THE BASICS

Name: Brandt Ausburn

Nicknames: Bear, Smith, Greek

Age: 30

Weight: 250lbs

Height: 6'6"

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Hazel

Distinguishing Marks:
Brandt's large form hosts a plethora of scars from cuts and burns alike. His sheer size earned him the nickname 'Bear'.

One of the most prominent being a scar received from a burn on his left forearm during his first time in the forge.

Among his collection of scars is one tattoo that stands out in its own way, drawing attention away from the many wounds he has received over his life as a smith and a warrior.

It is a simple tattoo of a hammer and an anvil on the upper left portion of his back, though there is obvious skill present in the masterful lines and shading created by the tattoo artist.

Brandt took it upon himself to get the tattoo in honor of his father's passing.

Though he and Hephaestus were not close as father and son, they were certainly close as master and student.

He has very obvious dimples and laugh lines, which give away a measure of happiness from an otherwise rugged man.

Physical Description: mmg308
Standing at a lumbering 6'6" with a hefty 250lbs of muscle, bone, and sinew adorning his powerful form, Brandt Ausburn strikes an imposing figure.

Due to decades of hard work and labor in the forge and on the battlefield, he has a very toned musculature. While he does not appear abnormally large, he could give any human body builder a run for their money in weight lifting.

With quite a bit of battle experience under his belt, he has become quite fast and agile, which shows in his graceful movements.

Though he is large, he moves with a certain elegance that does not match his encumbered form, which is noticeable to onlookers.

Brandt prefers to wear loose and comfortable clothes, preferring utility and movement over fashion.

He doesn't care how he looks, though he knows he is a handsome man.

More often than not, he can be seen with a tool belt hanging loosely from his hips and a heavy-looking leather pack slung over his shoulder.

His hair and beard have changed many times over his lifetime, but he has come to like them a certain way. Brandt's hair is long on top, short on the sides, and slicked back while he sports a goatee with some growth along his neck and jawline.

Lineage: Hephaestus [Greek god of the forge, crafts, fire, volcanoes, metallurgy, blacksmiths, and sculptors]

INTROSPECTION

Personality:
Along with his innate godly abilities, Brandt inherited his father's will of fire and steely resolve. Though he can certainly be considered bullheaded at times, he is very outgoing and friendly when around others.

He will defend his name, family, and the Norse pantheon with his life. His loyalty never falters, when devoted to a cause that he believes in.

Brandt is respectful and courteous, always trying to make friends rather than gathering more enemies.

However, during battle, he is professional and aware of his surroundings, as any skilled warrior would be.

Strengths:
His overall strength of character, strong will, and immeasurable tolerance for pain can certainly be seen as strengths. While his stubbornness and pride can sometimes get in the way, they also make him much more resilient, stalwart, when standing his ground, standing up to someone who would otherwise prey on the weak or oppress the innocent.

Weaknesses:
As previously mentioned, his inherited a great amount of stubbornness from his father and mother alike, almost on a godly level. When he sets his mind to something, whether his intentions are justified or entirely unfounded, it takes a godly amount of persuasion to dissuade him from his course of action.

His pride gets in the way just as much as his bullheadedness. While he does not care much for the Greeks, in general, he does have pride in his lineage. Hephaestus was one of the few Olympians who knew hard work, who was relatable to a man like Brandt. He has pride in his deceased father, his mother's side of the family, the Norse pantheon, and his abilities. Anyone challenging him or getting in his way is likely to wind up in a brawl or, if it is serious enough, an all-out fight, blades and fists alike.

Fears:
Being born in one of the few northern villages that still respect the old clans, he fears bringing dishonor and shame to the Ausburn Clan. Though he does not fear death or pain, he does fear losing the war and his friends/loved ones to the Titans.

Hopes:
Just as any aspiring, hard-headed, over-achieving warrior-smith from the north does, he hopes to help bring an end to the war with the Titans, and return home to his family in one peace.

TALENTS AND ABILITIES

Inherited Godly Powers:
[Son of Fire] Brandt is the son of a god of fire. As such, he is immune to serious burns and heat in general. He is never cold, never overheats, and is capable of creating and manipulating fire/heat to an extent (offensively or defensively).

[Son of the Forge] Smithing, as one would expect, came quite naturally to Brandt. As a natural genius in the field, he is one of the very few people on Earth that is able to match the skill of the dwarves in his crafts. He is able to work any alloy into any shape he pleases, in an expert fashion, more quickly than any human blacksmith. Brandt has even created his own alloys, which are stronger than those created by humans in the past. He is skilled in the creation of modern relics. Brandt is able to imbue magical runes into weapons, armor and general machinations of his own design - though that magic is limited to his craft, he cannot use it offensively or defensively, only when smithing. Due to his skill with fire and heat manipulation, he lacks the need for an actual forge, and is able to forge weapons on the fly with his portable anvil.

[Son of the Craftsman] Brandt has an innate sense of the workings of machines, weapons, and armor no matter how complex they are. He can duplicate, dismantle, or repair anything he comes into contact with in record time - though he does not need to have seen the object beforehand, or even know what it is for that matter.

Basic Skills:
[Master Swordsman] While many of his Norse brethren chose to train in the art of the spear, Brandt was always drawn to swordsmanship. Very few people (humans and demigods alike) can match Brandt's skill with a sword. Though he is not the best, by far, he is almost unmatched. There are those who are faster and stronger, but few have equaled or surpassed his skill with a blade.

