Mjoln the Wall

Blacksmith. Soldier. King. The tale of Mjoln is an unlikely one. The successor to Hvaldir, Mjoln stands in the shadow of a giant. It was Hvaldir who brought prosperity to Nörn through the Pact. It was Hvaldir who expanded the kingdom southward, to the Un'ta deadlands. It was he who made peace with the dwarves of the Krakis range. And it was he who lost it all to the Krik'tha. Hvaldir is a heroic figure to the Nurnen. Perhaps it was always to be that his downfall would be as titanic as his reputation. In any regard, Mjoln has a monumental task before him.   As of yet, Mjoln's ability as a king is largely untested. However, his ability to lead men is well known. He is a hero of the Krik'tha Flood, enshrined in legend because of his three-day defense of the Harvest Gate against impossible odds, earning him the moniker "the Wall." Confidence in him was bolstered even more once Hvaldir chose him as a successor, passing up his own son to give this blacksmith turned soldier the crown. His selection by Hvaldir is taken as a sign by all Nurnen that this man -- this war hero -- will be the one to push the tide back into the foul maw from which it crawled.   Mjoln himself is a mountain of a man; well muscled and as blunt as a blacksmith's hammer. He has not a drop of royal or "proper noble blood" in him, yet I have more faith in him than I have any king or leader I've ever before seen. He stands at least two heads taller than the average man, and wields a pike paired with a massive tower shield. Seeing him fight, one might make the observation that he has no regard for his own safety, or even tactics of any kind, but I think his displays of brashness and bravery -- however impractical tactically -- are all calculated risks to inspire his men. One story comes to the forefront of my mind, that being when he was defending the Harvest Gate, a soldier later told me that the left part of the line was breaking. Mjoln saw this, being in the center where the leader typically is, and he let out a great roar before stepping out of formation and battling the Krik'tha alone in a spectacular display. It rallied his troops, and they clung onto that gate for one more miserable day. Some think that the rashness of that action was just borne of bloodlust and excitement, but I sense a deeper purpose for it, some sort of cunning and intelligence that is lacking in many kings these days. The only sure thing is that all of Ultor will be watching Mjoln, waiting for his triumph -- or his defeat.