During the reign of King Harald Fairhair...
Iskjerne Bay's 4th Dynasty...
It was that time of year again, the twilight between summer and winter when seasons change. While the seasons were different south of the Weargtooth Mountains, here in the far north, winter lasted much longer and there were times when the midnight sun could be seen well into the early morning hours. Iskjerne Bay was one of the few places on Ellaria that experienced the parhelion effect or phenomenon where all three of Gaia's suns could be seen at the same time. These sun dogs were a remarkable sight for visitors. But in the far north, an even rarer phenomenon occurred, a whole week of darkness where there was no sunlight at all for many days, and which only occurred at winter time. Although it was always cold and snowy year-round at Iskjerne Bay, it was actually nearing autumn when Grimnir the Hooded sat in the Mead Hall, warming himself by the fire. King Harald Fairhair had invited the natives of Iskjerne Bay to an important meeting in the Mead Hall where he gave a toast and proceeded to give a long and inspiring speech.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you all know who I am. I am King Harald Finehair, king of the northern territories" he said, looking around and raising his arms as dozens of Iskjerne natives roared and cheered in support for their new liberator. He allowed them to continue cheering for a moment before he waved a hand for the crowd to calm down.
"You all know the history of our great kingdom. You have heard the exploits of our forefathers from times long ago, from the former days of King Ellrulf up until now. We were all here raised on stories of King Harald Wartooth and his nephew King Sigurd Hring, the founder of our great establishment. We have all seen the statue of King Sigurd, which still stands at our gates as a testimony to our great kingdom, besides the broken and half-fallen statue of his great grandson Ivar the Boneless, my younger predecessor who came before me, and whose funeral you all attended. You all know the story of Queen Astrid and her father King Olaf, whose descendants were the first of our people to brave this new world. You still tell the story of Hurgor the Archer and his famous horse Skallafax, and his powerful bow called Grimgir the Wolfbow, which once defended our ancestors. You are already familiar with Hurgor's brother Ulfric Ellrulfsson, possessor of the famous sword Ulfsfanga, that ulfberht blade which never rusts. I know that many of your horses were bred from that great steed, and that King Ellrulf's bloodline still survives today to the far west of our borders."
Again the Iskjerne Vikings roared and cheered, and Grimnir the Hooded listened quietly while King Harald inspired pride in his followers and reviewed their history.
"You all know I am a grandson of Gudrød the Hunter, and that my grandmother Alfhilda was an elven princess. All of us here had ancestors who fought in the Battle of Brávellir, and many of you have fought your own battles since then. You can still recall the exploits of the Nuörmbátur, that famous longship which was overturned on these Iskjerne shores and now forms the rooftop of this very Mead Hall we have gathered in today. Skál!" King Harald shouted, raising his bovine drinking horn into the air. The Vikings cheered again and everyone would chug the wine or beer in their tankards and mugs, roaring with pride and excitement. But this time instead of calming the crowd, King Harald just spoke louder over the top of their gossip and cheering.
"You all know the exploits of King Sigurd and his sons, Rollo and Ragnar, whom some of you met before. Hrollaug the Walker was a great Viking who sailed the Nuörmbátur down the Weargtooth Mountains like a sled into battle on these very shores against the mighty giants and dragons who threatened our kingdom during the time of King Sigurd's reign. The Iskjerne Vikings fought that great serpent Shimizu, whose tail was as long as 100 ships. His teeth were sharp like metal speartips, and his gaze so fierce and hideous that looking him into the eyes meant certain death. But our ancestors defeated Shimizu and drove that dragon back into the caverns from whence it came!" King Harald shouted, causing the roaring crowd to grow louder.
"When I first sailed to Iskjerne Bay, this settlement was abandoned. I came over with many ambitious kings and queens, and princes from our homeland. I came with Lagertha, Aslaug, Bjorn, Ubbe, Ivar and Hvitserk, with Floki and Floki's wife Helga, and with many other successors to Sigurd Hring's throne. At that time I was a nobody, just like most of you. I sat on the same benches you're sitting on right now. But I was an ambitious king, and I knew that one day, I would free my people from the grip of our foreign oppressors and return Iskjerne Bay to Iskjerne Vikings!" Again the crowd roared and cheered, and even Grimnir himself couldn't help but to smile and join in the celebration.
After a while of laughter, loud gossip and cheering, King Harald suddenly stopped smiling and became quieter, waiting for the crowd to calm down on its own. Once everyone settled down and waited for the king to speak again, Harald Fairhair continued talking, this time more quietly.
