Astrid's Ancestry

The Abercrombie Company

The Lineage of the Princess Ástríðr Ingríðr Ásta of Áauré, as told by Minister Snorri Rangfrid to the Lord Ran Arnagh, in the Master’s High Chamber of the Great Turret, in the Ormandian Keep, at Mid-Marchtide of the Sun’s Cycle 537 in the Northern Reckoning, and March 17^th, 3017 in that of Frangia’s, on the Great Continent.

Ásleif of Ásta as Scribe.

“Princess Ástríðr Ingríðr Ásta’s pedigree is the most exceptional in the Far North. Herewith is a short dissertation upon her esteemed lineage.

“The Ásta’s founded Port Áauré and carved their tiny kingdom into the foothills of Mount Hogarth over five hundred years before Princess Astrid’s birth. They were Vikrs, and the first and last of their kind to found such a kingdom. To this day, the scattered Viks remain as small bands of coastal fishermen, wandering settlers – and occasionally, fearsome raiders.

“Alfarrin Ásta was blue of eye, clear of vision and with a longing unusual even for a Vik to seek what presented itself over the far horizon. Sailing vessels in those ancient days were small, and not seaworthy in the sense that we know. For Alfarrin to take not only his own family but a good part of the clans as well on a long sea voyage to a faraway place in search of what the Vik adventurer termed Our Great Homeland (“Uhir Áauré”) was five hundred years ago considered by many to be exceptionally foolhardy. Alfarrin’s struggle with his brother Rauðúlfr in their hutted settlement on the coast of what is now Karli is a tale for another time. Suffice it to say that the elder brother had his way, and they all sailed off for the mysterious Far North with a little more than two hundred kindred souls, a stout determination and brave, adventurous hearts.

“Three arduous years passed. Trouble at sea and grief on land had robbed Alfarrin Ásta of over half his colonial contingent and to that number another halving occurred, when the Winter Mutiny turned back yet more. But Alfarrin pressed on, with barely forty hardy spirits, all of them persistent in their search for the Great Homeland. Always, the horizon held out to them a promise that just beyond it they would find their “Áauré.”

“One morning, they entered the mouth of a wide strait that was crowded on both sides by sheer mountain face. Those to the west sprang abruptly from the sea to spear the sky, with nary a coastline; the swelling water’s edge swirled against sheer granite cliff. The eastern-most chains were friendlier, offering a shelf of a rocky strand here and there. The several remaining boats of the Alfarrin Ásta settlers hugged these eastern shores, ever on the lookout for a safe cove.

“They abounded. Bright clear streams dashed down the ever-present mountain faces to carve deep sheltered dales into the rock – dales thick with tall evergreens – before spilling into the sea. These freshets, of various sizes, made many small natural harbors to succor the weary adventurers. Yet, the troupe pressed on past these diminutive bights, beating sail against the winds, seeking something better; that perfect of all places to settle, and to live and love and dream.

“After a week of slow sailing through what would eventually be called the Áaure'an Channel, they found that the eastern coastline curled abruptly due west, then back to the south before swinging suddenly round and continuing on its way north. The mile-wide harbor-and-peninsula that resulted made for one of the best-protected natural ports in the Known World. Fed by the rushing, tumbling, sparkling waters of the River Fastný (its eventual name), bedecked with a green crown of spruce and spires of tall fir, the bay at Áauré seemed to the weary travelers as a glorious haven.

“The year was growing old when Alfarrin and his people spotted the harbor, and gazed upon the peninsula on which the Castle of Áauré would eventually take the form we know today. Cold winds whipped down the slopes of Mount Hogarth (named for one of Alfarrin’s sons) and frost that morn had coated the ships’ gunwales. Snow danced in the air, the season’s first. The seawater was as ice, and for that reason the awe-struck settlers were treated to an especially majestic sight.

