Eynherjar

Bestiary ~&~ Liber Monstrorum ~&~ MONSTRI VOLUMEN

Introduction

In Norse legend, the einherjar were warriors who died heroically in battle and were admitted into Valhalla. Every day, the einherjar rode out to the great battlefield of Idavoll to fight one another in grand conflict. When the sun set, however, all of their injuries would miraculously heal, and the einherjar, even those who had been brutally attacking each other all day, would return to Valhalla for a glorious feast. Then, after eating and drinking themselves into a stupor, the einherjar would arise again the next morning to begin again.

An Avatar of the Aesir with the appropriate Birthright can call one or more of the einherjar into the World to fight on her behalf. In the past, such warriors would have inevitably been Viking warriors who actively worshiped the Aesir. Since the destruction of the Underworld, however, einherjar have not always been Vikings or even Scandinavian. Instead, summoned einherjar are usually combatants from some more recent military conflict, typically a battle-hardened unit that died heroically (in the Viking sense of the word) and possessed a genuine lust for battle. All einherjar have the Virtues associated with the Norse pantheon, a result of their sojourn in Valhalla, with Loyalty primary.

Despite appearances, einherjar are not considered ghosts or the walking dead. In fact, they never truly died at all. Instead, each einherjar was granted immortality at the very instant of death and then transported to Asgard to serve in the armies of Valhalla. Einherjar are not invincible and can be slain in combat, but the Avatar they serve can resurrect them, healing all of their injuries, simply by spending one Divinity point and loudly offering them food and drink. The Avatar must actually come through on the food and drink, however, as the einherjar feast is an essential part of the magic that preserves them. Keeping einherjar well-fed and happy requires the Avatar to either have a significant reserve of cash or else be prepared to continually lead them on raids for food and liquor.

When an einherjar is summoned from Valhalla, he appears wearing whatever clothing, armor and weaponry he wore in life. Players are free to choose what military conflict led to the death of their einherjar followers. As a practical matter, though, einherjar come from one of three periods: pre- Enlightenment, in which soldiers typically had armor and melee weapons but no firearms; Enlightenment to World War I, in which soldiers had melee weapons and simple firearms, but neither armor nor automatic weapons; and World War II to the Vietnam era, when soldiers had automatic weapons and simple melee weapons (knives, most commonly) but neither armor nor swords. No warriors have been chosen to join the einherjar since the mid-1970s, presumably due to the interference of the Titans.

Each einherjar is a distinct individual with a unique personality. The use of the male pronoun in the previous sentence was deliberate. While individual women can certainly be great fighters, historically women have not been allowed to fight and die in active military units in sufficient numbers to become einherjar. Rumors suggest, however, that more powerful Avatars can summon the valkyries themselves to serve as shieldmaidens.

Einherjar are based on the template for experienced soldiers or mercenaries, subject to the weaponry and armor restrictions outlined previously. A Avatar may have a squad of einherjar as followers, but the cost of the Birthright increases by one (two for modern squads armed with automatic weapons) above that for experienced soldiers or mercenaries.

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