JesseLowe/Ragnar

Ragnar

Character Type: Solar Exalted
Player: Jason
Caste: Dawn
Concept: Soldier
Nature: Bravo
Anima: Boar hog

Attributes: Strength 5, Dexterity 4, Stamina 5, Charisma 3, Manipulation 2, Appearance 2, Perception 3, Intelligence 4, Wits 3

Abilities: Archery 5, *Athletics 3, Brawl 5, *Dodge 4, Endurance 3,Linguistics 1 (Skytongue, Forest-Tongue), *Medicine 3, Melee 5 (Sword +2), *Presence 3, *Resistance 4, Ride 3, Stealth 2, Survival 1
Note: * = Caste or Favored Ability.

Backgrounds: Artifact 5, Contacts 1, Influence 2, Manse 3, Resources 3

Virtues: Compassion 2, Conviction 3, Temperance 1, Valor 3
Virtue Flaw: Heart of Flint (Conviction)

Willpower: 8
Health: -0/-1/-1/-1/-1/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-2/-4/ Incapacitated
Essence: 4
Essence Pool: 20/45 (9 peripheral committed)

Charms

• Athletics
  • Increasing Strength Exercise
• Dodge
  • Reed in the Wind
  • Shadow Over Water
• Endurance
  • Ox-Body Technique x2
• Medicine
  • Body-Mending Meditation
• Melee
  • Excellent Strike
  • One Weapon, Two Blows
  • Golden Essence Block
  • Dipping Swallow Defense
  • Solar Counterattack
  • Ready in Eight Directions
  • Bulwark Stance
  • Fivefold Bulwark Stance

Equipment: Orichalcum daiklave, target shield, orichalcum reinforced breastplate.

Combat

Base Initiative: 7
Soak: 16B/16L/12A (Orichalcum reinforced breastplate 11B/12L, -1 mobility penalty, 1 fatigue value, target shield; +1 difficulty to hit)
Dodge Pool: 10/9
Attacks:
Orichalcum Daiklave: Speed 14, Accuracy 15, Damage 11L, Defense 14, Rate 6
Long Bow (Broadhead arrows): Speed 7, Accuracy 10, Damage 7L, Range 200, Rate 3
Fist: Speed 7, Accuracy 10, Damage 5B, Defense 9, Rate 5
Kick: Speed 4, Accuracy 10, Damage 8B, Defense 5, Rate 3
Clinch: Speed 1, Accuracy 9, Damage 5B (piercing), Defense 7, Rate 1

Total Experience: 54
Unspent Experience: 1

Character Description & Backstory

Here is the background on Ragnar. Bear in mind that I know little of the geography, culture, and climate of the Exalted world. Feel free to tweak the particulars of location to suit his background. Though he is obviously of Viking extraction, I would prefer that he not be from a Lapland like area. A temperate, wooded, Appalachian type place would be best. Here goes.

Height- 6’ Weight- ~175 lbs Hair- Light Dusty Blonde Eyes- Blue

Overview

Think Sean Bean with a long blonde beard. This beard is frequently worn in a braid. His hair is about the same length, also worn in a braid. He prefers the traditional wardrobe of his people; square-toed boots, dark woolen trousers, and a long gray tunic. He shuns ostentation; though he is known to at times favor odd headgear, usually taken as trophies from his fallen foes. He is tattooed in the manner of his people, the clan symbol (a boar in his case) covering the better part of his left shoulder, and 1” lines scored across the left pectoral muscle for every man killed in battle. This practice he abandoned after his exaltation.

He never goes unarmed. He refuses to lay down his weapons at any time. He has a very dry sense of humor, a trait that some find annoying, but others endearing. He is slow to take offense, but fell once offended.

Backstory

He was born the son of Renir and Frija of the clan Eofor in the isolated mountain village of Rejk. His father Renir was a man of some renown in the community, well regarded as an honorable craftsman/merchant and a brave warrior. Due to his strength and wisdom, Renir held a prominent seat on the community (tribal?) council. (Perhaps He and the mother, Frija are god-blooded? Maybe?)

Ragnar was raised to follow in his father’s footsteps, learning the blacksmithing, furrier, and merchant trade. He was also taught to be a fierce fighter. The libertarian paradise of Rejk did not have a standing army, and so relied on volunteer militia for defense against marauding bands and land hungry tyrants. The men of Rejk prided themselves on never losing a battle.

