Sturla, son of Sturla, hails from a small town at the southern border of the Linnorm Lands. Largely a trading hub, the community allowed a young Sturla to see people from faraway places with different backgrounds on a regular basis. And with this experience he quickly gained an appreciation for how one's environment shaped people. Taldan traders were clearly not the same as Chelaxian emissaries, just as dwarven crafters clearly didn't think, speak, behave nor even viewed the world the same way Garundi merchants did. Sturla soon developed an intense interest in what exactly it was that created these distinct cultures. Why were elves flighty and Mendevians dour? The answer he reached would seem obvious to some, but Sturla latched onto it with fervor: cultural baggage. In particular, he found the idea of cultural identities fascinating and began devoting himself to the research and preservation of these. While a more academically inclined person with similar interests would have sought out schooling and books, Sturla balks at the idea. Books?! Academics were for the hoity-toity of a society and could never truly represent a people. No, if you wanted to learn a nation's character, there was only one thing to learn from: its oral storytelling. The oral tradition, whether stories or music, lived and died by the people, and it is also what Sturla now lives for. That and a good drink every now and then. Collecting and preserving oral stories is key to one's cultural heritage, and Sturla wants to experience, and sing, as many different cultures as possible.
Although a seemingly noble quest, there is one self-serving element to Sturla's mission. As a young boy he had a keen eye for cultural signifiers not just because his hometown saw many travelers, but because he himself came from parents with different backgrounds. While Sturla looks the part of a proper Ulfen, with his blonde hair (including beard), blue eyes and pale skin, his mother was actually Taldan. This is what truly kickstarted the man's current interest and is also why he now finds himself in the country. Having grown up Ulfen, he wants to experience the culture, stories and songs of his mother, in a sense to complete himself.
Sturla's half-breed blood is obvious in his stature. While the vast majority of Ulfen men are giants by human standards, 6 ft. at minimum, Sturla stands some 5'10'' and although well-muscled appears somewhat skinny.
The bard is a bit of a wild man and doesn't take life too seriously. Sometimes in a rather literal sense, as he has displayed little regard for his own safety in the past. The truth is that Sturla doesn't particularly fear death, if his death just makes for a good story. In his songs he sees a kind of immortality; as long as people speak of you, you are never truly dead. This is just another reason he is so fond of storytelling. Heroes live on in legends, even if not by name, and exert an influence on entire cultures for eternity, inspiring others on to foolish and magnificent deeds. Sturla celebrates the unity and cohesion such cultural baggage brings to a people, even as he celebrates the differences between different cultures.
