Part 13: 7-1: To the End

UPDATE 13: TO THE END


Alright guys, good luck. You're probably gonna die without me but I can't blame you.
You give them your blessing, but explain why you can't leave just yet. You don't know where they're going but you hope you'll meet them again on the road as they start their trek back across dry land.
We lose a significant number of clansmen, fighters, and varl.


Killing those bandits is a net win for us, since the 10 renown we earned is enough to get more supplies than they stole.


Day 1 of waiting. No Juno.


Day 2 of resting. No Juno. Morale is improving and we're healing injuries, at least. And besides, on day 3...


Nothing happens. She's not coming. You could wait forever and she'd never come. It's a trap. We're out of here.


: She's not coming.
Eyvind looks out across the lake with a thousand mile stare. He says nothing.
But wait, there's more!


Nice. And if I know my Oregon Trail, paying locals in supplies is 100% successful. So...



We lose a day's worth of supplies, but that's more than paid for by the fact we get more than a full day of travel out of their guidance. We also get +10 renown, and given how underleveled we are it's desperately needed.


This is where Onef would mutiny, if we'd taken him along. Instead he's dead back in Frostvellr.


I tried to form a council (it gets overwhelmed and disbands after like 2 meetings) last time. So this time I tried to keep people busy. Seems like a good choice, since...


We get 15 supplies in the bargain.


Immediately upon exiting the forest, we get this event.
: Let us hear what the varl has to say.
The varl shrugs, as if conconcerned, saying, "This one's father and I had a business deal. He lied. Now he's dead." "Lies?" shouts the man. "You murdered him over a lie, you coward?" The men wildly attack the varl who deflects them well enough, but you're uncertain of how long he can keep this up.
I'd rather have a varl in my party than nothing at all, so we defend the varl.
"Iver," you say, "we could use any varl with a good sword arm, couldn't we?" He nods, readying his weapon. The men immediately back off, the prospect of fighting your entire army suddenly unappealing.

They watch from a distance, shouting obscenities and something about injustice. The varl turns toward you. "Didn't need hte help, but if I'm going to travel it may as well be in the company of other varl." He falls in line with the others and you return to travel."


There's an unnamed village in the distance. We'll stop there briefly.


Very few clansmen join and there's not much we can do about it.


I think this is the last of the supplies we'll need to buy. From here on in, all our renown goes toward desperately needed promotions.




It would seem the gods aren't fully dead. Anyway, this is a great random event but I wish it'd happened a few days ago. It would have saved us from starvation.


: What are your crimes?
"Misunderstandings," the man says. "Mead houses are confusing. Never know when you've drank your share..." The woman hits him again and says, "We've stolen, killed a few when we had to. Skills that might benefit you out here."
: Join us, but you'll be watched.
The two quickly shiffule to a supply wagon as eight mroe bandits emerge from the wilderness. They gorge themselves on salted fish and cheese, taking time to thank everyone. After eating, they politely keep to themselves.
This was an interesting choice. They'll rob you and leave after a few weeks, but...we don't have a few weeks left in our journey, I think. And I'm pretty sure whatever flag they travel with doesn't import into Banner Saga 2, meaning this is a chance to pick up free bannermen we deseperately need. Guess we'll find out.


At midday on day 150, we approach a godstone. This is for the god Bjorulf.


Hogun pulls you aside to show you some red berries growing on an ash tree that look like it was chopped down long ago. "These shouldn't be growing here!" he says excitedly. "I haven't seen these in a long time." He and Mogun busily go about collecting the berries.
In fact, in honor of Bjorulf, some of the caravan crack kegs of mead and wine before anyone can stop them. "To the only god that matters!" they shout. Everyone drinks and you're glad for the merriment that has swept over the caravan.
You travel with Hogun to collect more of the berries. "What exactly are these?" you ask him. "When I would travel to Boersgard with my father, sometimes he'd buy us a few of these," Hogun replies. "Couldn't be a luckier find. See for yourself." You try one and can feel energy returning to your tired limbs. Not taking a few more would be a wasted opportunity, you figure.
As the hour becomes late, the caravan is eventually ready to get back on the raod. The day by Bjorulf's godstone is one of the few memories that hasn't been tarnished by the spectre of bad fortune, you think to yourself.

