House of Ruric

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House of Ruric Country: Norland Titles: King of Norland Jarl of Ruriksgrad Jarl of Jornburg Jarl of Smol'Krag Jarl of Ashwood Jarl of Foldgrad Founder: Thoromir Ruric Current Head: Godden Ruric Ethnicity: Highlander House Motto: "Blood and Honor" Cadet Branches: House of Ashton (Extinct)

The House of Ruric (Norlandic: Rorikidätten) is a Highlander family, which was founded in 1516. Most notable for declaring war against the Holy Orenian Empire in Vailor, known to be the Third Rurikid Uprising

History

Vailor

This first Kingdom of Avar was established by Edvard, now commonly referred to ‘the terrible’ due to the events of his reign. Edvard is the first of the Ruric lineage that can be properly referred to as a King in his own right, though not as grandiose as the heartland houses his ability to foster loyalty garnered him an impressive following for such a small realm. It was here that the famous, or rather the infamous Red Brothers were established by Edvard, with the assistance of Bjorn. The Red Brothers serve as the incarnation of what it means to be a Norlander. Embodying a savage, vigorous life philosophy that fed off of the constant warfare and raiding of the times. It was at this time that the Norlandic peoples decided to assist the Dwarven Empire of Urguan in their defence against the Orenian conquest into the southern portion of Vailor. It is here that consensus divides. Some claim that the Norlandic people were hired as mercenaries, utilizing a dated contract signed by the Grand King as evidence of the agreement. In short to exchange martial service for land to settle. Others contend that the Norlanders were to be vassals to the Empire of Urguan. As the war dragged on and Dwarven defeats began to pile, the infertility and low morale of the dwarves resulted in a steadily decreasing war contribution on the part of the Dwarven Empire. As a result the Norlandic peoples felt they were shouldering an unjustifiably large portion of the war effort, despite their small size relative to the clashing titans heading the conflict. Edvard, believing that he had completed the terms laid out in the contract, withdrew his people from the conflict. Declaring the Kingdom of Norland to be a neutral state. The Dwarven Empire became openly hostile to the Kingdom of Norland, consistently harassing them and accusing them of being traitors. Edvard fled, believing himself to have failed his people. His younger brother Eirik stepped forth, declaring himself King despite the existence of Edvard’s male sons. Who under the traditions of Norland should have inherited. This prompted the formation of the three branches of the Ruric family. The Lineages of Edvardsson, those descended from Edvard, the Lineage of Eiriksson, those descended from Eirik, and the lineage of Frey, those descended from Frey the youngest son of Thoromir and youngest brother of the three. Eiriks reign is recollected with great fondness by the Norlandic people. Upon the desertion of his brother he immediately vassalized to the Empire of Oren. His vassalization gave the Emperor an additional front on which to attack the Dwarven Empire. With the removal of the Norlandic fleet blocking the Avarian Sea, Imperial troops were able to flood the Island and push the front lines even further towards the Dwarven capital. Eventually Eirik decided to relocate the Norlandic people to the Arch Duchy of Lorraine. Where the Norlandic culture was slowly leached from the people of Norland as they were exposed and inundated with Imperial heartlands tradition and culture. Following the death of Eirik, Sven rose to prominence inheriting his father’s responsibilities. Soon he and his son, Thomas, decided to relocate their people to their ancestral homeland of Avar. Soon after this the administration of Lorraine attempted to take them to the Imperial court, claiming that the Rurics were their de jure vassals and could not relocate themselves. Their claim was overturned as the Rurics were established as direct vassals of the Imperial Throne and therefore were not under the jurisdiction of the Lorraine in the first place. Back in Avar, the Rurics quickly rose to prominence, Thomas established the Nortruppen and recruited massive levies, establishing a large force of soldiers. Soon after the establishment of the Nortruppen, a group of bandits began consolidating in the south of Vailor, establishing the Dreadlands in concert with various other mercenary groups, the Dreadlands began raiding the Empire, focusing primarily on the frontier territories of House Ruric. Believing that his house was shouldering too great a burden for a county while the Arch duchies and Kingdoms of the Heartlands contributed nothing to the general war effort, Thomas Ruric marched his forces to the Imperial palace, requesting an audience with the Emperor, John Sigismund. He was denied as it was believed he was in the process of orchestrating a coup. Once the turmoil had died down he returned to the Imperial palace once more, alone hoping that the Emperor would hear him out. Thomas requested that if his family was to shoulder the majority of the fighting then they be granted additional lands and incomes to support their efforts. The Emperor ordered his right knee smashed, then had him imprisoned. It was soon after this that a cadre of Elite Dreadlandic warriors stormed the palace. Four heavily armed soldiers facing down an entire palace of guardsmen and levied soldiers. The Dreadlandic warriors cut them all down before rescuing the crippled noble from the dungeons of the Imperial Palace. This was the beginning of the Ruric rebellion. The Rurics raised their banner in support of the Dreadlands, declaring war on the Imperium with the intention of removing the Emperor. The Rebel army clashed with the Imperial army in the Avarian Sea, halfway on the way to the capitol as Thomas had made a bold plan to strike directly for the Heartlands instead of taking the overland route. The battle was joined as the two fleets were delayed by the carcass of a giant dead whale. Eventually the Imperial forces gained the upper hand, pushing the rebels back to the Ruric capital of Seahelm. Following their naval defeat, the city of Seahelm was sacked by Imperial forces with Thomas Ruric and his kin being heavily wounded by managing to escape with a portion of their forces on the Ostavarian Manhood. However the sacking of Seahelm is the single worst event in the history of Norland. With over half the population losing their lives during the burning of the city. Thomas retreated to the Dreadlands and remained there with his kin until the coming of Axios.

