Elite Jotun characters
Overview
The armies of the Jotun feature a number of elite characters vital to the well-being of the army, they provide support and leadership and fill out roles not performed by the core troops.
Ghodi
The faðir are the oldest and most powerful Jotun ancestors, worshipped as living gods by most Jotun and served by their priests, the ghodi. Ghodi serve from a young age, drawn from the ranks of the warrior recruits trained at the temple, they are taught how to invoke sacred rites to call down the power of their patron. Like the kirkja where they train, each ghodi is pledged to the service of a single ancestor, Ulven, Skaldi, Raðljóst, or Ulfur. Some ghodi travel the Jotun lands after their training is complete, acting as advisers and spiritual teachers to the jarls, but most remain with their kirkja and travel to war with the elite brethren schooled there.
Most ghodi are passable warriors, and will often take the field carrying the same weapons and armour as their companions, but their most important role on the battlefield is to fire the spirit of the warriors in their care and to tend to their wounds. Before battle, the ghodi will work the troops in their care into a fervour, calling their ancestor to the battlefield so that they can be heard by the warriors. During battle, they will call on the power of their god to restore the strength and vitality of those who are wounded but still able to fight. Most carry at least one potion designed to renew their strength (restoring hero points) allowing them to invoke the blessing of their patron deity for longer.
If a warrior falls, then the ghodi will try to reach them. They will examine the state of the warriors body and his soul. If it is clear that their wounds are too grievous and they cannot be saved, the ghodi will call on the ancestor to come and take the spirit across the abyss. They will also do this in rare cases where the wounds might be treated but it is clear that the deeds of the fallen are so mighty that their journey across the Howling Abyss is assured.
For those that can be saved they will administer sacred herbs to heal wounds and restore broken bones. The ghodi view herbs as a gift from the gods - claiming that they first grew where the blood of the gods was spilled. Their training includes the skills needed to apply the herbs as well as prayers to intone over the body of the fallen.
Jarl
Jarls are the leaders of the Jotun, the more warriors a jarl's warband contains, the more ghodi they have to advise them, and the more thralls they possess, the more powerful they are. Each Jotun army is led by a single powerful jarl - but all of the armies include several lesser jarls and their warbands.
Most jarls are already powerful warriors in their own right, but on the battlefield their strength is augmented by potions provided by their ghodi and by their pick of the best available magical equipment. They are usually accompanied by a retinue of the best warriors who will protect their lord with their life.
Jarls are expected to set an example for their warriors, to inspire their followers to strive for greatness and to impress their ancestors. This will rarely include leading from the front however; rather the role of the jarl is to command, directing their forces into battle. A jarl who takes risks with their own life seeking to impress the ancestors, or expends the lives of their followers carelessly, faces the condemnation of the ghodi for their selfishness.
Summerborn Champions
The strongest warriors from a jarl's warband will be selected to accompany them when they visit the eternal citadels to ask for their aid in battle. Although the warriors serve as an honour guard, their role is not to protect the jarl but to help impress the eternal. Usually the visit will involve contests of strength, skill and endurance as the members of the jarl's retinue test their abilities against those of the heralds who serve the host.
By tradition, If the jarl is favoured by the eternal, then those who do well in these contests are awarded powerful summer boons. These can be invoked during the campaign to provide the bearer with strength and power - depending on the nature of the eternal who granted them.
Those who have been awarded the blessings of the Summer Realm are called Summerborn champions - their status among the Jotun confirmed by their triumph during their sojourn to the Summer Realm. Summerborn champions are always elite, the most skilled and capable of the Jotun warriors - but the power of the boon increases their strength yet further. Different eternals will grant different boons - champions of Cathan Canae receive a boon equivalent to Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength, while champions of Eleonaris receive a boon similar to Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn.
The deployment of the Summerborn will depend on their jarl - sometimes they will be fielded together in a single powerful elite unit. At other times they will be dispersed throughout the army, acting as unofficial champions for the units they are fight with.