High King Ebbe

High King Ebbe Falfirssen, Krieger

High King Ebbe Falfirssen Krieger was the Jarl of Kriegerholm and third High King of the short lived Sixth Kingdom of Aedrinar. Considered the worst king in Aedrinaran history, Ebbe's mismanagement of the realm, failure to defeat rebellions, and feud with King Knut has seen his name go down as one of history's greatest losers.
Born to the prestigious and ancient house of Krieger, the founders of the city of Kriegerholm, to the respected and stewardly Falfnir Krieger as one the only child to survive past the age of 5, Ebbe would be the last living member of house Krieger and see the proud and noble family wiped out of existence leading to Kriegerholm's current Five House system and the diminishing of the city as a key capital in Aedrinar.'

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

Ebbe was born to Jarl Falfnir Krieger and Jura Dragontooth in circa 2202, 2a during the latter years of High King Olaf II's reign. Ebbe was the third child born to the couple of numerous false pregancies and was the only child to live past the age 6 as his older sibling, Rollo, would die of sudden onset wetlung when Ebbe was 2 years old. A final pregancy resulted in a younger sister named Sigrunn to die at 6 months old, leaving Ebbe as the only heir to the House of Krieger bar a distant cousin named Anya.

Ebbe lived a life of luxery and was coddled due to his position as the only heir to a noble house, with later chronicles saying this contributed to his 'continental sense of misplaced arrogance and self-improtance.' The chronicler of King Knut, Storri the Skald, wrote that Ebbe was a 'curel and pernicious rat baby who was told he could never err.'
Ebbe is believed to have received some basic combat training with more focus placed on education as a ruler and politician. Non verifiable sources and common folklore beleive that Ebbe refused a warrior's education as his 'bloodline' granted him all the skill and knowledge he needed.
Ebbe was also live to witness the final stages of rebuilding Kriegerholm after it's sack in 2188 by Olaf II, with the effort being led by his father and uncle. By the time he was of age, the city was largely restored and booming thanks to new trade links with the capital of High King Ivar I in Oskunstrond.

Jarl of Kriegerholm

Ebbe was nominated as one of three candidates for the position of Jarl of Kriegerholm upon his father's death alongside Magnar Saltsby in 2223, a local thane and owner of salt panning lands, and his cousin Anya Krieger, a travelling adventurer and raider. Magnar withdrew himself and Ebbe is beleived to have one through bribery of local families. Anya would return to her adventuring life, dying 4 years later fighting in the Vale of the Elves, leaving Ebbe as the last Krieger.
As Jarl, Ebbe was able to grow wealthy and gain a high status as Kriegerholm's riches from trade and manufacturing grew, becoming a more economically powerful city than it's traditional rival in Lastlight. In 2225 he married Nilfi the Fair of house Spear-Breaker. The two would have a single child, a daughter named Thordis in 2229. Ebbe became famous for his grand feasts and parties, inviting key jarls, thanes, and notable figures to Kriegerholm and often using to oppertunity to strike lucrative trade deals or discounts for the most important guests.

High King

When Ivar I of house Warthunder died in 2230 a kingsmoot was called in Oskunstrond , Ivar's former capital. Ebbe's use of trade deals orchestrated through his grand feasts had earned him the support of half the jarls and thanes. The other half united behind a single candidate, the son of the late king, Lief Ivarssen. Amongst those who supported Lief were House Winter-Shield, house Einmanbjorn of Einmanfjell, the houses of Drekenheim and the Jarl of Sudureyja. Ebbe would get a crucial last minute vote, giving him a majority, when the Thane of Haegafjar transfered their vote to him.
Ebbe organized a grand coronation tournament and feast in Kriegerholm to take place a month after his appointment as king, inviting as many nobles as he could. Lief did accept the invitation, accepting his deafeat in the moot, as did many of Ebbe's other opponents. It was at this celebration that is was noted how many of the warriors Ebbe faced in the tournament were already old and past their time or 'clearly faking' their falls to him as if to exell his glory. At the main feast the new king also got drunk on Marcian Wine and loudly insulted and demeaned Jarl Lief Ivarssen, prompting the Jarl of Drekenheim and his supports to storm out the city and kill five soldiers of House Krieger on their way out.

