King Harald's body lies ready for burial in his finest Viking long ship. He lived a rich life. He left each summer with his knights, his Jarls, for the raids on the Scottish coast. He knew the art of runes, the songs of birds, the names of plants and trees and was skilled at board games. His sword, 'Leg-Biter', was a symbol of his wealth and success.

Queen Hildegaard spends her days looking at her jewels and standing about for fittings for new dresses. Hildegard loved the cloth Harald brought her from the lands he visited. He always made sure to find her the very best of silks and finely woven linen.

Lars, teenage son to King Harald, never really knew his father. He was given away to his uncle, Erlend, as a foster child when he was five years old. While this is Viking tradition, Lars never understood why his father did not raise him, himself. Now, fifteen years old, he finds himself very much alone.

Erlend, King Harald’s youngest brother, is a blacksmith. He is well known for his strength and bravery in battle. As is tradition, Erlend took in his brother’s son, Lars, as a foster-son, when he was only five years old in order to train him in the Viking ways. This way the bonds between his brother and himself were made even stronger.

Ingrid, Erlend the Blacksmith's wife, is a very clever and beautiful woman. She knows how to read runes. She runs the farm, her own property, very well. The large set of keys she carries is a sure sign of her power and prosperity

Frodde, The Rune Master, is an old favorite of the King. They spent many an evening together consulting the runes, divining the future. He sometimes takes himself and his reading of magic runes a little too seriously, though.

Bjørn and the other Bersekers work themselves into such a frenzy before battle that they've even been known to bite their own shields. They don't feel pain and fight on to the death. The trouble is, he cannot settle down in peacetime. He too is an apprentice to Erlend the Blacksmith, but everyone is scared of him.

Odd welcomes the new religion sweeping the Kingdoms of Norway. It would be good for business to quiet the warriors down a bit. He’s had his boat attacked by Vikings too many times to count. Thankfully they are not usually interested in what he has to trade: glass, bone, wood and amber. But they cause a lot of damage.

Asgood has come from Germany to teach the people in the north about the religion which has swept through Europe for over 800 years. It was King Harald who invited him here and offered him protection. But now he is dead. Thankfully, he has found a patron in Queen Hildgegaard.

Unni had been set free by the King himself just before his battle with Nidhogg. She has a runic message which proves it, although she herself cannot read. She continued working for the King as before as she needed somewhere to live. Someday she’ll go to Iceland where she hopes to start again, a free woman.

Ragnhild is not only a seamstress, she is a skjoldmø (shoold-muh), a female warrior. She not only makes the sails that bring the Viking long ships to Scotland each summer, she helps raid and loot the villages as well. She is not someone to have as an enemy.

Jasper the Jarl is young, but extremely proud and arrogant. The trouble is, while he has the family name, he has no money and no idea how to run the farm. He prefers earning his silver the easy way: stealing it. But he is foolish and the money seems to slip through his fingers.

The Skald doesn’t fight and has no farm to run. It isn’t until someone calls upon his incredible memory to recite a law or tell a story that everyone falls silent and respectful. When he speaks to tell a tale, everyone listens. He loves the attention this brings.