Þórir Þráinsson Þórsson | Thorir T. Thorsson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
disdainfully) wrote2014-01-23 04:21 pm
disdainfully) wrote2014-01-23 04:21 pm
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savetheearth
OOC Information:
Name: Kira
Are you over 15? I've been for over a decade.
Contact: AIM: janteslaw, PP: andrahandslivet/narwa, PM to narva
IC Information:
Name:Thorin Oakenshield | reincarnated: Þórir Þráinsson Þórsson aka Thorir T. Thorsson aka Þórir Þráins
Canon and medium: Primarily the Hobbit movies, merged with the book and related materials where possible.
Age: 195 | reincarnated: 53
Preincarnation Species: Dwarf
Preincarnation Appearance: Like this, 149 centimeters tall.
Any differences: He's roughly 2m tall and his proportions are leaner than they used to be.
Preincarnated History: Thorin II was born as a prince of the line of Durin, second in line for the throne of Erebor which is also called the Lonely Mountain. From the beginning, he was raised as the eventual heir to the throne of Erebor. It was a rich and proud kingdom, yet the riches that the dwarves assembled in their greed for gold and gems was also what put an end to their power: Smaug, the dragon, descended upon the kingdom and the nearby human city of Dale that was closely tied to it and laid death and destruction upon both. Thorin was still a mere child at that time, only 24 years of age. His father, grandfather and two siblings could escape the dragon's fire, yet his mother couldn't. Long years of homeless wanderings followed (a large part of Erebor's former inhabitants went to the Grey Mountains, but the royal family and those close and loyal to it didn't), during which Thorin grew into a teenager full of memories of the lost home, acute alertness to the situation of homelessness and stories of the riches and respect that his people had once enjoyed - all the while still being groomed into the eventual heir of Erebor as his grandfather fully expected Thrain and his sons to win their kingdom back one day.
The wanderings came to an end when Thror, old and possibly driven mad by his ring, went to reclaim the now lost former dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm/Moria and was killed by orcs under their chieftain Azog in the most provocative manner possible, coupled with the threat that this should happen to any dwarf who would set his foot into the mountain. Such a provocation enabled Thror's family to mobilize dwarves everywhere, and the war between dwarves and orcs broke out; dwarves attacked all orc strongholds in the area. By the time that the orcs had been driven back to Moria, Thrain's children had joined the fight despite still being teenagers. Thrain himself vanished towards the end of the war, where to and why unknown - though the thought that grief had driven him mad was uttered (and with him vanished the last dwarven ring). The final and decisive battle took place at Azanulbizar/Nanduhirion, and it was disastrous for the dwarves. Many, among them Thorin's younger brother Frerin, fell, and panic broke out as the dwarven lines crumbled. Azog, who had sworn to end the line of Durin, hoped to come yet a step closer to this as he confronted Thorin - yet this was where the tides turned. Thorin, using a piece of a trunk of an oak for a shield for a while (this is where his byname is derived from), managed to defeat Azog, slicing off his arm, though his underlings could save the orc king, Thorin being too wounded from the battle to finish the deed in time. The orcs were defeated, but Khazad-dûm could not be reclaimed, for a much older horror still lived in it: The Balrog whom the dwarves called Durin's Bane, and who had driven the dwarves out of the mountain in the first place long ago (which, incidentally, led to the Erebor being settled).
Another phase of the now smaller group wandering homelessly followed. The last of Erebor, among them Balin and Glóin, led now by Thorin under the tutelage of Balin, through hard work slowly gathered a modest wealth again and finally settled down in Ered Luin/the Blue Mountains where they continued to work in various jobs (mostly smiths) among the humans. Here, Thorin's younger sister Dís gave birth to two sons, Fili and Kili, and Thorin raised them together with her - partly because their father was killed by orcs, but also partly because Fili was his heir and Kili after him, Thorin not having a wife himself (which for a dwarf is absolutely not strange in his world).
Over one and a half centuries later, Thorin gathered his nephews and some other dwarves, and due to Gandalf's interferences a group made up by a handful of dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard left the Shire for the Lonely Mountain. Meanwhile the dark forces were gathering and Azog had recovered and still lusted after Durin's blood. Hunted by orcs, with a short stop in Rivendell, through dangerous forests and mountains, into the captivity of the elves of Mirkwood (where Thorin refused an offer for help from Thranduil) and through Dale, where Thorin left his nephews and two other dwarves behind, into the Lonely Mountain led their way... And after Smaug was killed, the old illness of the dwarves which had been heightened in Durin's line since they received a ring led to much grief: Greed. Refusing demands from the people of Dale and the elves of Mirkwood, Thorin would not give any of the Lonely Mountain's wealth to someone outside their party. He called upon Dáin II, his relative, to bring his army to the defense of the Mountain... but then dwarves, elves and humans decided on a ceasefire as they became aware of masses of orcs marching towards them. The free folk won the battle, but not only was Thorin wounded so badly that he died of his wounds shortly after: He also had to see both his nephews die while they defended him.
Note: I couldn't fit this in anywhere here but the Arkenstone, "crown jewel" of the Durins of Erebor and heart of the mountain, is like the symbol both of the wealth inside the mountain, the greed connected with it and the ownership of the mountain and really important and if Thorin would marry anyone it would probs be the Arkenstone. OTP. Anyway, in that function it's a significant motivator and plot point.
