Arnjolf the Patricide

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	We're after killin'. Nilfgaardians, Lyrians... 's all the same to us. Strife an' blood an' guts to wash away our shame.
- Arnjolf the Patricide, Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales

Arnjolf the Patricide was a Skelligan warrior during the Second Northern War. He sailed with Lippy Gudmund to the Northern Kingdoms, making his own way down the Yaruga and into Angren.

Arnjolf joined Queen Meve of Lyria and Rivia's party during a skirmish with the Nilfgaardians in the Angren swamps. He sought a worthy death as recompense for his sins. His father was an alcoholic who repeatedly beat him, his mother and his brother. Unfortunately, one day his father was exceptionally drunk and took it too far. He beat the life out of his brother, causing his mother to take her own life as well. After their funerals, Arnjolf murdered his father in retaliation. Vilified by his village, Arnjolf set off in search of a worthy death, a death to erase his shame.

He carved a bullseye marking into his forehead to help enemy archers find their mark. Alas, by the time they saw his carving, it was far too late for them.

Personality[]

As his nickname suggests, Arnjolf committed a terrible crime: he killed his own father. In Skellige, there is but one way to redeem such a terrible sin. You have to die in battle, and not in a petty border skirmish, but fighting against a powerful enemy – wearing no armour, showing no fear. And so, Arnjolf yearns for death with a passion – and impatience. He runs into the fray, oblivious of any danger, the tattoo on his forehead displaying a short message for the enemy archers: "aim here".

- Jr Community Manager, CARD LORE: ARNJOLF THE PATRICIDE

Gwent: The Witcher Card Game[]

Arnjolf is a Skellige leader in the Homecoming version.

Reward Tree entries[]

Scroll 1: Arnjolf's childhood was a happy one: hearthside tales were told by mum, longboats were whittled from logs, and children's games were played... That is, until that fateful day when his estranged father, Ulrik, returned home.

Scroll 2: Ulrik had vanished before Arnjolf was born. The Nilfgaardians intercepted his longship, their whole crew put in chains. Six years passed before he managed to escape... Yet by then, the Ulrik of the past was already gone.

Scroll 3: Ulrik jumped on any excuse to erupt in a rage, especially if he'd been drinking – and by gods did he drink. His pent-up anger often boiled over onto his wife and children. He beat, and pulled, and slapped with his bare hands. Well, at least that's how it started...

Scroll 4: Ulfa, the youngest son, lost his life under his father's axe handle. Agrid, his wife, committed suicide. The night after her funeral, Arnjolf settled his accounts with his father... Later, now branded as one of the Disgraced, he abandoned Skellige's shores.

Chest 1: Arnjolf numbered among the Disgraced – a band of Skelligan warriors guilty of a crime so vile that the only suitable punishment is exile from the Isles. But one path to regaining their honor remained: death in battle without armor against a worthy foe. And if the misdeed proved especially sinister, he was to be denied his weapon as well. Arnjolf reserved the right to wield his axes – blades he washed in blood at every opportunity.

Chest 2: Arnjolf's body was covered with tattoos. The right shoulder bore his criminal sentence as delivered by Clan Brokvar's Council of Elders. The left shoulder bore the name of the father he slew. He marked his back with tallies for the years he'd spent in exile. Finally, upon his brow, a knife-carving of a rune with a simple message for enemy archers: "Aim here."

Chest 3: The Disgraced once earned coin as blades-for-hire across the Continent. They seemed the ideal soldiers: modest fees, fought like frenzied bears, and exhibited no fear nor pain. Though, often after a hard-won battle, the Disgraced would suddenly charge at the nearest ally – frustrated at having emerged with their lives yet again. As their reputation spread, only the most desperate invited the Disgraced into their ranks...

Notes[]

If Meve spares Lippy Gudmund and sets him against Nilfgaard, when she encounters Arnjolf, he'll speak highly of her, having heard of what she did for Lippy.

Gallery[]

External links[]

See the GWENT standalone game version card: Arnjolf the Patricide