Sir Gunnar Koll ap Aesin
Skyte Dunkelskaer of the Darkstorm Demesnes

Troll Grump
Knight of Cat Rauth
Guardian of the Red Ring

Description


Mortal Seeming: ~Big man, big attitude. Gunnar Koll towers six and a half feet tall, easily weighing 250 pounds. And it appears to be pure, well-packed muscle. From his head to his toes, Gunnar looks to be one serious customer. He’s dressed in casual attire most of the time – jeans, Wolverine work boots, a tank top. His mocha-hued skin leaves one guessing at his heritage; he’s probably the child of a mixed marriage. The mid-30s man tends to keep his appearance low-key. Dark-hair is cut short and allowed to roll over his scalp evenly. Few tattoos and only a watch are visible for adornment. A hard gaze with an earthy tone magnifies the landscape for this focused bruiser. Yet, he carries himself with a sense of prestige and self-worth that places him above a mere athlete or soldier.~

OOC: Appearance 2

Fae Mien: ~The big man just got bigger. Gunnar Koll springs up to over eight feet tall and his shoulders broaden even further. His musculature is massive, as if his exercise regimen including lifting small boulders as weights. Most remarkable is the Troll’s shift in voile and especially color. His skin becomes a shade of sky blue instead of mocha brown. Muscles cord beneath a leather jerkin and matching trousers. Heavy laced boots bind his feet. At first glance, he looks like an old-fashioned lumberjack. But etched onto the jerkin is the distinct blazon of his ennobled family. Few would likely recognize the symbols of the Aesin, but there it is on his right lapel. The dignity and inner strength with which Gunnar carries himself demonstrates his worth of that rare noble house’s membership. He may only be a lowly vassal, true. But a mercilessly cold gaze sears from his black eyes. A frigid wind ruffles his dark hair, exposing the short little horns protruding from his proud brow above his set gaze. A well-crafted suit of chain mail rests heavily upon his torso and waist when girded for war. Most fearfully, a club mounted with a bear’s claw is gripped in hand, ready to thrash any who shows him disrespect. This is no ordinary Troll. This is Sir Gunnar Koll ap Aesin, Thane-Knight of Cat Rauth, Guardian of the Red Ring, and the Crusher of Will.~

OOC: Appearance 2

"In my land, I am the law. Disobey me and I will crush your spine."

History


Little House in the Woods

Linus Koll served in Vietnam from ’70 until the very end. He proved an indispensable Green Beret asset. When he arrived home, Linus returned to his modest life in western Missouri. Always a woodsman, the half-black middle American took up that simple life again on his own away from his parents’ home. Only months back from ‘country’, Linus came across a strange experience: a flare of light and joy overwhelmed his senses. When the moment passed, he discovered a beautiful dark-haired woman on the ground – and under attack by a rabid wolf. Armed only with a survival knife, Linus leapt without thinking into the fray. He slew the wolf and saved the woman. She graciously introduced herself as Unna.

New through the portal from Arcadia, she radiantly displayed her true self. Linus was in awe but not helpless, borne of steely will. Perhaps Linus had distant fae relations. Unna never expected her own reaction: she fell in love with the mortal, grizzled yet proud though he may have been. They married and remained in the woods, where the Aesin Sidhe bore Linus two children: a son, Gunnar, and a year later, a daughter, Saga.

And the Kolls continued to dwell in the woods. Gunnar’s mother was still involved especially with the faerie world beyond mortal ken, even if that world was now based here on Earth behind the scenes. Gunnar’s father provided food, shelter, and what few luxuries they enjoyed. Few ever came to visit; among them included Martin Anderson, a fellow war vet and close friend of Linus. The children were initially home-schooled but attentively, with strict discipline and hardy rigor.

I'm Bigger Than You

Such education did not stymie Gunnar’s growth. As a child, he wandered the woods on his own. Signs of his own faerie nature were evident early, as he seemed to commune with nature. He would speak with the trees and beasts -- evidence of insanity to most parents. But Unna assured Linus that there was nothing to fear, and she seemed quite pleased by the development. Saga, too, demonstrated such hints in behavior.

Yet, it would not be until Gunnar was well into his adolescence that the Chrysalis finally broke. Once old enough for high school, the Kolls submitted both children to the public system. Linus was wise enough to realize his knowledge of academics was inadequate; many home-schooling parents were incapable of that recognition. Gunnar proved a courteous and industrious student, as did his healthy and prudent sister. Yet, their long years of isolation stunted their social development to a degree. Gunnar’s natural size that put him on par with the average linebacker helped him be accepted. Saga was not quite so gifted, and while she was pretty, she was woodsy and naïve. Bullies began to harass her until the outrage of it forced Gunnar’s hand...and soul. The Chrysalis burst into the young man’s being and the school bullies then had a Troll beating the crap out of them.

