that the combination of power, magic, and reckless ideas made for a kingdom to be feared?

Of course, there's a reason why it's the legend of the seven kingdoms...

With the blessing of the gods above, Midgard enjoyed relative peace and prosperity for ages upon ages.  Midgardians offered their prayers and devotion to these deific beings, and in return, they received the continued blessings that rained down upon them. Crops were plentiful and went unspoiled, fish practically threw themselves into man's net. Love prospered amongst the population, and many new lives were brought into the world.  However, time would spoil this image of perfection...

It began with Lisera, the Kingdom of Progress.  With far too many idealists for their own good, many of its citizens posed a question: Why were the gods in charge of their precious realm of Midgard? This was the realm of mortals, not deities, so why were the gods able to play with it as if it was nothing more than a board on a table? It was outrageous, they said. Tyranny, madness, nothing more than blackmail through power!  These individuals soon formed a small army, but the danger came not from their martial or magic prowess, but their charisma and force of personality. Through little more than words alone, they were joined by the majority of Arcanis.  Seeing the force of magic join in on the cause, those able-bodied fighters from Inand took up arms, followed swiftly by the Jerasch natives. What began as a few naysayers had swiftly become a full-fledged army.  However, it still wasn't enough.  Curious souls from Lisera joined forces with mages from Arcanis to find a way to add to their army, and after many unspeakable atrocities in the name of "progress", it was done.  They had performed the first act of necromancy, raising a massive army of Corpses for their own bidding.  With this simple disgusting act of will, the war had begun.  Through means unknown to this day, the mortals were able to reach Asgard and inflict moderate damage to Odin's army, or at least more than the Allfather thought was possible.  In the end, however, Odin and his fellow deities, not to mention his Valkyries, overwhelmed the mortals completely, slaying most of them.  He would have to teach the lesser mortals a lesson...but if he killed them all in one strike, there would be no point to it...No, he had a far more potent idea. A curse, a curse upon those kingdoms foolish enough to forsake his guidance.  Let their future generations suffer and curse their names for centuries to come!  As if that alone was not enough, Arcanis, Lisera, and a large portion of Jerasch were struck with catastrophic damage.  In one fell swoop, some 95% of the magic knowledge upon Midgard was lost forever, burned to cinders.  If magic was left in the hands of mortals, this deception would only repeat itself...So it was that magic was declared a taboo art, a treasure exclusive to Odin and his fellow gods/goddesses.

Desire, Cheating Death, and Slaking an Undying Thirst: A Look at the Undead

Despite the common image that only reanimated bodies are Undead, this is not so.  Undead are a much more varied group than this, and can typically be sorted into a partial "ranking" system. From the bottom of the ladder to the top...

The most basic Undead are the Corpses, which include what are typically seen as Undead.  This includes shambling zombies and skeletons.  These are the weakest of the Undead, and rely almost exclusively on physical strikes.  Fortunately, they are typically the slowest of all Undead, and not particularly bright.

The next on the chain are the Spirits. Spirits are such things as ghosts, wisps, specters, and the like.  They possess no physical strength, and instead, are able to tap directly into elemental powers, evoking and channeling the elements to cripple foes, leaving them vulnerable to other enemies.  Due to their ethereal state of being, they cannot touch a living being directly, nor can a living being do the same to a Spirit.  However, due to being so receptive to the elements, they are equally weak against elemental magic, or elementally-imbued weapons.

Next up are Vampires. Vampires are amongst the most powerful undead, and are quite intelligent, though sometimes driven by an insatiable hunger for blood.  These cursed beings are versed in both martial and magical combat, and can perform both with terrifying power.  They prefer Poison and Earth element magic to anything else, and often enjoy slowly draining the life from their victims.  Their strikes are swift, brutal, and these are without a doubt the fastest moving Undead.

The highest rank of Undead are Demons. These monstrosities are unsurpassed in physical assaults, and often imbue their strikes with elemental magic.  While the majority of high-ranking Demons have knowledge of magic, they're easily surpassed in magic power by Vampires.  The ranking system for Demons in particular is unorganized, and has no real hierarchy to go off of. Some lesser Demons include goblins, and such soldiers, while the upper tiers include ghouls and various monstrosities.

