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Thorvald Asvaldsson

Thorvald Asvaldsson, father of Erik the Red.

0 · 800 views · located in Empyrean Sea Beach

a character in “The Multiverse”, as played by Sigurd_Hring

Description

Character: Thorvald Ásvaldsson
Played by: Sigurd_Hring
Race: Human
Ethnicity: Norwegian (Norse)
Nickname: Thorvald Bloodyfist
Predecessor: Ásvald Ulfsson
Successor: Erik Thorvaldsson
Age: 50 years old
Gender: Male
Hometown: Jaederen, Norway
Physique: Athletic (Muscular)
Height: 6'foot 4'inches tall
Weight: 190 pounds
Style: Nordic folk wrestling
Weapons: None
Armour: None
Helmet: None
Hair: Red (Ginger)
Hair style: Nordic topknot (Bun)
Beard: Braided short (Knotwork)
Eyes: Greenish Blue
Dexterity: Ambidextrous
Specialty: Grappling (Takedowns)

Thorvald Ásvaldsson was born in the Jaeren district of Rogaland, Norway. He was exiled from Norway during the reign of King Haakon the Good, son of Harald Fairhair, “because of some killings" after Thorvald Bloodyfist murdered his neighbors over an argument about some property. He left with his young 10 year old son Erik to a place called Hornstrandir in northwest Iceland, which was already populated by then. Thorvald had no choice but to settle on less richer soil. Once his son Erik was exiled and after his grandson Leif was born, Thorvald decided to go looking for adventure one last time, with hopes that he might find a worthy opponent to send him to Valhöll.

So begins...

Thorvald Asvaldsson's Story

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Ulfhednar Character Portrait: Robbie Wings Character Portrait: Jess Thresher Character Portrait: Maegan Davenport Character Portrait: Toh Shirong Character Portrait: "Spaniard"
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King Halfdan was at the recession hall inside the Empyrean Castle located in the Ring Fortress, talking to his jarls and other noble aristocrats about ways to expand his kingdom. He was wearing a dark royal purple tunic with gold trim, long red trousers, black leather boots and a black leather belt. He was also wearing a grey wolf skinned cape attached to one shoulder by a golden brooch, and a red fox fur hat or turban fitted with a crown of gold, and decorated with many colorful gemstones. He wore the king's red ruby ring, a gold medallion necklace inlaid with blue sapphire, and a silver serpent-headed arm ring over his left upper arm. King Halfdan's long shoulder length dark brown hair and short bearded mustache were groomed neatly and he smelled of spices and perfume, a clear indication that this was the king.

His most trusted nobles were with him. Fudørn Auricsson, the great descendant of Fudørn the Wise, was sitting to his right. Engrel Korrisson, the great descendant of Engöll the Archer, was sitting to his left. These were the jarls or earls of the Empyrean Norse Kingdom, dressed in bright red uniforms, wearing chainmail hauberks with lamellar cuirasses, metal stripped greaves and vambraces, their armor emblazoned with the logo of the famous dragon which also appeared on the banner and flags decorating the great kingdom, a sharp contrast to the Iskjerne Viking's raven banner, further across the seas to the north.

Snorri Jonasson was also sitting at the king's round table, only his uniform was bright blue instead of red, signifying that he was a man of lesser rank and status, but he was still privy enough to sit with the king and enjoy vintage wine in the company of great leaders. Rufus the Bald was also at the table, only he was not sitting, but rather, standing behind the king's throne. Rufus was also wearing a blue uniform, only his tunic was much darker than Snorri's, being a lesser bright, almost midnight or navy blue. Rufus the Bald had a long white wooly beard and a brown bear-hide fluffy cape which flowed over his broad shoulders, his completely bald head covered in tattoos with a stern fierce gaze on his face, signifying that this was the king's royal champion and bodyguard.

Other karls and freemen were also in the recession hall of the castle, though these were less famous Norsemen dressed in blue garbs who sat further down at the other side of the king's table. There were also three empty seats which had been designated for nobles, and which nobody else dared to sit in. Everyone else in the great gathering hall was either standing, or sitting on the matted flooring around the table. Some wore blue, some wore green, but apart from their attire, everyone in the castle looked pretty much the same. Young maids in pastel green dresses or long tunicas and aprons would walk around through the crowded chamber with silver pitchers, filling everyone's bolvine horned drinking cups and silver mugs.

Jarl Goffre had been away for some time, leading an expedition to the stars. Goffre's seat remained empty, for he had taken a fleet with him to another planet in a different arm of the galaxy, hoping to expand the kingdom and make it an empire. Prince Logan's and Princess Alruna's seats were also empty, for they were now handling other affairs inside the kingdom. Prince Logan was going around throughout the village on horseback, ensuring law and order, and gathering intelligence about the local community, accompanied by his elvish bodyguards, while Princess Alruna, now two weeks pregnant, would see to the temples, forests and gardens, accompanied by her closest hand-maidens as they left offerings for the gods and land spirits, ensuring peace and blessings throughout the marvelous kingdom.

Just as expected, a knarr would appear on the horizon of the sea, carrying merchants and sailors from the continent of Ellaria, bringing with them the merchandise they had gathered and purchased legally from trading and buying. The knarr was much smaller than the Norse drakkar longships, being roughly the same size as the karvis, only with a broader and wider hull which made it slower, but enabled it to carry more luggage. It was not a war ship, but a merchant ship, yet few were those who did not recognize its Empyrean dragon banner, or dared to commit piracy against it for fear of the consequences. The Empyrean Norsemen had been a decent, civilized and peaceful people for centuries, providing sanctuary to their neighbors and other Gaian peoples, and there was no need to provoke the Norsemen to war, especially after word had already spread across the lands about the fervor and violence of their northern cousins.

As the knarr reached the shores, it made its way to the docks and was roped off to keep it from drifting away as the small crew worked together with the other workers on the docks to setup a ramp on to the boat's deck. Soon, an assembly line was formed as the crew started handing down large wooden chests filled with merchandise and treasure, new furs and animal skins. They also unloaded some horses and goats, leading them off the docks and over towards the pastors near the farming village. Finally, a small mule cart wagon would descend down the ramp slowly and head for the ring fort, being driven by a familiar face. One of the guards would enter the king's hall and approach King Halfdan, whispering into his ear.

"Your majesty, I bring word from the shipyard. Thorvald Asvaldsson has returned from Iskjerne," the messenger whispered softly. King Halfdan nodded quietly and smiled, raising his silver wine goblet and offering a toast to the other nobles and freemen in the recession hall. "Skál!" the king shouted with glee. "Skál!" the Norsemen shouted back at him joyfully as they all proceeded to down the contents in their drinking horns. Everything was going smoothly according to plan. Little did any of them know at the time that Thorvald's message from the north would be a cause for great concern.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Ulfhednar Character Portrait: Robbie Wings Character Portrait: Jess Thresher Character Portrait: Maegan Davenport Character Portrait: Toh Shirong Character Portrait: "Spaniard"
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The Great King Halfdan Svensson was still feasting and enjoying the company of the other nobles when Thorvald "Bloodyfist" Asvaldsson walked into the great hall and stood quietly by one of the posts, joining the rest of the crowd who had come to feast with the king. King Halfdan the Great would glance over to Thorvald once he noticed him and signalled for him to approach the king's table and join him. "What news do you bring from the north?" Halfdan asked, offering him a seat across the table from himself. "Nothing you want to hear, your grace" Thorvald answered, removing his hat and sitting down.

"I learned that Iskjerne Bay is no longer a kingdom, but is composed of 3 kingdoms, 2 kings and 1 queen. There are no grasslands, no forests, and no sign of the land spirits. Cold and fever, sickness and death. There are many burial mounds, from the battles they have won. But Hel is like a silent hound, before it clicks its fangs. They are warriors, still, and I felt it better to leave before they started fighting, Thorvald recalled, telling the konung everything about the plague and division between the Iskjerne Vikings. People listened, and so did King Halfdan, who turned to look at Princess Alruna who was sitting beside him, next to Prince Logan, also listening. They had returned from their daily routines.

"You could have taken the throne for yourself," Logan said. King Halfdan glanced at Prince Logan, then turned to look at Thorvald again. "How about you, my daughter? What do you think?" he asked, as Thorvald glanced at King Halfdan before looking at the princess. "I, think... We should have a feast. Decorate our houses and celebrate" she said, smiling. King Halfdan grinned, glancing at the dome shaped rooftop high above the floor before nodding his head. "A feast... Yes. Invite messengers from every kingdom north and south, and send word that the leader of the Empyrean Norsemen is holding a feast, paid for by the king. It will last eleven days," the king said, looking at Prince Logan once again, before nodding his head.

Logan nodded to the sea elf standing beside him, who had purple and blue shiney, scaley skin, large black eyes with V-shaped reflective silver pupils, pointy ears, and long flowing green hair which looked like seaweed. The elf was wearing a dark midnight blue gambeson and a gem encrusted silver chestplate over the top of a silver hauberk and haubergeon, wearing a cone shaped gold-trimmed silver helmet, shoulder guards and arm plates, holding a double engrailed top shield similar to the shield of Tyrell in shape, only pure silver and gold in color and shine. As the elf walked away, King Halfdan ordered the preparations to be made for a feast. Soon everyone would start decorating the halls with boughs of holly leaves, placing mistletoe above the doorways, pine cones and berries intertwined with wreaths on the doors.

Logs were gathered and set by the fireplace, along with one log in particular which they had set aside from the others. Some people would pick mushrooms and decorate the pine trees, completely ignoring the other trees, while other Norsemen prepared centerpieces for the dining tables, each centerpiece having three candles. 1 large swine was prepared for the feast, along with 3 bulls, 6 goats, 9 squirrels, 1 fox, 1 horse and 1 bear. King Halfdan forbid the use of traps, making it illegal and unlawful to hunt anything with antlers. He insisted that they instead decorate their homes and the entire village with candles and magic tinsel, collecting berries and potatoes, carrots, walnuts, hazel nuts, almonds, cashews and pecans to share with everyone. Some of the maidens went to work making different kinds of breads and sweets for the the feast. Others would perform sacred cleansing rituals for the building, and the dining area inside of it.

King Halfdan the Great sent his messengers out into Ellaria and S'iven, and to the Álfaren kingdoms. Everyone was welcomed to participate, regardless of their race, gender, age, language or faith. He also invited other species, and left offerings all over the kingdom for the winter loving animals to eat freely. King Halfdan was hoping that his generous invitation would earn him a more connected, better relationship with his gods and neighbors. Apple and cinnamon, imported sugar and spice. There was ginger, peppermint and more to compliment different varieties of mead and beer, and plenty of food to go around as the fires burned and the Empyrean Norse Kingdom was lit up with lights. It wasn't snowing here like it was in Iskjerne Bay, but the wispy waves and southward winds made the Empyrean Sea Beach chilly at night, so iron chandeliers fitted with dozens of white and red candles would be hung in the recession hall, and above the dance floors and dining halls, along with portable torches, while the great hall and all the guest quarters were cleansed with burnt spices and incense, protecting the kingdom from an outbreak of the Viking Plague.

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Ulfhednar Character Portrait: Robbie Wings Character Portrait: Jess Thresher Character Portrait: Maegan Davenport Character Portrait: Toh Shirong Character Portrait: "Spaniard"
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Empyrean Sea Beach... three months later...

There was a knock on the door. Three consistent knocks in a row, simple and to the point. It was an elfen mercenary from the beach. He was wearing pure 999 golden reflective material, almost resembling aluminum foil and light metallic elven armor so shiny and perfect that it reflected like a gold mirror. His skin was iridescent and shiny with color changing hues of green, blue and purple like some kind of aquatic sea creature, and his scaley skin seemed to blend in and perhaps even merge with his scale breastplate and shoulder armor. The messenger had solid black eyes with V-shaped silver pupils, and at his side was a long curved sabre reminiscent of a silver scimitar.

"It's open..." Prince Logan responded from inside his private chamber. It was a rather basic room of antique design resembling something like a home office. The prince was sitting at his polished wooden desk, examining a tabletop miniature spinning globe of Gaia suspended by its axis points and connected to a bronze base, twirling it around with his fingertip.

As the tall elven naval officer opened the door, he held it open as another, much smaller figure entered the Prince's chamber and hobbled over to the chair on the other side of the prince's desk. Prince Logan could hear tiny footsteps approaching his desk, but whoever it was had been so small that he couldn't see the source of the footsteps over the edge of his desk as the chair across from him seemed to pull away and move on its own. A few seconds later, however, a small individual lifted himself into the chair and sat down, looking up at Prince Logan with just his eyes and ears showing, and the top of his long red cone shaped hat.

It was a garden gnome. But not just any garden gnome. It was the commander of the Empyrean Gnome Network, a sentient race of intelligence gathering little magical people who were native to the island and had somehow, despite the presence of the Norsemen, comically deemed themselves to be the sole rulers and guardians of the island, and the most powerful force in all of existence. This bold claim wasn't entirely true, but the Empyrean Norsemen respected the little gnomes and admired their fervor. Prince Logan had befriended the Empyrean Gnome Network, advised by his own elfish counsel, for the tiny domestic soldiers served a purpose and despite being very small, could be either a nuisance to the Norsemen, or a useful alliance. Their commander's name was Cloud Wrestler, and yet he only stood barely over 19 inches tall as he gazed up at Prince Logan with weariness in his tired eyes.

"Hello again young lad," the long grey bearded gnome said sluggishly, looking a bit dazed. The sea elf stepped into the prince's chamber and closed the door behind him, guarding the entrance.

"Oh, your excellency. I didn't know that was you. To what do I owe this great pleasure?" Prince Logan asked, sliding the model globe off to the side of his desk before pulling his seat forward and leaning in to get a better look at the little person sitting across from him.

"I've come to inform you that..." Cloud Wrestler leaned forward to peer into Prince Logan's eyes, raising his index finger to speak. But before he could, the old gnome closed his eyelids and lowered his hand again as his head started to hang forward and he suddenly fell asleep.

Prince Logan waited for a response, blinking as the commander started snoring loudly. "Commander Cloud..." the prince said calmly. But as the gnome started snoring more loudly, Logan slammed his fist down on the desk and spoke louder. "Commander!" he said affirmatively.

Commander Cloud jumped up and opened his eyes again, raising his index finger once more to finish his long lengthy speech, and make his demands. No way was some young punk Empyrean Norse prince going to try and startle him. Cloud Wrestler wasn't afraid of anybody or anything, as he tried to remember what he was saying.

"Um.. ah yes.. the Empyrean Gnome Network is proud to announce that our forces are in position." the commander said with authority, furrowing his hairy eyebrows. Prince Logan had no idea what Cloud Wrestler was talking about, but he was sure it was probably good news as he nodded quietly, listening to what the tiny fellow had to say.

"Zzz... Zzz..." the commander started to doze off and snore again. Prince Logan glanced up at the elven guardian at the door, who stood perfectly at attention, as still as a statue without flinching or even making a sound. Logan began to sympathize with the elven soldier for a moment, before slamming his fist down and calling his name again.

"Commander Cloud!" he shouted, causing the gnome to jump back in his seat and open his eyes again. Cloud Wrestler had to grab on to his red cone shaped hat and look around at first before he remembered where he was, or how he got there. But then it occurred to him. His army was all alone in the field. He had to get back to work.

