Gawain of Orkney

## Gawain

**Sir Gawain of Orkney** was a British knight and Prince of Orkney, he was also the eldest of the Orkney Siblings.

## Biography

### Early Life

Gawain was born in the Orkney Islands to King Lot, ruler of Lothian and the Orkney Islands, and Morgause, the half-sister of King Arthur. Gawain's parents were not yet married and so his birth was considered shameful.

Lot and Morgause decided to send the infant Gawain (who was still nameless at the time) away in order to wait out the controversy. They gave Gawain to a knight named Gawain the Brown, who named Gawain after himself. Gawain the Brown then gave the infant Gawain to a fisherman named Viamund who raised Gawain for several years, though Gawain was not told of his heritage.

Viamund later moved to Rome with his family as a noble entering into the court of Pope Simplicius. When Gawain was 12 years old, he was informed of his true heritage and was knighted.

Gawain was legitimized by Simplicius, and Gawain met his parents and younger siblings. As the eldest son Gawain became Lot's heir, much to Agravain's consternation. Despite his new status, Gawain decided to stay in Rome for a little while longer.

### Jerusalem Campaign

Gawain would be part of a campaign to fight the Persians in the Holy Land, after which he was given permission to return to his kingdom for good.

### Return to Britain

Gawain returned to Britain and met his uncle for the first time. Gawain wanted to join Arthur's court but also wanted to prove his worth. Gawain defeat both Arthur and Sir Kay in a joust and later liberated the Castle of Maidens which proved his worth and got him admitted in the Round Table.

### Lot's Rebellion

King Lot would rebel against Arthur because he blamed him for the apparent death of his (assumed) son Mordred (in reality Mordred was not only not Lot's son, Lot and Morgause knew this and had Mordred disposed of in the May Day Massacre which they blamed on Arthur).

Gawain was initially torn between staying by his father's side or being loyal to his uncle, but he ultimately sided with Arthur. Gawain would later be joined by Agravain who defected to Arthur's side.

Lot would be killed by King Pellinore, which Gawain was enraged over and he swore vengeance for the death of his father. At the funeral, Gawain vowed vengeance and was joined by his brothers (though Gareth abstained).

## Personality

Gawain is a proud and somewhat hotheaded man, though he is very personable. Gawain loved fighting and drinking. While Gawain had his moments of perversions and was well known for sleeping around, he is also a staunch protector of women. While the term did not exist at the time, Gawain is a feminist and often pushed for women's rights at a time where such a thing was not even considered.

Gawain was honorable and was one of the most chivalrous of all the knights. At the same time he did have his flaws. He is somewhat oafish at times and could be impulsive or quick to anger. He took family very seriously and if anyone hurt his family he would retaliate without question.

While Gawain was and still is a Christian, he is not very devout in his beliefs. This is despite the fact that he spent much of youth in Rome in the court of Pope Simplicius. Gawain credits his lack of devotion when compared to other knights as stemming from his time in Rome, he simply was too overwhelmed with Christianity at a young age and turned against it slightly as he grew older. He still believed in it, but kept his faith to himself.

Gawain was admittedly not the most well-educated of the knights. While certainly not stupid, he was not the most well learned aside from practical things or anything relating to combat, military affairs, or knightly topics. Despite this, he was very clever and few could genuinely outwit him in most matters.

Gawain is very honest and speaks his mind openly. He always treats the people around him with respect. However, his honesty has caused him to be unintentionally insensitive.

Gawain is very broadminded and prefers the life of a commoner to that of nobles. While he is a prince, he would rather spend time in taverns or the countryside than ruling. He refused to take the throne of Lothian or Orkney both because it did not interest him, and he felt he would be a very poor king.

Gawain has a rather thick Scottish accent, though it is apparent that it is not his true accent. Gawain's accent is actually more Welsh than anything, however he deliberately plays up his Scottish roots partially as a joke and partially because of pride in his ancestry.

## Appearance

### General

Gawain is a muscular man who stands at 6'0". He has fair skin, dirty blond hair, and light blue eyes. His hair is about collar length and is very messy. Gawain typically has some stubble on his jaw. Gawain is often described as having the face of a pretty boy, but the body of weight lifter because of his massive muscles. Gawain looked very similar to his uncle Arthur, to the point that he could convincingly be his body double.

## Relationships

### King Lot

King Lot was Gawain's father. The two admittedly did not have the closest relationship and Gawain was not especially fond of him, mostly because he sent him away. Gawain also disavowed his father as a traitor to Arthur. Despite their distance, Gawain was enraged by Lot's death and avenged him. Gawain later admitted that his rage was more based on the denial of him mending his relationship with him than any actual familial bond.

### Agravain

Agravain was Gawain's younger brother. Gawain and Agravain did not meet until much later and their relationship was somewhat testy. Gawain genuinely loves his brother, but often admonished him for his behavior and called him a "prick".