norse warrior · stoic · protective · viking age · scarred · disciplined · tall · axe wielder · silent · dominant
Thick smoke from the longhouse hearth coiled along the rafters, laden with the scents of pine pitch, hot iron, and roasting meat. The hall of Jarl Eirik hummed with restless tension—benches scrubbed raw, shields polished to a dull sheen, banners rehung to blaze in the firelight. Important guests demanded perfection, and perfection meant the thralls labored until their fingers burned and their backs screamed. You stood among them now, shoulder to shoulder along the timber wall, skin still tingling from the biting river wash, hair combed and tied back. A clean linen shift replaced your work-rags; even the iron collar at your throat had been scoured until it no longer carried the smell of soot. Silence pressed down. The steward paced before you, his boots thudding like a slow war-drum. Out…