Actually...a Troll and a tall Sidhe. Saga Chrysalized, too. Both Koll children were expelled from school for the broken bones visited upon that clique of snobbish twits. That would be for the best, of course. Their mother was away for a time, tending to her fae business. Martin took them under wing at home; it turned out he was Kin to the Trolls, and whispered that their father was, too -- albeit distantly and did not even realize it.

The Black Troll

When Unna returned, she was overjoyed that both of her children had come to the light of their natures. She took over their education and lives, helping them adapt to their changeling lives. Though a mite disappointed that they were not both Sidhe, the Aesin nevertheless was pleased that they were fae at all. Gunnar’s strength and propensity for battle gave his mother reason to submit him to proper training. An Aesin knight named Emerick Hozel became his instructor and mentor. Saga meanwhile moved farther away to train under different mentors and follow a different life entirely. Sir Emerick was fierce, brave, and skilled. Through him, Gunnar developed immense respect for the Sidhe as well as honed his natural inclinations toward honor and nobility.

Indeed, Gunnar seemed almost to be groomed for noble induction. How could that be? He was a Troll, not Sidhe. His mother, a respected baroness, was in great part responsible for that -- her patronage combined with Emerick’s approval helped give Gunnar that rare chance. The Aesin were the most noble of houses, but that was because they demanded only the noblest conduct, not merely proud lineage (as might some other Houses).

Of course, they still made it difficult for Gunnar. His Fior-Righ included a series of duels with different weapons on both foot and horseback. All of that, Emerick prepared him for, and Gunnar’s natural talents and ability to put his great strength to the most precise use was unflagging. Even during these duels, he demonstrated an uncanny and even unnerving calm -- right up until his blows found their target. Then his features twisted into the most terrifyingly brutal visage. The test-givers knew even if Gunnar failed the Fior-Righ, he would prove a most powerful ally.

The second part of the Fior-Righ examined Gunnar’s inner strength. Tests of spiritual endurance aimed to measure the nobility of his soul. Gunnar had to choose between saving a damsel-in-distress or serving a just command of his liege to the contrary. He chose obedience and loyalty over errant and ill-conceived righteousness. Gunnar had to discern between a genuine masterpiece painting and a duplicate on sight and instinct alone. And in these and other such tests of judgment and noble-mindedness, the young Troll was not found wanting despite the Aesin’s inclination towards his failure. His strength and honor could not be denied, ignored, or go without proper reward.

By the Fist & Hammer

So ennobled, the now-Sir Gunnar Koll served his Aesin and Unseelie lieges as warlord and dark hero. He gave his Oath of Fealty to the Baroness Antoinette Kirs of Cat Rauth. As a prized semi-autonomous thane and knight of the local Unseelie lords, Gunnar helped to carve out their niche in the Kansas City area. Yet, he proved his worth time and again beyond mere battle. The Troll proved an inspiring leader for both noble and common yeomen. He frightened many Seelie yet earned the grudging respect of their own Troll heroes, for Gunnar was no base ogre.

When he did do battle, including against Nunnehi raiders and dangerous chimera, he fought his foes with honor even when they showed none, and always triumphed. He proved the core Aesin philosophy that nobility was strength -- not strength of body and arms, but strength of will and principle. For more than a decade, Gunnar also generated a reputation as an unusual Unseelie changeling, period. He did not seem very Unseelie, so the stories were told. He preferred quiet walks through the woods and loved to fish.

That was how Gunnar came into possession and control of a magical fount in the heart of woods west of the city. It lay a little further west than he usually cared to venture because of the proximity to the claimed territory of local werewolves. Antoinette placed him in charge of its protection and maintenance, although most of the harvested Dross was paid in honor to his liege-lady. With the baroness’ permission, Gunnar built his home over the fount. Short on full-blooded fae vassals, the Aesin was also allowed to bring in several Kinain he met over the years to help him govern what came to be called the Red Ring. That included his father’s old friend and his own personal mentor, Martin Anderson.

My Place

Now firmly in his Grumphood, Gunnar settled down at his modest lodge. The enemies still bombarded his household, drawn perhaps unconsciously to the source of Glamour he guarded. Canotina natives and ferocious chimera attacked or wandered into his realm, to be driven out. Rarely did Gunnar deliberately slay any of his enemies; crushing them utterly into submission was satisfactory. The Nunnehi bitterly came to respect the Troll’s brutal strength; attacking his refuge became something of a rite of passage for their tribe. Gunnar’s Kinain minions likewise proved capable and often even more ruthless, particularly Jarvis and the “hound” twins. Gunnar didn’t keep them enchanted all the time; that was cost-prohibitive. Their lives adrift from mortal society at Red Ring afforded them rather low Banality (even Martin, for his age), facilitating a reduced effect of the Mists when Gunnar’s deliberate (or sometimes random staggers, to avoid a predictable routine) enchantments wore off.

