The wins of the father

 

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[4 min read]

Sigurd Jarlsson is my College of Valour Bard currently being played in the Hoard of the Dragon Queen campaign. Part of Sigurd's back story is the motivation to prove to his father, whom he idolises, that he is worthy of his respect as a warrior. 

Harald Elkhardt, Sigurd's father, is a minor jarl in the Elk Tribe of the Reghed barbarians of Icewind Dale and a celebrated gladiator and hero of Ten Towns. I am playing him as a character in my solo run of Rime of the Frostmaiden.

With Sigurd being a skald who sings ballads and recites sagas of legendary heroes, I found myself creating short story snippets of key figures from the frozen north to drop into my game sessions when roleplaying. The names of Wulfgar and the Companions of the Hall, Jerod the barbarian shaman who united both the Reghed and Uthgardht peoples, and Revjak the king of the Tribe of the Elk in Icewind Dale have all been referenced when called on to perform.

But with his father being such a renowned hero in Icewind Dale, and his obsession with living up to him, surely it would be more flavourful to have Sigurd recite the epic tales of Harald instead?

Since I was planning to kick off a solo run of Rime of the Frostmaiden, I thought it would be nice to use Harald as the main character in that campaign. Not only does Harald, a Reghed barbarian, fit well thematically to that campaign, but playing through it would provide me plentiful rich fodder for Sigurd's stories and allow me to roleplay them even better having 'lived' through it. 

And Harald's companion? Remallia Haventree, the Harper agent who brought Sigurd into the fold, reskinned in the form of a Circle of Stars Druid to complement Harald as a Barbarian.

Establishing a familial connection from one character to another is not new, even from one campaign to another campaign, but it seemed a neat way for me to flesh out the important relationship in Sigurd's life and have ready-made ideas when asked to tell stories in character.

So, let me, in the guise of Sigurd Jarlsson, regale you for a moment in the adventures of Harald Elkhardt, saviour of Ten Towns.

Note, the below contains spoilers of Chapter 1 and 2 side quests for Rime of the Frostmaiden.

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Harald, my father, rescued two teenagers from a giant’s home near Dougan’s hole, chased by a mammoth and two massive wolves! Holding the beasts off with his two battleaxes until the others could flee, his bravery knows no bounds [Harald has two weapon fighting and dual wielding feats].

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Harald, my father, returned barrels of honey mead to the town of Goodmead after tracking two Verbeeg lovers to their lair, dispatching them, an ogre and even a cave bear! His rage was even greater than the giantkin’s, allowing him to shrug off their heavy blows as his axes bit deep [Harald's barbarian rage gives damage resistance].

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Harald, my father, returned iron ingots to the dwarven blacksmiths of Bryn Shander after ambushing goblins making off with the cargo on a cart pulled by polar bears! Goblins are fodder to Harald, but he used his knowledge of beast speech to calm the bears so they weren’t the greater threat [Harald has Speak with Animals from Path of the Totem subclass].

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Harald, my father, solved a series of murders across Ten Towns, killing a cold-hearted servant of Auril who was using unnatural powers to slay his victims. Seeing this creature regaining its strength after every strike, Harald abandoned defense and struck with all his fury, landing critical blows multiple times to down it [Harald uses reckless attack from barbarian class to increase chance of critical hits].

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Harald, my father, tracked a giant moose and a lake monster that were awakened to intelligence by savage druids bent on terrorizing local towns. Possessed of strength of arm and cunning wit, these creatures cowered as he commanded them to stand down [Harald has Intimidation proficiency].

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Harald, my father, cleared the mine near Termalaine of it’s pesky kobold infestation, but the true terror was a flying beast with tentacles and a sharp beak! His resilience is such that he survived the creature’s paralysing poison and deadly bite [Harald has a strong constitution and saving throw proficiency].

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Harald, my father, defeated a goblin horde in the Spine of the World, burning down their fortress at Karkolohk, and saving Ten Towns from continued raids! Calling on the family bond to the sacred elk, Harald was able to bound after the fleeing goblins with unnatural speed and cut them down [Harald gets extra movement while raging from his Elk totem].

These exploits made him known and loved all across the Ten Towns in Icewind Dale. Stay tuned for more adventures of Harald Elkhardt, barbarian hero of the frozen north!