The Jarldom of Ystmarhavn
By Geoff Gander
Overheard in the Valdisheim town hall, Qeodhar:
"Idunn, pass me another flagon of ale, if you would. I've a long tale to tell tonight, and I need my throat to be quenched before I begin...
"Ah, good. So, my lads, think you're brave? You think you're strong, quick, agile, and possessed of a true warrior's heart? Tell me then, Olaf, would you stare down Thanatos Himself if He came for you? Would you, Gulda, look Hel in the face, laugh at Her, and down your ale as if She did not matter? I didn't think so. Now lads, you think you're tough, do you? You think you've got the strength to show louts like Baron Norlan what power is all about, do you? Well, let me tell you about a real warrior, a man who founded a great nation, of which you are the heirs. Let me tell you of Bjorn, and of Ystmarhavn...
"Long, long ago, before even your greatest of great grandparents were born, this island that we call home, Qeodhar, was inhabited by a people known as the Yanifey. They were a fair, lithe people, skilled at sailing the seas and in crafting great works of art from wood and stone. It is said that these people had great nations on Alphatia, to the south, before even those otherworldly people came here so long ago. Regardless, from what we know in our songs and our tales, they lived here for a long time, before anyone else was here.
"So these people would have stayed here if it were not for our own people, the sons and daughters of Odin, Thor, Frey, and Freja. We came east over the seas in those ancient days, for reasons unknown to us now. Some elders say, that in those days a great evil stalked our old homeland, and we could not stay if we hoped to live. Others say that our forefathers were the true jarls of our old nation, and they fled because of a civil war they could not win.
"So it was that, years ago, that we were led here by Bjorn One-Arm, our great jarl, and founder of Ystmarhavn. Bjorn, as I have told you before, was a great warrior. It was Bjorn who wrestled a grizzly bear in his youth when it threatened his family, which he saved at the cost of his left arm.
It was also Bjorn who, though one-handed, could split a man in twain with his battleaxe, which he wielded with the strength and skill of a man with both arms. Thus as our longships came upon the western shores of that island, the mighty Bjorn led our bravest warriors into the fray, so that we could take these fair lands for ourselves.
"All our tales say that the Yanifey were weak and divided when we came. They could not long stand against us, and we strode west to east across the land, and gained much in land and wealth. Many a Yanifey town and fort burned in those years, as we drove our enemies before us. Because we were so mighty, the island was ours before five turnings of the seasons had passed since our first landing, and thus Bjorn named our new land 'Ystmarhavn'.
"Many, many years passed, and Bjorn's children proved to be as strong as their great father. Some went south and founded new realms for our people on what is now Alphatia, while others returned to the west, in the hopes of retaking their lost homes. Little was ever heard from these brave sons of Bjorn. Those who remained in Ystmarhavn built a strong nation, one which struck fear in the hearts of the surviving Yanifey on the mainland and those living in the Yanniveys to the east. Truly we were the lords of the seas!
"Then one day, some eight hundred years after Bjorn's great victory, or so the stories say, there came in the south a new people - the Alphatians.
These were not the Alphatians we know today; these people were brave, they were true warriors, and they followed a mighty wizard named Jarastharram.
Under his guidance they founded the kingdom of Argonath, and with these people we traded peacefully, for we respected their prowess in battle and in magic.
"So the centuries passed, and we feared not the men of Argonath; nor did we fear the Yanifey of the east. There are tales of great dwarvish kingdoms to the far northeast, in Skothar, which our warriors tried to bring low, but failed. Many times our longships sailed towards the Yannivey Islands, there to do battle with the locals and take what riches they had. Many times, too, a brave young warrior would lead his men westwards to the Lost Lands, there to regain for all what was taken away - seldom did these men ever return.
"But then the men of Argonath lost their warrior hearts. Jarastharram was a brave man, sound of mind and body, but when he vanished, his realm soon broke into a thousand pieces as every lordling sought to carve out his own domain, and there to rule supreme. Thus it was that Assambura broke away in the east, and as we had no treaty with them as we did with what remained of Argonath, we took to looting and burning the rich ports of that new kingdom.
Ah, plunder was said to be bountiful in those days! As this came to pass, so we began to lose our respect for Argonath, fallen as it was.