Axios

After witnessing the destruction of their homes at the seams, the remaining Norlandic peoples under the banner of Ser Hakon Ruric embarked upon the NSS Hervor and departed the ruined realm of Vailor with the rest of the Descendants. After several months at sea, the Descendants finally emerged through the other side of the portal, marking their entry into the realm of Axios.

The Norlandic peoples, being no stranger to seafaring, expertly navigated their ship along the western coast of the southern continent of Asul. Within moments, they made landfall, and with their Dreadlandic brethren, immediately set about construction of an immense stone fortress, one that would come to be known as Fort Dunamis, in honor of the famed mercenary company that had gained much renown during the period upon Vailor. For several years, the Norlandic people, under the Principality of the Dreadlands, continued the war against the Holy Orenian Empire. During the early stages of the war, there were several border skirmishes and encounters upon the plains near Johannesburg, with the Dreadlandic forces claiming much success. However, no ground was able to be gained, on any front of the war. The war would then devolve into the use of Fort Dunamis as a base of operations to launch raids upon the northern continent of Tahn. Eventually, as the Holy Orenian Empire began plans for an invasion of the Isle of Asul, the Principality would then dissolve due to internal strife. Afterwards, the Norlandic peoples with no home of their own, fled into the thick forests of Northern Asul.

For several years, the Norlandic peoples remained in hiding in the Asulian Forest. When they had received word that King Tobias of Courland was rallying support from Courlandic sympathizers and refugees, the Norlandic peoples joined the frey, once more taking the fight to the Empire. After several years and when the dust settled, the Norlandic peoples had fought and earned their right to be a sovereign nation once more. Artyom I Ruric proclaimed himself King of Norland and Chieftain of the Norlandic peoples and led his people in a mass exodus to the west of Tahn. There, they settled upon the the longest island of the offshore archipelago, naming their capital the Krag. The Krag stood as an island fortress that jutted hundreds of meters above sea level. Separating it from the mainland would be a wide ravine littered with jagged rocks and carnivorous sea beasts at the bottom. The only entrance to the Krag would be a wooden rope bridge, and if the bridge was to be severed, the Krag would have all the provisions necessary to endure multiple years of siege.

