[hider]
[hr][hr][h1][b][i][color=300000][center]Torstein Grimhílðrsson[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h1]
[center][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1c/53/31/1c53315707868be379795f5b44de7ec2.jpg[/img][/center]
[hr][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]Character Summary[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=300000]Name:[/color][/b] Torstein Grimhílðrsson
[b][color=300000]Social Class:[/color][/b] Lower Middle Class
[b][color=300000]Age:[/color][/b] 29
[b][color=300000]Birthday:[/color][/b] February 14, 1794
[b][color=300000]Nationality:[/color][/b] Swedish
[b][color=300000]Birth Place:[/color][/b] Göteborg, Svea Rike
[b][color=300000]Residence:[/color][/b] London
[b][color=300000]Gender:[/color][/b] Male
[b][color=300000]Education:[/color][/b] None noteworthy enough to mention - thought to become his fathers' heir to the shop, instead found his calling in the ancient arts of the Norse, and was brought up learning these whether by tutelage or on his own accord in order to survive.
[b][color=300000]Income Source:[/color][/b] Occupation
[b][color=300000]Native Language:[/color][/b] Swedish - not written, just spoken

[hr][center][img]http://slayerevival.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/20160808-2.jpg[/img][/center][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]Appearance[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=300000]Height: [/color][/b]6'1"
[b][color=300000]Weight: [/color][/b]176lbs
[b][color=300000]Build: [/color][/b]strong, burly, 'strong arm' build.
[b][color=300000]Eyes:[/color][/b] brown eyes, forming in a thin but notably European eye shape. Naturally possesses large pupils.
[b][color=300000]Hair:[/color][/b] Rough brown hair. Short, well kept, except for his facial hair, which is 'trimmed' by hand, done by himself. No money for fancy barbers.
[b][color=300000]Skin Tone:[/color][/b] slightly pale, not overly.
[b][color=300000]Tattoos/Scars/Piercings:[/color][/b] Torstein has numerous tattoo's on his body, notably his arms, chest, and back. These are placed amidst scars of various sources. They include:

[indent][url=http://englishnews.org/images/454px-Aegishjalmr_svg.png]Aegishjalmur[/url] - chest, placed over heart, said to provide protection and irresistibility in combat.
[url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/db/f8/c7/dbf8c7cf8ab516edb374794f359e07d2.jpg]Vegvisir[/url] - chest, placed over right upper chest, literally 'way pointer', this rune is said to prevent getting lost by providing a runic compass.
[url=https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/52/f8/83/52f8832fffbf4ba8105ec0e45f786526.jpg]Ottastafur[/url] - lower right arm, said to put fear into your enemy.
[url=https://image.spreadshirtmedia.net/image-server/v1/designs/16205370,width=178,height=178/hraethigaldur-rune.png]Hraethigaldur[/url] - lower left arm, said to put fear into your enemy.
[url=https://rlv.zcache.ca/viking_ginfaxi_victory_victory_round_sticker-r89812791279643329ab1505286a6483f_v9waf_8byvr_324.jpg]Ginfaxi[/url] - back, large tattoo, said to provide courage in battle.[/indent]

As for his scars they are numerous and many, littering his body as remnants of his training and the harsh environment that is Scandinavia. The largest ones are across his back and chest, usually results of cuts of swords or axes. They mostly run straight. The smaller ones are more often than not just the result of Torstein not being a very smart man, and doing foolish things.
[b][color=300000]Personal Style:[/color][/b] Due to his relatively low status he owns little in the ways of knickknacks and jewelry. The two accessories that he has are a necklace, that has an Othala rune carved into it to remind him of his home in Göteborg (not that there is much there for him). The second is a silver bracelet, made how the ancient Norse made it. It's made like a torque bracelet, as they were made back then, and it's simple 'twisted' metal. It's something that represents some status or meaning in his homeland, but seems entirely meaningless in England.

[hr][center][img]http://i.imgur.com/CIpSsuv.jpg[/img][/center][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]Psychology[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[i][color=300000][center][color=00a651]Fearless[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Tactless[/color] * [color=00a651]Ambitious[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Reckless[/color] * [color=00a651]Loyal[/color] * [color=ed1c24]Inconsiderate[/color][/center][/color][/i]

[b][color=300000]Sexuality:[/color][/b] Heterosexual
[b][color=300000]Relationship Status:[/color][/b] Single
[b][color=300000]Personality:[/color][/b] Torstein is, for a lack of better words, not an intelligentsia. He is not 'brains' as much as he is strength. This shows in his personality - he favors strength, power, martial prowess and charisma above many other things. He possesses at least of two of these traits, namely strength and martial prowess, but lacks the other two. These preferred traits come from his religion - he is a pagan, much in line with his upbringing in the North, far away from Christian priests. Perhaps this causes some to see him as a savage - though who is he to deny that he is a savage? No, very much so he embraces this title. Better to be a savage than a beggar, in his eyes. He is ferocious when he is turned against you - like a real savage.

