Post by Uhtred Einarson on May 24, 2010 22:37:19 GMT
Name: Uhtred Einarson
Age: 39
Sex: M
Class: Uhtred was a Soldier in his homeland, but a Citizen here.
Appearance: Uhtred is a large, powerfully built man, standing 6 foot 3, and a solid 200 pounds. Although almost 40, he has lost none of his physical stature or presence.
He bears the scars of an aged soldier. In addition to numerous on his hands, arms and chest, two of the most noticable are on his face; a deep gash across his temple, from the corner of his left eye up to his hairline, and another across his right cheek running from below the eye to below the ear. Either might easily have taken an eye, but neither did, leaving his eyes as one of his most striking features.
They are the palest blue, like the deep ice of the frozen northlands of his birth. And though the laugh-lines around them hint at how they can, and do, flash with laughter, when his face is serious, in his normal, guarded look, those eyes are as cold as ice. Little doubt is left that when facing this man in battle, one could expect neither pity nor kindness, nor even mercy; only a cold, ruthless efficiency.
His gear, as well as his manner, speak to the fact that he would be efficient, if heartless, in battle. His chain mail byrnie is clearly well crafted and well cared for, and the axe and shield slung over his back settle with an ease and balance born of decades of service. Likewise the spear, ever in his hand, the ash wood of its solid six foot shaft polished to a gleam from simple constant use, and its leaf-blade head, fully 12 inches long itself, and 6 wide at it's greatest span, gleams without a nick or trace of rust.
His belt carries proudly a seaxe, the long, heavy fighting/utlity knife of so many of the northern german tribes, but also a sword, which, while obviously well-crafted, seems somehow slightly off. It is equally as well cared for as the rest of the gear, but the handle is nowhere as worn as that of the seaxe or spear, and the set of it on his hip, while certainly not awkward or uncomfortable, does not suggest the same sense of permanence as the other weapons, which would seem to be more extensions of his body than additions to his kit.
Played by Gerard Butler
Character: Uhtred comes from the old traditions of the German and Scandinavian tribes. Life is about battle, either to be a warlord yourself, or serve a powerful lord with honour. Loot and plunder are the fair and just due of a warrior who fights bravely, but of far greater importance is reputation. A warrior who is renowned, for skill, ferocity, courage and honour, that is a man of great wealth. But he who has the wealth of a king, but no honour, has nothing.
He faces now, however, the closing of his saga. In each winter is felt more sharply the aches and pains of a lifetime of battle, and each spring brings less relief. Not that the pain is minded; pain is a warrior's privledge, to remind him that he did not run, but stood and faced adversity with courage. But the pain also reminds him that his greatest fear could soon be realised; not to die, but to die an old man, seated at a feasting table in a hall, rather than falling to an enemy in the heat of battle.
It is this fear, more than anything else, which has brought him to Camelot. He has followed Elizabeth Severn, the daughter of his former lord, and would say that he is only checking up on his former charge. But in truth he seeks one more great campaign, and one last chance to carve his name in the bloodied pages of history. Who it is against does not really matter. To Uhtred, the words "stranger" and "enemy" are generally interchangeable.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths
-Experienced in combat, does not panic
-Skilled with weapons (those he is familiar with)
-Ferocious in battle (comes from and embraces a culture where a warrior must be ready to face death at any moment)
Weaknesses
-Is very comfortable in his own fighting style, and will have trouble adapting to others
-Has great difficulty with the idea of "he who runs lives to fight another day". Uhtred is old enough to be aware that he may not, in fact, live til that day, and would rather die fighting.
-Has no patience for politics, or the niceties of court. He made the decision long ago not to be a warlord, but to serve one, and his preferred method of interaction with his lord is to be feasted with much food, wine and women, then pointed in the direction of the enemy with the instructions "Kill them all".
Magic: None. Magic is the realm of the gods, and those who treat with them. If they are on your side, they should be honoured, sacrificed to, and treated with respect, but never really trusted. If they are on the other side, they should be treated to spear, axe and fire, as quickly as possible.
