House Winter-Shield

"Do not fear the night - Do not rue the cold- We who guard against winter's bite - Shall forever be your shield

House Winter-Shield (sometimes stylised as Wintershield) is the oldest existing noble house in Aedrinar, outliving all their contemporaries and being the only noble clan to never lose control of their ancestral home in Winterharbour since thier founding. Their lineage is so ancient their foundation date has been lost to time, but was beleived to be in the third or fourth centuries of the first age until Doomed 2 Die disocovered the list of the earliest leaders of Ysgard's Warriors which predated that to at least 3940, me, likely meaning their origin is the latter part of the mythic age at the latest.
The house earned their name through the possession of the Sheild of Thrym, which was used to defeat the forgotten god Auriel in the War of the Aesir. Some oral tradition and local myths in the northern islands and northern hold state that it was the founder of House Wintershield who battled with the gods against Auriel, and his used of a shield to protect Thrym from Auriel's cold rays granted them the honorific title.
House Wintershield has held some position of noble rank since the first age, ruling over the Ravinfjord Valley, initially as a nomadic clan before settling in Winterharbour. The Winterhsields have had six high kings and queens throughout history, starting with Ingrid I in 2867, who signed an alliance with the Sun Elves, and their last recorded ruler being Hjordis Wintersqueen in 2007, 2e.
The Wintershields have also traditionally held the title of Jarl, usually of the whole Northern Hold, but since the Night of the Bear in 1033 the Wintershields lost the title to the Bear Clan who defeated the then Jarl, Karl Winter-Shield, and used the right of conquest to assume his titles. Since then, they have been Thanes of Winterharbour alone.
A planned rebellion against the Bear Clan is being organized by Thane Refid, secretly The Black Fox, an illusive spymaster and lord of intrigue. He has taken an interest in the party as tools for his rebellion.

Members

In total, eight members of the family were killed in their war with the bear clan. As of 1052, there are five surviving members of the family. They still rule Winterharbour and its surrounding territory, and their warriors continued to fight in the 40 year war following their defeat, but the house is on its knes in terms of power and influence.

• Thane Refid Wintershield
• Starkard Wintershield
• Matilda Wintershield

History

With a murky origin lost to time and mired in myth and legend, the earliest record of a Winter-Shield is in 3940, Me, where Evard Wintershield is recorded as the seventh warchied of Ysgard's Warriors. Winterharbour's origins also date to early in the first age as the Wintershields settled down and formed themselves as a house instead of a nomadic clan. Some theories say the Winter-Shields were previously a vildervolken group known as the fox clan, hence their current seal.
During the age of a thousand clans which began after the death of High Queen Astrid I the Dragontamer, the Wintershields became the most powerful house in the north of Aedrinar, ruling a vast swathe of territory under the Jarldom of Winter and instigating and winning multiple blood feuds.
The Winter-Shields then enter the greater historical record in 2867, 1a, when Ingrid I Wintershield is elected by the Kingsmoot to become the High Queen of the Third Kingdom. Regarded as one of the wisest and most honourable rulers of Aedrinar, Ingrid welcomed the Sun Elf Emperor to Winterharbour and likewise travelled to Helion. A famous lost portrait depicts her and the Sun Emperor meeting in Sun Mounts signing their alliance treaty. It was Ingrid's alliance with the elven empire that led to the 'war of the great heroes', or the 'first soulthek war' as it is known to the rest of the world.
Many Wintershields would sail to the continent to battle the forces of Soulthek, and were allegedly present in the battle of Adar where Soulthek was vanquished by the allied forces of man, dragon, elf and dwarf. The aftermath of the war would see the third kingdom collapse, and in the subsquent Age of Iron and Blood the Wintershields did lose some control of key northern territory to begin with but would go on to regain their territory throughout the eight century interregnum. In 812, Ragnar III Wintershield united the entire Aedrinaran realm through diplomacy and trade deals, begining the fourth kingdom, also known as the Winter Kigndom of the Age of the Wintershields.
The Wintershields would have successive high kings and queens from 812-917. Starting with Ragnar III, Rollo III, Astrid II, Karl I, and ending with Geir Wintershield. Geir would be betrayed by the Jarls of the Western Hold, House Coldstar, and saw his title claimed by Ulfgir III, the Usurper. In the century that followed, the Wintershields decalred a blood feud but still participated in the kingdom, with succesive jarls of their house building up their army and influence before launching the Wintersrevenge war in 1010, going to war with the Coldstars and all their allies under the rallying cry of "Remeber King Geir." Ulfgir IV and his family were defeated by the Wintershields, ending the kingdom entirely.
In 1029, 2e, about two and a half thousand years ago, A fleet led by Jarl Stirthir Winter-Shield led a fleet of 13 longships south from Winter Harbour and lanted on the peninsula. He laid siege to the fortress of Southwatch, which was being used by Ulfgir Ulfgirssen Coldstar, the son of High King Ulfgir IV. Several key Coldstar clan members were using the keep for their Council of the Star, a secret group of the most powerful family members.
There was Jara, a warlock of Hel who betrayed her patron by stealing power that wasn’t hers, and daughter of Ulfgir. There was His uncle, Karl, a relentless warrior, his wife, Viv the Mage, a powerful sorceress who had studied at the Miskatonic, and Ulfgir himself.
When the Winter-Shields arrived, Ulfgir hid himself, most of the supplies, and his most elite warriors and family in the keep. Stirthir would break into the town and sack it, burning most of the buildings and destroying most of the walls.
He managed to gain entrance to the hidden underfort, and built a battering ram inside to break down the defences. The Winter-Shields then slaughtered the council, sealing them away. The Court of the Stars had already began a dark pact to try and gain eternal life, but the spell failed, sealing their spirits in the ruins instead.
Doomed 2 Die would later discover these spirits in the ruins of Southwatch when four local children became trapped inside the ruins. As part of their rescue mission, Einar was inhabited by the ghost of Steithir and was aided in finally destroying the Coldstar Clan.
In the aftermath of the Wintersrevenge, the Coldstar line was completely eradicated, their name living on only in monuments within their former town of Westwatch. Although not ruling as kings, the Wintershields as 'Kings of Winter' continued to hold massive influence over the rest of Aedrinar during this time. This 900 year long interregnum was named after their role in ending the previous kingdom and continued influence of the realm post collapse by calling it the Age of Long Winter.
The Wintershields were defeated by Haarold II of Lastlight in 1930, 2e, being demoted from lesser kings to jarls of the north once again. The house adapted quickly to the new order of things, and in 2007, 2e, they gained their last recorded high monarch, Hjordis Wintersqueen. A warrior queen, Hjordis revolutionised Aedrinaran warfare and battle standards and would pave the way for her successors to launch their first full invasions of the continent.
When the crown returned to Lastlight after Hjordis's death, the Wintershields participated in Age of Aedrinar, invading and raiding the coastal regions of western and southern Prima Terra. Some smaller homesteads were set up by members of the family in modern Marcia and Cape County.
Since this time, the Wintershields have never gained the title of high king or queen again. They have, however, maintained a title of Jarl. Either of the whole north or just the winters riding, the western half of the northern hold. The Wintershields have outlived every other major house or clan bar the existing Vildervolken tribes, with power, prestige, and honour flowing their way for thousands of years since. The house's holdings were split in two in the seventh kingdom when a cadet branch called the Wintersnows became Jarls of Snowhelm.
In 917, 3e, Sigrun Wintersnow became Jarl of Snowhelm. Sigrun had ambitions to unite the kingdom once again, and married into house Bloodraven of Sudureyja. With this alliance, Sigrun became amongst the most powerful rulers in Aedrinar. She marched on the Wintershields. Jarl Thorgier Wintershield was defeated outside Menklestead, and his daughter was appoitned his succesor. Estra Winter-Shield rode out to Sigrun's camp alone, and challenged the jarl to test of strength - a drinking contest of the strongest mead in Aedrinar. In the Dual of the Meadhorn, the drinking contest would go on from dusk to the early hours of the following morning, with Sigrun narrowly winning.
Estra and Sigrun formed a strong bond afterwards, with rumours of their relationship going beyond 'friendship.' Their alliance would be sealed with a marraige pact when Sigrun's daughter Hilda married Estra's son, Gier. Hilda took the name Wintershield and did try to become High Queen upon her mother's death but lost out to Ivaar II of Odinsthrone. The Wintershields remained important faces at court, and with the arrival of the 40 year war members of the family became key strategists for the battle planning.

