Asher Fenris

Asher Fenris I   Birth & Lineage: Born the second son of Emperor Erik Fenris of the Fenris Empire, Asher was groomed from a young age to a warrior. Raised in the cold traditions of the Frozen North, he was trained in warfare, politics, and the ancestral worship of Fenrisian gods, inheriting both the pride and the iron will of his bloodline     Early Life: Unlike his father Erik, who was seen as a cautious statesman, Asher embraced the old marauder traditions. He led northern warbands on coastal raids and border wars, earning renown as a fearless warrior. He became beloved among the clans for keeping the savage heart of Fenris alive even as the empire turned more toward central authority.   The Death of Erik & Agadra’s Return: In 620 PR, Agadra Gora—the Broken Valkyrie of the North—was unsealed from her imprisonment. Once a divine shield of Fenris, she had long ago pledged herself to the God Hands. Her first act of freedom was to descend upon Fenris Keep. There she slaughtered Emperor Erik Fenris, shattering his crown and declaring Fenris “uncrowned by blood and flame”. Asher, rallied the Fenrisian guard but was struck down in the chaos. Unlike his father, who was executed personally by Agadra, Asher survived the battle against her vanguard—defiant but overwhelmed.   The Birth of the Wolf (580–598 PR)   580 PR – Asher was born in Fenris Keep, the eldest son of Erik Fenris, Emperor of the Frozen Empire, and his consort Lady Eytha. His birth was marked by a winter storm so fierce that the priests declared him storm-born, destined for war.   From his first steps, Asher was bred to lead. He learned the sword before speech, the axe before scripture, and rode wolves before horses. Unlike his older brother Rodrik, who lingered in halls of governance, Asher lived among the warbands of the tundra.   Wolf of the Coasts (598–613 PR)   598–602 PR – At eighteen, Asher commanded his first raids upon the western coasts of Norlan and Sturvik. He carried the black sails of Fenris and returned laden with plunder. His name spread in taverns as the Wolf of the Coasts.   605 PR – At the Battle of Frostmar Bay, Asher’s fleet ambushed a convoy of Piccer traders under Albion protection. He slew the convoy commander in single combat, earning the loyalty of hundreds of marauders.   610–613 PR – Asher gathered to himself a sworn company of veterans and berserkers, later called The Marauders of Asher. Unlike other Fenrisian hosts, they answered not to the crown, but to Asher alone. Their oaths were bound in blood upon the bones of whales, a sacred northern rite.   The Fracturing of Fenris (613–619 PR)   While Asher thrived on the battlefield, his father Emperor Erik faced political storms. The empire strained under pressure from the Tudor Empires to the south, and from the chaos of Zelistra’s legacy still haunting the land.   Erik sought diplomacy and trade; Asher saw weakness. He openly defied his father, declaring: “The Empire was not forged by ink and coin, but by frost and iron. If you forget this, Fenris will fall.”   This schism split the nobility. Some clans followed Erik’s diplomacy, others Asher’s war-banner.   In the shadows, Rodrik Fenris, the older brother, became the voice of compromise—an administrator, not a warrior.   The Coming of the Valkyrie (620 PR)   In 620 PR, fate arrived in the form of Agadra Gora, the Broken Valkyrie of the God Hands. Freed from her imprisonment by Freydis Lodvar and others, she descended upon Fenris Keep like a storm of blood and ruin.   Erik Fenris was slain when she crushed both his skull and crown, declaring the Fenris Empire uncrowned.   Asher rallied the Marauders and the keep’s defenders. They fought beneath the shattered banners of their line, axes clanging against the vanguard of Agadra’s Eclipse Legion.   The Last Stand of Asher Fenris – Asher led a charge into Agadra’s host, his war-cry echoing from ice to mountain. For three hours he fought unbroken, slaying dozens of God Hand cultists.   Skalds claim Agadra herself spared no glance for him, for she had already crowned her triumph with Erik’s death. To her, Asher was a warrior to be consumed, not remembered.