"Little did we know at that time that there were other men, further south.
It was long known that there were strange lands beyond Argonath, filled with forbidding woods and mighty towers, as well as fearsome monsters, but seldom did we sail beyond the northern ports of Argonath. But as time passed the boldest among us rounded Bjorn's Cape, and went among the waves to a land known as Alphatia. Like the Argonathians, the Alphatians were mighty in magic, only moreso. Seeing their strength, we traded with them and nothing more. In time, the Alphatians came to us, saying that they would trade with us greater riches than we could possibly have imagined. And so it was that, by the time Audun the Mighty reigned supreme in the Great Hall of Jarls in Bjornheim, that we no longer dealt with Argonath, and instead allied ourselves with the growing empire of Alphatia.
"All is fair in war, and the Argonathians were sorely dismayed to see our longships descend upon their ports. Aye, many a happy warrior of Ystmarhavn sailed hone in those days laden with treasure for their families, and many slaves as well! While Argonath felt our lust for plunder and battle, so Assambura, too, suffered our wrath. In those latter days, about 800 years ago, the brave Yorl and his thirty stalwart henchmen descended upon Raath, capital of Assambura, and there they slew the last king of that nation, and burnt his palace to the ground.
"Ah, but how foolish we were! We had thought, in the heat of battle, that the Alphatians would honour their commitment to leave us alone, so long as we did not molest their shipping. Such was not to be. It was not long afterwards that mighty Alphatian skyships sailed over the waters close to Ystmarhavn, and soon enough they sailed over our land, and their emperor began to make more demands upon our jarl, Kjodar. He would not submit, and soon we found those Yanifey, of whom we had made such sport so long ago, armed against us, driven forth by the Alphatian dogs themselves. Although we could easily have massacred the frail Yanifey to a man, they were supported by those foul wizards, and they brought us low at the Battle of Bjornheim.
"Afterwards, our island was renamed 'Northrock', and later still it was named 'Qeodhar' by the victors, and a great many of us were forced to live on the unforgiving northern shores of the island, there to suffer and die, or so they hoped! The Yanifey and Alphatian lapdogs who would one day sire Baron Norlan, may Odin curse his soul, inflicted all the things due the vanquished, but far, far worse. They scattered the children of Ystmarhavn far and wide, to the mines of Esterhold, as slaves in Alphatia proper, and as fodder in their battles. But we have not been broken! The fire of Ystmarhavn still burns, and one day, my children, we will rise up once more, and the blood of Bjorn One-Arm will flow true!
"So, my young ones, now you know of Bjorn, of Ystmarhavn, and of your birthright which was cruelly taken from you so long ago. Do not forget what has happened."
Overheard at a lecture at the University of Wendar:
"As you have been made aware in past lectures, the history of Alphatia is not nearly so flawless as some would have you believe. We have discussed the histories of Argonath and Ilmaryll, based on such fragmentary records that remain. We also know a small amount about the lost nation of Ystmarhavn, which existed on the island we now call "Qeodhar", but not nearly as much as those other two nations I have mentioned.
"We are on somewhat better footing concerning the realms founded by Ystmarhavner explorers in the centuries following the founding of that land, believed to be sometime between BC 1400 and BC 1000. My examinations, conducted in the Alphatian port city of Ybod in 998, have found conclusive evidence of simple fortifications and longhouses. Later examinations revealed these ruins, buried beneath modern Ybod, to be the port of Tyrshavn, reportedly founded circa BC 800 by the Ystmarhavner warlord known as Haakon the Mighty. Several songs recount the tale of Haakon's voyage to mainland Alphatia from Ystmarhavn in search of land and bounty, and of the numerous battles he fought against the Yanifey lordlings known to have inhabited those lands at that time.
"We know that Haakon's realm initially centred on Tyrshavn, but it is known that he quickly extended his realm to the east and the south, along the coasts. His successors continued this tradition of expansion, and, by the time Haakon's great-grandson - Olaf - died circa BC 719, the jarldom of Østheim stretched from Tyrshavn in the north toVyksland (Azafez) in the south, and inland as far as the Kerothar Mountains. It was a powerful realm by all accounts of that time; even in the earliest accounts of Argonath, some 300 years later, there are tales of the great battle prowess of the warriors of Østheim, who sold their swords to any who offered enough gold.
