Levi Henrikssen
THE BASICSName: Levi Henrikssen
Nickname: None, yet.
Age: 24
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Play-By: Alexander Ludwig
Year: 3rd Year
Discipline: Physical
Specialty: Cryomancy
THE PHYSICAL
Physical Description: Blonde hair and blue eyes. Extremely tall, standing at 6 foot 5 inches in height. He's around 210 lbs, most of it muscular, but he has a broad frame and stature.
Distinguishing Features: Both sides of his head are shaved, leaving a strip of long hair down the middle, which he regularly combs back, pulls back, or braids back, usually weaving leather straps within the braid.
He has a large tattoo covering the majority of his back of the symbol Vegvísir, which is framed within a nautical-styled compass. Runic symbols tattooed on the underside of his fingers, close to his palm, save for his thumbs. Right Hand: Strength, Wisdom, Destiny, and Luck. Left Hand: Protection, Victory, Prosperity, and Journey.
THE PERSONALPersonality Description: Levi used to be the life of the party. Now he focuses on his studies and bettering himself so that he can achieve his goals, having left the party life behind. He isn't unfriendly, but not overly sociable unless he needs to be to accomplish a task. He misses his carefree days of partying in his first year at Brakebills, but feels guilt whenever he misses it, and pushes that down. As a result, friendships that he used to have in the first year are now strained in his third year because of his personality and priority shift.
Goals: To better himself in his gifts and use that power to find his father.
Likes: Researching his heritage, his spirituality and commitment to the Gods, practicing his cryomancy.
Dislikes: Being badgered, irresponsible magics (unless it's him being irresponsible), and cats. Cats are too stuck up and he has no patience for them.
The Failure of Hermod the Brave
When Baldr, son of Odin, died and went to Hel, the goddess Frigg, wife of Odin, petitioned the gods for his return back to the living, promising that whosoever returned Baldr would gain all of her love and favor. Only one god, Hermod the Brave, son of Odin and brother of Baldr, agreed to honor Frigg's wishes. After borrowing a great steed from Odin called Sleipnir, Hermod set out to ride the road to Hel. He traveled for nine days and nights until he reached the bridge Gjöll, a bridge covered in shining gold. There he met Modgud, a giantess guardian of the bridge. When asked about Baldr, Modgud directed Hermod to ride north, where he would surely find the road to the Underworld to meet with Hel.
After many more hours, Hermod arrived at the dark gates of the Underworld and used Sleipnir to jump the tall gates. Beyond the gates, he found and was reunited with his brother. Hermod visited with his brother, waiting all night for Hel, the goddess of Death and queen of the Underworld, to return. When Hel returned the next morning to sit upon her throne, Hermod the Brave fell to his knees and sobbed, begging Hel to allow Baldr to return with him to the land of the living. Hel responded by giving Hermod a task. He was required to get all things to weep for Baldr as Hermod had. Should anyone or anything refuse, Baldr would remain with Hel in the Underworld.
Hermod the Brave returned and sent messengers far and wide to prepare for his arrival. With great passion, he traveled the world to speak of his quest. People, animals, flowers, trees...even the mountains wept for Baldr. When nearly all things had wept for the loss of Baldr, Hermod the Brave found a cave. Within it there lived a giantess named Thook. Hermod asked her to weep for Baldr as all the world had so that he could be returned from Hel. A bitter and cruel woman, Thook refused, stating that the only tears she would shed for Baldr would be dry and that Hel could keep him. Because of Thook's refusal, Hermod the Brave had failed, and Baldr was never freed from the Underworld.
When Baldr, son of Odin, died and went to Hel, the goddess Frigg, wife of Odin, petitioned the gods for his return back to the living, promising that whosoever returned Baldr would gain all of her love and favor. Only one god, Hermod the Brave, son of Odin and brother of Baldr, agreed to honor Frigg's wishes. After borrowing a great steed from Odin called Sleipnir, Hermod set out to ride the road to Hel. He traveled for nine days and nights until he reached the bridge Gjöll, a bridge covered in shining gold. There he met Modgud, a giantess guardian of the bridge. When asked about Baldr, Modgud directed Hermod to ride north, where he would surely find the road to the Underworld to meet with Hel.
