"He don't care about the work. Besides, I'm the one calling the shots, eh?"--Einar

"Simply too soft to even complain."--Severin

"Hi, I'm Casca, and welcome to the Glacier Ice Smithy. What can I do for you?"--Casca, upon first meeting a new customer.

https://youtu.be/9bAoq7k3tZ0

Poor Casca. He started out as pretty much just a simple, blank OC that existed to serve Einar. Hopefully, given time, he'll develop into a stronger and better character now that I'm fleshing him out a bit. Folks, I give you the son of the runemaster known as Stian "Hollow-Heart" Ironbinder: Casca Stianson, the half-wight.

Casca is an apprentice blacksmith of the Glacier Ice Smithy and the student of Einar Ivaldison. Reputed for constantly working at Einar's beck and call, Casca dutifully does what is asked of him no matter how difficult the task. He is not seen in Hiraeth as of now, but is making a more noticeable appearance in roleplays.

Background:

Casca, like Einar, was part of a family that consisted of a lot of brothers. Unlike Einar, he only (and thankfully) had two; His older brother Cassian and his little brother Caithness. He lived a relatively happy life with his brothers and his parents: his mother Cassiopeia and his father, who was a famous runemaster. His mother was a dwarf who had illegally immigrated from the Ihwaz Region of Nidavellir, unknowingly bringing a curse with her to the world of Midgard that was passed down to her children.

In his effort to obtain the legendary power of the Agi Runes, Casca's father got home later and later, hardly ever sparing time for his three sons. He missed important events, including several birthdays and the precocious teenager Cassian's acceptance into the Almasra Collegium of Runic Thaumaturgy. It was eventually left to their mother to raise them, and Cassian took charge as well, having to quit school and get a job to support his family while the father continued to practice runes.

Eventually, his father's departures only got worse and he started disappearing for days or even weeks at a time. When Casca did see him, he heard that his father was close to harnessing the complete power of the Agi Runes, with only the Thurisaz, the Rune of Thor, left to master. The runemaster was unaware that his family was crumbling into ruin while he was away, as Cassian always kept an upbeat attitude and his wife cheered him on with a smile.

Only Casca and Caithness dared to resent their father. 

At least, that's what Casca thought.

Once, Stian (the father) didn't come home for two years. His entire family, Casca included, presumed him dead, and Cassiopeia fell sick with despair after neglecting her health while searching for her absentee husband. She eventually died, leaving seventeen-year-old Cassian as head of the Stianson household. Casca too had to quit school to find work, and it became the duty of little Caithness, nine years old, to keep house as best he could. Though the very fabric of their lives was unraveling, the Stianson boys worked to maintain at least a shred of normalcy.

Two months later, their father came back, mad with the power of the Thurisaz and raving about discovery.

And everything went to Helheim.

Cassian and Stian began to argue, a conflict that began with Cassian yelling at him to calm down to Stian angrily shaking the living daylights out of his own son. The fighting escalated, and Casca was forced to vacate the room for fear of being caught in the backlash.

After returning to find Cassian dead and Caithness missing, Casca fled his home. He hired himself out to many artisan masters and smiths, but his slight size and weak build didn't appeal to his employers, and he was released more times than he could count. Only the youngest of the smiths accepted him, a fourteen-year-old dwarf named Einar. Einar was harsh, he was irritable, and he was quick to anger. But not once did he strike out at Casca or even threaten to fire him, and he even voices hopes that Casca might surpass him.

Not wishing to let him down, Casca works hard and without complaint, wanting to carve out his own path as a master smith than follow his father's footsteps. At eleven years old, he does not yet know of the curse that runs through his veins. . . or why he can sometime see his dead brother smile at him through his bedroom window.

Personality:

Casca is often affable and welcoming, inviting customers into the forge with a smile and sometimes engaging in conversation while recording their order. When he is doing a difficult task, however, (such as carrying a heavy load of Serigalan wolf bones) it can be hard for him to carry on a conversation. So, he's like a Helpful Honda Guy, but for weapons! Kind of. He is certainly helpful, but sometimes one must ask the question: Helpful for what, exactly?

While Casca's personality can fall into the 'normal' category, his calm reaction to some things can be quite disturbing. He engages in friendly conversation, yes, but that friendly conversation sometimes takes place with wraiths (spirits of the damned) and turns to morbid topics such as the temperature change of corpses. Though the business is a legitimate one of good quality, quite a few things occur behind the scenes that would raise some eyebrows if known.

While Casca himself is good-natured and generally honest, he has no scruples about working with dishonest or immoral people of questionable trades. He cheerfully greets poachers while running an errand to purchase parts of endangered cryptids to use for weapons. His opinion about death is mild, as with most Norse, more worried about the chance that the dead person might come back as a draugr than with the state of the spirit itself.

Casca is the rational serenity to Einar's fiery storm, being the only person able to sooth Einar's fury and the calm nature that brings a stable balance to the Glacier Ice Forge. He thinks things through, and always has an open mind for new ideas.

Appearance:

Though Casca doesn't know it, his features are a product of the curse rather than genetics. He has very pale blue eyes and white hair as well as a slight and thin build. He is always tidy, careful to clean himself thoroughly after working in the forge. However, he is unable to erase the evidence from his hands, which have since grown callused, strong, and rough ever since he'd begun to work under Einar.

On a typical day, Casca is seen wearing the Glacier Ice uniform, which is a gray cargo jumpsuit under a black forge apron. His boots and gloves are black, so that the soot stains don't show.

Casca is modest, and dresses in pale gray on his days off (of which he has few).   

Abilities:

-Casca is adequate in a good number of weapons, but his specialty is with hatchets.

-Descended from elemental dwarves, he has the rare ability of metal manipulation (Note: he does not master this ability until he's about fifteen).

-He is flexible and agile, able to dodge attacks at unbelievable speeds.

-Though he doesn't use them often, he is gifted with runes.

-Casca has many, many friends. He can call on those friends at a moment's notice. And those friends are always very, very hungry. . . 

-Though Casca doesn't know about it, there is a part of his curse that counts as a strength. If Casca is killed, he comes back as a wight with enhanced power and the new inability to die. But the price is heavy indeed, as it means that he is forced to walk the world as an invisible, translucent, and mute ghost until he is bound into someone's service.

Weaknesses:

-Though Casca is fast, he has little strength and can't deal powerful blows, meaning that he's heavily dependent on his blades.

-Though he has no trouble with ghosts or wraiths or corpses, he absolutely can't stand even the sight of spiders.

-Sometimes he overthinks and hesitates before making a move, allowing a key opportunity to pass by and leaving himself open.

-Casca's eagerness to please makes him very naive at times, and his good-naturedness makes him very easy to manipulate.

-He goes to great lengths to avoid fights, often tiring himself out by stalling before the battle even begins.

-His reluctance to inflict damage can draw out a battle, causing him to run out of energy before his opponent does since he has such low strength levels.

Stats:

Wins: 2

Losses: 1

Casca vs. Krait Blue--WIN

Casca vs. RJ--LOSS

Casca vs. Kantera--WIN