“As everyone knows, the Áaure'an Peninsula is set about by a great many hot springs; underground freshets brought to a boil by the volcanic grumblings of old Mount Hogarth. Many percolate through the granite to fume and sputter from the top of the peninsula itself, before running down the limned cliffs to the sea. But those that boil up in the sheltered harbor – and in the sea beneath the peninsula’s cliffs – struggle with the cold sea waters for supremacy, and the resultant heavy roiling clouds present a constant reminder of their eternal battle. They drape the cliffs with an ethereal shroud, so that the peninsula’s flat rocky summit appears to be floating in a dense, swirling mist – and so it appeared to the little band of adventurers on that cold, cold morning over a half-millennium ago.

“Áauré!” shouted Alfarrin, and a Realm was born.

“That first winter was terrible. Naturally, the worst in a century, but the hardy colonists could not know that. They built a rammed-earth walled village – a scant, thatched heap of rock and turf – on the edge of the peninsula, near one of the larger hot springs to break the surface. In spite of the warmth it provided, by the end of the year all appeared hopeless. Alfarrin himself seemed to have given up hope in the face of the gathering frost.

“If a hardy band of Frosnian trappers had not become lost in a snow storm, then the tale would end here. Knowing of the hot springs, the trappers sought their warmth, finding instead the intrepid but half-frozen, starving Viks.

“None knew the Frosnians existed, until that time. They had themselves been nomadic, descended from the primitive Ice Tribes to the East – Disparians and Anarchians crossing the Great Frozen Wastelands and the Iron Massif – to scrabble a grim but lusty existence from the unforgiving rock a hundred years before Alfarrin cast his boats upon the shores of the Far North. The trappers succored the failing Viks, replenished their supplies, and imparted hard-born knowledge useful to those trying not to perish in the frozen latitudes.

“Thus was born a great friendship between the two eventual Realms, that has lasted unto this very day.

“The infant settlement survived the horrible winter and slowly began to prosper. In its third year, Alfarrin Ásta took as his wife a Frosnian, Alðis Þor-katla. A small port to the north of Áauré – Aldis – now bears her name. From their loins sprang seven daughters and seven sons, the greatest of which was Chieftain Alfinni Bear-foot, who sent back to the clans in the distant south for more hardy souls seeking the Great Homeland. Many came, and the settlement flourished.

“Alfinni’s Ásta’s great-grandson Bragi Ásta, the first to be crowned King (over Chieftain), built the Inner Castle at Áauré, and began work on the High Tower, a half-century long process. By the time it soared to its five hundred foot height, his daughter Queen Ástríðr-Árnlief Ásta ruled over an Áauré that stretched east from present-day Aldis to Dýrfinna, and south to what would one day be the Port of Alesø.

“Only much later did Védis break away from this landmass, to be ruled by a Chieftain of the tribal Kharls – of which the barbarian Úlfkell was the first.

“Queen Ástríðr-Árnlief Ásta wed Húnrøðr, also a Védisian Kharl, and a scion of one of the seven daughters of Alfarrin Ásta and Alðis of Frosna. Thus after a century did separate branches of the family of Ásta entwine.

“Húnrøðr coerced his regnant wife into making war on Eide, a settlement that had formed to the south of Alesø some years before the queen’s coronation, by loosely confederated bands of unrelated Viks from the Cultic Isles. Though the war was successful, and as a result dramatically expanded the Áaure'an Realm (Port Eidar was founded), it had interesting repercussions, both immediately and centuries later: the defeated Viks angrily left Eide to sack and scatter Lund, leaving the peaceful Zaxonians with the impression that their misfortune had everything to do with the Aaure’ans attack.