We gain some morale and also get the "Tistleberry," a rank 2 artifact that gives +2 willpower on rest. It sucks and we'll never use it.


We get this even immediatley after the godstone. We can spare some supplies for this guy.


It immediately pays off: +1 varl, and also some renown.


Reynivik is the last town on the way to Boersgard, which is pretty much our de facto destination now. Nowhere else that even might be safe.


Y'all know the routine by now.
"What is that?" points out Oddleif, up near one of the longhouses. In the distance, a large person, clothes seemingly covered in blood, is cursing loudly and stumbling about. He staggers into a longhouse, laughing.
The dredge heading in your direction turn back, roaring, and begin to pound on the longhouse door. They seem to be holding a grudge against this particular person. You doubt the door will hold long.
We could, obviously, ignore this. But when have we ever shied from a fight?
Against my better judgment we should probably do something," you say. The others agree even though it means putting them all at risk. As you quietly approach, the dredge have managed to splinter the door and break through!


Hey, it's Gunnulf! Only...with a widow's peak. I guess the gods had a template for varl?


This is Sigbjorn, and he'll be joining us for this battle. He's a more mobile, but physically weaker version of Gunnulf. He's also pretty useless because his stats are already allocated. The 2 exertion is nice, but the low strength and armor means he's not really worth bringing into battle.

He comes with the Crimson Feather, an item that grants +2 movement and -1 aggro. If we bother to work with Sigbjorn in Banner Saga 2, he might be pretty helpful.


I don't really like how the game is giving me multiple dredge destroyers per fight now. Egil really can't tank them even with stonewall, and their armor is high enough that I can't really alpha strike them to somewhere manageable.


Still, dredge are slow as hell and I can usually just win based on positioning. Here Alette uses thread the needle to hit 2 dredge...and Egil too. But Egil can take it.


Using mark prey to end a fight is great, not just for the overkill, but also because everyone gets credit. Helpful for leveling up.


: Wasn't expecting a varl this far south. Or this drunk.
: I can see that.
There are people huddled in the corners of the mead hall, looking on with uneasiness.

: No, no. They're friends. They made this place. It's not really mine.
: You lured dredge back to a room full of unarmed people? What is wrong with you?
: Come on. I saved everyone in here. They shared some fine drink. The best drink! Wait, I was saving your ass too, remember that part? If you knew you'd come up here you could have told me.
: What do we do with this guy?
: How much mead is left?
The townspeople show you a huge stack of barrels, filled with quality mead, and help you haul them back to the caravan.
: I'll miss this place. Good memories.
We gain 10 renown for the rescue, 20 supplies (in mead form), and Sigbjorn joins us.






We get "Bjorulf's Blessing," a rank 5 artifact that does knockback on strength attacks of 3 or better. Also gives a bit of strength. It's very helpful in 1 particular case, but unless Banner Saga 2 is different based on some of the decisions we're about to make, it's also entirely outclassed by an item we'll be getting fairly early on.


Rook is a hero. Always.
The man turns completely towards you, shaking his head. "Had a feeling you'd be that type," is all he says before the brigands rush you.


Alette hits level 5. She's extremely dangerous now.


Fights vs. humans are a huge pain in the ass but I'm starting to get strong enough that I'm not too concerned.


Eyvind of all people goes down in this fight, though we retaliate by hacking this poor bastard to shreds. And Eyvind doesn't really need strength to be effective.


This also gives us a hefty number of supplies.


I've never had this actually resolve. I think you need to be at low morale, maybe?



