Name: Ilkka Viinikainen
Race: Lycan
Age: 277
Gender: Male
Appearance: Having spent his entire life in the cold reaches of the north, Ilkka has grown pale with thick, hardy skin, which doesn't seem to irritate though it is coarse and dry. His body is also built for harsh conditions and most comparable to a bear. He stands well over six feet tall, though he hunches forward somewhat, making him appear shorter yet more intimidating. Atop his head sits a mass of dark brown hair, thick and full, which sticks outward at odd angles and frequently appears as though it has never been brushed. His thick jaw is lined with the same rough hairs, reduced to annoyingly sharp stubbles. While the rest of his facial features portray the same boasting strength- a straight long nose, tightly drawn lips, and little to no baby fat- his eyes do not seem to match his appearance at all. Though also a dark brown, they glisten brightly, seeming sharp and intelligent.
When in lycan form, his physical stature remains monstrously large, though this makes him a fair bit slower. Fur covers the majority of his body in thick tufts to protect against the chilling winters, and is grey in colour. His snout and ears are rather long and pointed, though the right ear is torn at the tip. Wherever skin is visible, numerous scars are as well.
Being homeless and poor, Ilkka tends to snatch abandoned clothing from the unaware, as a reward for his own good actions toward the people. He often wears a fairly simple sort of tunic [http://www.houseofanoria.com/MEDIEVAL_CLOTHING/Dark_Prince.jpg] with a strip of leather looped around his waist to keep it shut. Underneath the tunic is a grey shirt with long sleeves, and grey pants that are frayed around the ankles. He most often walks barefoot. The only item of luxury he carries is a golden chain about his neck, with a pendant of a cross. The chain is thick and just long enough to be comfortable around his neck when in lycan form.
History: Ilkka was born under the shadow of the Korvatunturi mountains in what is modern day Finland, by the border of Russia. Both of his parents were lycans, and gave birth to seven other children, or pups. Three of them died in infancy or early childhood, and another freezing to death after falling into a deep pond. Ilkka, his two brothers, and their one sister, were left to grow to adulthood.
Their childhood was largely primitive, as their parents were reclusive and tried to avoid human contact- this was especially easy due to living in such an empty region. He and his siblings were often beaten and abused, forced to grow strong or perish. At the age of seventeen, another brother died, deemed too weak by his mother. The group of pups was whittled down to three.
By the time Ilkka was thirty-six, he was deemed ready to face the world alone. South he travelled, until he met humans, tribal folk who wore the fur of other creatures on top of their bald bodies. Attempting to appear as human as possible, Ilkka blended with the people in their village, hoping to rest from his travels across the wintry landscapes.
Rest, however, was not in the stars for him. That night, a relatively small group of pillagers arrived from the east, keen to destroy the village, steal its supplies, and rape its women. Disgusted by the putrid screams and the scent of burning hair in the night, he reverted to his true form and attacked, savagely killing most of the raiders. Those who fled would tell stories of the wolf-man who had slaughtered their numbers, blood dripping ecstatically from his maw. After the conflict, the leader of the village approached. Ilkka was warned never to return for the fear he had caused, but to retain his pure heart and noble vengeance. The lycan was given a golden cross to safeguard him, and he obeyed, continuing to travel south.
Throughout his many years, Ilkka has acted as a dark knight, fighting for those too weak to defend themselves, offering no surrender and sparing no one who stood in his way. His moral lines are often confused: he has destroyed and protected; raped and loved; murdered and saved. But to his pride, he will never relinquish his pursuit for fairness, for equality, and for justice.