Viking Raider — Eirik Shieldnail

Within the rules of the Ocean Conquerors series, the sea is not scenery, but a road; the longship is not a tool, but an extension of the border itself. The Vikings were able to sail out again and again, to make landfall time after time, and to return with resources and renown not because of any single "legendary hero," but because of those within the warband who carried out the long voyages and the raids. They rowed, were the first to step ashore, formed shield walls, broke gates, searched, seized, and withdrew—turning control of the sea into tangible reward.

For this reason, the first character to land in this chapter is neither a Viking leader nor a famous berserker. Instead, he is a Raider—one designed to live within that world over the long term. In The Raven Banner of the Vikings, the Raider serves a clear and essential role: he is the warband's repeatable fighting force, the foundation upon which formations are built, and the ballast that brings the Raven Banner home time and again.

True heroism belongs not only to leaders and to songs. It also belongs to men like this—never meant to be remembered, yet always standing in the front rank when land is taken.