Ulrik Grimwolf de Montazure
I was born in the year 1062, to Nials Olafsson a Danish
warrior who against his father`s orders travelled to
Normandy to serve Duke William. Niales served in a small
keep on top of a rise that dominated the local area, Due to
its construction of local blue slate the keep was called by
the locals Montazure (Blue Mountain). 
My mother was a French Merchants daughter, I never learned
her name or anything about her family.   
I was named at birth Dominik de Montazure, my father did not
approve of my name, but he figured that the name would
change when I become of age.  Unfortunately, my father died
in 1066 after following Duke William to England.    I was
take by family retainers to the Scanian lands in southern
Denmark  to live with my grandfather, who held land in serve
to the house of Stenkil.   He named me Ulrik, (the closest
his Danish could get to Dominik).    I grew up as a youth in
a well to-do household.   
In 1082,  I traveled with a bunch of my Danish Cousins in
service to Uncle Samur, a well known warrior leader and
trader.   We traveled the well known trade route to
Miklagard.  From Grandfathers steading in Scania, travelled
by Knorr to Uppsala to take on load of soapstone, jet,
amber, furs and slaves.     In Gotland, I met Meghan, the
daughter of an Irish Merchant, after meeting only twice we
were married.     We crossed the Baltic Sea and entered the
Gulf of Finland, we followed the Neva River into Lake
Ladoga. We then followed the Volkhov River, upstream past
the towns of Staraya Ladoga and Velikiy Novgorod, crossed
Lake Ilmen, and sailed up the Lovat River. From there the
ships had to be portaged to the Dnieper River near Gnezdovo
 Along the Dnieper, we had to portage the ships round seven
rapids, where we had to be on guard for Pecheneg nomads. 
Upon  entering the Black Sea we followed its west coast on
to Miklagard(Constantinople). 
I spent  8 years in the east in military service.   While
serving in the east I was given the nickname of Grimulf
(danish for masked wolf), on returning to the West, I
anglicized the nickname to Grimwolf.
I returned to the West in 1091, bring my wife and children
with me, a no mean accomplishment in itself.   On returning
to the West, I took service in the household of an Norman
Knight, as squire.