#squaddies

Soldier (though for what army no one knows) Surgeon Lawyer Gardener Field Medic Wildlife Ranger Hunter Tailor Shoemaker Gardener Miner Sailor Chemist Tax Fraud Investigator Banker Military Police Bank Robber Jeweler Spy Demolitions Expert Mason Nobleman's Son Lumberjack Pirate Firefighter Dog Trainer and Breeder Shaman Beggar Mailman Body Hauler Acrobat Mortician Urgal Translator Tinker And that's not even half of it.

Now, the more that I, and I guess Arya and Co. think about it, they start to wonder if Simon had some elven blood in his line. See, Simon didn't die. After the Wolfcats were dissolved, he stuck around for a few more decades before simply disappearing into the wilds one day, heading east further into the Beors. No one knows what happened to him, but Glen has had a sneaking suspicion he's returned with another face at a few points.

'Modern Inheritance Cycle Squaddies' is the nickname I use for 10 MIC original characters that make up Arya's first squad in the Varden. All were selected to be part of a small, experimental, guerrilla force due to their skills, experiences, and dedication to the Varden's cause. When Arya first arrives at the Varden the group had only just been put into their basic training, a test run to see if they could learn to move as a unit and work as a cohesive team. Arya was attached to them as their spellcaster and wildcard, and, as her mental age at the time was about 15-16ish, grew into the rebel fighter she is through her experiences with the Special Tactics and Recon Wolfcats (as they came to be known). After a little over a decade of active duty, the group was disbanded, and it faded into obscurity save for the remaining families and survivors that knew of their activities. At the start of Eragon, Arya is the last surviving member, and still quietly pays homage to her first squad.

Rudi is accustomed to questions about his height. He has to use both hands three times over to count the number of humans unfamiliar with dwarves who have asked him if he was one of the Knurla. With a thick beard, short stature, even a vaguely dwarven sounding name, it’s easy to understand the mistake. Most of the questions are met with a gruff, “No, I’m just short.” and nothing else. Only a handful of people know that there is more to it than that.

Though an extreme rarity, Rudi comes from a line of humans who, through choices that placed them on the side of the dwarves during the War of Iron, produced offspring with the Alagaësian native race. Though he is three generations removed from his most recent dwarven ancestor due to the difficulty of dwarves and humans having viable children, traits of the Knurla remain strong in his line. The strongest of these traits is the addition of another toe on each foot, which Rudi frequently brushes off questions about by saying it’s a common mutation among the men of his family.

Rudi was born in the small town of Melian to two hardworking parents. His father’s work as a stonemason and his mother’s work as a civil engineer saw his family frequently traveling between Belatona, Feinster, and Cithrí whenever work was available. Like many children of tradesmen and tradeswomen, Rudi and his siblings followed in his parents footsteps. He apprenticed under his mother while also working at building sites when his father’s health began to deteriorate, quickly picking up the skills and knowledge needed for both trades. 

As the youngest of his brothers, Rudi felt a duty to remain with his father and mother to provide them an income after his elder brothers left to find their own paths. The three of them continued to follow the same circuit of cities until, when Rudi was 22, their caravan was dive bombed and burned by a Forsworn and his dragon in a completely random act of violence. The attack killed his parents and left Rudi with burns on his forearms, his hands only being protected by thick leather gloves he was wearing to protect his aching fingers after weeks working in Cithrí. 

Another caravan found and transported the survivors back to Cithrí, where Rudi spent years undergoing rehabilitation to regain adequate movement and strength back in his arms. During this time he dedicated himself to learning more about his parents' work, eventually finding that they had both been early members of the Varden. Their time spent legitimately working on buildings and infrastructure in the Broddring Empire and frequent trips back to Cithrí were also covers to send plans, blueprints, and updated maps to the resistance. 

By age 27, Rudi had been a part of the Varden for 3 years, though he had been unable to join a combat role due to his wounds. His work was more administrative and focused on pinpointing weaknesses in infrastructure that could work to the Varden’s advantage. He found the work frustrating, and developed a rather gruff personality as he saw carefully laid out plans go to shit due to simple bad luck. He sees the world not through pessimism or optimism, but a hard line realism. 

Sam was chosen for the Wolfcats for his uncanny navigation abilities, as well as his physical strength. Growing up on the shores of Tüdosten Lake, Sam spent his childhood illegally crossing over into Alagaësia to trade with other settlements across the lake. Whenever a route would be pinned down by Broddring soldiers, Sam would be the first to find a new one, over land or through the water. Maps were dangerous, as they could be easily seized by the patrolling soldiers, so Sam learned to read and memorize terrain.

His routes required him to carry whatever he wanted to barter with, and he never turned down requests from the villagers on either side of the border. Sam never viewed the people of Alagaësia as an enemy, only the soldiers, and preferred to help his fellow man rather than fight. As Galbatorix began cracking down on Surda’s encroaching border, however, Sam found himself in the position of being hunted by emboldened Broddring patrols. To save his family and in hopes of getting official Varden and Surdan support for Forlis, Sam joined the Varden as a recruit and has been with the Wolfcats ever since.

Sam is close with Caleb, the two young men thoroughly enjoying each other’s complimenting lighthearted personalities. Sam does his best to keep Caleb as young as possible, feeling responsible for him like an older brother, and won’t hesitate to put his foot down regarding Caleb’s safety. His feelings are understandable when looking to his family’s past: at only 14, Sam’s younger brother Malcom drowned while evading a Broddring patrol on the lake. Against his brother’s orders, Malcom had been attempting to take over his brother’s duties while Sam was ill, and had never crossed the lake alone before. Sam, though quick to smile and of sunny disposition, never quite forgave himself for the loss.