"While Østheim was still in its infancy, other realms were being founded by other Ystmarhavners, further south. Some 150 years after Haakon achieved his first victory against the Yanifey, Ylsa of the Sharpened Blade conquered the citadel of Terkyn, and renamed it Grønborg. Her dominion, also named Grønborg, occupied much of what is now coastal Trollhattan, while her own fortress was centred on what is now Torpes.
"Between these two jarldoms, a third colony was formed circa BC 600, under the rule of Tarald the Black. His jarldom, Markland, was centred on the port of Taraldsstad, which today is in ruins, and extended as far east as the Kerothar Mountains, as well. Lying between the other two jarldoms, Markland's history, as much as we know of it, was one of constant vigilance along its borders.
"For some 200 years after the founding of Markland, circa BC 400, the three jarldoms maintained an uneasy truce between them. Founded by different rulers at different times, the three nations are believed to have conducted their affairs in a likewise different manner. Grønborg is described in songs from that day as being highly belligerent, making frequent raids upon Markland to the north. Østheim maintained ties with Ystmarhavn, but largely ignored its other neighbours. Markland, ignored by Østheim to the north, and under frequent attack by Grønborg, fought often to maintain its borders. It is believed that, many times, successions were frequently contested, and there is evidence that all three jarldoms experienced their share of civil wars. This became especially prevalent after BC 200, when all three dynasties had suffered the loss of heirs and heiresses. During this time of decline, there were numerous claims to the thrones.
"Adding to these problems were the increasing tensions between Argonath and Alphatia, as well as the fall of Ilmaryll. With open warfare erupting to the east, the three jarldoms were increasingly threatened by a growing Alphatia. Emperors at that time sent envoys, requesting the use of naval facilities in their efforts to conquer Argonath, but they refused, saying they would fight to retain their independence. So it was that, according to almost forgotten Alphatian documents circa BC 100, Grønborg was invaded by Alphatia from the south. Though the defenders fought with great ferocity, they could not hold their positions, as surviving records report the conquest of much of that nation, leaving only the port of Grønborg and its environs free. Alphatian accounts from that time testify to a great series of fortifications stretching across the peninsula, beyond which the Alphatians could not penetrate.
"Responses in Markland were those of panic. Several lesser jarls pledged fealty to Alphatia, in the hopes that their lands would be spared, while the King at that time, Sven, appealed to Østheim for aid. Within ten years of the invasion of Grønborg, Markland had been reduced to a collection of feuding dominions, some receiving support from Alphatia in their efforts to gain power at the expense of their neighbours. Those in the north did not protest when Østheim annexed them to secure more defensive positions, while southern territories became Alphatian puppet states. By BC 70, as conventional sources indicate, Markland ceased to exist.
"We must now consider the delicate position of Østheim. Though the centuries, its ties with Ystmarhavn became more sporadic as the latter nation turned increasingly to piracy, sometimes even raiding its own former colony! Argonath to the east was rapidly disintegrating under sustained Alphatian invasions, and almost all contact with Grønborg had been lost after the invasion of that land. Markland, always a weak nation, was no longer worth considering after BC 100. One surviving tale from that time tells of 200 bold sailors who headed west, over what is now the Alphatian Sea, in search of new lands, while another tells of migrations to what is now Helskir on the Isle of Dawn. So it was that, by BC 60, that last former colony of Ystmarhavn faced the might of Alphatia. The eastern lands near the Kerothar Mountains fell first, with waves of refugees likely fleeing to Tyrshavn and Vyksland. Over a period of several years, the battle lines slowly ground westwards, towards the coast. The warriors of Østheim had no doubt studied the previous invasions, as surviving military records in Alphatian archives attest. The Østheimers were described as ferocious fighters who easily felled two men for every one man they lost, though the Alphatians had numbers and magic on their side.
"By BC 50, the Alphatians were massed just beyond the eastern hinterlands of Tyrshavn and Vyksland. So desperate had the Østheimers become that they sent scouts to Grønborg to seek help. Only one account exists from that time describing what was found. Apparently, the entire city was deserted, even though the Alphatians had erected several fortifications beyond the imposing defensive wall. No trace existed of the inhabitants, an the Alphatians were preparing for a massive assault. By the time the expedition had returned to Vyksland, circa BC 49, the Alphatians had overrun Tyrshavn, and were proceeding southwards along the coast, systematically eliminating all opposition.
"By BC 48, Vyksland was under siege, the last portion of Østheim free of Alphatian rule. The last king of that realm, Harald, had apparently decided to lead what remained of his people to freedom. Thus, one night a vast flotilla of longships crashed through an Alphatian naval blockade, and sailed westwards. Only the weak, and those wishing to fight for their homes, remained behind. The very next day, the last of the colonies in Alphatia was conquered. As for Harald and his followers, no one knows where they might have gone. Records in the west were not very accurate in those times, though there is a possibility that he might have made it to safety. Such things are the subject of speculation.
"Well, class, I hope you have found this lecture edifying, and perhaps I shall see some fine scholarly research before our classes recess for the midwinter festivals. Dismissed!"
DM Notes:
Ystmarhavn was furthest extent eastward of the Antalian culture that dominated northern Brun from circa BC 2500 to BC 1000. The people who would one day inhabit Ystmarhavn left their homes in what is now the Great Bay region of Norwold around BC 1400, in the aftermath of a brutal period of civil war, one of many which sapped the strength of the Antalian people following their great defeat at the hands of Loark's horde in BC 1722.
They trekked eastwards, over the sea to what is now Qeodhar around BC 1300, where, under the guidance of Bjorn One-Arm, they displaced the indigenous Yanifey people. Within 20 years after their landing, the entire island was theirs, and they named it "Ystmarhavn". The period that followed was one marked by exploration, further conquest, and bold attempts to reclaim their ancestral homes,which by this time were occupied by the Littonians during one of their own expansions. Some petty jarldoms were founded on the northwestern coast of what is now Frisland, and some Ystmarhavner explorers sailed as far east as the Bay of Thorin.
The Ystmarhavner colonies of Østheim, Markland, and Grønborg were founded after BC 800, when adventursome warriors sailed south in search of more plunder and land. Østheim was founded in that year, and until BC 400 enjoyed a period on almost uninterrupted expansion. Its warriors became well known as mercenaries, hiring themselves out to the Ystmarhavners, the Argonathians, and even the Alphatians on occasion - whoever offered the most gold. Blessed with good fishing and fair soils, Østheim was the most powerful of the three jarldoms. It was their inferior numbers, and their lack of magic prowess, that led to their failure against the Alphatians in BC 48. Østheim's rulers had become somwhat decadent after BC 400, but not nearly so corrupt as many of the Alphatian nobles at that time. As a result, Østheim's initial borders were maintained until its collapse after BC 60.
After the fall of Østheim, Harald led his people to Ostland, where they were welcomed warmly by their distant kindred. They remained distinct until AC 150, after which they had adopted local ways. Earlier groups settled in Norwold and Helskir, where they quickly blended into the local population.
In BC 650, Ylsa founded the realm of Grønborg, which, though it was sparsely populated, more than made up for this weakness through the ferociousness of its warriors. The soldiers of Grønborg did not sell their services, and they did not seek to expand beyond what could be easily held. Though frequent raids were made on Markland, Grønborg did not try to give cause for its strong neighbours to invade it. This delicate position did not prevent the Alphatian invasion of BC 116, which saw all but the city of Grønborg itself fall to the invaders, though the Alphatians lost over 10,000 men in doing so. Thanks to the formidable defences of that city, the Alphatians could never conquer it, and instead were put on the defensive on several occasions as Grønborg soldiers conducted numerous raids against them. Between BC 109 and BC 72, Alphatia was actually forced to pull back several miles from the city, so ferocious were the attacks. The Alphatians still had numbers and magic on their side, which eventually pushed the defenders back into Grønborg proper by BC 68.
Realizing that the end was near, Cnute, the king at that time, ordered the evacuation of Grønborg. Slowly but surely, the populace fled the city, leaving the soldiers behind to hold off the Alphatians. Fortunately, the Alphatians had suffered enough casualties in fighting against Grønborg to make them cautious, as well as careless; Grønborg had resisted so long that few soldiers stationed there ever paid it much attention. By BC 62, the last cityfolk had left, and by BC 59, the last of the soldiers silently departed, leaving the Alphatians besieging an abandoned city for nine years. It is a credit to rampant zzonga addiction among the Alphatian officers that such a ploy was able to work. The refugees from Grønborg settled in what is now Norwold, Dunadale, and Ostland.
