Gavinroth

====== NOTE: All information here takes precedence over any wiki articles I wrote in the past. ======
Gavinroth is a warrior in service to the Eorlning tribe, although he is not native to it.
==Traits==
===Appearance===
Gavinroth, compared to most men of the Highlands, is far paler -- unhealthily so by some standards -- due to the climate of the stormy peninsula he spent most of his life in. He is heavily muscled, broad shouldered and strong, in the ideal shape for a warrior. Combined with his above average height, Gavinroth is a fairly imposing figure. His face has aged relatively well, handsome with piercing pale blue eyes. Black of hair, Gavinroth sports a large beard and short, often unkempt hair. His beard is kept trimmed, touching his chest but not protruding enough to reliably grab in combat. He generally tends to his hair with a hunting knife, giving it a rough appearance at all times.
He generally wears chainmail lined with fur pelts with cloth padding underneath. He wears a fine fur cloak that covers his shoulders, and generally wears a chainmail coif into battle. Gavinroth often has an iron shortsword sheathed on his hip, as well as an iron-headed maul on his back, heavy enough to break mail links with a proper swing.
Gavinroth's chainmail has been reinforced with thick black hide, unnaturally durable. He wears a cloak of the same hide, acquired from the Hurtsmere wolf he killed early on in the war. The new armor gives him a far more intimidating and sinister figure.
===Personality===
As a result of his upbringing, Gavinroth is arrogant, reckless, and usually has little regard for the consequences of his actions. He has consistently had power over others of his tribe, due to his being part of the chief's family or his own physical strength and cunning, and as a result, generally looks down on others, not valuing their lives as he does his own. Despite this, he is cunning and can appear charismatic when he pleases, often doing so to advance his own desires. He is known to be lustful, never taking a wife but nevertheless bedding various women. Gavinroth can be cruel, but is not outright evil: he generally saves his worse for those who have earned his ire. In spite of his personality flaws, he proved to be a capable military commander and combatant, personally leading men on raids and attacks on rival tribes. Somewhat hedonistic, Gavinroth savors fighting as much he does the vices and pillage that come after. 
===Combat===
Gavinroth favors his warhammer in combat, whether his opponents are armored or not. He usually attempts to crush through any defenses with brute force, but will be cautious of enemies with shields: he usually leaves his comrades to draw their attention for him to flank them, and tries to swing for points that would be awkward to block with a shield. Twisted, he seems to enjoy the euphoria of crushing bones and meat.
Although he does not carry one on him most of the time, Gavinroth is also skilled with a spear. His fighting style differs from his hammer, and is far more graceful with a spear. He often feints jabs and whittles down his opponent with quick thrusts and slashes. Using the reach of his weapon to his advantage, Gavinroth stays back, stabbing a fatal area such as the thigh, neck, or chest if he has an opening. He especially carries his spear if he knows he will be fighting horsemen, beasts, or defending a position. 
Gavinroth mainly uses his shortsword as a sidearm. He keeps it close on his hip so he it is easy to draw, in case he is disarmed or wants to catch an opponent off guard with a surprise thrust. 
Chain reinforced with thick furs is heavy armor by tribal standards, and Gavinroth rarely worries about his own defenses. He does not worry too much about defending himself, most weapons not capable of efficiently piercing his armor. If Gavinroth is not completely bloodthristy, he is more hesitant to charge into the frey when an opponent is well-armed enough to hurt him.
Gavinroth is larger and much stronger than most tribal men, a fact that he embraces. He often incorporates grapples, kicks, and punches into his fighting style, especially an opponent gets too close to use his warhammer. He has no qualms about gouging eyes out or sending a mailed knee for the crotch.
Although much favoring the rush of melee combat, Gavinroth is fairly skilled with javelins and bows. He doesn't have much practice though, more used to hitting prancing deer than a fast-moving man in battle. 
==Backstory==
===With the Volforn===
Gavinroth was the second son of the Volforn chief Arlfstan. The Volforn were relatively small, only a few dozen among them. Mostly growing up in the shadow of his brother Ulric, Gavinroth was taught to be a warrior while his brother was taught to be a leader. Gavinroth was happy with this lifestyle; he did not have nearly as many responsibilities as his brother, and enjoyed practicing with his swords and axes.
Arlfstan passed of old age when Gavinroth was twenty-eight and Ulric a few years older. Despite his temper and arrogance, Gavinroth respected his family, and thus obeyed the new chief Ulric. The chief allowed his brother much freedom, perhaps keeping him on too short of a leash. Over a year, Gavinroth raided many nearby tribes with the Volforn's warriors, some of them traditional enemies of the Volforn and others not. His plunder had ensured the people of Volforn would live well, but perhaps not safely; they had new enemies.
