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If you miss the days of Ned Stark rising from comparatively humble Northerner to Hand of the King or weep for the seasons of Robb marching with his rough Northern army, Vikings could scratch that itch.

The History Channel’s Vikings follows the story of Ragnar Lothbrok as he rises from an ambitious farmer to a leader of great power and renown. While originally content with his lot in life as a husband, father, and annual pillager, threats to his family force Ragnar to become more than just a farmer with a taste for fighting.

Although his rise to glory costs the lives of many that he holds dear and scatters the family that inspired him to become more in the first place, Ragnar and his armies sweep through the lands of the British Isles as his ferocious pagan warriors overwhelm Christian armies unaccustomed to their style of fighting.

Surprisingly historically inaccurate for a series airing on the History Channel, Vikings can boast some truly spectacular fight choreography in the portrayal of this version of the Viking way of life. The actors switch between speaking obscure period languages and English to sell the disconnect between the pagans and the Christians, and the brutishness of the battle and bloodshed is offset by the relationships and dynamics between the characters.