Weaponry Skills:
Axe, Jutish; 5 ft long, broad head, single edge, can be used one handed or two
Spear, Leafblade; 7 ft long, 6 ft shaft with 1 ft "leaf" head, 6 inches wide at its broadest, sharpened both sides, tapering to the point
Seaxe; multi-purpose utlity knife, as handy for carving of a joint of mutton as spilling a man's guts
Shield, round; although primarily defensive, the iron boss can hit hard enough to seperate a man from his consciousness, especially with a broad shoulder behind it, and the iron rim, swung at the right height, has left more than one opponent toothless
Character History: Uhtred comes originally from the land of the Jutes, where fighting for survival was part of normal daily life. Caught between the Danes, Norse and Swedes to the north, and the Angles, Saxons, Franks and other German tribes to the south, the Jutes were safe from neither land nor sea, and learned to fight on both. Pirates and traders, soldiers and sailors, for their very survival the Jutes forged a culture of battle, where courage, honour and skill were counted the true worth of any man, or woman.
Like his people, Uhtred was born of, and in, war. His mother Else was actually a Finn, from north and east of the Baltic sea, captured by his father Einar during a raid (his eyes are a legacy from her). The bond between them grew to such that when Uhtred was born, and his father, as a reward, gave Else her freedom, she choose to stay with him, and her son. Now as husband and wife, the two made a formidable pair, for both were accomplished warriors. When Einar fell in battle against the Swedes, it is said the Else herself slew 30 men in bloody vengance.
Uhtred was 9 when his father fell, but had already begun training for battle. With Einar dead, he took on more and more of the duties of his household, and at 12, he was fighting beside his mother when she too fell in battle against the Franks. From then on, with no home of his own, he joined his lord's warband, which he served in for four more years. When he was 16, the warlord of his village fell in battle, leaving a son and heir who was no where near the warrior his father had been. In the tradition of his people, Uhtred choose not to swear fealty to this new lord, and instead left to find a stronger lord to follow, who would bring him more glory.
Travelling south, he encountered Grymwode Severn, who was heading north to re-establish his family. Although Grymwode's band was small, he himself was a fierce warrior, and Uhtred decided the chances for glory were enough to make him pledge his allegience. Over the next decades, he fought in the warband of Grymwode, and later his son Carvin, helping them carve out and establish their family's new lands. Now, in the later years of his life, Uhtred has begun to grow restless.
Though he has won much renown and acclaim among the halls of the Severns, it has come to him that he has not many more years of fighting left, and left him with the desire for one more glorious, bloody campaign. When word reached Carvin that his daughter Elizabeth had begun to carve out her own reputation in the Kingdom of Camelot, Uhtred decided that he would join her, and see what chances for glory this new Kingdom might bring. With the blessing of Carvin, he left the hall, and set out for Camelot.
Additional Information:
Sample Roleplay:
The longship heeled over in a massive swell, causing one of the crew to tumble from his seat, rolling into the legs of Uhtred's horse, which was tethered to the mast in the center of the ship. Though the beast bore the storm and sea stoicly, having been through them before, it snorted as the man was tangled in its legs, and tried to rear. With a snarl, Uhtred moved forward himself, from his own seat on the firing platform at the stern, his hand automatically moving to the axe at his shoulder.The captain of the vessel, likewise at the stern, moved to intercept, his hand also moving to his axe.
With a crash of thunder, Uhtred checked his progress, and turned to face the man, as well as the two crew members who had quickly formed up behind him. As the ship came down the other side of the swell, the four faced off, but Uhtred knew there were two more yet behind him, as well as the helmsman. These he dismissed; the two on the firing platform were there because of their skill with the bow. They were archers, and therefore inherently cowards, and could be dealt with later, and the helmsman had his hands full with these seas. Of the three in front of him, the two crewmen he likewise dismissed.
