Krumr

Krumr is legendary Varl Hero character appearing in The Banner Saga games.

Background
"...might tell you about the time we filled a dead yox with whale teeth. And why.".

There are not many Varl older than Krumr, and not many have had as much experience fighting the Dredge. In Wyrmtoe, eager fighters would regularly come to him to learn his secrets.

Active Ability: Forge Ahead
The Warleader uses his experience in battle to issue commands to allies, moving a single ally next in line in initiative. As with any active ability, Forge Ahead terminates the Warleader's turn.

By re-positioning his allies' turn order, the Warleader can create new strategies such as giving Archers guerilla tactics, triggering abilities earlier than usual or sling-shotting a powerful ally to the back lines. His ability is unique in being neither offensive nor defensive, in a direct manner.

Rank 1: Command an adjacent ally

Rank 2: Command an ally up to 4 tiles (3 spaces) away

Rank 3: Command an ally at any range

Note: In the Survival Mode of the second part of The Banner Saga, which uses an alternative Pillage Mode-locked turn order, Forge Ahead results in an immediate turn for your ally unit!

Second Active Ability: Choice
In the second part of The Banner Saga, when Krumr reaches Rank 6, he can choose a second active ability between:


 * Tempest_icon.png Tempest (Warhawk), like Gunnulf, Bersi or Sigbjorn
 * Sunderingimpact_icon.png Sundering Impact (Warmaster), like Hakon

Passive Ability: Heavy Impact
The Warrior hits so hard that any enemies standing adjacent to his target on a strength attack take 1 strength damage from the shockwave.

Hitting a large target like a Varl or Dredge who takes up four tiles can potentially cause an impact across many more victims than hitting a single-square target such as a human.

Joining the Party

 * Saga 1: Krumr will join Rook's caravan after their arrival in Wyrmtoe during Chapter 4. He is also available in Chapter 5 and, depending on the player choices, he can follow the caravan all the way to the end.
 * Saga 2: If still alive, Krumr will be available in the Skogr caravan during Chapter 8 but will then move over to the Ravens caravan.
 * Saga 3: If alive, he will be available as a member of Iver's party from Chapter 17.

Possible Deaths or Departures
Saga 1: Saga 2:
 * Krumr will depart if Rook does not remain to defend the bridge during the siege of Einartoft in Chapter 5. His fate is unknown, but he probably dies defending the city.
 * If Krumr is in the caravan after the flight from Einartoft, he will depart with a few Varl to distract the Dredge. However, his departure is temporary and he will return victorious shortly afterwards.
 * In Chapter 7, the defense of the city of Boersgard can be given to Krumr. If not supported, he may die during the Dredge invasion.
 * During Chapter 13 a small Varl force bearing the Einartoft banner is spotted by the Ravens, being attacked by Dredge. Even if Bolverk refuses to assist them, Krumr will take off to their rescue, promptly returning victorious with Fasolt and Kvig.
 * Some point later in Chapter 13, near the end of the death march, he leaves if you refuse to give him fighters to assail the Dredge vanguard. His fate is unknown, presumed dead.

Saga 3:


 * If you lost against Bolverk in the previous game, Krumr will die in Chapter 21 while trying to distract Bellower who is revealed to be chasing after Iver's party, giving them enough time to outsprint the Sundr.
 * If you lose against Bolverk during the final battle in Chapter 21, all the Ravens are killed at the hands of their former leader.

Playstyle

 * Krumr starts with high stats and he is quite versatile. He can be used either as a Breaker or as a typical high Strength damager.
 * Promoting him to Rank-3 is suggested in order to make use of the higher range that Rank-2 Forge Ahead offers.
 * His active ability has the unique property of changing the turn-order of your units. It can be used to give the ally that acted just before the Warleader another turn before the enemies have time to re-act. This is useful if a character is found in a position to cause large damage or when he is exposed to danger. Typical 'combos' include Forging Ahead Archers (Break, then Puncture), Warriors (hit, then hit again) or Menders (two Arc Lightnings).
 * Forging Ahead a unit that acted before the Warleader while in Pillage Mode results in one extra turn for the player team. This is extremely useful in the Survival Mode of the second part of The Banner Saga.

Trivia

 * Krumr is one of three oldest Varl, the other two being Ubin and Snorri. In fact, he will engage an argument with Ubin about that precedence during Chapter 6.
 * He is notorious for the strange anecdotal stories that he never fully narrates -- "...might tell you about the time we filled a dead yox with whale teeth. And why.".
 * His name is loosely related to "stiff and crooked in the fingers because of cold," or "bent over, hunched."