Harald

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Harald (哈拉尔德)
Alias(es)	Great Chieftain of the Sauron tribes; King of Sauron; Wolf King of the Northern Territory; “Northern Eagle”
Species/Race	Sauron
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Sauron Tribe Alliance; Sauron Kingdom
Occupation/Role	Tribal leader, monarch, military commander
First Appearance	85

Background

Harald first rose to prominence as a frontline commander. At the Grey Wolf Forest Battle, he led elite heavy berserkers in a direct assault that routed a numerically superior Goldflower army and collapsed the Kingdom’s western front. After succeeding his father as leader, he stabilized a fractured, resource-poor tribal alliance and integrated its tribes into a more aggressive military power. 240

Following major southern raids, Harald’s prestige reached an unprecedented height. The plundered wealth and captured laborers strengthened the northern tribes, while Harald began considering transforming the loose alliance into a formal empire. 85 234

By the time of the Carnford wars, Frosgard’s former governor’s office had become Harald’s power center. He ruled through the authority of the wolf-head banner, the loyalty of his core corps, and a system of rewards, punishments, and redistributed spoils. 98 421

Appearance

Harald is an older, powerfully built man whose presence remains imposing even after setbacks in battle. His face bears the marks of the harsh Northern Border, while his gaze is repeatedly compared to that of a falcon or eagle. 85 98 634

• Tall, broad-shouldered, and mountain-like in build. 98 240
• Rugged, wind-weathered face with sharply defined features. 85 234
• Deep-set, piercing eyes; calm scrutiny often conceals anger or calculation. 98 634
• Wears black iron scale armor and a white wolfskin cloak as symbols of chieftain authority. 1065

Personality

Harald is ruthless toward cowardice and challenges to his authority. After Thorsten’s Vanguard Camp was defeated, he executed the surviving deserters and ordered an annihilating pursuit of the Goldflower cavalry. 98 He also accepts severe losses among slaves and auxiliary forces when he believes victory requires them. 245

His brutality is tempered by practical judgment. He spared Unag from excessive punishment after recognizing that Carnford’s strength and unexpected reinforcements—not Unag’s incompetence—had caused the defeat. Harald considers the effect of punishment on capable soldiers and avoids destroying useful subordinates without cause. 133

Harald is patient, adaptable, and deeply pragmatic in war. He relies on deception, intelligence work, technological imitation, logistics, and strategic withdrawals as readily as direct assaults. His repeated defeats by Karl gradually erode his confidence, but not his resolve to gamble Sauron’s future on a decisive battle. 266 421 1035 1066

He has a rare personal softness toward his half-brother Asgeir, whom he helped raise after Asgeir’s childhood marginalization. Harald also rewards loyalty personally, as shown by his treatment of the wounded general Bolk. 427 948

Abilities & Skills

Military Command

Harald is an experienced field commander who can coordinate multiple corps and concentrate forces at decisive points.

• Led the assault at Grey Wolf Forest, breaking a prepared Goldflower army through morale, elite troops, and decisive command. 240
• Commands Sauron’s core corps, including the Royal Court Guard and directly subordinate formations. 1003
• Uses rewards, promotions, and harsh anti-retreat penalties to maintain battlefield discipline. 245 937
• Recognizes the political consequences of military defeat and the need to preserve his authority among the tribes. 701

Strategy and Deception

Harald combines direct warfare with traps, misinformation, reconnaissance, and calculated withdrawals.

• Ordered Carnford blockaded and its supply lines raided rather than launching an immediate full assault. 133
• Used the conspicuous repair of an arrow tower to bait Karl into a night raid and prepared a hidden sorcerer to destroy the attackers. 266
• Planned an annihilation battle intended to lure Karl’s army onto open plains where Sauron iron cavalry held the advantage. 708
• Abandoned Golden City and its provisions in an attempt to draw Carnford’s main army into a final northern engagement. 1035
• Withdrew from Eagle’s Nest rather than risk encirclement when Karl approached. 1049

Political Control and Statecraft

Harald transformed military success into control over the Sauron alliance and later a royal regime.

• Stabilized the tribal alliance after inheriting a situation marked by internal strife and scarcity. 240
• Consolidated power after Carnford by demoting Ulf, stripping three elite Battle Groups from the Sparrow Corps, and reducing its share of spoils and slaves. 421
• Uses conquered land, wealth, titles, and coerced labor to bind tribes and subjects to his rule. 1120
• Pursued the formal consolidation of Sauron rule, progressing from great chieftain to king. 85 932

Military Modernization

Harald recognizes that traditional Sauron warfare must adapt to firearms and artillery.

• Recruited artisans Klaus and Richard to establish cannon production through mud-mold iron casting. 426 427
• Appointed the artisans as chief artisans of the Sauron Allied Forces’ Cannon Foundry and placed Asgeir in charge of oversight. 427
• Formed and trained the Fire-Shooter Guard with captured Goldflower veterans as instructors. 596
• Integrated Broomflower defectors into a mixed firearms army, though tensions persisted between them and traditional Sauron tribesmen. 637

Personal Combat

Harald remains a dangerous close-quarters fighter despite his age.

