Snake

About Snake

Snake is the head retainer of Ketil's farm, in charge of its 'guests', the armed men who police the slaves. A former Byzantine soldier who reads Greek philosophy between duties, he is fair, perceptive and far more dangerous than he looks. He sees through Thorfinn's past at a glance, punishes fairly, and holds the farm together with dry wit as everything around him falls apart.

Appearance

Snake is a lean, dark-haired man with sharp features and a permanent air of dry amusement. He dresses like a professional soldier rather than a farmer, keeps a curved sabre at his side, and is often seen with a book in Greek within reach. His relaxed posture is deceptive: when he moves, he moves like a duellist, and the farm's tougher men give him a wide berth without quite knowing why.

Personality

Snake is intelligent, fair-minded and sardonic, administering the farm's rough justice with as little cruelty as the job allows and rather less than his men would like. He reads people instantly, he recognises what Thorfinn was within minutes of meeting him, and he respects competence and honesty wherever he finds them, slave or free. His loyalty runs to the farm's order and to old Sverkel rather than to Ketil personally, which puts him in an impossible position when the farm begins to fall apart.

Background & Story

Snake's real name and history are things he keeps to himself; what the farm knows is that he served as a soldier in the Byzantine Empire, far to the south, before ending up in Denmark as Ketil's chief retainer. There he commands the 'guests', the armed farmhands who guard against thieves and discipline slaves. He handles the slaves' infractions with measured punishments, shields Arnheid where the rules allow, and forms a quiet friendship with Ketil's father Sverkel over philosophy. When Gardar's escape and Canute's advance throw the farm into chaos, Snake is left holding together a household whose master is unravelling.

Powers & Abilities

• Sabre Mastery: Snake is an elite swordsman whose curved Byzantine sabre and fluid technique outclass every other fighter on the farm; even Thorfinn's trained eye rates him instantly as dangerous.
• Command Presence: He controls armed men, defuses brawls and negotiates with soldiers through calm authority rather than shouting.

Key Relationships

• Ketil: His employer, whose weakness Snake sees clearly and whose orders he follows with decreasing conviction as the farm falls.
• Arnheid: A slave he quietly protects within the rules, recognising her situation for exactly what it is.
• Thorfinn: A slave whose past Snake reads at a glance; the two professionals develop a wary mutual respect.
• Einar: A slave whose honesty Snake finds refreshing; he punishes Einar fairly and shields him from worse when he can.

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