King Olaf III Kingmaker

High King Olaf Falurssen- Dragontooth, the Kingmaker

A bastard son of the Jarl of the Eastern Islands and a Vaniri commoner, Olaf Dragontooth became the first High King and founder of the seventh kingdom of Aedrinar. A famed conquerer and tactician, Olaf went from a minor member of his house to the ruler of all Aedrinar in the matter of decades. Called the Kingmaker for his role in elevating his own position and founding the kingdom, Olaf is best known for his role in 6 centuries of disunity amongst the Aedrinarans and invading several islands of Asrinheim including Furunheim.
Olaf III is a controversial but generally well liked High King amongst the Aedrinarans. Amongst the Ice Elves and North he is considered an enemy, but to the southern houses he is amongst the greatest of their monarchs. He is held in highest regard within his adopted home city of Odinsthrone, where his work in restoring the city and placing it as the capital of the southern hold remains honoured through triumphs and statues.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

According to his chroniclers, Olaf was born in Orsturkirk in 432, 3e to Jarl Falur Dragontooth and an Ice Elf commoner from Valkeyrie. A bastard child, Olaf was recognized by his father but largely raised by his mother as a commoner in the town of Freywin and Iminiyas. Olaf worked numerous jobs as a fisherman and mercenary. At the age of 25 in 457, he was invited by his father to work as a soldier for the Dragontooth.
Olaf spent the next 20 years, the remainder of his father's life, as a warrior in his house battling with House Stormbarer and the rest of his father's enemies around the east of aedrinar and western coast of Asrinheim. He would be cast out of court when his half-brother, Falur's trueborn daughter, Erikja Dragontooth, won the moot.
The bastard became a travelling mercenary and hero for hire around Asrinheim. He would found his own guild, The Wyrmlings, who would devout their loyalty to him as their battlemaster and guildleader in a cult-like fanatacism. It was during this time Olaf earned his epithet of the Kingmaker for his role in bringing numerous minor nobles to power throughout the archipleago.

Invasions of Aedrinar

By the age of 76. in 508, half-way through his half-elven life, Olaf had become a notorious guild leader and amassed a small army of around 700 warriors from across Asrinheim, Aedrinar, and Jotun. The Wyrmlings would be contacted by House Winter-Shield regarding revolts in the north. Olaf would take the entire guild to fight alongside the wintershields for the year, re-uniting the North under their banner. Olaf's intervention would lead to Torstin Wintershield controlling the north under reduced power and owing thousands of gold to Olaf and the Wyrmlings.
Olaf's time in the northern courts had given him a longing for a noble home of his own. Looking to the weakened southern houses of Aedrinar, the Kingmaker capitlized on his guild of warriors and the debts of the Wintershields and began an invasion in 510. The northern settlements around the Stormbreakers fell first before Olaf arrived at the city of Odinsthrone.
The Odinsthrone houses outnumbered Olaf and the Wintershields 4-1, so Olaf opened a dialgoue with House Iceaxe. Their leader, Gultha Iceaxe, agreed to Olaf's terms and declared a blood feud on the ruling House Thunderstone of Odinsthrone. The Iceaxes were driven out of the city but they met with Olaf, taking the majority of their army with them to join the Kingmaker in besieging the city. House Fairhair also offered a secret alliance with Olaf at Gultha's intervention, promising to keep their warriors away from the walls and allowing Olaf to take the city.
The Thunderstone horde was divided amongst the army, the majority going to House Iceaxe for their support. Olaf crowned himself as Jarl of the Southern Hold and demanded alliegance from the rest of the south. Only Halgafjar would accept his offer, with Kriegerholm resisting his claims. Olaf would quickly march on the key port city in the same year and decimated the five houses, destroying House Crownforger in the process and damaging the city's infrastructure so much the saltmarsh district would become permanantly flooded.