• Fights with a curved blade using vicious, unpredictable techniques developed through years of warfare. 1112
• Initially overwhelms the younger Carnford soldier Peter in a close fight. 1112
• Prolonged battle and exhaustion eventually allow Peter to gain the upper hand and pin Harald down. 1113

Equipment and Symbols

• Wolf-head war banner — Harald’s personal and royal symbol; its loss or desecration carries major military and political significance. 234 1109
• Black iron scale armor — worn while reviewing his army before the decisive campaign. 1065
• White wolfskin cloak — symbolizes his authority as chieftain and king. 1065
• Curved blade — wielded during his final recorded duel with Peter. 1112
• Telescope — used to observe the Carnford battlefield and frontline reversals. 947

Relationships

• Asgeir — Half-brother, trusted commander, and one of Harald’s closest confidants. Harald helped raise him and later entrusted him with cannon-foundry oversight. 98 427
• Svein — Half-brother and longtime military confidant. Svein commands forces, advises Harald in war councils, and remains beside him during major retreats. 98 1032 1066
• Ulf — Sparrow Corps commander and politically troublesome subordinate. Harald values Ulf’s strategic insight but later weakens his faction after the Carnford failure. 421 704 705
• Leon — Former Goldflower commander who surrendered to Harald and became a trusted advisor, adjutant, and envoy. 218 926
• Karl von Schmidt — Harald’s principal military and political rival. Karl’s unconventional warfare repeatedly frustrates Harald and becomes the greatest threat to Sauron’s southern ambitions. 240 421 638
• Bolk — Trusted general selected to lead Harald’s elite nighttime decapitation raid on Carnford Mountain’s castle. Harald personally rewarded Bolk’s past loyalty and recovery from severe wounds. 948
• Luo Yao — Defected Broomflower commander whom Harald pardons and elevates into command of the Fire-Shooter Guards. 932
• Peter — Carnford soldier who confronts Harald in close combat after the collapse of the Sauron battle line. 1112 1113

Major Arcs

Rule from Frosgard

Harald governs from Frosgard as Great Chieftain of the Sauron tribes. He answers the humiliation of Thorsten’s defeat with executions and an order to annihilate the surviving Goldflower cavalry, establishing the severity of his rule. 98

After Unag’s later defeat, Harald demonstrates a more measured side by issuing only a demotion. He postpones a full assault on Carnford in favor of a blockade while prioritizing the southern raid and winter reserves. 133

Southern Raids and Consolidation

Harald oversees a major southern campaign whose spoils include immense quantities of grain, gold, livestock, and nearly one hundred thousand captured civilians. The campaign increases his prestige and provides labor for Sauron agriculture and construction. 234 421

He uses the aftermath of the Carnford siege to crush Ulf’s influence, stripping the Sparrow Corps of elite units and wealth while turning toward covert intelligence operations against Karl. 421

The Carnford Sieges

Harald initially underestimates Carnford’s defenses and suffers severe losses when Karl uses the captured outer wall as a gunpowder trap. He retreats to regroup but refuses to abandon the campaign, fearing that withdrawal would make Carnford seem invincible to his warriors. 239 245

He adapts through siege preparations, shield-carts, artillery production, intelligence gathering, and deception. His operations include an attempted nighttime decapitation strike on Carnford Mountain’s castle led by Bolk. 245 427 948

War of Attrition and Counteroffensive

After the Carnford defense battle damages his prestige, Harald personally leads the Royal Court Guard and directly subordinate corps south to resist Carnford’s spring offensive. He correctly identifies Golden City as a decisive strategic target and concentrates forces in that region. 1003 1009

As Sauron’s reserves diminish, Harald abandons Golden City to lure Karl north for a decisive battle. Later, he attempts to replenish resources through raids on Eagle’s Nest but withdraws when Karl moves to intercept him. 1035 1046 1049

Final Decisive Battle

Facing invasion and unrest, Harald imposes harsh levies to gather provisions and rallies the remaining Sauron forces for a final battle against Karl and Duke Schmidt’s allies. 1064 1066

The Sauron center eventually collapses, destroying morale and the command system. Harald attempts to withdraw under the wolf-head banner, then fights personally against Peter amid the rout. Though initially dominant, he is exhausted by the extended campaign and is overpowered by Peter in the last documented moments. 1103 1110 1112 1113

Notable Quotes

“You should feel honored. Because the one standing before you is Sauron’s supreme king—Harald!” 1112

“What I wanted was not to rule over this bitterly cold Northern Territory. I wanted to unite the tribes, forge a mighty army, and one day send iron cavalry south to seize the warm and prosperous Goldflower royal capital, Prye City.” 1070

Trivia

• Harald’s wolf-head banner is both a royal emblem and a battlefield command marker; its visibility becomes dangerous during Sauron’s final rout. 1109 1110
• He increasingly smokes during the late war, with Svein often lighting his cigarettes for him. 1060
• The supplied context does not establish Harald’s ultimate fate after Peter overpowers him. 1113