Helgi Fjotlisson

Key-Bearer Helgi Fjotlisson, the Burning Flame (a.k.a. Sigrún's Chair)

You know what? Sigrún can keep him.

— an angry friend

Helgi Fjotlisson is one of the legendary heroes and founders of Volkur, renowned across Iskaldhal for his adventuring exploits. He took a step back from adventuring in 5584 to help handle the complexities of Volkur's rulership, and after the birth of his son in 5612, retired from the adventuring life entirely.
This is not to say Helgi has become idle as the years have stretched on. The former human spends the majority of his days learning how to bake and play the Iskaldhan tuba, and teaching their nation's teenagers how to get out of interesting and often absurd situations - often by taking their teacher hostage and requiring them to rescue said teacher.
Considering that most of the combat tutors in Volkur are either former adventuring friends of his or the descendants of his friends, this usually ends in hilarity for all involved.

Physical Description

General Physical Condition

Despite no longer hiking up mountains or wrestling dragons for entertainment, Helgi has maintained his musculature. Standing at 7'9, he towers over even his partner-of-sorts, Sigrún Runasdottir, and moves with a surprising swiftness in his step that comes in very handy when dealing with runaway children. Due to the odd demon taint he developed in the Abyss, his body temperature is always too high for a human, and his horns tend to glow ember-red in the darkness.

Identifying Characteristics

Tends to stand out in a crowd for a number of reasons. Pick one:

• 7'9
• Glowing demon horns
• Massive beard with golden accessories
• Glowing demon forehead gem thing that he refuses to answer questions about
• Usually shirtless
• Often being very loud
• Glowing demon eyes
• Historically-accurate kilt-wearing
• Pretty terrifying scars

Special abilities

Helgi is an oracle, meaning the gods gifted him with the ability to tap into divine magic at the penalty of suffering under an unremovable curse. He is, more specifically, an oracle of battle, and is fully capable of both charging into combat with his trusty hammer and promptly healing himself up when he inevitably gets hit. He doesn't like to talk about the curse.
As a demon-tainted individual, Helgi also has a number of intriguing powers linked to the Abyss, ranging from but not limited to the ability to sprout demonic wings, call down areas of darkness, and set things on fire. He often does the latter by accident.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Look, it's not my fault weird shit happens to me! It just happens! Hey, want a cupcake, by the way? Just iced these yesterday.

— Helgi

Helgi was born into a mercantile family in Restruja, over on the eastern coast of Iskaldhal. His family quickly learnt that he had a propensity for numbers and haggling and, being the middle child of five, he found task upon task piled onto him in hopes that he would help his elder brother and sister when his parents passed away. He enjoyed the work, and at 16 years old, set off on a ship to Terenholt on the continent of Valathe, far away from his home.
Seeing the foreign shores lit a flame inside him, and he was almost excited when the ship was attacked by pirates on the way back to Restruja. The pirates took over the ship and seemed to have every intent of sailing to the flesh-markets of the Medimian Empire - at which point fear finally set in, and he panicked, prayed to every deity he could think of, and lashed out at the man that went to knock his flailing self out.
Not many get to discover their magical abilities in such explosive situations.
Luckily for the apparently-an-oracle, the pirates had sailed into airship territory, and the flare of light he'd unintentionally caused baited a rescue. It was on the very awkward trip back to Restruja, hanging out in the cargo bay of an adventuring airship originally hailing from Volkur that he met Sigrún Runasdottir. She bullied him the entire trip back, and laughed in his face when he asked if he could join their band instead of returning to his family.
Three years and one dramatic runaway from home later, Helgi had his own adventuring band, and it'd run straight into Sigrún's. The fresh-faced adventurers jumped into a fight versus a clockwork dragon that was about to shred Sigrún's friend into confetti and despite being drastically underpowered, turned the tides. She hadn't forgotten him, and he hadn't forgotten her - at the feast they held after returning safe, they caught up, and the adventuring groups merged.
They adventured for a year before another stroke of bad luck slammed into Helgi - literally, this time. Whilst busting a group of possessed smugglers in the Iceflows near Sjarvaldir, a hail of bullets shot through all of Helgi's defences. That was his first death, and the one that had him swiftly reincarnate into a gnome thanks to the druidic magics of Anssi Laatikainen. He wasn't mad.

You know? This isn't so bad. I get a really good view of... things... from down here!

— Helgi, six seconds before being knocked unconscious

He remained a gnome for thirty long years - not because he stayed alive, as adventuring was a dangerous business but earnt enough to pay for resurrection spells, but because his friends were assholes who refused to use Reincarnate on him again. It was only during an attempt to cull some of the more dangerous leakages of demonic magic from the area around the Heartforge of Iskaldhal that he lost his gnomish status and regained his height, after he convinced a succubus to restore him to his original form through creative and likely inappropriate means. This nearly ended very badly for him, as the succubus decided to keep him and dragged him straight to the Abyss. By the time his friends found him, he was no longer a gnome - but nor was he a human. The flame-red taint of the Abyss had changed him.
Sigrún Runasdottir wolf-whistled, Helgi made a joke about being literally horny, and most people assume their son was conceived very shortly after.

Failures & Embarrassments

His greatest self-admitted failure is that he's an abysmal cook. He can bake perfectly well - not quite to Clancy Foodle's standards, but not everyone can be a deity of baking - but the moment he tries to cook non-baked goods, the stove is likely to catch fire.
More seriously, he has had a number of horrific incidents occur over his adventuring career. He has died many times, with five deaths requiring more involved resurrections. He has lost fights and been trapped with horrific creatures, requiring a rescue attempt from his friends and allies. The failings that stick with him are not his own, however: the death screams of his dearest friends haunt his nightmares.

Social

Family Ties

Maintains cordial relationships with his family, though many of them have passed away and left children in their wake now. They continue to run their mercantile business, though have moved from Restruja to Volkur now thanks to Helgi's influence.
Helgi has one son, Magni Sigrúnson, that he fathered with Sigrún Runasdottir. Though the two are not married, they do get along brilliantly and consider themselves wonderful co-parents. Their relationship, if one can be said to exist, is very much open - Sigrún has especially been known to bring her favourite adventuring friends back to Helgi for a weekend.

Religious Views

Respects that the gods exist and prays to them when it's convenient to him, but otherwise prefers to roll with the punches. It helps that he can sometimes see flickers of what said punches are.

Alignment

Chaotic Neutral

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Key-Bearer of Volkur

Currently Held Titles

• Key-Bearer of Volkur

Birthplace

Restruja

Current Residence

Volkur

Gender

Male

Aligned Organization

Volkur