Deer Country Application

[lludw]

Character Base

Now updated for 2022!

• Character Name: Lucius Artorius Castus, commonly known as Askeladd (note: I'll be using "Askeladd" a lot throughout this application since that's what he's almost exclusively called in canon, but in game he will be taking the opportunity to use his real name)
• Age: 12 at original canon point, 13 in Deer Country
• Canon (Date/Year Released)/Canon Point: Vinland Saga (manga: 2014/anime: 2019) / flashbacks to his childhood most prominently featured in volume 4 of the U.S. release/episode 22
• Items Coming Along: 1 set of clothes, a sword.
• Content Warnings for Character: Viking-era slavery, child neglect/abuse/labor related to the former, family history of sexual abuse also related to the first warning (unlikely to come up or be plainly stated, but he is a child of rape)

Character Background

• History: wiki
• Core Relationships:

Lydia: Just about anything that's good in the world, in Askeladd's view, is related to his mother Lydia. Any true kindness, any hope, any love - it all comes from her. All the affection he received, up until moving into his father's house and "befriending" his half-brothers, came from her. His father never bothered to give his bastard a name, but his mother named him. Lucius Artorius Castus, the name of their heroic ancestor. She taught him her language (it's reasonable to assume both Norse and Welsh are his primary languages, based on his later use of Welsh). She taught him the legends and history of her people, and made it clear that they're his people too. That connection to a place and a people that aren't the terrible circumstances and people he's regularly surrounded by, a tie with weight and significance, is a huge driving force in Askeladd's life. Before he even goes to Wales, he considers it his homeland. After all, he's only at home when he's with his mother.

His relationship with her isn't a straightforward parent-child one, though. Due to Lydia's consistently failing health (physical followed by mental), in terms of real-world concerns like providing food Askeladd became her caretaker from a very young age. He is deeply protective of her, both physically and in wanting her to have the respect she deserves (even in his 40s, someone referring to the fact his mother must have been some mere slave will really piss him off). One of the first things he will end up doing after killing his father is taking his mother home to Wales, so that she will at least be able to spend her last days treated well, at home.


Olaf: Askeladd's primary goals in life at this point are 1) to murder his father in revenge for everything that's been done to his mother and 2) to do that when he's at a point where he can not only safely get away with that murder but also get a decent inheritance out of it. A part of Askeladd used to long for his father's approval, desiring that recognition from the person who mattered most in his environment. But any trace of that, if it's still there, has been completely overwhelmed by pure hatred. Askeladd hates his father for the man's abuse of his mother. But Askeladd's hatred also comes from seeing Olaf as a symbol of everything terrible about the Danes.

The Danes trample over, kill, or take anything and anyone without any thought. They focus on base activities like fighting and drinking, with no regard for any of the history or beauty that might be around them, and laud each other for it. They abuse others and then cast them off. Olaf is a typical Dane. And Askeladd has absolutely no second thoughts about the plan to kill him.

He is getting close to his father, dutifully performing the tasks set for him (and doing well at them) and showing the expected gratitude for being saved from his life of slavery. All of this, though, is simply to enable him to reach his goal of revenge. Askeladd knows how to live a lie, for as long a time as it's useful.


his half-brothers: Askeladd's legitimate half-brothers are never named in canon and have a minimal presence, but I think it's important to mention them here because his behavior with them establishes a pattern that he'll keep for the rest of his life when dealing with people he casually despises. Which is...most (non-Welsh) people, in his canon environment.

He gets along well with them. He ingratiates himself not only with his father, who he is actually targeting for revenge, but with his brothers. He does his training with them, jokes with them, seeks their approval as well as his father's. Because it's useful. If they like you, you learn things about them. They'll do things for you. You can use them. And he will use one of them - as a scapegoat for his father's murder.

It's in spending time with his brothers that Askeladd really starts to develop the casual, friendly facade he uses for most of his life. He's just another one of you guys! It's part of how comprehensively he will lie to achieve his goals, and part of how he changes his presentation and approach to become what people want to see in particular situations. Once he gets to his feet in Deer Country, this will likely be the persona Askeladd uses while feeling out what kind of people his fellow Sleepers are. It never hurts to build up some goodwill from people, whether or not they prove to be someone you can like.

• Summary of CRAU Impact: Lucius will be retaining his memories of his previous time in Deer Country.

