my character journal

Prince Úlfric (b. Ungrulf Ellrulfsson c. 800-900 C.E.) is the heir apparent of King Ellrulf, founder and chieftain of the independent Vikingr petty kingdom which bears his name. Originating from the Swedish island of Göthland in the Baltic Sea, it is sometimes referred to as the Kingdom of Göthland (or the House of Ellrulf) and is said to be the native homeland of some of the fiercest Vikingr warriors who ever existed. King Ellrulf's name is Nordic for "Older Wolfe" while his son Prince Ungrulf's name is Nordic for "Younger Wolfe," distinguishing them both as legitimate father and son. As his father won many battles, never dying but instead growing to a ripe old age, the 17-year-old Prince Ungrulf became the new clan leader, subservient only to his aging father the king. Ungrulf Ellrulfsson's childhood name was changed when he reached adulthood and became the new clan leader. His father gave him the new name Prince Úlfric, a Nordic name which means "Wolfe Ruler" in their native homeland. Úlfric's household is entirely Göthic, made up of Pagans and heathens who worship King Ödin, the king of the gods. Prince Úlfric and his kinfolk are known to be Úlfhédinns, an extreme class of Vikingr warriors who are notorious for their fierceness in battle. Úlfhéthnar is a Nordic term meaning "Wolfecoats," as these specialized warriors are distinguished by their wolfskin pelts and hoods, similar to bérserkar (their bearskinned counterparts). The úlfhédnar are famous for their legendary rage in battle, often gnashing their teeth, growling, snarling, foaming at the mouth and sometimes howling like rabid wolves to intimidate their enemies. It is said that once they enter this trance-like state, they become immune to both fire and iron, feeling no pain. They are known to charge with their shamelessly naked war-painted bodies on to the battlefield with not even so much as a shield or body armor to protect themselves, fearlessly armed with simple axes and spears. They are especially gifted in raiding and shock troop battles, where it is said they can rip a man's head off with the strength of their bare hands, often biting off their enemy's noses, fingers and ears in a fit of blood lust. They are super strong, super fast and super scary according to those who have witnessed the úlfhédinns in war. Despite being illiterate and somewhat primitive, Prince Úlfric's wolfecoats are often employed by other kingdoms as mercenaries and bodyguards, if for no other reason than their frightening appeal. Many great kings have fled or had their armies routed in fear just at the very sight of Prince Úlfric's clansmen. Needless to say, the House of Ellrulf has been very successful in acquiring wealth and silver. Many fables and myths are based on these Göthic warlords, though mostly based in fantasy than on any real historical accuracy. Prince Úlfric is a nobleman of higher standing, but this is only apparent by his expensively fine Ulfberht sword. Other than this silver inlaid Viking sword which bears the letters +VLFBERHT+ inscribed on its blade, it is nearly impossible to distinguish Prince Úlfric from any of his other clansmen. His sword's own unique name is Úlfsfanga, meaning "Wolfes Catcher" or "Wolfs Fang" in the Nordic language. The sword itself has been the topic of many a Norse Saga originating from Göthland and Northern Europe.

Prince Úlfric is not very tall for a Viking nobleman, nor does he have blonde hair and blue eyes (as the depiction of tall blue-eyed blondes is a foreign stereotype). Instead he is shorter and stockier, more robust. Although some of his fellow kinsman are comparable to 7-foot jötunns, the prince himself is only 5'4" tall with nearly straight black shoulder-length hair and dark brown or hazel eyes. Being so young, Prince Úlfric does have some facial hair but he has yet to grow a full beard. Oddly enough, although he is only 17-years-old, Úlfric is already showing signs of grey hair and there is a weary but fiercely cold look in his eyes that can only come from a lifetime of post traumatic stress. He was doing hard labor at the age of 13 , predestined to marry his first wife at the age of 14, considered an adult at age of 15, killed his first enemy in battle at the age of 16, and at 17-years-old he now rules his father's kingdom. Úlfric's life was typical for the time period in which he was born. Despite his hard life as a Viking however, Úlfric grew up strong and healthy. What he lacks in size, he makes up for with his muscular tone and physical strength. He is strong like an ox and fully capable of sprinting long strides over rocky mountains where the air is thinner. He has incredible stamina and lots of endurance. As the king's heir, Úlfric learned many skills he would need later in life. He learned horsemanship, swordsmanship, leadership, hunting, wrestling, crafting, fishing and many other skills he would need in order to survive. Prince Úlfric owns a draught Clydesdale named Hröss, which is simply the Nordic word for a horse. It's not a very fast horse, used mostly as a working or pulling horse, but he's incredibly strong and muscular just like Úlfric himself. Prince Úlfric is described as bold, silent and wise for his age. In warfare, the enemy's eyes are the first to be captured by his hellish and fearful appearance. Úlfric is considered to be thoughtful, cheerful and generous just like his father. That is, if you are his clansmen. To his enemies, Úlfric has a blood-thirsty reputation for being godless and savage. Few seldom live to talk about it. Úlfric also owns a Vikingr longship known as the Ormbátur, meaning "Dragon Boat" in his Göthic mother language. Úlfric's seafaring longship is so intricately designed that many have mistaken the Ormbátur for an actual dragon or sea serpent, adding to the ghost stories surrounding him.

