| “ | Curnden Craw: Makes you wonder why a man chooses to do what we do. Hardbread: Too coward to do aught else, maybe. Craw: You might be right. |
” |
— Curnden Craw and Hardbread
| ||
Hardbread is a Named Man from way back, leading a Dozen for the Dogman, who is allied with The Union in a war against Black Dow.
Appearance and Personality[]
Hardbread is a big old fellow, with a heavy tangle of grey beard. He has a solid reputation, more likely to think things through rather than killing without asking questions. He and Curnden Craw are quite similar and like one another despite finding themselves on opposite sides.
Recent Events[]
The Heroes[]
Hardbread and his dozen are holding the Heroes, when Curnden Craw wanders into his camp. The two old-hands talk about the irony of finding themselves on opposite sides of this fight. Hardbread agrees to let Craw have the hill without violence. However, Hardbread gathers more men and returns. Though he has twice the number, Craw’s “dozen” plus Caul Shivers kill most of them and drive off the rest. When the Jalenhorm and the Union eventually recapture the Heroes, Hardbread buries his dead including his nephew.
Hardbread and Craw meet again on the second day of the battle, when Finree dan Brock and a number of Union prisoners are freed with a peace proposal.
After the battle, in retirement, Craw builds his house, but finds with all the wounds on his hands, he’s not much of a carpenter. He’d started to think they wanted him in the valley more for his sword than his saw. Hardbread visits, and asks Craw to join the war between King Scale Ironhand of the Northmen, and Glama Golden. After initially refusing, he joins them.
The Age of Madness[]
Hardbread has returned to The Dogman's service as one of the war-chiefs of the Protectorate of Uffrith, alongside Oxel and Red Hat. He fights at the Battle of Red Hill, against King Scale Ironhand, his brother Black Calder, and nephew Stour Nightfall. When The Dogman dies, the conversation quickly turns to the future of the Protectorate; Oxel favours rejoining The North, and Red Hat wants it to become a full member of The Union, while Hardbread can’t decide either way. The Dogman's daughter, Rikke settles the matter by a Duel in the Circle, with Oxel fighting Red Hat and winning, but then Shivers killing him for the Protectorate to remain independent. Rikke has made her point; she is chief of Uffrith now.
Later, Rikke agrees to join Leo dan Brock's rebellion against King Orso of The Union, or so it seems. Only Hardbread makes the journey to Midderland with thirty men, to make it seem Uffrith is still part of the alliance. Then, with Stour Nightfall having taken south the bulk of The North's warrior, Uffrith and the West Valley join forces to capture Carleon by stealth.
After Carleon is successfully captured by Rikke's forces, she and her followers scheme to protect their newly captured seat of power from the hands of Calder. Knowing that Calder will not rest until he has defeated his enemies and reclaimed his son Stour, Rikke sends Hardbread to stop The Nail's men from attacking villages in the West, but this is later revealed to be a ruse. Both The Nail and Hardbread agreed to stage a mock conflict away from Carleon in the hopes that the inadequately protected Carleon would be enough to draw Black Calder out of hiding with his forces. Rikke later staged a falling out with Isern-i-Phail for the same purpose of making it seem as though Rikke's allies were abandoning her. The deception is successful and, as Black Calder orders his men to attack following the death of his son, Calder's men are quickly routed by surprise attacks from Hardbread, The Nail, Isern-i-Phail, and even the resurrected Caurib and her shanka servants.