Bolgar of Ragnarok

*"You are not free whose liberty is won by the rigour of other, more righteous souls. You are merely protected. Your freedom is parasitic, you suck the honorable man dry and offer nothing in return. You who have enjoyed freedom, who have done nothing to earn it, your time has come. This time you will stand alone and fight for yourselves. Now you will pay for your freedom in the currency of honest toil and human blood."*

-Bolgar of Ragnarok

## History

*"Bolgar's style has changed completely between the Arendur-Ragnarok War and the Demon Wars. He now no longer cares. He knows he's unbeatable. He's far more dangerous than anybody in the world. The greatest knight of his generation. Perhaps of any generation. The fastest. The strongest. An unbeatable general. An unstoppable warrior. There is no one even close. He has not just power, not just skill, but dash; that rare, invaluable combination of boldness and grace. He is the best there is at what he does. The best that has ever been. And he knows it."*

-Freimund

Once a slaver from the lawless north, Bolgar grew disillusioned with his cruel trade and went on to become a wandering swordsman, a lone adventurer. Bolgar would go on to make a name for himself as the greatest swordsman in the land, and gathered a band of loyal soldiers, for whom he built a castle, Ragnarok. Bolgar eventually stole the dreaded Black Blade of Disaster from the Dark Elves of Rhomduil. With his god-slaying blade, Bolgar turned his ire towards the divine, who he blamed for turning their back on human suffering. Determined to avert catastrophe, the Church of Hermod, the messenger god, reached an accord with the new King of Ragnarok. They would settle in his nation and bring order, piety, and the power of miracles, and in turn, Bolgar would became the greatest champion of Hermod on the Prime Material Plane, his Mortal Sword. Seeing the security and peace that the priests could be, Bolgar grudgingly accepted, and was named a paladin of Hermod - not for virtue, but for might. Ragnarok, once scorned as nothing but a war camp, prospered and won respect for the honor and piety of its soldiers and citizens. Bolgar cared little for the intricacies of rule, being content to provide for the safety of his people and allow the priests to attend to administrative tasks. Still spoiling for a good fight, Bolgar went on to hunt down the mythic beasts that plagued the land, and tamed those he did not kill, mastering many monstrous mounts.

Bolgar triumphed over Tolumvire of Arendur in the Arendur-Ragnarok War, exiling Tolumvire, stealing the Staff of the Psychic King, and eventually securing his fealty. He was the preeminent human leader during the Demon Wars, allying with his old foe Tolumvire to kill the demon lord Xiloxi Drutreu and force the Demon Army to swear fealty to his god, Hermod. He would go on to destroy the Arctic Time Temple and kill O'Rangus, making him the first mortal to ever fell a Great Old One.

## Personality

*"My faith in the gods is this: they are indifferent to my suffering."*

-Bolgar of Ragnarok

A subtler figure then he appeared; frequently underestimated and misunderstood. Bolgar was quiet, keeping his thoughts and intentions secret, allowing others to think him nothing more than a gruff and stoic warrior. Bolgar had a strong sense of honor based upon courage, dignity, and personal responsibility, and saw himself as a protector and guardian. Though he had empathy, he was without mercy, killing with methodical intent. He took joy in victory, and would strike out alone to hunt down mythic beasts to test his strength. Above all, he cherished his humanity, refusing to give himself in servitude to any god-like being, and turning down any possibility of immortality or divinity for himself.

## The Absolute Code

*"I was needed, but I myself did not need. I had followers, but not allies, and only now do I understand the difference. And it is vast.”*

-Bolgar of Ragnarok

The Code affects everyone, even those not in the Society, and violation is punishable by death. Friends have ten chances to break the Code.

* Never leave a threat un-dealt with if encountered.
* Always work for one’s gain.
* Take note of entities around.
* One’s feelings should never get in the way.
* The manner of slaying must be neat. One must be respectful of the dead, even if the deceased was one’s greatest foe.
* Hasty decisions are not tolerated.
* Slaying a foe in hate, or for personal reasons, is not allowed.
* Never show weakness.
* Trying to boast during battle, or “showing one’s flag too high” (showing off) is not tolerated.
* Poisons are only to be used as an absolute necessity, except in taking down a criminal of the Code.
* Never judge one by his actions, but [by] the Code.

## War of the Philosopher-Kings

*"At his peak, Bolgar of Ragnarok devoted himself to deadly conflict in pursuit of strength. A single-minded killing machine of a man."*

-Ramander of Oranor

Though ostensibly on the side of Arendur, King Bolgar would sit out much of the war. He would finally enter the fray at the entreaty of Emperor Silvius, whose empire was succumbing to plague. Bolgar would respond not through aid, but by sacking the city of Al Mandera in Aglazdere, destroying the nation's capacity to train new troops or fuel their sky ships. There, he would duel with and defeat Grand Vizier Annakiya, becoming the first warrior to best her. Upon the fall of the Final Empire, King Bolgar would finally dispatch his clerics to eradicate what remained of the plague, but not before it had guttered through the nation. He would claim Thunderdome for itself, posting guards to ensure that it would never fall into the wrong hands. Such would peace come to the southeast. At the end of the war, Bolgar would begin his preparation for the Long War, knowing that mankind's final stand was soon at hand.

## After the War

*“No-one chooses me. I do not give anyone that right. I am Bolgar of Ragnarok. All choices belong to me.”*

-Bolgar of Ragnarok

Bolgar would be one of the first mortal kings to respond to the threat of the risen Great Old Ones. In particular, his kingdom would come under attack from the Deep Ones of Atlantis, who wished to claim the Thunderdome. At no point did Ragnarok ever lose a battle against the Deep Ones that she would conjure to sow horror across the land. It was around the same time that Kuldeep of Shangare conquered Aglazdere, and entered the war himself. Though he too sought the throne, Kuldeep perused a grudging alliance with Bolgar against a common foe. As the war progressed, the knights of Ragnarok would find themselves corrupted, body and soul. Their faith did not protect them. At Bolgar's command, the corrupted knights would be killed, and Ragnarok stood firm. Thirty years after the War of the Philosopher-Kings, Bolgar would pass away of old age at the seventy-two. He would be succeeded by the foremost of his knights, Ludwig.