Note that these are only field notes.  Perhaps there are some aspects of Undeath that are not fully understood, but it is unlikely that anyone who approaches an Undead will survive.  Indeed, many brave (but dim) explorers have lost limbs (or worse) by attempting to ask a vampire about its society.

[MiraMirror]

Updated the previous post with some more information, and I should be able to contribute a lot more tomorrow.

[Angie]

Asking a vampire..."Hail, good friend! Shall we have a pleasant fire-side chat? OH ODIN! MY BLOOD! HE PUNCHED OUT ALL MY BLOOD!"

[TheHangedOne]

Still got no picture, but history is up.

[Izaya Orihara]

Hmm. I was thinking of doing a wolf or raven spirit, but it looks like options are limited to humans, dwarves and elves.  I could do one of those of course, but it'd be interesting if a few things like that were available.

[MiraMirror]

The main reason why spirits wouldn't work terribly well is that they can't physically interact with anything, and nothing can physically interact with them. In exchange for that, however, they possess terrifying elemental powers, powers that are not the same as magic. On that same note, an elemental anything tends to be enough to destroy them.  Basically, the minute something happened to smack your spirit with elemental power, you'd be done. However, let me PM you something.

[Verasaille]

I am very interested in this! Thanks for the opportunity, I have a few questions, but willing to post a character sheet and see if I can pass this off.

Name: Hilde Johannes

Personality: Hilde is a very strong and willful woman. She can fight if the need arises, she is primarily a hunter. She is respectful to the animals she hunts for food and furs. She will not kill needlessly and strives for a clean kill with no suffering. Normally a bit reclusive, she is reserved but not shy. She is at home in the forests and plains of the Tundra. Cities make her nervous, but smaller towns are all right. She likes mead and can usually drink just about anyone under the table. The more she drinks the friendlier she gets.

Appearance:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

Long red hair flows down her back, blue eyes as piercing as the cold north wind. Although she is rather voluptuous, she keeps her breasts tightly bound to stay out of her way when she shoots her bow. She is tall, standing at six feet and weighing a good 160 lbs. But she is solid and the only padding that may be considered fat would be her rounded rear and her generous bosom. Her normal clothing would be a cotton blouse with a tightly laced leather vest and wool trousers over cotton leggings. Leather boots come to her knees and are fur lined. Over this in the outdoors would be a coat and possibly a hooded cape, made of wool.

Gender: Female

Race: Human

Picture:

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide

http://www.nexusmods.com/Images/110/6388701-1395831702.png

(have no idea how to make it smaller, but smaller photos are hard to appreciate her stunning beauty    )

History: Hilde Johannes started her life as a beautiful baby girl born to a Jarl who wanted a son. Her rapid growth into a very stunning woman frustrated the Jarl to no end. Though he wanted a son, a healthy daughter is what he got. She grew up competing with others her age and soon developed a style all her own. She was a crack shot with a bow and favored the long bow, though she had a short bow and even a magnificent crossbow. She won tournaments and hearts, but gave in to none. After her father tried to marry her off to a neighboring Jarl to cement an alliance with them, she fled. Determined to live her life as she wanted, she left the Tundra in search of adventure. It was only a few years later she learned that her entire family had been massacred, the reason had been her leaving and not giving into the demands of her father. The guilt rides with her still and she is basically a loner. She learned to survive on her skills as a hunter and selling meat and skins. She makes all of her own armor and weapons.

Somewhere along the way she managed to befriend a runemaster who became a lover. He took pride in decorating his love with some powerful runes. She has them on her face mainly. The rune of Kenaz situated between her eyes and a bit above her brow. She believes it gives her increased ability to shoot her arrows and always hit her target. The rune Ansuz is supposed to enable her to better understand the languages of others, sometimes even animals, this she has on her chin below her mouth. Uruz is the rune she has on her left bicep, to give her strength and courage and tenacity in the face of adversity. On the right bicep is the rune Nauthiz for endurance survival and determination. On the back of her neck is a rune to ward off evil, Alqiz.

