Harald "Skull Smasher" Østberg

Name: Harald "Skull Smasher" Østberg
Age: 28
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Dirty Blond
Height: 6'4
Weight: Athletic 240lbs
Race: Human
Ethnicity: Norwegian
Gender: Masculine Male
Sexuality: Demisexual

Profession:

Guitarist for Norwegian death metal band "Svarte Ravner." It translates to Black Ravens in English.


Distinguishing marks:

Quite a few tattoos decorating his body; his largest being on his back depicting a large raven. On his left shoulder he has a Thor's Hammer. As well as tattoos, Harald has a large scar just above his belly button where a sword blade sliced him during practice with another warrior at a carnival. He also has a bite mark on his right calf made by a wolf which he got when he was a boy out in the forest.


Pets:

He has two male cats back home called "Ingefær" which means Ginger and "Flekk" which means Spot. He shares these with his brother Lars.


Abilities/talents:

A skilled guitarist as well as an amateur vocalist. He can also play a variety of stringed instruments including the Hammer Dulcimer, acoustic guitar, mandolin, violin and lute. Harald is skilled at felling trees with an axe and can throw axes as well as carve wood with one. His passion outside of playing guitar is blacksmithing and metalwork, mainly forging weapons, axes and swords mostly. He is fluent in Norwegian, Finnish, some Swedish and a little Danish. English is another language he can speak but is still learning. He has a high alcohol tolerance level and enjoys trying to outdrink others in contests, having entered a few in Norway.


Personality:

Harald comes across as a gentle giant of a man albeit rather stubborn and set in his ways because he views everything with honour. He can act rather aggressively to things and situations he doesn't understand and will not think twice to use violence to solve problems. He uses his strength and often has his warrior instinct kick in to give him the edge over his foes. Yet, for all his oafishness as Lars calls it Harald is a warm-hearted caring man who is very protective over those special to him. Loyalty, honour and discipline are at the heart of the huge guitarist who holds onto to his spiritual Viking beliefs as well as cares deeply for his family.

Background:

Harald was born in Bjørgvin or Bergen along with his younger brother, Lars, four years his junior. His parents who are both boat workers, catch fish and ferry people along the coast to different locations. Harald and his family who are Vikings also speak the local dialect that being Bergensk. As a child Harald was more difficult than his younger prissy brother, choosing to rebel against rules at school and often using his physical strength to get into fights with other children. There were times Harald got sent home because he'd hit another boy or thrown a piece of furniture across the classroom. Nearly getting expelled at one point Harald knew it was dishonourable to be thrown out of school and knew it would be hard on his parents so decided to try and become an honest boy.

When he was around 13 Harald learnt how to play a stringed instrument that being a mandolin before moving onto the acoustic guitar. He soon found his love for music and got into music school at 16. Wanting to join a band was something the young Viking wanted to do so got involved with the local metal scene in and around Norway. Regular rock didn't appeal to Harald, unlike Lars, who joined a glam metal band called Blixt.

The band the Black Ravens soon took an interest in Harald when he was around 21, after graduating music school. Soon, Harald was taken on as guitarist and had found some stability in his life and somewhere to channel his anger and strength whilst playing out on stage, using aggressive playing styles, often throwing his guitar off stage sometimes and screaming at the audience almost in a wild trance. After a few years while the Black Ravens gained infamy across Norway and the whole of Scandinivia, Harald had heard from Lars that there was a group of bands touring around the world. Ziggy Stardust, Hexed, The Hammers, The Hell's Angels and Blixt. Harald then joined the tour later on after his brother recommended he join.


Special people:

Friend: Felix Mikkel Soeren oprorsk_sode

Younger brother:
Lars "Thunder Bringer" Østberg
terte_trommeslager

For the Hug Prompt: 4. Comforting hugs

A thirteen year old Lars was distraught. He was searching around the house for his "special magazines" that he'd borrowed off one of his school friends. Were they in the bedroom? No, he'd checked there. Running down into the kitchen he couldn't find them on the counter either where sometimes papers were left. Oh no. What if--what if another student at the school had picked them up?

It was then his brother's loud voice boomed in the kitchen.

"Lars? Are these yours?"

Harald now walking into the kitchen and being Lars' older brother was already over a foot taller than him. Four years his senior the seventeen year old Viking boy was clutching some magazines in his hands looking confused.

"These are girls' magazines, brother. Why do you have them?"

Lars instantly froze noticing the magazines, which were fashion magazines filled with pages on make-up, clothes and other girly things. He squeaked becoming rooted to the spot for a few seconds before finally running away outside, feeling tears roll down his cheeks. He was a boy! Yet, he liked girly magazines and liked talking about girl things to his friends who were boys and girls. Finding a spot inside a large felled tree he hid inside not wanting his brother or his parents to find him. No young boy should be looking at such things should they? Harald was the perfect son. Tall, strong and followed in the ancient Viking ways. Lars wanted to become a famous musician or singer perhaps in a glam band. His father would no doubt disagree.

***

It had been around an hour since Lars had run off into the woods and Harald like any good brother had sought to follow. The young man had been acting secretly ever since his thirteenth birthday. Perhaps he was beginning to change into a man and his hormones were all over the place but then---why was he reading girl's magazines? Harald did not understand. It was best that their father did not find them.

"Lars? Where are you, Liten kanin?"

Harald often called his younger brother "little rabbit" because it suited the blond. The large boy crunched through the woods with his large feet, crunching dead sticks and undergrowth with his boots. Where was Lars? Surely, he would not hide out all night? A foolish thing. There were bears and wolves who would gladly pick out a young boy for it's supper.

Lars was sniffing and wiping at his eyes inside the dead tree stump until he heard his brother's voice. He would surely have to come out and face the truth. The truth that---that he was gay. That he liked girl's things and liked boys. He found them handsome and wanted to kiss them. Sighing, Lars finally crawled out of his tree stump and found Harald standing by a tall stone.

"Brother! Where did you get to? I was worried. Do not run away again like that. You could have been eaten--"

Lars waved his hand in front of Harald, stilling him.

"My magazines---they---they are mine. I----like boys and girl's things."

There, he'd said it. Harald just frowned for a good few moments before finally cracking a smile. So what if his brother liked girl's things? This was his life and the gods obviously cared for one of their own as they sought to hide the little rabbit from the wolves and bears for at least two hours. Harald was not one to judge as he pulled Lars in for a big hug.

"Do not worry yourself on this. We are a family, Lars. If you like to put paint on your face and smell like a flower field then this is your choice. You are still my brother and I will fight anyone who dares insult you."

Harald ruffling Lars' light blond hair, hearing the boy squeak and then giggle. It was a huge weight lifted off his shoulders now that he realised his brother was ok with everything. As for telling his parents? That would come in due course.