Sigurd Sigmundsson

In the course of human history, there are many heroes who chose to set aside their emotions and adopt minds and hearts of steel to achieve their greater goals.  Sigurd is not one of those heroes.  Rather than a man who became a weapon, he is perhaps better described as a weapon in the guise of a man.  He acts not out of great ambition, but out of an unflinching commitment to that which he believes needed to be done.  

Throughout his childhood, he was happy to accept a low position in court so long as he was able to meet enjoy the bare necessities of life.  He hunted the great beast Fafnir not out of a thirst for glory, but due to the simple devotion to avenging the honor of his foster father whom Fafnir had betrayed.  Even his legendary rescue of Brynhild was not out of desire for love and beauty, but rather because in Sigurd's mind, helping those in need is simply something that must be done and if not for him, it would not have been done.  

His eyes carry a cold, almost alien focus more in line with a sculpture carved from a great glacier than a mortal man; something that was only augmented by the constant praise of those around him who lauded him as a hero without equal.  Trying to shoulder the unfair expectations of those around him, Sigurd dedicated his adulthood to trying to embody the ideal hero that he believed people needed but in doing so, gradually became more and more distant from the concept of a human, in favor of a tireless force of justice.  

That is not to say Sigurd is in any way unkind.  Quite the opposite, the dragon slayer was respected for his kindness and generosity just as much as he was for his skill in combat.  The issue is that while Sigurd strives to act justly and honorably, he struggles with personal attachments due to his assumed responsibilities as a hero.  The sole exception to this was the love of his life, the valkyrie Brynhild, who was able to steal his heart at first sight despite his own intent to avoid such feelings.  For the first time, Sigurd was able to find love and understanding in another person without being treated as if he were different.  Oddly enough, it was in teaching Brynhild the ways of humanity that Sigurd was finally able to rediscover his own.

While Sigurd does not embody the role of a hero for ambition or glory, he does possess a great deal of pride in his achievements as such.  He considers it a point of pride, an iron clad rule imposed upon himself, that upon taking a task, he will never yield, never turn a blind eye to those in need and most importantly, never undergo the shame of letting an enemy strike his fleeing back.  
 

Son of the great king, Sigmund, Sigurd was unfortunate enough to never know his father who fell in battle against Odin himself before Sigurd was even born.  While his mother remarried, Sigurd was sent to live in the care of the supremely talented blacksmith, Regin.  Though he seemingly raised Sigurd with love and care, Regin's true intentions were anything but noble.  From a young age, Sigurd was constantly tempted by his foster father towards violence and greed, repeatedly questioned as to why he was consent to live as a mere stable boy while his mother's new husband controlled the wealth.  An humble, unambitious sort, Sigurd was happy to simply live with the bare necessities.  It culminated when Regin questioned why Sigurd possessed no horse of his own.  Setting out to buy a steed of his own, Sigurd was secretly guided by Odin and through that advice, came to be the owner of Grani, a proud descendant of Odin's own steed Slepnir.  

It would not be long before Regin was once again attempting to exploit the rapidly growing Sigurd and his ever increasing prowess as a warrior.  Telling young Sigurd the sordid tail in which Regin's uncle, Fafnir, betrayed his family to seize a cursed treasure for himself before becoming a mighty dragon without equal, Regin begged his ward to avenge him and find a way to slay the beast.  Feeling himself indebted to his foster father, Sigurd agreed and asked Regin to forge him a sword capable of killing a dragon.  Though he failed time after time, Regin was eventually able to produce an ultimate sword for Sigurd, forged from the broken shards left behind by his late father.  

