Svart Rauðrsson

• GENERAL
› Name Svart Rauðrsson
› Age 34 y/o
› DOB 25/05
› POB Uddevalla
› POR Kattegat
› Gender Man
› Sexual Orientation Straight
› Rank/Occupation Blacksmith

"This looks like another dangerous situation.
Thankfully, I can improvise."
• LOOKS
› Faceclaim Ben Dahlhaus
› Hair Color Blond
› Hair Lenght Long, decorated with beads or feathers
› Beard Trimmed, decorated with beads
› Eye Color Blue
› Body Sturdy, big, muscular, 1m92
› Extra Some battle scars

"I'm offended by how little attention I was given."
• PERSONALITY
› Good traits mercurial - charming - energetic - intelligent - dedicated
› Bad traits troublemaker - showman - frivolous
› Likes cats, parties
› Dislikes being lonely, fishing

"It ain't a party without a fight."
• HISTORY
After a difficult pregnancy, Vírún Ywansdottir was finally ready to give birth. It was pretty intense, and she almost didn't make it, but eventually she gave birth to a little baby boy. His parents named him Svart Rauðrsson. The future was bright for the little boy. His father, a respected weaponsmith, was a wealthy man and his mother was one of the most loving and patient women of the kingdom. His childhood went by smoothly and soon it became clear he inherited his father's passion.
   
So it was not really a surprise he went into training to become a smith himself. He was always fascinated by the profession and how skilled his father and other smiths were. How they could create something that beautiful and strong out of difficult materials, he couldn't wrap his mind around it. He was very much dedicated to learn everything he could. He went into training when he was only 14 years old, so he could observe his father. When he was 16, he became an official apprentice. His mentor was Vidar Ingvarsson, the prince of Uddevalla. By the age of 21 he finished his education, and now he was allowed to call himself a blacksmith.
   
And then he made a decision no one really expected. The call of adventure made him say goodbye to his family and friends. With only a few possessions he got aboard a ship to see what else this wonderful world had to offer. He was 22 when he left everything behind. Not an easy task, considering he was a skilled blacksmith and sneaking out would mean he took the forging secrets with him. During his travels, he learned a whole set of new skills. He learned how to hunt, fight, fish and even cook. He was really capable of taking care of himself. Even though he got homesick a couple of times, he knew he made the right choice by leaving Uddevalla.
   
He made friends easily and got around pretty well. His charming and frivolous way made him a very likeable person. Not only with powerful men, but also with beautiful women. He was known to make every party legendary and sweep the ladies of their feet with ease. Although he loved being around people, he also wanted to continue his travels. Even more when he finally heard the tales of Ragnar Lothbrok, King of Kattegat.
   
Eventually he ended up in Kattegat. It took a while before he gained the trust of the leadership and was allowed to stay in the village. His forging skills ultimately tipped the scale. He wasn't really sure if he was ready to settle down, but he sure was curious about King Ragnar and his clan. So he decided to stay a while, and in exchange for his services, he was granted shelter in the village.

• MISC
› Name
Svart has an unusual name. Not in the sense of it being an unusual name around Scandinavia. But because it doesn’t really fit his appearance. Svart, meaning ‘black’, was often a name used for boys with black hair. The story behind his name explains why his parents named him like this.

When Vírún went into labour, her husband Rauðr was still working at the shop. He was a blacksmith and he usually worked late. When one of the midwives was sent to alert him, he rushed back to the delivery room as soon as possible. Once he arrived, he stood by Vírún for almost seven hours, trying his best to alleviate her pain by distracting her. He didn’t even take the time to eat or clean himself up a bit.

When the baby was finally born, he stood in awe of this little miracle. Even the toughest men could be brought to tears in moments like this. After a moment, Vírún passed the baby to Rauðr, who’s arms and hands were still covered in soot and ash. As a result, the little boy’s back, arms and even his face turned black where his father touched him. Jokingly he proposed the name Svart, and his mother somehow thought it was beautiful and therefore agreed.

