Askeladd

Askeladd (Asheraddo) also known as Lucius Artorius Castus (Rukiusu Arutoriusu Kasutusu), was a cunning, mysterious Viking who commanded mercenary band of Vikings that included Thorfinn. Askeladd was half Danish and half Welsh, claiming descent from the legendary Lucius Artorius Castus, for whom he was named by his mother, with "Askeladd" being a nickname.

He was contracted by Floki to assassinate Thors and shortly after took Thorfinn in, who grew up on the battlefield and became obsessed with avenging his father's death by killing his commander. After his band was wiped out by Thorkell, Askeladd pledged his service to Canute to achieve this goal of keeping Wales safe from Viking invasion.

Appearance
As a child, Askeladd's chin-length wavy light blond hair was parted in the middle and worn loose. His eyes were light blue. His eyebrows were already rather thick, flicking out upwards at the outer edges. He was always plastered black and white with residue from his various jobs, earning himself the nickname of "the Ashen Lad". Askeladd wore pants and a short sleeved tunic belted over a long sleeved shirt with a piece of fabric. Being very poor, his clothing was frayed and dirty, and he wore no footwear. After being taken in by his father at the age of 11, Askeladd is noticeably cleaner and wears nicer clothing. His appearance is similar when he arrives on the shores of Wales at age fourteen, though his hair is shorter and less noticeably parted.

Adult Askeladd is first seen in his early 30s. As an adult, Askeladd is an average-sized Viking warrior, standing at 170cm and weighing in at 65kg. He is muscular but lean, an expected build for such a fast man, though his stature belies his incredible strength. His eyes are light blue and his hair remains light blond in adulthood, telling of his Welsh and Danish heritages. His eyebrows are thick and flicker upwards at the outer edges, and he styles his facial hair in a small, neatly groomed goatee. Askeladd's other features include heavy eyelids (which make his unimpressed facial expressions particularly obvious), prominent cheekbones, sunken cheeks and a creased brow. He is often shown frowning, cocking one eyebrow, and/or wearing a sly smirk, often showing teeth. Adult Askeladd is typically pictured in the same warrior's outfit: a light, cowl-necked knee-length short sleeved tunic with detailing on the sleeve fringes, belted over a dark long sleeved shirt tied at the wrists, dark pants, and dark boots hitting right below the knee. He typically wears an impressive dark breasplate, reminiscent of the Roman tradition, as well as a scabbard and his sword at his left hip.

As he grows older throughout the series, Askeladd's widow's peak becomes more pronounced as his hair thins, leading Thorfinn to occasionally call him names such as "baldy" and "pointy hair". His face also becomes more heavily lined as he approaches his mid-40s. After the battle against his own men, he also received a visible scar above his right eye.

Personality
Askeladd is a sly, charismatic strategist. From a young age, he shows his ability to plan ahead, convincingly play a role, and patiently wait for his opportunity to strike. As an adult, he is well-liked and respected by his band, who see him as a lucky and bold captain who never fails to bring them riches and renown and can talk/fight his way out of anything. Although Askeladd sometimes wants to give the impression of being weak, old, lazy, or not in control of his troops, using deception to give his foes a sense of overconfidence and taking advantage of their lowered guard to secure an easy victory.

A cunning and manipulative man, Askeladd uses violence and murders with no hesitation if it is of benefit to him and his plans. Unlike the rest if his Viking band, he does not seem to relish violence for violence's sake or the typical indulgences of the Viking lifestyle — he is never seen drunk, fighting for no purpose, or claiming women after raids. He however seems to hold remuneration and riches in higher esteem, whether it be for their own sake, for amusement, or as a means to an end.

Askeladd is an expert at maintaining a facade, typically giving off the impression of being bored, amused or entertained by his lifestyle. He reigns in his anger very well and only seems to struggle with squashing it when his mother and Wales are brought up. Despite always plotting ahead and being disgusted by the Danes, Askeladd maintains the favour of his band for over a decade by acting seemingly friendly, while still keeping everyone at arms length and revealing very little of substance about himself. His ability to know what kind of person someone is simply by looking at their face allows him to stay a step ahead.

Witnessing how his mother and her people were mistreated by the Norse and the English, Askeladd despises his Scandinavian heritage and embraces the Romano-Celtic heritage of his mother. He is nevertheless a believer in the Norse gods. Sharing the belief of Welsh people, Askeladd longs for the day when his King Artorius would return and liberate the Briton people from the Germanic oppression. However, upon encountering Prince Canute, he realizes that this belief is nothing more than a fairy tale. Believing the world is on the verge of an end and that liberation must be actively sought by anyone rather than a returned Artorius, he decides to help Canute be that person.