Reincarnated History:
Þórir's family is of Icelandic descent. Unusually for Scandinavians, and partly due to a history of stubborn-as-fuck members who were insanely proud of their heritage, but also partly due to very strong ties being kept to their homeland (Thorir's uncle moved back to Iceland, as did two of his siblings, though contact has been lost with one of them, and the rest of their relatives never emigrated; Thorir's wife is a first generation immigrant that he met when he worked in London), much of that has survived. While partly on a very basic levels, most members of the family still speak Icelandic, the names still reflect their heritage fully, they visit the remaining family there regularly, and so on. Due to the different naming system in America, the family has opted to keep the Patronymic that the first immigrant, Thorir's grandfather, supplied as a last name and insert the proper patronymics and/or matronymics as middle names. Similarly, their passports show their names in American letters, but inside the family those names are spelled with Icelandic ones to keep up traditions. So while Thorir would give his real name as Þórir Þráinsson Þórsson, for people outside of the family he is Thorir T. Thorsson. A good number of friends and other social contacts have nicknamed him Thor.
Þórir was the first of four children born to his -then very young- parents, Þráinn and Björk, in 1960. Both of them worked in the hardware shop of Þráinn's father, a flourishing business which not only sold items but also included a smithy and did rough leatherwork. Over the years, a slow handing over from Þor to Þrainn took place, and by the time that Þórir started high school, the place belonged to Þráinn and Björk while Þór and his wife only occasionally helped out, same as the children. It had been clear from a young age that Þórir would take over the business after his father, and he had always made a bit of pocket money helping there...
But then he was scouted right out of high school by a model scout. Being close to two metres tall and due to the work in the store rather well ripped, and just generally a handsome piece of man, he quickly became one of the most sought-after male models in his new home of London. He lived like that for a couple of years, traveled Europe and also a bit of the rest of the world on the job, and met among others Gabriel (thebalrogslayer), who became a frequent colleague and a rather good friend of him, and a female fellow model called Mardís. When Þórir's and Mardís's stars started to sink, they returned to Þórir's homeland and started working in his father's business while Þórir completed his formal education and Mardís studied accounting.
Not too long after, children happened: Þorkell, in 1986, Ragna and Inger in 1987, Birgir in 1990 and Albin and Jón in 1999. Due to Locke not being such a cheap place, only Þorkell, who lives in New York, and Ragna, who moved back to Iceland for university and stayed, have moved out. Inger and her boyfriend live with their two 4-year-olds and one one-year-old in Þór and his wife's old apartment above the smithy which is located adjacent to the main building housing store, offices and the family's living space (this comes with practical babysitting services...). Birgir, Jón and Albin simply still have their rooms, though Birgir is rarely at home because she travels a lot for her job (she and her soon-to-be-fiancée, Keira, are however planning to find an apartment for themselves). About two weeks before Thorir accesses the network first, Filbert, his nephew, moved in with the family. Þráinn and Björk live in the house as well when they are in the area, but just like Birgir they like to travel when health and temperatures suggest it...
In 2001, the ownership of the hardware shop shifted formally to Þórgir and Mardís. When the children started to fly out, they reopened the smithy that Þráinn had shut down, and started doing custom orders with leather, metal and sometimes semiprecious stones on the side of running the ordinary hardware shop that was more and more just selling things. They have done a fair amount of ren-fair and larp things over the years, but never quite specialized in the area. Very recently, that part of the store has expanded slight as a new part-timer,youngestone, had brought jewelry-making skills into the mix.
First Echo: For the first time, he gave in to a patron telling him how awesome a Viking he would be in a larp and tagged along with the person after a crash course in regulations and a few visits to the training gatherings of the patron's group. It was a rather large fantasy larp, so there were all kinds of stock fantasy races there. The final battle included a good number of orc NPCs... which did not go over well. Crossing his axe with one of them, Þórir suddenly echoed Thorin's feelings for this race... which resulted in him getting a bit carried away with the fight. A few other men had to drag him out of it, and he got a year's ban from fighting in any larps that that organization made. He made sure to apologize formally to everyone involved, no bad blood was had and the ban will soon be up (though he does not intend to go to any events that might include orcs again), but he still hasn't figured out why he suddenly harbours such hatred against a fictional race...
Preincarnation Personality:
Thorin is not a man of many greys. He will do a thing or not do it, think of you as a burden or an asset, a friend or a foe - and because there is little middle ground it is hard for him to move things and people from one side to the other. An example of this is his view on Bilbo: It takes him ages, and massive deeds on Bilbo's part, to shift him from the "burden" to the "asset" side because that was where he started out... though not entirely of his own fault. Yes, Bilbo first presented himself to Thorin in a bad light, but even before meeting him Thorin had a low opinion of him simply because he is a hobbit. Dwarves can be pretty racist, and Thorin is absolutely no exception. Out of all other humanoid races, humans are the only ones that they have a neutral stance on, probably mostly because of long friendly contacts of interdependency (dwarves, living under the mountains and not farming, depended on humans for food, while the humans traded with the dwarves' high-end goods and derived wealth form there). Orcs are seen more like vermin than like people. Elves have for a long time been the dwarves' favourite enemy, hated through wars and bias, to the point where Gimli's words of "rather being dead than seeing the (one) ring in the hands of an elf" would be supported by all his kin. Hobbits are cowardly simpletons, not a threat but not worthy of respect either. Thorin does not only share all those thoughts, he surpasses them when it comes to elves.
There is a deep historical racial bias playing it's part here, but there is also the more personal reason that as a child he experienced the elf Thranduil and his people turning their back on his people when they needed help. His hatred for anything elvish goes beyond never trusting an elf: He only barely keeps a very fine sword that he found when he learns that it was made by elves. His dislike of Thranduil seems to only grow over the years despite him becoming an adult who should be able to look beyond the memories of a frightened child listening to the scorn of it's elders. But, as mentioned above, it is hard to sway Thorin's mind when it comes to his opinions on others, and he will harbour a grudge for just as long as he will honour a friendship or promise, or an opinion or decision - until the reason to cease to do so is too massive to ignore.