They were Angles, like all of the crew, and although they were fair warriors, they were piss poor sailors. On steady ground, two ahead and two behind would have been a hell of a shindy, but on the pitching floorboards of a longship tossed in heavy seas, the only question he would face would be to kill them quickly or slowly. There were 16 crew in all, so he would kill them quickly, and the two behind, to get started on the rest. Probably the helmsman as well, he decided. That would leave the ship really pitching, and half these Anglian bastards would probably fall overboard. Afterwards, he could take the helm himself, for he was a fair hand at it, if no expert.
But that still left the captain; unlike the rest of his keel, he was no Angle, but a Dane. In fact, he was the only reason Uhtred had agreed to hire this ship. A keel of Angles was a poor way to cross any sea, but captained by a Dane they might at least get where they were going. Eyes as pale blue and ice filled as his own stared back at Uhtred, as the two men, axes now in hand, squared off. As the ship reached the trough at the bottom of the swell, a crack of lightening illuminated the scene, and the Dane, almost imperceptibly, shook his head. The bloodlust had not yet taken hold, he seemed to say, and it did not need to end this way.
The timing was perfect, for as the ship steadied, so too did Uhtred's steed, and like the captain, he had not yet been overtaken by the burning ugre to fill the sea with rivers of blood. The quiet part of his mind, the part that stayed sane even in the chaos of battle, knew that he would die facing the entire keel; but in a few more heartbeats, he would not have cared, and he and the Dane would have gone to Valhalla together. As it was, however, he blinked back his rage in the stinging rain, and swallowed his bloodlust. He nodded slightly, and slowly settled back into his seat, body trembling at the nearness of bloodshed.
A day later, when the longship beached on the shores of Britain, Uhtred unloaded his horse and gear under a gray, sullen sky. The parting between he and the Dane was equally sullen; like two bulls, about to fight for dominance, then seperated before the clash can occur, both feeling cheated and unfulfilled. It left a bitter taste, and not one that Uhtred was accustomed to. But he had come here for a purpose, so he packed his gear, mounted up, and turned his back to the keel, the sea, and his home. He was riding to Camelot.
[Optional] OOC Section:
Name: James
Location:New Brunswick, Canada
How long have you been RPing for:Many years
Any other characters on the site?:None
Age: 39
Sex: M
Class: Uhtred was a Soldier in his homeland, but a Citizen here.
Appearance: Uhtred is a large, powerfully built man, standing 6 foot 3, and a solid 200 pounds. Although almost 40, he has lost none of his physical stature or presence.
He bears the scars of an aged soldier. In addition to numerous on his hands, arms and chest, two of the most noticable are on his face; a deep gash across his temple, from the corner of his left eye up to his hairline, and another across his right cheek running from below the eye to below the ear. Either might easily have taken an eye, but neither did, leaving his eyes as one of his most striking features.
They are the palest blue, like the deep ice of the frozen northlands of his birth. And though the laugh-lines around them hint at how they can, and do, flash with laughter, when his face is serious, in his normal, guarded look, those eyes are as cold as ice. Little doubt is left that when facing this man in battle, one could expect neither pity nor kindness, nor even mercy; only a cold, ruthless efficiency.
His gear, as well as his manner, speak to the fact that he would be efficient, if heartless, in battle. His chain mail byrnie is clearly well crafted and well cared for, and the axe and shield slung over his back settle with an ease and balance born of decades of service. Likewise the spear, ever in his hand, the ash wood of its solid six foot shaft polished to a gleam from simple constant use, and its leaf-blade head, fully 12 inches long itself, and 6 wide at it's greatest span, gleams without a nick or trace of rust.
His belt carries proudly a seaxe, the long, heavy fighting/utlity knife of so many of the northern german tribes, but also a sword, which, while obviously well-crafted, seems somehow slightly off. It is equally as well cared for as the rest of the gear, but the handle is nowhere as worn as that of the seaxe or spear, and the set of it on his hip, while certainly not awkward or uncomfortable, does not suggest the same sense of permanence as the other weapons, which would seem to be more extensions of his body than additions to his kit.
