Berwyn Weiland

Appearance
Berwyn Weiland is a large beast of a man with his muscular build and tall stature. He has the posture of someone who has spent most of his life in the military and at first glance looks a bit intimidating due to an almost constant grumpy look on his face. After spending some time with him however, people tend to find the Ralfirian to be a cautiously optimistic man with a dry sense of humor.

Berwyn has broad facial features, bleach-blond shoulder length hair kept in a bun and a full beard. His body has recently been severely scarred because of all the beatings he has taken in his recent adventures.

When Berwyn was on guard duty he would most likely have been seen wearing simple chain mail with the dark green cloak of the City Guard of Gorm, carrying his family greatsword Winter over his shoulder and a traditional vendel helmet on his head.

Nowadays he wears an elhamstrian set of plate of plate armor painted black and wields the old greataxe that Finnje Nightborn once used. He wore a helmet resembling a fierce one-eyed beast for a while, but has now decided to go back to something simpler.

Background
Berwyn Weiland, later named Sigvald Helgisson, is an Elhamstrian spy working deep undercover in the name of Grand Mistress Nessa Elham. Below are both the forged story of Sigvald and the true story of Berwyn.

The False Life
Sigvald has lived most of his life in the shadow of his grandfather Ulrik the Dragonsbane who was said to have killed a white dragon in his youth. He was born to Vera Aslaugsdottír and Helgi Ulriksson, two mercenaries who met each other during a raid in the Nellenial Kingdom. The two of them later went on to open a tavern and become respected members of the community in the village of Anneby near Gorm.

Sigvald has never really traveled far from his family home in Anneby as his parents forbade it at an early age. They never wanted him to experience the same horrors that they had during their journeys, though they did not object to him joining the City Guard of Gorm at age 16.

Ever since then the young Ralfirian has been considered one of the most competent guards in the area by both other members of the City Guard and the common folk in the area. This due to him dispensing justice when necessary and looking the other way if someone commits a crime that won't hurt anyone.

Though Sigvald at the surface has seemed content with his role in the community he has ever since he first heard the stories of the adventures of his parents and grandfather wanted to travel the lands and make a name for himself. Almost ten years after his recruitment to the City Guard of Gorm he got his chance as Jarl Garrold the Strong needed someone trustworthy to protect one of his messengers on a journey to the Temple of Strength.

The True Story
Berwyn was born a bastard to Duke Georg Weiham and an unnamed servant, as per tradition he was given the bastard surname of the region, Weiland. As most people in the Eternal Kingdom are born into their role in life most illegitimate children of nobles are killed within the first ten years of life unless they show signs of being powerful in the arcane arts. The young Berwyn did not show any of these signs, as a matter of fact he did not seem to be able to use even the most simple magic. When the boy turned seven, he was brought to the Elhamstrian capital by his father. Berwyn himself expected to be sold into slavery and made to fight in the arenas as his half-brothers had been teasing him about that happening. Instead the Duke took him to meet Grand Mistress Nessa Elham, sister to the future King Arulon and Spymaster of the Eternal Kingdom, in order to go through trials to become one of her spies. The trials involved everything from physical tests to deception to reciting the history of Elhamster. While he barely managed to complete the mental trials the physical tests were passed with flying colors. The very next day he was sent to the training grounds of the Grand Mistress to start his new life. Berwyn has not seen anyone from his family since.

The next three years was spent getting trained in fighting by the Weapons Master of the training grounds, a stocky woman in her early 40's named Vanya that seemed to make it her goal in life to beat Berwyn as much as possible without killing him. During the time here, Berwyn made friends with Henning Hreioarsgeroir, a fellow aspiring spy and magic-user, Nikolai Reida, a wizard and ex-soldier in King Julian's army, and a former gladiator called Ennie. Without the support from these three friends, Berwyn would not have made it through the harsh training of Vanya.

When the boy turned ten he was sent on his first and only mission along with Ennie and Nikolai, where they were tasked with taking the place of a Ralfirian family related to a local hero who had apparently killed a white dragon in his youth. This mission was to be one of the first steps in the Great Plan, the plan to retake Ralfir and reintroduce it to the Eternal Kingdom. The Grand Mistress herself did the mission briefing, signifying its importance by her presence, giving each one of the spies a promise of a great reward once the mission is completed. The first part of the mission ended with the three friends in the outskirts of Anneby, a small village in the jarldom of Gannerheim, having ambushed and killed a family of three and taken their place. From this moment, Berwyn Weiland has been known as Sigvald Helgisson.

Berwyn spent the coming 15 years trying to blend in with the harsh Ralfirian culture, making a name for himself in order to get closer to the important people of the region and as subtly as possible help his fellow Elhamstrian spies.

After many long years Berwyn had finally gained enough trust from Jarl Garrold the Strong of Gorm to be sent on a personal mission, a mission that would reunite him with his old friend Henning and at last start the final stages of The Great Plan.

The Great Plan in motion
On this journey Berwyn met his current travelling companions; Henning Hreioarsgeroir, a scholar that he had seen during his time in Gorm, Pickles the famous entertainer and Alexander Broadshield, a grumpy old mercenary. Together they bested the challenge at the Temple of Strength, dealt with the traitors in the town of Moldova and has now started working on getting the people of Farnheim on their side. During the travel to Farnheim, Berwyn died fighting Finnje's elite guard, but because of the bravery of his friend he got resurrected with a new look on life.

Traits
Personality:
 * Nothing can shake my optimistic attitude, except death, which certainly puts me in a dour mood.
 * I try to keep my mind occupied, I don't want to think about the emptiness that was death.

Ideals:
 * The realm must be restored to it's glory days.

Flaws
 * Once I pick a goal, I become obsessed with it to the detriment of everything else in my life.
 * I am no longer certain of what I could sacrifice in order to get achieve my goals.

Bonds
 * Everything I do is to help the common folk of the realm.
 * I will never abandon the people that brought me back from death.

Quotes

 * "Yes Alexander, everyone knows that all dwarves eat dirt."

Notable Achievements

 * Completed the Temple of Strength challenge.
 * Saved Moldova from the treacherous Esderian Kent and the followers of Finnje Nightborn.

Other Facts

 * The grandson of Ulrik the Dragonsbane, famous killer of a white dragon that was terrorizing the countryside near Gorm.
 * Wields the Axe of Ruined Dreams, a weapon that King Finnje Nightborn once used.
 * Died fighting orc elite guards in Enfield but was resurrected after Henning brought his lifeless body to a priest in Farnheim.