Fuku
Shameless fanservice ahoy: Tyr, in the grand tradition of the famous Viking berserkers, chooses to fight bare-chested. He’s naked from the waist up, his upper body decorated in whorls of blue woad that cover his chest, arms, shoulders, back, neck, and face. Of particular note is the woad on his back: a line made of swirls and geometric shapes traces up his spine, with the top/point of the line ending just below the neck. The lines then carry on over the backs of his shoulders in a similarly decorated fashion. This forms the shape of Tyr’s rune on his back. These woads are not simply body paint or anything of the sort. They are actual physical tattoos that appear on Tyr’s body when he transforms, and disappear when he resumes his civilian form. Around Tyr’s throat is a simple leather cord decorated with an amulet made of bone, with a slightly modified version of Tyr’s rune carved into it. His forearms are protected from wrist to partway up his arm by a set of boiled leather bracers. The front of the bracers are inset with a sheet of metal that can be used to help deflect blows from weaponry. The bracers rest on top of a strip of thin, undyed linen that wraps around Tyr’s palms, leaving the thumb and fingers free, and continues up the arm to just under the elbow. Tyr wears a pair of loose-fitting linen pants, dyed a faded blue, that offer him a full range of motion. They’re rather “full” but they gather at just below the knee, at which point Tyr’s legs are covered by a strip of vivid red herringbone fabric that coils all the way down, eventually wrapping around the arch of his foot. The top of the pants are covered by a leather and wool pseudo-girdle that sits on his hips, starting just below Tyr’s navel and continuing to just above the groin. It is fastened with a series of toggles along the front, and decorated with golden embroidery in various geometric shapes and patterns. The middle part of the girdle is fashion from panels of red dyed wool and leather straps. A braided leather belt is knotted around it, the buckle and the end of the belt both fashioned from iron. His shoes are a simple affair, made of a sturdy leather and fitted to his foot, although they also have toggles that fasten along the side to keep them in place.
The most interesting aspect of Tyr’s fuku, however, is his right hand. From the wristbone (or the wolf joint, as the Norse called it, in honor of Tyr’s sacrifice) up, his hand is not made of flesh and bone, but rather it appears to be roughly constructed out of a series of overlapping metal plates and hinges. It packs a hell of a whollop since it’s made of solid metal, and it certainly looks intimidating, but it’s also very difficult to perform fine motor tasks with. His hand opens and closes very slowly and the fingers lack the range of motion a hand typically has; as a result it’s almost impossible to do anything delicate or precise with it, so Tyr generally either uses it to hold his spear (for all its faults, that metal hand has a hell of a grip) or for breaking the nose of someone he doesn’t like. As a civilian, Hugo is right-handed. This doesn’t change when he transforms into Tyr. He’s going to either have to learn how to be a southpaw or hope he gets better at finely manipulating that hand to be as useful in combat as he has the potential to be.
This great image was a collaboration between Em (the drawing/fuku design) and Joules (the woads). Thanks so much, guys! Unfortunately it’s slightly outdated (mostly in the wrappings/bracers, and the fact that it doesn't show his metal hand) but it’s still an excellent example.
The most interesting aspect of Tyr’s fuku, however, is his right hand. From the wristbone (or the wolf joint, as the Norse called it, in honor of Tyr’s sacrifice) up, his hand is not made of flesh and bone, but rather it appears to be roughly constructed out of a series of overlapping metal plates and hinges. It packs a hell of a whollop since it’s made of solid metal, and it certainly looks intimidating, but it’s also very difficult to perform fine motor tasks with. His hand opens and closes very slowly and the fingers lack the range of motion a hand typically has; as a result it’s almost impossible to do anything delicate or precise with it, so Tyr generally either uses it to hold his spear (for all its faults, that metal hand has a hell of a grip) or for breaking the nose of someone he doesn’t like. As a civilian, Hugo is right-handed. This doesn’t change when he transforms into Tyr. He’s going to either have to learn how to be a southpaw or hope he gets better at finely manipulating that hand to be as useful in combat as he has the potential to be.
This great image was a collaboration between Em (the drawing/fuku design) and Joules (the woads). Thanks so much, guys! Unfortunately it’s slightly outdated (mostly in the wrappings/bracers, and the fact that it doesn't show his metal hand) but it’s still an excellent example.
Transformation
"Tyr, guide my hand!"
The irony of this transformation phrase is not lost on Fenrir, who has a good chuckle at it every time he hears Hugo say it. The transformation starts with Hugo calling his phrase and clutching the amulet around his neck with his right hand. A spear appears in his left hand and he slams the butt of it against the ground, sending a shockwave upward that surrounds him with a cloud of mist that complete obscures his person, even if he’s not outside. When the mist fades, Tyr is left standing with his full fuku on, the hand clasped around his amulet now made of roughly hewn metal. The whole thing doesn’t take more than ten seconds, fortunately, otherwise Hugo would probably feel a lot more awkward about it.
The irony of this transformation phrase is not lost on Fenrir, who has a good chuckle at it every time he hears Hugo say it. The transformation starts with Hugo calling his phrase and clutching the amulet around his neck with his right hand. A spear appears in his left hand and he slams the butt of it against the ground, sending a shockwave upward that surrounds him with a cloud of mist that complete obscures his person, even if he’s not outside. When the mist fades, Tyr is left standing with his full fuku on, the hand clasped around his amulet now made of roughly hewn metal. The whole thing doesn’t take more than ten seconds, fortunately, otherwise Hugo would probably feel a lot more awkward about it.