Perhaps Gavinroth's largest military accomplishment was when he led a counterattack against Kulian sea raiders, striking at their landing. With a five men, including his trusted right hand Rhylant, Gavinroth supposedly killed over a dozen Kulian warriors and took one of their champions, Hakon, captive. Cut off from the landing, Ulric led men to destroy the forward raiding camps, which were weak without reinforcements and supplies from sea.
Ultimately Ulric made the decision to keep Gavinroth at the tribe's home, where he constructed defenses and trained men for inevitable counterattacks. Feeling cooped up and frustrated, Gavinroth began to drink more, and pursue his own desires: food, mead, women, and brawling. His vices inevitably led him astray, and he earned the ire of many tribesmen when he slept with an elder seer's maiden daughter, who was promised to another man. 
Ulric did not want to punish his own brother, but in order to placate those demanding justice be brought to Gavinroth, he sent his kinsman north into the Highlands. Gavinroth traveled to the Eorlning, a tribe the Volforn had traded with in the past and trusted. He offered his services to their chief, Flavius, who gladly accepted his help: their people were in war, and a battle-hardened killer like Gavinroth would be useful.
===Among the Eornling===
====The Holy Light====
Gavinroth's charms and prowess in battle earned the respect and trust of Cator, Flavius' son who took an active role in the affairs of the Eornling. Gavinroth encountered followers of the Holy Light while on a scouting and gathering mission with a few other members of the Eornling. As a relatively faithless man, Gavinroth was neither disturbed or inspired by the preacher's words, but was impressed by their power after they used their magic to cure a man's crippled leg before his eyes. Deciding that their power would be useful, Gavinroth advised the group's leader to aid the priests in recovering their holy book. They did so, and fought a barbarian tribe along the way, Gavinroth ensuring their end when he smashed their chieftain's skull beneath his hammer. However, one of the group's seers perished in the battle.
Gavinroth personally carried their holy book back to the preacher's leader, Ioannesson. In an event that shocked everyone present, Ioannesson used his powers to bring the seer, Tjard, back to life, despite his body being covered in deep axe cuts. Most of the men who witnessed it began to worship the Light instead of the old gods. Gavinroth supported the Light as well, not out of an appreciation for its philosophy, but because of the power it could bring. He advised Cator to allow Ioannesson and his followers to stay in the Eornling camp.
Gavinroth again accompanied Cator and other members of the Eornling to vanquish a "dark presence" that Ioannesson spoke of, and to recover a hammer made of enchanted metal that belonged to Thoradin himself. The group was able to vanquish what lied in the cave, even a massive metal giant, but not because of their battle prowess: the Light answered their pleas and aided them.
After returning the hammer, Ioannesson offered to wash the men in the waters of the river, to cleanse their bodies and soul as part of an initiation into the Light's faith. Gavinroth was among those who accepted, though he still had heavy doubt in the Light. Its philosophy called for temperance, restraint, peace and honor: a stark contrast to Gavinroth's ways of overindulgence, womanizing, bloodthrist, and ruthlessness. Though the Light was much more powerful than the old gods, and Gavinroth decided to play along for now. He did a fairly good job at this: if he did violate any Eornling woman, he did so subtly, and most of his vicious tendencies were either overlooked or not noticed by his comrades.
When the Hurtsmere invaded the Eornling, Gavinroth was at the forefront of the combat, gladly killing the invaders. He strongly supported Flavius' decision to counterattack the Hurtsmere, and accompanied Cator on the assault of their forward camp. He relished in the bloodshed there, killing the unnaturally large wolf the Hurtsmere seers sent at the Eornling. He skinned it after the battle, fashioning it into equipment for himself and a few others.
Gavinroth was pleased to learn that the Eornling might ally with Thoradin, and approved of the latter's efforts to unite the human tribes. Despite his sinful ways, Gavinroth did value order, something that Thoradin embodied.
Rhylant later joined Gavinroth and the Eornling. Ulric, still chief, sent Rhylant away after discovering the skinless body of Hakon, the Kulian champion, on display in the Volforn village. Gavinroth was glad to have his most capable man back at his side, though resented Ulric's further attempts to weaken his influence in the Volforn.
Gavinroth accompanied Cator when he raided a Hurtsmere village. He eagerly participated in the bloodshed and laughed at their attempts for surrender. He lost his warhammer in the battle, and marched angrily back to camp once the village was flooded by the attacking Vulondaer.
When Cator's forces returned to the Eornling village to find it massacred, Gavinroth was shocked: he was not saddened by the loss of life, but did not expect such a move. He briefly mourned the lost of Praestor and Flavius before encouraging Cator, now chief by succession, to lead the tribe's remanants to revenge against the Sodengar, who had been the ones to perpetuate the attack on the Eornlings. Whether he was convinced by Gavinroth or not, Cator did indeed vow vengeance, and joined the Arathi.
Gavinroth approved of this, and vowed to Rhylant that he would return to the highlands and despose Ulric in the name of the Arathi once the conflict in the valley was over. 
==Relationships==
===Cator===
When Gavinroth first arrived at the Eornling village, Cator was welcoming and kind to him, having heard stories of the Volforn aiding his people years ago. Cator proved to be a competent leader, which earned the loyalty of Gavinroth. He supported Cator becoming Eornling chief and praised the war against Sodengar, as well as their fealty to Arathi. The two did not always see eye to eye but rarely argued. Gavinroth consistently encouraged Cator to pursue war and revenge, especially when the Eornling village was massacred. Whether he had any influence over Cator or not is unclear, but Gavinroth's bloodlust and brutal tactics were generally overlooked by Cator, perhaps out of ignorance or maybe a silent approval.
===Tjard===
Tjard and Gavinroth were initially indifferent to each other, though after Tjard was killed by barbarians and then resurrected by Praestor, they took note of each other. Tjard and Gavinroth both encouraged Cator to follow the Light: Tjard did it out of a genuine belief, while Gavinroth merely valued the power the Light presented. These differences culminated in a mutual, sour outlook. Tjard often berrated and discouraged Gavinroth's cruelty and merciless, while Gavinroth accused him of being weak for wanting to negotiate rather than fight, especially since negotiations killed Tjard in the past.
===Respendial===
The Volforn warrior and former Sodengar slave share many vices: bloodthrist, a lust for woman, and a greed for loot. The two were on good terms after a few battles, especially when Gavinroth fashioned Respendial a cloak as a sort of compensation for his horse dying in a charge that may have saved Gavinroth's life. They have some disagreements, and Respendial tends to be far more practical than Gavinroth, who can sometimes be idealistic.
===Rhylant===
Rhylant was initially a warrior under Gavinroth's command during his days leading the Volforn military. Gavinroth took note of Rhylant's capability... and cruelty. Rhylant proved to be fiercely loyal to Gavinroth, who often allowed Rhylant to indulge his twisted desires of torture. Many enemy warriors were sent to Rhylant at Gavinroth's orders, however Gavinroth made sure Rhylant's work generally went unnoticed in fear of upsetting the gentler Ulric. After years of battle, Rhylant rose to become Gavinroth's right hand. When Gavinroth was exiled, and Rhylant soon after, the latter searched for the former and rejoined him.
They could be called friends: if one were to consider a mutual fondness of torture, sadism, and bloodshed a basis for friendship. Still, Rhylant and Gavinroth have many differences, namely Rhylant being cold and introverted while Gavinroth tends to be passionate and outward. Their differences seem to complement each other moreso than hinder: they make a good team, and while most of the Volforn's enemies feared Gavinroth, the smart ones feared the smaller, calm, ice-eyed man at his side. 
===Ulric===
Sons of the same father, Gavinroth and Ulric got along well at first. Ulric proved to be a competent mediator, ruler, and administrator. He did not have the same talent or desire for fighting as his younger brother: as such, Gavinroth was given almost complete command over the Volforn's warriors. The two got along well for years, valuing each other as brothers in spite of their differences. When Gavinroth's brutality earned the Volforn many local enemies, Ulric exiled Gavinroth.
This did not initially upset Gavinroth, who seemed to welcome the chance to spend some years in foreign lands, fighting different men, drinking different ales, and bedding different women. When Rhylant informed Gavinroth that Ulric also exiled most men still loyal to Gavinroth, this changed: Gavinroth becamed embittered towards Ulric, and vowed to usurp him in the name of the Arathi once the Sodengar were destroyed.
===Praestor Ioanneson===
When the Eornling first encountered the Arathi preacher and his men, Gavinroth advised to aid them. After witnessing Praestor revive Tjard with the Light, Gavinroth developed a deep respect for Praestor, despite having heavy qualms with the philosophy of the Light. Gavinroth never questioned, ridiculed, or undermined Praestor. He allowed himself to be baptised anew by Praestor as well.
Ioanneson never noticed Gavinroth's sinful ways, as the two never spoke one-on-one. Praestor died before the two knew each other on more than a basic level.
Category:Human
Category:Warrior
Category:Back story
Category:Rise of Arathor