Mjolnir Haxelfrei by Ben Brownlie

One such vessel was under the captaincy of Sigurd Bjorgussen of the Bear’s Head clan, an adventurous and foolhardy pirate intent on making his own mark upon the elven land. Ignoring his comrades’ flight to Frostiron he struck instead for the Islands of Fire falling foul to the mystical protection offered to the islands by their inhabitants. Thwarted for a second time Bjorgussen made after his compatriots to the safer haven of Bodir Dur to winter and only in the spring did the full extent of his folly become apparent.

The Sidhe, magic having worked its terrible course through the Vanir’s bodies to such a level, had caused all offspring born of his crew that year to be horribly disfigured and stillborn, with the one exception of his own new child, Egil. Under a brooding moon his mother perished in labour and the unborn child forced it’s own way into this life to face an appalled congregation of his kin. His father fought valiantly to keep the child but the clan viewed Egil as living evidence of the Sidhe’ callous deed and ordered the child to be abandoned in the moors facing the Sadir Frith and his creators.

For many moons Bjorgussen risked the wrath of the clan to fend for his son; as hard as Vanir life may be he would not be forced to discard his own flesh so easily, but finally he was caught and slaughtered and his son once again was left to his own devices. Fortunately for the boy he was very well developed physically and possessed an animal cunning. Quickly he learnt to adapt to his isolation as hunger drove him to feed upon the flora and fauna of the moors and fenlands, discovering the usefulness of tools and realising the ability to keep himself warm with pelt and mud.

Developing at a rate belying his heritage the dirt caked creature that Egil had become grew more reliant upon his proximity to the Dur for survival as his appetite surpassed that which the small mammals of the fenlands could supply. The occasional raid for food turned more frequent and his immense frame expanded still more. It was only when he had reached a size many times the Vanir norm that he was discovered, huddled in furs in cave not five hours walk from the settlement.

Peder Vaage, a mercenary captain on self-awarded leave from expeditions into the Clontragh peninsular came across the creature as it slept off a meal of whatever was caught that morning. He saw in this beast the vestiges of it’s origins as it slept and, despite calls from his men to slay Egil where he lay, Peder instead waited until the giant stirred from his slumber. Upon waking Egil flew into a rage attacking the Vanir party without any other thought than escape, but upon making eye contact with Vaage the beast child stopped, breath steaming in the frigid air as he slowly approached the old brigand.

What passed between the two in that moment none can say, perhaps it was as magical as the reason for Egil’s deformities, but what ever it was a connection was made on a very basic level, an understanding was reached and Egil found for the first time that there may be more to life than mere survival in solitude. Vaage obviously recognised the immense potential his new find could add to his mercenary band and began to instruct the boy, already several times his own size, in all manner of conduct from basic behaviour to skill at arms, naming him Mjolnir Haxelfrei after the very weapon of legend.

Mjolnir’s already well honed martial prowess made him an astute student with club, shield and sword and soon he was able to join Peder on his raiding parties, sowing the seeds of fear in the hearts of his enemies and comrades alike. Seeing the unstoppable power of this mountain of flesh was an awesome spectacle indeed and Mjolnir’s reputation grew with each battle and each adjoining victory. None could stand before the might of Vaage’s troop and they were widely sought after as guards, as pirates and as soldiers. As the bands coffers grew with their renown so did the animosity shown by their competitors and this combined with their infamy was to prove the bands undoing.

Mjolnir’s story seemed to correlate with tales of a marauder’s son and Vaage’s rivals made sure that the news reached the Bear’s Head clan, still at the Dur after these many years. They sought help from the clan’s warriors to tie up the last loose end of their family’s shame and it was with righteous vengeance that the clan descended upon the house of Vaage. All was destroyed and though the cost in blood was high not one member of the troop remained standing. The most successful mercenary band in recent history was utterly destroyed and their dwelling a scorched blister upon the landscape. So fierce did the fires of revenge burn that no trace of the dead was found and the deeds of Vaage and his protégé, Mjolnir, passed into the annals of history and legend.

Every so often however a keen eye might spot a distant shape out on the frosty heath or the mist enshrouded fens. A very keen eye might be able to distinguish the movements as aggressive and warlike, as if the shape were practising some martial discipline. A very keen eye and a brave heart might even decide to approach at some stage, might even draw so close as to see the shape for what it is and to witness this marvel of nature and sorcery entwined first hand. But these murky fog filled nights are not for keen eyes and brave hearts, they are for inviting fires and mugs of warm ale.





Rules for using Mjolnir Haxelfrei in games of Celtos

Mjolnir is a Vanir warrior, all be it a huge specimen of his race, and will only fight for that army. He is a loner by nature having twice been abandoned through bloody violence and hires his sword to the highest bidder. Having learnt a lot about his own past as well as war craft from his mentor, Peder Vaage, he is bitterly aware of his origins and hates the Sidhe with an unreserved passion, a hatred that is intensified by the knowledge that they created his salvation as well as his curse.
On the field of battle he fights alone using his otherworldly endurance to its best advantage, shrugging off wounds that would slay a lesser Vanir twice over. It takes a lot to make Mjolnir fall, but not to make him turn. His mercenary nature and his general despondency is reflected on his sometimes eccentric battlefield behaviour and he has been known before now to simply pick up his sword and leave the scene altogether. For the most part however, he is an immense tower of strength and he can easily dominate a battle line pummelling through the enemy with his massive sword and shield, each being more the size of an adult Vanir in their own right. When he is fighting the good fight there is rarely a more awe-inspiring sight in all of Goria

Structure: Individual/Foot
Unit Size: 1
Equipment: Hand Weapon & Shield


Special Rules

Hate Sidhe: Mjolnir’s hatred of the Sidhe burns with an intensity rivalled only by their own mastery of that element. When Mjolnir fights against the Sidhe he has to abide by the rules for Berserk (note he is not automatically berserk, but has to check as per the rule).

Hard to kill: When Mjolnir looses his last wound roll a d10. on a roll of 8+ the wound is restored and the monster fights on unless he decides it is time to quit (see below)

Gold just isn’t enough: At heart Mjolnir is a mercenary and there are times when gold just isn’t enough. When Mjolnir takes a wound roll a d10. on the roll of a 10 he moves towards the nearest table edge as quickly as possible, charging any enemy that lay in the way, and will only stop to defend himself. On a roll of 1-9 he remains on the table s normal. However, for each additional wound he suffers the chance of him leaving is greater and +! Is added to the roll so, for example, Mjolnir will leave the table after his 2nd wound after the roll of 9+, his 3rd on an 8+ etc.