āHow does one draw the line between dictator and monarch? The truth, my friend, is you do not.ā
The Basics
|| Full Name ||
Ulfric Albrecht Bjornson
|| Nicknames ||
Ulfric the Bold or the Kingslayer for the violent way he usurped the throne. His harsh ways and brutish mannerisms have given him the nickname of "The Bear".
|| Gender ||
Male
|| Age ||
Fifty-one
|| Rank/Title ||
King of Ostwall
|| Sexual Orientation ||
Heterosexual
|| Kingdom/Alliance ||
Ostwall
What's on the Outside
|| Hair Color ||
Ulfric still retains the brown that his hair has always been, but it is obvious that it has begun to go gray with age.
|| Eye Color ||
His eyes are a light emerald.
|| Height ||
Six feet
|| Weight ||
One hundred and eighty pounds
|| Scars ||
Ulfric has far too many scars to remember where they are come from. Many are from swords and spears in war, but he also has a few from working as a child. His hands remain calloused from years of rough labor.
|| Description ||
One does not have to know Ulfric to tell that he was, and still is, a man of massive strength. At six feet and one hundred, eighty pounds, he is not a force to be reckoned with or taken lightly. Rather, many look toward him with fear in their eyes or respect, or perhaps a mixture of the two. Nevertheless, like all men, his hair has begun to lighten in color as gray finds its way into his once-chestnut hair. His beard too is streaked with the gray of age. However, both this and the wrinkles he has acquired hardly faze Ulfric. Rather, he views them as a way to show how long he has lived and fought. They mark a harsh life full of struggle. Instead, Ulfric is bothered by his hindered mobility in age which causes his joints to ache in Ostwall's cold weather. He refuses to dress in the rich golds and reds of the nobility in Falor. Instead, Ulfric dresses in more practical, slightly over-sized cloaks and coats of various furs in varying browns and grays.
Ulfric still retains the brown that his hair has always been, but it is obvious that it has begun to go gray with age.
|| Eye Color ||
His eyes are a light emerald.
|| Height ||
Six feet
|| Weight ||
One hundred and eighty pounds
|| Scars ||
Ulfric has far too many scars to remember where they are come from. Many are from swords and spears in war, but he also has a few from working as a child. His hands remain calloused from years of rough labor.
|| Description ||
One does not have to know Ulfric to tell that he was, and still is, a man of massive strength. At six feet and one hundred, eighty pounds, he is not a force to be reckoned with or taken lightly. Rather, many look toward him with fear in their eyes or respect, or perhaps a mixture of the two. Nevertheless, like all men, his hair has begun to lighten in color as gray finds its way into his once-chestnut hair. His beard too is streaked with the gray of age. However, both this and the wrinkles he has acquired hardly faze Ulfric. Rather, he views them as a way to show how long he has lived and fought. They mark a harsh life full of struggle. Instead, Ulfric is bothered by his hindered mobility in age which causes his joints to ache in Ostwall's cold weather. He refuses to dress in the rich golds and reds of the nobility in Falor. Instead, Ulfric dresses in more practical, slightly over-sized cloaks and coats of various furs in varying browns and grays.
What's on the Inside
Personality:
{Distant, Reminiscent, Brutish, Instinctive, Ignorant}
To say Ulfric is a barbarian is harsh, to say the least. He often tries to sophisticate himself through intellectual pursuits or games of mental strength. In reality, however, he is no more than an emotionally strong peasant. Ulfric lacks the education and refinement of the other leaders of the land, but he pretends that he is one of them even though the gap between Falor and Ostwall has always been unbreachable. His distances himself from others not because he is a morose being but because he has always preferred solitude given the years of it he spent in Ostwall's army. Often, one can see the reminiscence on his face, for he usually appears to be lost in his thoughts. He is a paranoid man, though, and has therefore kept his kingdom under quite a strict rule.