"It's a sad thing what happened to Queen Aslaug and Prince Ivar, and to King Sigurd and King Ragnar, we will miss their faces. We will miss their shields." The crowd became more solemn and quiet at these words, as everyone took a moment of silence to honor the dead. "As you all know, Rollo has betrayed our culture, and our gods. I have nothing but the most respect for Rollo, and for the corpses who still lay buried out in the snow. I did not want to fight them. You all know that. But I swore an oath on the day you chose me to be your leader. I vowed to avenge Sigurd Hring, and to restore this land to its native tongue. Here we follow the old gods, and practice the old ways. Ivar made the same promise, and he lied. But Ivar was still young, and we will not fault him for his mistakes. He added a lot of great architecture and defenses to our establishment. But being a King is hard, and being a God is even harder. No man here knows the burden of Sigurd Hring, nor the burden of Ragnar's sons." King Harald said calmly as everyone in the Mead Hall listened silently.
"My sources tell me that Ubbe and Hvitserk have gone to Oor Cavern to avenge their grandfather. You all know I have sanctioned this and have given them my blessing. I respect King Sigurd as much as any man here, and I adopted Ragnar's sons that day when he died at the hands of King Aela, this is no secret. I have always supported Bjorn Ironside, and my beloved wife Queen Lagertha, your queen, who was not here during the blood eagle ceremony, but is here with us today. " Upon hearing this, Lagertha raised her drinking horn and smiled quietly, sitting on her own throne next to King Harald, who looked down at her and raised his drinking horn, smiling back. Grimnir smiled, listening intently.
"I've been informed that Hel's Gate has been closed. Ubbe and Hvitserk are on the other side. As your king, I must decide what is best for our kingdom." King Harald looked out over the hall, and smiled, still raising his horn. Everyone by now was listening as King Harald spoke, not as a warrior, but as a king. Grimnir the Hooded made eye contact with King Harald Finehair at that moment. The king stared at him for a second, his expression betraying his lack of trust for this new stranger in golden robes, flashing his wealth before Iskjerne's Vikings and their newly established dynasty.
King Harald took a swig of the wine from the open hollow of his drinking horn and turned his gaze towards others in the crowded hall. "I have given my messengers the order to evacuate the caves. As the King of Iskjerne Bay, I give the order to destroy Rikkisopi Caves and prevent Shimizu from coming back through. I order a sacrifice to Óđinn, and to the elves during Álfablót, which I trust you will attend." King Harald took another swig from his drinking horn and set it on the table before sitting back down on his throne. Everyone in the Mead Hall was speechless, including Grimnir, who apart from others was still cheery and smiling as he excused himself from the fireplace and started trying to push his way through the standing crowd, heading towards the kings throne after his speech was over. Grimnir seemed to be on an important errand.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you all know who I am. I am King Harald Finehair, king of the northern territories" he said, looking around and raising his arms as dozens of Iskjerne natives roared and cheered in support for their new liberator. He allowed them to continue cheering for a moment before he waved a hand for the crowd to calm down.
"You all know the history of our great kingdom. You have heard the exploits of our forefathers from times long ago, from the former days of King Ellrulf up until now. We were all here raised on stories of King Harald Wartooth and his nephew King Sigurd Hring, the founder of our great establishment. We have all seen the statue of King Sigurd, which still stands at our gates as a testimony to our great kingdom, besides the broken and half-fallen statue of his great grandson Ivar the Boneless, my younger predecessor who came before me, and whose funeral you all attended. You all know the story of Queen Astrid and her father King Olaf, whose descendants were the first of our people to brave this new world. You still tell the story of Hurgor the Archer and his famous horse Skallafax, and his powerful bow called Grimgir the Wolfbow, which once defended our ancestors. You are already familiar with Hurgor's brother Ulfric Ellrulfsson, possessor of the famous sword Ulfsfanga, that ulfberht blade which never rusts. I know that many of your horses were bred from that great steed, and that King Ellrulf's bloodline still survives today to the far west of our borders."
Again the Iskjerne Vikings roared and cheered, and Grimnir the Hooded listened quietly while King Harald inspired pride in his followers and reviewed their history.
"You all know I am a grandson of Gudrød the Hunter, and that my grandmother Alfhilda was an elven princess. All of us here had ancestors who fought in the Battle of Brávellir, and many of you have fought your own battles since then. You can still recall the exploits of the Nuörmbátur, that famous longship which was overturned on these Iskjerne shores and now forms the rooftop of this very Mead Hall we have gathered in today. Skál!" King Harald shouted, raising his bovine drinking horn into the air. The Vikings cheered again and everyone would chug the wine or beer in their tankards and mugs, roaring with pride and excitement. But this time instead of calming the crowd, King Harald just spoke louder over the top of their gossip and cheering.
