Sven Hasselfriesian

Sven Hasselfriesian, also known as the Magnificent Sven, is a near-legendary renegade Dwarf Engineer, who in his youth caused the mutilation of his former friend Burlok Damminsson - the current Master of the Karaz-a-Karak Engineers Guild - in a failed experiment. He currently leads expeditions to plunder the treasure-houses of the Lizardmen in Lustria and other exotic corners of the world.

History
Sven is as wild and anarchic a Dwarf as one is likely to find anywhere. He is also one of the most gifted and innovative Engineers ever. In fact, Sven and Burlok Damminson, the current Engineers' Guildmaster of Karaz-a-Karak, worked together in their rebellious youth on all kinds of illicit innovations. Among their many collaborations were the warpfire distillery, the aerial wonder rocket, and the steam radiophone. This era of youthful exuberance was cut short in 2350 IC when an experimental pressure vessel exploded. The guildhall was left in ruins, Burlok's left arm was blown off, and all of their inventions were discovered by Burlok's father. All of Sven's and Burlok's devices were destroyed soon after. The loss of his limb soured Burlok, turning him against such reckless creativity and making him an inflexible advocate of staying with time-tested devices. Sven took a different view. He saw the need for continued experimentation, with more stress on research and analysis.

Sven journeyed to Barak Varr, where he continued his radical experiments in relative peace. After years of development, Sven unveiled a new engine powered by alcohol vapour. He fitted the new engine onto a boat of his own design, the Voltsvagn, to demonstrate its capabilities. The Cragbrow clan was furious, as Sven's invention threatened their hold on Barak Varr surface ship designs. They alerted Karaz-a-Karak to Sven's continuing experiments, and the Engineers' Guild ordered his expulsion.

Sven took the Voltsvagn and left Barak Varr with a handful of followers. He landed in Marienburg, where he stayed for some time to modify his ship and add a few gadgets. During this time, Sven met Director Arkat Fooger, and the two immediately struck up a friendship and business arrangement. Fooger would obtain workshops and materials for Sven in exchange for exclusive rights to sell the renegade Engineer's inventions.

On the proceeds of this arrangement, Sven decided in 2355 IC to outfit an expedition to Lustria. He recruited the Norse Dwarf Berserker Juggo Jorikson to be his first mate and personal bodyguard. With Juggo's help, he assembled a crew of Norse humans and Dwarfs. Fooger underwrote much of the expedition's costs in exchange for a percentage of anything of value obtained by Sven and his crew. The expedition reached the Tarantula Coast after several months and many battles with the creatures of the deep. Sven and his companions clashed repeatedly with the Lizardmen at the ruins of Cholulec. Years passed before "the Magnificent Sven" returned with a ship laden with treasure - demonstrating the shrewdness of Fooger, whose fortunes were bolstered by their success.

Sven is an adventurous Dwarf - traditionalists would brand him a dangerous anarchist - who travels far and wide whenever he is away from his many workshops. He could be encountered in almost any location and circumstances - except in a Dwarfhold. He may be assembling an expedition to some odd corner of the world, or moving to another location after blowing up yet another workshop. Sometimes he inadvertently scares the local inhabitants of a nearby village with weird lights at night and unusual sounds coming from his workshop.

Appearance and wargear
The Magnificent Sven is 4 ft 10 in tall, weighs 171 lbs, has copper hair and blue eyes, and is 92 years old. He wears a mail shirt, a shield, a helm with the Rune of the Furnace (which makes him immune to heat and fire), and a warhammer with the Rune of Cleaving and the Master Rune of Smiting. He always carries a tool box.

Older background
This character was first shown in The Magnificent Sven, a narrative battle written by Richard Halliwell and illustrated by John Blanche in 1984 for Warhammer's 2nd Edition.

In this first iteration, Sven's surname is 'Haslefresian', and together with his six companions (Dwarf Norse Berserker Juggo Jorikson, Amazon Karra Lakota, Lustrian Norse wizard Aygar Mistletaine, High Elf archer Riolta Snow, Halfling Raidocks Timmowit and crippled Norse adventurer Karl Ustracutter) and a band of Norse and Norse Dwarfs, he comes onboard of the Voltsvagn to the rescue of the inhabitants of Vastervik, a Norse village set up next to the ruins of Cholulec, which is being harassed by Gurggle Greenwake's Slann band - back then, Slann were a primitive version of the later Lizardmen race, described as a decadent race of frog-men. The setting and its title are an obvious parody of The Magnificent Seven, and the ship's name makes fun of Wolkswagen.

Sven was originally described as an 87 years old Dwarf from the Old World who grew bored with working in the mines, took an apprenticeship with the Dwarvish Engineers Guild, and specialized in the construction of engines powered by alcohol vapour or by steam. His notion of building a boat powered by such an engine was mocked and scorned by his fellow guildsmen, who are staunch traditionalists and distrust rivers or the sea, as do most other Dwarfs. Sven became a figure of fun, and his persistence eventually earned him the embarrassing 'Trouser Legs' ritual and the expulsion from the Guild. Furious at his new nickname of "Wetback", and unwilling to withstand any more mockery he emigrated to Lustria, where he set up as a highly regarded blacksmith in the Norse village of Iquitos. He soon set about realising his dream, and after three years, his boat was completed. Sven named it after his mother, calling it The Voltsvagn. Since then Sven and his boat have been thriving. 'The Voltsvagn' has become the most famous vessel in Lustria. Sven has made himself a substantial fortune as its captain. For almost twenty years he has been ferrying passengers and freight up and down the Amoco and its myriad tributaries. In this period he took part in countless skirmishes against the Slann, which made him wholly immune to their poisons. Just as he was becoming very bored of his respectable life, and running out of money to spend in drinking, old Haarld Havangatt hired him to bring reinforcements to Vastervik and deliver the village from the attacks of the Slann, which had stolen their cattle, sunk passing boats and lately had started to take hostages.

This story became one of the iconic tales of the beginnings of Warhammer, and the character and his adventures have been mentioned in the Dwarfs - Stone and Steel supplement for the RPG's 1st Edition as well as in the Warhammer Armies books from 4th to 8th Edition.