Ylnjor Magnusson, Swordbiter
Ethnicity: French
Allegiance: Sigurd the Dragonslayer
Profession: Ambassador of the Norse, Translator
Age: 32
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 236 pounds
Appearance:
Ylnjor is a stout man. Built of muscle and experience, his body is honed for combat and a life of work. Being well fed and well trained has sculpted him. Dark brunette hair flows unkempt from his scalp, and a large beard hangs low enough to reach the center of his chest. Part of the ridge of his beard dips low on both sides, making accommodations for a set of nasty long scars where his mouth was ran through with a sword. Above the cheekbones, his pale skin is adorned with dark red tattoos that impersonate the smearing of blood. Dark brown eyes stare from the tattoos, permanently affixed with fury. He wears a thick cloak of skins to protect him from the elements, as well as as chainmail to protect from 'anything else'. He is clothed in drab browns and greys, and several belts and straps adorn his person. Two longswords drape across his back, and daggers clink at his waist. A Mammen Axe hangs on a belt loop on his left, in easy range for him to access. He stands with a slight predatory hunch, As if leaning in closer to his prey. A scale mail shoulder has been woven over his riding cloak and adorned with hide, to offer some slight protection and denote some standing of importance.
Skill-at-Arms: 4. Several years of raids and battles has produced a resourceful and skilled combat veteran, highly proficient in axe and sword.
Wisdom: 2. Kidnapped at a young age, Ylnjor's forcuses were forced in to physical prowess instead of scholarly knowledge.
Magic: 1. While he knows of magic, he cannot comprehend its power or how it may be done. It is essentially "Wizard's stuff", and to him might distract one from more honest pursuits.
Vitality: 5. Ylnjor's body is as tough as they come. He is blessed with a quick recovery from the few maladies that he has experienced, and his prime physique allows him to take untold punishment.
Wealth: 4. Ransacking his former estate of its riches has left him with definite wealth. His pursuit of glory over luxury has allowed him to keep it.
Other Notable Attributes: Ylnjor can speak both French and Norse. Speaks with a slow, purposeful tone as he has to over enunciate due to injuries sustained during combat.
Possessions: Two Frankish longswords, one Mammen Axe, several small daggers, one chainmail outfit, several plain outfits of furs, leathers and hides. One donkey (Named Atgeir).
Relationships: Lord Sabatiere Jean Laucroix (Father, killed), Lady Rocinante Laucroix (Mother, killed), Gunnar Magnus (Adoptive father, kidnapper, raider)
Social Rank: Norse Ambassador to Charlemagne
Honor: Ylnjor's reputation among his people means everything to him. He upholds the Norse way of life to the best of his ability. If he is to murder someone, they will have an opportunity to defend themselves. Ylnjor will keep his word, although his word is seldom given. However, all sense of honor evaporates for anyone who has wronged him or deceived him, and are easily marked for death.
Biography: The man now known as Ylnjor Magnusson was born to the minor nobles Lord Sabatiere Jean Laucroix and Lady Rocinante Laucroix. His early years were passed in relative normalcy for a young nobleman. However, at the age of eight his life took an unexpected turn.
While learning horseback riding away from the estate, his party was set upon by Viking raiders. The raiders slew the entire group and kidnapping the child, deciding that he may have use to them. Lord Laucroix was sent a letter of ransom for his son not long after. However as the weeks went by, it became clear that he never intended to pay the price on his son's head. Left with a child they never intended to keep, the raiders were perplexed. One decided to keep the child and raise it as his own. Adopting him in to their society, he was given a new name: Ylnjor Magnusson.
The child had a difficult time adjusting to the hardships and fierce environment of the Norse lands. Once he did however, he embraced it. These people cared more for him than his parents ever had. He learned to fight, to subsist, to raid and bring wealth and glory to his adopted homeland. Throughout the years he participated in countless raids across the land, until one such tour brought him back to his original home.
Ylnjor personally led the attack on his old estate. During the raid he met face to face with his former father. Confronting him, Ylnjor demanded answers as to why he was abandoned. Lord Laucroix used this time as a diversion, and attacked Ylnjor. Laucroix drove his sword through his son's face, piercing both cheeks with his blade and slicing his tongue. Ylnjor was able to overcome the attack and slay Lord Laucroix, but the encounter left him with permanent scars upon his cheeks and slurring of his speech. His wounds inspired the nickname 'Swordbiter,' which continued to follow him as he rose in prominence among the Vikings.
He has felt a wedge driven between him and his homeland however, as Sigurd and Charlemagne seek an alliance between their people against a common enemy. Ylnjor has been selected as ambassador to Charlemagne's Court, a choice he sees as an insult. The humor of someone who has slaughtered former countrymen being selected as an emissary is not lost on him, but he feels he has been denied his right as a Viking to Valhalla. Robbed of his chance to die on the battlefield, he sees wasting away in the court of soft men to be a precursor to what awaits him behind Hel's gates. The position has left him angry and bitter, and at times seething with rage that is barely masked by proper wording. He hopes that Sigurd and Charlemagne will soon come to an agreement so he may return to where he believes he is needed most, and end the feeling that Sigurd, like Lord Lacroix, has abandoned him to an uncertain fate.
Personality: Ylnjor is brash and bitter. He speaks in odd idioms and analogies meshed between his two cultures. His comedy consists of gallows humor and he is quick to see the negative in things. He is easily offended and jumps at the chance to defend his reputation and bravado. He finds the wealth and luxuriousness that surrounds him to be a gold-lined cage built to rob him of his durability. He comes off incredibly gruff in conversation and would rather brandish an axe than debate 'pointless gossip' between lands 'like women by the pantry'. In unseen irony, his stubbornness and absolute unwillingness to compromise in what he (and what he thinks Sigurd) wants is his biggest hurdle in the relations between Charlemagne and his people.