Her lover was not young however and succumbed to a nasty cold one winter, leaving her alone again. In all of her thirty years, she has never felt so alone. She now wanders in search of meaning for her life.

Combat: Hilde is primarily an archer, and a close melee fighter with a dagger and hand axe if she must. She is strong and fast, and shows no mercy to anyone seeking to kill her. She does favor distance however if she can.

(All right, let me know if I need to change anything. Her elemental attacks are not that strong to start with, maybe the shock one is more like a static charge, and the ice and fire arrows will be minor stings of hot or cold. Mainly the fact she can shoot well and will salvage arrows from any source is more luck than overpowered skill.)

[Angie]

You and Dawn are going to get along so very well.

[MiraMirror]

Verasaille: Nice to see you interested! The backstory checks out well enough! The only thing I want to address are the runes. We do have one character who uses runes out-of-combat (for fortune-telling and telling the one true path), so it's not really an overlap. The idea of elemental runes is something I figured I would see, and while the idea itself isn't something I mind terribly, the power behind each of them is a bit unclear.  I see that electric arrows are swift and tend to stun, and that, combined with the proficiency with a few martial weapons, does make me wonder how powerful she'll be when compared to the party.  If you don't mind, could you elaborate more on that topic? (Also, tattoo'ed runes do follow the same idea as normal magic, in a slightly different manner.  Effectively, you've sort of..."injected" Aether into your skin and bloodstream, and each time they're activated, they pump more Aether into the stream, drawing directly from any Aether around the user.  It is, of course, still a toxin in its entirety. =P )

[Verasaille]

All right, I wanted to make clear this is probably going to be more of  runic tattoos involving more of an enhancement of natural abilities than magic. So I did some research and came up with a few I think will work. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/460704236855950993/

The first one would be Ansuz, on the space between her eyes. These would not be large or overpowering runes. The next would be Kenaz on her left hand, to enhance her abilities. On her right hand would be Isa, to give her some kind of ability to face challenge.

The others can be added later by someone who might want to help her. I look at it as an opportunity to add more tattoos. Any other tattoos on her body would be more decorative.

Would this be more acceptable? I can edit my CS to reflect the changes.

[MiraMirror]

So it's less "magic magic" and more about temporary enhancements to her physical capabilities? That's fine, and I appreciate the link. It's interesting to see the runes. =P

The main thing I haven't quite figured out yet is how combat will work. This is free-form, but I'm thinking of throwing in at least some kind of basic dice roll to determine how well something happens in combat...If someone can offer suggestions for that, please do. ;w;

[TheHangedOne]

Here is the sheet of runes I am using for Aelfwine. Also, as a half-elf, is his physiology noticeably different than a humans when it comes to the effects of Aether?

[Izaya Orihara]

Now, time to unveil my wolf to the others, not that wolves should have veils...

Name: Þjóstúlfr Fenrisson, Vågargandr
Personality: He trusts few, though he is naturally disposed more to wolves, as he understands them more than he does other creatures. He can be ambitious, manipulative, ruthless, bloodthirsty and calculating, though an element of kindness may lie beyond this. Of course,  it seems an inherited sense of humour and mischievousness is also present, and despite pretensions about not caring, he is not one to truly desire isolation, belonging in a pack as wolves are meant. At times, Þjóstúlfr can be quiet, shy and unsure of his place in the world. Though he tries to think before acting, he can sometimes be impetuous, with a certain degree of arrogance and pride. He also has a natural curiosity, and something of an inquisitive nature, seeking to know more about humans, despite their persecution of his lesser brethren, which is something he's not exactly fond of, and he is aware that not all humans are bad. He respects hunters, and being a fellow predator, tends to have little sympathy for prey, seeing the natural order of things accordingly. Of course, this is but a facet of his personality, and it may vary considerably. On an unrelated note, he seems to be quite a good drinker, only being affected by a substantial amount of heavy-duty alcohol, so to speak, and also possessing a surprising appetite. Which is less surprising when one considers his true form is that of a rather large wolf.
Appearance: In his human form, he appears youthful and lean, with odd eyes that alternate between green and gold, and silky grey hair. In this form, he tends to wear armour, northern noble clothing, and furs. In his true form, he appears as a giant wolf, fur of the same colour, towering over many other creatures, with claws and fangs that many would consider worrying. Having an affinity with ice, the air around him is often colder, sometimes to the extent that frost, ice and snow form around him. Haven't found a giant wolf picture that I thought was suitable, so suggestions are always appreciated.
Gender: Male
Race: Jotun/giant wolf, of the ice/frost variety. (FYI, giant is misleading, since they appear in all manner of forms, not necessarily physically big, and through linguistic changes, such as the introduction of the French "geant" to replace the old English word, and other complicated linguistic stuff, the word ended up with different connotations)
Picture:

