Harald

Harald was the oldest son of King Halfdan of Tonsberg and his wife Elisif. He was the heir to Tonsberg, and he was raised to be such from an early age. He was taught all the things young boys learned(farming, building, fishing, hunting, and fighting), but would also sit with his father and listen to complaints. By the time he was twenty his father would sometimes let him pass judgement on the cases heard, and by the time he was twenty-five he would pass judgement on a majority, if not all of the cases. The people of Tonsberg always found him to be a just, and honorable man who passed judgement fairly.

He was always close to his siblings, but none more-so than his bastard half-brother, Ubbe. The two were only seven months apart in age, and grew up right along side each other, much to Elisif's dismay. The two were several years older than Harald's next youngest, surviving, legitimate brother, and so they only really had each other to spar and play fight in earnest with. And when they got older, they would both go raiding together. No matter what, the brothers had each other's backs.

It was on one such raiding mission that Harald had gotten bad news. He had just plundered a rich monastery in the western lands and was loading the boats up with treasure when a small vessel pulled up. The crew informed Harald that Jarl Angantyr had attacked Tonsberg, had burned King Halfdan and his family in the great hall, and no proclaimed himself King of Tonsberg. Harald immediately told Ubbe about it, and the two plotted to get their revenge.

They took their raiding warriors to Birka and asked King Sigurd to help them get their lands back from the usurper, Jarl Angantyr. King Sigurd agreed to supply them with five ships full of warriors on their mission. It was during this stay in Birka that he met Gyda, the beautiful daughter of King Sigurd. She acted as Lady of the Household and passed the mead horn around to each of their honored guests. As the night wore on, he couldn't stop admiring her beauty, her grace, her kindness.

But first, he had to win back his kingdom.

Harald, Ubbe, and their small army of Tonsberg raiders and Birka warriors went to Tonsberg where they engaged in battle against Angantyr. It was a long and gruesome battle in which they lost a quarter of their numbers, but they managed to overtake the usurper and kill him. Harald was praised for liberating the city folk from the oppressive rule of Angantyr, and instantly made King of Tonsberg.

His first order of business was to rebuild the great hall. With hard work and expert craftsmen, they built a larger and more beautiful hall than the one that had stood before it. When that project came closer and closer to completion, Harald found it difficult to keep his mind off Gyda. He couldn't stop thinking about how he would need a Lady of the Household, and how admirably she performed in Birka. He also couldn't stop thinking about her smile, and her soft lips, and her shapely figure...

And so he sailed back to Birka with Ubbe to personally thank King Sigurd for his aid, providing thank-you gifts of gold and jewels they had taken from the monastery they had just sacked. He also asked King Sigurd for Gyda's hand in marriage, offering a sizeable brides price. The King looked to his daughter, who nodded her approval, and the King agreed. Harald was the happiest he'd ever been. He almost couldn't wait until the next spring to get married(as it was already autumn, and travel over the winter was not wise). But there was still work to be done before then.

Harald's next order of business was to rebuild and fortify the city against any further attacks, his future wife would be well protected at all times. They built a great rampart around the city in this time while he was waiting for the marriage.

But over the winter a woman stumbled upon his door. Harald didn't know where she came from, only that she was half frozen and needed help. He instructed the thralls to warm her up in a bath, get her into dry clothes and get her some warm soup. Later that evening after she had been cared for, Harald met with her. Her name was Vigdis, and there was something about her that drew him in. He couldn't help but to want to get to know her more. The two stayed up by the fire in the Great Hall all night long, talking about anything and everything, laughing and making jokes.

But when morning came, and even though nothing happened between him and Vigdis, he felt guilt at it. His mind was back on Gyda, and the excitement about his future with her. He had women who were married to some of his warriors coming to him begging to sew his wedding clothes, until finally he relented and picked someone just to get them to stop pestering him about it. Ubbe always laughed at Harald's frustration at wedding plans, knowing he much more preferred making battle plans.

But in the evening, he found himself enthralled by Vigdis and her thoughts and ideas and stories again. Day after day he thought about Gyda, but evening after evening he spent with Vigdis. Finally, one day he grew frustrated with the wedding plans and shouted at everyone the wedding was off, shooing them all away from him. After he had calmed down, he wasn't sure why he had said the things he did. Vigdis then came in to help calm him down, and Harald knew... he knew why he shouted that the wedding was off. He wanted Vigdis.

He gave into his wants that night, and the next morning sent Ubbe in small ship to Birka to inform them the wedding was off. Ubbe questioned him about it, but Harald said his mind was made up. From that moment on, Harald was all about Vigdis. She sat in as Lady of the House and served their guests. She officiated sacrifices for the ceremonies as well, for Harald was impressed by how much she knew about the Gods. But what he was most impressed with was what happened between them at night.

Ubbe returned, and when Harald asked how they took the breaking of the engagement, Ubbe informed him that Gyda was already married. Harald's gut churned inside of him, and he wasn't sure why. When it was revealed that she married the son of Jarl Angantyr, Egil, Harald felt as if he were going to jump out of his skin. He clenched his fists and his jaw in an attempt to ground himself. Vigdis interrupted them, she always had a way of knowing just the right time to show up, and he instantly soothed at the feel of her hand on his arm. So what if Gyda married his family's killer's son? He had Vigdis.

Ubbe

"I think I'm going to ask Vigdis to be my wife, brother. What do you think?"

Harald had always been really close to his bastard half-brother. During raids they've always watched and had each other's backs, and during times of peace they would train together and act as wingmen for one another. But recently Harald has been paranoid that Ubbe might want the throne for himself, and that the bastard might kill him to get it.

Gyda

"Gyda, I'm sorry, but the marriage is off. It was nothing you did, I just met someone else."

Harald fell in love with Gyda at first sight, when they were petitioning King Sigurd to lend them aid to overthrow Jarl Angantyr. She was the ideal woman: beautiful, sweet, kind, generous, and with a quiet strength. Harald could talk about none other than Gyda for weeks after having met her, and eventually proposed. But lately his mind has been filled with thoughts of another woman, and he broke off the engagement. Just when Gyda needed him the most.

Vigdis

"Honor dictates I should help them. But you're right, I would rather stay here... abed with you."

Vigdis showed up on his doorstep in a harsh blizzard, and Harald showed her hospitality over the winter. While he's with her he can think of nothing else but wanting to be by her side and in her bed, but while he's working and away from her he eventually ponders upon Gyda. Lately Vigdis has taken to being by his side as much as she can, and he's been thinking about marrying her.

Torsten

"I haven't decided if we'll be going to Birka or not. You'll be one of the first to know when I do decide."

Torsten is a good friend of Harald's, who started going on raids along with Harald and Ubbe when Harald got his first ship. He is one of the nine berserker of Tonsberg. Right now Harald probably trusts Torsten more than he trusts Ubbe, but that's really not saying much.

Freydis

"I will need some time to reflect on this, in the meantime stay as honored guests."

Freydis was the sister of Gyda, who Harald just broke his engagement to. Still, despite learning that, Freydis is asking for him to lend her men just as her father had lent him men to retake his ancestral lands from an ursurper. A large part of Harald, deep in his gut, knows he should help Freydis, but his mind and his heart keep looking to Vigdis.

Odin

"Hail Odin! Grant me the strength and wisdom to overcome my enemies."

It is said that Harald is a descendant of Odin. It was said that Harald's great great great grandfather(whom Harald was named after) was a son of Odin and a princess, and that he forged out their kingdom in Tonsberg and made himself king. Harald holds great reverence for Odin, who he knows to be a difficult God to follow.