Jarlship

For the next decade, Olaf remained as Jarl of the south, keeping the Name Dragontooth, he also founded his own house, Kingmaker, after his epithet. His use of the name Dragontooth angered the descendents of his father, and the two would wake a three year war between 513-16. In the aftermath, the Dragontooths bent the knee to him, forging the short lived Olafheim Kingdom.
During his rule Jarl, Olaf did much to rebuild and revitalise Odinsthrone, including the rebuilding of the riverside docks to revitalize the trade routes across the River Bittern. Living in the Palace of Heroes, Olaf began to look up to the last recorded high king, the disputed King Knut and began to forge his own dreams of being High King himself, reuniting the Aedrinarans for the first time since the second age.
In 518, Olaf called in the last of his debts from the Wintershields, offering them a chance to either bend the knee to him as king or face his armies. The Wintershields accepted, but saw the move as cowardly and dishonourable, beginning an animosity between the north and Olaf's house. Surrounded, the Western Hold under the rulership of House Horfhand offered to submit before any foe or attacker was sent.
With the island of Aedrinar fully united under a single ruler and the Eastern Isles as well, Olaf was crowned High King Olaf III in Odinsthrone at the summer solstice of 519. For his coronation, he launched a daring raid on the city of Jameleska where he claimed numerous magical artifacts from Duke Isaac's own treasury.

Invasion of Asrinheim

In 522, 3e, Olaf looked to expand his kingdom. Wanting to control the rest of the human wealths, his kingdom lacked the manpower and prestige to invade key islands such as Sudurejya and Einmanfjell. To bring his house and kingdom more glory, resources, and potential manpower he eyed up the weaker Vaniri islands for invasion. Olaf would sail with a host of southern houses from Kriegerholm with the intention of invading Furunheim, the Corellites, and his former home in Kastaland.
His conquests began in Furunheim, using artefacts he pillaged from Jameleska he collapsed the isthmus around the Fury Tarn and the ocean and sailed through the central hot lake to the island's capital of Ferenvire. Undefended from the inland lake, the city was sacked and the majority of the ruling house of Furyborn were killed. Olaf claimed his right to the island, installing himself as Jarl of Furunheim and continued to battle throughout the island for the next two months. Krakenpost would fall at the battle of Selther's Geyser defeated the milita and the town fell to the Aedrinaran host. Martheil would fall via a naval invasion and all resistance was exstinguished in the face of a year.
Olaf rested in Ferenvire, feasting and enjoying his plunder before taking a new host to the Corellites and Kastaland. The Corellites fell in numerous raids, and Kastaland submitted to a Dragontooth host during the Sack of Freywin, all in the year 524. Olaf folded the islands into his parent house's domain, the Jarldom of the eastern isles.

Southern Islands Campaign

Asrinheim was unprepared for Aedrinaran invasion and fell quickly. This gave Olaf new resources and soldiers to capitalise on, but he knew his next target would be harded to take. Sudureyja was amongst the strongest factions left independent, and had a prominent trade empire, thousands of warriors, and a fleet that rivalled Olaf's own. The island was divided amongst three key families, the Fisks, the Goldsworns, and the Thairgirs, all rulling in equal status within the island.
To take them, Olaf needed to increase his supply lines. A three year invasion of Drekenheim was launched in 527, lasting until 530. The fighting was brutal, and the rocky and volcanic terrain of the island made Olaf's numerical advantage worthless. The Kingmaker relied on hit and run strategies, using his new Ice Elf soldiers to create fog clouds for raids and gradually thinned out all resistance in several battles and skirmishes. Oskunstrond was burnt to the ground at the end of the conflict, leaving its old town a near ruin for the next two decades.
It would barely be a year before Olaf launched his dream invasion of Sudurejya. The House of Fisk would hold the key to taking the north of the island, and several attempts were made begining in 531 to defeat them. The battles were often stalemates, with only limited numbers of troops able to land on the island due to the efficant and fast fleet of Fiskvatn. Olaf managed to wear them down by early 532, and the battle of Squid Bay saw a massive naval clash between the two armadas.
Lastlight and their ruling house, the Goldsworns of Lastlight also assisted fisk, but retreated when the Jarl of Fiskvatns personal longship, The Great Kraken, was destroyed by Olaf ramming it and singlehandidly killing the entire crew. Fiskvatn was sacked and the surviving members of House Fisk submitted. In admiration of Olaf's victory, the Thairgirs of Fargenvur recognized him as high king and were granted the title of Thanes of Northern Sudurejya.
The Goldsworns of Lastlight continued to be a problem for Olaf throughout 532 and 533. It would take an ancient honour duel to decide the fate of the city, as Thane Ingird Goldsworn of the city came and battled Olaf in a 7 hour duel. In the end, Olaf would emerge victorious. His admiration of Ingrid allowed him to spare the city, and it was peacefully folded into his domain.

