Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric, King of Norland
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Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric, also known as Ragnvald Eiriksson, was the nineteenth King of Norland and the fifth after it's reformation by Caedric Edvardsson Ruric as well as the Second Marshal of the reformed Ashguard following the transformation of the Northguard to the Ashguard ordered by his predecessor Lee Sun. Ragnvald was elected King of Norland by Kingsmoot, though a handful of Rurics residing outside of Norland have rejected this Kingsmoot and Ragnvald's claim. Ragnvald's reign became undisputed after the War of the Wigs, and he had minimal trouble with rival claimants for the rest of his tenure as King.
Contents
Young Life
Ragnvald was born to Jari Eiriksson Ruric and a tavern waitress, making Ragnvald a bastard of the Rurikkid dynasty. Rather than be given the surname Ash, Jari legitimized Ragnvald at birth and allowed him to use the Eiriksson surname and brought him up as his legitimate child despite Jari's young age when Ragnvald was sired. Despite being present for much of Ragnvald's infancy years, Jari disappeared completely from Ragnvald's life by the time he was Seven. With no immediate family to care for him, Ragnvald would spend the rest of his younger years living on the streets. Despite the abandonment of his Father, Ragnvald still had a relatively decent childhood thanks to the education of a red faith scolar by the name of Grigori, who mentored the young Ruric both about the Norlandic lifestyle and Red Faith.
When Ragnvald was old enough, he enlisted in the Ashguard under Marshal Lee Sun and began his participation in Norland's military affairs. The young Ragnvald quickly rose through the ranks, often substituting as a commander whenever Lee Sun was absent from the field of battle. One battle that had a rather profound effect on Ragnvald's life was the Battle of Hjoldenskoffel during the Nyrheim Northern War. Ragnvald was not a commander for this battle, and instead partook directly in the defense of Hjoldenskoffel's walls. During the battle as fire raged around the keep, a Svarling warrior caught Ragnvald by surprise and slashed the left side of his face. Ragnvald's eye was destroyed and he temporarily was unable to fight, but thanks to the intervention of fellow Norlandic soldiers, Ragnvald was able to stand himself up and slay the Svarling by stabbing through it's mouth.
Adult life
By the time Ragnvald was 18, he had already fathered his first bastard son by a Skanarri tribeswoman. Rather than reject or disown the child, Ragnvald took him as his own and gave him the name Ingvar Eiriksson Ruric. Around this time, he had also allegedly began a romantic relationship with Friedrich Bishop (Who was the runaway son of Henry Bishop). Ragnvald did his best to keep his relationship with Friedrich secret for fear of ruining his public image, yet this constantly led to him and Friedrich arguing about the status of their relationship. Nonetheless, Ragnvald's career would only continue.
When entering his early 20s, the young Ruric began to drink regularly for events within and outside Norlandic territory. These drinking habits would often lead to instances of Ragnvald siring more children, which led to the births of Astrid, Einar, and Torstein Ruric throughout his early 20s. Ragnvald's lover Friedrich, tired of Ragnvald's unfaithfulness, confronted Ragnvald about his unhealthy habits. According to one source, Friedrich allegedly said "You will end up just like your Father." Despite his previous unfaithfulness, Ragnvald was convinced to give up drinking as a habit and over time was able to repair his relationship with Friedrich.
Despite often being tied up with work in the Ashguard, Ragnvald had sworn to never abandon his children and so did his best to be present for them. He would often take his eldest two, Ingvar and Astrid, on hunting or fishing trips. He would give gifts, tell stories, and do whatever he could when he had the time to do so. However, as work in the Ashguard intensified due to the many wars that the Kingdom of Norland caught itself in, his time with his children became more and more strained. This would only increase after the resignation of Marshal Lee Sun, and the Council's decision to make Ragnvald the new Marshal of Norland.
Tenure as Marshal (54 S.A. - 70 S.A.)
The War of the Wigs had began the year before Ragnvald was made Marshal, and at the age of 26 was now responsible for leading the Norlandic war effort. At the time of Ragnvald's ascension to Marshal, the Ashguard's membership and participation was at an all time low. Ragnvald quickly issued reforms to the Ashguard that included new ranks, retirement plans for veterans, and other benefits for members of the Ashguard. Slowly but surely the Ashguard membership increased, and Ragnvald was finally confident that Norland could effectively contribute to the war effort. As the Ashguard marched to meet other Tripartite armies at the Siege of Southbridge however, the Army faced logistical errors and was forced to turn back to Varhelm before they could effectively participate in the Siege. By the time the Norlandic forces were finally ready to set out, the Siege had already been won by the Tripartite Accord.
Nonetheless, Ragnvald marched the Norlandic army into Urguani territory in anticipation of an Imperial counter-offensive, and his Norlandic forces joined in the Sacking of Stone Tower when the Ferrymen attempted to utilize the old tower to sabotage Urguani supplies.
This Battle proved to be a morale booster for Norlandic forces, as although they had missed the start of the war, they were able to stand side-by-side with their Tripartite comrades. There was also a severe amount of bad blood between the Norlandic and Ferrymen armies, as the Ferrymen had consistently harassed and raided Norlandic settlements even prior to the outbreak of the War. Therefore, the Battle allowed many of the Norlanders to achieve what they felt was well-deserved vengeance for what they saw as years of strife.
Reign (70 S.A. - 80 S.A.)
W.I.P
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Marriage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ingvar Eiriksson Ruric | 21th of the Grand Harvest, 45 S.A | Alive | Unmarried | First son of Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric. |
| Astrid Eiriksson Ruric | 20th of the First Seed, 47 S.A | Dead | Oliver Black | First Daughter of Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric |
| Einar Eiriksson Ruric | 15th of the Deep Cold, 49 S.A | Alive | Unmarried | Second son of Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric, Twin of Torstein |
| Torstein Eiriksson Ruric | 15th of the Deep Cold, 49 S.A | Alive | Unmarried | Third son of Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric, Twin of Einar |
| Six Eiriksson Ruric | 13th of The Grand Harvest, 67 S.A | Alive | Unmarried | Fourth son of Ragnvald Eiriksson Ruric |