Though always honorable and generally moral, Gunnar was no hapless slave to the Sidhe. In time, he felt he more than proved his worth and earned his keep for the Aesin and local Unseelie. To that end, he bartered a better commission from the mystical fount that he spent so many years in guardianship. Antoinette could not refuse; Gunnar’s position was very strong, and the fear of losing his loyalty too great. So far, he proved as steady in his obedience to her will with every annual renewal of his Oath of Fealty. She welcomed such a dark hero in her employment: a powerful enforcer of Unseelie will, ambition, and righteousness.

Remembrance


Gunnar’s memory has been tattered through the ages. He was a commoner for so many generations that his ennoblement in this life has nipped his recall of the past in the bud. Only vague fragments of the past are available to Gunnar, and only when he concentrates very hard, sitting in a dark room alone.

Retinue


Gunnar maintains a full “crew” of assistants at Red Ring Lodge. They are all Kinain, but they aren’t always enchanted at all times. However, most of them are kept enchanted by their lovers, who have also taken up residence at Red Ring. Gunnar’s retinue includes Connor Erc (Boggan Kinain), house chef and caretaker; Jarvis Hartman (Troll Kinain), skilled hunter and point man; Blake and Jason Colbert (Pooka Kinain with canine lineage), two more skilled hunters and trackers; Joel Uther (Satyr Kinain), house musician, wise ass, and general entertainer; Elgar Kosman (Sluagh Kinain), an expert on fungi of all sorts and the closest thing to a live-in scientist; and Martin Anderson (Troll Kinain), Vietnam vet, military strategist, and personal advisor -- Gunnar’s right hand man, really.

Significant Other


In September of 2005, Gunnar encountered Ivy Kerwinian ni Fiona, Esq., when the fox Pooka was delivering a message on behalf of the Seelie Duchess. His liege was apparently infuriated by the message’s contents and took it out on the messenger. Ivy was to be imprisoned in the baroness’ cellar. Gunnar, intrigued at Ivy as a go-between, volunteered to take Ivy in and keep watch over her. Back in his home, he did indeed keep an eye on the Pooka, and faithfully released her when their Sidhe lieges soothed out their affairs. But in the process, he managed to seduce the pretty little thing, and they soon hit it off. Ivy finds her business often takes her out of her way to visit Gunnar again at Red Ring, and their relationship has been steady for several years now.

In 2011, however, the increasing number of dark activities rumored to take place at or near the household of the Red Ring disturbed Ivy too much. When she demanded an explanation from Gunnar for the reputed evils that his vassals were visiting upon the countryside, he shrugged without care. The Pooka found it difficult to stay with the Troll after that callous equivocation.

Ivy

Significant Other


Name: Saga Koll, 2012
Nature: Companionship

Lady Saga



Bunk Styles


Style: Magic Realism
Examples: Talking to animals, whispering to the spirit world, herbal remedies, break a mirror and gaze into shards, rally forces, stomp feet 3 times

Chimera


Chain Mail
Level: 3
Origin: When Gunnar was admitted into House Aesin, he was awarded this suit of medium chain mail as a token armament for a powerful vassal.
Description: The chain mail is a shirt of steel links that drapes to the thighs, and includes a hardened leather chestplate, pauldrons, and steel cap. It is a darkly stained steel, forged from an ore found in a shadowy mine in the Near Dreaming.
Effects: Provides decent protection in battle.
Glamour Costs: Chain Mail: 0
Activation: Wear it with pride.

Treasures


Claw of the Bear
Level: 3
Origin: Gunnar acquired this treasure by first killing a rabid chimerical bear. The monster actually Wyrded and assaulted Red Ring. It almost got its claws on Connor. Gunnar managed to wrestle and fight it off with his bare hands. In fact, in the process, Gunnar tore off one of the bear’s arms. It limped off into the Dreaming and hasn’t been seen since. He presented the trophy to his liege, who commissioned a Satyr weapon maker to turn it into a deadly club and imbue it with the rabid wrath of its origins.
Description: The weapon appears to be a sturdy short oak staff (three feet long), carved with mystical sigils. One end is wrapped in leathers (from the bear’s skin) for grip. The other end is capped in the actual paw, preserved and hardened magically. Four spike-like, hooked claws extend from the top of the paw.
Effects: 1) inflict aggravated damage; 2) add +3 dice to any Disarm attempt
Glamour Costs: Claw: 0; dsdsds: 1
Activation: 1) none; 2) the wielder need only target an opponent’s weapon and the Claw naturally tries to snag it, claws curling to hook into the opponent’s weapon