Character Personality Through Key Moments

Positive:
Mother's stories:

Of the things Lydia passed down to her son, perhaps the most impactful were legends from her Welsh homeland. She loved to tell stories. And her favorites, returned to again and again, were the tales of their great ancestor Artorius. As Lydia told it, Artorius was a Roman general, but one who lived in harmony with the local Celtic people and who drove back more destructive invaders. A paragon of nobility, and a protector their people. She believed in the legend that Artorius had not died, but was instead recovering from his wounds in the mystical paradise of Avalon. One day, he would return from the west and save Britannia once again. She instructed Lucius on what to do upon the hero's return. "When that time comes, you must serve him, my son. He is a warrior and a true king. Be his wisdom. Be his sword."

These stories gave Lucius a sense of purpose beyond the drudgery of his everyday existence. It instilled in him a pride in what he considered his true homeland and people. And it gave him a goal - to protect that homeland, just as his ancestor had done. Although he does lose his faith in Artorius ever returning (or at least most of it), throughout his life he never really loses faith in what these stories represent. He will always do what he can to protect Wales. And even if he can't serve Artorius, he can try to find "a warrior and a true king" and help that person in an effort to make the world better - a place where some of the beauty and kindness that has left it can exist again.


Negative:
Life as a slave:

Olaf did not name his bastards. And a slave child, especially, was not going to get any courtesy. Whether or not Lucius and his mother ever tried to insist on people calling him by his true name, the people on his father's estate gave him a nickname instead. He was always covered in gray ash, dirt, and other debris from completing the dirtiest menial tasks at the blacksmith's and in the stables. So he came to be called "Askeladd" - "ashen boy." Even when he entered his father's house, he remained "Askeladd." There's no forgetting his origins.

A slave, of course, doesn't get a childhood. His job, from essentially the age he could be trusted to lift tools, was to shovel out the horse's stalls, to clear ash out of furnaces, to pump bellows and chop wood. All while sleeping in the stables, which his mother had been banished to after falling out of favor. From one scene, it appears that he either shared or flat-out gave some of their meager food supply to his mother. Since Lydia herself was too sick to work, it's likely Askeladd was entirely responsible for getting that food in the first place.

As a slave, Askeladd learned to keep his head down. Don't cause trouble. Do what you're expected to, even if it's awful work. Be what you're expected to be by the people around you, even if you know that's not what you are. He had some curiosity about the world, but mostly he was focused on the task of ensuring his and his mother's survival.


It can be two things:
That time Olaf almost killed Lydia and what happened as a result:

The greatest turning point in Askeladd's life happened when he was 11. His mother, delusional, wandered out into the main thoroughfare on the estate and adoringly fell on her knees before his father, who she mistook for the returned Artorius. Olaf's reaction was to draw his sword, intending to kill this nuisance. Askeladd saw all this unfolding from the blacksmith's, where he was working. He later says of this moment that it's when he realized "Someone has to do it. Not a hero, not a god - just someone." If there's a threat or a problem, you can't wait on a savior or stick to societal codes. You have to act, on your own. So Askeladd, who'd never held a sword before, picked one up and got between his father and his mother. In spite of his inexperience, he was able to fend his father off for long enough to impress the man. As a result, Olaf invited Askeladd to join his household, becoming a recognized son and given training and opportunity accordingly.

This event caused Askeladd's loss of faith in the hero ever returning, and crystalized a good deal of his anger at the Danes and the current state of the world. He becomes more cynical, readier to use violence to achieve his aims. The loss of a chunk of his idealism in this moment contributes to how much he will later be willing to use any means for his desired ends. And joining his father's house means integrating with Danish society, which, while useful, also means joining in or turning a blind eye to practices he hates. As an adult, Askeladd hates himself, because he's fully aware that he's part of the problem. He's not a noble person - he's too vengeful (among other sins) for that.

But the event was also beneficial. Suddenly, Askeladd was given opportunity. His expression following his father's invitation shifts rapidly from anger to calculation. He's a very intelligent person who can find a way to use just about anything and anyone around him, and he immediately sees the ways he can use this to achieve things. He can learn how to fight. He can learn how to fit into higher strata of Danish society. He can obtain the wealth and skill needed to go to Wales, to maintain a better standard of living, to gain status. And he can get revenge. Askeladd appreciates knowledge, and he can gain much more of it now. And he enjoys getting one over on others, concocting a plan and playing it out to further his own goals.