Played by Gerard Butler
Character: Uhtred comes from the old traditions of the German and Scandinavian tribes. Life is about battle, either to be a warlord yourself, or serve a powerful lord with honour. Loot and plunder are the fair and just due of a warrior who fights bravely, but of far greater importance is reputation. A warrior who is renowned, for skill, ferocity, courage and honour, that is a man of great wealth. But he who has the wealth of a king, but no honour, has nothing.
He faces now, however, the closing of his saga. In each winter is felt more sharply the aches and pains of a lifetime of battle, and each spring brings less relief. Not that the pain is minded; pain is a warrior's privledge, to remind him that he did not run, but stood and faced adversity with courage. But the pain also reminds him that his greatest fear could soon be realised; not to die, but to die an old man, seated at a feasting table in a hall, rather than falling to an enemy in the heat of battle.
It is this fear, more than anything else, which has brought him to Camelot. He has followed Elizabeth Severn, the daughter of his former lord, and would say that he is only checking up on his former charge. But in truth he seeks one more great campaign, and one last chance to carve his name in the bloodied pages of history. Who it is against does not really matter. To Uhtred, the words "stranger" and "enemy" are generally interchangeable.
Strengths and Weaknesses:
Strengths
-Experienced in combat, does not panic
-Skilled with weapons (those he is familiar with)
-Ferocious in battle (comes from and embraces a culture where a warrior must be ready to face death at any moment)
Weaknesses
-Is very comfortable in his own fighting style, and will have trouble adapting to others
-Has great difficulty with the idea of "he who runs lives to fight another day". Uhtred is old enough to be aware that he may not, in fact, live til that day, and would rather die fighting.
-Has no patience for politics, or the niceties of court. He made the decision long ago not to be a warlord, but to serve one, and his preferred method of interaction with his lord is to be feasted with much food, wine and women, then pointed in the direction of the enemy with the instructions "Kill them all".
Magic: None. Magic is the realm of the gods, and those who treat with them. If they are on your side, they should be honoured, sacrificed to, and treated with respect, but never really trusted. If they are on the other side, they should be treated to spear, axe and fire, as quickly as possible.
Weaponry Skills:
Axe, Jutish; 5 ft long, broad head, single edge, can be used one handed or two
Spear, Leafblade; 7 ft long, 6 ft shaft with 1 ft "leaf" head, 6 inches wide at its broadest, sharpened both sides, tapering to the point
Seaxe; multi-purpose utlity knife, as handy for carving of a joint of mutton as spilling a man's guts
Shield, round; although primarily defensive, the iron boss can hit hard enough to seperate a man from his consciousness, especially with a broad shoulder behind it, and the iron rim, swung at the right height, has left more than one opponent toothless
Character History: Uhtred comes originally from the land of the Jutes, where fighting for survival was part of normal daily life. Caught between the Danes, Norse and Swedes to the north, and the Angles, Saxons, Franks and other German tribes to the south, the Jutes were safe from neither land nor sea, and learned to fight on both. Pirates and traders, soldiers and sailors, for their very survival the Jutes forged a culture of battle, where courage, honour and skill were counted the true worth of any man, or woman.
Like his people, Uhtred was born of, and in, war. His mother Else was actually a Finn, from north and east of the Baltic sea, captured by his father Einar during a raid (his eyes are a legacy from her). The bond between them grew to such that when Uhtred was born, and his father, as a reward, gave Else her freedom, she choose to stay with him, and her son. Now as husband and wife, the two made a formidable pair, for both were accomplished warriors. When Einar fell in battle against the Swedes, it is said the Else herself slew 30 men in bloody vengance.
Uhtred was 9 when his father fell, but had already begun training for battle. With Einar dead, he took on more and more of the duties of his household, and at 12, he was fighting beside his mother when she too fell in battle against the Franks. From then on, with no home of his own, he joined his lord's warband, which he served in for four more years. When he was 16, the warlord of his village fell in battle, leaving a son and heir who was no where near the warrior his father had been. In the tradition of his people, Uhtred choose not to swear fealty to this new lord, and instead left to find a stronger lord to follow, who would bring him more glory.
