The Eriksson's are a Danish family who originate from Headby in Denmark, and their main family home is still there. Their family is rich, wealthy and powerful, even Danish Kings need be wary of them. Their hall in Headby is called Alsvid (All Swift) named after the horse that pulls the sun across the sky. Bjarni's farther "Erik Tostigson" is head of the family and he is a Viking Jarl (Earl) very powerful and he has a wicked sense of humour, and is extremly powerfull.

Erik Tostigson has 16 longships in total, 10 of which he comands along with his eldest son Ottar, andare based at Headby, the other 6 are under the comand of his 2nd and 3rd sons Tostig(named after his dad) and Bjarni. Tostig's 3 ships are called Little Bear, Big Bear and Sea Goat. Bjarni's 3 ships are called Sea Wulf, Black Wulf and Gold Wulf these ships are normally based at Jorvik in England.
Tostig, Bjarni and the youngest brother Eadric have set up quite a powerful base at Leicester where they have substantial lands and trading concerns. Their hall at Leicester is called Arvak (Early Walker). Tostig and Bjarni left Headby 23 years ago for England and Eadric and their sister Astrid joined them 10 years later.

During their time in England the have travelled around a bit, Orkney, Green Land, Iceland, Shetland, Isle of man, Dublin, Swansea, London, Normandy, Rome, Wolverhampton and Byzantium to name a few places.
The Eriksson's are a very tight knit family and Tostig and Bjarni have built up quite a trading empire over the last twenty odd years, and have contacts at all the major trading centres throughout Europe. Rumour has it that some of their dealings are not as you would say legit, but they are powerful enough not to be called to account for some of their actions.

In 894 Bjarni sister Astrid and his brother Eadric joined him and Tostig in England, there are rumours that Astrid is the brains behind the brothers and goes with them on many of their journeys but if the truth is known she is more of a steadying influence.

Since he joined his brothers, Eadric has increased the the family's wealth considerably and some would say his own wealth has increased as well, Eadric has a knack for, shall we say, exploting business oppertunity's to his and the family's benefit.

A tale goes that Bjarni and Tostig had agreed to buy 20 sheep from a less than bright farmer on their way to Yorvik, and that they would collect them on the way back. When they returned to collect the sheep the farmer was less than willing to honour the deal, it seems that the previous evening someone turned up at the village and said he had come to collect the sheep for Bjarni and Tostig as they had been delayed in Yorvik, and the farmer had let him take the sheep as he knew all the details about the deal. Well Bjarni and Tostig were not very happy they had paid the farmer for the sheep in advance and demanded either the sheep or the money or else! faced with this he reluctantly gave them the sheep as he had spent some of the money already. when the brothers met up with Eadric later they were suprised (although probaly not very) to see Eadric leaning on the fence of a small enclosure that contained 20 sheep! When asked wher they had come from he said he brought them from a man he met on the way back from Yorvik and he had paid a lot less than Bjarni and Tostig had for ther 20 sheep.

Other members of the Family include Trygg who is married to Sigrid another of Bjarni's sisters, Lars married to Bjarni's sister Bera. Gunnar married to Bjarni's sister Freya. Anlaf not married to any of Bjarni's sisters, way to ugly since he hit a tree while sledging.

The brothers have been a handful from birth but Bjarni and Eadric more so, they are best described a mischievous, always into to trouble, not really naughty, but as his mum Gudrun would say they had a glint in their eyes and a smile that told you when trouble occured, you new they had done it! and it was easy for people to forgive them most of the time!

Bjarni is one of eight children. three brothers and four sisters. Ottar is the eldest he is six years older and the sensible one and normally the butt of Bjarni`s jokes, then comes Tostigr, Bjarni`s partner in crime and trouble. Then there is Eadric the baby brother, picks fights then lets Bjarni and Otter sort it out, and as I have already said he is always ready with a plan to make money legal or otherwise but never to eager to do hardwork and never buys the Ale. It has to be said that both Bjarni and Eadric are gifted Blacksmith's when they want to be, a skill gained from their grandfather.

They all grew up in Hedeby a huge Danish/Viking seaport with people and traders coming from the entire known world. This is when the Eriksson brothers got there taste for the 3 T's Travel, Trade and Trouble, some say "the three thing that they do best"