“Your life doesn't make sense to me. Explain it one more time."
Name
Bjorn Einar
Nickname
He doesn’t have any nicknames. Everyone just calls him Bjorn.
Title
None
Age
43
Gender
Male
Sexuality
Heterosexual
Like most men who are past twenty-eight, Bjorn has already been married by now. In fact, his wife is back home now, running everything at home while Bjorn trains the novices.
Role
Experienced Ranger
How long have you had this role?
As with any young commoner boy, Bjorn chose his profession at fifteen. He was sent to be trained, and was appointed as a ranger when he was twenty-one.
What is your family motto?
“True strength from within.”
This family motto might be interpreted in two ways: one is that emotional maturity and intelligence are more powerful than brute strength. The other might be that to be truly strong, one must first master their fear and emotions to be internally strong. Bjorn’s family often chose to interpret it the second way.
Appearance
The first thing people notice about Bjorn is how tall he is. He’s simply enormous. Though it’s hard to tell exactly how tall, he must be at least a few inches over six feet. He’s not just tall: he’s huge. He’s well-muscled and broad-shouldered, with huge arms and stocky legs. His legs are noticeably bowlegged. He’s very fit, and obviously does intensive physical labor very regularly. His skin is generally fairly dirty, though not to the point where it’s disgusting. He has some scars, but none really stick out - they’re all medium-sized and not too deep. His neck is thick and his hands have long, strong fingers. His fingernails are dirty and look to have been cut fairly short with a knife. He has rough skin on the palms of his hands, with blisters and calluses.
Bjorn has slightly round eyes that slant towards his nose and are a bit small. They’re deep-set, so they’re often entrenched in shadows, showing only a gleam of reflected light. His lashes are short and thick. His nose is large and lumpy, crooked from having been broken several times before. He has a square-ish, broad face with rosy cheeks and a very strong jawline. His skin is rough and rather dirty. He also has crooked teeth with some small cavities visible, his teeth rather yellowed and very large. He has a small mouth with thin lips which is hidden beneath his beard. His eyebrows are large and bushy, nearly covering up his eyes. His forehead is broad, and his hairline is a bit high. His hair itself is coarse and a bit curly, but smooth and straight enough for him to be able to pull it back without much trouble. It’s untangled due to being tied back so tightly that it pulls his scalp back. His hair is pretty short, so he can just barely fit it into a small man bun at the back of his neck. His beard is much longer and more wiry than his hair, as are his bushy, bushy eyebrows. Bjorn’s beard reaches down to his chest, sprawled out in every direction and quite wild-looking. It’s a bit dirty but not disgusting and doesn’t have anything weird stuck in it. It starts in wild sideburns down from right above his ears, and splays out like it’s unaffected by gravity. He has a large mustache as well, which is large and nearly covers up his mouth.
Bjorn’s eyes are a liquid brown color, like melted milk chocolate. They have a gentle look to them, but this look can quite easily turn into a far more dangerous look. His hair is many-shaded brown, with a brown base color similar to that of his eyes: brighter and more earthy. But along the back of his hair and farther down, the brown becomes darker and less saturated. Some hints of blonde are present in his hair, like a haze of pale gold. The tips of his hair get lighter, and some mottled darkness can be seen even where the hair is lightest. In the sunlight, his hair bears a more blonde-brown look. His skin is a rough bronze, heavily tanned after years of working under the sun. It’s warm and in some lights it nearly matches his hair.
The clothing that Bjorn wears is all handmade by his wife, and she’s not a bad seamstress. The material is always rough - often coarse wool or animal hides - but the craftsmanship is very good. Large tunics trimmed with animal fur are common for him, along with rumpled trousers, large fur boots, and a flat cap with no feather. His clothing is mostly in beiges, tans, and browns, though some small amount of red and green dyes might be used on them. They fit him perfectly, and the stitching can be seen - it’s very neat. The furs are mainly large hoofed mammals such as deer, elk, and yak. For the most part he doesn’t have any accessories or jewelry. But he does have four wooden-carved rings. The largest is on his left ring finger, carved with a small figure of a woman and small vine patterns. Two smaller rings are on his middle and pointer fingers, bearing images of boys and with similar decoration. The last is incredibly small and thin, on his pinkie. It has no person on it but does have twisting vines. Bjorn also has a low-quality leather belt on which he keeps an eating knife, small wooden cup, small amount of medical supplies, and a small bag of dried meat. He has a low-quality leather quiver as well, and his bow and arrows are fairly well-made but definitely not top-notch. His bow is a longbow, often slung across his back. It’s made of yew, with a leather grip and curved lower limb, and a hemp string. The bow is plain, with no designs carved into it, and is a light sandy red. The arrows are made of aspen, with bone and antler arrowheads and goose feather fletching.
