King Markinen
King of the Rókuri and of Kolmerma Markinen Illmarinenssen (a.k.a. Tultaharja (Fire Mane)
The legendary King of Kolmerma, father of the ten clans of the Rókuri and defender against the invading Siones
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Described as a great king, in his youth Markinen was known for his wavy red hair which earned him the moniker Tultaharja or "Fire Mane". In his old age, the elderly King was still active enough to lead his men into battle all the way until his final moments on the beach at Fytjar.
Apparel & Accessories
Wore his famed boots, the Nahkaverhoiltu, for the entirety of his life as his father had enchanted them to always grow to the size of his son's feet.
Specialized Equipment
Famously wielded the notorious sword Vihastavaterä, the accursed blade fashioned by his father Illmarinen, and the weapon used in his murder by Pettura.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The destined son of Olwen of Tunoleh and the smith Illmarinen, Markinen was supposedly born atop the roots of the Onekkas tree, a place of great fortune and goodwill in Rókuri myth. It is said that Markinen's father Illmarinen fashioned his newborn son a pair of enchanted boots made of reindeer hide which would grow with the boy as he grew older. Eventually, when Markinen grew into a young man, his father was slain by his apprentice Pettura who also stole the sword Vihastavaterä, which would be blamed for the ill fortune which would bring the Siones to the shores of Kolmerma as in her paranoia, Pettura would call on the southern warlord Etelain to aid her in her feud with the family of Illmarinen. Markinen would track down Pettura and kill her with the blade forged by his father while her ally Etelain would flee south and regroup in his homeland.
After avenging his father, Markinen would set off on a quest to rid the accursed blade of the maddening effect it had on its wielder. Seeking out the aid of Vaina, the maiden of the sea who he had been told would be able to destroy the curse of the weapon. Markinen would be told to surrender to the hold of death so as to usurp the power the weapon held on him. In accomplishing this task, Markinen would submerge himself in the river Undhus for three days which would send his soul to Kuoleet, the deadlands. After three days, Vaina cast a net into the river and drug up Markinen's body before pouring a drop of honey on him which revived him. Now the curse of Vihastavaterä had no effect on him and he would wield it for the remainder of his life as he sought to unite the warring Rókuri in preparation for the arrival of the dreaded Siones who he had been warned of by Vaina.
For the next twenty years, Markinen would travel all corners of Kolmerma bringing together these disparate peoples and forming a united kingdom in anticipation of the arrival of the dreaded southerners. In this time, Markinen is said to have fallen in love with Vaina during their travels and notoriously to have doomed his later conflict with the Siones by laying with her against her wishes despite a wandering seer claiming that if he had done so, he would see his land slip from him while he lay on his back. Despite this, King Markinen would have ten children with Vaina and each of these children would all be sons who would constitute the ten clans of the Rókuri which have continued into the present. Come the time of the Siones invasion, King Markinen had amassed a great host in defense of his newly united kingdom. The Sione Wars would see the united Rókuri battle against the Siones under their King Hunaz, the son of Etelain.
For nearly thirty years, the Sione Wars would rage and see continual victory for the defending Rókuri who would keep the Siones at bay and without a proper beachhead with which to land. In the final years of the wars, King Markinen would be ambushed near the fjord of Fytjar while at sea by a strong Siones fleet which forced him to run aground and fight a battle. The Battle of Fytjar is a clash seen with great sadness in the eyes of the Rókuri as it would be the last battle fought by Markinen. The Battle itself pitted a small retinue of Markinen's most trusted and skilled warriors against a Sione force that outnumbered them six to one. Before the fight, Markinen is dour and dejected as he has seen fate catch up with him, he asks his retainers if they wish to retreat they are welcome to abandon him. Hearing the words of their dejected king, a young warrior named Saarel rallies his fellow warriors saying
With Saarel's reassuring words, the rest of the retinue announced their intentions to fight and die alongside their king if need be. After this reassurance Markinen regained his motivation to lead his men in the battle where they tear through the overconfident forces of the Siones. The King's retinue is so successful that they fight all the way to Hunaz, the King of the Siones who Markinen grievously wounds as the Siones are driven back to their ships. In the fight towards the Sione ships, King Markinen would be shot in the neck by an archer. It would take some time for the king to die from this mortal wound and as he was perched upon a rock surrounded by his men, he would watch the Siones carefully withdraw onto their ships. The dying king's words would be poetic as he would state
After avenging his father, Markinen would set off on a quest to rid the accursed blade of the maddening effect it had on its wielder. Seeking out the aid of Vaina, the maiden of the sea who he had been told would be able to destroy the curse of the weapon. Markinen would be told to surrender to the hold of death so as to usurp the power the weapon held on him. In accomplishing this task, Markinen would submerge himself in the river Undhus for three days which would send his soul to Kuoleet, the deadlands. After three days, Vaina cast a net into the river and drug up Markinen's body before pouring a drop of honey on him which revived him. Now the curse of Vihastavaterä had no effect on him and he would wield it for the remainder of his life as he sought to unite the warring Rókuri in preparation for the arrival of the dreaded Siones who he had been warned of by Vaina.
