Sigurd Jarlsson - back story

[3 min read]

Sigurd is a large and ruggedly handsome Reghed barbarian of the Tribe of the Elk, originating from Icewind Dale in the far frozen north of the Sword Coast. 

Jarl Harald Elkhardt, Sigurd’s father, is a famous warrior and minor lord in the tribe of the Elk, related to King Jarund Elkhardt. However Harald disagreed with the king on the future of the Elk tribe, and much like King Revjak before him, advocated for integration and modernisation with the other races of the Realms. This falling out saw Harald and his family estranged from the Tribe, so they settled amongst the civilised folk of Bryn Shander in Ten Towns, where Sigurd grew up. 

Sigurd idolises his father and all famous warriors across the realms, with a particular fascination for Wulfgar and his Companions of the Hall. From a young age, Sigurd composed poems and stories to glorify their deeds. Benefiting from martial training overseen by his father, Sigurd entered and won gladiatorial bouts across the Ten Towns with the ultimate goal of understanding the life of a warrior and 'method acting' his heroes. These experiences only enhanced his compositions.

Over the years, an elf named Remallia Haventree would periodically spend time in Bryn Shander and she would always stop to listen to Sigurd’s stories, adding details from her knowledge of these famous events. Sigurd would always press her for news of other warriors and heroes from the south and over time he would come to look forward to her visits, the two becoming trusted friends. 

Remallia also watched Sigurd’s fights with interest, noting that although Sigurd was not the largest of the combatants, he showed strength, agility and a flair for performance. Sigurd would often humiliate his opponents with his skills, but then glorify the battle with a closing poem or story that praised his opponent and left them with no rancour towards him. Thus Sigurd was well liked in each of the towns he travelled.

As Sigurd grew into a man, Remallia introduced him to the story of the famous Harper, Mintiper Moonsilver, and planted the seed that words and stories can be powerful, even magical. Sigurd was captivated by the thought, and given their mutual trust Remallia then revealed herself as a Harper. She asked Sigurd to report any strange happenings in the area and sometimes carry out small tasks on their behalf. And so it was that Sigurd secretly became an agent of The Harpers, and added Mintiper to his roster of heroes to venerate, although his father Harald remained top of the list. 

As Sigurd started to spend more and more of his time focused on his stories, Harald became concerned his son was straying from the path of the warrior he had been so carefully training him for. Indeed, Sigurd was often rebuked by his father for spending too much time imagining sagas and not actually creating any himself. On one of Remallia’s visits, Sigurd revealed to her his insecurity about not living up to his father’s ideals, and wanting to leave the frozen wastes and strike out on his own to be a hero and make his father proud. 

We join Sigurd after Remallia has tasked him to travel south to Waterdeep with a young nobleman named Vyn and to make contact with another Harper agent named Vertigan in Berdusk. Vertigan is trying to track down another Harper agent named Leosin Erlanthar who has requested urgent help. Once the party makes contact with Vertigan they need to find Leosin and follow his directions from there.

During his adventures, Sigurd appears as if a rugged barbarian brute from the north, but he is more than meets the eye. Often playing this persona in first encounters hoping to be underestimated, Sigurd will show his eloquence and move to charm offensive if that is more expedient. When battle arrives, Sigurd wades into the fray, reciting stories of great battles to inspire himself and his party. A master of words and sound, Sigurd draws upon his powers as a skald to control the battle and give his side the edge.