Many rumours about what is beneath his Hall have spread throughout the kingdom; from an ancient Giant treasure chamber to a Tome of ancient Kings. His recent marriage to the strange Reagen of the kingdom of Il has also caused many rumours; that the king is ensorceled by a foreign sorceress, that she is a Fairy Princess he ‘won’ in a poetry contest with a Fae King, and that the child they have together was born under dark omens.
Jarl Bjornkarl Ottoson (a.k.a. The Skald King, The Reading King, the Unlikely)
Bjornkarl had many monikers, among them ‘The Skald King’, ‘The Reading King’ and ‘Bjornkarl the Unlikely’. This last as he had two older brothers, both seen as better warriors and successors to his father, Jarl Otho II. However, his Father and Brothers were slain attempting to drive off Giants on the Northern Side of their lands.
Even then, there were other contenders to the throne. The Moot met and choose Bjornkarl less because of his own merits, but because the three rival factions could only agree he was unoffensive as a King to them all. They had all made a miscalculation.
Bjornkarl was already a Skald by this point, having studied the lore of his people, but also having travelled, both when Viking and with merchants. His early rule was a noted contest between these three contested factions that ended with one Jarl dead, and the other two subdued as they witnessed the wealth brought to their lands by Bjornkarl, and his skill at outmanoeuvring them.
Bjornkarl was a man shaped both by the lore he has accumulated and his sense of being thought lesser by many around him. His rule was just, but unforgiving, the law he set for his people no less harsh than that he sets for himself. He was a man of varied moods, oft-times melancholy or mirthful, with a Poet’s heart.
Relationships: Bjornkarl had complex relationships with most of the Kings. He and Canute got along to some degree, and trade between their kingdoms was ongoing. He was opposed and likewise opposed Magnus for his evils. Queen Selibold disdained him for his worldliness and willingness to tolerate those of other faiths, though they have never come to open blows. He had come to have many diverse alliances, including with the Western Island of Il and one of the more prominent Dwarven Tribes.
In time the Skald King was unable to write his own ballad, for despite helping to lead an alliance of Jarl's to depose Magnus, he was later struck down by that same Lord in a surprise invasion.
Rumours: Many rumours swirled around the King when he was alive. Some say he did not perish, but took the oppurtunity afforded by Magnus to shave his beard and wander the world as a poet as he had dreamed. Others speak of the Dark Omens over his wife, Regan and Child.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Motivated to excel beyond what people expect of him. His greatest strength and weakness is a desire to prove himself. He wishes to transform Jotunvagg into more than a trading hub, but a city to rival any in the North or South.
Social
Family Ties
He is married to Regan , and has a single son by her; Agnar
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