Personality
Bjorn, in general, is a person who prefers to be alone. Well, not totally alone, though he does need his personal space. Alone in the sense that he has only a few close people with him, no large crowds and no excessive interaction with people he barely knows. Maybe that was why he chose to be a ranger - so he could live on the outskirts of civilization, with only his wife and two sons to keep him company. When forced to interact with people, he’s not exactly shy - he’s a bit awkward and reclusive, but he doesn’t go out of his way to avoid talking to people. He’s not too talkative, but when asked a question or engaged in conversation he talks just about as much as anyone else. It’s just that he’s not often the one to initiate such interactions. He doesn’t volunteer himself for things like that, and usually when he goes to town to buy supplies he can’t get at home he just makes some small talk and moves on. He considers being friends with someone a big commitment, and won’t be friends with just anyone. They have to be as devoted to the friendship as he’s going to be.
Bjorn has a generally intimidating feel about him. Maybe it’s his incredible height, his more serious personality, his muscular build. Maybe it’s because he’s a ranger, and he’s a little uncivilized. Maybe it’s his quiet nature. People tend to be nervous around him, and sometimes he can get people to do what he wants without doing anything but just standing there. He’s very physically strong, and is knowledgeable about all things nature and survival. He was taught how to use a bow and arrow a long time ago, and it’s something he finds both enjoyable and practical. He’s a very good hunter, and his relationship with animals and nature is an interesting one. While he respects all aspects of nature, he has no qualms whatsoever about doing things like cutting down trees and killing animals. He doesn’t keep livestock, because he’s all about giving that sporting chance, but he keeps animals for labor and as pets. He has his rationale for this, and to him his life and the way he lives make perfect sense.
Bjorn’s a bit rough around the edges, socially especially. He’s a roughin’-it kind of guy, and he likes his life with a few good people and a lot of good hunting. He’s a man of simple tastes, though he doesn’t scorn anything fancy or elegant - in fact, he’s quite fond of it in small doses. He’s just content with what he has. He’s glad he lived his life the way he did, and he likes it the way it is now. He wouldn’t change anything if he could. Sure, his manners aren’t up to par, his education is pretty poor, and his job lacks glamor and respect, but at least he’s happy. That’s all he could imagine wanting, and he doesn’t understand people who do things that make them unhappy. He can understand doing it out of a sense of duty, or out of necessity, but no other reasons.
Although not terribly interested in leaving his wife and cozy home to train new apprentices, Bjorn is determined to give it his 100%. He didn’t really want to be training them in the first place, but if this is what he has to do, by gosh, he’s going to do it. Even if they’re hard to control and don’t pay as much attention as he’d like. While he’s not eager to be training any novices, he knows it’s important that they get good training - they’re the rangers of the future, after all. He’s already trained his two boys, and it was no easy feat, either. He’s very proud of the way they turned out. He tends to be incredibly proud of young people, no matter what they do. He wants to hear about their dreams and aspirations, and likes the idea that they have their whole lives ahead of them, to make up as they go. He respects young people who know what they want to do, even if that thing is just trying different things out to see what’s best for them.
Despite his more serious nature which he displays to those he doesn’t know well, he has a much softer side he shows to those he loves. He’s incredibly awkward, which makes some people uncomfortable and some amused. He’s not great at expressing closeness, but he gives it his all. He has a great big genuine smile, and when he’s happy, he’s fully and openly happy. When Bjorn is enthusiastic about something, he doesn’t care who knows how excited he is. Things he does, he does with all of his heart. When forced to interact with people for extended periods of time, he makes an effort to bond with them and get to know them. He doesn’t fully understand youth, but he tries hard to be able to relate to them. He listens to them, and he tries to talk to them about their lives beyond work. He doesn’t seem touchy-feely at first, but in fact he’s very affectionate with his family and close friends. He gets very attached to people, and may ask rather invasive personal questions out of curiosity - mostly about a person’s thoughts on themselves, their past, and morals. He just wonders how other people view the world, and how that point of view came to be. Things that others may wonder to themselves he simply says out loud.
Bjorn is a pretty tolerant person, and fairly open-minded. He may have pledged to keep Outcasts out of the kingdom, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a grudge against them. His job isn’t to catch criminals, nor to judge who deserves punishment. He knows a lot of criminals began their life of crime because of difficult circumstances and doesn’t agree with every law. He does wonder, though, how people justify harming others to help themselves. This is one point of view he can’t begin to comprehend. He makes it a general rule not to break the law, but might do so in dire circumstances. Bjorn’s tolerance, however, does not mean that he’s a pushover. While he’s fine with different types of people who have different lifestyles, he’s not fine with people who harm others only for pleasure or out of spite. And he’s not fine with letting himself be pushed around. He can get confrontational quickly, and usually he doesn’t have to do much to get people to back off - he’s a big guy. He’s alright with being insulted - up to a point - and knows when he’s being pushed, but he can’t stand for blatant cruelty towards him, his friends, or his family. He also reacts quickly to physical threats, and doesn’t bother trying to de-escalate before turning to intimidation. He could probably fight if he had to - he’s trained for it, after all - but in most interactions he chooses to rely on his image and avoid fighting.
