Ysgard's Warriors

Ysgard's Warriors are an ancient guild of fighters, bounty hunters, and religious zealots devoted to one thing: to fight the strongest thing they can find to garuntee entry to Valhalla. Being founded in the mythical first kingdom, the warriors have lived atop Mount Valhalla in their home of Pilgrim's Rest ever since. Although the grand old hall has been rebuilt and modified several times throughout history, the hall and the pilgrim's road to reach it holds a special place for the devout of Aedrinar.
Strictly a religious order, Ysgard's Warriors double as a mercanary and bounty hunting order, taking payments from people around Prima Terra to fight monsters, wars, and enemies if the threat is considered strong enough and worthy of a fight to get a warrior into Valhalla. Due to them accepting these payments, many outside of Aedrinar mistake for a simple fighting guild, but to those of the northern islands they recognise the warriors to be amongst the most religiously devout followers of the Honoured Gods.
Following a trial by combat in Duskfall, 1052, 3e, Erika is the current head of the warriors and has begun radical changes to bring them back into good repute: begining by accepting a free contract with no expectation of coin to battle The White Will. The warriors would participate in foiling the dragon's attempted raid on Westwatch.

Known Members

• Torgier † (Formally)
• Erika
• Sven the Godslayer (Deceased)
• Val (Formally)
• Elfrey the Godswitch (Deceased)
• Steinar
• Organvor
• Tasha (Deceased)
• Erika
• Tavrik the Fury (Deceased)
• Yaltmer (Deceased)
• Argir the Wise (Deceased)
• Valkir
• Effir
• Gay Ragnar
• Blonde Ragnar
• Bald Ragnar
• Ginger Ragnar
• Drastaff the Wizened
• Magnar the Trusted
• The Birdjarl
• Hella Greenhands
• Axel the Lonely
• Rogrir Swift-Dagger
• Bjorthir Ironside

Structure

Ysgard's Warrior has a heirarchy based on experience in battle and level of foe slayed. A position is usually for life or until you replace someone in the rank above you, but the heirarchy is reasonably fluid with the lowest rank technically being able of becoming the warchief if their deeds are great enough. An outgoing Warchief will sometimes designate their succssesor before death, choosing who they think is the most honourable amongst them, or the reputation of a warrior may mean the higher ranks choose them outright.
The lowest rank is that of recruit, those freshly brought into the order, but below them are the Parthrell, the potential candidates. The Parthrell are those that travel to Pilgrim's Pass to join the guild or are scouted by travelling warriors. If deemed suitable by a sponsor, the parthrell must undertake a test of bravery, then hunt a monster to take back to Pilgrim's Rest for the warrior's to feast on. With this done, they must then drink the mythical Godsblood, a strange drink that is forbidden to be discussed with any outside the warriors.
Once an official recruit, a new member must continue to travel with a sponsor or master warrior to learn their craft and slay progressively stronger monsters and foes. When enough blood has been spilt and enough honour attained, they are made an official warrior. This is the most common rank, and warriors can sponsor new recruits or parthrell, take their own bounties and missions, and come and go from Pilgrim's Rest as they please.
The next highest rank is that of the Hesir, those who can organize larger expeditions and accept official bounties from kingdoms, empires, or powerful figures throughout the realm. Hesir also act as the lorekeepers and administrators of the guild.
Beyond them there is the 'executive' branch of the warriors. The most famous and powerful warriors are granted the rank of Underchief, where they learn many of the secrets of the warriors and are expected to continue fighting the most powerful threats in the world in order to attain their place in Valhalla. The rank comes with much responsiblity and expectation, and the death rate for Underchiefs is very high. Beyond them, there is the Warchief, the appointed head of the guild and most famous and powerful warrior. War Chiefs lead the greatest expeditions and run the guild as a whole, delegating responsiblities to underchiefs where neccessary.

Culture

The warriors are considered a strict order, with a reputation of being stern honour bound warriors with specific codes of conduct and honour they must follow at all times. Their practices may be considered archaic by some, and their near suicidal devotion to fighting threats bigger than them gives them a mystical sense with many outside of Aedrinaran fearing the arrival of the warriors due to their reputation.
In recent decades, the warriors have become more beaurocractic and bogged down by minute details and internal laws. A once fraternal and comrade like atmosphere has become one of a strict religous cult. The warriors still garner respect, but it is no secret they are not what they once were. Not a single Ysgardian Warrior joined the Jameleskan-Snow Lord war of 1052, and few have been seen beyond Aedrinar since the end of the 40 year war.
This reputation of fallen glory is begining to be turned around under the leadership of Erika as the warriors have participated en masse in battles against the White Will and his elemental forces following her claimance of Warchief of the warriors.

