Ulric of Clan Geirolf

I am Ulric,Warrior of Clan Geirolf, former Berserker of Clan Hamdir, son of Magni the Enraged.

I bear the witch lock. I carry the rage and fury of my ancestors, but it now is tempered by the empathy granted me by the Lovers through my wife.

I have fought to redeem my line. I bear the twin axes Vengeance and Retribution, forged by my father to avenge the honor of our line lost by the one before him.

I was once the husband of Eir, who was bound to me by the Lovers, spirits of the Sun. I was seeking to learn of the martial ways of the Sun, and had started on this path through speaking with the General of the Sun. Eir was taken by the Winter, and no longer walks among our people.

I have gone forward to the ruins of Forgotten Cromlech and called upon my reserves of strength to see that this spirit was restored to glory, and in doing so have brought the birth of Inspired Cromlech with the help of others. I have been blessed with skin that can harden as rock through the boon of Inspired Cromlech.

I have attached myself to the quest of Steiner of Clan Hamdir, a fellow son of Hamdir, who seeks to retrieve one of the axes of Hamdir himself, which was stolen by a Nameless Skald (may he meet a lonely doom where he will be lost to the wear of time) and have sworn an oath to retrieve that axe and see it returned to my clan hall to the place of honor which it was taken from. This quest is called into doubt now, but I will not add further until the doubt is cleared and the honor of this quest is brought to light, or cast down as a broken oath.

I update this rede to answer questions asked:

• What makes your weapons unique? Are they made in the 1000 Acceptable Ways? Do they bear a curse or blessing?

  My weapons are only unique in their appearance, their materials. They are made of blackened metal from the lightning struck mountains, still only as hard and sharp as normal axes but greatly different in their appearances. They were crafted by my father to symbolize those things that the bearers of the axes, my line, must take for his father’s error and dishonor. We must take vengeance for his death, and exact retribution for his dishonor, to atone our line and regain the honor of my blood. The only curse and blessing they bear is the life quest attached to them, a geas to atone for the dishonor of my line.

• When did you meet your wife? What does she do? What does she look like to you?

  Eir and I knew each other for most of our lives. It was fate that we ended with each other. She was a a healer and a worker of the runes of the Stormfather. She was loving and fair, devoutly loyal and devoted. She was small of frame, but her heart was larger than the biggest island of the Rock. Her eyes were soft, despite the hardships of our world, full of care and affection to all who accorded her respect, and fierce to her enemies. She was taken by the Winter in the Forest.

• Why were you blessed by the Lovers? How much does this mean to you?

  We were blessed by the Lovers as recognition of our devotion and love to each other. It means a great deal to me that we were given this blessing, particularly by spirits which embody the very essence of our commitment and devotion to one another.

• Is this Witch’s Lock on a door or a chest? Do you wear it? Why is it special? Is it cursed or blessed? Do you adventure to find it?

  The Witch Lock I bear is not a true lock, and I apologize for the misunderstanding that may have emerged. A witch lock in our world is a strand or portion of the hair, white as the winter snow. Some know it as a “wolf’s touch”, after the winter wolf, and it is a common tease made by children, however this moniker is insulting to those who actually bear it as the winter wolf is a being of death and dark tidings. The witch’s lock is a rare thing, and is seen almost as a mark of instability amongst our people, as those who mainly bear it are more often than not berserkers. Berserkers are a type of warrior in our lands, who give way to a bloodlust in battle that can show itself in different ways, but all become lost in the throes of the bloodlust. My own berserk fury is accompanied always by what I call the singing of my blood, a sound in my ears that roars increasingly loud as more blood is shed, and a red haze over my vision. At the highest throes of the fury, I give way to a barely restrained, furious anger, which leads my body to shaking and other symptoms which could be seen as a fit.

• Why must you redeem your family? How do you intend to do so?

  On the Rock, we do not speak of the dishonored and their deeds. They become Nameless, losing all honor and recognition. Suffice it to say that my line must atone for a great wrong, one which will take a great deed, a story of legend, or an item of legendary quality made by the hands of one of my line. I once intended to craft an axe the likes of which any world has never seen, one which was crafted expressly as a defender and protector…one which, if I could achieve it, would have guided the wielder sentiently to do good and protect those who require defense. I have since learned that the fates will my destiny on the battlefield, and so I have dedicated myself to regaining the honor of my line by vanquishing great foes.

• Did you intend to come to the Forest? What were your first thoughts upon arrival?

  My wife and I heard of the Steel Door, of a chance to make a new life for ourselves and to regain the honor of my family. After long discussion, we gathered our possessions (most of which have been in our families for generations) and made our way to the island of Clan Ogmundr, a minor clan which my clan, Clan Hamdir, challenged to ritual combat for ownership and which the Ogmundr won control over, where a gate stands. The Ogmundr control the only steady passage from the Rock, and most must pay a great deal to pass through and await the opening of the gate. My wife and I were let through, however, because the clanhead of Minor Clan Ogmundr did not want a berserker who bore the witch’s locke within his gates for long, as he did not know me nor did he know whether I was one who was able to control his berserk fury. We waited only until the door opened, and then passed through.

  My first question was the absence of rain; the Rock is covered in a constant storm, a never ceasing falling of water from the sky. My second was restraint at not attacking the first of what I would find to be many peaceful others; these being recently arrived wanderlings from the Goblin City and the Undersea, who are unlike any I have met before coming to Nexus.