But he is loyal to those that earn his favor, which is often not that hard. His ambition makes him slightly predictable. Promise him great benefits and titles and he will most likely take your side if he can trust you. As long as you make good on your promises, he is your shield-brother and will help you with whatever it takes. Within reason, of course. He is not an intelligentsia, no, but he is not dumb either.

He favors smarts, information, [i]knowledge.[/i] Óðinn gave his eye for the knowledge of the world, so Torstein has taken that lesson to heart and has been convinced that knowledge is the most valuable good in the world if you know how to use it. It should not come as too much of a surprise that the information and smarts that he seeks are different entirely from intelligence - he is not interested in physics, the laws of man, [i]science.[/i] He is attracted to information that can profit him, that he is interested in, that he can use to survive and make some money while he is at it.
[b][color=300000]Habits:[/color][/b] Seems to grip his weaponry whenever he is engaging in a talk - no matter how friendly, a hand always rests on his weapon. Whether this is a choice he makes or something he does out of habit, it can be positive and negative. Positive, if he can use it to quickly react, negative if someone distrusts him because of it. Well, their loss.

Seems to talk to the Gods as if they were there. Not quite schizophrenic, as he doesn't claim that they speak to him, but a passing remark to Óðinn or Freya or Tyr might be commonplace with him.
[b][color=300000]Hobbies:[/color][/b] Walking alongside the red light district, to go 'window shopping'. Never seems to buy anything. Always seems pre-occupied with just looking. Err, well, if that doesn't count as a 'hobby', then he also enjoys sitting in the inn and drinking.
[b][color=300000]Fears:[/color][/b] 
[list][*]Fear of insignificance - Torstein fears being a nobody, and has worked very hard to ensure that the status quo of being 'a nobody with at least some pocket change' remains where it is. While this fear is, so far, not too big, it could turn bigger if he were to ever fall on his luck and lose all he has (what little he has.)
[*]Fear of being controlled - Torstein fears people using him for personal gain while not repaying him in kind. He does not mind 'being controlled' in the sense of being a follower of someone. Much rather this fear relates to 'the fear of being used and manipulated' so to speak. This fear generally results in violent and angry escapades. Would become apparent once he finds out - if he doesn't find out he is being controlled, he probably wouldn't be fearful of it. (Makes sense, right.)
[*]Fear of being abandoned - Torstein fears being abandoned by 'companions' in danger, left to himself to survive, but more than likely die. He remains skeptical of his companions even if he is loyal to them. Some would chalk this up to paranoia, but it runs slightly less deep than that.[/list]
[b][color=300000]Likes:[/color][/b]
[list][*] The sea
[*] Sailing
[*] Drinking
[*] Pretty women
[*] Paganism
[*] A good fight[/list]
[b][color=300000]Dislikes:[/color][/b]
[list][*] Smart-asses
[*] Overly intellectual people
[*] Long, boring travels on land
[*] Cowards
[*] Christianity (and Christians, sometimes)
[*] People that talk too much and say too little[/list]

[hr][center][img]http://www.bellomag.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2014-12-13-at-5.11.07-PM.png[/img][/center][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]Cards On The Table[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=300000]General Skills:[/color][/b] 
[list][*] Dueling
[*] Pistols
[*] Swimming
[*] Language (English)
[*] Wood carving
[*] Bone carving
[*] City Knowledge (London)
[*] Sailing
[*] Hunting
[*] Skinning (animals)
[*] Leatherworking
[*] Negotiations 

[/list]
[b][color=300000]Trained Skills:[/color][/b] 
[list][*] Language - Norwegian
[*] Opri
[*] Hrilf
[*] Ingulf
[*] Gislid
[*] Kotkell
[/list]
[b][color=300000]What Is On Your Person:[/color][/b]
[list][*] Clothing - simple, lower class clothes. A white buttoned shirt, and black trousers held up by suspenders, though these are covered by a grey double breasted vest. Over that goes a black coat, of questionable quality and even more questionable pricing. Finally, some black leather shoes. Nothing out of the ordinary, admittedly, and all 'cheap' clothes. He typically wears his two accessories - the bracelet, and the necklace. Furthermore, a leather belt that runs through his pants - though, very loose. They're for holstering all kinds of objects, not for keeping his pants up.
[*] A hand axe, holstered in some leather strappings. Hangs visibly on his side.
[*] A flintlock pistol intended for dueling. Amounts to defending his honor, as well as being imposing, mostly. ([i]Henry Model 1813 for those into historical accuracy[/i]).
[*] A cheap pocket-watch in his vest.
[*] A flask of cheap liquor (half-full).
[*] A knife (for blood rituals, not combat).
[*] A small pouch of money, though not too much.. he's not that rich.
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[/list]
[b][color=300000]Residence:[/color][/b]
[list][*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] N/A
[*] This spot is for an animal only ([i]N/A[/i])
[/list]

[hr][center][img]http://66.media.tumblr.com/d42fbf0ee283bfbbf489f2197b16ec5d/tumblr_nco6r7D85R1s72vplo6_r1_250.gif[/img][/center][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]History[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=300000]Family History:[/color][/b] His family, in the spirit of Norse naming, does not bear a surname. They were far too unimportant to bear a dynasty name, either. And so, Torstein was named after his father, Grimhílðr. They were living in Göteborg and as such they were already far away in an unimportant area of the world. The family comes from humble beginnings - tracing it's lineage back to some small chieftain in the area some thousand years ago, though that knowledge has faded ever since and not one person in the family remembers. 

