Lodin hails from a family of heroes and guardsmen.  His grandfather was among the stoutest and first to join Bard in his defense of Dale and the Lonely Mountain.  Now courtiers of the king, Lodin carries on the tradition and honor of his family.  The greatest honor of which would be to match Bard in slaying a dragon.  Though the Withered Heath is still rumoured to be crawling with dragons, it is forbidden and a man of honour does not disobey his king nor ignite conflict with valued allies, like King Dain.  So instead, he heads west to the lands of Eriador hearing of trolls and rumours of other large creatures that may sate his thirst for grand achievements.  He received training, being of a noble family, but there have been little in terms of actual battle in recent years, so the true test of his blade is what he seeks before his limbs grow old and his countenance sour.

His father Brodin was a Captain of the Guard in his younger days, though nowadays he's mostly concerned with his territory and the well-being of its people.  He has begun to dabble a little in merchantry as the prosperity of his land means his people have more to trade in terms of mostly food.  He has asked Lodin to keep an eye out for possible trade partners of mutual benefit.

Lodin's mother, Frida, wants this errantry to be short so that he might quickly return and be wed to a suitable woman for the well-being of the land and its people.  She hasn't brought this up to Lodin yet, but she has her eye on a few possibilities already.

Lodin also has several younger siblings, none of age to hold a blade as there was a sizeable gap between him and his younger brother, Reinald.  They all look up to and adore Lodin, who has an amiable personality to those whom he loves.  Fortunately he and his family has mostly stayed out of the more. . . . political side of the court, content to maintain their duties and nothing more.  Their ambition lies elsewhere in excellence, rather than position.

He carries the name of his grandfather Lodin, and crest of house Lodin, a unicorn.  Though since he does not officially represent the house in his travels it is not emblazoned on his shield, rather it is on a patch kept on the inside of his garments, not for secrecy's sake, but because he is on his own business rather than the family's.  He is not readily talkative about his family and his position, rather letting his actions speak for him.

Having been a court trumpeter as a boy, he is quite skilled with the trumpet, and sometimes even likes to use it in the middle of battle.  He conceals it behind his custom shield to blast at his enemies when opportunity arises.

He travels with his faithful mare Dolly who has been in the family for many years.  She is quite old, but still strong.  She was given to Lodin at the age of 12, and was already past her breeding years by that point.  Lodin did not use her in his service to the king as court horses were provided, however now that he is on a trip outside of the orders of the court(with their approval nonetheless) he has taken Dolly along.  Now, 10 years later, she's still strong and loyal, though perhaps becoming what might be considered senile for horses.  She is not ridden often anymore and is used mostly for carrying gear, so she's content and actually insists on following behind a group at least 30 paces.  If Lodin and her are alone, she'll walk by his side.  Due to her senility, she is prone to wander off at times looking for her favorite treats, various kinds of weeds.  Her favorite of them all is Kingsfoil, which may explain her health at an age over 30 still bearing a burden.  Carrying a rider is not something Lodin will have Dolly do unless under the greatest need, as she is not much faster than a mule at this point.