In addition to their attitudes towards other races, dwarves also have a high opinion of themselves. Every fine piece of craft, in their mind, has to have been made by a dwarf - a claim that is, though partly justified through the high level of skills in their possession, disregardful of any non-dwarven craftperson's accomplishments. This is, again, accelerated in Thorin's case as he has in addition to his race also the blood of (the primary line of) Durin, one of the most revered dwarves in history, in him, and the title of a king-in-exile of the Erebor to his name. Those are things that mean a lot to dwarves in general: It was one of the reasons why Thrain could rally so many dwarves to his flags when taking revenge for Thror, another being that vengeance is considered a strong moral duty among dwarves. They also mean a lot to Thorin. His view of himself and his pride are based in it as he was raised into this role, educated and groomed to be the heir to the throne of the Lonely Mountain and one day it's king. Thror always expected either Thrain or one of his sons to take back the mountain, and Thrain's mind never failed to be riveted on it, which made Erebor (and the Arkenstone) always a focal point of Thorin's worldview growing up (it does not help that, as mentioned, vengeance is a duty for dwarves: The duty for revenge on Smaug was handed down to Thrain from Thror, and to Thorin from Thrain). When, while still a teenager, Thorin was suddenly became the king-in-exile due to his grandfather's death and father's disappearance, those things that had been instilled in him by them were only cemented, though pushed back to a future when the chance to claim back the mountain would arise: For the moment, much more practical and urgent matters required his attention, like taking care of his then poor and exhausted people. Despite his age, he proved himself very capable as a leader and king, and the last of Durin's folk did not only survive but their situation soon started to see a turn for the better in the moral and the economical field, and their number slowly rose again.
But the quest to the Erebor is not actually a choice for Thorin and had to happen eventually, and he always knew that. To take revenge on Smaug is his obligation. For a dwarf who takes his duties as seriously as him and who would not ask things he'd not do himself from others, delaying it past his lifetime is no choice. Of course he also has enough other reasons: To, after 170 years as a refugee, return to the place that he knows he belongs to though most of his memories of it are stories that he has been told, and has retold himself, over and over. To be reinstated in his birthright as the king under the mountain. To provide for his people the rich and careless lifestyle that they used to lead in Erebor yet again.
Thorin is a skilled leader who knows how to inspire trust in his followers, a respected warrior, a reliable man who commands respect and breathes authority, who is loyal and honours friendship and duties. He's a man who stands by his word and won't ask things of others that he wouldn't ask of himself - the dwarven view on kingship helps here: All dwarven kings are also men of the crafts, often masters in them. As a dwarf, working as a smith or similar is a perfectly acceptable way of earning money for him, honest work not infringing on his status as a king at all. In the same line there is no issue with him throwing himself into the middle of a fight or wandering around alone or more-or-less undercover.
While he has no children of his own, Thorin has raised his nephews along with his sister Dís, their mother. He was a "strict" guardian, but what we see of their relationship nowadays implies that this means not a cold parenting style: As a parental figure Thorin was consequent and demanding, yet also caring and attentive. The upbringing that Fili and Kili received was fit for princes, and possible heirs, of the line of Durin. It probably helped a lot that despite his strict demeanour and the serious appearance, which are not only necessary and fitting for his position and duties but also were enforced by them, Thorin can be warm, knows compassion and is very capable of expressing appreciation for a person or what they did, clearly and directly to them. And he knows how to have fun, as long as it doesn't interfere with his duties and as long as he *feels* that it doesn't make him lose face.
The dwarven king is a honest person and no matter if his feelings are negative - contempt can be named prominently here - or positive - thankfulness, for example - they tend to show as he usually sees no reason to hide them. This means that he can seem rather short-tempered, or rather: He is short-tempered when he sees no reason to keep it at bay or the situation is tight. Thorin can apologize and does so when he feels that it is needed, but it is not a careless act for him; it takes a lot for him to do it, but then there also is meaning to his words.
Like all dwarves, he is filled with a greed for (primarily) gold, which is heightened a bit by how long a ring was owned by his ancestors as the rings' main effect on dwarves is to heighten their greed for gold and complimented with a (partly inherited) desire for the Arkenstone, a jewel that symbolizes everything that he has the duty and will to regain.
His standing and the fact that it for most of his life was based on blood and memory, not property and possessions have made him more rigid and stubborn, but also more easily slighted, in his pride. This pride and a tendency to easily look upon others with contempt and disdain cause Thorin to not take kindly to feeling that he is being made fun of. It also makes it harder from him to ask for help, though he will still do it if he sees no other way. His preferred kind of relationships with those not of his kind is that of trade - be it that he prefers help that he knows to not be altruistic but rest on an ulterior motive, be it that he will automatically wonder how much of an reward a possible helper would demand, automatically seeing them as a contractor. Like all dwarves he considers it a sign of meekness to not haggle when the situation allows for it. He's a skilled orator and as such able to manipulate masses relatively easily, and he can be a good diplomat *when he wants*. But pride, bias and things that he won't compromise on can lead to trouble when it comes to diplomacy.
Thorin's trust needs to be earned, in a twofold manner: One kind of trust is about the other person meaning well (in the sense of, reliably so, not just as it fits them) - this one is very hard to earn from anyone not a dwarf. The other is trusting in people's abilities and capability. This not only means trusting them to stand their ground and to be an asset to the group that can reliably do their part. It also means trusting them to be reliable about themselves - when he asks you if you are well, he expects a completely honest answer. Breaking either type of trust can have massive consequences - when Kili broke the second type, Thorin completely took away the adult treatment that he had given him before and started to decide for him again, like when his nephew had been younger.