Weaponry
Tyr wields an eight foot long spear with a shaft made of ash. It is tipped by a leaf/lozenge-shaped iron spearhead about fifteen inches long. The spearhead is inlaid with copper and silver, with etchings of wolves and geometric patterns on either side of the central rib of the spearhead. A portion of the spear, from just above the midsection to a few inches above the butt of the shaft, is wrapped in strips of soft leather. Hugo has no previous experience using a spear, however he’s pretty sure he just has to stick people with the pointy part and it’ll be a pretty effective weapon. That said, the spear is large and fairly heavy, and he’s likely to be somewhat clumsy with it starting out. He’s also a brawler by nature, and is just as likely to chuck it somewhere outside the ring of battle so he can use a more direct attack, eg: punch someone in the face. Hugo isn’t exactly the “cold-blooded murder” type, either. Chances are he’ll use it to slash and cut, but he’s unlikely to stab or thrust with it unless he’s in some serious danger.
Powers
Drengskapr is Tyr’s only power, but it’s an interesting one. At its most basic, Drengskapr can be considered a “buff” -- it imbues his selected ally (or himself, if Tyr so chooses) with virtues associated with the most honorable of the Vikings, the drengr. Those who were drengr in Norse society were brave, disciplined, and held a great sense of personal honor. Drengskapr is a state of mind, in a way, where you come to embody all those qualities: fear becomes courage, flagging strength becomes a second wind, a painful wound now a mere trifle. Drengskapr gives the senshi the power they need to keep fighting, no matter what, as any disciplined and honorable Viking would.
More specifically, this power does several things. First, it allows a senshi to ignore pain. This has some caveats, of course: it only numbs physical pain, for one thing, and it’ll have a rather diminished effect on dulling the pain for grievous wounds. For example, a senshi who has lost a limb or broken a bone will feel less pain, enough to maybe be able to move around some, but they likely won’t be able to attack or fight all that well. More superficial injuries (eg: cuts, bruises, minor burns, scrapes, etc) can be completely ignored for the duration of Drengskapr. Tyr’s power also instills in a senshi a sense of courage, although this is mitigated somewhat by the senshi’s own personality; a coward is still a coward, they’re just less likely to turn tail and run with the power of VIKING HONOR coursing through their veins. An interesting aspect of Drengskapr is that it also gives a senshi a sense of fair play and self-control, so while under the effects of Drengskapr a senshi is also less likely to do anything reckless or needlessly cruel. Drengskapr provides senshi with a physical second wind as well, and any exhaustion they may have been experiencing is temporarily cleared away so they can fight at full strength once more. This also has the incredibly useful side effect of restoring a senshi’s ability to use one of their magic powers once, if they so choose.
Drengskapr does have some other limitations. It only lasts about four or five minutes at the most, and a senshi can be shaken out of a Drengskapr state if they experience a serious mental or physical trauma, although it is just as likely that Drengskapr state can actually help the senshi in either of those situations. Tyr can only cast Drengskapr once per transformation, and he must be in physical contact with the senshi he chooses to use it on when it is cast. To cast it all he needs to say is the word Drengskapr, although he can fancy up the phrase if he so chooses. (Unlikely, since this is Hugo we’re talking about here.) He is capable of using it on himself, however using Drengskapr does not allow Tyr to cast his ability a second time per transformation -- at least for now. If a senshi chooses not to use one of their magic abilities while under Drengskapr they will not be able to use one when it wears off.
Basically, Drengskapr makes you a kickass team player for a few minutes by giving you a shot of adrenaline. Hooray!
More specifically, this power does several things. First, it allows a senshi to ignore pain. This has some caveats, of course: it only numbs physical pain, for one thing, and it’ll have a rather diminished effect on dulling the pain for grievous wounds. For example, a senshi who has lost a limb or broken a bone will feel less pain, enough to maybe be able to move around some, but they likely won’t be able to attack or fight all that well. More superficial injuries (eg: cuts, bruises, minor burns, scrapes, etc) can be completely ignored for the duration of Drengskapr. Tyr’s power also instills in a senshi a sense of courage, although this is mitigated somewhat by the senshi’s own personality; a coward is still a coward, they’re just less likely to turn tail and run with the power of VIKING HONOR coursing through their veins. An interesting aspect of Drengskapr is that it also gives a senshi a sense of fair play and self-control, so while under the effects of Drengskapr a senshi is also less likely to do anything reckless or needlessly cruel. Drengskapr provides senshi with a physical second wind as well, and any exhaustion they may have been experiencing is temporarily cleared away so they can fight at full strength once more. This also has the incredibly useful side effect of restoring a senshi’s ability to use one of their magic powers once, if they so choose.
Drengskapr does have some other limitations. It only lasts about four or five minutes at the most, and a senshi can be shaken out of a Drengskapr state if they experience a serious mental or physical trauma, although it is just as likely that Drengskapr state can actually help the senshi in either of those situations. Tyr can only cast Drengskapr once per transformation, and he must be in physical contact with the senshi he chooses to use it on when it is cast. To cast it all he needs to say is the word Drengskapr, although he can fancy up the phrase if he so chooses. (Unlikely, since this is Hugo we’re talking about here.) He is capable of using it on himself, however using Drengskapr does not allow Tyr to cast his ability a second time per transformation -- at least for now. If a senshi chooses not to use one of their magic abilities while under Drengskapr they will not be able to use one when it wears off.
Basically, Drengskapr makes you a kickass team player for a few minutes by giving you a shot of adrenaline. Hooray!