Prince Úlfric has many siblings, all younger than himself with stories of their own. His mother's name is Queen Astrid (b. Astrid Olafsdóttir) of the House of Ellrulf in Göthland, where she plays a major role in Vikingr society. Queen Astrid is the noble daughter of King Olaf, originally from the House of Yngvi in Sweden before marrying into the House of Ellrulf where she now controls King Ellrulf's finances and domestic affairs. When the men were away at sea, raiding or hunting, Queen Astrid became the voice of the people. It was her duty to lead the women, raise the children, help the sick or elderly. Queen Astrid was also considered the voice of reason, often viewed by Vikingr as the wise old mother who gives council. She is now very old, though not as old as King Ellrulf, and many Vikingr still look to her as a prophet, oracle or arch-witch. Queen Astrid is often cared for and accompanied by her daughters, just as King Ellrulf is accompanied by his sons. Prince Úlfric is the main clan leader now, however, while his elderly parents have taken a more minor role in leading the kingdom. He is subservient to his mother and father now simply out of filial piety, although sometimes he is forced to speak out against his father's senile commands. For despite being old, feeble, crippled, slightly blind and deaf, the great King Ellrulf still tries to lead the people and fight heroically as if he is still young. Prince Úlfric counters his father's bravery and judgment by volunteering to fight in his stead, insisting that his father should stay behind to protect the women and children. This of course is gestured just out of respect, seeing as it is actually the women and children who protect and take care of the aging senile king. The House of Ellrulf has many small vassalages and villages, but Prince Úlfric's main town hall or Vikingr lodge is located on the island of Göthland itself, deep within the inland hills overlooking a vast dense forest.

The Ulfhednar are early medieval characters with primitive technology and ancient superstitions. They have a very colorful outlook on life with interesting Old Norse perspectives and philosophies. Many of the things they believe in simply do not exist but in their minds. They are an isolated culture who often doubt their very eyes, looking beyond physical appearances into whatever coincides with their beliefs. This could range from a selection of many extraordinary beliefs or even comical arguments, as the Ulfhednar do not always agree on everything and are prone to ignorance or arrogance. Ulfhednar have a very strong sense of pride and individuality, every man having the freedom to voice his own opinions. They also have a particular taste or discard for certain valuables. They will steal your silver but not your gold. Having never seen the future, they might mistake bullets for chess pieces, or expensive designer watches for cheap broken compasses. Ulfhednar believe in many gods and as such, many natural phenomena or supernatural occurances are usually attributed to one of their deities, even if another more rational explanation exists. It is said that only an ulfhedinn would take your boots and keys but leave your wallet and your vehicle. That is because the ulfhednar have no interest in things they do not understand. They are a simple tribe, interested only in adventure and what they believe is acceptable treasure. This could be anything. But apart from being warbound savages, raiders and vikings, the ulfhednar are known to be great traders and craftsmen. The House of Ellrulf in particular is known for keeping their word. They are notorious for making good bargains and keeping trade agreements with their allies. They are also known for wiping out the very memory and existence of their enemies. The Ulfhednar burn churches and whole villages to the ground whenever they go raiding, unless they are bribed. They will kidnap children, rape women, and murder men and elders without prejudice or consideration. Such is their upbringing and lifestyle as viking heathens. But they are also unpredictable, sometimes travelling past towns and churches without even bothering the villagers. Sometimes they just have no interest in raiding or killing. They can oftentimes be quite heroic, if not helpful and friendly to outsiders. It really just depends on their interests. This makes the Ulfhednar a lively fascinating and wild bunch of roughnecks with a unique and beautiful culture, if not somewhat uncomfortable and barbaric.

