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"He treks forth across the seven seas going in a constant search for tomorrow, righting whatever wrongs and listening to whatever tales he finds..."
Kerr is a Soulcalibur fan-character created by just another guy on the internet. Originally just a design inspired by hitting the random costume button a couple too many times, his character quickly developed from that upon the realization that there weren't that many Vikings or Norsemen in the SC-verse.
Kerr is a pirate and a paladin, a crusader who sails all over the world looking for injustice to punish, bandit enclaves to plunder, and temples to worship at and present recovered artifacts to. He does not really consider any place to be his home, though his ship (which doubles as a holy shrine) also works as a nice resting place.
His primary weapon is a Viking halberd called the Valtameri, and was created using Seong Mina's fighting style.
What lies in his soul is Glory.
Profile[]
Water is one of the most prominent elements on the planet. The planet is mostly water, and from it the earth grows, takes nourishment, and provides life for everything on it. It allows people to travel great distances in order to build up economies, or it can tear down entire civilizations in a massive flood. When frozen it can provide pathways or demolish structures, when heated it can bring either comfort or torment. It can be kind, it can be cruel, it can be a symbol of disaster or a symbol of prosperity...water is a fickle element.
For one man, however, it is an element he reveres.
The Viking known as Kerr Reinholtti Stromson is a typical paladin; He is friendly and kind, generally interested in both the "greater good" and helping people out. His actions are decided primarily by integrity, honor, or justice, and he has little amusement for underhanded actions. He generally just enjoys being with people, and can just as frequently frequently be found in a bar laughing alongside others than on the sea. When he goes off to sail, however, his mission is clear—his daily duties are to defend those who cannot defend themselves from injustice, and to bring those who have wrongfully afflicted the innocent to justice.
Rather than just worship a single deity, however, he is a man who worships the water element as a whole. Be it in elemental form, in wide vast oceans, small rivers, or even frozen solid in towers of ice, in all of its forms he holds nothing but the greatest reverence for it. He goes where the water flows, constantly on the move sailing from one place to another and then heading to another shortly after. While sometimes he returns to places and sometimes he moves on to never come back, he never stays in one single place terribly long—the only place he truly considers home is sailing along the seas.
Most of Kerr's history is a mystery, other than that he was born in a boat just off the coast of Finland and raised in a docks town. Attempts to ask him or pry into his personal life have been met with gentle deflections or a change of subject. Whether out of a great pain in his past life or simply no desire to spread it around, information on the Viking is scarce. Instead, he prefers to focus on the future.
His travels have exposed him to a multitude of cultures, languages, beliefs, and people, and as each day opens up there is always a new thing to learn and discover. While many would call him aimless or without direction, and there would probably be a kernel of truth to that, Kerr considers the daily life all the direction he needs. For him, only a couple things really matter in the long run, and making sure everything in the short run changes is what makes life all the more interesting. Very little remains forever, and fate can turn in just the blink of an eye, so it's always best to enjoy what you have now and experience as much as you can before destiny's clutches take a permanent hold of you.
Stages[]
Ice Coffin of the Sleeping Ancient (Soulcalibur IV)[]
A frozen over hole in the middle of the sea, lost to the waves of the far north. Deep within the chasms, one can see many things that once were. Ancient bones of creatures lost to time, architecture of civilizations from long before, and a ship wrecked up against the edge belonging to whatever captain was brave enough to try these waters. What mysteries are held within the confines of this chill water, and what secrets are kept eternally silent by the unrelenting cold?
Shrine to the Eternal Mistress (Original)[]
Kerr's ship is not one he would claim to be unique, but not many other sailing ships can boast a religious shrine deep within its confines. Just underneath the deck is a temple composed together of many ruins recovered from underwater, the lodged in the floor and protruding up from the water, coral growing against the roof and poking down. Despite whatever temperature of the area Kerr sails to, the shrine remains cold and the ice never melts, and the water sloshing back and forth against the floor of the ship never threatens to capsize the ship.
The arena itself is a large square platform, with sloshing water on all sides and the walls of the ship in the distance. A horrible rainstorm surges outside, rocking the ship back and forth and affecting the gravity of projectiles. Small inclines coated in ice linger at the edge, offering a slippery-slope hazard to combat—those that find themselves on the defensive are the ones that find themselves most in danger of being thrown to the depths of the ship with even a small push. And the depths are not kind...
Weapons[]
Valtameri (Main weapon)[]
The Valtameri is a customized Viking halberd with a wide axe blade merging into a pike and a hook on the backside—designed with triple the function, it has triple the capability in battle. Because of the wide blade it can also act as a boat oar, but that's not really useful for fighting. The Valtameri has no strange auras, no unique features, no telling arcane signatures that identify it as a weapon that should stand out in any way.