"Hm? Oh yes, right... Carry on," the tiny leader commanded before hopping out of the chair and making his way back to the door. "Oh, and tell your king that last week's payment was short. He still owes us for the gardens," Cloud demanded. Prince Logan seemed confused.

"The payment was short? But that wasn't the - I had my own carrier deliver that basket..." Prince Logan assured him. But as the elfish warrior opened the door for him, Cloud Wrestler scoffed and retorted back to him.

"We agreed on 86 puffy marshmallows. I only counted 84, you owe us 5 more" the gnomish commander dictated as he scowled up at the much taller prince. Logan blinked again. He didn't understand the commander's logic, math or reasoning, but it actually amused him more than anything. Marshmallows of all things, in such a peculiar and specific amount. It was a small matter to the Empyrean Norsemen, but for some reason the gnomes were obsessed with marshmallows, something that the other Empyreans couldn't care less about. It seemed like a fair trade.

"My apologies, your excellency. I take full responsibility. I will have my servants double count the basket next time, and I will see to it that you are compensated..." the prince said.

As the commander of the Empyrean Gnome Network left the Prince's chamber, Logan would just smile quietly and shake his head while looking at the elfish warrior. The sea elf rolled his eyes and smiled also, saluting Prince Logan before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Prince Logan leaned back in his chair, slid the model globe of Gaia back in front of himself on the desk and begin spinning it again. The life of an Empyrean Norse prince was interesting indeed.

The setting changes from Empyrean Sea Beach to Ten-Shi Zaibatsu Tunnels

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sigurd Hring Character Portrait: Imperial Taiyou Navy Character Portrait: Iskjerne Vikings Character Portrait: Uhtred the Godless Character Portrait: The Svinfylking Character Portrait: Imperial Taiyou Army
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It was quiet inside the massive Ten-shi Zaibatsu complex, only the sound of dripping water on concrete filled the empty void of silence as the massive gear shaped nanosteel, and tungsten door remained shut, cutting off access between the worlds of Gaia, and Niihama. Since the first incursion at the hands of the Harii warriors years past, the Taiyou Empire spared no expense in ensuring the area was secure, and now housed an expansive military command and control facility that controlled access between the two worlds. Two Taiyou soldiers stood in silence on the other side of the door, one of them was looking up at the massive gear shaped door that loomed over them, he marveled at the engineering, two solid meters of nanosteel plating, which protected a solid titanium-tungsten composite, and was filled with lead. Naoto Kojima, one of the soldiers guarding the door knocked on it twice, and the door gave him a solid, and reassuring sound.

"It's meant to withstand a hit from a nuclear bomb." Corporal Fujiwa said while giving Kurasawa a sidelong glance. "Nothing's getting through unless we let them." He said, hefting his Seburo C30 assault rifle across his chest, letting it rest from it's sling across his back while Naoto checked his watch.

"Aren't the Argosians supposed to be checking in by now?" He asked, and Fujiwa shrugged, looking towards the indicator on the door. The door itself was recessed back away from the portal far enough, that the technology would work, and there was a single CCTV Camera wired through the plascrete, to allow the Taiyou authorities to see who was on the other side, and so far nothing was illuminated by the brilliant high pressure sodium floodlight that illuminated through the portal, and into the Rikkisopi cave system, the only source of light within. Silently, Naoto looked up to the control room, and the officer within shook his head, signalling that there was nothing on the other end. They were overdue for check in and it was time to relay that information back to General Hama. So the officer picked up the telephone, while looking down into the main portal room through two inches of ballistic glass, and he nodded to the soldiers below.

Naoto cast his gaze around the large rectangular chamber, there were two reinforced nanosteel blast doors on either side, and two heavy MGs positioned against the doorway, where soldiers could take position and defend a potentially breached doorway. Naoto then cast his gaze to two levels of bullet proof glass, the operations center, where they could see and administer the facility.

Beyond the pair of blast doors were large cooridors, that went to the rest of the facility, the breach into Niihama's sewers had been fixed with reinforced concrete, and the entire facility only had one way in, and out to the surface, and that was a large central elevator which was controlled by keycard access.

