It rained on the day Einar was born, twenty years ago in the village of Fjarnhem, as the third child of Thorbjorn with his second wife Solvida. His skin was remarkably pale and there was even a bit of reddish hair on the newborn baby’s head and so he was named Einar Roth. Two more siblings would follow some years later. And then there are of course the three half-siblings from his father’s first wife. With so many others about in the family it was no wonder Einar would prefer solitude, as he grew up. Being of more lean than robust build, he learned to rely on his agility more than on his strength from early on. And he soon preferred the bow to the blade and other, more brutal weapons of hand-to-hand-combat. Violence over all is a concept he has never been very fond of, while the art of healing has fascinated him more, to mend that what is broken. To bring life.
As he grew up, Young Einar explored the forests surrounding his home village of Fjarnhem, all the way from where they stretched to the town of Argúndir, the main seat of his clan, often on his own, studying the plants and herbs growing there, as he got acquainted with the perils of the forest, wild animals, and smaller ones that could be hunted down easily with bow and arrow. His love for the forest and his obsession with plants would often earn him curious glances from others, especially when Einar dug his own little herb garden - and soon started experimenting with moving certain plants indoors over the cold season, nourishing them in pots of clay filled with dirt from outside, in his own chamber.
He proved to have a green thumb, plants would thrive under his care, and a similar thing would happen when he was treating injuries: The mere touch of his hands would already soothe the pain, maybe because he quickly adopted an understanding of healing, or maybe through instinctively applying the appropriate amount of pressure to the right spots. It is a skill that would soon be recognized and viewed as a gift of the Gods - and earn him his byname Blessed Hands.
Like some other Njorfolk, Einar has many tattoos covering his hands, arms and torso, mostly religious symbols, but also other more mysterious looking forms. They are more than adornment, as Einar has had a new one done each time when he failed in his healing efforts, and a dear friend, acquaintance or relative died under his care.
Being closely related to the Jarl, his own uncle, meant Einar would have to take up an occupation worthy of a Vigamandr. And while he abhorred raiding, he soon became a quite skilled tracker and scout, staying often - but not always - behind when the longship of the clan left with some lesser ships to go on raids. His personality certainly is not that of the typical raider, as he is quiet and thoughtful, a young man who believes conflicts should be solved rather with reason and sense than through violence.
He would be taken along when the clan's longship departed for the Great Raid in Four Corners in September 1865, his purpose there to act mostly as a healer. Others of his family would come along as well, such as his half-siblings Yrsa and Lefnur. Lefnur would not make it back alive. Upon their return, Einar found that the Jarl of their clan had perished, due to a mysterious sickness that had claimed him. His father Thorbjorn was challenged to a duel, which he won, thus becoming the next Jarl of the clan.