Anyway, we manage it to the best of our ability. I suspect this is probably the "best" outcome.


Boersgard comes into view, and I do a bit of metagaming. After Rook's monologue.
We immediately make camp and rest for 5 days, getting our morale up to great. We need the willpower boost.


This is the final chapter in The Banner Saga. Let's hope we're the slayer.



Sigbjorn pushes past. "I won't be hearing the end of this for a while," he says, before yelling, "Open up, Bolverk! They dug me out of Reynivik. You hear a laugh echoing on the wind as the doors creatk. A dozen armed men led by the massive varl make quick work of the dredge, and usher you into the city.



Sigbjorn shrugs apologetically.
: I guess the mender will do. Either we've got a chance now or we're completely screwed.
: I'm Rook. We've come a long ways, some as far as Skogr. Are you in charge here?
: In charge of the governor, I suppose. Listen, if you have something to tell him, say it now. Otherwise you're on your own. I don't care where you go, but stirring up trouble is probably the only reason you'll see me again. It won't be to talk. Mender, come along. We're going to go see the governor.
Bolverk and Sigbjorn leave with Eyvind, who goes willingly, signalling that he's fine.

: This is nothing like Frostvellr. The one in bearskin is probably leading the Ravens.
: Ravens? Is that good or bad?
: It depends on who they're working for. Hopefully it really is the governor and not someone trying to strongarm their way into his seat.
: I guess we wait for Eyvind to tell us. If he comes back.
: I'm not worried about Eyvind. I'm worried about the army of refugees we brought, who don't belong here.
: You're probably right. Nobody ever uttered a ncie thing about Boersgard. So what now?
: We ought to go to the docks and see what our options are. In case we need to leave quickly. Did you notice the city guards when we came in?
: What guards?
: I have a feeling the Ravens are all they've got left. Something serious went down. And when Bellower gets here, he's going to walk right through this place without even breaking his stride.
: Let's keep that to ourselves for now. So, the docks...


Welcome to Boersgard. It sucks here.


And merchants are gouging on what few supplies remain. We don't need it. Bellower will be here within a week, and if we don't do something about it we'll die to him sooner than we'll die of starvation.


: They're all gone. I see you had the same thought as me.



: I'm fine. It wasn't a lie. The governor is here. He's in hiding.
: Why?
: Since the dredge started appearing anyone with a ship and half a wit left long ago. People can't leave by foot. Food is scarce. The markets are bare. Boersgard is a fire keg waiting for someone to tip it over.
: So the governor's paying the Ravens to protect him against his own people.
: And keep the peace...so to speak. It's more like a massacre anytime there's a hint of an uprising.
: Where does that leave us?
: I...promised him the mender's protection in Arberrang. I don't think he's very popular there. They're going to start tearing this place down to build new ships. We can ride the Ormsa river all the way to the capital.
: Leaving another perfectly good city behind...how long will it take to build new ships?
: Hold on. What happens to the people living in Boersgard?
: It's the best I could do, Alette. He thought it could take as long as a month. You don't usually makes ships out of scrap lumber. As soon as people figure out what's going on there's going to be riots in the streets.
: A month? Why bother? Bellower will be here within the week, if not sooner!
: I'm open to suggestions.
: Gods be damned, is there no end to this?!
Iver roars in frustration, leaving you standing by the docks. Alette gives you a worried look before chasing after him.
: Eyvind...what do we do about Bellower?
Eyvind says nothing for a moment.




Iver cuts you off before you can say anything. You know he's been through worse.
: Just feels like someone should cut us a break every now and then. If we want to be standing a month from now we're going to have to be prepared.
: What about the Ravens?
: They'll save their own hids, and whoever is paying. They don't give two damns about the rest of us. We may even end up facing off against them depending on how this goes. Let's avoid that.
: What did you have in mind?
: FIrst off, our clansmen need a place to stay. They'll get torn to pieces out in the streets. I'll keep an eye on the dredge. IF they break through the walls we're done for, so we'll have to keep them back. Could always use a hand with that. We need to know who's controlling what and make sure we get our cut. Food's going to become scarce. And when they start building those ships we're going to have to keep people away.
: What a damn mess. I'll do what I can.
: Oh, and I think Oddleif was looking for you.
: Thanks, I'll go see her.