Human form

History: Þjóstúlfr was born in Járnviðr, a forest to the north east of Midgard, one of the many sons sired by Fenris and an unknown giantess, thought by some to be Angrboða, though he was somewhat smaller than his more famous older brothers, Sköll and Hati. With his mother often preoccupied, and his father to become indisposed until Ragnarok, he had little choice but to fend for himself as a pup. Travelling much, he would come to hunt well, sometimes joining packs and learning how to take out prey strategically, working alongside others.

Journeying around Midgard, and sometimes other worlds, he would learn much. He took a liking to Jötunheimr, as well as Niflheimr, among others. He developed a disdain for humans in Midgard, and the way in which they often hunted wastefully, as well as how in many places, they fiercely sought out and wiped out wolves, even when such creatures kept to themselves and avoided humans and their livestock. Though the wolves he travelled with were often little more than normal wolves, whilst he was a Jotun wolf, he nonetheless developed a certain kinship with them.

Though he may not be too fond of humans, with the manner in which his lesser brethren are thoroughly persecuted by them- especially farmers and shepherds, he was also curious about them, and often sought to try and understand how they worked, among other things lacking an understanding of why some of their kind sold eachother. Accordingly, from time to time, he became used to taking upon a human form, after soon learning that humans tended to attack or run away from a giant wolf looming over them.

Þjóstúlfr was also apt from time to time, to prey upon humans and their livestock, sometimes leading wolves to terrorise areas on the outskirts of society or civilisation, sometimes attacking villages, and occasionally, towns. He came to realise that attacking more populated areas tended to result in bigger reprisals, with soldiers and great hunts orchestrated in attempts to wipe out wolves. In one northern town, Vågar, he decided to indiscriminately attack the humans living there, resulting in a mass slaughter, buildings turned to rubble, and not long later, the epithet of Vågargandr, or the monster of Vågar. At the time he had chosen, he was strongest, with a fierce winter forcing many of the humans to stay indoors, and stock up on furs and firewood. Poorly built structures, especially wooden ones, were also not too difficult for him to barge into, to deal with those inside.

Sometimes seen as a harbinger of winter and dangerous times, various myths would begin to crop up about him in places, occasionally being viewed as a minor god. As well as more negative portrayals, other actions would lead to more positive ones, such as his sometimes alternatively helping humans from winter, including one village that was suffering greatly as an unexpected blizzard arrived from the mountains to the east of it. Of course, often, these events were attributed to separate beings. Once or twice, he even came to grow a little attached to a few humans, such as a female travelling merchant and author, who had written several books on various things. Inevitably, though, these journeys came to an end, and the mortals would as ever, show their transient and temporary nature. Unsurprisingly, this would make Þjóstúlfr wary of establishing attachments to others.

Though he was not directly involved, he was aware of events as they transpired in Asgard, including Loki's takeover of the throne, and the slaughter of the previously established Æsir elite that had been in power before him, the death of many gods and those who fought with them. Not committing to either side despite his parentage, he had decided to await the outcome instead, though he may have been pleased that the gods who had bound his father till Ragnarok, and the one who had bespelled two of his older brothers, had fallen.