Assets

Pilgrim's Rest

The home of the warriors - Pilgrim's Rest has existed in some form since the mythic age and lies near the peak of Mount Valhalla. The large wooden hall houses all the warriors, a shrine, training facilities, as well as the guild's treasury, trophy room, archives and vaults. The Warchief of the guild, as well as their underchiefs, hold personal quarters within this building.

Westwatch Outpost

The most important of the guild's many outposts, the outpost in Westwatch is ran by an elderly Ice Elf and guild veteran named Effir. This outpost is often where warriors travelling to or from Pilgrim's Rest will rest or take up new contracts.

Odinsthrone Outpost

A modest outpost in the Vurgenborg district of the Aedrinaran capital of Odinsthrone, this outpost is now the only major warrior's guild centre in the southern hold. It has a strain of independence, and their outpost leader is nonchallant about the bounties and missions offered.

Kriegerholm Outpost

a now defunct outpost, this was closed during a period of Sven the Godlayer's illnesses and has become a supposidly haunted and cursed ruin since. During their travels through the ruins of Magnusberg beneath Kriegerholm the party heard noises coming from tunnels that might have connected to the old outpost.

Orsturkirk Outpost

The Orusturkirk Outpost is a small and fringe outpost on the very fringes of the warrior's culture and society. Considered a 'punishment posting' under the stewardship of Elfrey and Steinar, the defiant and proud barbarian warrior Bjorthir Ironside was the leader of this band and was vocal about his disdain for the former underchief.
When Erika became Warchief, Bjorthir found himself back in the good graces of Pilgrim's Rest and was tasked with aiding Doomed 2 Die in Furunheim during their attack on Marthiel.
The outpost mainly handles lower level monsters and pirate attacks, but were present during the Gnoll attack on Sudalfenland. Bjorthir's refusal to accept gold from the Ice Elves he protected allegedly angered Steinar and Elfrey, and before the Underchief and Godswitch were slain by Doomed 2 Die it was likely this outpost would have been ostracised from the guild.

History

As much of the history and origins of the warriors is kept secret, and what is public knowledge spans six thousand years, this section will focus only on campaign or recent information.

Formation

The warriors were founded in the mythical first kingdom of Aedrinar after the departure of Odin and the gods to Ysgard. The warriors were said to be the most devout of Odin's soldiers and formed their home near the point of assendence to be as close to their gods as possible. A Ysgardian Warrior record recovered by Doomed 2 Die revelead the first warchief was Mimir, a figure mostly scrubbed from myth and legend for unknown reasons. The document listed the following leaders:
16 Stalwat the Brave 1160 1199 Halfling 15 Gudrod Hrienssen 1078 1160 Half-Elf 14 Olaf Fjordssen 1051 1078 Human 13 Tyr Oarbarer 1027 1051 Human 12 Aemira Rayes 713 1027 Ice Elf 11 Drael Therimir 678 713 Half Elf 10 Erik Odinbarer 650 678 Human 9 The Stonespear 437 650 Frost Giant 8 Dray of the North 18 437 Half-Elf 7 Evard Wintershield 3940- 18, 1a Human 6 Lyra Holgasdottir 3928 3940 Human 5 Rumgor of Saarkoth 3608 3928 Frost Giant 4 Hjolti Goldenhammer 3589 3608 Human 3 Haelga Freyaborn 3160 3589 Ice Elf 2 Thormir Magnirssen 3131 3160 Human 1 Mimir Farsight 3125 3131 Human

Sven

In 991, 3e, a group of adventurers in what was then the Eldrian Imperial Province of Cape County came across a wounded Aedrinaran on the road from Carely to Devil's Bridge. The young boy, revealing himself to be Sven the Green, was the last surviving member of a small band of Ysgardian Warriors who had come here to fight some ogres. He asked the group, who would go onto become the founding leaders of The Commonwealth and the Parental Problem's Posse, to help him avenge this defeat.
With the ogres slain, the young boy travelled with the group. Along the way, he helped McPoyle the Mighty join the order as a recruit. In a coming battle with the elder god Ucothah, god of domination, McPoyle the Mighty was Slain. Sven, present for the death of his friend, took his hammer and was christened as Sven the Godslayer for his role in the battle.
Sven would return to the region in 992 to help his former friends fight Azumon and the Dracolich Galvurnax at the Battle of Saunton.

