Odhinn’s Eye

Odhinn’s Eye (Odhinsauga) The Odhinn’s Eye clan is the most powerful and feared among the vikingar clans. It’s famous for its brave warri￾ors and great strategists, clad in shining armors and armed with magnificent weapons. They’re able to overwhelm any enemy thanks to their superior numbers and the perfect coordination of the warriors behind the shield wall. The Odhinn’s Eyes consider themselves superior to the other Clans and hope to, one day, unify all the people of Midgardr under their banners, creating a kingdom based on law and innovation.
Sacred Origins The Odhinn’s Eye is the largest and most powerful clan in the lands of the North. Although they’re relatives of the same family that rule the Jutland, they always tried to demonstrate that they’re from a sacred bloodline, descendants of Odhinn himself. Although all the Odhinn’s Eyes believe this theory – and don’t appreciate jokes about it – it’s not hard to find those who consider it just a way to intimidate the other clans. The clan appeared out of the blue and rose to power quickly, annexing all the nearby clans with strength and guile, destroying all resistance by any means nec￾essary. In less than half a century, what started as a simple one-family clan has reach across the entire region of Norrvegr, becoming a true royal household. The Kingdom of the Fjords The kingdom of the Odhinn’s Eye encompass primar￾ily the coast of Norrvegr, but the coastal villages of Svitjod are within its sphere of influence. From his lavish hall in the capital city of Heill Hofn, the King governs villages and outposts thanks to a host of trusted Jarls, who received the authority to rule freely on their territories in exchange for absolute loyalty and subordination to the crown. During the expansion of the Odhinn’s Eye, many opposing clans were replaced by these Jarls and their families. This division of power is the source of many quarrels and instabilities between the Jarls. Usually the royal family doesn’t intervene, leaving their vassals to figure it out between them. Only if the King or his advisers suspect that one of these squabbles might endanger the stabil￾ity of the kingdom the army intervene to drown the dissidents in their own blood. Seafarers, Conquerors and Merchants The Odhinn’s Eyes are famous across the Northern lands as great shipbuilders and even greater sailors; these skills allowed them to explore far away lands and return heavy with loot. Their raids are nothing short of legendary. This also allowed the clan to forge important com￾mercial relationships with merchants from far away lands and it’s very common, in the largest villages of the clan, to find exotic market stalls, full of strange and marvelous items. The clan include a large number of 32 People of Midgardr: The Clans 33 farmers and ranchers that, usually, prefer to live in the smaller and quieter inland communities. The King of Flame The current ruler, King Asbjørn the Red, is one the most ambitious and ferocious rulers the Odhinn’s Eye ever had. Under his iron fisted rule the clan’s influence has grown steadily, it took control of many other vil￾lages in the region, expanded its borders and brought many minor clans under the crown. In spite of all his power, the King is the center of a great cultural schism within the clan: about six months after he took the throne, Asbjørn the Red returned, despite the terrible weather, from a raid in the West, in the land of Hibernia (Ireland). His loot wasn’t of precious metals, but of flesh and blood, and a Hibernian wife. Nobody – except Asbjørn’s most faithful retain￾ers – really knowns what happened in those far away lands and nobody knows how the King’s ship was able to return despite the fury of the sea. What is known is that the King married Sknaht (Brannagh), daughter of a powerful ruler of Hibernia and priest￾ess of the flame god of those lands. If the marriage was part of a political alliance, or if it was even properly celebrated, is the favored rumor of the commoners. What is known is that Asbjørn has embraced this cult of Flame more and more, eschewing the customs of the ancient gods. Confronted with the warnings and curses of sages and priests, the King stated – time and again – that he doesn’t consider this “change” of faith problem￾atic: he consider the Flame as a manifestation of the sacred power of Odhinn, from whom he descends. Moreover, in the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye there’s the absolute freedom of religion, at least so far. Every day the god of the Flame gains new acolytes. It’s hard to understand if these conversions are the result of real faith or just a way to curry the favor of this violent and powerful monarch. Many at court think that the King’s most trusted wore the badge of the Flame for purely political reasons. The public opinion is very divided even in regard of the King’s companion, Sknaht priestess of the Flame: some worship her as a goddess, others think she is a curse made flesh. In spite of these different opinion everybody is in awe of the Queen, the rumors of her great mystic powers are more than substantiated. King Asbjørn, "the Red" Queen Sknaht, “Queen of the Flame” 34 Journey to Ragnarok 35 The Long Winter The Odhinn’s Eye clan doesn’t give much credit at the rumors about the impeding Ragnarok. Despite the fear and the worries of wise men and women, the King thinks that the harsher weather is just a random event and he doesn’t want to change his plans because of it. This doesn’t mean that the Long Winter isn’t causing problems to the clan, but the King’s loyalists fake optimism while everybody can see that the weather is leaving its mark on the economy of the kingdom. The harvests are poor, the cattle get sick or die of frostbite and worst of all, the terrible state of the sea delay raids and trade missions. So far the clan has been able to survive on the resources accumulated during the years of plenty, but they are going to be depleted soon. Relationships with Other Clans Icy Crows Despite the appearance of this men, the circle of sages of the Icy Crows still keeps the King in the highest regard. No member of the Odhinn’s Eye will deny hospitality to traveling Crows and will always listen to their teachings with utmost respect. So, every Icy Crow will always find free lodgings at the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye. Jötunn Sons The relationships with the Jötunn Sons are scarce and not very friendly. The outcast aren’t welcome in the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye and must tread carefully to avoid trouble. Only the converted to the cult of the god of the Flame speak of equality and piety and are friendly to the Jötunn Sons. Because of this they’re often considered naive. Gjallarhorn There have not been news from the allies of the Jutland, not for some time. Asbjørn was expecting the King of the Gjallarhorn and his son – hoping to ask their help for the coming war – but their ship never arrived. The Red believes that his ally decided not to depart because of the terrible weather. At the moment King Asbjørn is too busy with his own conquests to bother with the events of the Jutland, but he believes that his allies will be ready to assist him again in the future. Because of the winter weather it’s hard to meet any Jutlander in Norrvegr, but those who are stuck here are welcomed as family in the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye. Wolves of the Shadow The relationships between the Odhinn’s Eye and the Wolves of the Shadow were never very peaceful. Over the year, the expansionist ambitions of the Odhinn’s Eye and the wildly different traditions of the two Clans made them natural enemies. While a real war hasn’t erupted yet, over the last year the clashes between the two Clans have grown more and more frequent. According to the survivors the attacks of the Odhinn’s Eye against the villages of the Wolves are nothing short of true massacres. Despite the mounting tension, the Odhinn’s Eyes don’t consider their rivals a real threat, due to their small numbers. They think that, if a true conflict erupts, they would be able to erase the Wolves from the chronicles. Small groups of Wolves, or even lone travelers, may enter the Odhinn’s eye villages, but they will be disarmed and under constant surveillance. Bear Warriors The members of the Odhinn’s Eye have a very superficial approach toward the mountain Clans, especially the ruling clan of the Bear Warriors. They believe that, sooner or later, King Asbjørn will lead his army up the mountains and force these savages into a blood bond.   Meanwhile, the mountain-folk that journey across the lands of the Odhinn’s Eye usually sell their might as mercenaries and laborers. They might stir the general curiosity, but they are usually welcome.

Type

Geopolitical, Clan