How many other novice rangers have you trained?
Bjorn has been assigned to train a novice one other time - the two still keep in touch. He’s also trained both of his sons, one of whom became a ranger, though that doesn’t really count.
Why are you on this quest?
Well, Bjorn didn’t really want to come on the quest. His apprentices ran off, and he had to go after them. He was convinced to stick around and help out with the quest.
What do you think your worth is to the team?
Bjorn is a talented ranger, and he knows a fair bit about the Outlands, having lived near them for so much of his life. He knows how to survive difficult terrain and climate, and he can hunt, repair wounds, and craft simple items.
What does your character think about themselves?
Bjorn is okay with himself, and with his role in life. He’s happy living near the border with his wife, and he’s proud of the two sons he raised. He’s glad that he chose the profession he did, and he knows his family loves him for who he is.
How observant are you?
What with his job and the fact that he and his wife are self-sustaining near the border, Bjorn needs to be very observant. He has keen eyesight, and relies on his other senses as well. He’s always on the alert, ready to shoot down a deer or stop an Outcast trying to get over the border. But socially, Bjorn is quite a lot less observant. He doesn’t really notice things about people, and if they have secrets, he’s not the kind who can figure them out. He’d be fairly easy to trick or to lie to.
Have you broken any laws?
He may have fallen short of his family motto once or twice, might have left with a thing or two that weren't really his, but he’s never broken any laws to the extent that he would be considered a criminal. He’s not much of a law-breaking type.
What is your view on the Country Values?
Bjorn very much likes the idea of honor, of respect for all living beings and doing to others what you would have them do to you. He’s also fond of the idea of honesty, and generally strives to be honest in all he does, though he might tell harmless lies to save himself. He’s always been bored by history - his mother was a history buff, the kind who cried every time somebody mentioned arson. She was totally into it, and so Bjorn eventually lost interest.
Family
Mother: Mariana Einar
Father: Vetle Einar
Brother: Brodir Einar
Sister: Frida Einar
Maternal Grandmother: Lucilla Woolf
Uncle: Val Woolf
Wife: Muirenn Einar
Eldest Son: Ronan Einar
Youngest Son: Suni Einar
Bjorn’s family were all commoners, not too badly off but not wealthy either. Bjorn was the oldest of his siblings: he had a younger sister and a young brother. Unfortunately, his sister didn’t make it past the age of three. His father died at the same time. Mariana decided to ask her brother Val, who was twenty-seven and still unmarried, to help her with the household. Though rather unorthodox, this helped to stabilize things. Val raised Bjorn and taught him for the most part, but was disowned by Bjorn’s furious grandmother when he got to thirty-five and still wasn’t married. Bjorn met his wife when he was training to be a ranger, and they got married pretty quickly. Their first son was born when Bjorn was twenty-two, the second when he was twenty-five. He trained both of them and sent them off when they came of age. One is a ranger, not yet married, and one is a woodworker with a wife.
Affiliations
Ranger Trainer: Walter Runds
Ex-Trainee: Aedan Koyle
Current Trainee: Agnar Solefair
Current Trainee: Raywen Aevynar
History
For the most part, people don’t know too much about Bjorn: they just haven’t had the chance to ask. But his story seems pretty straightforward. His dad and sister died when he was young, leaving his mom to find help. She asked her unmarried younger brother, and he stepped in and helped to run the household and teach Bjorn and Brodir. Bjorn learned a lot about woodworking, but ultimately chose to follow a path as a ranger. Before he left, his grandmother disowned his uncle and he was marked an Outcast. Bjorn was trained by the ranger Walter Runds, and while he was training, he met his future wife, Muirenn. They courted for a bit, and got married fairly quickly. Bjorn completed his training and moved near the border with his wife. They built themselves a home and had two sons, who Bjorn trained and raised to adulthood. Anything else that needs to be known about him can be learned by asking him.
Other
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RP example
https://wolfplaygame.com/forums.php?f=18&t=75031
How active do you expect of yourself to be in this RP?
I’ll be able to meet the activity requirements, but probably won’t exceed them.
How willing are you to do research for this?
I’m willing to do a lot of research! I love doing research for historical RPs! I don’t have a ton of time, but I already know a fair amount about the medieval times anyway.
Winter 
Night 
Blizzard Moon: 
