Campaign of the Month: August 2014
The Concord of Ashes
Agmundir the Cunning
A centuries-old ghoul in the service to the Licinian Lasombra, this glowering Dane is a dangerous warrior with a strong independent streak.
Description:
A heavily built, scarred, glowering Norseman with a great, bushy blonde beard, bristling eyebrows and short curly hair. He wears mail and garb reminiscent of the Varangian Guard, though the Raven insignia is nowhere on his person. A broadsword and a pair of throwing axes rest at his belt, and a dagger is sheathed in his boot. He carries his shield slung over his back, and carries a long-hafted battle-axe known as a Daneaxe.
Bio:
Known amongst the coterie as Iulia’s angry and insolent bodyguard, this Dane is a great warrior who might have inspired an epic if only he was born before his people accepted the cross. It is also general knowledge that while he protects Iulia, he is in fact the ghoul of her sire, Lady Katarina. His insolence stems from the fact that he reports her doings to her sire, and he enjoys his mistress’ complete trust. Agmundir also tends to lead the retainers and herd of the coterie, by dint of the fact that none will risk his temper and the thrashing that is sure to follow…
Agmundir the Cunning has served the Lady Katerina for more than 150 years. A native of the settlement of Næstved on the island of Zealand, he grew to adulthood amidst the strife around the conversion of the Danes to Christianity. When he was a boy, the people of Zealand were defeated by the Danish king in a series of battles and were given a choice: the cross or death. A reluctant convert like many of his countrymen, Agmundir worshipped the Christian God by day and the old Norse gods by night. In time he grew into a noted warrior, earning the epithet “the Cunning” for his skill at wielding two weapons at once and also earning some fame for his temper and ability to fall into the berserk rages of old.
In time, dissatisfied with what he saw of the decline of his people, Agmundir left his home and travelled east. After living through many adventures he eventually found himself in Constantinople serving in the Varangian Guard, an elite force of mercenaries charged with the protection of the imperial family. Life was good. He had more silver than he could spend, more wine than he could drink and women whenever he wanted them. And yet, he remained unfulfilled. After serving for five years and garnering still more fame he left the soft and effete Greek capital and travelled north to the lands of the Rus’. There he hoped to find men who still lived for battle. Instead, Lady Katarina found him.
Agmundir no longer remembers why he accepted his lady’s bargain, nor does he truly care. He is frozen in his prime, forever stronger and tougher than his enemies. He doesn’t even fear vampires except for his lady and her former master, Prince Marcus Licinius of Adrianople, having bested a number of capable Cainites at their behest. While he knows how to go through the motions, and does so at the behest of his charge and his mistress, he is no true Christian, instead viewing the White God as just one among many gods in the world. The heart of Agmundir is still set in the old ways and his lack of fear regarding Cainites stems from the knowledge that if he falls in battle with a truly great foe, his place in Valhalla is assured.