"You all know the exploits of King Sigurd and his sons, Rollo and Ragnar, whom some of you met before. Hrollaug the Walker was a great Viking who sailed the Nuörmbátur down the Weargtooth Mountains like a sled into battle on these very shores against the mighty giants and dragons who threatened our kingdom during the time of King Sigurd's reign. The Iskjerne Vikings fought that great serpent Shimizu, whose tail was as long as 100 ships. His teeth were sharp like metal speartips, and his gaze so fierce and hideous that looking him into the eyes meant certain death. But our ancestors defeated Shimizu and drove that dragon back into the caverns from whence it came!" King Harald shouted, causing the roaring crowd to grow louder.
"When I first sailed to Iskjerne Bay, this settlement was abandoned. I came over with many ambitious kings and queens, and princes from our homeland. I came with Lagertha, Aslaug, Bjorn, Ubbe, Ivar and Hvitserk, with Floki and Floki's wife Helga, and with many other successors to Sigurd Hring's throne. At that time I was a nobody, just like most of you. I sat on the same benches you're sitting on right now. But I was an ambitious king, and I knew that one day, I would free my people from the grip of our foreign oppressors and return Iskjerne Bay to Iskjerne Vikings!" Again the crowd roared and cheered, and even Grimnir himself couldn't help but to smile and join in the celebration.
After a while of laughter, loud gossip and cheering, King Harald suddenly stopped smiling and became quieter, waiting for the crowd to calm down on its own. Once everyone settled down and waited for the king to speak again, Harald Fairhair continued talking, this time more quietly.
"It's a sad thing what happened to Queen Aslaug and Prince Ivar, and to King Sigurd and King Ragnar, we will miss their faces. We will miss their shields." The crowd became more solemn and quiet at these words, as everyone took a moment of silence to honor the dead. "As you all know, Rollo has betrayed our culture, and our gods. I have nothing but the most respect for Rollo, and for the corpses who still lay buried out in the snow. I did not want to fight them. You all know that. But I swore an oath on the day you chose me to be your leader. I vowed to avenge Sigurd Hring, and to restore this land to its native tongue. Here we follow the old gods, and practice the old ways. Ivar made the same promise, and he lied. But Ivar was still young, and we will not fault him for his mistakes. He added a lot of great architecture and defenses to our establishment. But being a King is hard, and being a God is even harder. No man here knows the burden of Sigurd Hring, nor the burden of Ragnar's sons." King Harald said calmly as everyone in the Mead Hall listened silently.
"My sources tell me that Ubbe and Hvitserk have gone to Oor Cavern to avenge their grandfather. You all know I have sanctioned this and have given them my blessing. I respect King Sigurd as much as any man here, and I adopted Ragnar's sons that day when he died at the hands of King Aela, this is no secret. I have always supported Bjorn Ironside, and my beloved wife Queen Lagertha, your queen, who was not here during the blood eagle ceremony, but is here with us today. " Upon hearing this, Lagertha raised her drinking horn and smiled quietly, sitting on her own throne next to King Harald, who looked down at her and raised his drinking horn, smiling back. Grimnir smiled, listening intently.
"I've been informed that Hel's Gate has been closed. Ubbe and Hvitserk are on the other side. As your king, I must decide what is best for our kingdom." King Harald looked out over the hall, and smiled, still raising his horn. Everyone by now was listening as King Harald spoke, not as a warrior, but as a king. Grimnir the Hooded made eye contact with King Harald Finehair at that moment. The king stared at him for a second, his expression betraying his lack of trust for this new stranger in golden robes, flashing his wealth before Iskjerne's Vikings and their newly established dynasty.
King Harald took a swig of the wine from the open hollow of his drinking horn and turned his gaze towards others in the crowded hall. "I have given my messengers the order to evacuate the caves. As the King of Iskjerne Bay, I give the order to destroy Rikkisopi Caves and prevent Shimizu from coming back through. I order a sacrifice to Óđinn, and to the elves during Álfablót, which I trust you will attend." King Harald took another swig from his drinking horn and set it on the table before sitting back down on his throne. Everyone in the Mead Hall was speechless, including Grimnir, who apart from others was still cheery and smiling as he excused himself from the fireplace and started trying to push his way through the standing crowd, heading towards the kings throne after his speech was over. Grimnir seemed to be on an important errand.