One note about the progress of Thorin over the course of the quest that he undertook with the other dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf: As mentioned above, this quest is the duty of Thorin's, which is the reason why continuing it is non-negotiable for him and he can be very single - minded about it. There is another factor coming in here that makes things harder for everyone: There is, as Elrond says, a "strain of madness run[ning] in [Thorin's] family. His father and grandfather succumbed to it." - and Thorin knew about that long before he overheard Elrond saying that. Yes, the ring accelerated this madness (a fact that Thorin does not know), but the madness is based on two key elements that are also present in the journey: The greed for gold and the longing for their ancestral homeland (in Thror's case, that was also Khazad-dûm). Being aware of this means that Thorin notices, or at least recognizes, what is happening to himself. On the one hand, this means that he can reign it in to a degree when it thrusts aside common sense and compassion, though that might take a while. On the other hand, it makes his (re)actions and words even harsher sometimes.
Any differences:
Unlike his counterpart who hasn't been answerable to anyone since his teenage days, Þórir has always been and still is. Sure, his father, and his late grandfather, do/did not wield the same authority as Thorin's simply by not being king, but they have always been important guides in his life. Þórir didn't have to grow up quickly; he could fool around and run off for a while as a teenager and young man, and when he took over "his Erebor", it was a slow and planned process, and the responsibility was always shared with his wife. He's never had any traumatic experiences, the greatest and only major grievance and conflict in his family was the split with his brother. He's always had a home that he could return to and an emotional and financial network that could support him and catch him should he stumble. This has left him a lot softer and calmer and somewhat more evenly-tempered than Thorin, and more open to compromises.
His family is an still his main fix-point, but not having a kin the way Thorin does, and no racial bias, has left him a lot more open to a variety of friendships. He's still very loyal and values friendship and the bonds of family highly, but both are less of a duty and more of a decision that he just made that way for him. Regarding children, he is a lot more familiar with taking care of babies and toddlers than Thorin, and he raised none of his children to be something specific - he hopes that one of them (or maybe one of his nephews or nieces) will one day take over the family business, and has taken care of making that known and providing the opportunity to earn pocket money working there for everyone, but he hasn't groomed anyone into his and his wife's successor in that position. This is mostly due to modern ideas about child-rearing and the freedom of picking a career, his more traditional father very clearly expected Þórir to come and take over the store when he was done with his prancing around in Europe and from an early age trained him towards that (and something that hasn't changed at all between pre- and reincarnation is basically everything relating to leadership qualities and the type of relationship that Þórir has with those being led, including his family and his employees but also when playing sports, being (school-)politically active or otherwise in groups. Þórir still is not a follower, and seldom finds himself in that role).
Þórir is content with his life. He got to see the world in his youth and then settled down and started a family, never lacking economical stability, and when he one day hands it over he assumes that him and Mardís will retire to work in the smithy and travel the world, much like his own father is doing now. He has no quest or other goals in life looming ahead, and no higher expectations for his children, himself and his family than to do well and hopefully stay at the level where they are now.
Unlike Thorin, Þórir hates no group of people with the conviction and strength that Thorin feels, his pride is not lesser but more private and he is a lot less prone to contemptuous behaviour. He does still have all those things in him, but they are just a lot less pronounced. Don't let him get into political controversies though, be they ideological or practical. It will be bad. Especially when he feels his family or friends threatened or insulted.
Lastly, Þórir lacks all the cultural and racial components of Thorin's personality, most notably the greed, vengeance being a duty and the notions of racial superiority.
Tl;dr: Þórir is a version of Thorin that chilled the fuck out.
Abilities:
- Race: Dwarves live much longer than humans, though they are ordinarily mortal. When Thorin died at 195 he could be compared to a 40-something human - they come of age slowly and remain hale for a long time (while their average age of death is 250, a good number of them fall in battle before their time, so their "natural" life expectancy should be higher). Dwarves are also sturdier and stronger than humans and have a higher endurance (they might not be the fastest runners, they are unable to do quiet and their range is limited by their height, but that would be their only disadvantage in any physical contest with the other races in Middle Earth).
- Battle: Thorin is a seasoned warrior and physically fit. He can wield expertly most, if not all, short-distance weapons of his canon, including swords and battleaxes. We know that he has owned and knows to fight with swords, battle axes, shields and knives; named weapons that he has possessed are the swords Orcrist (found on the quest, made by elves) and Deathless (a dwarven sword).
- Craft: He has mastered all common dwarven crafts (which means that he's a very skilled craftsman - while, unlike what many dwarves would make you think, other races can produce crafts of equal quality, a high level of craftmansship is average among dwarves). He also does not only have all abilities needed for mining, but due to his upbringing as a prince also has been schooled in the planning and logistics of mines and so on. For the same reason he also has schooling in elocution and what one could call "administrative and other skills needed to run a dwarven kingdom".
- Other: Thorin knows how to play the harp and owns one (made from gold, in a green wrapping) and also has a nice singing voice. He can ride a horse and knows how to survive in the wild. He can haggle. He can speak, read and write at least two languages (the common tongue and the dwarven language Khuzdul) and is proficient in the dwarven sign language, Iglishmêk. He also has a vast knowledge in dwarven lore and history, especially that of his own line of Durin.
Roleplay Sample - Third Person: Test drive meme, with STE!Thorir
Roleplay Sample - Network: Dear_Player, with canon!Thorin
Note: I have permission from Kili-mun and Fili-mun for the headcanon about their parents.