Interbellum

Olaf would take the next five years to live in peace - engaging in no major conflicts, only allowing his vassals to raid and rebuild from the last decade of war. He would rule from Odinsthrone and Ferenvire in equal measure, spending the colder months on Furunheim and summer in the city of Knut. The Northern Isles peacefully joined the kingdom in recognition of his honour, leaving only Einmanfjell and the independent Order of St Tara as the only independent human nations in Aedrinar.
Border skirmishes would continue to be fought with Asrinheim and some raids took place against Jotun, especially around Jameleska and Nyttkrow, but outside of this the islands were generally at peace. Olaf enjoyed his time off, and continued to redevelop his holdings in the eastern isles, Odinsthrone, and Furunheim. The Interbellum period would end when the Krow Prince of Nyttkrow launched a devestating attack on Einmanfjell, with the island begging Olaf for assistance. Olaf would depart Furunheim, leaving his son, Olaf the Younger, in his stead and gathered his armies for an invasion of Jotun.

Jotun-Aedrinar War

The Jotun-Aedrinar War began when Olaf launched two attacks. One to relieve the humans of Einmanfjell and the other as a direct invasion of Nyttkrow. The war would last for 7 years and saw Einmanfjell, Nyttkrow, and Forontorheim folded into his kingdom. Olaf personally led many of the battles during the conflict and even launched a daring raid on the key Jotun cities of New Amanor and Nordenstor.
This invasion also caused a softening of relations between the Ice Elves and Frost Giants, both sharing the Human Kingdom as their key rival and oppressors. The Snow Lord surrendered to Olaf in 545. Olaf's defeat of the Frost Giants also inspired a young Jameleskan noble, the heir to the duchy, to learn from the High King's strategies to prepare his own rebellion in the future. This noble, Henry Rassendorf, remained at Olaf's side from 550 until his coronation as Duke in 577 where he began his rebellion against The Snow Lord.
Olaf would also tour his new domains, and allegedly visited the cursed island of Forontorheim. According to his personal skald and chronicler, Lurkir of Orrsturkirk, "The Kingmaker journeyed through the storms and fogs alone. He emerged a changed man, what he saw brought revelation of fear to a degree he would never speak until his dying breath." Nobody knows for sure what Olaf saw on Forontorheim, some claim it was the fatespinners who warned him how his house and kingdom would collapse in the future, others say he saw the sleeping body of the World Serpent. What is known is Olaf refrained from any more internal wars, and focused only on raids on the continent and putting down internal strife.

Final Years

Olaf would retire from direct fighting in 553. At the age of 121, his age was showing despite his elven ancestry. His half-siblings had all died, and he outlived many of his own children. Olaf became obssessed with religion, and tourned all the main temples of The Honoured Gods throughout the realm. He helped to fund a restoration project of Odin's Eye temple in Westwatch, living with the Horfhands for the 5 year period the works were underway. He also engaged in a pilgrimage to the home of Ysgard's Warriors in 563. He was denied permission to visit the peak of mount valhalla by the guild's warchief at the time, an Ice Elf known as Vath Aisylir, for his role in conquering part of Asrinheim.
Olaf attended only one direct conflict in 579 during the Jameleskan Rebellion against The Snow Lord and Jotun to assist his former protogee, Henry Rassendorf, now Duke Henry. Olaf fought in two battles around the duchy, including an intitial defence of the city where he led a cavalry charge to rout a beisieging frost giant host. A minor injury in 580 saw him bedridden, and he retired back to Odinsthrone.
The High King's injury left him largely bidridden for the next year. Sensing his weakened state, murmurs of rebellion began to spread in Asrinheim. Elder Tiristar Furyborn† had returned to Furunheim and began to organize an insurgence against Olaf. Olaf would attend to the island to put down the rebellion. He did arrive in Ferenvire, but was still deeply ill and growing infirm. He would die to an unknown assailant in 582, his blade in hand. Rumours of his killer persist, with nobody claiming responsiblity. His body was returned to Odinsthrone for a grand funeral attended by thousands across the realm.