[Master Martial Artist] Brandt, knowing that he could not always rely on his creations, studied under the many skilled hand-to-hand combatants in Norse territory. He is a master martial artist, skilled in many styles of hand-to-hand combat. His hands are just as deadly (to mortals) as his blade is to monsters.

[General Skills] He is skilled in precision driving (though it is rarely needed), hunting, scavenging, fishing, fletching, smithing (of course), swimming, and many other things fitting of a warrior used to living off of the land.

Notable Equipment:
[Basic Items] Rations, cantines, and traveler's garb.

[Smithing Equipment] Among the general traveler's items, Brandt carries a lightweight, portable anvil of his own make in a sturdy leather pack - as well as a hammer, tongs, and other various smithing tools on a tool belt at his waist. Though his pack and belt add a substantial amount of carry weight to the son of Hephaestus, he has become used to it over the last two decades of traveling, smithing, and weight training.

[Armaments] Like many of his kinsmen, Brandt has taken a liking to leathers and furs, rather than plate armor. He wears a lightweight, yet strong, set of leather armor with a cloak made of wolf pelts. Brandt carries a runic long sword on his back (see Relic section) and a kite shield strapped to his pack.

THE JUICY BITS

Backstory:
Born into the Ausburn Clan in Norse territory Brandt was trained, from the time he could carry a wooden blade (later switching to steel), to be a formidable warrior.

Brandt's village was attacked by several monstrosities on the night of his birth, slaughtering many of the clansmen and burning down several homes (including his family's home).

His mother gave birth to him in the middle of a burning house. She died in the fire, but he came out unscathed, which revealed that he was a godling.

Born of fire and blood in equal measure, Brandt was a warrior from day one, honing his skills throughout his early years. He was a master of the blade by age eleven, though he still had a lot to learn about the world and the pantheons that inhabited it.

After the attack and the fire, Brandt was the last remaining Ausburn male in his village, though he had some relatives spread throughout the land.

At an early age, he grew close to his cousin Audun, a son of Odin, causing trouble here and there. The elders of his village told him it was unseemly for young godlings to behave in such a manner, but they didn't care much for the rules at that point. Hell, Brandt still doesn't, to this day.

The responsibilities and weight that came with the clan name, he had a stressful life. However, he learned to delegate responsibility and lead his family in due time.

Though he was no village leader or elder, he was a protector. From the age of fifteen, he was considered the most skilled warrior in his village and the surrounding towns.

Brandt first picked up a hammer and struck an anvil at the age of 17. It had called to him in a way, the ringing of the local blacksmith's hammer on steel singing to him.

With that first strike, knowledge of smithing, craftsmanship, and metallurgy flowed through him, awakening the god-blood that flowed through his veins.

His father appeared shortly after, having bargained for passage into the Norse pantheon's lands with some of his personal creations, relics of the highest caliber. Hephaestus taught him the art of smithing in a very professional manner, not wanting to get too close to his son, when he had so many other children spread around the world. He was a distant father, but an excellent mentor.

After learning Brandt's lineage, the elders of his village shunned him. The Norse and the Greek pantheons had been warring for ages, and their children were often blamed by the followers of each pantheon, since they could not blame the gods themselves without fear of repercussions for their blasphemy.

Brandt quickly fell into the shadow of Audun and his accomplishment. Though he thought of his cousin as a blood brother, he couldn't help but to resent him for the love and adoration that was given to him.

While the elders and his clansmen no longer respected him, he knew some would take him in - the dwarves. He went and spent several years with them, training and honing his craft.

He left their home some time later, dubbed a 'friend of the dwarves' - a title rarely given in modern times.

Brandt returned home, hoping to prove to his clan and the Norse pantheon that he was worthy of their attention.

He proved himself through several quests given to him by the gods, and many challenges from men and women who claimed to be the strongest warriors in the land.

Defeating them all, though some were more difficult than others, he earned the respect of the Norse.

In recent years, Brandt bought his own smithery, and has begun to sell his creations.

He has recently be asked by the gods to accompany the Norse demigods to Rhodes, in an attempt to stop the Titans. To prosper where the Greeks failed, to show their strength.

Relic:
Brandt carries a runic long sword made of a strange alloy created by Brandt himself - a mix of dwarven steel and elven mithril. Needless to say, it is unbreakable.

Stronger than any metal known to man, this blade can pass through regular weaponry and armors with ease, though sets with magical properties may bring it to a halt.

The runes etched into the blade, a mix of Dwarvish and Welsh augmentation spells, strengthen the edge of the blade - allowing it to harm anything, excluding gods and titans.

Brandt has not named his blade, though he has carried it for quite some time. It was his first master-crafted blade, one that holds a lot of sentimental value to the Greek demigod-turned-Norse.

Alignment: Gods/Humans and those he sees as family or friends. More the Norse gods than the Greeks, though his loyalties and trust lie with the decisions and wishes of the Norse pantheon.

While he respects the gods and followers of other pantheons and religions, he prefers the gritty, tough ways of the Norse.

He favors having one's rank based on merit, rather than on one's lineage or wealth.

In his experience, the Norse have been quite adept at breeding strong godlings, while the Greeks have faltered in such matters, many of their children growing up soft and weak.

Though he is a Greek by blood, he is a Norseman in his heart and soul, and lives to protect his kinsmen even if it costs him his life.