: Rook. Thanks for taking the time.
: Iver said you were looking for me?
: I should have told you before...my husband died.
You pause, not sure what to say.
: I'm sorry. He was brave.
: He was. It was back in Einartoft. Just...never felt like the right time. You've got enough to worry about now.
: So that means...
: My husband's banner is yours. Remember what I said about other clans not wanting to follow a woman. You've gotten us this far, and I'm not going to say anything while we're in the middle of it in...this damned place. He wanted you to have the banner. I think it was the right choice.
: I'll do my best.
: That might not be good enough. Just...keep everyone safe, ok? Skogr's banner can't end here.
: That's what I'm trying to prevent.
: I know. Just...be careful, Rook. This caravan needs you. I need you.
And with that, Rook is offically in charge of the caravan. Not that he's been anything but in charge since the start of the game.
Editor's Note: I'm taking some creative license here. The chieftain of Skogr always dies. Most of the time he dies in Skogr. If you make good choices, Alette can save his life so that he's merely mortally wounded in Skogr. He eventually dies in Einartoft, but you don't learn this until after Onef's betrayal when Oddleif (who nearly dies in that event) talks to Rook. Without Onef's betrayal event, the fate of the chieftain is left unaddressed, and I think that's a lousy gap--one that most first-time players would never see. So I'm cobbling together pieces of Oddleif's dialogue even though it never actually happens in this track.



Ordinarily, I'd let the thread vote on this stuff, but frankly I don't think I can beat this game if I don't spend all my time fighting during the siege of Boersgard. We desperately need the renown.

You can trade the mead from Boersgard to Bolverk in exchange for a shitload of supplies. But we're not in danger of starving to death.

You can find a safe place for the caravan to stay, though doing so gets a lot of fighters killed as they die defending your clansmen and also don't have any assistance holding the dredge at bay that day. Later on we'll find out what happens if you don't find a safe place for your clansmen. (Surprise: it's not good).

I've never tried the other options. I'm guessing Krumr dies if you put him in charge even though he seems exceedingly hard to kill.


So, yeah. We're gonna have a lot of fighting. A LOT.


And we're slowly getting Egil to the point where he can tank those 23 strength monsters.


Day 1 of the siege.


This will only become more ridiculous as Egil gets items that draw aggro.


I've never used Mark Prey as much as I have in this campaign. It's really really good. Damn.


It's very important not to take injuries during the siege of Boersgard since you won't be able to sleep them off. Fortunately at this point we're pretty strong--especially when the enemy is foolish enough to stack up diagonally so that they get picked off by Eyvind.


This guy gets absolutely murdered to end the battle.


Day 2.


How about we lose 0 and they lose everything?


Rook hits level 4. Points go in armor--he'll get strength later. A 12 strength Rook wearing Dundr's hand is some bullshit.


My main weakness with this party setup is a lack of a warhawk. Gunnulf really would be helpful here in chopping down multiple enemies early on. But his exertion SUCKS and it's impossible to get his dumb ass in position.


Fortunately, enemy positioning allows Eyvind to play the role of multi-target maimer.


Iver, Alette, and Rook all have about 35 kills now. It's a race to see who will finish the campaign with the most.
Even Egil's at about 30 thanks to Mark Prey.



Day 3. The docks will have to wait. Not leaving a stonesinger unguarded.


We're a bit better prepared to handle a stonesinger this time around.


Those 2 high strength units MUST get maimed early or the stonesinger can turn them into absolute nightmares with a well-timed Umbrage.



