Odhinn’s Eye
Odhinn’s Eye
(Odhinsauga)
The Odhinn’s Eye clan is the most powerful and feared
among the vikingar clans. It’s famous for its brave warriors and great strategists, clad in shining armors and armed
with magnificent weapons. They’re able to overwhelm any
enemy thanks to their superior numbers and the perfect
coordination of the warriors behind the shield wall.
The Odhinn’s Eyes consider themselves superior to the
other Clans and hope to, one day, unify all the people of
Midgardr under their banners, creating a kingdom based
on law and innovation.
Sacred Origins
The Odhinn’s Eye is the largest and most powerful clan
in the lands of the North. Although they’re relatives
of the same family that rule the Jutland, they always
tried to demonstrate that they’re from a sacred bloodline, descendants of Odhinn himself. Although all the
Odhinn’s Eyes believe this theory – and don’t appreciate jokes about it – it’s not hard to find those who
consider it just a way to intimidate the other clans.
The clan appeared out of the blue and rose to power
quickly, annexing all the nearby clans with strength
and guile, destroying all resistance by any means necessary. In less than half a century, what started as a
simple one-family clan has reach across the entire
region of Norrvegr, becoming a true royal household.
The Kingdom of the Fjords
The kingdom of the Odhinn’s Eye encompass primarily the coast of Norrvegr, but the coastal villages of
Svitjod are within its sphere of influence.
From his lavish hall in the capital city of Heill
Hofn, the King governs villages and outposts thanks
to a host of trusted Jarls, who received the authority to
rule freely on their territories in exchange for absolute
loyalty and subordination to the crown. During the
expansion of the Odhinn’s Eye, many opposing clans
were replaced by these Jarls and their families. This
division of power is the source of many quarrels and
instabilities between the Jarls. Usually the royal family
doesn’t intervene, leaving their vassals to figure it out
between them. Only if the King or his advisers suspect
that one of these squabbles might endanger the stability of the kingdom the army intervene to drown the
dissidents in their own blood.
Seafarers, Conquerors
and Merchants
The Odhinn’s Eyes are famous across the Northern
lands as great shipbuilders and even greater sailors;
these skills allowed them to explore far away lands and
return heavy with loot. Their raids are nothing short
of legendary.
This also allowed the clan to forge important commercial relationships with merchants from far away
lands and it’s very common, in the largest villages of
the clan, to find exotic market stalls, full of strange and
marvelous items. The clan include a large number of
32 People of Midgardr: The Clans 33
farmers and ranchers that, usually, prefer to live in the
smaller and quieter inland communities.
The King of Flame
The current ruler, King Asbjørn the Red, is one the
most ambitious and ferocious rulers the Odhinn’s Eye
ever had. Under his iron fisted rule the clan’s influence
has grown steadily, it took control of many other villages in the region, expanded its borders and brought
many minor clans under the crown.
In spite of all his power, the King is the center
of a great cultural schism within the clan: about six
months after he took the throne, Asbjørn the Red
returned, despite the terrible weather, from a raid in
the West, in the land of Hibernia (Ireland). His loot
wasn’t of precious metals, but of flesh and blood, and
a Hibernian wife.
Nobody – except Asbjørn’s most faithful retainers – really knowns what happened in those far away
lands and nobody knows how the King’s ship was
able to return despite the fury of the sea. What is
known is that the King married Sknaht (Brannagh),
daughter of a powerful ruler of Hibernia and priestess of the flame god of those lands.
If the marriage was part of a political alliance, or if
it was even properly celebrated, is the favored rumor
of the commoners. What is known is that Asbjørn
has embraced this cult of Flame more and more,
eschewing the customs of the ancient gods.
Confronted with the warnings and curses of sages
and priests, the King stated – time and again – that
he doesn’t consider this “change” of faith problematic: he consider the Flame as a manifestation of the
sacred power of Odhinn, from whom he descends.