At the age of 23, Ragnar took a wife, Jallia of the clan Beor and gained a seat on the counsel. Living together in the clan long house, they were happy… That is, until a black night of treachery.

A rival clan leader of Nadr, one whom had lost many a debate (and a “first-blood” duel) with Renir, conspired with a nearby troop of Fair Folk to murder the occupants of the Eofor long house. Just after Midnight, Nadr unlocked the palisade gate and allowed a small army of Fair Folk into the village to do their thing. They attacked the long house of Renir, killing Renir, Frija, Jallia, and everyone else in the house. Most died in their sleep, never knowing they were being attacked.

Ragnar, who had stepped to the outhouse to relieve himself, was not inside for the initial onslaught. Hearing the commotion, he burst back into the house, grabbing his sword from it’s stand near the great brazier. He fought and fought, killing many of his people’s attackers. He was too late though. Most of his clan was now dead, and the Fair Folk were moving out. He was left to his sorrow.

In the days following, Ragnar discovered that Nadr’s clan was behind the massacre. Honor bound to fight his clan’s enemy, Ragnar went to the village warrior temple to prepare himself for his fate. Being the only man of his clan left, he knew that he would be killed. There were just too many of the Nadr clan, 23 strong men in all.

Ragnar touched the sacred sword, Grimbitr and asked to die a good death. Grimbitr was the holy relic of the warrior temple. It was a huge old sword, a relic of the First Age. It was so heavy that it took a burly man just to lift it from it’s stand. No mortal man could wield it well.

In due time, Ragnar declared war on the Nadr clan. He made his formal declarationat midday, told of his lineage, and charged his foes. On and on he fought, striking down many of his enemies. As the fight wore on though, and fresh men of the Nadr clan joined the fray, Ragnar was driven back to the temple. He was badly wounded in several places, but for some reason, he felt fine. On the steps of the temple, his sword, Fotbitr, snapped while parrying a blow.

Heartened, his enemies stopped the attack to gloat. Ragnar turned and entered the temple, looking for a weapon with which to continue the fight. For some reason he could not explain later, he walked over to Grimbitr and hefted the great blade. He found that it was not heavy at all; in fact, it felt lighter than his prized, ruined sword Fotbitr.

Charging out the front door of the temple, he swung the great blade from heaven to earth, cleaving the first man in two. All of the other men stood still, a look of fear and wonder on each face. Then, they fled. No noise, no explanation. They simply fled. In a few moments, Ragnar was the only person left in the village.

By evening, people started to filter back into the village. An emergency counsel was called, and it was decided that Ragnar would have to leave the village. The elders held that while Ragnar had acted within the law, they could not suffer a demon to live among them. Ragnar did not understand. He maintained that he was no demon.

The Elders told him that when he emerged from the temple, he had appeared as a great glowing boar, and that no man could do such a thing. They told him that while they would bear him no ill will, he was an abomination, and that he must leave. As a token of their troth, they offered to let him keep Grimbitr. This he did.

With that Ragnar left his homeland and ventured into the wider world where he found that his skills with a blade were in high demand. He became a wandering sword for hire, fighting for petty princes and squabbling clans. He also found who he was, an Exalted Solar, one who had been touched by the Unconquered Sun… Anathema.

Expanded Backgrounds

Contacts

Who's your major contact, and where is he? What can he tell you?

Influence

Ragnar is a champion. Though Hotspur is lauded as a general, Si Lu is loved as a leader, and Haku feared as a spymaster, Ragnar is admired by all as the preeminent warrior of White Pines. Few seek his advice on matters of subtlety, but when talk turns to the clash of arms, he is first to hear it. Furthermore, his skill in arms arouses the admiration of a great many of White Pines' young, impressionable men, who are quick to take his side (or what they see as his side) in disputes. (The young ladies are also much taken with him.) On the downside, he is the most obvious outlander in the Circle, and his foreign ways and influence over the youth of White Pines often earns him the resentment of White Pines' older, conservative set.

Manse

Ragnar is attuned to Tower Kos manse (Wood 3), and bears the Hearthstone: A Stone of True Path.

Resources

It is rare that Ragnar actually has to pay for a meal, since his admirers usually host him. He receives gifts often from those who desire to win his favor; furthermore, as head of Si Lu's bodyguard, the Town Council pays him a stipend of 100 dinars a month.