At some point later, he became a Jarl in a nation of Midgard, utilising intelligence and wealth to get to this upper tier of society. Among other places, he came to possess a mountain fastness surrounded by forests. In that residence, he came to store all manner of things acquired over time.

Combat: Cunning, thoughtful and patient, he chooses the time to unleash a wolf's savagery when he is in the most advantage, rather than blindly charging in. In human form, he wields bladed weapons well, such as swords and axes, preferring melee weapons to distance-based attacks that are more unfamiliar. In wolf form, he is more at ease, and often more aggressive, confident and quick to act.

[MiraMirror]

Introducing NPC #1...

Name: Raes
Personality: In a word, Raes is blunt above all else.  She does not bite her tongue, and easily makes enemies through her words alone.  She often seems to be socially distant, mocking friend and foe alike.  She seems to possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge of many aspects of history long-since past, leading many to believe she's something of a bookworm (and indeed, one would find her room filled with piles of tomes). She does not speak of her life much, and will often spit venomous words when asked about it.  A mystery, to be sure...
Appearance: Raes often wears various combinations of loose-fitting garments culminating in a robe of sorts to keep her warm.  An untrimmed mane of raven-black hair reaches to her lower back, clashing with her pale white skin.  She always has her right eye covered with bandages, and if someone is persistent enough to ask her multiple times, she will explain that she's long-since lost sight in that eye (which does mess with her depth perception, to an extent). The one eye that people can see is a light-blue color.
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Age: 19
Picture:

Raes

History: Wouldn't you like to know? All that's known of her background is that she hails from Inand, the Kingdom of Harvests, seems to have lived in a poor home, and is surprisingly intelligent for her age. She seems to have recently been banished from her home, however...
Combat: She isn't terribly proficient in close combat, preferring instead to fight from a distance.  Recently, odd happenings have forced her to fight odd creatures, using something that was long since declared taboo: magic, and powerful wind magic, at that.

...and NPC #2!

Name: Prince Arlais Larsinder
Personality: Arlais is a young noble, next in line for the throne of Jarl of Inand...or at least he was.  Nonetheless, he knows when to carry himself with dignity, and when it's okay to joke around, though he occasionally forgets the limit others are willing to go with his jokes, corny as they are.  He's a kind individual, often looking out for those around him, and a hopeless romantic at that.
Appearance: See picture
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Age: 19
Picture:
History: One of the younger members of the prestigious Larsinder family, Arlais has always been a kind-hearted person, even in his youth.  Compared to the common folk, he was treated to a life of wealth and knowledge, necessary to rule the kingdom.  He would not only be a symbol of hope, but a true leader, someone to be trusted, and it is with this mindset that he lived his life.  However, even with as busy as he eventually became, he never stopped caring for the commoners, always taking the time to visit them, including the stranger girl they called "Raes", much to her chagrin.  With her mother long-since departed from the living, and her father out and about, he was often the only company she had, and even then, she had a tendency to either drive him off or ignore him completely, though she eventually spoke to him (sparingly).  That's far more than most can say about her.

Upon his nineteenth birthday, he was met with a nasty surprise, however.  Unaware of what had happened in Asgard, he went about his duties as per usual, when he was cornered by his very own guards, armed with deadly weapons...They aimed to kill! What had happened?! Fending them off, he rushed to his father's side, only to find him issuing the orders himself...He was ordering his own son to be hunted down and executed by the blade of the guillotine? What madness was this?!  Thinking fast, he had no choice but to flee the castle, practically beating down Raes' door, and urged her to come with him, something she eventually agreed to with a grimace.  So it was that the Prince was branded a traitor to his kingdom, along with the "heathen witch", Raes. 

Combat: Arlais fights with two weapons: A large spear, and a smaller dagger. While it seems like an odd combination, it proves oddly effective in his hands. The spear proves useful for jabbing and forcefully maneuvering opponents around the battlefield, while the smaller dagger lends itself well to causing just enough pain to catch an opponent off-guard, so the spear can cause far more damage.

[Verasaille]

I am loving the line up so far. I have to ask the Wolf man however, how do  we address him since I cannot make those odd letters!? I will take to calling him Wulfy if you don't give me a better alternative...

