Vikings
Ragnar Jarlsson
The Protagonist and Hero of Rune. A young viking warrior from the village of Wotankeld, and a member of the Odinsblade.
- Eleventh Hour Super Power: Voluntarily submerges himself into the Venom of Loki's serpent, giving him the immense power needed to escape Loki's lair and finish his quest.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Inverted. His achievements earn him entry into Valhalla despite being alive, Odin notes he is the first person to achieve this.
- Barbarian Hero: Has much in common with Robert Howard Barbarianesque Heroes; Confronting everything from Goblins, Jotun, and Viking raiders to the Undead Forces of Loki in a solitary journey for his God, surviving entirely on his strength and dexterity.
- Carry a Big Stick: Maces make up one third of his weapon roster, and the PC version of Rune Classic's box art portrays him carrying the mighty looking Dwarven Work Hammer.
- Determinator: Fights through the underworld and Helheim itself, the Fortress-City of Thorstadt, The empire of the Dwarves, and the trickery of Loki to prevent Ragnarok. Hel herself even remarks that, eventually, her armies of the undead will wear him down and tire him out. She is completely wrong.
- Emergency Transformation: Ragnar drenches himself in the venom of Loki to avoid defeat.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Is depicted in some promotional images and box art editions wielding or carrying a runed Viking Broadsword, seemingly the weapon of choice of the Odinsblade.
- Horny Vikings: Constantly depicted in his Leather Armor costume, complete with a horned helmet and a long mane of hair.
- Kill It with Fire: Can make excellent use of naked flame to easily kill zombies, and several weapons have fire attacks as their Rune Power.
- Lightning Bruiser: Can become quite resistant to damage in Berserker mode, and under player control, possesses great mobility and speed in combat, and deals heavy damage with each attack. The background story in the manual depicts his fight against Sigard as him overcoming his opponent using tenacity and speed, compared to Sigard's raw force.
- One-Man Army: Fights his way through armies of foes and navigates some of the most dangerous places in Midgard entirely alone, albeit with the approval of Odin. Taken to another level in the ending, where he enters Valhalla to become an Einherjar, which literally translates to 'Army of One.'
- Pretty Boy: Clean-Shaven and younger compared to the other Vikings, and sports a long mane of blonde hair that Dark Vikings constantly mock him for it's supposed softness.
- Shirtless Captives: Is covered in chalk and brown symbols by Goblins. He promptly braves the open Norse cold like this, seemingly unfazed.
- The Hero: A young viking warrior and member of the Odinsblade, who battles the forces of the Trickster God with the favor of Odin, all to stop Ragnarok and avenge his family and friends.
- The Berserker: Can enter a temporary Berserk mode after dealing enough damage in a short timeframe, enabling him to endure punishment that would normally kill him. He even ends Berserk mode in Sark Form with a mighty roar.
Jarl
The Father of Ragnar, and the Thane of Wotankeld.
- Meaningful Name: Probably named after the character Jarl in Norse Mythology, who was the Father of eleven sons, who would all grow to become mighty warriors.
- So Proud of You: Congratulates his Son on joining the Odinsblade, and gives him encouragement before his final trial by combat. He also stresses the importance of gaining knowledge and wisdom as the key to experience.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies promptly after the tutorial, and his death is part of the fuel for Ragnar's quest for revenge.
Norse Gods
Odin
The Allfather of the Norse Aesir, and Ragnar's guide and ally.
Loki
The Trickster God, and the primary Antagonist of the game.Hel
Loki's daughter, and the overseer and ruler of the Underworld realm of Hel. Often depicted in a 50/50 split of a living woman and undead.- Adaptational Villainy: The actual mythological Hel is somewhat unconcerned with the goings-on of the Aesir and the mortals of the Nine Worlds. She also has a dislike of her Father for causing her to be born looking as she does. In the game, she is Obviously Evil and quite willingly helps her father in his scheme to unleash Ragnarok.
Bragi
Baldur
A son of Odin, killed due to the treachery of Loki, his death is one of the prerequisites for Ragnarok.- Small Role, Big Impact: Is mentioned once by Loki, but his death set in motion the end of the world and the death of most of the Norse Gods.
