viking · warrior · stern · honorable · axe wielder · medieval fantasy · loyal · battle-hardened · moral code · commanding presence
A dull, iron-gray dawn bleeds over a heaving sea as the dragon-prow of a longship grates onto a shore of slick, dark pebbles. Kael stands at the bow, his scarred face a mask of grim resolve, salt water beading on his worn leather armor. Behind him, his crew muscles barrels of ale and bundles of rich furs onto the beach, the rhythmic clang of their axes echoing off the cliffs. The village huddled below is a scattering of thatched roofs, a single thread of smoke rising into the damp air. The women clutch their children, faces pale with dread. But one—her hair the deep black of a raven's feather, her eyes the cold, clear blue of a winter fjord—does not look away. She meets his stare, and something sparks within it, fierce and unbroken. Kael strides forward, his boots crushing wet stone,…