What DOES make it stand out, however, is the fact that it was forged not in fire...but in ice and water. Large slabs of metal were frozen and then broken into shape like brittle candy, and finalized pieces were tempered in sub-zero water. While many smiths have argued over the effectiveness and ability of "cold forging" in comparison to more traditional techniques, the Valtameri is evidence that sometimes it can be done well. The result is a blade that not only works perfectly fine in frozen or aquatic environments, having been tempered against the merciless cold of the depths, but also leaves a deep chill on every wound it inflicts.
Spetum[]
A lengthy European spear from the 13th century, which goes under many names: chauve souris, corseca, corsesque, korseke, runka, rawcon, and of course, spetum. The most notable feature about it is the extra prongs protruding out from the base, forming a W. These prongs are single-edged, with the blade pointing towards the wielder. The main spear blade is lengthy enough to destroy an organ in any single thrust, while the blunt backs of the side blades help for tripping or knocking aside shields. With their unique positioning, the side blades also render the spetum far more useful for slashing and swinging than a normal spear, making it a very versatile polearm capable of multiple different modes of combat.
With the additional blades and their unique angle, many traditional defenses are easily bypassed against the spetum. What deflects one blade still has to deal with two others, and it's a high chance that at least one of them would still able to find an opening. It is also capable of catching the blade of others, allowing for improved defensive capabilities as well, but unfortunately its age has shown through with the dulled blade, significantly reducing its damage capabilities.
War Scythe[]
The scythe has long been a weapon associated with either farmers or death. Its sinister curve and wicked edge allows for devastating wounds that cause more than several problems with internal organs. The traditional scythe, however, contrary to its fearsome appearance is not a terribly efficient weapon for battle. Those that favor its use are clearly powerful beyond their mortal ken or have far more spirit to pursue a goal than their fellow man.
For when it was absolutely needed for war, it required a redesign so that its awkwardly-angled blade could gouge open opponents—and not the wielder. The War Scythe makes the pole perfectly straight and turns the blade upright parallel with the pole rather than perpendicular. While not as useful for reaping, it can slice something fierce. Due to their uncommon looks, being the descendant of a scythe, they were capable of giving a psychological advantage over their opponent, causing them to lower their defenses. The curved blade and leverage also give it incredible cutting capability, capable of even slicing a metal helmet in two. Unfortunately, the blade seems to make up most of the actual weapon, leaving very little pole to help handle it. Its range is limited, at best.
Horseman's Pick[]
An Islamic modification of the warhammer, designed use by chariots and other such on-horseback cavalry. Its most notable feature is its gigantic length, its second most notable feature is the wicked spike that lies on the end of the weapon. While most hammers of such a design would be used with the hammer first, the Horseman's Pick was designed with the spike first in mind and the hammer as a back-up utility tool. It was designed to help with puncturing armors and to rend anything underneath them. With its formidable size, horsemen would be able to gather up enough speed to penetrate even the mightiest armored warrior, or even other chariots.
Woe to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught underneath the weight of this piercing weapon. Unfortunately, as it was designed primarily to puncture armor, its penetrative ability is very limited. Most of its damage comes from bludgeoning with a tiny area of impalement, and so despite the sheer amount of damage it can wreck to defenses its offensive ability is still quite limited. Combine this with its incredible weight, which tend to seriously exhaust users, and you have a very niche weapon with a very specific purpose.
Gozen Naginata (Ultimate)[]
The polearm used by the legendary onna bugeisha Tomoe Gozen, famed for her fury, her skill, and her beauty. At the Battle of Awazu in 1184, Yoshinaka's concubine Tomoe Gozen was drafted into service. While little was expected of her, she proved to be a fierce combatant—despite being outnumbered and overwhelmed, Gozen was an absolute demon who managed to outperform any man and was personally responsible for the slaughter of over a thousand enemy combatants. At the end, she was one of the few soldiers left standing, and left to fight many more times throughout Japan until the war ended in 1185. What happened to her after is unknown, though many say she became a nun and others say she simply became the wife of a swordsman.
After hearing the legends, Kerr went to great lengths to acquire the onna bugeisha's prized weapons. He had sailed to Japan and tracked down a direct descendent of Gozen, who was in possession of the very naginata she had used in the Genpei War, and bested her in honorable combat to prove that he was worthy of wielding it. Unfortunately, that a naginata is a weapon associated strictly with women is something Kerr is unaware of. Even now, he does not understand why Japanese citizens snicker while he carries it.