At his core, Askeladd is a man who will do whatever needs to be done to achieve his goal of protecting his mother's homeland and people from further harm. Whether that means hating others and himself, assimilating into a Viking society he despises, using Thorfinn's anger to his own ends, ordering the massacre of an entire village or giving his own life to ensure Canute ascends to the throne is of little consequence. To his dying breath, Askeladd showed no regrets about the way he led his life.

Family
Askeladd's mother was named Lydia and his father was named Olaf. He also had a number of half-siblings through Olaf. Through Lydia, he is descended from Lucius Artorius Castus, a Roman Hero and the basis for the King Arthur legend.

Friends
Bjorn

Background
Askeladd is the son of Lydia, a Welsh noblewoman who was captured and enslaved by his Viking father, Olaf. Due to being an illegitimate child, Lydia's son wasn't given a proper name by his father and, although Lydia gave him the name Lucius Artorius Castus after their ancestor, he was still considered nameless. Although Lydia was Olaf's favorite for some years, when her health failed, she was relegated to the stables and thus her son had to work from a very young age to provide for them both. Lydia's child would receive the nickname Askeladd (One covered in Ashes) from the fact that he would always be covered in ashes and manure. Lydia told Askeladd about their ancestor King Artorius, the great Roman hero, as well as her belief that Artorius was healing from his wounds in Avalon so that he could return and free his people of their suffering. When Askeladd was eleven years old, Lydia finally lost her mind carried a sheet over her head and walked through the village. When Lydia came across Olaf, she confused him for the savior Artorius and clung onto him in joy. As Olaf is about to kill Lydia, Askeladd realizes that the hero Artorius will never return and that only a normal person could save his mother. With no other option Askeladd grabs a sword and fights his father. Despite never swinging a sword before, Askeladd displayed natural talent, but was still defeated. By the end, Olaf realizes that Askeladd is one of his children and decides to take him out of slavery, having taken interest in the son he never knew until now. For two years, Askeladd feigned warming up to his father while hiding his murderous intent, such as showing Olaf proper respect, recognizing the former as his savior from slavery and even learning to get along with his half-brothers. Ultimately, Askeladd stabbed Olaf with the sword of one of his half-brothers in the middle of the night while the latter was in his bed, avenging Lydia's suffering. With one of his half-brother being framed for the murder and being executed, Askeladd was able to get away with his revenge and was given the right to inherit his property. A year after his father's death, Askeladd visits Wales to bring Lydia back home and meets Welsh General Gratianus for the first time. Lydia dies after returning to her homeland. Askeladd would soon spend the next 19 years as a Danish Captain, charging a band of Mercenary Vikings, while still holding a deep-seated hatred for Vikings and the Danes, despite being both of those things himself, while waiting for Artorius or anything else to change the world.

War Arc
Askeladd's role in the series is as the captain of a notorious band of Viking pirates. He is the unlawful murderer of Thors. He's Thorfinn's 'boss' even though Thorfinn rarely listens to him, apart from when he gets a chance to fight Askeladd (his usual reward). He is a mentor for Thorfinn and a catalyst that brings about the change in Canute. He mainly focuses on obtaining more fame and respect amongst his enemies while also trying to protect Wales from a Danish invasion. When King Sweyn announces an invasion on Wales as a prelude to fight in Ireland, he secretly gives Askeladd a choice, to save Wales or Canute. Not wanting to lose both in the process, Askeladd feigns madness, declares himself as Artorius reborn and kills the king. He meets his end at Canute's hands when the prince stabs him, recognizing the ruse the moment his father died.

Abilities
Master swordsman: Askeladd was a highly skilled swordsman, displaying a talent for this at age 11, when he defended his mother from his father Olaf. Despite being middle-aged at the time of his death, he survived combat against multiple opponents at once, including King Sweyn's royal guards.

Ranged weapons: Askeladd had skill with throwing hatchets and throwing knives, although they were not his primary weapons.

Leadership skills: Askeladd is also a master tactician as well as a skilled politician. His ability to manipulate those around him turned a horde of pirates and raiders into a close-knit group wholly loyal to him. He has shown himself capable of turning enemies into allies, as seen with Thorfinn, Thorkell, and Prince Canute.

Askeladd could also instantly read a man, an ability he claimed to have picked up from living 40 years among wicked men.

People killed by Askeladd

 * Olaf
 * Olaf's concubine
 * Thors Snorresson (Caused)
 * Ragnar (Caused)
 * Bjorn
 * Sweyn
 * Himself (Caused)
 * Numerous Counts of English Soldiers (Caused and Direct)
 * A few of Ragnar's troops (1 direct others caused)
 * Members of his own band

Trivia

 * Askeladd is named after the Norwegian fairy-tale character Askeladden. Askeladden appears in many stories and is the youngest son that no one expects anything from, but in the end, he's the one who succeeds. Usually not through brute strength but by wits, a dose of luck or some other kind of trickery.

Askeladd Аскеладд