From their Mother, Ferra, goddess of the hunt and of the wilds, was the first berserker born. He was Beork, a were-skin, a shifter not wholly man nor wholly beast. It was he who carried the spirit of both man and beast and taught his followers this path. However, Beork found that the humans learning from him lacked one vital component: divinity. By taking on the guise of a creature, many followers would lose their humanity entirely as their mind would turn feral and wild. Beork was disheartened with his followers, whom he considered his own offspring, as they went mad scratching and sniffing at the earth beneath them. Discouraged by his shortcomings, he began to accept fewer and fewer followers, but one fateful hunt would bring about great change to the future of the were-skins. It was during the climax of a mighty chase by Beork, along with a handful of his most devout were-skins, that their quarry, a mighty bear exceeding all others, wounded Beork (or maybe he died), splattering his divine blood upon his nearby disciples. With this divine ingredient infused with the magic of shapeshifting, the were-skins ascended, exemplifying strength beyond natural strength, and with their aid, Beork brought the great bear down, thus ending the greatest of hunts. Beork, though relishing in their victory, also despaired for his closest followers as he knew the force of nature within them would consume their humanity. However, the were-skins shifted back into their human form without madness or injury to their minds or bodies. With this invigorating revelation, Beork crafted for each were-skin a mantle from the immense form of the bear, clothing them in both his blood and the bear’s pelt. From that day forward, the were-skins became known as Berserkers, or bear-shirts, men and women who wore the mantle of their totem, fighting fearlessly and ferociously, but afterwards, returning to their right mind. From this first, blooded generation, Beork instructed them and blessed them and with each following generation, the berserkers would do the same, blessing the aspiring were-skin with blood to both protect and empower them.

Today, Berserkers have many households as well as animal totems. Whenever the Old Ways are threatened, Beork is said to raise up the cries of past berserkers, who are heeded by those who carry the remnants of his divine blessing. These individuals don’t always become Berserker, as is seen with many, valiant warriors in the Hearthguard, but some have the heart of Beork beat so loudly within them that they feel compelled to devote themselves to be the resolute guardians of the Old Ways. It is a berserker who is deeply connected with nature and seeks to utilize its wonder and power for the glory of the gods. This primal embodiment has led many outsiders to think the Berserkers nothing but maddened barbarians, but this perspective is born out of fear and misunderstanding. Only in battle do Berserkers feel necessary to shed their humanity in exchange for nature’s might, but outside of war, a Berserker would hardly be distinguishable from an ordinary person, be it a shepherd, farmer, smithy, or some other trade common to many folk. Another interesting note of these individuals is that of all beliefs and practices of the Old Ways, they cling closest to blood, believing the substance to be their very connection to the divine, which may explain why many enlist as soldiers or are avid hunters. To die peacefully is no crime in their eyes, however it is considered a pity, for when the call summons them into battle, it is then they feel most connected to the divine and where they can prove themselves a pure, most worthy vessel for the Halls of Val-Noran or better yet, to go on the endless hunt with their Mother, Ferra.

Amongst the Berserkers, each considers one another equal in might and skill. None shall order the other as a dictator commands his inferiors or a general his pawns, but there is one recognized within the group: The First. The First is an honorary title reflecting the one who bears the same attributes as Beork. The First is the one who answered the call and then summoned the rest. When matters of decision and authority must be made, The First shall lead.

The Birnir are a group of fighters from throughout the Hearthlands who have rallied to the new hamlet of Auberon. The culture of the Birnir is influenced by not only their first Chieftan, Kieran Martyn, but additionally the Bjarndýr. The Bjarndýr were an ancient tribe that used to wander the fire mountains long ago but died out during the Golthan occupation of the area. Relics of the tribe excavated from the land are honored in the hamlet of Auberon alongside Odar. Many of the Birnir adorn themselves with furs and red war paint as a way to honor the gods. The Birnir have served as a shieldwall unit of the Hearthguard under Fänrik Kieran “The Great Bear” Martyn but for the meantime they have been sent back to the hamlet of Auberon to train additional troops for the battles to come.

