AElfric aef Wodnesleah

Jacques

May or may not be Charlie the Robot in disguise
Inactive
Feb 6, 2014
239
Texas
Pronouns
He/Him/His, etc.
Posting Status
Irregularly
Name: Ælfric æf Wodnesleah
Age: 29
Birthday: 7th of April
Species: Anthro house mouse
Gender: Male
Category: Staff
Class: College and High School
Subject/Work: Historical Martial Arts Instructor / Old English tutor

Appearance Description:
In his first life as an Anglo-Saxon warrior, Ælfric was a pretty handsome fellow with fair skin and brown hair. After his transformation into what most fantasy nerds would dub mouse-kin, there's been quite a bit of change. Ælfric is a now short anthropomorphic mouse who comes up to 3’9” (not including his ears), with the face that sort of thing comes with; large round ears, big, beady brown eyes, and a cute little nose on a triangular muzzle with long whiskers on either side. His body is covered in brown fur that fades to creamy white towards his cheeks, throat and belly. Although he doesn’t particularly need them in his current state to keep warm or cool, Ælfric dons a simple green tunic that ends at the middle of his thighs with a leather belt around his waist, and a matching cap. Additionally, the mouse can often be seen with a seax on his belt and a pendant of Þunor's hammer; in his classroom or at his cottage, he might also be seen with a round shield and a sword typical of an early Anglo-Saxon warrior in the 500s C.E.

Personality Description:
Ælfric in his previous life was known for being a humble person with a kind heart and loyalty as steadfast as his shield. He made few boasts of his own accomplishments and downplayed his own achievements in favor of praising the bravery and honor of his fellow warriors and glory of the gods. The warrior was also well-known for his open ear and words of encouragement for someone of his young age, so much so that his lord would turn to him in their times of need. This mindset has, in his new life, quickly endeared the murine warrior to more than a few students for how little time he has spent teaching at the academy.

All is not well, however, with the humble warrior from days gone by. His dishonorable death and subsequent rejection from the afterlife has brought a tinge of bitterness to Ælfric’s mind whenever he entertains the idea that he was flung many hundreds of years into the future in a misshapen form as punishment for an arrow in the back. The thought of all that he knew before simply crumbling to dust while the gods decided his fate is unbearable at times when added to his confusion over the modern world in general. He also seems to be at unease with the peaceful times of the modern era with it's lack of wars and battles, given his previous life as someone who lived to seek glory and honor in battle.

Species Abilities:
Murine Physiology:
Since his transformation into a mouse-kin sort of creature, Ælfric has had to get used to several aspects of his new form.
  • Mouse senses - In his new form, the biggest change for Ælfric aside from his newfound furriness is the sudden change of perception that comes with being what it typically a prey species. His senses of hearing and smell have improved drastically, making him more sensitive to noise and various odors and aromas. Additionally, his sense of taste seems to have increased as well in keeping with murine biology. However, the biggest change in senses for the warrior is his eyesight; his diurnal eyesight has suffered immensely, going from what would have been about 20/25 to being, upon being measured on his arrival to Manta Carlos, about a 20/50. His nocturnal eyesight, however, is less affected by this change and maintains about the same level of detail as before his transformation, as he now more heavily relies on other senses to get around.
  • Murine Diet - Mice are an omnivorous species. This hasn't changed much of Ælfric's diet from before, although he now has a tendency to eat seeds, fruit and leafy things more often than meat or dairy products.


Powers:
Non-Magical Combat Prowess
In his first life, Ælfric was well-known for his talent with sword and shield, and reflexes that rival those of an Olympian athlete. Having trained rigorously with a weapon with his father since he was able to walk, he lived and breathed combat all his life, and with his inherent advantage of being left-handed, he was a dangerous foe for many. However, his current state has left him wanting for a few things; his shorter stature has deprived him of reach, and the hindrances of murine senses and instincts have left the situational awareness and steadfastness required of a warrior of his caliber in shambles. While his competence with his weapons has made it easy to adjust to these changes, it will be quite some time before he is back to his full capacity as a warrior.

Common Magical Items:
Simple language charm (Old English)

Biography:
Ælfric wasn’t always the diminutive mouse-like creature he is in the present. Once upon a time, he was a rather handsome young man… Once upon a time indeed, for Ælfric originally hails from the 6th century AD, from an Anglo-Saxon settlement in southern England. Ælfric the Bold, he was known as by some of his fellow warriors in his first life, for he had on many occasion headed the charge into battle. He had lived quite well, and was well-rewarded with food, wine and gold for his service, but he was always mindful of the gods and was always humble about his accomplishments.

