Second Kingdom of Aedrinar
The Second Kingdom of Aedrinar, also known as the Astridian kingdom, was a short-lived kingdom and the first non-mythical recorded united kingdom of the Aedrinarian peoples. Lasting from 1671, 1e - 1721, 1e, the second kingdom was founded by the legendary Queen Astrid I Dragontamer of Skyholm. Formed during the Flight of the Dragons event of the first age, the kingdom was united around the tumultuous invasion of eight dragons who invaded the Aedrinaran archipelago.
Although the shortest lasting kingdom of the aedrinarans, the Second Kingdom remains a legendary period for the cultural group with Queen Astrid's saga being preserved in written and oral form in the near 5000 years since its existence. Regarded as a triumph of the Aedrinaran people, it began many of the traditions of a united Aedrinaran nation that would persevere in the cultural legacy.
Structure
The Second Kingdom was a feudal structure with an estimated 15 Jarldoms and numerous Thaneships beneath them. Some contemporary cities such as Winterharbour were in existence, but many of the settlements are now long lost to history. This system of a High Monarch ruling over a jarldom and other jarls answering as vassal states to the monarch was established here, with this ancient practice still existing in the modern Eighth Kingdom of Aedrinar. It is the first recorded practice of feudalism in Prima Terran history.
Through her eliminations and pacification of the dragon's invading Aedrinar, Astrid earned the alliegance of numerous territories across Aedrinar and Jotun. Her main territory was on the central island of Aedrinar, but she also controlled the islands of Einmanfjell, Forntorheim, Morgenjya, Rauttland, Frossinturn, Hoggurmur, Orsturejya, Drekenheim, and Sudureyja.
List of territories
Culture
Aedrinaran culture has changed little in thousands of years outside of its technological advancements. It is beleived by members of the archaologist's guild that Aedrinaran culture at the time of the Second Kingdom was more spread out in smaller hamlets and temporary steadings, similar to the practice of modern Vilderfolken clans. A few permanant settlements existed but the majority of the population were semi-nomadic and rural based, relying on hunting and fishing over farming and agriculture outside of the few key cities and towns.
History
Flight of the Dragons
The Second Kingdom's origins lie in the Flight of the Dragons, the name given to the exodus of the Draconic peoples and the dragons from their ancestal homeland in modern Sargon. It is believed a changing environment and societial collapse from successive civil wars triggered this event. Powerful dragons and their followers spread across Prima Terra, causing several crises through ancient civilizations such as the dwarven empire of Drohan and the Tumbrakian Giant Civilization of Tumbria to collapse. 8 dragons travelled the hefty distance across the continent and the Terrassic Ocean, arriving in the Aedrinaran islands. At the time of their arrival, the islands were largely a scattered and disunited set of minor jarldoms in the human islands, with the Ice Elves having broken into a city-state structure and only the giant kingdom of Jotun being united under a single ruler, the Thirteenth Frost King. The first dragon to arrive Yndress the Destroyer, a black dragon who conquered the island of Drekenheim, defeating the Derro kingdom and enslaving the dwarven race to her will. The fall of Drekenheim, then known as Norderrjya, forced the human clans who settled the coastlines to flee to Einmanfjell and beyond. The second dragon was a red dragon identified as Urath of Red Rage who destroyed the fledgling Jarldom of the eastern isles led by the house of Rorik which had managed to unite Ice Elf and Aedrinarian settlers to the islands under a single government. Roriksholm, on modern Vanaheim, was scorched by the ragon and it's melted stone ruins can still be found today. The third was Argamataz, a silver dragon, who landed on the island of Rauttland in the kingdom of Jotun. The chronicles surrounding Argmataz and the silver dragon are poetic and conflicting, but the general beleif is Argmataz hunted basilisks throughout the island of Rauttland and into the modern Duchy of Jameleska where local frost giants tried to defeat the beast, causing a war between the dragon and the jotun. The fourth, and most famous, of the dragons was Fathnir. A blue Dragon who invaded the western hold. Snorri Scartooth, the skald of Queen Astrid, claims Fathnir's destruction of the western city of Haelgahall claimed 600 lives as his