Thorvald Hjaltason

Thorvald Hjaltason (Old Norse: Þórvaldr Hjaltason), was an Icelandic skald and Hidden One active during the 10th century.

Biography

At some point in his life, Thorvald joined the Hidden Ones before the reign of King Olof Björnsson. When the Hidden Ones allied themselves with King Eric, Thorvald formed part of his court as a royal skald.

In 985, Thorvald and his blind Mentor Torgny the Lawspeaker fought against Styrbjörn the Strong, as the Hidden Ones suspected that the fearsome prince and his ally Harald Bluetooth were affiliated with the Order of the Ancients. While having a meeting with Eric about blocking a river to prevent Styrbjörn's allies from advancing, Thorvald started to seek reliable men for such a task. It was at that point that he met Östen Jorundsson, a farmer who joined Eric's army and whom Thorvald would select to be his helper. for which the king rewarded him with a golden bracelet.<ref name="ACLD FOTG">

Legacy

Thorvald fathered at least one child at some point after the Battle of Fýrisvellir, through whom he became the ancestor of Javier Mondragón, a 21st-century teenager who relived his ancestor's memories in order to collect intel about the Devotion Prong owned by Harald Bluetooth.<ref name="ACLD FOTG">

Personality and traits

Equipment and skills

Thorvald, like some other Assassins had mastered freerunning, owned a Hidden Blade and possessed the ability of Eagle Vision, though he referred to it as "Odin-sight". Thorvald also owned a horse named Gyllir. While being known as a skald, Thorvald was in fact a skilled warrior and when provoked by five men, noted to himself that he could easily kill three of them before the two others could even draw their weapons. He also dueled and killed Palnatoke, who as the leader of the Jomsvikings was considered to be one the deadliest Viking warriors of his time.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Fate of the Gods