| “ | Human knowledge is small. Universe vast. Mystery infinite. | ” |
— Dark Age, Chapter 41
| ||
Ozgard is Shaman of the Firebones, an Obsidian. He is introduced in Dark Age.
Appearance
He has thick hands with one of his hands twisted like ginger roots. He has a low, sibilant voice, and is bald, black-skinned, and incredibly fat. He's a living tattoo with bright blue runes swirling across his face, down his bare arms in interlocking patterns. Seven ridiculous rings weigh down his left hand with rubies and diamonds. He has no ears except keloid-rimmed holes in his head. He has arcane eyebrows thick enough for dung beetles to disappear in. Greased leather bags litter a scarlet scale belt underneath a glossy cloak of raven feathers. His eyes are like two black mirrors and often rimmed with ash. Great folds of skin ripple and flap when he waves his arm and shakes his bare torso in rituals. He has a braided beard.
Involvement
Valdir puts Ephraim in a room and he finds Ozgard roasting walnuts. Ozgard tells Ephraim some cryptic stuff about fate before Ephraim leaps out the window, looking to escape. Ephraim is recaptured and Ozgard follows Ephraim around, teaching Ephraim about Obsidian life and Obsidian ways as they go around Olympia. After Ephraim realizes from his meeting with Sefi that Pax and Electra are to be hostages, Ozgard shadows Ephraim like a ghost. Eating walnuts and sleeping outside Ephraim's door with zero understanding of personal space or hygiene. Ozgard also teaches Pax and Electra the ways of the Obsidian.
During Amel's show trial, Ozgard vouches to Sefi about Amel's quavering spirit, despite Valdir's much outraged confusion. Later, during the Lord Wager ritual with the auroch, he translates Valdir's insults in Nagal to Ephraim. Which prompts Ephraim to make the wager for the success of his skuggi heist plan of the mines of Cimmeria or death, much to Ozgard's annoyance. On the flight to the mines, Ephraim thinks he screwed up making the wager and eats one of Ozgard's walnuts, unknowing that they're actually psychedelics. Ozgard realizes this and is at first stunned, but then guides Ephraim and joins him in the blurry dream. Ozgard throws off his cloak to reveal his whole naked body painted blue, manhood swinging between his legs as he leads the Obsidians in a stomping chant preparing them for assault on the mines. When it's verified that Freihild and the skuggi have taken down the grid shield of the mines, Ozgard and Ephraim, with tears in their eyes and as if possessed, uncontrollably laugh and jump in glee as they watch Valdir and his Stormbreakers jump out of open ships to take the mines. However, much to Ozgard's horror, Ephraim grabs a mop and jumps out of a ship too, naked and high on berries to join the assault.
After the celebration of the successful heist and the drake hunt, Valkyries drop the drake's skull at the Valkyrie Spires for Ozgard to perform a ritual. Ozgard tells Freihild to fetch nightgaze. Night falls and Ephraim and Ozgard have a heart to heart talk while waiting for Freihild. Ephraim later tells Ozgard to help search for Freihild. They stumble upon pieces of Alia's throne and sense company. They try to run back to the ship but find Freihild's hanging dead body. The Ascomanni and Volsung Fa quickly capture the two. Ozgard tries to stab Volsung Fa but Fa crumples Ozgard's hand and Fa presses his thumb into Ozgard's right eye, collapsing the eyeball as Ozgard bubbly screams out with dark fluid leaking down his face. Volsung Fa sends Ephraim and Ozgard back to Sefi as a warning but Valdir and the other Obsidians are enraged at the death of Freihild and seek to point blame. Ozgard points out his missing eye and tries to persuade that Volsung Fa and the Ascomanni are real. Yet Ozgard is blamed as an intermediary.
The Valkyrie bring Ozgard to Sefi. She acknowledges Ozgard's contributions in bringing the Obsidians to Mars and raising the belief in the Alltribe and Ragnar's dream, but Ozgard is exiled. Sefi then reveals to Ephraim about how close Ozgard was in advising her, her illness, and her plan regarding Volga. By hearing Sefi's plan with Volga and the idea of Volsung Fa, Ephraim can't take anymore so escapes the Obsidians with Pax and Electra.
Ephraim later realizes that Xenophon is the real intermediary and Ozgard was framed. He returns to warn Sefi and links up with Ozgard and the skuggi who are still loyal. Ozgard goes to free the jailed Valdir as Ephraim goes to warn Sefi. However the Valkyrie are waiting and capture Ozgard and kill most of the skuggi. Xenophon and the Ascomanni jump Ephraim before he can reach Sefi so Xenophon brings Ephraim to Sefi. Sefi looks down upon the captured Ephraim and Ozgard when Volsung Fa busts in and declares claim to the throne. The Valkyrie are no match for Fa, neither is Ozgard when Fa has Sefi in his grasp and knocks Ozgard to the ground. Ozgard and Ephraim watch in horror as Fa mutilates Sefi. Ozgard crawls over to Sefi's remains and screams like it's his soul dying. Ephraim tries to get Ozgard's attention but Ozgard is no longer Ozgard as he weeps on the ground, spit dripping from his lip, as Volsung Fa claims the throne.
Quotes
- "I find your face disturbing. It is soft. Like goat cheese. But I do not complain." (pg 344)
- "Human knowledge is small. Universe vast. Mystery infinite." (pg 346)
- "Njar la tagag, syn tjr rjyka!" (pg 348)