Nankou
Nankou is the incumbent ruler of the Linnorm Kingdom of Icemark. An ethnic Varki, he is the first non-Ulfen to claim the mantle of Linnorm King.1
Associates and diplomatic relationships
Nankou's position as the first non-Ulfen Linnorm King is unique. Since the Varki do not formally make trade agreements, Nankou's decree to ratify all such agreements made him the primary diplomat between the Varki and Ulfen. The Varki see him as much as an extension of their people as an individual, while the Ulfen respect his prowess in battle but are unsure what to make of him.1
Nankou enjoys good relationships with most of his neighbours. White Estrid has sent multiple diplomats to Icemark, though most often they spend months indulging in the locals' hospitality while waiting for Nankou to return. Thira Ash-Eyes is friendly with Nankou, having met him during her hunt for a linnorm following her father's departure to Valenhall. Thira still remembers Nankou fondly, while he hopes that this meeting and bond will improve the relations between Icemark and the Thanelands.2
One of Nankou's most pressing threats is the raiders from Broken Bay, whose king Ingimundr openly encourages plundering, despite publicly claiming distance from these pillagers. Icemark's proximity no doubt marks it as an attractive target.2
Background
On the very day of Nankou's birth, his tribe was slaughtered by a taiga linnorm. His mother Ninnok managed to flee and survive giving birth to him, before collapsing near Seer's Home. The Varki elders took care of Ninnok, but her ordeal made her quiet and withdrawn. Nankou grew up rich in the learning of the Varki people's lore, while also tending to his mother.1
Shortly before his seventeenth birthday, Nankou found a mewling, blind, newborn black bear cuddling against its mother's half-eaten corpse. Feeling an instant affinity with the cub, he adopted it, and named it T'kamo.1
Over many decades, Nankou built his reputation among all Varki tribes. Born to a dead tribe and raised by the elders of all tribes, he was welcome everywhere, and repaid everyone's hospitality in kind through hunting monsters, delivering news to isolated tribes, or serving as a mediator between his people and the Ulfen, something which his fluency in the Skald language served him well.1
As several harsh winters drew the Varki closer to the Ulfen, Nankou began to see the potential for conflict, as the two peoples had lived in peace for so long partially due to the rarity of that contact. Returning to the taiga where he was born, Nankou sought out the linnorm that slaughtered his tribe so long ago. Both Nankou and T'kamo lost one eye each, along with T'kamo's foreclaw; in the end, after claiming the linnorm's head, Nankou declared himself linnorm king of Icemark.1