Legacy

Olaf's death in 582, 3e marked the end of a century of Aedrinaran supremacy. A complex figure, to many, largely in the south, he meant the restoration of the Aedrinaran throne and reflected how any Aedrinaran, no matter their background, could arise to any rank if they were honourable and strong enough. To others, such as the Vaniri, Northerners, an Jotun, he was tyrant and treacherous conquerer with no regard for honour.
Ultimately, Olaf's domain would be divided. Furunheim was granted to his grandson, Olaf Olaffsen, Odinsthrone and the southern hold to his last surviving son, Karl, and governorship of the Wyrmlings to his grandaughter, Freya. He was survived by 2 children, 15 grandchildren, 8 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild. His house would not last, with the Kingmaker named being extinguished by 798. The family would stop holding any high office after Karl was ousted from the position of High King in 599. The kingdom he worked so hard to build was also nearly destroyed during Karld's disasterous reign, with only the Lastlight house of Lightbringer restoring the kingdom under Haarold V, the Great Uniter. His guild, The Wyrmlings, were disbanded after the calamity of the terrassic in 798 when the last of their leadership were killed.
The Kingmaker has several monuments within Odinsthrone - his triumph in the Svenning markets and a statue on Thronstrom Bridge. His trimumph in the markets was made out of Mammoth Ivory and began construction after his death and was completed 25 years later during the reign of Haarold V. The collapsed isthmus in Furunheim was restored, and named Olaf's Isthmus after him as well.

Social

Family Ties

Olaf would go on to have an extensive family, having four wives across his life alongside a total of 8 children, 18 grandchildren, and 11 great-grandchildren. If a member of the family survived till after Olaf's death, their year of death is left vacant.

First Marriage

• Olaf Kingmaker
• Kara Wyrmsbane (443-480)
• Erik Wyrmsbane (456-502)
• Haarold Kingmaker (475-522)
• Haartha Kingmaker (502-528)
• Rorstan Kingmaker (519-)
• Astrid Wyrmsbane (459-485)
• Laeyjana Wyrmsbane (460-)
• Helga Wyrmsbane (462-512)
• Rolf Charstone (477-540)
• Ragnar Charstone (513-)
• Rolf Charstone (545-567)
• Anjya Charstone (550-)
• Christinyja Charstone (519-)

