Ragnar Blackburn

## History

As a young man Ragnar was serving as a deckhand aboard the merchant ship Maryanne.  As the ship was
sailing along the coast of Kalimdor, she was caught in a storm that capsized
her.  Sometime later, Ragnar awoke on a
rocky shore bordering a dense forest he would later find out to be Feralas.  While making his way through
the unfamiliar terrain, Ragnar was ambushed by huge Ogres.  He was taken to the Ogre fortress where he
would stay for the next two years as a slave.

Every day Ragnar toiled away in the slave pits and watched
his fellow prisoners die of exhaustion or be eaten by the Ogres.  Eventually his captors noticed his strength
and began using Ragnar for sport in their gladiator arena.  He became a fearsome warrior.  Day after day he fought gladiators from other
ogre tribes knowing refusal to fight was as sure a death as defeat in the
pit.  Ragnar realized that no help was coming,
so he chose to somehow escape or die trying.

His opportunity came when his captors sent him outside with
a guard to chop wood for their fires.
Ragnar had convinced them his will had been broken and he was complety
under their control.  With the speed of a
panther Ragnar struck down his enemy and fled.
For days he made his way North, with vengeful ogres at his heels the
whole way.  Finally exhausted and
starving he reached the Night Elf lands.
The Kaldorei found him near death and bore him to the village of
Astranaar and their healers.  Ragnar was
allowed to stay nearby in a small camp under the watchful eyes of the
Silverwing Sentinels.  As an outsider,
Ragnar was met with suspicion by many of the Night Elves.  Eventually he befriended a druidess names
Rahnee Moonclaw who taught him the ways of the Kaldorei.  He would become a skilled woodsman under her
tutelage and began to feel at home in that strange land.

Ragnar would stay among the Night Elves for several
years.  As Orcs from the Warsong clan
began to make advances into Night Elf territory, Ragnar joined Rhanee and her
people on raids against the Orc strongholds, and helped to defend Astranaar
from their constant attacks.  Ragnar
distinguished himself during the Battle for Warsong Gulch and was finally
welcomed by the Night Elves as a friend.

Although he was happy among his new friends, Ragnar knew he
must return to his true home.  Promising
to one day return, Ragnar made his way to Theramore and boarded a ship heading
to the Eastern Kingdoms.  Little did he
know he was embarking on another great adventure, and going towards even
greater danger.

## Appearance

Ragnar has a shaggy mane of blonde hair often covered by a
winged helm.  He has blue eyes and a
scruffy beard.  Ragnar is broad chested
with hugely muscled arms which betray his brutal strength.   He prefers light armor that does not hamper
his agility or stealth over heavy plate armor.

## Personality

Ragnar
is of common birth and it tends to show, and living his formative years in
slavery did not help the matter.  He is
rather blunt in his speech and is sometimes overly formal in an attempt to
compensate for his less than noble ancestry.
Those of more noble birth might find him uncivilized or dull witted but
he possess a cunning honed in the wild that has served him
well.  Ragnar follows his own code of
honor as opposed to the laws of the land, and is fiercely loyal to his friends
and protective of the weak.  He seems to
show no interest in romantic relationships, but is chivalrous towards
women.

Ragnar’s time in slavery created anger in him that he tries
hard to conceal, but when backed against a wall or if his friends are in danger
he will explode into a barbaric rage.

## Trivia

Ragnar enjoys playing Hearthstone.  He tends to drink too much when he plays  so he rarely wins.

He is a skilled woodsman.
He can identify most plants native to Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms.

Ragnar dislikes large cities.  He will most likely to stay outside of a city
in a small camp.

He is very superstitious of arcane magic and hostile towards
users of fel magic.  He does not have a
problem with druidic or shamanistic magic, and the presence of holy magic
boosts his confidence.

He is polytheistic.
He is a believer in the Holy Light, but will often pray to or curse
several of deities or demigods if he thinks it might help.

Ragnar hates Ogres and will never have any dealings with
them and will attack with the slightest provocation.