Sigvard Gudmundsson

[Vakur]

First Name: Sigvard
Last Name: Gudmundsson

Appearance:
Race: Human (Northman).
Age: 27
Height 6'3"
Weight: 197 lb
Eyes: Muddy brown.
Hair: Reddish brown, course, worn long.
Facial Hair Style: Scruffy beard.

Personality Profile:
General Health: Excellent, though heavily scarred and missing a few teeth.
Deity: Tempus, occasionally.
Initial Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Profession: Sellsword
Base Class & Proposed Development: Barbarian, taking levels in Frenzied Berserker or Fighter depending on character development.
Habits/Hobbies: Prefers social solitude, feels uncomfortable in civilised society, likes dogs, enjoys meat whenever he can get it, has experience of sailing, and washes weekly
Languages: Common, Illuskan*
Weapon of Choice: Battleaxe.

*As Ruathen is not a 'knowable' language, Illuskan has been substituted. Illuskan is spoken in Ruathym, and the people of Ruathym share ancestry with Uthgardt and various other Illuskan ethnic groups, so it's lore-friendly. A little bit of Ruathen may still creep into his journal though, based on what I've read.

Background:

Sigvard was seven years old when he first took the life of another human being. He was playing a game with the other children of the village – a noisy and often violent affair, involving a pig-skin ball and very few rules. An older, bigger boy shamed him publicly by wrestling him to the ground and pinning him. The boy spat on his face and insulted his mother. Sigvard fled the game to the hoots and scorn of the other children. He felt the rage boil up inside of him, and he ran to the nearby lumber mill, and found his fingers closing around the haft of a woodsman’s axe. The next thing he knew, he was back in middle of the village surrounded by those who had laughed at him only moments before. They were deathly silent and staring at him in shock. The boy who had embarrassed him was lying on the floor with his head split open.

Sigvard’s father, Gudmund Three-Wolves, was an important man in the village, and that protected him from the wrath of the dead boy’s family. Gudmund punished his son publicly and paid a blood-price to the family, but inside he was glowing with pride – he had sired a true warrior, with a knack for killing. As Sigvard came of age, his life continued much as expected. He proved himself against the local monsters, and spent his eighteenth summer raiding minor, independent vessels as they plied their trade along the Sword Coast. He was always the first into a fight, and he was truly terrifying when he entered one of his rages. He was almost as dangerous to his friends as to his enemies, and more than one young member of the clan found their death at his hands. He received many scars due to his berserker tendencies, and he wore them with pride rather than let a healer tend them, as was the custom among his people. He was arrogant, violent, and he was hated.

Things got difficult for Sigvard a few years later when his father met his end. It was not at the hands of a monster, or a rival chief. The Bitch Queen herself claimed Gudmund for her own, when his longship was broken against the jagged rocks of Ruathym in a sudden storm, and his body was dragged down to Her murky depths. Without Gudmund to protect him, Sigvard found himself in trouble. Dead feuds were brought back to life – old grudges that had grown all the more bitter with time. He barely escaped the village with his limbs intact. He fled Ruathym in a fishing boat and made it to the mainland against all odds. He lived off the land for some time, and eventually took work as a guard to a merchant wandering the Trade Way. Sigvard was in a sorry state by this point, but the merchant reckoned the sight of the big Northman alone would deter the average bandit. It was the beginning of a comfortable, if not entirely profitable relationship.

Sigvard spent several years in this manner, not acquiring vast experience of battle – maybe the occasional goblin or wolf pack would harass them, but nothing the skalds would sing about. He did find a certain degree of calmness however, though he always felt the bloodlust tugging at his heart, and it frightened him. He sometimes entertained thoughts of returning to Ruathym and having his revenge, but he dismissed these quickly. You’ve got to be realistic, as his father was fond of saying. Eventually they reached Baldur’s Gate, and Sigvard decided that this was no life for the son of Gudmund. Bidding farewell to the merchant, he collected his pay and made his way into the city alone. He was dancing on the edge of a knife, and he didn’t know which way he’d fall, but it had to be better than this.

Goals: Sigvard is somewhat of a lost soul. He earns his living the only way he knows how – by the sword. But every battle carries the risk of him losing his mind, piece by piece, until only the beast remains. He seeks to understand himself, to find his place in society, and to reconcile the two halves of his nature.

Possible Plot-Hook Ideas and Misc Facts: Sigvard has obvious Chaotic Evil tendencies, though he usually has no control over himself at the time and little memory after the event. This could easily get him on the wrong side of the law. He also has Chaotic Good tendencies, and tends to favour the underdog and empathises with anyone he sees as being an outcast or misfit. It is possible that with the right motivation and circumstance, he could learn to control his bloodlust and turn himself toward good. It is equally possible however, that he could lose himself entirely to the blackness...

Sigvard Gudmundsson was partly inspired by Logen “Bloody-Nine” Ninefingers from Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law Trilogy, and by Egil Skallagrimsson from the Icelandic Saga Egla.

The name Sigvard is a combination of the Old Norse name elements Sig “victory” and Vardr “guard”.

[Vakur]

Edited: Removed references to Sigvard's father being a famous Chief, and Sigvard having a birthright. Instead Gudmund is now simply an important man, maybe a warrior of some renown.

Edited: Added Illusken to his known languages.

Edited: Specified battleaxe as his weapon of choice.

[DM Golem]

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