Name: Kira
Are you over 15? I've been for over a decade.
Contact: AIM: janteslaw, PP: andrahandslivet/narwa, PM to narva
IC Information:
Name:Thorin Oakenshield | reincarnated: Þórir Þráinsson Þórsson aka Thorir T. Thorsson aka Þórir Þráins
Canon and medium: Primarily the Hobbit movies, merged with the book and related materials where possible.
Age: 195 | reincarnated: 53
Preincarnation Species: Dwarf
Preincarnation Appearance: Like this, 149 centimeters tall.
Any differences: He's roughly 2m tall and his proportions are leaner than they used to be.
Preincarnated History: Thorin II was born as a prince of the line of Durin, second in line for the throne of Erebor which is also called the Lonely Mountain. From the beginning, he was raised as the eventual heir to the throne of Erebor. It was a rich and proud kingdom, yet the riches that the dwarves assembled in their greed for gold and gems was also what put an end to their power: Smaug, the dragon, descended upon the kingdom and the nearby human city of Dale that was closely tied to it and laid death and destruction upon both. Thorin was still a mere child at that time, only 24 years of age. His father, grandfather and two siblings could escape the dragon's fire, yet his mother couldn't. Long years of homeless wanderings followed (a large part of Erebor's former inhabitants went to the Grey Mountains, but the royal family and those close and loyal to it didn't), during which Thorin grew into a teenager full of memories of the lost home, acute alertness to the situation of homelessness and stories of the riches and respect that his people had once enjoyed - all the while still being groomed into the eventual heir of Erebor as his grandfather fully expected Thrain and his sons to win their kingdom back one day.
The wanderings came to an end when Thror, old and possibly driven mad by his ring, went to reclaim the now lost former dwarven kingdom of Khazad-dûm/Moria and was killed by orcs under their chieftain Azog in the most provocative manner possible, coupled with the threat that this should happen to any dwarf who would set his foot into the mountain. Such a provocation enabled Thror's family to mobilize dwarves everywhere, and the war between dwarves and orcs broke out; dwarves attacked all orc strongholds in the area. By the time that the orcs had been driven back to Moria, Thrain's children had joined the fight despite still being teenagers. Thrain himself vanished towards the end of the war, where to and why unknown - though the thought that grief had driven him mad was uttered (and with him vanished the last dwarven ring). The final and decisive battle took place at Azanulbizar/Nanduhirion, and it was disastrous for the dwarves. Many, among them Thorin's younger brother Frerin, fell, and panic broke out as the dwarven lines crumbled. Azog, who had sworn to end the line of Durin, hoped to come yet a step closer to this as he confronted Thorin - yet this was where the tides turned. Thorin, using a piece of a trunk of an oak for a shield for a while (this is where his byname is derived from), managed to defeat Azog, slicing off his arm, though his underlings could save the orc king, Thorin being too wounded from the battle to finish the deed in time. The orcs were defeated, but Khazad-dûm could not be reclaimed, for a much older horror still lived in it: The Balrog whom the dwarves called Durin's Bane, and who had driven the dwarves out of the mountain in the first place long ago (which, incidentally, led to the Erebor being settled).
Another phase of the now smaller group wandering homelessly followed. The last of Erebor, among them Balin and Glóin, led now by Thorin under the tutelage of Balin, through hard work slowly gathered a modest wealth again and finally settled down in Ered Luin/the Blue Mountains where they continued to work in various jobs (mostly smiths) among the humans. Here, Thorin's younger sister Dís gave birth to two sons, Fili and Kili, and Thorin raised them together with her - partly because their father was killed by orcs, but also partly because Fili was his heir and Kili after him, Thorin not having a wife himself (which for a dwarf is absolutely not strange in his world).
Over one and a half centuries later, Thorin gathered his nephews and some other dwarves, and due to Gandalf's interferences a group made up by a handful of dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard left the Shire for the Lonely Mountain. Meanwhile the dark forces were gathering and Azog had recovered and still lusted after Durin's blood. Hunted by orcs, with a short stop in Rivendell, through dangerous forests and mountains, into the captivity of the elves of Mirkwood (where Thorin refused an offer for help from Thranduil) and through Dale, where Thorin left his nephews and two other dwarves behind, into the Lonely Mountain led their way... And after Smaug was killed, the old illness of the dwarves which had been heightened in Durin's line since they received a ring led to much grief: Greed. Refusing demands from the people of Dale and the elves of Mirkwood, Thorin would not give any of the Lonely Mountain's wealth to someone outside their party. He called upon Dáin II, his relative, to bring his army to the defense of the Mountain... but then dwarves, elves and humans decided on a ceasefire as they became aware of masses of orcs marching towards them. The free folk won the battle, but not only was Thorin wounded so badly that he died of his wounds shortly after: He also had to see both his nephews die while they defended him.
Note: I couldn't fit this in anywhere here but the Arkenstone, "crown jewel" of the Durins of Erebor and heart of the mountain, is like the symbol both of the wealth inside the mountain, the greed connected with it and the ownership of the mountain and really important and if Thorin would marry anyone it would probs be the Arkenstone. OTP. Anyway, in that function it's a significant motivator and plot point.