Eyvind helps out quite a bit, and then Krumr lets him cast again in short order.


The stonesinger disengages and starts to cast umbrage. But it won't be enough--his allies are too wounded for it to make a difference.


Your first cast didn't save you, buddy. Your second isn't going to either.


Egil easily puts him down.


Day 4. Bellower has arrived.



Oh. So that's what happens if you don't defend your clansmen. We lose about 15% of the civilians. Ugh.


This is hopeless, but we'll make the dredge pay for every inch.


No destroyers, no slingers. This'll be easy.


It was easy.


Day 5. Bellower is going to attack soon and then we'll be finished.



Hey, reinforcements from Arberrang! Hakon made it!


Rook hits level 5. Now he has 15 strength including his item and can absolutely ruin someone's day from afar.


Not pictured: another 23 strength destroyer in the far back. I didn't see him at first either which makes this somewhat awkward.


I've got to get Egil to level 5 so he can tank hits from 23 strength dudes.


A stoneguard disengages and starts to summon a reinforcement. We'll let him--it's +1 more renown for us to collect.


And that's that. Maybe there's hope now, because...



She smiles and they embrace. Eyvind is completely taken aback, as those he doesn't dare believe she's real.
: I'm sorry. I couldn't make it to Sigrholm. I ran into problems.
: Problems is putting it lightly. There's a mile-wide canyon practically spitting the world in two over those hills. Couldn't find a place to cross. Worse, dredge are practically falling out of it like blood from a wound. They're not coming from the north anymore. They're everywhere.
: We noticed.
: Glad to see you made it out alive, Yngvar. I take it the others didn't.
Hakon becomes quiet, then he motions toward Juno.
: She got across somehow. Found her out cold for a second time since leaving Strand.
: We need every axe we can get right now. Bellower is here.
: Gods be damned. I thought I was free of that menace.

: Come on. No need to tempt him by standing out here.


Hakon joins you with his personal bodyguard, Mogr. Behind him the prince, Ludin, and his entourage are in tow, though looking less than pleased to be here.
We gain a ton of supplies--enough to last more than a month--and 280 varl. Plus every surviving character and items from Hakon's caravan.


: Where? Why?
"Not far," says Juno. She pauses and something shifts in your vision, for just a moment. "I know it's hard," she says, her voice filling your head. "And you've already been through a lot." As she speaks again the rest of the world melts away. "But you're needed." You can't find the words to argue.


And so Rook and Juno sneak out of Boersgard, past thousands of dredge. Alone.


Shitloads of dredge. Bit ones. Small ones. Stonesingers. And...a godstone?


You glance nervously around, but the dredge didn't seem to hear her.
: It's ok. You can speak. Softly.
: Is this where you're going to sacrifice me?
Juno smiles. What could have come across as profoundly creepy looks sincere, instead.
: No. The dredge cannot see us. To be more precise, they can see us, but I've convinced them to be unconcerned. I can understand your apprehension, though.
: Who are you?
: I wish we'd had time for a proper introduction. My name is Juno. I am on the Mender council. You've met Eyvind, my apprentice.
: How are you doing these things? Controlling minds? I thought menders built things and healed wounds.
: You are right. Menders do these things. Some of us still practice the teachings given to the Loom-mother's first creations. We are called Valka. I believe I am the only one who can influence another's mind.
: Then why not take control of Bellower?
: I learned the talent to heal minds, not control them. Though even some Valka have trouble believing this.