I may add a more organized or specialized Viking army to Lord Úlfric's princedom in the future. This will include most likely the berserkar (bear-shirts) and ulfhednar (wolf-coats) loyal to Odin, the alfather and king of winter. This will also most likely include the scogkattar (wildcats) loyal to Freyja, and the svinfylkar (boar-heads) loyal to Freyr, the goddess and god of spring. Then the gutefar (gothic-goats) and einharjar (heroic-dead) loyal to Thor, god of stormy weather and summer floods, might also become a thing. The finally I will probably add the hroknar (ravens/crows) of Hel and the hrossnar (horse-riders) of Loki, the goddess and god of autumn or dead of fall. This may also include the valkyries or melrakkar (arctic-foxes) and the kaninjar (dead-rabbits) loyal to Freyja, the fehujar (cow-hides) loyal to the goddess Gefjon, or even the gylfalkonar (hawks/falcons) devoted to Odin, king of the gods.

This thread will be used as a sort of character journal for The Northern Saga (an all original, para-historical, semi-realistic Medieval Viking/Norse Fantasy RPG) and will include detailed descriptions and updates on all of the characters and lore in my personal storyline for The Northern Saga, which is included in the following.

Trygvír the Farmer was said to be either one of the immediate sons or grandsons of Yngvi-Freyr, who is himself believed to have been the Old Norse pagan god of fertility and good harvest. Almost nothing is known about Trygvir the Farmer, except that he was a Svealish commoner. Trygvir had many sons and daughters including Ellrúlf Trygvirsson, who told many fanciful tales about his father's status as a demigod. Most of the stories about Trygvir are shrouded in different conflicting myths and legends. Some say he was Freyr's son, or Odin's nephew, or a 10-foot-tall giant descended from Loki, while many others say that Trygvir was just a nobody or a peasant farmer who happened to live a prosperous life and had many children that just so happened to become famous vikings. In any case, being as Trygvir is the man from whom the House of Ellrúlf claims lineage, it seems only right to include at least some brief mention and biography of him here in this thread as part of the lore.

Ellrúlf Trygvírssön is the man from whom the House of Ellrúlf gets its name. This son of Trygvír the Farmer started from very humble origins, despite his clan's growing fame. Ellrúlf was originally born as Búrne Trygvirssön, a name he had kept throughout his childhood. Búrne means something like a barn or farm, probably in reference to his father being a Svealish farmer or perhaps because he was born on a farm. As a child, not much is known about young Búrne or his parents except that they were all very common and unnoticeable until Búrne became a man and turned to raiding as a viking mercenary in the Baltic Sea.

As an adult, Búrne's fame grew and the people began to refer to him by a different name. At first they called him Vúlfer the Viking, in reference to his wolflike nature as an úlfhédinn. But over time, his clansmen started calling him by yet another name. Ellrúlf the Great, as he is now called, was a great warrior who led many successful raids and became a chieftain. After a while, he established a petty kingdom on the northern continent. His clan became known as the House of Ellrúlf, and his chiefdom evolved and expanded to become the Kingdom of Svealand, an independent small country made up of many tiny provinces. One of these provinces was the Baltic Sea island of Göthland, where King Ellrúlf built his capital of Vigsby on a hill. He would entrust this island to his second son, Úngrúlf Ellrúlfssön (aka Úlfric the Brave) while maintaining the older capital of Agnafit in the Mälaren Valley of Svealand, where the great hall was.

King Ellrúlf the Great, as he is now called by the Göth islanders and Svear mainlanders, is the founder and the first of many great warriors to come from the House of Ellrúlf, according to the sagas. King Ellrúlf united Svealand and won many great battles against his viking enemies. King Ellrúlf eventually married Queen Astrid of Götaland (aka Astrid Olafsdöttir) and together they had three sons; Hürgor the Archer, Úlfric the Brave, and Edgthö the Young, all of them destined to become main characters in their own epic adventures.