40 Year War

The arrivial of the 40 year war saw hundreds of calls for aide come to Pilgrim's Rest. Even before Aedrinar's formal invovlement in the conflict, members of the warriors were taking up bounties to fight rogue monsters that were taking advantage of the chaos on the continent and joining armies to fight the strongest of enemy generals. When the Commonwealth was invaded in 1022, the warriors abandoned any fights they had inthe Eldrian Faction territories and rallied to support the Commonwealth, seeing their struggle as the most 'honourable' fight.
Countless warriors died defending the Commonwealth and throughout the Marcian region in the war. The most famous Ysgardian invovlement came in the Battle of the Bay of Briars during an attempted Seldrinar invasion of the Southaxian Capital of Briarton. The Southaxian fleet had been split and routed. Four Ysgardian ships, led by Sven the Godslayer, moved quickly between the Seldrinar Ships slaughtering as many sailors as they could, allowing the Southaxian fleed to regroup and push the Seldrinar back. The battle was seen as a glorious exericse in honour for fighting a superiour foe whilst gravely outnumbered.

Trial of Val

After being kicked out her Skallen Syndicate by her mother, Val engaged in petty theiving around the Southern Hold. After pickpocketing Elfrey the Godswitch, she went to return the pouch and portrait of Sven the warrior kept in her gold purse, she was caught in the act and was recruited by the honourable and nobable paragon of the order, Torvak. Despite the protests of his companions, Steinar and Elfrey, Torvak would train and later induct Val into the warriors.
During her travels with the dwarf and a fellow party of adventurers, Val and her group were captured by Eastern Skallen and tortured for information. Torvak had a butterknife placed in his hand as he lay dying, and after escaping the young warlock desperately tried to get a weapon to her mentor's hand. With her party dead and being the soul survivor, Val went on a blood feud and cut down each of the skallen responsible, forcing them underground. After each death, the warlock left a butterknife in each body as a calling card.
He would later be captured by other warriors during her murder spree, and taken back to Pilgrim's Rest for a trial. During the trial, Val was obliged to confess to the crimes of dishonurable conduct, desecration of corpses, and murder of a 'civilian' the wife of one of the killers who confessed to "misssing the killing." The trial was overseen by Steinar, and Elfrey 'convinced' Val to confess as to not desecreate the memory and legacy of Torvak. They also claimed Val had no right to a blood feud, as even though Torvak informally saw Val as a member of his house, she had not been adopted or inducted to their halls.
After the trial, Val was exiled form the order but continued their murder spree.

Lastlight

Ysgard's warriors did answer the call of Jarl Naerfi Oath-Knee to go to Lastlight to investeigate 14 missing citizens, suspecting a monster of somekind, although they did send the lower ranked warrior Torgier † by himself. In the alternate timeline, Torvak was also sent on this mission. Torgier helped to defeat the Cult of Ragnarok and became a founding member of Doomed 2 Die.

Organvor

Orgmar was a Hesir of Ysgard's Warriors who arrived in Fargenvur in 1052, 3e to investigate strange magic coming from a nearby sea cave system. Recruiting the help of the earliest form of Doomed 2 Die, which still included Killyn † and Ysgard's Warrior fanboy Kliiks †, Orgmar helped battle the elemental dream creations of Gobledegook jr.jr.jr, a type of beholder known as a gazer. Orgmar was impressed with the party, and offerend Killyn the chance to join the warriors if they wanted.

Torgier's Funeral

The warriors were contacted by Doomed 2 Die following the death of Torgier in Stopping Red Hawk's flying fortress by unleashing a lightning charge on the engines. A fleet of ships which included Orgmar and Erika gave a full Ysgardian farewell of fireing multicoloured explosives into the night sky and letting out a death cry to let the Valkyries know Torgier was coming to Valhalla.

The White Will

The warriors initially ignored the pleas of Lugar Whitehide to come fight The White Will, who was pillaging the Western Hold of Aedrinar. Steinar rejected Lugar's bounty, and it was only until the Jarl send a plea directly to Warchief Sven did they send a contingent of warriors. Led by Hesir Elfrey the Godswitch, a band of five was formed consisting of Erika, Tasha, Yaltmer, Tavrik the Fury, and Argir the Wise. The band were send to find the other half of the tablet of Queen Astrid, which would supposidly lead to the grave of the Great Golden Wyrm and the location of the legendary high queen's dragonlance.
The group found a lead from a 'Vilderfolken' who pointed them to an island in the Knutsvilje stones. There the group learned of the location of the old tower of the Storrissen family where the second half of the tablet likely was. Unfortunately, the warriors were overheard boasting about the treasure by members of the Western Skallen in Kingstones and were ambushed in the night, all but Erika killed, with the latter being taken back to the Dagurrseen fort to be beaten for information.
Erika later  joined Doomed 2 Die following her rescue and murder of the Dagurssen cell, and is yet to tell Elfrey, her sponsor, where she is or what has happened after learning Val's identity and exile from the warriors.

