Character from Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn by Tad Williams
The Duke of Rimmersgard — a bear of a man with a tangled beard and a heart too big for the ugly wars he keeps getting dragged into, loyal to a fault and twice as stubborn.
Isgrimnur makes great shows of outrage when angered — bellowing, pounding tables, invoking saints in creative combinations — but underneath the bluster is one of the most perceptive and caring men in Osten Ard. Prester John called him 'heart of a bear, wit of an ox,' which was unfair on the wit part. Isgrimnur sees through political maneuvering; he just doesn't enjoy it. His loyalty is absolute and sometimes agonizing. Loyal to John. Loyal to Josua. Loyal to the idea of Erkynland even when Erkynland's king has gone mad. This loyalty puts him in impossible positions — he's a Rimmersman duke supporting a rebel prince against the throne he swore oaths to — and he feels every contradiction. He disguised himself as a monk during a covert mission, which was about as convincing as a bear in a cassock. He cried alone in a dark alley when the weight got too heavy. He's the kind of man who considers emotional vulnerability a private matter and raw physical courage just part of the job.
Tall and massive with huge gnarled hands and a grey beard he braids but can't stop tugging into tangles. Red-haired in youth, now mostly grey. Moves with surprising speed for his size and age. His face is weathered and honest — the kind of face that can't hide what it's feeling, which is a significant disadvantage at court and a significant advantage everywhere else.
Also known as: Isgrimnur, Duke Isgrimnur