Moreover, in the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye there’s
the absolute freedom of religion, at least so far. Every
day the god of the Flame gains new acolytes.
It’s hard to understand if these conversions are the
result of real faith or just a way to curry the favor of
this violent and powerful monarch. Many at court
think that the King’s most trusted wore the badge of
the Flame for purely political reasons.
The public opinion is very divided even in regard of
the King’s companion, Sknaht priestess of the Flame:
some worship her as a goddess, others think she is a
curse made flesh. In spite of these different opinion
everybody is in awe of the Queen, the rumors of her
great mystic powers are more than substantiated.
King Asbjørn, "the Red"
Queen Sknaht, “Queen of the Flame”
34 Journey to Ragnarok 35
The Long Winter
The Odhinn’s Eye clan doesn’t give much credit at the
rumors about the impeding Ragnarok. Despite the
fear and the worries of wise men and women, the King
thinks that the harsher weather is just a random event
and he doesn’t want to change his plans because of it.
This doesn’t mean that the Long Winter isn’t causing problems to the clan, but the King’s loyalists fake
optimism while everybody can see that the weather is
leaving its mark on the economy of the kingdom.
The harvests are poor, the cattle get sick or die of
frostbite and worst of all, the terrible state of the sea
delay raids and trade missions. So far the clan has been
able to survive on the resources accumulated during the
years of plenty, but they are going to be depleted soon.
Relationships with Other Clans
Icy Crows
Despite the appearance of this men, the circle of sages of
the Icy Crows still keeps the King in the highest regard.
No member of the Odhinn’s Eye will deny hospitality
to traveling Crows and will always listen to their teachings with utmost respect. So, every Icy Crow will always
find free lodgings at the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye.
Jötunn Sons
The relationships with the Jötunn Sons are scarce and
not very friendly. The outcast aren’t welcome in the
villages of the Odhinn’s Eye and must tread carefully
to avoid trouble.
Only the converted to the cult of the god of the
Flame speak of equality and piety and are friendly to
the Jötunn Sons. Because of this they’re often considered naive.
Gjallarhorn
There have not been news from the allies of the Jutland,
not for some time. Asbjørn was expecting the King of
the Gjallarhorn and his son – hoping to ask their help
for the coming war – but their ship never arrived. The
Red believes that his ally decided not to depart because
of the terrible weather.
At the moment King Asbjørn is too busy with his
own conquests to bother with the events of the Jutland,
but he believes that his allies will be ready to assist him
again in the future.
Because of the winter weather it’s hard to meet any
Jutlander in Norrvegr, but those who are stuck here are
welcomed as family in the villages of the Odhinn’s Eye.
Wolves of the Shadow
The relationships between the Odhinn’s Eye and the
Wolves of the Shadow were never very peaceful.
Over the year, the expansionist ambitions of the
Odhinn’s Eye and the wildly different traditions of the
two Clans made them natural enemies.
While a real war hasn’t erupted yet, over the last
year the clashes between the two Clans have grown
more and more frequent. According to the survivors
the attacks of the Odhinn’s Eye against the villages of
the Wolves are nothing short of true massacres.
Despite the mounting tension, the Odhinn’s Eyes
don’t consider their rivals a real threat, due to their
small numbers. They think that, if a true conflict
erupts, they would be able to erase the Wolves from
the chronicles.
Small groups of Wolves, or even lone travelers, may
enter the Odhinn’s eye villages, but they will be disarmed and under constant surveillance.
Bear Warriors
The members of the Odhinn’s Eye have a very superficial approach toward the mountain Clans, especially
the ruling clan of the Bear Warriors. They believe that,
sooner or later, King Asbjørn will lead his army up the
mountains and force these savages into a blood bond.
Meanwhile, the mountain-folk that journey across the lands of the Odhinn’s Eye usually sell their might as mercenaries and laborers. They might stir the general curiosity, but they are usually welcome.
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