Reincarnated History:
Þórir's family is of Icelandic descent. Unusually for Scandinavians, and partly due to a history of stubborn-as-fuck members who were insanely proud of their heritage, but also partly due to very strong ties being kept to their homeland (Thorir's uncle moved back to Iceland, as did two of his siblings, though contact has been lost with one of them, and the rest of their relatives never emigrated; Thorir's wife is a first generation immigrant that he met when he worked in London), much of that has survived. While partly on a very basic levels, most members of the family still speak Icelandic, the names still reflect their heritage fully, they visit the remaining family there regularly, and so on. Due to the different naming system in America, the family has opted to keep the Patronymic that the first immigrant, Thorir's grandfather, supplied as a last name and insert the proper patronymics and/or matronymics as middle names. Similarly, their passports show their names in American letters, but inside the family those names are spelled with Icelandic ones to keep up traditions. So while Thorir would give his real name as Þórir Þráinsson Þórsson, for people outside of the family he is Thorir T. Thorsson. A good number of friends and other social contacts have nicknamed him Thor.
Þórir was the first of four children born to his -then very young- parents, Þráinn and Björk, in 1960. Both of them worked in the hardware shop of Þráinn's father, a flourishing business which not only sold items but also included a smithy and did rough leatherwork. Over the years, a slow handing over from Þor to Þrainn took place, and by the time that Þórir started high school, the place belonged to Þráinn and Björk while Þór and his wife only occasionally helped out, same as the children. It had been clear from a young age that Þórir would take over the business after his father, and he had always made a bit of pocket money helping there...
But then he was scouted right out of high school by a model scout. Being close to two metres tall and due to the work in the store rather well ripped, and just generally a handsome piece of man, he quickly became one of the most sought-after male models in his new home of London. He lived like that for a couple of years, traveled Europe and also a bit of the rest of the world on the job, and met among others Gabriel (
thebalrogslayer), who became a frequent colleague and a rather good friend of him, and a female fellow model called Mardís. When Þórir's and Mardís's stars started to sink, they returned to Þórir's homeland and started working in his father's business while Þórir completed his formal education and Mardís studied accounting. Not too long after, children happened: Þorkell, in 1986, Ragna and Inger in 1987, Birgir in 1990 and Albin and Jón in 1999. Due to Locke not being such a cheap place, only Þorkell, who lives in New York, and Ragna, who moved back to Iceland for university and stayed, have moved out. Inger and her boyfriend live with their two 4-year-olds and one one-year-old in Þór and his wife's old apartment above the smithy which is located adjacent to the main building housing store, offices and the family's living space (this comes with practical babysitting services...). Birgir, Jón and Albin simply still have their rooms, though Birgir is rarely at home because she travels a lot for her job (she and her soon-to-be-fiancée, Keira, are however planning to find an apartment for themselves). About two weeks before Thorir accesses the network first, Filbert, his nephew, moved in with the family. Þráinn and Björk live in the house as well when they are in the area, but just like Birgir they like to travel when health and temperatures suggest it...
In 2001, the ownership of the hardware shop shifted formally to Þórgir and Mardís. When the children started to fly out, they reopened the smithy that Þráinn had shut down, and started doing custom orders with leather, metal and sometimes semiprecious stones on the side of running the ordinary hardware shop that was more and more just selling things. They have done a fair amount of ren-fair and larp things over the years, but never quite specialized in the area. Very recently, that part of the store has expanded slight as a new part-timer,
youngestone, had brought jewelry-making skills into the mix.First Echo: For the first time, he gave in to a patron telling him how awesome a Viking he would be in a larp and tagged along with the person after a crash course in regulations and a few visits to the training gatherings of the patron's group. It was a rather large fantasy larp, so there were all kinds of stock fantasy races there. The final battle included a good number of orc NPCs... which did not go over well. Crossing his axe with one of them, Þórir suddenly echoed Thorin's feelings for this race... which resulted in him getting a bit carried away with the fight. A few other men had to drag him out of it, and he got a year's ban from fighting in any larps that that organization made. He made sure to apologize formally to everyone involved, no bad blood was had and the ban will soon be up (though he does not intend to go to any events that might include orcs again), but he still hasn't figured out why he suddenly harbours such hatred against a fictional race...
Preincarnation Personality:
Thorin is not a man of many greys. He will do a thing or not do it, think of you as a burden or an asset, a friend or a foe - and because there is little middle ground it is hard for him to move things and people from one side to the other. An example of this is his view on Bilbo: It takes him ages, and massive deeds on Bilbo's part, to shift him from the "burden" to the "asset" side because that was where he started out... though not entirely of his own fault. Yes, Bilbo first presented himself to Thorin in a bad light, but even before meeting him Thorin had a low opinion of him simply because he is a hobbit. Dwarves can be pretty racist, and Thorin is absolutely no exception. Out of all other humanoid races, humans are the only ones that they have a neutral stance on, probably mostly because of long friendly contacts of interdependency (dwarves, living under the mountains and not farming, depended on humans for food, while the humans traded with the dwarves' high-end goods and derived wealth form there). Orcs are seen more like vermin than like people. Elves have for a long time been the dwarves' favourite enemy, hated through wars and bias, to the point where Gimli's words of "rather being dead than seeing the (one) ring in the hands of an elf" would be supported by all his kin. Hobbits are cowardly simpletons, not a threat but not worthy of respect either. Thorin does not only share all those thoughts, he surpasses them when it comes to elves.
There is a deep historical racial bias playing it's part here, but there is also the more personal reason that as a child he experienced the elf Thranduil and his people turning their back on his people when they needed help. His hatred for anything elvish goes beyond never trusting an elf: He only barely keeps a very fine sword that he found when he learns that it was made by elves. His dislike of Thranduil seems to only grow over the years despite him becoming an adult who should be able to look beyond the memories of a frightened child listening to the scorn of it's elders. But, as mentioned above, it is hard to sway Thorin's mind when it comes to his opinions on others, and he will harbour a grudge for just as long as he will honour a friendship or promise, or an opinion or decision - until the reason to cease to do so is too massive to ignore.
In addition to their attitudes towards other races, dwarves also have a high opinion of themselves. Every fine piece of craft, in their mind, has to have been made by a dwarf - a claim that is, though partly justified through the high level of skills in their possession, disregardful of any non-dwarven craftperson's accomplishments. This is, again, accelerated in Thorin's case as he has in addition to his race also the blood of (the primary line of) Durin, one of the most revered dwarves in history, in him, and the title of a king-in-exile of the Erebor to his name. Those are things that mean a lot to dwarves in general: It was one of the reasons why Thrain could rally so many dwarves to his flags when taking revenge for Thror, another being that vengeance is considered a strong moral duty among dwarves. They also mean a lot to Thorin. His view of himself and his pride are based in it as he was raised into this role, educated and groomed to be the heir to the throne of the Lonely Mountain and one day it's king. Thror always expected either Thrain or one of his sons to take back the mountain, and Thrain's mind never failed to be riveted on it, which made Erebor (and the Arkenstone) always a focal point of Thorin's worldview growing up (it does not help that, as mentioned, vengeance is a duty for dwarves: The duty for revenge on Smaug was handed down to Thrain from Thror, and to Thorin from Thrain). When, while still a teenager, Thorin was suddenly became the king-in-exile due to his grandfather's death and father's disappearance, those things that had been instilled in him by them were only cemented, though pushed back to a future when the chance to claim back the mountain would arise: For the moment, much more practical and urgent matters required his attention, like taking care of his then poor and exhausted people. Despite his age, he proved himself very capable as a leader and king, and the last of Durin's folk did not only survive but their situation soon started to see a turn for the better in the moral and the economical field, and their number slowly rose again.
But the quest to the Erebor is not actually a choice for Thorin and had to happen eventually, and he always knew that. To take revenge on Smaug is his obligation. For a dwarf who takes his duties as seriously as him and who would not ask things he'd not do himself from others, delaying it past his lifetime is no choice. Of course he also has enough other reasons: To, after 170 years as a refugee, return to the place that he knows he belongs to though most of his memories of it are stories that he has been told, and has retold himself, over and over. To be reinstated in his birthright as the king under the mountain. To provide for his people the rich and careless lifestyle that they used to lead in Erebor yet again.
Thorin is a skilled leader who knows how to inspire trust in his followers, a respected warrior, a reliable man who commands respect and breathes authority, who is loyal and honours friendship and duties. He's a man who stands by his word and won't ask things of others that he wouldn't ask of himself - the dwarven view on kingship helps here: All dwarven kings are also men of the crafts, often masters in them. As a dwarf, working as a smith or similar is a perfectly acceptable way of earning money for him, honest work not infringing on his status as a king at all. In the same line there is no issue with him throwing himself into the middle of a fight or wandering around alone or more-or-less undercover.
While he has no children of his own, Thorin has raised his nephews along with his sister Dís, their mother. He was a "strict" guardian, but what we see of their relationship nowadays implies that this means not a cold parenting style: As a parental figure Thorin was consequent and demanding, yet also caring and attentive. The upbringing that Fili and Kili received was fit for princes, and possible heirs, of the line of Durin. It probably helped a lot that despite his strict demeanour and the serious appearance, which are not only necessary and fitting for his position and duties but also were enforced by them, Thorin can be warm, knows compassion and is very capable of expressing appreciation for a person or what they did, clearly and directly to them. And he knows how to have fun, as long as it doesn't interfere with his duties and as long as he *feels* that it doesn't make him lose face.
The dwarven king is a honest person and no matter if his feelings are negative - contempt can be named prominently here - or positive - thankfulness, for example - they tend to show as he usually sees no reason to hide them. This means that he can seem rather short-tempered, or rather: He is short-tempered when he sees no reason to keep it at bay or the situation is tight. Thorin can apologize and does so when he feels that it is needed, but it is not a careless act for him; it takes a lot for him to do it, but then there also is meaning to his words.
Like all dwarves, he is filled with a greed for (primarily) gold, which is heightened a bit by how long a ring was owned by his ancestors as the rings' main effect on dwarves is to heighten their greed for gold and complimented with a (partly inherited) desire for the Arkenstone, a jewel that symbolizes everything that he has the duty and will to regain.
His standing and the fact that it for most of his life was based on blood and memory, not property and possessions have made him more rigid and stubborn, but also more easily slighted, in his pride. This pride and a tendency to easily look upon others with contempt and disdain cause Thorin to not take kindly to feeling that he is being made fun of. It also makes it harder from him to ask for help, though he will still do it if he sees no other way. His preferred kind of relationships with those not of his kind is that of trade - be it that he prefers help that he knows to not be altruistic but rest on an ulterior motive, be it that he will automatically wonder how much of an reward a possible helper would demand, automatically seeing them as a contractor. Like all dwarves he considers it a sign of meekness to not haggle when the situation allows for it. He's a skilled orator and as such able to manipulate masses relatively easily, and he can be a good diplomat *when he wants*. But pride, bias and things that he won't compromise on can lead to trouble when it comes to diplomacy.
Thorin's trust needs to be earned, in a twofold manner: One kind of trust is about the other person meaning well (in the sense of, reliably so, not just as it fits them) - this one is very hard to earn from anyone not a dwarf. The other is trusting in people's abilities and capability. This not only means trusting them to stand their ground and to be an asset to the group that can reliably do their part. It also means trusting them to be reliable about themselves - when he asks you if you are well, he expects a completely honest answer. Breaking either type of trust can have massive consequences - when Kili broke the second type, Thorin completely took away the adult treatment that he had given him before and started to decide for him again, like when his nephew had been younger.
