Gjaldveiðr

The Gjaldveiðr are frequent visitors amonst frontier towns and farming settlements. They can be found in taverns and inns listening for leads or visiting local farmsteads in search of work, and are most frequently known by the exotic pelts they wear; from the grey feathers of the ædrafugl to the scales of giant naðr and the spotted pelts of beinhundr. This practice is widely considered to be an ingenious marketing strategy.

Career

Qualifications

Gjaldveiðr are trained in the frontier town on Harrkastali. The location of this town and the finer points of Gjaldveiðr education are not known to outsiders, but those who claim the title can best beasts that regular folk would not dare to face. Some insist that the Gjaldveiðr use magic to achieve their ends.

Payment & Reimbursement

Payment between Gjaldveiðr and their clients are determined on a case by case basis. One thing is universal, however; none work for free.

Perception

Purpose

These problem solvers for hire are frequently dispached to deal with villager eating big cats, livestock stealing dogs, and other problematic animals. However, they have also been known to assist in the removal of bandits, skrælings, and other more human-oriented problems.

Social Status

Few people consider a Gjaldveiðr to be trustworthy. Some consider the guilds refusal to work without pay to be selfish when human life is on the line. Others find distrust in how little is known about these wanderers and their ways. More still wonder exactly how these people can take down beasts that most wouldn't dare of facing.
However, what garners the worst publicity about these folk is their proclivity for taking in orphans and street children, who are never to be seen again in the place from whence they came. Many presume that this is to grow their numbers, for who in their right mind would choose such a dangerous profession?

Demographics

There are thought to be less than fifty Gjaldveiðr in operation currently. Most people will go their whole lives without seeing, much less, interacting with one.

History

The first Gjaldveiðr are thought to have begun operation in the early 600s.

Operations

Tools

The most noteworthy pieces of equipment carried by a Gjaldveiðr are their weapons. Most carry a spear, some variety of bladed weapon, and a small bow (usually made of horn). However, what makes their weapons distinct is the unusual material from which they are created; What looks to be iron at first glance shimmers an odd golden color when caught in the right light. They also carry the makings of a simple campsite, various trap-making components, and an array of survival and medical supplies. In colder climates this can be very heavy, so many Gjaldveiðr keep pack animals of some kind; Frequently horses or reindeer.

Workplace

Gjaldveiðr work in the mountains, forests, and fields of the continent. Be it the damp darkness of a mountain cave or the pineshadowed depths of an ancient forest, where Gjaldveiðr are, danger is also.

Provided Services

"The removal of foul and dangerous beasts
The securing of routes against bandits and skrælings
The capture and return of oathbreakers and fugitives
Other services upon negotiation"
-Hjalmar Dýrspjót of Harrkastali

Alternative Names

Gullveiðr (Derogatory: "Gold Hunter")

Type

Public Services