For the next twenty years, Markinen would travel all corners of Kolmerma bringing together these disparate peoples and forming a united kingdom in anticipation of the arrival of the dreaded southerners. In this time, Markinen is said to have fallen in love with Vaina during their travels and notoriously to have doomed his later conflict with the Siones by laying with her against her wishes despite a wandering seer claiming that if he had done so, he would see his land slip from him while he lay on his back. Despite this, King Markinen would have ten children with Vaina and each of these children would all be sons who would constitute the ten clans of the Rókuri which have continued into the present. Come the time of the Siones invasion, King Markinen had amassed a great host in defense of his newly united kingdom. The Sione Wars would see the united Rókuri battle against the Siones under their King Hunaz, the son of Etelain.
For nearly thirty years, the Sione Wars would rage and see continual victory for the defending Rókuri who would keep the Siones at bay and without a proper beachhead with which to land. In the final years of the wars, King Markinen would be ambushed near the fjord of Fytjar while at sea by a strong Siones fleet which forced him to run aground and fight a battle. The Battle of Fytjar is a clash seen with great sadness in the eyes of the Rókuri as it would be the last battle fought by Markinen. The Battle itself pitted a small retinue of Markinen's most trusted and skilled warriors against a Sione force that outnumbered them six to one. Before the fight, Markinen is dour and dejected as he has seen fate catch up with him, he asks his retainers if they wish to retreat they are welcome to abandon him. Hearing the words of their dejected king, a young warrior named Saarel rallies his fellow warriors saying
"Älä pelkää kuningastani, maanmiehesi ovat kanssasi"
"Fear not my king, your countrymen are with you".
"Fear not my king, your countrymen are with you".
With Saarel's reassuring words, the rest of the retinue announced their intentions to fight and die alongside their king if need be. After this reassurance Markinen regained his motivation to lead his men in the battle where they tear through the overconfident forces of the Siones. The King's retinue is so successful that they fight all the way to Hunaz, the King of the Siones who Markinen grievously wounds as the Siones are driven back to their ships. In the fight towards the Sione ships, King Markinen would be shot in the neck by an archer. It would take some time for the king to die from this mortal wound and as he was perched upon a rock surrounded by his men, he would watch the Siones carefully withdraw onto their ships. The dying king's words would be poetic as he would state
"Woe is this old fool, for I have doomed us."
King Markinen would be interred in his northern homeland and buried with his accursed sword Vihastavaterä. After his death, his homeland would be left defenseless against the incursions of the Siones who eventually overran Kolmerma and drove the Rókuri to the far north where they now reside. In Iolan traditions, King Markinen is vilified as a cursed and lustful tyrant who brought himself great shame by persecuting the Siones after bringing them ashore as allies. In the north, his people remember him fondly as their ancestral father and their only king and the only true king of Kolmerma.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Unite his people and defend them against the Siones
Virtues & Personality perks
Ambitious
Courageous
Able
Charismatic
Courageous
Able
Charismatic
Vices & Personality flaws
Lustful
Stubborn
Fearful
Stubborn
Fearful
Social
Family Ties
Son of Illmarinen and Olwen
Father of Rássa, Sálmo, Aksel, Olet, Hansa, Emel, Mikko, Holger, Junil and Juvven
Consort of Vaina, the Maiden of the Sea
Father of Rássa, Sálmo, Aksel, Olet, Hansa, Emel, Mikko, Holger, Junil and Juvven
Consort of Vaina, the Maiden of the Sea
Social Aptitude
Known for his inspiring presence and charismatic demeanor, in the culture of the northerners he is remembered as the great uniter of the warring Rókuri people. In southern Iolan lands he is remembered as a worthy adversary but a vain and careless figure worried more with glory and fame than the preservation and protection of his people.
Current Location
Ethnicity
Life
2099 B.E
2023 B.E
76 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Son of the smithing god Illmarien and the Olwen of Tunoleh
Circumstances of Death
Mortally Wounded by the fleeing Siones following the Battle of Fytjar
Birthplace
Tunoleh, Drauheim
Place of Death
Fytjar, Húsavík
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Brown
Hair
Long, Wavy, White (Formerly Red)
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
6'1
Weight
220 lbs
Belief/Deity
Wuna and the Rókuri Religion
Related Myths
Comments