|
Spoiler Alert!
Warning! This page contains spoilers for The Lost Stories. |
Erak Starfollower, once Jarl and now Oberjarl of Skandia, is a good friend and ally of Araluen and King Duncan.
History
Erak appears in many
Erak
of the Ranger's Apprentice books including The Burning Bridge, The Icebound Land, Oakleaf Bearers, Erak's Ransom and The Lost Stories.
The Burning Bridge
In the second book, Erak makes his debut for the
The book where Erak made his biggest appearance
Ranger's Apprentice Series. He was part of the group of Skandians hired by Morgarath to ambush the back of King Duncan's army. However, after they were routed, Erak gets fed up with the whole affair and takes his men home, double-crossing Morgarath. At the bridge, he sees Will and Evanlyn; Will is fighting off the Wargals and Nordal (one of his crew) knocks the apprentice unconscious. Evanlyn tries to shoot at them but she is captured and therefore they both pass through Morgarath's territory and taken to Skandia where they are to be sold as slaves.
The Icebound Land
Erak captured Will and Princess Cassandra (Evanlyn), and sold them to Ragnak as slaves. But, like all Skandians, Erak respects people with courage and seeing Will take out a dozen Wargals with almost inhuman accuracy, he soon starts to admire Will. After selling Will to Borsa who is, in a way, a secretary to Ragnak, he witnesses Will become addicted to warmweed and decides to help Will and Cassandra escape.
Erak gives Cassandra (who was mostly known as Evanlyn at that time), a horse and some supplies and tells them to head toward a hunting lodge. He also gives her a small supply of warmweed so she can ween Will off of it, which shows he is a very good person on the inside.
The Battle for Skandia
Erak fights in the Battle of Hallasholm against the Temujai, and also helps plan the attack with Halt, Will, Horace, and Cassandra. He helps protect Cassandra against Ragnak, who swore a Vallasvow against the Araluen Royal Family, which means he is bound to kill them. Erak persuades him to not kill Cassandra for the moment, and to concentrate on the Temujai threat. Erak takes part in the battle near the end of the book. At the end of the fourth book, he is elected as the new Oberjarl because Ragnak died during the battle with the Temujai. After these events, Erak and Halt become great friends and allies. They fight alongside one another in the battle against the Temujai. He also admires Will. At the very end of the book, he makes a treaty with King Duncan outlawing full-scale Skandian invasions and allowing for a platoon of Araluen archers to be permanently stationed in Skandia.
The Lost Stories
The Bridal Dance
Erak comes to Horace and Cassandra's wedding at Castle Redmont.
Skills
Erak is known for his navigational abilities, and his willingness to use his battleaxe to make his point known. He is an experienced fighter and can use a sword, but prefers using an axe. Unlike most Skandians, he is more tactical, which is proved by him tricking Toshak in their fight at the end of Book Seven.
Description
Although he's gruff and battle-hardened, Erak has a soft side too, which can be seen more in The Icebound Land. Erak also has a good sense of humor (which, like most Skandian's humor, is somewhat unsubtle).
He is described as being tall, strong, muscular, and "built like a bear", with a bushy beard, which is common among Skandians.
Unlike most Skandians, he seems to have a certain amount of patience, as seen in his fight with Toshak.
Like most Skandians, he enjoys his drink and can tend to get out of hand when having a generous amount.