Olaf's first family started during his time in the court of the Dragontooths. He met Kara Wyrmsbane, a minor noble from Orrsturejya, during one of his father's feasts. The two would wed in 463, when she was just 20 years old. Whilst together, Olaf and Kara had three children - Erik, Astrid, and Helga. The family would be expelled together from the islands after his father's death, and they moved to Asrinheim together. Kara was heartbroken to lose her home, but fought by her husband's side until her death at the hands of Yeti in 480.
Haarold's children would stay with him during his campaigns in charge of the Wyrmlings, but did not take the name Kingmaker but rather that of their mother's house, Wyrmsbane. Erik would marry a member of the Order of St Tara named Ygritte Angelsblood in 489 and left his father's guild to live in Gudhsard, where he had one child, Haarold. Haarold returned to his grandfather's side during his invasions of Aedrinar and took the name Kingmaker. He died in 523 during the invasion of Furunheim. Haarold's son, Haartha, would die fighting giants in Jotun in 528 whilst his other son, Rorstan, would survive to see Olaf's death as a celibate member of Ysgard's Warriors.
Olaf and Kara's daughter, Astrid, would fall in love with a Vaniri member of the Wyrmlings named Pela. The two left the guild to live in Tyn Alyse till Astrid's death in 485. Astrid would disown her father following his invasions of Asrinheim. Her adopted daughter, Laeyjana, would meet with Olaf twice during his life.
Their final child, Helga, married a minor northern noble who owned slate mines named Erik Charstone. They would continue to fight alongside Olaf for their entire lives, having three children; Rolf, Gerdur, and Kara. This branch of the family kept the Charstone name despite fighting alongside Olaf after he formed the house of Kingmaker. Helga died in 512, with her husband dying a year later. Their eldest Child rolf took his father's titles as Thane of Charfjord and was amongst the army that marched on Odinsthrone and Kriegerholm.
Rolf would have two children with his wife, Isla, named Ragnar and Christinja. Christinjya joined the Chartiable Sisters of Freya in 536 and would have no children, whilst Ragnar would have two children. The eldest, Rolf, would die in 567 and his daughter, Anjya, would be Olaf's only great-great-grandchild to know him personally.
Of Helga's other children - Gerdur would die at the age of 28 fighting in northern hold with no family. Kara would live a solitary life in her grandfather's court as an artist, outliving the Kingmaker.

Second Marraige

• Olaf
• Olyria Asilynir (2-499)
• Eris Olafsdottir
• Sarae Galorel
• Aros Galorel

After Kara's death in 480, Olaf remarried an Ice Elf mercenary named Olyria Aisylnir and folded her own guild of fighters into the Wyrmlings. Olyria was 478 years old at the time of their meeting, and they would spend 19 years together before she tried to betray the Kingmaker to a powerful Vaniri lord, and was killed by Olaf. They had one half elven child together, Eris. Eris remained at her father's side, helping him with the invasions of Furunheim. Eris would settle in Freywin with a lover and collaborator of Olaf's, Aelwyn Galorel, with whom she had two children - full elves named Sarae and Aros. As of 1052, Aros is still beleived to be alive.

Third Marriage

• Olaf
• Ingrid Snowshed (477-533)
• Olaf the Younger (515-566)
• Olaf of Ferenvire (536-)
• Jorgen Kingmaker (566-)
• Ulva Kingmaker (569-573)
• Ingrid Kingmaker (544-)
• Martha Kingmaker (567-)
• Alric Kingmaker (517-579)
• Arstaff Kingmaker (555-)
• Kolvr Kingmaker (577-)
• Christinjya Kingmaker (557-)
• Jara Kingmaker (559-)
• Storri Kingmaker (562-)

After Olyria's betrayal, Olaf would not settle down again until 514 when meeting a minor northern noble named Ingrid Snowshed. Olaf was also Ingrid's second partner after her original wife, Varnrja, died during a blood feud with a rival house. Ingrid is regarded as Olaf's favourite wife, the two sharing a strong bond and friendship, often fighting together when Ingrid was not raising their children. Ingrid would become sick at the age 66 in 533, and requested to join her husband on the frontlines on Sudurejya to earn a warriors death. She died defending against a Lastlight assault on one of Olaf's outposts, and was given a grand funerary pyre on the island.
Ingrid and Olaf would have two children, both boys. Olaf the Younger and Alric. Olaf the Younger was favoured by The Kingmaker and was granted stewardship of Furunheim in his absence. Olaf the Younger married a southern hold warrior named Olva and had two children. Olaf of Ferenvire, who would be granted Jarlship of Furunheim upon the Kingmaker's death,  and Ingrid. Olaf of Ferenvire had two children, the Kingmaker's great-grandchildren, Jorden and Ulva. Ulva would die from sickness at the age of 4 in 573, but Jorgen would live to know his great-grand father and was allegedly the Kingmaker's favourite as well.
Olaf the Younger's second child, named Ingrid after his mother, also survived to see Olaf's funeral. She lived in Ferenvire with her father and brother and had a single child with Tristjyan Elfsbane, named Martha.
The Kingmaker's second son with Ingrid Snowshed, Alric, lived a warrior's life and dutifully served in Odinsthrone and Ferenvire. He would die before his wife, Katjorn, and only died a year before Olaf in 579. Of Olaf's children, Alric would provide the most grandchildren who all lived in either Furunheim or the Southern hold. They were Arstaff, Christinjya, Jara, and Storri. Jara would follow in her half-uncle Haartha's footsteps and join Ysgard's Warriors, whilst Storri became a paladin of Forsetti in Odinsthrone. Arstaff and Christinjya would also have children with their partners, giving Olaf three of his great-grandchildren; Kolvr Arstaffssen, Bjorn Chritinjyassen, and Ingrid Christinjyassen. These great grandchildren would still be toddlers when Olaf would die.

