Ethulwulf
Sir Ethulwulf
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
At 5'5" and 141lbs, Ethelwulf seems disproportionately small compared to the axe he holds. However, his muscular frame seems more than capable of wielding the mighty weapon, which he nonchalantly carries with the ease of a trained soldier. His weatherbeaten skin suggests a long tour of duty patrolling the Albion frontier. Though only 18, his eyes look far older and you sense something troubles him.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
My name is Ethelwulf, only son of Ethelred. I never knew my mother as she died giving birth to me and my father never spoke of her. I grew up in the village of Waymeet, central hub of the Kingdom of Albion.
My father had an important job - he was an executioner serving the Sheriff of Waymeet.
As I grew up, I asked my father about his work, whether it bothered him - all the killing. He assured me it was a blessed task, for he was removing evil from the world. Only the most dastardly villains and murderous criminals were executed. My father took great pride in dispatching them from the world of the living.
Of course it was only natural that I trained in the art of execution, serving an apprenticeship to my father. It's not as easy as it looks, wielding such a large axe, and tiring as well. I learned all the litanies and blessings by heart, that must be recited before, during and after any execution.
It was not an easy life however. The role of an executioner is not one appreciated by the common folk - especially not by the families of those who were executed. My father confided in me that there were several executioners living in Waymeet and that only the Sheriff knew them all. It was always kept a secret as to which executioner was on duty at any given time, to maintain a veil of anonymity.
Thus I grew up living a double life. My father spent much of his time tending crops on his allotment. Perhaps his neighbours wondered how he managed to make ends meet.
Then came my 17th birthday. I was not yet old enough to complete my apprenticeship yet I was old enough to serve a year's military service. It was the first time I had spent time away from my father and it was difficult at first. My company served in the lands around Eastward. My role was as a scout, and the veterans there taught me many subtle ways to kill a man - specifically those from Honshu, who raided our borders.
My year in the army flew by and I made my triumphant homecoming. However, terrible events had occurred in my absence. I found my home abandoned and derelict and my father gone. Distraught, I made enquiries but was met by ashen-faced silence and shrugs.
Later that night, I was approached by old Athelstan, who made candles for a living. I discovered that he was a former executioner and had trained my father. He told me of a awful miscarriage of justice.
Baron Godwin had ridden down and killed a seamstress on a bridge between Waymeet and his land holdings. There were many witnesses and Sheriff Maitland had the Baron arrested on charges of murder. The Baron was found guilty and sentenced to death. On the day of the execution, a huge crowd gathered, as it was such a rare sight to see a member of the nobility in such a position.
Of course my father was selected as executioner on that fateful day. At noon precisely, he brought his axe crashing down and decapitated the Baron with a single blow. Mere minutes later, the Baron's son fought his way through the crowd, clutching in his hand title deeds proving that the bridge belonged to the Baron and hence was exempt from the law. But it was too late, the huge crowds had delayed him till after the fateful moment.
In the controversy that followed, my father was arrested and charged with the murder of the Baron, though he had only been doing his job. Extensive legal wrangling began and continue to this day. In the meantime my father was placed in the King's dungeon in Littlebrook, awaiting a verdict. Sheriff Maitland was less fortunate, as he was swiftly tried and executed himself for his role in the fiasco.
After telling that story, Athelstan presented me with a gift. It was my father's own execution axe which Athelstan had recovered and set aside for me.
So now here I find myself, sat in the Waymeet Inn, homeless and without a family, contemplating my future. My immediate concern is a lack of money for living expenses. At some point I would like to complete my apprenticeship and take up the role of executioner, as my father before me. But first I wish to investigate the circumstances of my father's arrest, as parts of what I heard sounded distinctly underhand. But most of all I hope there is some way I can get my father pardoned and released. Perhaps if I were to impress a noble with great deeds of some kind they might be persuaded to plea my case before the King.
Thankfully I still have friends I grew up with, along with companions from my year of military duty, perhaps they can help me.
Current Location
Species
Ethnicity
Life
636 AR
657 AR
21 years old
Circumstances of Death
Killed by cultists of The Demon Prince
Place of Death
Children
Gender
Male
Aligned Organization