Old Bjorn

Bjorn Johansson, universally known as Old Bjorn, serves as the senior mentor within the narrative of Fierce. His function involves the long-term protection and clandestine education of the young Heroes Noren and Yngvild the Fierce on the remote island of Straven. He acts as a devious and secretive power-broker who manages a multi-generational contingency plan to ensure the stability of the realm. Bjorn is the primary link between the islanders and the high politics of Kronstadt, using his authority as a retired King's Justice to monitor international threats and coordinate the movement of state assets.

Despite his chronologically advanced age of several centuries, Bjorn maintains the physical vitality of a man in his mid-fifties. He is characterised by his fair hair, which is now predominantly grey or white, and a full beard that marks his status as a veteran of the northern fjords. Physically, he is a formidable combat specialist, famously known as the “Counter of Battles” due to the numerous white tally marks covering his plain black shield. His battle gear is plain black, apart from the white tally marks. There are many tally marks on the shield, rumours differ. Some say these are the battles he's been in, others the number of people he's killed, and a few think they're the women that he's loved.

His personality is defined by a rigorous commitment to secrecy and an insistence on harmony. He often tells others only what is necessary for them to fulfil their roles, a trait that has earned him a reputation for being both devious and manipulative. He lives by the watchword “no rush to die,” a philosophy of caution and deliberation he imparts to all the adults he trains in the raider drills on Straven.

The boat captain of the first boat on Straven. He's the adoptive father of both Yngvild Helgasdotir and Noren. His current lover is Helga the Red and they share a room above the main hall on Straven. Bjorn Johansson is by far the oldest resident of Straven, no-one is quite sure exactly how old he is. What is clear is that he's much older than everyone else. Hence the moniker Old Bjorn.

When the seagull first docks at Straven the Captain calls him The Counter of Battles.

Old Bjorn is a legendary figure in Skyssian history, recognised as the author of the Covenant of Heroes in 694. Following the Great Schism, he retired from public office to live a peaceful life on Straven with his partner, Helga the Red. Some time in the past Bjorn Johansson was a King's Messenger, and then a King's Justice. Within his three-storey home, he maintains a secret sanctum in the roof space accessible only via a private staircase. This chamber is a repository of forbidden and ancient knowledge, housing seven rare books, a gilded full-face helmet, and a black silk banner.

In the summer of 774 AM, Bjorn's retirement was interrupted by the arrival of the Arald on the Mangandlese ship Chantara. Recognising the threat to his wards, Bjorn coordinated with Captain Olaf Ragnarson of the King's Ship Seagull to transport the prisoner and the young heroes to the capital. He currently oversees a long-term plan to elevate Lady Helga Trollslayer to a position of supreme authority to mobilise the state against the southern expansion of Rojden. His work is dedicated to ensuring that the next generation of Heroes is prepared for the inevitable conflict with the renegade forces of the south.

• Helga the Red: His lover and co-leader of the Straven community.
• Lady Helga Trollslayer: A senior naval officer and his principal political ally.
• Noren: His ward and the son of the renegade Rojden.
• Yngvild the Fierce: His ward and foster daughter.
• King Thirfinn: The elective monarch with whom he maintains a direct line of intelligence.
• Rojden: His primary antagonist and a fellow hero from the founding eras.
• Arne the Slow: His second-in-command on Straven and a trusted trainer.

• Straven: The island community he founded as a sanctuary.
• Trollheim: The northern territory where he once hunted members of the Godbloods faction.

• Great Schism: The historical conflict that defines his current political motivations.
• King's Justice: The judicial order to which he still belongs.
• Silent Service: The heroic faction with which he is historically aligned.