the outcasts

in the outcasts, Hal, the son of a dead warrior, is bullied by most of the other boys in his town. they bully him because he has a foreign mother. Unlike most boys in Scandia (basically scandanavia) Hal is smart and inventive, instead of strong and skilled at fighting and sports. Hal enjoys inventing new things that include a brand new design for a sail boat. He gains fame by sailing into the harbor with his new design. When something called brotherband training starts (a training program to make boys in to warriors) Hal is stuck in control of an outcast band of unchosen trainees. Hal quickly gets them working together as a team. in one part of the book, Hal's mentor/friend Thorn, who was Hal's dad's best friend before he died tells Hal that Tursgud, the leader of a clique of boys, he is tall, strong and feared, bullies Hal because he fears them. He also tells Hal that Tursgud fears him because he is a leader. Hal leads by his, inventiveness, and smartness, while Tursgud leads by his strength, and physical skill. Thorn tells Hal that eventually it will come to a head between Tursgud and Hal. if it does the two will get there by opposite directions.