“Red for the blood we make our foes bleed
White for the honor that goes down to our bone
Grey for the death-shroud we defiantly meet
In whose face we stand as we defend our home.”
- Blodgevir Hymn

Ancient legends whispered throughout Lannock tell of a mythic warrior, a man who fought off hordes of threats to his homeland with such ferocity that Daud himself feared to bring him to Val-Noran. This warrior was known as the Rodinnhjörtr, the Bloody Red Stag, and it was said that in times of great need he would return to this world through his descendants to fight for his homeland once more. Visions of this Bloody Red Stag have haunted Bregnor for years and have driven him to find the truth of these stories. He is a descendant of a great warrior; could he be the Rodinnhjörtr reincarnated? He seeks the truth of these stories, and to become worthy of the title of “the Bloody Stag” by which he has become known. This quest inspired others to follow him, wandering warriors from the roots of the Hearthlands who fought as mercenaries across Adrasil and came to be known as “Antlers.” The Antlers brought hearty amounts of coin to the Hearthguard and caught the eye of the Queen Tove, who sanctioned the Antlers as a mercenary guild in service to the Hearthlands. With this action came a request, that the best of these ranks of warriors would be formed into a fist of shieldkin who would answer the call of the Queen and her Jarls to war. Bregnor, now a Huskarl, looked to his growing Antlers and decided that three main tenets must be followed, and those that wholly embodied these tenets would be chosen as his shieldkin fist. They must fight with ferocious skill, always being the first to carve a battlefield red with blood; they must have infallible honor to their people, their home, and their leader; and they must never falter in the face of death, but stare it down defiantly and fight to the bitter end. In these ways the Antlers would honor their people, their home, their leader, and the legacy of the Rodinnhjörtr, becoming vestiges of his legend to write their names into the annals of the Hearthlands forevermore. They would baptize their antlers in blood, becoming warriors of legend. They would become the Blodgevir.

Armor and Kit:

As the Blodgevir are travelers and mercenaries, they build their armor to achieve a balance of mobility and protection. They must be ready to set out on the road or head to a fight in a moment’s notice, so their armor mustbe able to be donned easily and be worn for days at a time. The usage of their armor can lead to wear and tear, and kit bashed pieces of gear as well as asymmetric looks can help achieve this. Blodgevir are not opposed to using their earnings for new armor to use as “statement” pieces, yet they will still always try to find some use for their old gear. The Blodgevir are also keen on the use of tokens and trinkets in their kit. Each Blodgevir comes into service with an antler token to symbolize their service with the Antler mercenaries, and they must blood it in their initiation to the Blodgevir to symbolize their new path. Their antler is also adorned with the colors of their Fist as red, white, and grey ribbons to symbolize their devotion to the tenets of the Blodgevir and the Bloody Stag. As they continue in their journeys in the Hearthlands and Olaran, they will be outfitted with more ribbons to symbolize acts of devotion to each of the tenets, becoming symbols of valor among their ranks.

Founded by Sir Ulfred Kjølen, the Draken Fist is made up of raiders who sail the rivers and waterways to defend the Hearthlands and raid its enemies. This rough and tumble group has shields at the ready at all times, they stand strong together as one of the oldest shield wall fists in the Hearthguard. Their heraldry is of a sea serpent to match the headpiece of their longships.

You’ll know a member, or veteran, of the Draken by the silver pendant they wear to pay penance to enter Haf’s great hall, should they ever meet her in the depths.

You are the living embodiment of death, the fate of all men; as Grimnir fights against his, so shall we fight against ours. But when the raven’s wine is spilled and the murdermake is upon us, should we be called to the corpsehall, we go with a gladdened heart. Again hail and welcome!