Grimhílðr himself was a man that built his own fortune. Though it's not much of a fortune, it required several long years of (slave) labor to obtain funds to start his store. Once he did so, however, the easy life began. He went from being a laborer to being a shop owner and rose through the ranks of classes (ever so slightly). He found himself quite saddened that his legacy would not be passed onto Torstein, but found a suitable replacement in Torsteins' sister, whose husband was to take over the shop.

Torsteins' sister, Anne, she was quite the catch, actually. Considered the prettiest girl in the entire town, though that wasn't hard. Her husband was a well off middle class man, son of a shop owner that was doing better than Grimhílðr's store. The marriage was for simple reasons - Grimhílðr wanted to continue his family business and Torstein was no longer a good candidate to take over the store. The other shop owner merely wanted to extend his holdings, and obtain this store too.

As for Torsteins mother, she was nothing special - a simple house woman, who did not have to work due to her husbands' position as a shop owner. It saved her the hard labor in the factories perhaps, and she was instead tasked with taking care of the children. An easy job, she found, as most her wishes were affordable to her husband. When Torstein left for England, she was heartbroken, seeing her dear boy go off somewhere to fight soulless.

[b][color=300000]Your personal life:[/color][/b] So far, it would seem like Torstein has little behind him. His father ran a shop, a simple general store that didn't earn a lot of money. It was enough to sustain the family, selling food and supplies and such to those in nearby streets. It was expected that Torstein was going to take over the store and earn his living like his father did - but Torstein found another calling. Instead of doing so, and learning the trade of being a merchant, he found out about the schooling in Norse arts against the soulless. He found himself intrigued and soon after found himself begging his father to let him study these arts.

Well, that much had been accomplished. He went to study under a Norse tutor, far in the North lapplands, where no Christian priests would dare come due to the cold harsh environment. Here he studied for many years, learning Opri combat with other students, learning to fight with an axe, and learning various rituals and skills. For instance, he had to hunt a lot to feed himself and his tutor, teaching him to hunt, skin animals, and work with the leather and the bones. The large amounts of free time were spent carving wood, to keep occupied. And such more..

When he left for England some years later after finishing his education, he had found himself picking up the art of sailing and swimming, as he paid for his admission onto the ship by helping the crew. This bargain he had obtained by his rather.. skillful 'negotiation' techniques, that came forth from his aggressive personality. He didn't take no for an answer.

Upon arrival in England, he traveled to London by carriage and has stayed there ever since, doing the odd job as a laborer, strong-arm, bodyguard or mercenary. He's picked up the language since then (since he only spoke Norwegian and Swedish, as well as writing in runes) and learned the city from the north all the way to the south. Especially the prostitutes housing area.

[b][color=300000]What you want for your life:[/color][/b] Money. Wealth. Status. Power. Knowledge. All these things Torstein seeks and hopes to find in England, though so far it has been of little success. He seeks material gains, as well as intellectual gains - an understanding of the world, what makes people tick, how can they stop the soulless, how can he earn money. He seeks someone to follow - or to become one such person himself. Perhaps, to summarize it, he just seeks occupation, some meaning in life for him to fulfill.

[hr][center][img]https://66.media.tumblr.com/52e5aa4a46bebeb9d8ad47d58ae1c900/tumblr_nwwl77jryU1sepx2oo1_500.gif[/img][/center][hr][h3][b][i][color=300000][center]Extras[/center][/color][/i][/b][/h3]
[b][color=300000]Character Quote(s):[/color][/b] Cattle die, kindred die, every man is mortal:
But I know one thing that never dies, the glory of the great dead.
[b][color=300000]Theme Song:[/color][/b] [hider=Embedded][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY4Yvbm6Tw4[/youtube][/hider]
[b][color=300000]Anything Else:[/color][/b] The Hraew is pretty kickass. As for conventional undead, I think I prefer the zombie. Explains why I like the Hraew.

[sub][color=ed1c24]*By submitting this CS in its completion I am stating I have read all the rules for this Rp and am agreeing to follow them to the fullest with respect and courtesy. I acknowledge that I can and will be removed from the RP without warning if I break a rule or cause problems with my fellow Rpers or the GM.[/color][/sub][/hider]

I duly present Torstein, [@Lady Amalthea].