: The truth is, we're rarely a match for the Sundr anymore. Our advantage is that we can train more Valka. It is also our weakness. The Valka pass on and lose their knowledge, while the Sundr simply grow older and more powerful.
: Then how are we to stop Bellower?
: Bellower is both immortal and beyond my influence. To a point. The god of secrets will play a part, as will you.
: Why are all these dredge here?
: They seem to be drawn to the godstone. There are many things we don't know about Stravhs. Maybe they see him as a patron, or it is an attraction they cannot explain.
: Does Stravhs have something to do with that serpent in Einartoft? What was that thing?
[img]http://lpix.org/3231808/Juno.png[/img: I cannot say?
: Cannot?
: I have my suspicions. But until I've had time at the mender libraries it would be unwise to speculate. For all our knowledge it always seems as though we know little.
: Imagine how the rest of us feel.
: On the contrary. The less people know, the more certain they tend to be.
: So...what are we doing here?
: Do you know of the god Stravhs? Few know this stone exists, even amongst those who have lived their whole lives in Boersgard. While Denglr deals in fortune, Stravhs taught men the value of trade in a different way. He showed them it has consequence. Two sides of the same coin. See the silver in the stone? The gales up here wear away the stone, but the metal remains. We need a piece of this silver. The god Stravhs is wreathed by imagery of silver weapons. The myths say he traded these weapons to the gods.

: Those who seek out the stone call him the god of trade. The menders call him the god of secrets. He was both.
: Why didn't you take Eyvind? Or Hakon? You don't even know me.
: I apologize for putting you in danger. Eyvind must keep Boersgard from falling while we are away. And if something goes wrong here, I need to be certain one of us makes it back alive. I saw the thoughts of each person when I arrived at Boersgard. You were the only one I knew would return.
: What do you mean?
: You would find your way back to Alette no matter what.
: Let's get what we need and go.
: Indeed. You'll need to dislodge at least a fist-full of the metal. We will forge it into an arrow to slay Bellower.

: Make a magic arrow to shoot Bellower? That's all it takes? Why didn't you do that a long time ago?
Juno gets a far away look in her eyes.
: No. That is not all it takes. What I tell you now must not be repeated.

: But it will sow doubt in his mind. When it pierces him, I will help him to believe that he is dying. The rest of you will convince him of it with sword and axe. Everyone who fights at your side must believe it to be true.
: You're going to trick him into thinking he's dead. That is the most insane...he really can't be killed?
: No. Someday he will awaken and realize he's not dead. I imagine he will be quite upset. First we must make the arrow. Focus on the task at hand.
She looks knowingly at the godstone, waiting for you to start climbing.
: Rook, I am not certain how the dredge will react when you do this. And behind us is a sudden drop. So, be careful.


This plan is absurd. But we don't have a better one. We slowly approach Godstone Stravhs.


Well, if Rook will make it back "no matter what," I'm getting another chunk of the Sundr-fooling metal.





Our reward is Stravhs' Whetstone, a rank 5 item that helps with crit chance. We don't need it right now. But dammit if we're gonna pull a crazy stunt like that we're gonna take it!


We have now reached the endgame.


The renown Hakon got at the end of his chapter imports into our party. It's enough to level Egil up to 5.


He can at least wear the Godscale that I got several chapters ago, though I think I might actually have him use the +2 aggro item that Mogr was wearing.


Time to make a magic arrow.



: He told me a lot about Juno. Is she really as powerful as he says?
: It certainly seems that way.
: That might be the most luck we've had so far. Dad, I think I know what's going to happen now. An arrow? She's going to make you shoot Bellower, isn't she?
: I don't know for sure.
: Come on. Who else is going to do it? Iver?
: Alette, I know where this is going. You're afraid of me dying. This isn't like before. We can't run this time.
: That's not what I...let me do it.
: What?
: Why not let me? Because you think I'll get hurt?
: What do you do when Bellower comes straight for the person holding the only thing that can destroy him?
: Let me speak. Everything's changed. Skogr feels so long ago...I'm not asking because I'm afraid of losing you. I'm not...I'm not afraid of...anything, anymore.

: I have a better chance of puncturing his armor. We only have this one shot. I'm not a child anymore. I'm not just "some girl." I'm your daughter. I can do this. For once, let me decide...what happens to me.