The Dread fist slogan “wyrd bið ful aræd” is Old English for “Fate is inexorable.” What does it mean to be in the dreadfist? It means that the warrior accepts that their fate is unavoidable. As warriors this often means dying violently on the field of battle. As Grimnir,, the patron deity of the dread fists cannot avoid his fate, neither we nor our foes can theirs. To wear a Dreadhelm is to remind all on the battlefield of this, that the wearer does not fear death and will seek to bring their foes to their fated ends and earn a place in the corpsehall. A Dreadhelm doesn’t fear their death, but they don’t seek it out, rather the opposite. They fight against it as Grimnir fights against his.

In the old stories of the gods, when elves and giants and other creatures roamed the plains and rivers of Adrasil, the greatest heroes known to man lived and breathed their epic sagas of glory. It is said one of the most feared, the most revered of the ancients, was the Valkyrie of Odar, who chose the dead in his name. While Odar decided the warriors to die on the battlefield and enter the halls of Val-Noran, it was the Valkyrie who enacted his will and dealt the final sword blow. Reaper of death and justice, she was the harkener of a warrior’s final breath and of their glorious first step into the eternal mead hall.

But Odar first and foremost saw his Valkyrie as a cup bearer, she who served honey wine to the victorious dead from her horn that never emptied. It was a position of high honor, she who poured the golden elixir of honeyed, sweet victory. But the Valkyrie questioned Odar’s judgment and was not content as the bearer of the horn in the eternal halls. The warriors did not fear her there, did not tremble at her approach as they had quavered under her sword on the battlefield.

The goddess Verda knew of the Valkyrie’s discontent, her thirst for blood that Odar restrained. For it was Verda who craved justice for men in a world of injustice, and it was by the Valkyrie’s blade that she foresaw the execution and mercy of that judgment. So the goddess offered the Valkyrie a golden sword which never dulled nor rusted, which she called Gunnr. And so the Valkyrie, chooser of the slain, swore herself to Verda, and walked centuries of battlefields to bless heroes with her guidance to Val-Noran, and to curse the unworthy as fodder to the soil while their weapon lay unhanded. As man multiplied, so too did the number of fallen warriors, and so the Valkyrie chose nine women, fallen heroes who craved more from Val-Noran and looked beyond the eternal halls. She named them her furies, to take up their own golden spears and choose the slain. And so the Valkyrie and her furies cut down man in the name of Verda, but to those deemed worthy, they bore a horn of mead to press to a warrior’s lips on their last breath, and bless with life in the eternal halls. In the memory of our ancestors, in the times of written history, the Hearthguard chose a female warrior to take on the title of Valkyrie and hold the center of the shieldwall, unbreakable and unyielding. Under her command are the furies, the fiercest of the shieldkin women, who fight in the shieldwall and die as the noblest warriors. They answer to the call of the goddess Verda, and swear to enact her judgment and mercy, and to act as choosers of the slain. To become a fury, a female warrior must be chosen by the Valkyrie and take the blessings of Verda in blood, and to drink mead from the Valkyrie’s horn before she can bear her own to worthy fallen heroes.

Fjellslanger was founded by Huskarl Bast. All members of Fjellslanger with a taste for questing and other such shenanigans are encouraged to join the Gæsir Frændur, a chaotic unit within the Adventure Guild.

Members of Fjellslanger are encouraged to adorn herbs and/or floral arrangements akin to those used in funeral rights. This is to safeguard the warrior in battle as well as to prepare their spirit for the illustrious halls of Val Noran.

The Fjellslanger sigil is the Snake King, a Triskele entangled in serpents consuming each other.

Fjellulvene Fist, or The Mountain Wolves Fist, was formed by Fänrik Kjartan Rollosson in YL 1123 after being granted land in the Fire Mountains and being made a Húskarl by Jarl Gamble Audolfson. He created the unit to serve as a military asset to the Hearthguard as well as to protect his new lands and his seat at Wolf’s Den Thorp. They specialize in sudden, blitz-style attacks, overwhelming specific, singular targets with their ferocity and numbers, much like the wolves for which they are named. Due to their heavier than average armor for skirmisher units, they do also operate as a shieldwall unit for Fire Mountain forces when needed.

