Eirik Ravenhair – "The Norseman"

PLAYER: Dave Hershey
NATURE: Barbarian
DEMEANOR: Challenger
CLAN: Caitiff
GENERATION: 7th
CONCEPT: Elder Einherjar
APPARENT AGE: early 20's
TRUE AGE: just over 1000

PHYSICAL: Strength 6 (Mighty), Dexterity 6 (Lightning Reflexes), Stamina 6 (Resolute)
SOCIAL: Charisma 3, Manipulation 3, Appearance 3
MENTAL: Perception 4 (Insightful), Intelligence 4 (Creative), Wits 4 (Cunning)

TALENTS: Alertness 4, Athletics 3, Brawl 4, Dodge 4, Empathy 3, Intimidation 4, Subterfuge 3
SKILLS: Melee 4, Ride 2, Sagaman 3, Survival 3
KNOWLEDGES: Enigmas 1, Hearth Wisdom 3, Law 3, Linguistics 4, Occult 4, Seamanship 4

LANGUAGES: Ny Norsk (native), Icelandic, Norwegian, English, Finnish, Gaelic, German, Russian, Latin

BACKGROUNDS: Generation 6, Fame 2, Resources 3
DISCIPLINES: Celerity 6, Fortitude 6, Potence 6, Auspex 3, Protean 3, Fenrir's Talons
VIRTUES: Conviction 4, Self-Control 4, Courage 5

METATRAITS: Road via Aesirgard 8, Blood 20, Willpower 10

MERITS: Blasé 3, Eat Food 1, Iron Will 3, Second Sight 3, True Berserker 5, Unbondable 3
FLAWS: Infertile Vitae 5, Outspoken Pagan 2

SYSTEMS
Celerity: 1 blood point spent; six extra physical actions at the end of the following turn
Fortitude: six extra dice to soak all forms of damage including aggravated
Potence: six automatic successes on all strength rolls
Aura Perception: Per + Empathy roll vs. difficulty 8
The Spirit's Touch: Per + Empathy roll vs. variable difficulty
Fenrir's Talons: 1 blood point spent and 1 turn to complete; claws do Str + 3 aggravated damage and can rend steel and stone
Earth Meld: 1 blood point spent and 1 turn to complete
Iron Will: 1 willpower point to shake off the effects of Dominate; +3 dice vs. mind-altering magic, spells, and Thaumaturgy
Blasé: immune to Presense
True Berserker: invoke berserk; +3 Bruised health levels, +2 Str dice, +1 Sta die; wound penalties are reduced by two dice; cannot frenzy nor rotschreck while berserking

HIERARCHY OF SINS
10 — Failing to show respect to the gods or to men of devout wisdom.
9 — Failing to speak out against cowardice, treachery, dishonor, etc.
8 — Being motivated by compassion, gluttony (as for blood) or fear.
7 — Stealing from, lying to, or cheating friends or allies.
6 — Causing harm to a devout and virtuous person (by Viking standards).
5 — Feeding from a devout person without permission.
4 — Blasphemous or heretical acts (desecrating an image of Odin, supporting the worship of the Christ-god).
3 — Allowing a crime or major act of treachery or dishonor to go unpunished.
2 — Committing hidden murder or betraying allies.
1 — Aiding a demon, troll, jotun, or other supernatural servant of evil.

QUOTE: "I am Einherjar. Call me a Cainite again, and I'll send you to Hel's hall."