This is, if not the most important decision in the trilogy, certainly one of the three biggest. Either Rook or Alette can hold the silver arrow in battle and take a shot at Bellower. In the LP years ago, the thread decided to honor Alette's wishes and let her take the shot. Which is what I did too when I played. We will take the other path.
: I'm sorry, Alette. No.
She stares into the firelight. You wait for the tears to come to her eyes, but they never do.
: Just promise...promise we'll be together.

And that's that. For better or for worse, Rook will be the one who fires our only shot at salvation.


Juno is in the middle of an animated debate as you approach, the arrow in your hand.
: There is little time left. Bellower knows we're here. Whether he is waiting for more of his forces to arrive or simply starve us out first I cannot tell. But he will not expect a direct attack.

: I will take a handful of warriors to face him. I can keep a small group hidden from sight. The rest of you will lead the charge from here. With luck, Bellower will send his armies away from himself to meet you.
: What about the Ravens? They may protest.
: They will not. I've arranged a task for them.
: Even if you make it to Bellower, what chance is there of defeating him? We saw what happened at Einartoft. That thing can't be killed.
Juno shows them the arrow forged from the godstone's silver.
: This will make him bleed like the rest of us. Once he is pierced, he will be vulnerable.
She looks you in the eyes.
: We only have one. Do not miss. And bring only those you absolutely need. It will take all my concentration to keep the other dredge from swallowing us up. I cannot join in battle.
: And if we kill Bellower, then what? The dredge will just wander away?
: That is my belief, yes. I can't say for certain.

: And then what? Bellower will hound our every step, all the way to Arberrand where I am certain more Sundr await. Now is the time to speak to loved ones, and the memory of any god that pleases you. Rest.

...or die trying.


That's it. No more running. It's him or us. And the Bellower fight is absolutely ball-crushingly hard. I hate it.


So while I said I'd let folks vote on party composition (and I will in the later games, to an extent), this is the best I can offer you all. We can bring 6 to fight Bellower. 5 of those slots are locked:

Egil, who if we're lucky can draw aggro and have Bellower and his buddies waste turns attacking him uselessly.
Rook, who has 15 strength and can snipe the shit out of things from afar. He also is required since he has the Silver Arrow.
Alette, who has come into her own as a formidable unit and can break the shit out of armor. Or with a good puncture shot take down a high-strength target.
Iver, who owes Bellower a debt of pain and also is heavily armored.
Yrsa, who can use her fire arrows to weaken Bellower on a charge.

The 6th slot is up to you. I will spend my remaining renown on any of the next options.
Mogr: He can't do damage at all, but is a fantastic tank and also does chip armor damage. Sadly he's one kill short of level 4 eligibility. Still, he can use the +2 armor item and get himself to 20 armor.
Gunnulf: He's not remotely mobile, but if he managed to get into position he could probably do some significant damage. If he got into position.
Hakon: High exertion and guaranteed damage with his special means that even maimed he can help bring down priority targets. Plus he's big and will keep units like Bellower from walking past Egil and Iver to maim our archers.
Bersi: Not as strong as Gunnulf, but more mobile.
Ludin: The prince of men is a huge asshole, but he could impale an enemy unit and really weaken it as we play aggro games. Plus he combos well with Yrsa and Iver. Shitty armor stat, though--he might not stay alive long enough to matter.
Eyvind: The fight against Bellower is nasty, brutal, and short--his mending ability will not be of much use. But his arc lightning can do 4 damage right through armor--and that could be the difference between winning and losing.
Oddleif: Can trap tiles and make Bellower pay for every inch. And it'd give us 5 characters from Team Skogr.
Krumr: A great armor break stat and the ability to let someone move 2 times in 3 turns. Invaluable. Downside is that I don't quite have the renown to get him to level 5. He'd be fighting at level 4, same as Mogr.

VOTE TIME!: Who else comes to the final battle?