When possible, Fänrik Kjartan partners Fjellulvene Fist with wolves, an important aspect of Wylfing culture, fighting as one unit. While Fänrij Kjartan does not require that the members of Fjellulvene Fist keep the wolf with them in their private lives or that they join the Wylfing Clan, he does model this force after his culture’s traditions. Every member of Fjellulvene Fist is invited to live in Ulvehjem, if they so choose, and is considered an honorary member of the Wylfing Clan.

The sigil of Fjellulvene Fist is a black wolf’s head, drawn in the style of the Wylfing Sigil, on a red field with ‘Fjellulvene’ spelled in runes along the edge. It is meant to separate the fist from the clan, while still keeping important iconography of Fänrik Kjartan’s culture. In addition, each member of the fist receives a wolf-tooth charm for each year of service. This tradition comes from stories of the Wolf’s Teeth, legendary warriors in Wylfing Clan history.

Fjellulvene Fist’s first engagement with the main Hearthguard forces was in YL 1123. Fjellulvene Fist was tasked with controlling and repelling enemy flanking, and did so with ferocity and skill. Fänrik Kjartan’s familiarity with the Borderlands, and his men’s experience fighting in the wooded terrain of the Thornwood and training in Ulvehjem served them well, and they had little trouble fulfilling their duties. During the fighting, several members served with distinction, including Fänrik Kjartan’s second, Hrothgar, and new Hearthguard members Balrous, Leif, and Hakon Heraldson, who all earned their first tooth.

In YL 1124, Kjartan was promoted to the rank of Fänrik, and sought a new leader for Fjellulvene Fist in his stead. Speaking with his fellow Fänriks, he was made aware of the potential of Eyolf the Wanderer, who had served with distinction in Birnir Fist during the previous years battles in the Borderlands. Eyolf’s experience with hounds and their training made him a well suited choice for Fjellulvene Fist’s wolven companions, and Eyolf was selected to lead the fist, being granted the rank of Húskarl, a home in Wolf’s Den Thorp, and the title of Kennel Master of Ulvehjem for his service.

Formed out of the necessity of war; together we fight as one. It is our honor to protect the flank from any opposing foe. Two arrows to the chest and a spear to their throat, enemies fall. No army, large or small, can stand against the Nighthawks and the rest of the Hearthguard. We fight for our Queen and look to our honorable Jarls to guide our blades for the Hearthlands!

Long ago creatures were made by the goddesses Ferra and Haf to roam freely between realms. These creatures were messengers and signs from the goddesses for the creators and created. The Elves revered these creatures as they lived within both realms. One such creature was the seal. This mammal was inquisitive, socially adaptable, protective, friendly, curious, fast in the water, and extremely intelligent. While avoidant of humans, it was on the rare occasion that one seal saved the life of a child.

During a violent and dark storm, a ship was torn apart in Haf’s wrath for not giving her the sacrifice of a blood-coin. While many were lost at sea, a seal was sent by Ferra to save the life of a very small girl. This child had always been kind to Ferra’s creatures, and the goddess had pity on her.

This child was later to be known as Eoflaed the Selkie, for it was claimed that only in being turned into a seal was how she survived The Coldfell River. As the years passed, Eoflaed kept the name close to her heart. While she chose a life far inland, the seals of the coast were always in her memory. When she became a Fist Leader within the Hearthguard, she was resolute to carry on the name of what was a significant part of her life. So, The Tetning Fist was created, and with it the resolution to be like seals on land: inquisitive, adaptable, protective, friendly, curious, and fast. As Skirmishers these skills were invaluable in keeping them alive, protecting their army and crushing the enemies before them.

The Tetning Fist wears spotted paint of white on their foreheads. Their armor is heavier than most Skirmishers in order to keep them better protected in battle, but not so heavy that it keeps them from running quickly after the enemy. A member of The Tetning Fist is able to use many weapons, and responds to the need of battle quickly. Tetning Fist is able to work efficiently, both alone if separated from the group and even better as a force together. They keep each other safe and are not afraid to get into the thick of battle.