Night of the Bear

The Wintershields had also maintained a strong relationship with the nearby Reindeer Clan throughout this time. Historic allies, the two groups had often got along. The Reindeer clan had been in a bitter blood feud with the Bear Clan for centuries, and in Yuletide Massacre of 1031, most of the Reindeer clan were slaughtered whilst feasting for the holiday season, including their cheiftain, Lothgar Ragnarssen.
Then Jarl, Karl Winter-Shield, sheltered some survivors including a young Ivar Lothgarssen, and only the please of Ivar's older brother Sigurd, Ivar was smuggled to the Seal Clan for his safety. The Wintershields also vowed to help avenge the massacre and began a set of battles with the Bear Clan throughout the north. In retalliation, the Bear Clan would smuggle themselves into Winterharbour in disguise and in the dead of night they stormed the Wintershields hall and sacked the city. The Wintershield family were killed or tortured, with Jarl Karl, his son and heir Halvad, and Halvard's family all being slaughtered. Karl's second son, Gunnar, had to watch his eldest son and wife murdered before being tortured and installed as vassal thane.
Some resistance remained, as Roggi Winter-Shield held up in the ancient family fortress of Foxguard Keep. When the Bear clan sacked the town, Roggi, considered one of the best fighters and duelists inthe realm, was captured and blinded in an act of cruelty.

Remergance

20 years after their loss of power and status - rumours of Wintershield resurgence began to formulate outside of Winterharbour. During The White Will crisis of the Western Hold, Starkard Wintershield was sent as an emissary to Westwatch as part of Jarl Earling Horfhand's dragon council. Trying to convince the Jarl to accept their aid in exchange for allyship - the venerable Horfhand was pushed into accepting their help by Doomed 2 Die.
A unit of Wintershield berserkers arrived in Westwatch quickly making their mark by defeating the Ysgard's Warriors outpost in the city, defending Val's honour in ancient rites, and scouting out the lair of the white will. The Wintershields also battled against the elemental forces when they attempted to attack Westwatch and took their units to destroy the last elemental factory alongside Ivar, Erika and Roach/ In total, the various battles and skirmishes only cost the wintershields a single soldier.
In the aftermath of their resurgance word started to spread about the family regaining their old pride and status, with rumours of their coming rebellion against the Bear Clan mounting far beyond their borders.

"We Who Guard Against Winter's Bite"

Founding Date

Before 18, 1e

Type

Geopolitical, Great house

Alternative Names

Wintershield, the Foxes

Demonym

Winter-Shield

Ruling Organization

Eighth Kingdom of Aedrinar

Appearances: 7

• Session 86: Southwatch by the Sea
• Session 87: The Court of Stars
• Session 99: Westwatch
• Session 100: Elfrey the Godswitch
• Session 105: Lair of the White Will
• Session 107: Invitation from the King
• ShanShot 3: The Shadowed Night