Knight Vassima

Old veteran of the touring-knight circuit who saw through Charlwood's pitch. Joined Norton after the tournament and ran a section of the convoy guard with Bodfinger and the senior staff.

Silent, tall and lean, impeccably raised in the strictest knightly tradition — 'unshakeable as a mountain.' He prizes his given word above all. Even on learning that the man he had sworn to was dead, he came to fulfil his oath; and before leaving for the Nortons he first helped defeat his former liege's enemies, so as to depart owing no one anything.

A Silver Knight of the third star with very solid combat fundamentals — every strike and parry sure and stable. At the tournament hosted by House Kemmes he won three duels in a row, which drew the attention of Lorist and two rival houses at once.

A wandering knight whom House Flying Horse (Charlwood) and House Kemmes vied to recruit at the Kemmes tournament, offering double pay and a manor. But Vassima rejected both tempting offers and went with the Nortons' envoys — Patt and Sedekamp — without naming a single condition (ch 128).

The reason came out at Lorist's home: Vassima produced a gold Furious-Bear badge bearing the name 'Aberid' — Lorist's elder brother. Aberid had once promised to take Vassima as his knight when he reached Silver rank. Learning of Aberid's death, Vassima resolved to keep the oath anyway. Beforehand he handed his father's knightly manor back to the grandson of his old liege, Viscount Besseis, having defeated the lords who attacked those lands — so as to leave for the Nortons owing nothing.

Lorist, moved to the core, knighted him into House Norton. Vassima held a section of the convoy guard alongside Bodfinger and the senior staff, and later commanded one of the columns in the total clearing-out of the northern lords.