[center][color=#D59772]NAME:[/color][color=gray] Rurik
[i]Valhall awaits me,
When I die![/i]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/BUziiME.png[/img]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/RKhxaDh.jpg[/img][/color][/center]

[color=#D59772]ABSTRACT:[/color]
[color=gray]A veteran Varangian warrior on a quest to find adventure, women, loot, and access to Valhalla, in that order.[/color]

[color=#D59772]WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT:[/color]
[color=gray][i]Armor of the Allfather:[/i] an old, tattered and torn leather, fur and mail armor, covered in runic inscriptions and prayers to Óðinn: it is quite heavy, built to resist the bite of metal and cold alike. Rurik created it across the years, often patching pieces from the armors worn by enemies and friends.

[i]Varangian Greatshield:[/i] this crude but sturdy wooden round shield, reinforced with iron, has been used by Rurik during many of his battles. Given to him when he first entered the Varangian Guard, the shield still bears the guard's insigna, a black raven, although now it is quite faded.

[i]Berserker's Greataxe:[/i] gifted to him by the dying, wounded leader of his company when Rurik was serving in the Guard, this greataxe has bitten the flesh of dozens of enemies, and is Rurik's most loyal companion. Very heavy, it requires uncommon strenght to even swing it properly, but when in the hands of a Varangian warrior it can chop down trees, doors, and men alike.

[i]Mjǫllnir Pendant:[/i] a small iron pendant, worn by Rurik at all times, shaped like the hammer of the Thunder God, Þórr. It has no practical purpose, but Rurik is firmly convinced that it's an amulet blessed by the gods.[/color]

[color=#D59772]DETAIL:[/color]
[color=gray]
[i]Raise a stone for all to see, runes carved to my memory![/i]

Born from a Slavic mother and a Norse father, Rurik spent the first years of his life in the Varangian city of Holmgarðr, on the cold shores of the Baltic Sea. Trained to warfare since his childhood, at the young age of nineteen Rurik joined a group of his peers, on a journey to Miklagarðr, to join the famed Varangian guard. While serving the Roman Emperor, Rurik fought on many battlefields across the Mediterranean: from the warm, sun-kissed isles of the Aegean, to the torrid oceans of sand of Serkland, to the rocky mountains of Anatolia, Rurik was there, in the midst of the fray, under a hail of arrows, slaying enemies left and right with his battleaxe. A devout worshipper of the ancient gods of his people, Rurik, screaming the name of Óðinn, led many fearless charges into the enemy lines, eager to find glory, or Valhalla.

After five years spent serving the emperor of Miklagarðr, Rurik finally returned home, now no longer a boy, but a veteran carrying the scars of many battles. After that day, Rurik started to work as a mercenary for the many Varangian princes and lords of Garðaríki, and, when not fighting, entertaining a number of hobbies such as drunken brawling, drinking contests, and throwing himself between the arms of the nearest wench, all activities in which Rurik displayed an incredible talent, even superior to his martial prowess. One chilly winter day, Rurik was on a ship slowly sliding along the course of the Volga river, when suddendly, a quick hissing sound was heard in the air. Out of nowhere, arrows and spears began to rain from the sky and the snowy banks of the river, and the savage Komi began their attack. Immediately, Rurik grabbed his axe and his shield to attack the indigenous raiders, before feeling a piercing, warm sensation in his abdomen. As he yanked the arrow from his flesh, another bit his chest, and before Rurik could remove it as well, he saw his blood pouring all over the wooden planks of the longship, and he fell down as the Komi were jumping on the Varangian ship, his consciousness fading away.

The only thing he felt next was a cold, gelid, wet shiver across his body, gripping his flesh and bones. The river's icy embrace had taken him, and as he prepared to meet his end with a smile on his face, ready to greet the valkyries, he once again fell unconscious.

When Rurik woke up again, the first thing he understood was that he was far, far away from home, and the second one was that the place didn't really look like Valhalla...
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