After many more hours, Hermod arrived at the dark gates of the Underworld and used Sleipnir to jump the tall gates. Beyond the gates, he found and was reunited with his brother. Hermod visited with his brother, waiting all night for Hel, the goddess of Death and queen of the Underworld, to return. When Hel returned the next morning to sit upon her throne, Hermod the Brave fell to his knees and sobbed, begging Hel to allow Baldr to return with him to the land of the living. Hel responded by giving Hermod a task. He was required to get all things to weep for Baldr as Hermod had. Should anyone or anything refuse, Baldr would remain with Hel in the Underworld.
Hermod the Brave returned and sent messengers far and wide to prepare for his arrival. With great passion, he traveled the world to speak of his quest. People, animals, flowers, trees...even the mountains wept for Baldr. When nearly all things had wept for the loss of Baldr, Hermod the Brave found a cave. Within it there lived a giantess named Thook. Hermod asked her to weep for Baldr as all the world had so that he could be returned from Hel. A bitter and cruel woman, Thook refused, stating that the only tears she would shed for Baldr would be dry and that Hel could keep him. Because of Thook's refusal, Hermod the Brave had failed, and Baldr was never freed from the Underworld.
THE BIOGRAPHICAL
Characters History: Levi was born into a family with a rich ancestral history of magic. Unfortunately, as a result of Christianization, most of his ancestors were persecuted for their beliefs and practicing of magics and were put to death for pagan worship. As the generations passed, more and more magicians within his family tree were put to death and the magic slowly dwindled down to almost nothing within his family, a result of the fear of death and persecution. Levi's parents, both magicians, learned their gifts from their family members. Levi's father learned from his own uncle, and Levi's mother learned from her grandmother. It was always heavily ingrained in him since his birth that he was to help keep magic within their family line, as he and his parents were the only ones left alive that believed and practiced. As a result, it is within Levi's plan for his life to marry and have children to pass on his birthright to his children.His parents had always been very open about their practices and taught Levi from a young age some of the safer magics, waiting until he was old enough to practice magic of greater responsibility. Though it was uncommon where they lived, his parents still believed in the Old Gods and regularly gave offerings to them in a plea to help boost their power and success of magic. Levi followed in their footsteps, his spirituality strong. He regularly gives offerings to the Gods whether he needs something or not, providing to them a show of faith to keep in their good favor.
During his first year at Brakebills, Levi was more focused on being social than learning magic. Having learned some magic since a small age, it spoiled him into thinking that he was more gifted or knowledgeable than others, and so he focused on socializing and partaking in alcohol and drugs. He had frequent sexual trysts to fill whatever void the alcohol and drugs weren't filling. Still, with his practice of worship to the Gods having gone to nearly nothing, he felt empty and did what he could to fill that void, the toxicity in his brain from overindulgence affecting his rationale. This lasted until halfway through his second year.
His father, fearing for his future, used an ancient nordic spell passed down from his wife's grandmother, a Volva, to summon a lesser God, Hermod, for assistance. Hermod was not pleased to be summoned and Levi's father begged him for assistance in helping to motivate and guide his son to the right path, relying on Hermod's own negotiation failures to spur him to help a man who was also at the end of his rope. Because of Hermod's annoyance at his own experience being used to get sympathy, the God took Levi's father to live in servitude to him until such a time as Levi is powerful enough to summon Hermod himself and answer for not only his own ignorance, but his father's arrogance to summon a god for such a trivial purpose, as well. When his father was taken, his mother told Levi everything that she had witnessed, having walked in on the ritual after hearing the voice of Hermod. She witnessed her husband's sentence delivered by the god and try as she had to negotiate for her husband's release, Hermod spoke not a word to her and disappeared with Levi's father.
At the news of his father's disappearance and the reason why he had been taken, Levi stopped his partying lifestyle. It wasn't even almost a gradual change. Like the snap of fingers, he never touched another drop of alcohol, nor did he take another drug. His sexual activity dwindled down to once in a blue moon and the only vice he still partakes in is the occasional cigarette or two when he is highly stressed. His dedication to his faith was what he poured himself into, cutting off friends that he used to have within his party circle completely, choosing his own company rather than the company of others who didn't match his ultimate goals. It was an easy decision to make with difficult consequences, as now the vast majority of his friendships are strained to non-existent now. Now in his third year, Levi focuses on his studies, practicing for hours to gradually push limits, so that one day he may summon Hermod and make right what he feels he has broken.