Deer Country Attributes

• Canon Powers: Some training in swordsmanship, archery, horseback riding. But that's it - he's just a human.
• Blood Type: Coldblood
• Omen: Gyrfalcon (white morph)
• Blessed Day: December 21
• Patron Pthumerian: Dorothea
• Blood Power Manifestation:
Object creation: Askeladd will be able to use his blood to create objects made of ice, which can only be broken or melted through the use of other blood-based powers (fire from another Coldblood, corrosion caused by Vileblood poison, etc.). At first, he'll only be able to create bladed weapons. It's a pretty easy shape and will come naturally to him, as well as representing how deeply he believes he needs weapons in order to get anywhere in the world. Eventually, with experimentation, he'll be able to create other things, such as tools. Due to, you know, requiring blood to create everything will be pretty small by necessity. He'll have to keep adding onto a small object in order to make larger ones.

Environmental temperature: When he's upset or angry, the temperature in the area immediately surrounding Askeladd will increase. The more intense the feelings, the higher the heat. With training he will be able to control this. Similarly, if he's calm, he will be able to cool his environment.

Creation and control of fire: Once he gains control over his ability to increase temperature, he'll find that also translates into power over fire. He'll be able to light or extinguish a fire, and keep a large blaze going over little fuel with concentration. This will expend mental and emotional energy, so trying to do things like keeping a campfire going all night might eventually make him pass out. Eventually he'd also be able to create a fire out of nothing but air, but that will take more energy to start and maintain than a fire with physical fuel.

Freezing: Similarly, controlling his ability to decrease temperature will allow him to freeze liquids and objects. This is much less draining than fire, but also more limited in terms of size, with the upper limit being around freezing a pitcher full of water.

Writing Samples

One: Post from June (cw: slight transformation body horror)
Two: Thread started in September (cw: animal attack)

The Player

• Player Name: Orlando
• Player Age: 34
• Player Contact: paperbacks
• Permissions: Here

Other Characters

Link to Character 1 overall AC: Fakir

Comments

Corruption Guide (Under Construction)

[lludw]

Low

At low levels of corruption, Askeladd's primary symptom is increased paranoia. Which...does not change things much, but does make him both more likely and less likely to seek others out. He will spend more time alone, possibly going back to sleeping in a shed or abandoned houses part of the time. But when he's not alone, he will try to ingratiate himself to others even more. He's a firm believer in "keep your enemies closer," and as he grows more corrupt he grows more convinced that almost anyone could be an enemy.

Spending enough time with others, particularly those he actually likes or views as reliable in some way, will be enough to turn this around. Good food is also a help here.


Hmmm

At this stage, Lucius begins to have physical symptoms along with the paranoia. Always a light sleeper who can get by on pretty little rest, he develops notable insomnia on top of that. His finger and toenails take on the smoky light blue color of his own Coldblood, and their edges become razor-sharp. His resting body temperature drops. Touching him results in a "get your cold feet off me!" feeling.

Serious conversation with people he trusts the most (a...relative matter) and/or about the things he most values can help him correct course. Meaningful acts of genuine kindness may also sway him. His Omen Emrys may also encourage this, either by pushing the boy himself or telling others that he's worried.


Don't Like That

Now, he starts to develop more pronounced physical symptoms. Areas of his skin transform into what looks like smoky blue snake scales. But beware of touching them, because somehow every edge is exceedingly sharp. His body temperature drops further, becoming colder than should be possible for any human who's moving around with ease. He will seek to spend a great deal of time alone, favoring abandoned or ruined places where he can poke around and brood.

Getting through to him at this point requires dedicated effort, a whole campaign of conversation and kindness.


Yikes

Some of the physical symptoms shift completely into the other direction. The scales spread further, and over time become orange. Where before he was extremely cold, now his temperature is too hot, as if every part of him is suffering from an acute fever. His finger and toenails become outright claws. He snaps at everyone and everything, and will get into a fight at a moment's notice. He's happy to take his hair-trigger temper out on whatever is around.

Unsurprisingly, at this stage Lucius is actively hostile towards those who try to intervene. If you want to seriously talk to him, you're going to have to literally fight him first. But at least Emrys will help you?


Beasthood

The Beast Lucius is a red dragon the size of a horse. As a dragon, his body is hot enough that anything he touches directly gets singed or burned. He can breathe out streams of flame with pinpoint accuracy. And he will use that, because if you get near him he will get angry. Yet, if no one and nothing is bothering him, he doesn't chose to rampage around the countryside burning things down. Instead, he'll find a high spot with a good view overlooking the sea and lie there, apparently despondent.

He cannot be talked out of full beasthood. Even though he is less destructive than he could be, he is far too hostile to people. It may, though, be possible to get the drop on him to put him out of his misery, if you're careful.