[Caehlim]

I am loving the line up so far. I have to ask the Wolf man however, how do  we address him since I cannot make those odd letters!? I will take to calling him Wulfy if you don't give me a better alternative...

My norse pronunciation isn't all that great but I think "Þjóstúlfr" would be pronounced something like "Thyo-Stoehl-Fur". Looking at some online sources the english spelling used seems to be just Thjolstulfr.

[MiraMirror]

Mmmmkay, bios for both NPCs are now up. =P

The supposed "Heathen Witch" and the "Traitor Prince", everyone.

[Caehlim]

Name: Saga

Personality: If you can make friends easily, there's always someone with a fire and meal for you. So Saga seems bright, cheerful and easy to befriend. In actual fact he finds it very hard to trust people or have genuine friendships though.

Without real friends, his best friends are the gods, with whom he converses frequently. Of course to anyone else he's just talking to a rock or a bird or the thin air, but he knows that the gods are listening. They don't speak back directly either but he knows he'll see signs of what they want. He usually doesn't talk to the gods in front of other people though, since they often see it as blasphemous. The gods have never complained to him about it though, so he assumes they're happy with him talking to them. This is his attitude towards all dealings with the gods, he's not afraid to blaspheme because he assumes that the gods would let him know if they were unhappy. He genuinely believes in them wholeheartedly though.

Saga is confident and motivated, he goes for what he wants and doesn't ever really regard anything as impossible. It's just a matter of keeping on trying until you find a solution.

Appearance: As pictured, though with less modern clothing.

Gender: Male

Race: Human

History: Saga was the son of a Jarl from a small village but when he was young a more powerful king claimed him as a ward in order to have a hostage to force his father's loyalty. When he was about twelve his father fell in battle though and another man replaced him as Jarl. Things looked bad and Saga knew that if he wasn't useful as a hostage he would probably end up dead himself soon enough. So he fell back on his greatest skill and lied. He claimed that with the death of his supposed father he didn't have to keep the secret anymore and "admitted" that he was actually the son of Braggi, the poet god, who had seduced his mother into spending a night with him. Delivering this bluff with enough conviction allowed him to at least generate enough confusion with the king to allow him to slip away in the night while the king pondered this claim.

With nothing for him in his old home town, Saga wandered the world finding ways to survive wherever he could. Lying was his most common stock in trade, though sneaking about, stealing or the occasional bit of pickpocketing helped as well. Eventually he started studying the mystics and oracles he saw and took up fortune-telling as a profession, casting rune-stones to see the future. He believes that he can see the future, but lies because most people aren't ready to know what's in store for them. He picked up a lot of knowledge of different mystical arts. When he's thirsty he can read the future in the dregs at the bottom of a cup, when he's hungry he can read the entrails of a sacrificial animal that he will dispose of safely so as not to anger the gods, when he's tired he can see the future in his dreams as long as he sleeps in a comfortable warm bed.

Eventually though the world started turning darker and people were less confident in his reassurances that the future would be bright and everyone would be happy ever after. He started to worry that people would stop believing him. Instead though he ran into the opposite problem. A powerful man (need some GM feedback on who this could be) believed in him so greatly that he hired Saga to find out what had befallen the world and how it could be fixed. Taking the money and running wasn't an option though, this man was powerful enough that betraying him would probably see Saga executed. So he's taken on the job and he'll manage it... somehow. In the meanwhile being on a quest to save the world is a great line to get people to help chip in with resources or a place to stay.

Combat: The world is full of warriors and doesn't need another one to steal the glory from everyone else. There's enough death in the world without killing more people, let's try talking this through. Besides, he has sworn a vow of non-violence to Freya for the wisdom of the runes. (Okay, he's just a coward... but he won't tell anyone that). However in his study of mysticism he's learned a lot of herbalism and secret tricks of medicine, he's actually quite good at tending to injuries.

[Angie]

Is everyone a former Jarl or connected to one? I feel like downgrading Dawn into a basic soldier just to feel unique!