A Viking king partially emerges from the glistening dark mud, his fierce eyes blazing beneath a grand golden helmet adorned with sweeping, ornately detailed wings. His imposing figure is clad in battle-worn armor decorated with menacing skull motifs, contrasting with the dark war paint streaked across his stern, battle-hardened face. His scruffy blonde beard drips with mud, and a prominent scar adds to his intense, seething expression. In one powerful hand, he grips a massive Viking axe, its blade gleaming menacingly. The scene is enveloped in cinematic, moody lighting, with shafts of volumetric light cutting through the thick atmosphere, casting dramatic shadows over his mud-slicked form.