These defenses would be put to the test when Dwarven aggression was ramped up against the Norlandic peoples under the Urguani Grand King Bastion Ireheart. While King Artyom was out with a coma, his distant cousin, Donovan Ruric ascended to the throne, leading the front against the Dwarven invasion. Tensions rose between the two kingdoms, and what was once small settlement raids turned into all-out field battles. The Dwarves, initially backed by the Horde of Dunamis, the Orcs, and the Teutonic Order, quickly swept through the Norlandic countrysides, pushing the Norlanders all the way back to the Krag, where they would make their last stand. With their backs to the wall and a Dwarven battleship blockading all flow of goods in and out of the Krag, the Norlandic peoples dug in. Vastly outnumbered and out-geared, the Norlanders lay in wait, just across the ravine. Midway through the war, the Norlandic peoples mustered all the mina they had left and put their chances upon the mercenary company of Dunamis, whom the Dwarves deemed not worth the money. This decision would pay off in the long run as the Norlanders and Dunamians fended off wave after wave of Dwarven, Orcish, and Teutonic onslaughts upon the stone walls of the Krag. However, each attempt proved futile, resulting in many attackers falling to their watery graves, hundreds of meters below. Dwarven siege engines combusted upon themselves and attackers pushed on and were routed in a series of attacks. With Dwarven Coalition casualties skyrocketing, they were forced to pull back after nearly three years of siege. As a result, the waters around the Krag were nicknamed by the stalwart defenders as Bloater Bay, due to the amount of waterlogged Dwarves that lay at the bottom of the ravine.

With the siege lifted, the the Kingdoms of Urguan and Norland signed a white peace, ending ten years of constant warring and bloodshed. From there, the Norlandic peoples would know peace once more, beginning a period known as the “Golden Age of Norland” where King Artyom awoke, there was a massive cultural revolution, spike of national unity and patriotism, and marked the reinstatement of the old Ruric banner force, the Ashguard.

Norland strived with Arytom as their King, But soon the Norlandic people began to grow tired of Arytom's reign, deciding that he was incapable of leading the Norlandic people any longer. Eventually Arytom stepped down, giving up the throne to Javier Ruric. Javier quickly built a capital to the east of the Krag, naming the new Norlandic capital Vjorhelm. Javier felt that it was beginning to get crowded within his newly built city, so he decided to expand Vjorhelm creating more houses for his people to live in. A few months into his reign Javier was faced in conflict with House Romstun, Which was supposedly sent to attack Norland and weaken them by the Holy Orenian Empire. A year into the war The Orenian Empire declared war upon House Romstun, Javier made no mistake and quickly involved Norland into the war, This war was known as the Phillips war. Ending after one Field battle, House Romstun forces were decimated, seeing no need to continue to fight, they went into hiding. Javier's people now at peace, decided that it was time to make a new military force, by the name of the Ruric guard. The Ruric guard was to be stationed within the Capital Vjorhelm and was to patrol the islands surrounding the capital, the Kingdom of Norland strived, the people believed it was the start of a new golden age for the Norlandic people. Javier had a son, and named him Jevan Ruric which he would ascend to the Norlandic throne when his father died. The Norlandic people lived in peace, and prospered under Javier's reign, Although peace would not last. Tensions between the Frostbeards and the Grand Kingdom of Urguan rose, eventually leading into a war, Norland joined the Frostbeards, Orcs, Santegia, and other nations in the fight against The Grand Kingdom of Urguan, and The Holy Orenian Empire. The first battle was fought in the fields on Haense, Javier leading the infantry into battle against the Urguan and Oren forces.. The Coalition becoming victorious! Marched on to capture a Dwarven fort, blocking the way for the main army to pass through to get to the Urguani capital. The siege ended in days, the Coaltion forces stormed the fortress, only having a few Orenian Footmen to kill. Urguan dismissed Oren from the war after this battle, Leading to The Grand Kingdom of Urguan surrendering to the Coalition.

Notable figures

Hakon "The Shipwright" Ruric- One of the most respected Rurics, Known for leading his people against the Holy Orenian Empire in the Dreadlands

Thomas Ruric- Known for leading the Avarite Rebellion against the Holy Orenian Empire

Javier "The Undefeated" Ruric- Known for reviving Norland, and winning countless battles against the Holy Orenian Empire and Grand Kingdom of Urguan

Eirik "The Great" Ruric- Known for couping his older brother Edvard, and vassalized under the Holy Orenian Empire, in an attempt to save the Norlandic people from annihilation.