“After the death of Queen Ástríðr-Árnlief, and under the reign of her descendants, Áauré enjoyed a great peace, stretching the span of nearly two centuries. Left to themselves, encrucibled by the far latitude, the weather and geography, the Realm flourished under the thin sun of the Far North. Fishing over time diminished as a source of sustenance, to be supplanted by agricultural endeavors as deep, fertile farmlands were discovered along the upper reaches of the Védisian Fjord and the River Alof. Magnificent stands of timber – spruce, fir, cedar, juniper, ash, oak and a host of lesser woods –presented themselves to a robust shipbuilding industry; the best in the world. The mountains were delved to yield fantastic lodes of iron, nickel, tin and copper. Mineral deposits of sulphurs, nitrates and alkalis were unearthed. Volatile oils oozed from the crevasses of the Iron Massif. Precious metals abounded as well – gold, of course; and silver – “Sunsilver” as pure as the crystal streams of Jorá. A wealth of gems and jewels lined the creek beds of Dýrfinna – opal, rubies, emeralds, amethyst, garnets – all washed by subterranean streams from the treasuries that the mountains greedily guarded beneath their deep sunk roots.

“Áauré’s wealth grew apace. A succession of kings and queens ruled the Fabulous Realm, and the bloodline of Ásta flowed unbroken – through all regnancies - and even beyond those with no male heir.

“King Rönguðr, for instance, was childless; his brother’s son took the Throne. Queen Kolfinna, daughter and only child of King Viðarr, married the Frosnian Örnólfr, who took the name of Ásta, and passed it on to their child, Sigfastr the Impetuous. Thusly and so forth, the name Ásta has been preserved down from Alfarrin, to the immense satisfaction and great delight of the people of Áauré.

“One hundred and seventy years ago, and three hundred and seventy seven years after Alfarrin set foot on the Áaure'an Peninsula, Sigfastr Ásta (The Impetuous) abruptly decided to attack the Ghöric Empire in their outposts to the east of Hammarfel, breaking all tradition against interfering with (or allowing interference from) Lands Outside. However, the sprawling evil empire had recently formed Eastern Otta, in the Iron Foothills, and were forcibly resettling swarthy captive Khazahrs and sullen Lettlanders there, sworn to fealty to the Dark Emperor. Sigfastr rightfully saw in this a threat, in as much as the colonization was the Ghöric Empire’s first aggressive throw of the Iron Dice, in the expansionist game that would fifty years later become the Great War.

“Much as with Eldgrimr of our own day, Sigfastr launched a spoiling attack before the eastern hordes could gain the strength to mount their own assault. It was successful, and Áauré annexed Otta, as far as the Iron Hills. Thus, all the lands that today comprise the Seven Kingdoms (excepting Frosna) were then held by Áauré, and under the rule of the House of Ásta.

“These lands being so remote from the sources of his Continental power, the then-Emperor of Ghör had no recourse but to accept the outcome and nurse his grudge against the peoples of the Far North. But his son, the mentally unbalanced Hörak the Maleficent, was the man destined to assault the West, and begin the Great War.

“Sigfastr’s legacy was that the Far North was not immediately attacked; the Ghör’s plans in that region having been by his hand sufficiently unhinged for a time long past his own lifetime. Over one hundred years would pass – to the time of Princess Astrid’s birth – before an enemy would seriously threaten the Far North from the East.

“Some in the Far North disagreed with King Sigfastr’s impetuous war. Those living near the eastern borders of the realm were frightened by the might of Ghör, and felt that an agreement with the East would be in everyone’s best interest, and so they defected to the enemy. The retirement was peaceful, if deplored. A lesser scion of Hunrodr and Astrid-Arnlief Ásta, to everyone’s mortification, led the small emigration, to become the Ásta-Roeths (“Eastern-Ásta”, or “Traitor Ásta” depending on the translation). They founded Port Dhum, and together with the Ghöric settlers and slaves named the area “Angoeria” and strengthened their ties with the Dark Empire.

“Predictably, their colonization of the east played into the hands of the Ghöric Empire, whose nominal control over the desolate region was enhanced, leading indirectly but tragically a century later to the Angoerian War (popularly known as the First Angoerian War, to differentiate it from King Eldgrimr’s war of our times).

“It was during Sigfastr Ásta’s reign that work was begun on the immense Outer Walls of the Castle of Áauré. As with the High Tower, it was an endeavor to stretch the course of a half-century.