lightning breath caused the mountain to partially collapse and send the the city falling into the Gulf of Ymir. Fathnir's conquest saw the local clans pay tribute for their lives, as a small kingdom was carved out for Fathnir with the Seal Clan, the Halgathorns, House of Turgen, and the Strong-Axes followed the dragon. The fifth dragon was a green dragon given no name in history, but simpy called Filth or the Dragon of Green and Greed in sagas and poems. The dragon carved a small holding near modern Halgafjar and forced the local aedrinarans to build a grand keep for him. The sixth and seventh dragons were a warring pair of copper and bronze dragons who waged their battle across Asrinheim. The Summerswood, Glasindel, and Thevensyne were heavily damaged in the crossfire between the evenly matched dragons. This disruption to trade and powerful Vaniri settlements threw the Asrinheim leagues into chaos as their economy and society began to break down.The Golden Wyrm
The eigth dragon, the Golden Wyrm, was an elder great wyrm who had followed the chaos of the previous seven dragons to Aedrinar in an attempt to pacify. Seeing the chaos they had wrought, the Golden Wyrm is claimed to have been 'betrayed' by his fellow dragons, injuring the dragon and forcing it to land in Skyholm, a powerful castle city in the eastern hold and home to Astrid of House Skyholder. When the golden wyrm landed in Skyholm, Astrid rode out to slay it but after the dragon begged for its life and offered to help retake the islands from the dragons, Astrid showed mercy and helped the dragon to heal its wounds. It is unclear exactly how Astrid healed the dragon - with some claiming it was from her powers as a paladin, whilst her official chronicles say the dragon's wings were mended with a needle made of jade and stone and cured its sicknesses with healing herbs. Astrid and the Golden Wyrm bonded in some magical capacity - as the two became stronger and their powers were increased when together. Snorri Scartooth's chronicle writes that Astrid was "surrounded in golden light" that gave her the strength of a dragon. Astrid and the Wyrm then rode northwards to the unaffected jarldoms and thaneships of the northern hold and islands. The various factions quickly bent the knee to Astrid, and sailed her to Hoggurmur, the ancient island and seat of Odin, to crown her with the Iron Crown of Aesirgrad. Proclaiming a second kingdom of the Aedrinarans, the united armies of Skyholm, Winterharbour, the Reindeer clan, the Raven clan, and the unidentified house of Odinskyn, formed a united army ready to retake their islands.Conquest of Aedrinar
The first dragon to be slain was the Green Dragon of the east. This was likely as the dragon, called only 'filth' by Astrid's saga, was the one that had been affecting her home Jarldom the most. Astrid's army freed numerous 'thralls' forced to work the fields for the dragon and was found in a 'keep of greed and gluttony.' It was here the famous Speech to the Filth was given, although its historical accuracy is impossible to verify. Here Astrid, with her united army of the north and freed southern and easterners, stood before the keep of the green dragon and she called the following speech as a warning to surrender to the dragon."I am Astrid of House Skybarer - Queen of the Aedrinarans - Heir to Odin and the Aesir. You are an invader from across the whale road, one who does not know our land, our people, or our customs, so I shall I grant you this one mercy. Allow me to tell you who we are, and who I am that stands before you atop your lord with an army of my kinsmen to my side. Once all our people were the thralls who built your keep of greed, bowed to the whims of cruel and malicious gods. Our ancestors suffered for generations till one warrior said our time of turmoil was over, and we were to be free for all time. Other heroes followed this king, from the lands of Giant and Elf and Dwarf. That king was Great Odin, and he marched our ancestors and our heroes to war against their very gods. A war which he won. So we stand here now, the children of Odin and our honoured gods. We are the ones who killed our gods. We will not be slaves to you. So run with what you can carry and we will not pursue, but if you choose to stand and fight then we shall slay you and yor name will be buried in the snow with your failure as the only tombstone you shall ever know."
1672 - 1721
Type
Geopolitical, Kingdom
Capital
Alternative Names
Aastridian Kingdom
Leader Title
Founders
Government System
Monarchy, Elective
Power Structure
Feudal state
Related Species
Comments