Overall, the entire facility was tightly secured against invasion, and General Hama wouldn't have it any other way.

So in the silence, Naoto checked his weapon one last time, and stepped down from the steel grated ramp that led away from the large gear shaped door, slowly he made his way, step by step towards the blast door on the left, before he stopped, and turned around to rest against one of the heavy machineguns, and cast his gaze upon the brightly lit, seven meter tall doorway to the other world.

Inside the operations center, General Hama was going over battle plans, since it had been some time since the Legion checked in, and they were drawing on roughly six hours overdue.

"Our men lack the technology, and the training to go in and perform an extraction." Lieutenant Colonel Shiro Makino commented, as he looked down towards the large map of Iskjerne Bay, along with small models of all of it's fortifications. "Our weapons don't work past the gate, and they have us both outnumbered, and outmatched unless we completely retool our loadout." He explained, bringing his hardened gaze up to Hama.

"We could send in the Umibozu, they've got hand to hand, and training with a variety of traditional weapons." Colonel Sanada remarked. "We could send in a squad, and have the entire situation assessed by sundown."

"No." Hama objected, splaying his hands out across the map. "We cannot have anyone with any cyberization, their prosthetics would shut down, killing them."

Hama frowned, and then moved over towards a console, picking up a telephone, and dialing a number.

The setting changes from Ten-Shi Zaibatsu Tunnels to Empyrean Sea Beach

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The Ulfhednar Character Portrait: Robbie Wings Character Portrait: Jess Thresher Character Portrait: Maegan Davenport Character Portrait: Toh Shirong Character Portrait: "Spaniard"
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Days turned into weeks, and after a month of continuous politics, foreign trade and networking, the gnomish commander Cloud Wrestler walked into the prince's chamber one day and reported that the Stjornhestr had returned from a distant planet. Apparently, the ship's entire crew had survived.

The entire kingdom was of course excited to see the return of Jarl Goffre Alvisson and his crew, with Svegdir Staghelm and Borstein the journalist right beside him. King Halfdan the Great welcomed the Stjornhestr's crew of Norse cosmonauts personally, greeting their company dressed formally wearing a royal purple cape with a crown of purest gold. The king congratulated them on their safe journey and presented the jarl and each karl with a golden medal, granting the thralls on their expedition with enough silver pennies to buy their own freedom and change their clothing colors. Halfdan then threw a feast, giving a toast to Jarl Goffre and his shipmates.

The king's royal council wasted little time in collecting Birger's maps, writings, and notebook full of drawings to be copied and made available to them. Halfdan the Great's kingdom was beginning to seem more like an intergalactic empire than a small Norse colony. The Empyrean Sea Beach formed its borders, but the entire island itself was it's capital. King Halfdan then commissioned another quest to the stars. Only this time instead of sending just one starship, the king decided to launch all 3 of them. It was a small armada, but a force to be reckoned with. Initially Goffre Alvisson and his team refused to return to Xamayos, still unnerved by what they had discovered there, but King Halfdan pleaded with Goffre and offered to give the Stjornhestr's crew more supplies, and an even better payout than their first mission. The jarl and his cosmonauts agreed, and soon the Stjornhestr was back on its way to the distant planet of dinosaurs, monsters and megabeasts.

It wasn't long before the smoke from the wildfire on the mainland reached the area where it could be seen from the island. The sea elves reported to King Halfdan that the Argosians had returned to Ellaria and had set the Great Forest ablaze. It wouldn't be long before the forest's native inhabitants came pouring into the shores and asking for sanctuary. King Halfdan was not one to turn them away. His empire was expanding as he gazed out into the great assembly of humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, and other magical races who had somehow come to serve him. Eventually he knew he would have to make a decision to help their Iskjerne Viking cousins to fight off their oppressors, or to help the Argosian foreigners to conquer Iskjerne Bay in order to expand his own intergalactic trading network.