“Sigfastr’s son, Ingimundr the Iron-Fisted, at first ruled peaceably enough, and took as his mate his second cousin Queen Geirhildr the Beauteous. But late into his reign, and one hundred and twenty years ago, the Ghöric Empire under Hörak launched the assault that was to become the Great War.

“All should be familiar with the story of how Queen Geirhildr, in a reversal of the roles played by her ancestors Hunrodr and Astrid-Arnlief Ásta, coaxed and badgered her regnant husband Ingimundr into attacking the newly-formed Angoeria, and to persuade Zaxonia to throw in their lot with the failing Frangians.

“It is well that she did so, for thereby and by her hand, the world was saved from Ghöric Darkness. The Resultant Far Northern/Zaxon/Frangian combine, along with the later help of the Khazahr, defeated the Ghöric Empire and drove it back into its present day boundaries. Soon afterwards, the Empire was weakened – split by Accord into the three components we know today: the rump Ghör, Nord Ghör and Angoeria.

“Yet, for the northern victors, there was a price to pay, even while the Great War yet continued. The War destabilized the Far North, and late in Ingimundr and Geirhildr’s reign, civil war broke out. Védis went peaceably enough, and an isolated Otta soon followed. A diminished-yet-powerful Áauré managed to hold onto Alesø and Eide for several years; but in the end, they too broke away and named their own sovereigns. Thus was born the Seven Kingdoms (in Geirhildr’s time only six as Frosna did not sunder until fifty years ago): Áauré, Frosna, Védis, Otta, Alesø and Eide.

“The civil wars were mostly that – civil. Though a little blood was shed amongst the kindred, in the end there was an amicable parting of ways, as the members of a bickering family might do, needing some time to themselves.

“There developed an affable cooperation amongst the realms, spotted by only a few minor instances. In recent years, there has been a movement to reunite the kingdoms, and our Princess Astrid’s betrothal to Eldgrimr of Védis was an indication of the eventuality.

“As to the Princess’ immediate ancestry, I take you back to the end of the Far North’s Civil Wars – to the reign of Queen Geirhildr’s son’s (Bölverkr’s) only child and daughter, Queen Aldis Ásta. Aldis’ had a son by a scion of Sigfastr I, Már Jörundr, who became King Sigfastr II. He married Princess Grélöð of Alesø, and their second daughter (they had two –the first, Katlá, died in infancy) became Princess Astrid’s mother, Astrid I.

“During Bölverkr’s reign, the Great War concluded with the Ghör’s sundering defeat, and the aforementioned civil wars ended.

“Sigfastr II, Bölverkr’s grandson, built large sections of what would come to be known as the Great Coastal Road, stretching from Áauré to Port Beria. It was also during his reign that Zaxonia, due to the perceived grievances of some century’s past, sent emissaries to the Far North to raise the question of reparations for the depredations of the Viks of Eide, that the Áaure'an’s had displaced under Queen Ástríðr-Árnlief Ásta!

“The whole idea was laughable, and the emissary sent by the Zaxon Crown to Áauré to manage the talks, Prince Arbogast of the House of Arnagh – the same to which belongs our most gracious host Lord Ran – thought so too. Nothing came of it, except for the fact that Arbogast’s accompanying batman and cousin, Prince Arnorr Arnagh, fell in love with Sigfastr’s II’s beauteous daughter, and took the stunning creature to be his bride. He stayed in Áauré, not to return to his native Zaxonia, and became three years later – as is well known – our own lovely Princess Astrid’s father… for a tragically short time.

"Both he and his queen, Astrid Ásta I, as sadly is common knowledge, perished in the Great Siege at Áauré Castle, in the short but terrible Angoerian War – orphaning Princess Astrid II on the very night of her birth.

"Upon Astrid’s I’s untimely death, her younger sister Jórunn Halldora Ásta took the throne as Queen-Steward, until such time as Astrid II claims it for own.

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