Travelling south, he encountered Grymwode Severn, who was heading north to re-establish his family. Although Grymwode's band was small, he himself was a fierce warrior, and Uhtred decided the chances for glory were enough to make him pledge his allegience. Over the next decades, he fought in the warband of Grymwode, and later his son Carvin, helping them carve out and establish their family's new lands. Now, in the later years of his life, Uhtred has begun to grow restless.
Though he has won much renown and acclaim among the halls of the Severns, it has come to him that he has not many more years of fighting left, and left him with the desire for one more glorious, bloody campaign. When word reached Carvin that his daughter Elizabeth had begun to carve out her own reputation in the Kingdom of Camelot, Uhtred decided that he would join her, and see what chances for glory this new Kingdom might bring. With the blessing of Carvin, he left the hall, and set out for Camelot.
Additional Information:
Sample Roleplay:
The longship heeled over in a massive swell, causing one of the crew to tumble from his seat, rolling into the legs of Uhtred's horse, which was tethered to the mast in the center of the ship. Though the beast bore the storm and sea stoicly, having been through them before, it snorted as the man was tangled in its legs, and tried to rear. With a snarl, Uhtred moved forward himself, from his own seat on the firing platform at the stern, his hand automatically moving to the axe at his shoulder.The captain of the vessel, likewise at the stern, moved to intercept, his hand also moving to his axe.
With a crash of thunder, Uhtred checked his progress, and turned to face the man, as well as the two crew members who had quickly formed up behind him. As the ship came down the other side of the swell, the four faced off, but Uhtred knew there were two more yet behind him, as well as the helmsman. These he dismissed; the two on the firing platform were there because of their skill with the bow. They were archers, and therefore inherently cowards, and could be dealt with later, and the helmsman had his hands full with these seas. Of the three in front of him, the two crewmen he likewise dismissed.
They were Angles, like all of the crew, and although they were fair warriors, they were piss poor sailors. On steady ground, two ahead and two behind would have been a hell of a shindy, but on the pitching floorboards of a longship tossed in heavy seas, the only question he would face would be to kill them quickly or slowly. There were 16 crew in all, so he would kill them quickly, and the two behind, to get started on the rest. Probably the helmsman as well, he decided. That would leave the ship really pitching, and half these Anglian bastards would probably fall overboard. Afterwards, he could take the helm himself, for he was a fair hand at it, if no expert.
But that still left the captain; unlike the rest of his keel, he was no Angle, but a Dane. In fact, he was the only reason Uhtred had agreed to hire this ship. A keel of Angles was a poor way to cross any sea, but captained by a Dane they might at least get where they were going. Eyes as pale blue and ice filled as his own stared back at Uhtred, as the two men, axes now in hand, squared off. As the ship reached the trough at the bottom of the swell, a crack of lightening illuminated the scene, and the Dane, almost imperceptibly, shook his head. The bloodlust had not yet taken hold, he seemed to say, and it did not need to end this way.
The timing was perfect, for as the ship steadied, so too did Uhtred's steed, and like the captain, he had not yet been overtaken by the burning ugre to fill the sea with rivers of blood. The quiet part of his mind, the part that stayed sane even in the chaos of battle, knew that he would die facing the entire keel; but in a few more heartbeats, he would not have cared, and he and the Dane would have gone to Valhalla together. As it was, however, he blinked back his rage in the stinging rain, and swallowed his bloodlust. He nodded slightly, and slowly settled back into his seat, body trembling at the nearness of bloodshed.
A day later, when the longship beached on the shores of Britain, Uhtred unloaded his horse and gear under a gray, sullen sky. The parting between he and the Dane was equally sullen; like two bulls, about to fight for dominance, then seperated before the clash can occur, both feeling cheated and unfulfilled. It left a bitter taste, and not one that Uhtred was accustomed to. But he had come here for a purpose, so he packed his gear, mounted up, and turned his back to the keel, the sea, and his home. He was riding to Camelot.
[Optional] OOC Section:
Name: James
Location:New Brunswick, Canada
How long have you been RPing for:Many years
Any other characters on the site?:None
