Modi

Modi in 1195

Modi is a gargoyle originally from a clan in Norway.

History

Modi and Magni in 1109

Modi hatched in 1078. [1] No details of his youth are known, but by the winter of 1108 he, alongside Magni and Skade had entered the service of Sigurd Magnusson. While traveling with Sigurd's fleet, the Norse gargoyles encountered Demona and Angelika in Galicia. Demona was reluctant to accompany the Norse gargoyles in their expedition and was still unwilling to trust that the humans would not destroy them in their stone sleep. The Norse gargoyles told her of their solution to that: Upon Sigurd's Flagship, they showed Demona and Angelika a solid iron room that locks from the inside. They had dubbed it the Box. When Angelika expressed concerned about their safety inside the iron cabin during the day, Modi admitted that they would likely drown in the attempt, but admitted that was the risk all take when traveling at sea.

Demona and Angelika agreed to join them, and they all set forth in the spring of 1109. They fought in Lisbon, sailed through the gates of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea, carrying torches to the cliffside caves on the island of Formentera, and battled foes throughout their journeys. During the day, the gargoyles slept in he Box while the humans outside continued the journey and assessed their loot. In the summer of 1110, Modi and the gargoyles joined Sigurd's men in their journey to Jerusalem. By October of 1110, the gargoyles found themselves once more engaged in a battle off the coast of Sidon. By December of 1110, Sigurd and his human and gargoyle warriors had secured a victory in Sidon. The siege had ended and the enemies had surrendered the fortress and city.

In January of 1111, the gargoyles took in the sights as they sailed into the harbor at Constantinople. Later, Sigurd and the five gargoyles found themselves greeting Emperor Alexios Komnenos at the Great Palace.

March of 1111 found the gargoyles still enjoying their nights in Constantinople. In a city tower, Magni announced to Angelika that he and Modi were asked by the Emperor to join the Varangian Guard as the his personal bodyguards.

When Skade returned with Sigurd to Norway and Demona and Angelika departed for their own adventures, Magni and Modi remained in Constantinople and stood guard upon the city's walls. ("Fortune Favors the Brave...")

In the year 1195, Modi and Magni were still in Constantinople and serving as guards under the Emperor Isaac Angelos. They were present to hear a storyteller tell the tale of Youhanna Al Diyab to the Emperor and his court. That same night, Angelika returned to the court and reunited with Magni. The Emperor then gave Magni and Modi the rest of the night off. Modi was soon approached by a Scotman who asked the gargoyle if the world was safe for their kind. Modi told him that he still sleeps in an iron box and that "no gargoyle is safe". Later that night, perhaps in league with an accomplice, Modi secretly murdered Abu Jafar Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Ibn Al-Kammad the archivist using his sword and stole the Eye of Odin from the hoard. When the murder was discovered, Modi feigned ignorance and sought to identify the thief and murderer. Alexios Angelos, the Emperor's brother, named Demona as a suspect while Modi accused the visiting Scotsman he had talked to earlier. They were both taken into custody. Shahrizad and Angelika worked to solve the murder and asked Modi to show them the swords of the suspects to look for signs of blood. Modi realized that cleaning the murder weapon would've been clever. When the investigators asked to see the Scotsman's sword, Modi instead showed them his own bloodied sword in order to frame the man. Later, when the Emperor ordered the man's execution Modi was prepared to use his axe to kill the man. Shahrizad suggested poetic justice instead: the Scotsman should be killed with the murder weapon. When Modi presented it, Magni realized the blade did not belong to the Scotsman, but was instead his brother's own sword, revealing Modi as the true killer. When asked why he murdered the archivist and was prepared to execute an innocent man, Modi expressed his dissatisfaction with the politics and coups of the Emperor and claimed that "those who show no loyalty should expect none." He then stated that the Eye of Odin belonged to the Norsemen and he intended to return it there. He warned the court to not follow him and departed. Alexios Angelos suggested that they let Modi go since, despite the incident, the gargoyle had served their family for the past decade and none would be able to catch the gargoyle anyway. Thus, Modi left the region, presumably to head back to his home in the north. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Eye of Odin he had stolen was, in fact, a fake. ("Fallen From the Ranks...")

Characteristics

Modi has white skin or fur, feathered brown wings, brown hair, and a long gray bird-like beak. He often wore armor.

Appearances

• "Fortune Favors the Brave..." (First Appearance)
• "Fallen From the Ranks..."

Real World Background

Modi was named after one of Thor's sons in Norse mythology. He and his brother Magni were among the few Aesir who survived Ragnarok; they took up their father's hammer Mjolnir following that event.

See Also

• Móði and Magni at Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia