House Skjol
House Skjol was loathed to be conquered and bow down to the Wolf Throne several decades prior. With the death of Queen Lufir Elturandis, Naerfi Skjol, the current head of House Skjol, has taken the opportunity to gather his forces and has declared his hold, Algzul, free from the Elturian Kingdom. Those that follow him have taken the name of The Skjollir. House Skjol has kept a hold on the region through tactical might and efficient military training. Several bandit lords have attempted to seize the Alboldir valley from House Skjol, but they are continuously routed. Naerfi Skjol has recently convinced the local bandit clans (known as the Virmen) to fall under his banner, earning the name of the "bandit king." Naerfi believes that his house should not need to bow down to any throne, let alone one so far away, across the Turian Straight.
The people of the Alboldir valley, much like those in the wider Elturian Kingdom, are fiercely independent in day to day life. However, they are incredibly loyal to House Skjol. Before their submission to the Elturian Kingdom, the dwarves of Ther Boldir openned the stone gates of their stronghold to conquer part of the valley for resources. The Skjol pushed them back into their mountain, and the people of the valley have sworn fealty to House Skjol ever since. This led to another point of contention with the Wolf Throne.
When Lufir Elturandis came to the Alboldir Valley, she came as a conquerer. However, after she had shown her force to be the superior and House Skjol regrettably bent a knee, she made a deal with the dwarves of Ther Boldir. Her druid advisor showed the dwarves how to cultivate food and water in the depths of their mountain stronghold, in exchange for a favor to be called upon in a time of need. The people of House Skjol and Algzul were appalled at her decision and have held a grudge ever since.
Goals
The brutal great house seeks to preserve the freedom of its people and their ways of life. They believe that the Elturian Kingdom is little more than a conquerer, and with the help of the Virmen they now have enough of a military force to challenge them. Naerfi Skjol will stop at nothing to see the Wolf Throne toppled. After they solidify their rule on the known region, House Skjol wishes to marshal its forces and batter down the stone walls of Ther Boldir, in retribution for all the dwarves took from them so long ago.Though the Virmen have sworn their allegiance to House Skjol, there is still a great deal of lawless activity within the Alboldir Valley. There are some within House Skjol that disdain the Virmen's methods, while others undersatand that they are a necesary evil and that perhaps they can be civilized. Whether the Virmen continue along their path or turn on House Skjol remains to be seen.
People of Interest
Legion Lord Naerfi Skjol, the "Bandit King"
Chaotic Good, Male Hobgoblin A brash man with little patience, Naerfi Skjol does what he must to ensure his people are taken care of. Even if it means allying with the Virmen. Naerfi's father passed away several years prior and made him promise that their house would not be relegated to the annals of history and to take the Wolf Throne away from the "Pup" that calls herself queen. He intents to do just that. His people have suffered under her taxes and tarifs, and she hardly makes herself known to his people. He believes that the kingdoms should stand united in military in case there is an outside threat, but they should not be giving their resources to some far off despot. In his youth Naerfi spent some time training with the Arc-Breakers, along with training with some of the best swordsmen in the region. He is a renowned duelist, and known for being able to cut down any mage that has challenged him. He has had dreams lately of something calling to him, what it is he isn't sure. But there is a pull for him, somewhere passed the Expanse.Lady Eahl Skjol
Neutral Good, Female Hobgoblin The wife to Naerfi, High Lady Eahl Skjol is a devout follower of Solmithra and a tempering voice for her passionate Husband. She does not agree with him allying with the savage rat folk, but she understands his desperation. She tries to serve as the guiding light for her people, and that her powers granted to her by Solmithra are proof that their cause is just. When she is not at her husband's side, she spends time in the infirmary spending time with soldiers helping to tend to their wounds, both with and without magic. She longs for the conflict to settle so that there is peace in the land and they can settle down and have a proper family.General Mrag'ael Skjol
Lawful Evil, Male Hobgoblin Brother to Naerfi, Mrag'ael's tactical mind is unparralelled within Elturia. He was pleased when he learned that the Virmen would be joining their ranks. Even though they would need to be kept seperate form the main force since they cause unease within the main force, they have proven to be valuable in recent battles. Mrag'ael does not believe that his brother should hold back so much. In his eyes they should be already crossing the straight in order to take Aldhon, believing they have enough to take the city. However, he does not mind spending some time pillaging the lands around Aldhon and sowing some fear into the populace. Mrag'ael continues to look for any signs of weakness in his brother, hoping to take his place as the Legion Lord. He dare not challenge him outright, however. Mrag'ael may have the best tactical mind among them, he knows that his brother is by far the superior fighter.Bookkeeper J'aka Gna
Lawful Neutral, Female Goblin A frazzled albino goblin, Bookkeeper J'aka Gna is constantly going and hardly ever sleeps. Their unparrallelled efficiency, attention to detail, as well as knack for finding weaknesses in an enemy just from looking at records has caused Naerfi Skjol to set them in charge of all the records required to run House Skjol and its armies. Naerfi will also bring almost every bit of captured correspondence or records to J'aka to see if they can learn anything from it.Linebreaker Bolso Bronzecap
Lawful Neutral, Male Minotaur The army's best fighter and bulwark of the front lines, the presence of the Linebreaker on any battlefield helps bolster morale. The powers granted to him by Godreki have been a huge boon in the recenty battles against the Elts. He was single handedly responsible for pushing through the initial defenses at Mralgir, bringing down the city gate that led to their victory.Skilliexx Kraw
Chaotic Evil, Female Virmen The Virmen of the Alboldir Valley have been a thorn in House Skjol for some time, extorting people on the roads, stealing game, and stealing food from farmsteads. All of that changed when Naerfi Skjol challenged the previous Skilliexx and won. Now an attentive and crafty Virmen, Kraw, has become the new Skilliexx of her people. She comes accross as crazy to those around her, her eyes constantly darting from place to place. However, she is just taking in everything around her all at once. She nows that they are numerous, and that House Skjol can bring them enough food to feed her brood as long as they fight in their armies. If they don't, Skilliexx kraw will have no qualms turning on House Skjol when the time suits them.
"Taggak Mrug Vethol" - Strength Comes from Within
Founding Date
134 A.F.
Type
Geopolitical, Great house
Alternative Names
Skulls, The Skjollir
Demonym
Skjollir
Leader
Location
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Conscripted
With the sacking of Mralgir, many of the Arc-Breakers have been conscripted into the Skjollir army.
I love this article, so much detail! What will House Skjol do if they manage to topple the Wolf Throne? Is it purely a destructive move, or do they wish to take it for themselves?
Thank you so much! Naerfi Skjol's ideals push him to want to let the many holds be their own city states again. However, he is currently having dreams/impulses (haven't fully fleshed it out yet) of something compelling him to take the seat of power for himself.
Oh that's so exciting! The pull of power is a difficult one to ignore.
There is definitely that, I am not sure if he will be able to resist it. But I kind of want to leave it open so that if it gets there with my players they can have a hand in that decision.