"Ach, 'tis but a fleshwound..."

In the decades following the medieval crusades, many knights lacking new causes and quests made their skills available to any party willing to pay good coin. Known as 'freelancers' these single-minded soldiers were some of the most successful mercenaries in human history.
One group of these knights cut a swathe of destruction across the kingdoms of Ireland and the British Isles, earning a reputation for unnatural courage and ruthlessness. Their leader, who gave his name only as Kern, was believed to be of royal descent and had rejected the traditional life and loyalties of a chivalrous knight after witnessing the hideous atrocities commited in the holy lands. Undoubtedly trained and educated by priveliged upbringing, Kern possessed a cynical mind and keen insight into the turbulent matters of church and court and used this knowledge to his and his followers advantage. Wherever disputes of territory, monarchy or religion gave way to armed fighting, Kern and his men would likely be in the thick of it, plying their trade with deadly resolve and giving their loyalty only to those with the heftiest purse. Indeed, the promise of greater wealth would often spur the warband to switch allegiance mid battle or depart prematurely to partake of yet another conflict. The rise and fall of many a lord or thane has been due to the work of these infamous knights.
Eventually their deeds passed into legend and stories were told of their mysterious disappearance; that the knights had been put to death by a king unwilling to pay their exorbitant fees, that the church viewed them as too great a threat and ordered their assassination and even that the Devil himself had claimed Kern as his own. That is not so far from the truth, for the Vadriagr had been watching the human race for centuries already and the exploits of Kern's Warband had finally earned them a place amongst the endless slaughter of the Arena Eternal.

In their days on earth Kern's warband wielded fearsome battleaxes, which they still carry to the arena conflicts, unwilling to relinquish the weapons that earned them so much profit and renown. The modern arsenal presented to them on their arrival to their new environment was unfamiliar , but dedicated fighters as they were they soon became skilled with the new tools of killing.
The Rocket Launcher is given much use in their competent hands and they also display an unusual afinity with the Grenade Launcher. They will make use of most other weapons, though not to the same ability.
All powerups are valued by the knights, especially the Quad.
Kern and his comrades were fighting for pay long before the likes of Sorlag and Daemia. Though not the most dangerous opponents in the Arena Eternal, their achievements still demand respect.

Hailing from northern Europe in the medieval era, Kern and his comrades speak in rather archaic English. At least one of their number must have been a literate man, but the poetic phrasing of their comments does nothing to mask the sheer bloodthirstiness contained therein.

Kern model by Bastiaan "SkullboX" Schravendeel

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