One note about the progress of Thorin over the course of the quest that he undertook with the other dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf: As mentioned above, this quest is the duty of Thorin's, which is the reason why continuing it is non-negotiable for him and he can be very single - minded about it. There is another factor coming in here that makes things harder for everyone: There is, as Elrond says, a "strain of madness run[ning] in [Thorin's] family. His father and grandfather succumbed to it." - and Thorin knew about that long before he overheard Elrond saying that. Yes, the ring accelerated this madness (a fact that Thorin does not know), but the madness is based on two key elements that are also present in the journey: The greed for gold and the longing for their ancestral homeland (in Thror's case, that was also Khazad-dûm). Being aware of this means that Thorin notices, or at least recognizes, what is happening to himself. On the one hand, this means that he can reign it in to a degree when it thrusts aside common sense and compassion, though that might take a while. On the other hand, it makes his (re)actions and words even harsher sometimes.
Any differences:
Unlike his counterpart who hasn't been answerable to anyone since his teenage days, Þórir has always been and still is. Sure, his father, and his late grandfather, do/did not wield the same authority as Thorin's simply by not being king, but they have always been important guides in his life. Þórir didn't have to grow up quickly; he could fool around and run off for a while as a teenager and young man, and when he took over "his Erebor", it was a slow and planned process, and the responsibility was always shared with his wife. He's never had any traumatic experiences, the greatest and only major grievance and conflict in his family was the split with his brother. He's always had a home that he could return to and an emotional and financial network that could support him and catch him should he stumble. This has left him a lot softer and calmer and somewhat more evenly-tempered than Thorin, and more open to compromises.
His family is an still his main fix-point, but not having a kin the way Thorin does, and no racial bias, has left him a lot more open to a variety of friendships. He's still very loyal and values friendship and the bonds of family highly, but both are less of a duty and more of a decision that he just made that way for him. Regarding children, he is a lot more familiar with taking care of babies and toddlers than Thorin, and he raised none of his children to be something specific - he hopes that one of them (or maybe one of his nephews or nieces) will one day take over the family business, and has taken care of making that known and providing the opportunity to earn pocket money working there for everyone, but he hasn't groomed anyone into his and his wife's successor in that position. This is mostly due to modern ideas about child-rearing and the freedom of picking a career, his more traditional father very clearly expected Þórir to come and take over the store when he was done with his prancing around in Europe and from an early age trained him towards that (and something that hasn't changed at all between pre- and reincarnation is basically everything relating to leadership qualities and the type of relationship that Þórir has with those being led, including his family and his employees but also when playing sports, being (school-)politically active or otherwise in groups. Þórir still is not a follower, and seldom finds himself in that role).
Þórir is content with his life. He got to see the world in his youth and then settled down and started a family, never lacking economical stability, and when he one day hands it over he assumes that him and Mardís will retire to work in the smithy and travel the world, much like his own father is doing now. He has no quest or other goals in life looming ahead, and no higher expectations for his children, himself and his family than to do well and hopefully stay at the level where they are now.
Unlike Thorin, Þórir hates no group of people with the conviction and strength that Thorin feels, his pride is not lesser but more private and he is a lot less prone to contemptuous behaviour. He does still have all those things in him, but they are just a lot less pronounced. Don't let him get into political controversies though, be they ideological or practical. It will be bad. Especially when he feels his family or friends threatened or insulted.
Lastly, Þórir lacks all the cultural and racial components of Thorin's personality, most notably the greed, vengeance being a duty and the notions of racial superiority.
Tl;dr: Þórir is a version of Thorin that chilled the fuck out.
Abilities:
- Race: Dwarves live much longer than humans, though they are ordinarily mortal. When Thorin died at 195 he could be compared to a 40-something human - they come of age slowly and remain hale for a long time (while their average age of death is 250, a good number of them fall in battle before their time, so their "natural" life expectancy should be higher). Dwarves are also sturdier and stronger than humans and have a higher endurance (they might not be the fastest runners, they are unable to do quiet and their range is limited by their height, but that would be their only disadvantage in any physical contest with the other races in Middle Earth).
- Battle: Thorin is a seasoned warrior and physically fit. He can wield expertly most, if not all, short-distance weapons of his canon, including swords and battleaxes. We know that he has owned and knows to fight with swords, battle axes, shields and knives; named weapons that he has possessed are the swords Orcrist (found on the quest, made by elves) and Deathless (a dwarven sword).
- Craft: He has mastered all common dwarven crafts (which means that he's a very skilled craftsman - while, unlike what many dwarves would make you think, other races can produce crafts of equal quality, a high level of craftmansship is average among dwarves). He also does not only have all abilities needed for mining, but due to his upbringing as a prince also has been schooled in the planning and logistics of mines and so on. For the same reason he also has schooling in elocution and what one could call "administrative and other skills needed to run a dwarven kingdom".
- Other: Thorin knows how to play the harp and owns one (made from gold, in a green wrapping) and also has a nice singing voice. He can ride a horse and knows how to survive in the wild. He can haggle. He can speak, read and write at least two languages (the common tongue and the dwarven language Khuzdul) and is proficient in the dwarven sign language, Iglishmêk. He also has a vast knowledge in dwarven lore and history, especially that of his own line of Durin.
Roleplay Sample - Third Person: Test drive meme, with STE!Thorir
Roleplay Sample - Network: Dear_Player, with canon!Thorin
Note: I have permission from Kili-mun and Fili-mun for the headcanon about their parents.