Olav
Olav Feyson
About My Character
Appearance
Olav is an Aesir, 6'4", 240 pounds, and massively built, with broad shoulders, a barrel chest, absurdly overmuscled arms. He is solidly muscled but eats well and has a bit of a belly. He is pale-skinned, usually sunburned, with shaggy reddish-brown hair and beard that he periodically hacks to about 6" long with an axe. His eyes are green, there's a small scar on his left cheek, and his left eyebrow is missing. He is extremely hairy.
He has a tattoo of an urban landscape on his right arm the exact appearance varies depending on what city/neighborhood he's in.
When adventuring he wears a spiked breastplate, a left gauntlet equipped with chains and braces, and a right gauntlet equipped with spikes. He carries an assortment of melee weapons, some of them large, mostly axes.
When not adventuring he wears simple, coarse garments. He doesn't wear much even in winter, and even less otherwise. He carries way too many weapons. He is usually accompanied by two black-and-white Alaskan Malamutes, both about two feet high and weighing about 90 pounds.
Overview
Olav is loud and boisterous and rarely serious: he likes to have fun and lacks the social niceties. He is neither much of a talker nor much of a thinker and would much rather arm-wrestle, or go for a run together, or get drunk together. He's a bit of a braggart and a horrible flirt and he can be a jerk sometimes, though he means well.
He has no particular interest in magic or religion, though no problem with it either. However, he's not _entirely_ secular: he felt an immediate mystical connection to the City as soon as he entered Alexandria, and he regards that connection in the same way that many people treat their religious faith. He can frequently be found meditating in the busiest, most active parts of the City, just taking it all in, like a druid in the forest.
Although Olav was raised as a barbarian, he has discovered a genuine love of Alexandria, and of civilization more generally. While he's no academic, and could not express it in these terms if he tried, he has become convinced through his connection with the City that much as he personally loves individual achievement, the best way to protect the weak and create a safety net for everyone is collectively.
Roleplay Hooks
- Drink! Olav is frequently found in places like the Ox-Strength, drinking heavily and playing bar games.
- Play with his dogs! Olav is usually seen with two dogs, Alaskan Malamutes named "Grey" and "White". They are, as you might imagine, grey and white. Olav is not the world's most creative namer. They are well-trained and friendly and like meat-treats.
- Notice his tattoo! He has a tattoo of an urban landscape on his right arm the exact appearance varies depending on what city/neighborhood he's in. Often it changes appearance while you're looking at it.
- Explore the city! Olav is new to, and _fascinated_ by, Alexandria; he is constantly exploring odd corners of it. It's the first city he's ever been in, so he gets intrigued by things people who grew up here would consider entirely dull.
Details
Early history
Olav was born in 1002, to the White Bear tribe of Aesir barbarian nomads in the Emereth.
Olav's lineage traces back to a Llyranesi Ranger who lived among the tribe a century ago. They have always been considered somewhat otherworldly, hence the name "Feyson," and Olav was no exception. He identifies as and has always been considered half-sil by White Bear, although he is for all intents and purposes human. His fey reputation was further exacerbated shortly after his 18th winter, when he was marked by a mysterious tattoo and began manifesting spirit allies during battle.
In Hattanan 1020, White Bear obtained a scroll that the new chief Fritjof, a Superstitious Barbarian, declared was cursed, and that Olav had to take it away from the Emereth to lift the curse. In effect, Olav was exiled from the White Bear tribe, and though he asked his then-lover to come with him, they refused. So he left, alone, his only company a pair of dogs he'd raised from pups.
The White Bear shaman, Korin, felt Fritjof was being unreasonable. So he decided to help Olav out in a way the Chief couldn't object to, directing the boy to also take Theseus, his ancestor's axe. After all, as a potentially magical item, it was best removed from the tribe, right?
Shortly after Olav left White Bear he ran into a merchant caravan on its way from Stormgarde to Alexandria, one of whose guards had been killed by alligators. The caravan hired him and gave him the guard's gear in payment.
When Olav arrived in Alexandria, his life changed: he felt a sudden and powerful connection to the City, and knew his days as a barbarian nomad were over. He has been retraining as a more civilized fighter since then.
Scroll
(The scroll is not cursed, or magical, or especially valuable. It's a plot hook/riddle trail.)
Theseus
When Evnoriel left White Bear, he left a number of gifts behind. One of them was a masterwork greataxe he named Theseus, that the tribe considered magical, although it isn't. Consequently Olav was the only warrior willing to fight with it, and he took it with him when he left.
It has a maker's mark on it that will be a plot hook some day.
White Bear
In 905, the White Bear tribe was visited by Evnoriel, a Llyranesi Ranger. He lived with them for about ten years and trained two tribesfolk in arcane magic before moving on. This created a rift in the tribe between Bearclaw Clan, which rejected arcane magic, and Starlight Clan, which embraced it. That rift continues to this day.
Olav's grandmother was rumored to be Evnoriel's daughter.
For a couple of generations White Bear grew prosperous and large, the driving force behind a nomad alliance that kept their corner of the Emereth largely free from evil forces.
In 991, Jari the Herald of Kor, of Bearclaw, became White Bear shaman. Kensley of Bearclaw was Chief, and together they announced a new policy of systematically attacking other tribes, at first enslaving their warriors, later killing and raising them as undead. The alliance collapsed. In 997, with White Bear a major power in the area, Jari declared Kor the God of White Bear and that worshippers of other Gods would be exiled or killed.
In 998, Jorrun, exiled Warrior of Angoron, formerly of Starlight, returned from exile to accuse Jari of being an agent of Thul. The resulting battle revealed that Chief Kensley had been killed years earlier and replaced by a disguised Pale Cleric of Thul. Jorrun was joined by Helga of Starlight, a natural leader who inspired White Bear to rise up against Jari, the impostor Pale, and their undead army.
Many died. In the aftermath, Helga was Chief and Jorrun her shaman. Helga swore an oath that White Bear would never raise undead again.
In 1008, Helga's son Godrin became Chief and she retired. In 1015, Jorrun died and was replaced as shaman by Korin of Starlight, a Herald of Kor.
In Hattanan 1020, Godrin and Korin led White Bear, over Bearclaw's objections, to invoke Raider's Luck. This led them to an underground cavern and a battle with several wights and their undead servants. They obtained a very old-looking scroll none of them could read. Shortly afterwards Godrin died of mysterious causes, and the Bearclaw leader Fritjof, a Superstitious Barbarian, became Chief. Fritjof announced that the scroll was cursed, and that Olav had to take it away from the Emereth to lift the curse.
Capabilities
Olav is primarily a melee fighter.