He speaks without refinement or deep thought over his words. Really, it is only due to his advisers and his son that he has managed to remain in power for such a long period of time. Because of this, he often gives off the impression of being barbaric or crude. This, however, can simply be attested to his upbringing without a formal education. Having grown up in and experienced a world where quick reactions are the difference between life and death, he is often an instinctive man. Overall, his actions tend to turn most against him, but he certainly is not an evil man. Instead, he is better described as naive or ignorant. He realizes that times have changed and he has far more power than he once had, but he also finds it difficult changing his way, much like teaching an old dog new tricks.
Hobbies:
- Hunting, especially for large game
- Sparring
- Games of Strategy, though he is not very good at them.
- Tends to rest his head on the heel of his hand when he thinks, pressing his knuckles into his lips
- Often hums tunes he has heard over the course of his life to himself
- He's quite the alcoholic, but Ulfric also does know when to regulate himself in public.
- As he ages, his old injuries have come back to haunt him. He often moves in a bit of a limp because of the physical pain.
- Beer
- The Forest
- Solitude
- His Family
- Physical Combat
- Sailing
- Strangers
- Politics
- Being Beaten
- Pretending to Be Refined
What's Done Is Done
Biography
|| Place Of Origin ||
Ostwall
|| History ||
Unlike the other monarchs of the land, Ulfric was not born to his title. In fact, his family owned nothing more than a measly hut along the sea. He was the eldest child in his family, and he would be followed by two more brothers and a sister. His low birth meant he lacked a proper education. Instead, he occupied himself with fishing and later farming when his family could finally afford to purchase animals. The life of a farmer would never satisfy him, however. Once his brothers were fully capable of running the farm alongside their father, Bjorn, Ulfric set out to join Ostwall's army.
It was a lonely existence, and it was a harsh one. Nevertheless, Ulfric's harsh upbringing allowed him to adapt to the army well. As Falor pushed against Ostwall, he fought ruthlessly to hold them back. His performance in battle earned him the nickname of "The Bear" and promotion upon promotion until he found himself wealthy enough to purchase better land for his family. When he finally acquired his own coat of arms, he obviously chose the bear as his house's animal. Time would pass, and he would take a wife, Freya Tyrdottir. He was twenty-eight when his only son, Ronan, was born. In that year, he would also choose to rise up against the current king.
Having gained the trust of his fellow soldiers, Ulfric was able to successfully orchestrate the rebellion right under the king's nose. Rebellion, perhaps, is the wrong word to use, for it had been tradition for the old king to be overthrown when he was no longer approved of. Then again, the current king's family had possessed the throne for roughly fifty years by then, half of the entire time Ostwall existed. On what seemed to be a random day, Ulfric and his men simply entered the throne room where he approached the king and unsheathed his sword. The guards simply turned their heads as Ulfric swung his blade around and sliced through flesh and bone. It was, more or less, an unprovoked act. Later, he would claim that the past king had been corrupt, but no one truly knew. To many, the new king was ruthless and barbaric. He was nicknamed "Ulfric the Bold" and, more crudely, "Ulfric the Kingslayer". The names failed to affect him. Adelaide was born shortly after he assumed the throne.
Due to having to fight to secure his position, Ulfric was a distant father to his children. Still, he tried to show as much love as he cold to them. After the untimely death of his wife, Ulfric remarried to the far younger Genevieve. He certainly can tell that she does not love him, and he does not love her as he loved Freya. He attempts to treat her well too, for she is also carrying his child. While not a perfect leader, Ulfric certainly is not the worst King Ostwall has had. He has managed to negotiate peace with Seabel for the time being, but perhaps that is only due to the civil war. Oblivious as ever, he is blind to the fact that his son has been planning his murder for years. Despite his ignorance, he has always been a paranoid man, and he is careful to keep a tight hold on his people and, more generally, his kingdom.
|| Happiest Memory ||
Marrying Freya or rising from poverty
|| Saddest Memory ||
Losing Freya
Face Claim: Sean Bean