Then, one day… he died. During a raid on a Welsh settlement, Ælfric’s lord was slain by an enemy arrow. However, whereas his fellow warriors were rushing to avenge their fallen master, Ælfric was thrown into panic; the bravest man he knew had just been felled, and the once mighty warrior was making a run for his life. He would not make it far from the battle, as an arrow from a Welsh archer sank into his back; he died as a niðgæst, a coward, with his sword in its scabbard, face down in a pond at the age of twenty-four.

In what seemed like a dream, Ælfric found himself standing at the entrance of the afterlife, greeted with the uproarious laughter of gods who just watched a bold and fearsome warrior die like a frightened animal. Woden called for calm and the gods proceeded to converse among themselves as to what his fate should be; Helle-wite was not appropriate for one so mighty, yet so humble, but due to his dishonorable death, they could not allow him into Wælheall either. After what seemed like eons of chatter and debate, the eldest god turned to the deceased warrior and waved him away, ending the dreamlike state as he awoke where he had fallen, after what had only seemed like days after the raid had concluded.

Something about Ælfric felt changed as he awoke. His whole body felt strange; weaker and smaller. Coughing up water that had accumulated in his lungs, it took a moment for him to regain full awareness of himself. As his vision returned to focus, there came a surprised… squeak… as he gazed at the creature reflected on the surface of the pond; staring back at him was the face of a mouse.

By our mercy you have been returned to the realm of the living, Ælfric, but as punishment for your cowardice in combat and failure to avenge your fallen lord, your body has been twisted to resemble a creature more suiting of your meek and frightful nature.” bellowed the voice of Woden within the former warrior’s mind, “Now go, and live the rest of your mortal days in shame of your dishonor.

However, it was not 6th century England that the gods had returned him to. While the gods had debated his fate, many centuries had passed within the realm of mortals. As he watched the nearest town from afar, there was a feeling of awe and fear in Ælfric's heart; there were great beasts of steel rumbling down roads harder than stone, great towers of glass that dared to touch the sky, people talking to strange boxes held to their heads... It was sorcery, surely; a mean trick by the gods meant to fool him!

As he soon found out, though, it was not sorcery, nor was it a trick by punitive gods. The former warrior was in the far distant future; everything he knew in life was long buried and returned to dust. He spent the next few weeks moping about in the countryside and forests, away from prying eyes as he lamented his unfortunate condition in solitude... or so he thought. A couple of others had been watching him for a few days, and after establishing a way to communicate with one who spoke such an old language, approached with an offer to bring him somewhere he could be of use to society again and regain at least some of his lost honor. With nothing more to lose than misery and exile, Ælfric accepted and several days later set sail for Manta Carlos island with his guides to start over, quickly settling into a job teaching what he knows at the academy for the time being.

Resources:
Having been tossed a good millennium or so into the future, Ælfric doesn't have much in the way of resources outside of what he gets paid by the academy. That said, the paycheck has allowed him to at least build a small cabin, feed himself, and maintain his equipment.

Additional Information:
- Despite his initial resentment towards the gods for cursing him with his current form, Ælfric is still quite religious and regularly offers toasts and blōts in their honor as penance for his dishonor at a small shrine in his home.
 
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Jacques

May or may not be Charlie the Robot in disguise
Inactive
Feb 6, 2014
239
Texas
Pronouns
He/Him/His, etc.
Posting Status
Irregularly
Name: Ælfric æf Wodnesleah
Apparent Age: 28
Gender: Male - He/Him
Species: Rodent - Anthro Mouse
Height: 3'9" (Not including ears)
Build: Atheletic

Notable Features: Brown fur, beige cheeks. Big mouse ears, and a long tail. Wears a green tunic and cap; can often be seen with his sword, round shield, his seax and a Mjolnir pendant around his neck.

Physical Quirks: Has what sounds like a Scandinavian accent (in fact a West Saxon accent). Walks a bit cautiously for fear of tripping over his own tail. His eyes are always sweeping over any given room due to his poor eyesight.

Power Summary: No real magical powers, but has combat reflexes on par with an Olympian athelete. However, he is still adjusting to his new form and is not as sharp with his skills as he was in his previous life.

Reputation: Relatively new to the island, but is already known for being humble and kind. Has been seen around the school recently since he started teaching a martial arts course.

Misc Information: Ælfric will often use archaic vocabulary, phrasing or usages of certain words when speaking Modern English (for instance, using "on" for both "on" and "in").
 
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