› Skogkatt
The following story gives a bit more insight into the Skogkatt that is following Svart around (or is Svart following the Skogkatt?). At the time being Svart was 24 years old. He was travelling along the coast of Sweden, heading North. He was in the company of two older men, who were brothers, and a younger girl, the wife of the oldest brother.

“We will set up camp here and follow the trail tomorrow”, Arvid said. The group immediately broke up while everyone was falling into the routine of preparing the spot for the night. Arvid and his brother Hjor would set up the tent and he would go out into the woods to gather some wood for a fire and find a source of water. Yri would search the area for danger or food, depending on what she would find. “I’ll see you in a bit”, He said, after which he disappeared between the bushes. It wasn’t completely dark yet, but it wouldn’t take long for the sun to set completely.

Preferably he would be back by then. He grasped his axe a bit tighter. During his travels he had learned to always prepare for the worst. He didn’t want to get lost either. So when he was far enough away from the camping spot, he started to cut down a small tree. The rhythmic sound of the blade hitting the wood spread throughout the forest. Drawing the attention of animals around him, the forest turned quiet in a couple of seconds. As if everything was waiting for him to finish the job and return to the camp. But one animal had other plans.

It was almost july, and he knew this was the time for bear cubs to leave their nest for the first time. He just didn’t expect them to get this close to humans. The roar of the cub made him turn around. He felt his heartbeat go up. If there was a cub, there would be a mom too.. The young man lowered himself, stepping backwards deeper into the forest. He didn’t want to risk the lives of his companions by running back to the camp place. If the cub decided to follow him, he would lead the mother straight to the others. So he just kept backing up, praying to the Gods the cub would just turn around and leave.

But the Gods were not in his favour today. While he was retreating, he was actually getting closer to the mother bear. He was way too focused on the cub to notice the danger behind him. It was only when he heard a new roar, much louder, he realised how stupid he had been. Svart turned around, standing face to face with the grown up bear. And she was mad. She raised herself up to her hind legs, preparing to charge. The only thing he could do, was try to kill the bear before she took his life.

Thanks to the fact he was now prepared, he could avoid the first swipe. The second one he tried to block with his axe, but the bear was way too powerful for him to stop the attack. He only redirected it, as a result the claws made a deep wound in his left arm. He growled in pain but he didn’t drop his weapon. If he dropped it, he would die for sure. His attention was drawn to running footsteps. “Don’t come closer! Run! Run away!” He yelled. He wanted to keep the others safe. He didn’t want to die in vain. “Svart?” He heard Yri yell back. ”Yri! Just run, now!” He persisted, while dropping himself to the ground to avoid another attack.

Swiftly he got back up his feet, swinging his axe at the bear. He managed to wound her shoulder, but this was a hopeless fight. From the moment he was sure there was no-one around anymore, he stood up straight and waited for the bear to end it. Right before she could strike again, he heard a creature hiss and growl. He took a step back when a shadow emerged from the tree above them and landed on the back of the bear. Shocked by the scene, he took another step back, trying to grasp what was happening. What seemed to be an extremely large cat was clawing the face of the bear.

Making the bear temporarily blind. This was it, the critical choice between life or death. Svart lunged forward, swinging his axe again, now aiming for the neck of the bear. He hit her two times, three times, with a precision he had not had before. As if the cat was actively helping him to kill the bear. A few moments later, the bear collapsed and the fight was over. Panting he stepped back, leaning against a tree to keep himself from fainting. The cat was sitting on top of the bear, staring intensely at the young man.

It was only when they made eye contact, when it dawned on him what just happened. Freyja had sent one of her Skogkatten to save him. Immediately he sank to his knees and bowed to the creature. “Thank you”, He whispered, overcome with emotion. He stayed in that position until he heard multiple people running. Yri had gone back to the camp to get help from the two brothers. They helped him get up and took care of his wounds.

From that day on, the Skogkatt joined Svart on his travels. He wasn’t always present, but he sure was around, to keep Svart safe from all evil and sometimes from himself.

Skogkatt