Dragon Uprisings

After departing Kriegerholm, Leif and his allies began attacking Krieger supporters and territories. Ebbe's slow response would lead to a full blown rebellion withing 3 months of him being elected king. The Dragon Uprisings, led by Lief Ivarssen Warthuder saw all of Drekenheim and Einmanfjell rise up against Ebbe with the intent of installing Lief has high king.
The Uprisings saw Ebbe fail to fully rout Lief's supporters, on Drekenheim or Einmnafjell despite constant attacks and sieges on its settlements and forts. Ebbe also failed to even land on Einmanfjell after his intial invasion fleet, led by his wife, was sunk by Knut Einmanbjorn. The uprisings would last well into 2241. Kriegerholm, Ebbe's capital, was supposedly raided by Knut during these uprisings, with his famed longship, The Fist of Thor, crashing through the Sea gates and pillaging the royal keep whilst Ebbe was fighting in Drekenheim.
The longer the Dragon Uprising continued, the more other Jarls saw Ebbe as weak. The creation of a peace treaty between the rebel houses and Kriegerholm prompted larger rebellions in response as the Wintershields declared themselves Kings of the North, the Stormbarers rebelled in favour of a new king, and House Dragontooth fought to install one of their own house members in Ebbe’s place.

2240s-50s

Ebbe's mid reign did not go much better than his early reign. The Northern Hold was all but lost bar some small territory regained around the River Berj and peace was only secured with the Dragontooths by a pay off of gold. Ebbe remarried into a local house, taking Hulga Bearpelt as his new wife and concieved a single child, named after himself.
Smaller rebellions and challenges from members of the Aedrinaran houses continued throughout the 20 years, with rebellions in the eastern isles, a Stormbarer uprising over taxes, a raid from the Jotun on the western hold, and increased levels of banditry and popular revolt as poverty and famine spread throughout a war torn realm.
The mid 2050s would see wide scale rebellion break out again as the Wintershields pushed into the Western and Southern holds, the Dragontooth rebellion restarted, and an indignant Lief Warthunder attacked royal ships with his dragon fleet. To try and prove his strength, in 2261 Ebbe broke the peace treaty between himself and House Einmnabjorn, raiding Einmanfjell and sacking its capital in Halfreign, slaughtering the Jarl and his family bar a young Knut who was on his adventures in the southern seas at the time.
This action did little to prove his strength, instead he was now seen as an oathbraker and more houses, clans, and regular people turned their back on him seeing even more rebellions and uprising begin.

War with Knut

Knut Einmanbjorn would go onto declare a blood feud with House Krieger and begin amassing forces abroad. Knut returned to Aedrinar in the spring of 2262, landing on his home island of Einmanfjell. After retaking his home, Ebbe did little to react but began to increase the fortifications around Kriegerholm. Knut had begun to gain allies and support and mustered the warriors of Einmanfjell to land in the western hold in dusfkall of 2262 where modern Knut's Landing now stands.
Knut consturcted a small keep on the pensinula and spent the next year battling with the few allies and forces Ebbe had left. At each battle, Ebbe was forced backwards into retreat. Ebbe's usual allies in House Jelling of Westwatch received little aid from the king and felt forced to swear allegiance to Knut isntead, costing Ebbe was few forces he had left.
Ebbe also lost land in the southern hold as Knut put a stranglehold around Kriegerholm. During this time his daugther Thordis deserted her father, casting off his house and taking the title of her mother's house instead and joined Knut's army as it marched on Harehall, gaining the allegaience of neighbouring House Fairhair.
Kriegerholm's impressive rivergates would be breached from both angles alongside its walls being torn down by eastern siege equipment when Knut launched his final push in the summer of 2263. The city was sacked and Ebbe was cornered in his keep and challenged to single combat. The sagas written by Storri the Skald claim that Ebbe was 'had more belief in his axehand than talent in it.' and readily accepted the duel, believing he could easily win. Knut slew Ebbe and took right of claimanance. His wife and young son would die of injuries sustained in the siege a week later, ending the House of Krieger for good.

Species

Human

Honorary & Occupational Titles

High King of Aedrinar:

Reign	2230
	2263
Predecessor	Ivar I
Successor	King Knut (Disputed)
	King Olaf III Kingmaker

Jarl of Kriegerholm

Reign	2223
	2263
Predecessor	Falfir Olafssen Krieger
Successor	Council of Five

Date of Birth

2202, 2e

Date of Death

2263 2e

Circumstances of Death

Defeated by King Knut in combat

Birthplace

Kriegerholm

Place of Death

Kriegerholm

Sex

Male

Gender

Man

Presentation

Masculine