Red Ring (Fount)


About twenty years ago, a wolf Pooka stumbled across a natural spring squirting a little water onto a (apparently) natural stone basin. The water had been building for some time and was quite stagnant, leaving mold along the rim of the stone. The Pooka licked it (they’ll eat anything!) and, like most molds, discovered it was mildly poisonous. He was made sick and had hot flashes, even hallucinations. But he was also recharged with a dark, loathsome Glamour that (so the rumor goes) almost turned him into Thallain.

The existence of this Fount was eventually dragged out of the Pooka (by threatening to drag out his entrails) by the local Unseelie nobles. The mighty Gunnar Koll was placed in charge of its guardianship, so that the moldy Dross could thus be collected and sent to his liege-lady. She employed a Nocker to build a specialized device that mostly (usually) refined the mold into something edible (now it tastes like used bubblegum, mmm) and not so acid-trippy. Eating the mold raw will still inflict the issues the Pooka suffered so long ago. So, Gunnar must send off his monthly allotment of Dross and only gets a sliver of it refined delivered in return.

More important than the Dross was the Fount itself. Gunnar arranged to build his home around the small Fount (and Baroness Antoinette secured the permits). Trees were cleared and used for lumber. In fact, the Troll aided in the construction, since he was as an able stonemason. He built the foundations and installed the well and sump. Atop the solid base, a two-story hunting lodge was raised. This impressive house is rustic and generally quiet, but inhabited year-round by Gunnar and his crew of six. In fact, the cabin can house eight -- there are eight modest bedrooms, fully furnished, on the second floor. So, there is always a spare (or room for one more joiner). Unfortunately, they do have to share a single bathroom on that floor, complete with tub. Decorations are by personal flavor per bedroom, while the finished cedar walls of the hall contain a few homey paintings and prints.

A second bathroom (shower stall, sink, and commode only) is found on the first floor. This bathroom lies just by the staircase that ascends directly to the second story. Around the corner of the stairwell, the corridor leads to a tiled and well-stocked kitchen, complete with island counter. (Connor wouldn’t have it any other way!) Along the way, open entrances bring one into one of two large rooms clearly used for relaxing. One room is packed with media: a stereo, big-screen television, video games, the whole nine. The sofas and chairs and rugs all look comforting. More pristine and less frequently used is the room further from the kitchen. Here lies a grand table that can seat ten. Several gilded armchairs surround the walls along with tableaus and similar furnishings. There are few decorations in the living room, but the dining room contains not only a few choice paintings, but also the heads of bucks or big trout mounted high -- trophies of the hunting and gaming in which the household engages.

To the left of the stairs, the big front doors made of solid oak welcome home its protectors. From without, the lodge looks to be a relatively new construction of finished but unpainted wood and black roofing tile, with curtained windows gazing only as far as the rest of the forest allows. A dirt lot typically sits three or four vehicles (all but one of which is a pick-up truck), and it’s connected to a dirt road that shoots directly out of Smithville Woods and connects to the highway. It’s one of those unnamed roads off the highway that only curious people drive down and then wish they hadn’t.

As for the Fount itself: a small, windowless mudroom was built around it adjacent to the kitchen. Access is highly restricted with a sturdy door with heavy locks that have been reinforced with Oakenshield. Unfortunately, there is no defense against Wayfare. Any would-be thief that even knows of the Fount’s existence would firstly be Unseelie; secondly, employed by the Unseelie nobles of the area; thirdly, be batshit crazy to steal from someone like Gunnar. Someone tried, the story goes, and it doesn’t have a happy ending for the thief. (Of course, a few dismiss the tale as Unseelie propaganda. Propaganda though it might be, no one has tested it since the ill-fated Skunk Rocker.)

Weakness
No Exceptions


Gunnar may not have been born a nobleman, but he certainly has the Aesin’s hard-nosed obstinacy about nobility. Anyone who would earn his favor had better either outrank him or show him serious respect. (And even if someone outranks him and fails to show him respect, they will only earn his enmity.)

Likelihood of Corruption


Average.

Gunnar is solid and honorable, even if his code of honor has a dark side. He never flags from it. He’s Aesin. That makes him borderline Unseelie/Seelie. And he is definitely an enemy of the Shadow Court and its minions.

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