Gohei (Joke)[]
A gohei is a large wooden wand, with zig-zag paper streamers draping down from the tip. Itself, it looks nothing more than an interesting oddity, but in actuality it is a deeply religious relic of shintoism. It is used to mark sacred precincts, and works to cleanse sacred temples of dark spirits. It can be used to bless people or objects, exorcise negative energy, or as an object of worship. The noise it makes when being waved has long since grown familiar to the citizens of Japan, and one can always expect a priest or priestess to be swinging it around in a ritual of purification.
While travelling around the world, going from temple to temple, one picks up a lot of strange religious artifacts with different purposes. While incredibly useful for combatting evil spirits of different kinds, against humans it serves no purpose other than looking silly while desperately flailing it around in some manner of offense. The wooden wand and the paper streamers, quite frankly, are significantly less effective against flesh and armor than they are against spiritual forces. It can, however, lead opponents to let down their guard.
Dane Axe (The Ancient)[]
A very early polearm specifically associated with the Vikings, a Dane Axe looks at first glance like nothing more than an axe atop a pole—and this first glance would perhaps not be too incorrect. A wide, thin blade with pronounced horns at the top and bottom of the blade, reasonably light and very thin for cutting, the light weight and sturdy design has lent it numerous users throughout history.
Beyond its obvious association with the Vikings, it has also found itself in the hands of William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, King Stephan of England, and Sir James Douglas. Early Britons seemed to be especially fond of it, which is perhaps incredibly ironic given its Nordic origins. While it was eventually replaced with the far more versatile poleaxe and halberd, Kerr has clung to this Dane Axe as a reminder of his heritage and as a light weapon to practice with. Perfectly balanced, neatly sharpened, nicely weighted, and worn from years upon years of use, it is a staple weapon that others can be measured by.
Critical Finish[]
Ready[]
Kerr spins his halberd above his head and laments "Such a cruel fate!".
Action[]
Kerr swings the halberd down in a powerful blow, sending the opponent down on the ground on their stomach, then impales it into their back to hold them in place.
"It'll be over soon!" He cries out while lifting up his hands. Water starts to surge up underneath him, forming a large tidal wave out of nowhere. The opponent struggles, desperately trying to break free as the wave reaches ever higher, towering over them.
With a yell, Kerr leaps off the tidal wave and it crashes down on the foe with thousands of tons of force, crushing them utterly. Kerr lands with a sigh and then picks up his halberd, the enemy nowhere to be seen.
Win Pose[]
Kerr hefts up his halberd on his shoulder and starts walking off, hand in his pocket. "The tides can be just as cruel as fate sometimes. I pray you find peace in the beyond."
Quotes[]
Fight Quotes[]
- "Don't worry, I'll go easy on you!"
- "If I must win to survive..."
- "I'm giving you one chance to flee--no mercy after that!"
- "Now, see what a true warrior looks like!"
- "Show me your steel! Fight me!"
- "The day grows long. Let's not tarry any further."
Victory Quotes[]
- "It was an honorable battle."
- "Such strength! I wasn't expecting it."
- "I apologize. Please, don't be upset."
- "You can't pierce the tides with your blade, no matter how hard you try."
- "Hopefully we'll meet again in the future. I expect great things from you, someday."
- "Tell me, mistress, where do I head now?"
Music[]
- Glacial Colosseum (Ice Coffin of the Sleeping Ancient, SCIV)
- Dark Purple Moonlight (Shrine to the Eternal Mistress)
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Favorite food is bread and meat. Does not care as to specific kinds, as long as either are in front he'll happily eat it.
- Favorite drink is, unsurprisingly, water. Loves alcohol of all different kinds, though, as is typical of a Viking.
- Also as is typical of a Viking, is a huge believer in fate, or wyrd. He does not believe that one's can be resisted or fought against, and that it can easily switch between cruel or kind even with the slightest provocation.
- Can easily swim around in any condition, even while in armor and carrying equipment in icy-cold depths. Is capable of holding his breath for a near-inhuman amount of time, too.
- Does not like mermaids all that much. Like, at all. Bitches, man.
Credits[]
- Soulcalibur IV screenshots provided by Kristof.
- Dark Purple Moonlight composed by Sky God Corridor.
- Ship interior heavily customized from a Second Life model, designed by Teepunch Jacobus. Spiffied up with bits of Greek architecture, and the head from a statue of Hera.
- Valtameri done in Neverwinter Nights, modified in Photoshop.
- Naginata taken off a pic drawn by Kuniyoshi Utagawa, modified in Photoshop.
- Dane Axe picture taken from Monkey Depot, modified poorly in Photoshop.
- Spetum picture taken from the Archers of Ravenwood, modified in Photoshop.
- Horseman's Pick picture photographed by Maciej Szczepańczyk, modified in Photoshop.
- War Scythe picture is a model done by Discover the Middle Ages, modified in Photoshop.