Clearing Val's Name

After claiming half of the Stone of Queen Astrid from Bard's Folly, Doomed 2 Die would travel to Westwatch. They had sent their companions Erika, Falia Rayes, and Fr. Tomos Siegfried ahaed of them. Unbeknownst to them, Elfrey the Godswitch, who was based in Westwatch at the time, had gone out looking for Erika's missing party and discovered the butterknife laden bodies. When Erika returned to the Warrior's outpost in Westwatch, Elfrey had her and the other companions captured and taken to the cells. When Doomed 2 Die arrived in Coldstar Keep within the town, Elfrey revealed Val's identity and saw the whole adventuring party shunned. Despite the support of key figures such as Lugar Whitehide, Jarl Earling Horfhand, Thane Liv Thorsblade and Starkard Wintershield, the adventurers were forced to rely on House Winter-Shield to help clear Val's name.
The ancient and noble house of the Northern Hold rose to challenge Elfrey in the ancient rite in defence of Val's honour. In the ensuing battle and investigation, it was revaeled Elfrey was using a magic ring of persuassion and a crown of enchantment to brainwash and control the warriors. She was slain and evidence was gathered, Starkard and Mr. Blake also hinted that Val's entire trial was a sham.
With this evidence and information and additional support of a 'cabal' within the warriors who wanted to end the corruption and mismanagement of the once noble order the group ventured to Pilgrim's rest where they stood to petition Val's conviction.

Dragon Clan infiltration

Whilst in Westwatch, Shan discovered that the Dragon Clan, led by his estranged daughter Eva had killed and impersonated some recruits of Ysgard's Warriors and ventured to Pilgrim's rest. Also in their hideout, the monk discovered that they had an ancient plan of Pilgrim's Rest, focusing on the Shrine Room which would lead to the top of Mount Valhalla.
The group are uncertain of the Dragon Clan's motivations, but believe it may have something to do with Mount Valhalla's connection to the bifrost or the hidden body of Mimir which remains there. It was revealed during the party's internvention when clearing Val's name (below), that the group were after the Eye of Vecna which was in the possession of Mimir. Althoohg losing the eye, Sven, Doomed 2 Die, alongside their companions Erika and Fr. Tomos Siegfried managed to survive and kill several clan warriors.

Death of Sven

In the aftermath of the battle against the dragon clan, the adventurers still needed to clear Val's reputation to gian access to the second half of the stone of queen astrid in order to find the Dragonlance. The warrior's corruption and fall from grace had become apparant to all, especially their esteemed but sickly warchief, Sven the Godslayer. Whilst battling the Dragon Clan, Sven noticed Erika Ulfsdottir's commitment to honour and battle and considered her a good fit as a replacement.
On their path back to Pilgrim's Rest from the peak of Mount Valhalla, Sven hinted to Val that he should ask for a trial by combat and that Erika should use the right of claimance and kill him. Val agreed this was a good plan and geared Erika up for the fight. During the trial by combat, Sven ordered Steinar and his loyal lackies to fight alongside him, using the trial as a chance the purge the most corrupt warriors left in the guild. Underchief Steinar and his supporters would be killed in the fight, with Val dealing the fatal blow against her old accuser.
Sven himself would die in one on one combat with Erika, who only dealth the final blow and used the right of claimance with the adventuring party's words of motivation. Her asenscion to warchief saw instant change as she organized a public funeral for Sven at Heroes Rest and led the warriors to war against the white will without any promise of gold.

"In Victory or in Death, our Path is for Valhalla"

Founding Date

3125, me

Type

Guild, Fighter / Mercenary

Alternative Names

The Warriors

Demonym

Ysgardian Warrior

Leader

Erika

Notable Members

• Erika
• Sven the Godslayer †

Apperances: 13

• Session 5: Gobbledegook
• Session 17: The Bear Library
• Session 83: The Clockwork God
• Session 89: Erika
• Session 99: Westwatch
• Session 100: Elfrey the Godswitch
• Session 101: Pilgrim's Rest
• Session 102: Fathers
• Session 103: Soul of the Warriors
• Session 104: Dragonlance
• Session 105: Lair of the White Will
• Session 106: The Wolf and the Fish
• Session 110: Bitter River
• Session 119: Eve of Battle
• Session 126: Tales from Ferenvire