Fourth Marriage

-Olaf -Aerfi Alvasdottir the Lyre of a Thousand Songs (513-577)
• Lara Kingmaker (540-579)
• Freya Kingmaker (561-)
• Einar Kingmaker (563-)
• Leif Einarssen (580-)
• Astrid Kingmaker (565-)

After Ingrid's death, Olaf would wait for 6 years before remarrying. He met Aerfi Alvasdottir, the Lyre of a thousand songs, at a feast the first birthday of his grandchild, Olaf of Ferenvire, in 539. Aerfi's song supposidly impressed the king, and upon trying to court her she said she would only be with the king if he constructed the finest lyre in the realm. Olaf would spend four months comissioning artificers from around the kingdom to construct a lyre, before the Smallstones of Menkelstead managed to create one impressive enough for Aerfi. Their first night together resulted in pregnancy, and they married quickly afterwards. Aerfi and Olaf had collaborative relationship, often spending many months apart to persue their own interests and often neglecting to raise their own children - but were supposidly deep in love. Aerfi died in 577, requesting an honourable death at the hands of her son, Karl.
Aerfi and Olaf had two children together. A daughter named Lara who died a year before her father raiding Asrinheim, and a son named Karl , who would be one of Olaf's two surviving children and the youngest amongst them. Karl would win the Jarlship of the southern hold and the title of High King after Olaf's death, but was supposidly left to be raised by courtiers and his half-siblings.
Lara would be similiar to her father and opted to join the Wyrmlings as a recruit and work her way up rather than be granted a position by her father. She would marry a fellow guild member named Torstaff the Ruthless and had three children with him. The eldest, Freya, would be raised within the Wyrmlings and granted rulership of the guild after Olaf's death. Lara's only son, Einar, also stayed with the guild. Her youngest, Naerfi, rejected the fighter's and instead became a battlemage, learning at the Oskunstrond Mage's Guild. Only Einar would have a child, as Naerfi devoted herself to magic and Freya married a Cryenese warrior named Talia with no interest in having children or adopting. Lara died in 579 hunting dragon's for the guild.
Karl, Olaf's son, had twins of his own by the time of Olaf's death in 580. He would name them after his father and himself, with them growing up to be known as Olaf Karlssen and Karl the Younger.

Species

Half Elf

Other Ethnicities/Cultures

• Ice Elf

Honorary & Occupational Titles

Commander of the Wyrmlings

Reign	482
	582

Jarl of the Southern Hold & Odinsthrone

Reign	510
	582
Predecessor	Position Established
Successor	High King Karl III

Jarl of Furunheim

Reign	522
	582
Predecessor	Position Established
Successor	Olaf of Ferenvire

High King of Aedrinar

Reign	522
	582
Predecessor	King Knut (Disputed)
	High King Ebbe
Sucessor	High King Karl III

Date of Birth

432, 3e

Date of Death

582, 3e

Birthplace

Eastern Isles

Place of Death

Odinsthrone

Pronouns

He/Him

Hair

Neat, medium length and braided

Aligned Organization

House Dragontooth