Armed with Gram, Sigurd set out to slay the beast.  Through blood, sweat, and herculean effort, Sigurd was able to do the impossible and kill an invincible abomination.  Soon after Fafnir was slain, Regin arrived and asked Sigurd to allow him to devour the dragon's heart to gain its wisdom.  Initially, Sigurd was happy to oblige his foster father but while cooking the heart, a bit of the dragon's hot blood leaked onto his finger, burning him and causing him to bring his finger to his lips.  Ingesting the dragon's blood by accident, Sigurd gained the ability to understand the language of birds who warned him that his foster father intended to betray and kill him after consuming the dragon's heart.  Enraged at the betrayal of the man who had all but raised him, Sigurd decapitated Regin in a haze of red before eating Fafnir's heart himself to gain untold wisdom.

Shortly after the death of Fafnir, Sigurd was informed of a maiden by the name of Brynhild who lay trapped atop a far off mountain, imprisoned in a circle of fire and cursed to remain sleeping there until rescued by her fated love. Aided by the wisdom gained through Fafnir's heart, Sigurd also learned that he was not only fated to fall in love with Brynhild, but that his love for her would inevitably bring them both to ruin. Despite this grim prophecy, Sigurd elected to rescue her regardless.

Determined to not let his life be dictated by a fate presented to him by another, Sigurd stormed the mountain, cleaving through stone and magical protection alike before finally diving through the circle of fire to find the sleeping Brynhild. Calling upon his mystical wisdom once more, the dragon slayer recognized the sleeping spell woven through her armor and so, with a single masterful cut, severed the spell and Brynhild's armor.

Though he had planned to abandon love entirely, when he came face to face with the fallen vakyrie, Sigurd was lost in love at first sight. In a whirlwind romance, they spent their "honeymoon" traversing the mountains, hunting together every morning and spending their nights together by the fire as student and teacher. As he gradually taught her the ways of the world, Brynhild imparted upon Sigurd knowledge of ancient runes to aid and protect him in battle.

They were, by far, the brightest days of Sigurd's life. Unfortunately, they were but a fleeting moment in his short life. Taking his leave of the mountain, Sigurd told his lady love that he still had much to do as an adventurer but swore to her that he would soon return for her. In response, Brynhild once again created a circle of fire and promised that she would give herself to no one but the dragon slayer until his return.

Following the trail of adventure, Sigurd eventually found himself in the court of Gjúki, where he came to live for a time. A petty, jealous woman, Gjúki's wife, Grimhild, desired Sigurd's ring and gold for her own family. In order to take them for herself, Grimhild made an "Ale of Forgetfulness" to force Sigurd to forget Brynhild, so he could marry her own daughter, Gudrun.

A short while later, Gjúki's son, Gunnar, wanted to court Brynhild but surrounded by magical flames, she was all but unreachable. Only Grani, Sigurd's horse, would do it, and only with Sigurd on it. In honor of their new familial bond, Sigurd took on Gunnar's form and rode Grani through the flames to claim Brynhild in a trial of combat. Soon after, the day of Brynhild's wedding to Gunnar arrived and among the attendants, Sigurd stood in silence. Though the Ale of Forgetfulness had faded and his memories were his once more, Sigurd could only stand in silence before their union, believing himself bound by familial honor.

However, Sigurd would not have long to live in shame. Thrown into despair at his apparent rejection and driven even further into madness when she learned of his own marriage to Gudrun, Brynhild attacked the dragon slayer with her mighty lance. Fueled by her nearly boundless love, Brynhild tore Sigurd in half, splitting him at the waist and bringing his tale to a tragic, shameful end before going on to massacre Gunnar's family and eventually take her own life. 

In addition to the Saber class, Sigurd can also be summoned as a Rider, Caster or Berserker.  While he is a respectable Caster, it is by far his weakest class, depriving him of access to many of his best tools and abilities.  As a Rider, his primary Noble Phantasm is his faithful steed, Grani.  After Saber, it is the class he is most suited to.  

Likes:  Hunting, camping, afternoon naps, and arts & crafts
Dislikes:  Dragons, deception of any sort, and comedians due to feeling self-conscious at the difficulty he has understanding jokes.