NOTES/HISTORY: Eirik was born in a small village in Norway just before the end of the last millennium. He was raised to be a Viking warrior, and shown himself to be a true berserker. He sailed with Erik the Red and saw Greenland with him. He even bounced Leif on his knee a time or two. But as he reached his peak as a mortal warrior, there came a battle in which he fell, cut down by a beast of the night. A Valkyrie saw this and his bravery in the face of that monster. She went to him and embraced him, healing his wounds before he could rise again. He would never see her again (but not for lack of searching). Immediately, Eirik returned to the fray, fighting long into the night. Finally, wary and victorious, he watched the sun start to rise over the battlefield. "It's so beautiful," he spoke. Then the rays blinded him, burning his eyes out of their sockets. He screamed in pain.
When he awoke, he was covered by dead bodies and dirt. He thought himself dead. Indeed, he was as cold as the grave, and had no heartbeat. But he could struggle. As long as he could struggle, he would. Pushing aside his blanket of bodies, he did not see the faces of his friends and foes on them. He looked up into the night sky and saw the stars. He was dead, of that there was no doubt, and a glorious death in battle too. He had earned his place in Odin's hall. But where was it? Where was the Valkyrie to guide him across the rainbow bridge? He realized that he must be trapped on earth, but still dead. So began his quest for the road that leads him back into Valhalla, and his place in Odin's hall.
It did not take him long to realize that he had the regenerative powers of Odin's warrior. This confirmed his belief that he was already accepted. He need only find Bifrost, the rainbow bridge, and enter paradise. But it was nowhere to be found. Chasing rainbows gave no encouraging results.
He was not alone. He met many vampires who shared this "curse". Fools! How could the gods have given them such gifts? They do not enjoy it. Let them taste their Hell, he would dine in Valhalla. Fortunately, there was another who saw this as he did. Tyrsen, his friend, his shield-mate, was left by the Valkyries on that battlefield. Practically brothers, they had grown up together. They had fought together. And, in the end, they died together.
Tyrsen saw a reason for his existence as it was. Tyr picked Tyrsen to be his justice in Midgard. A noble calling and one that made Eirik think long and hard. Christendom was waxing, and the power of the Norse was waning. Soon, he knew, Christ's zealots would over run his homeland, burying and burning all traces of what were once the most terrifying warriors on Earth. Eirik determined then to be an eternal example of what once was. (To this day, he still believes in the old ways of magic and dwarves, et al.)
And strong! Never could a living man be so strong as he had become. Fast! Few foes could avoid his strikes. Stout! Very little harm would ever need to be regenerated. Why, Odin himself must have seen to Eirik's creation and re-creation.
He was not very long in the embrace when he settled roots in Reykjavik, Iceland. Here were still some remnants of his people. Here he felt a sense of belonging. Here he took a wife.
Reykjavik is his home now. These people remember him. They cherished their heritage and language, something that he could only encourage. He is a bit of an urban myth in Reykjavik for this reason. There is an unspoken knowledge of "The old Viking who does not die."
Beasts and creatures of the night would come to Reykjavik, only to be driven out by him, the local werewolves, or both. He would tolerate no Cainite in his domain, and so proved as quite the enigma to the resident werewolves. Even when a wyrm beast would rise on Iceland's shores, he would be there to share in the glory of their battle, slaying the beast with mighty swings of his axe, as he satisfied the gods with his deeds.
Young Get of Fenris would sally into Reykjavik and challenge him. After all, he was wyrm, and needed slaying too. And their elders would nod and let them go forth. Those same elders would perform rites over their wounds and heal some of the more grievous ones. Eirik would not kill them. They were of his people and his legends. They keep alive what he is. Only the eldest among them does he do true battle with, and so giving them a spectacular entrance into Valhalla. But not once has he ever seen the rainbow bridge they travel after leaving their bodies behind. Such was, and is, his relationship with the werewolves of Iceland.
And then there is Wagner, who was not much of a warrior, but a skald of unsurpassed talent. Wagner's opera about the Ring is one of Eirik's favorites, and he rarely misses a chance to see it. Unfortunately, his emotions often carry Eirik into some disturbing behavior during the show. Once, he even leapt on stage to correct a miscued line from the performer portraying Odin. (Along these lines, Eirik often diverts himself occasionally to write poetry, especially since Tyrsen introduced him to the haiku form.)
Now the modern day, Eirik continues on much as he always has, a Viking of old raiding the softer southern lands for fun and profit.

PILOSOPHY: All of the Old Norse beliefs are true and must be perpetuated. Others may be true as well, provided that they do not go against his own. Death in combat is a reward for a virtuous life, and Valhalla shall wait beyond the rainbow bridge. This is the core of his Code of Honor.
Mortals are too weak to be worthy of notice. Yet, he does remember his time as a mortal, and recognizes their embryonic form, but you don't treat children as warriors. If they behave poorly, they shall be spanked. (Lately, this has even been extended to most Neonates.) He will not attack a pacifist.
In feeding, he prefers the blood of his foes. This is not always possible (or wise), so he makes do with mortal vitae. If in great need, he will hunt and kill a mortal man, drinking him dry after making him put up his best fight. If in lesser need, he will drink from a mortal woman, giving her such pleasure as that kiss brings.
He realizes that his vampiric form is very similar to the Cainites he scorns. Over the centuries he's thought on this a lot. Having met many female Gangrel who stalk battlefields, he knows of their ways. But they do not embrace men, so his "sire" could not have been one of them. No, as similar as he is to them, there is a fundamental difference… Eirik is dead, and they are undead. Odin, in his wisdom, put Eirik back on earth in a form that would suit his purposes. So, while Eirik fits perfectly the description of a Cainite vampire, he knows better than to believe Cainite lies. His beliefs alone make him a breed apart from them. And only the blood of your enemies can compare with the mead of Valhalla.
Life is too short to drink bad beer.