Markland was the least powerful of the three colonies. Established in BC 600 at Taraldsstad, Markland was always preyed upon by its stronger neighbours, and, after the death of Tarald in BC 582, was riven with internal strife. Marklanders paid fealty to whomever was dominant in their own regions, whether they were Alphatian, from Grønborg, or from Østheim. This worsened after BC 200, when there were so many claims to the throne that civil was the norm. Between BC 103 and BC 94, several petty jarldoms in northern Markland, making up almost one-third of its territory, were annexed by Østheim. At the same time, southern dominions were falling under the control of Alphatia. In the centre, a thin belt of neutral land, owned by the descendants of Tarald, separated the two powers. As a result, Markland was frequently a battleground between Alphatia and Østheim. The last vestiges of this realm vanished in BC 78, when the city of Taraldsstad was utterly destroyed during fighting between Alphatia, Østheim, and surviving Marklander soldiers.
Alphatia, for its own part, had gained new lands, and several thousand slaves, which were quickly dispersed throughout the empire. The lands that it gained were marginal compared to its more southerly territories, and the Antalian slaves proved willful and treacherous, eager to take vengeance on the people who conquered them. Many were sent to the newly-established colony of Esterhold, to work as farmers, while others were abandoned on the coasts of what would become Norwold, which at that time was unclaimed. In all, Alphatia lost almost 19,000 soldiers in its conquest of the three jarldoms.
Around BC 500, the renegade Alphatian wizard, Jarastharram, came north with almost 25,000 followers to found the kingdom of Argonath. Ystmarhavn traded peacefully with the nation, warred with the remaining Yanifey tribes in the region, tried unsuccessfully to conquer the dwarves of Skothar, and otherwise ruled the northern seas until the first signs of Argonath's fall around BC 96, during which eastern Argonath seceded to become Assambura. Since Ystmarhavn had concluded no peace with this nation, Assambura suffered countless raids for over a century. Likewise, the Ystmarhavners saw that the growing Alphatian empire to the south would soon dominate the region, and so they shifted their trade to that empire, as opposed to Argonath, and in fact they soon raided that nation as well. Then, in AC 213, the Ystmarhavner warrior Yorl and his men killed the last king of Assambura during a raid on its capital, plunging that nation into anarchy. Soon, it was annexed by the expanding Alphatian empire, which had been steadily advancing northward during this time.
If the people of Ystmarhavn thought they were safe, they were wrong. During Alphatia's conquest of Argonath, the Antalian jarldoms which had been founded on the northwestern coast of Alphatia proper were conquered as well.
By AC 350, Alphatian skyships were sailing over Ystmarhavn, secretly mapping its terrain and locating its important settlements. Emmissaries from the empire were also trying to force Ystmarhavn into the fold. Kjodar would have none of it, and in AC 389 a combined force of Yanifey and Alphatian soldiers landed in several places along the southern coast and, within two years, conquered the island. The northern Yanifey had long been subjugated by the Alphatians, but they were proving to be unwilling slaves. The emperor at the time decided to make an offer to them - if they swore allegiance to Alphatia, and helped conquer it, they would receive Ystmarhavn, and be allowed to live there.
In the aftermath, an Alphatian-Yanifey succession began, which by AC 500 saw Qeodhar join the Alphatian empire. The Ystmarhavners suffered many casualties in the conquest and the subsequent atrocities, committed largely by Yanifey soldiers eager for revenge. In all, about one-fifth of the population died during the invasion and the massacres, and one-third of the survivors were deported to Esterhold and Alphatia for lives of servitude. Those who were allowed to remain were forced to live in the most inhospitable regions of the island, such as the northern shore. Over the following generations, as well, many able-bodied Ystmarhavners were drafted into the Alphatian army, to serve as expendable soldiers in the wars against Thyatis and the Alasiyans.
Today, the Antalian-descended inhabitants of Qeodhar make up roughly one-third of the population, and even today they still suffer poor treatment at the hands of the authorities. It is only a matter of time before the bravest of these embattled people try once more to reclaim their island for their own.