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The Seventeen and One Monarchs
of the Ysgramor Dynasty

Book XIII: Harald Hand-Free

by High Chronicler Valerius of Winterhold

A history of Skyrim's early High Kings

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High King Harald, the 13th monarch in the line of Ysgramor, is considered today to be one of the greatest Nordic kings in history. Hailing from the House of Fjora, his rule is best characterized as the king who brought great prosperity and wealth to the kingdom and single-handedly laid the groundwork that would result in the establishment of a continent-spanning empire.

In his youth, Harald fought in the War of the Jeralls against the invading Ayleid forces of Cyrodiil, and proved himself a formidable warrior. Quickly rising through the ranks, Harald became one of High King Haknir's most trusted generals and was instrumental in holding the line against the unrelenting elven barrage with his legendary battleaxe, Stormkiss. For his efforts in the war, King Haknir honored Harald by naming him as Jarl of Eastmarch. Although traditionally the High King also served as the Jarl of the Hold in which they reside, Haknir made an exception for Harald and relinquished his position to him in 1E 135.

Ascent

Jarl Harald's rule was prosperous and he became well loved among the people of Eastmarch. Some of his more notable deeds include establishing Stuhn's Vanguard, a vast armada of famed warships (or stórkkja in the old tongue) that would replace Windhelm's archaic ragtag fleet of longboats. He was also credited with eradicated the last known stronghold of the Dragon Cult in 1E 139 after his forces discovered and besieged a secluded temple in the Rift.

Before King Haknir died in 1E 143 he named Harald as his successor. Given Harald's notable reputation, the other Houses of the Skerd unanimously agreed with the decision and Harald's coronation took place later that year. His reign as High King was even more prosperous. Historians particularly applaud his rule as a true blessing after he made numerous advances in record-keeping and scholarship.

Many historians consider Harald to be a different breed of monarch to those who came before him. While many of his predecessors held true to Ysgramor's Decree of conquest and expansion, their military campaigns often focused on short-term gains and victories within their own lifetimes. A true tactical genius, Harald was the first with the vision and foresight to plan and strategize decades in advance. As a result, many of his grand designs would outlive him and be carried out by his successors.

He is often misattributed as the first truly "Nordic" king among certain historians who claim that it was Harald who relinquished the ancient holdings in Atmora and properly found Skyrim as an independent nation. This viewpoint implies that his predecessors and their kingdoms had ties to Atmora, which is of course historically inaccurate. Since the rule of High King Valdimar, who oversaw the last mass migration, Atmora succumbed to the Freezing and whatever ancient holdings remained were long gone by the rule of Harald.

Not everyone agreed with his ascent to the position of High King. Chieftain Randagulf of Clan Begalin was a contemporary of Harald and one of the mightiest warriors in the kingdom. He served honorably with him in the war but for years rallied for the abolishment of the Blood Oath of the Skerd - an ancient ruling that ensured that only those of Ysgramor's bloodline were worthy of kingship. Enraged at Harald's crowning, Randagulf challenged him to single combat for the right to rule the kingdom. Despite holding great respect for the war hero, Harald was forced by tradition to accept Randagulf's challenge and was ultimately victorious. He took Randagulf's gauntlets (which were said to grant the bearer great strength) for his own and honored his fallen kinsman with a grand funeral.

The King's Scouts

King Harald was noted for meticulously researching and scouting the lands which he sought to conquer. Indeed, part of the reason he founded Stuhn's Vanguard was so he could effectively scout the coasts of neighboring lands in preparation for an invasion. One account from the crew of the Vikverjene describes their encounter with a small flotilla in the northern waters of modern-day High Rock. Harald's own brother, Thane Hjafniir Whale-Tooth, was scouting the region with his crew when they encountered a roving band of Yokudan corsairs. His fragmented log reads:

12th Last Seed, 1E 147

...the ice-chilled western seas my liege bade me scout, and by Kyne's infinite grace our journey proved fruitful. I sought to hie back to Windhelm on the 23rd day when young Skegglund spotted a small fleet of ships to the south. As they descended upon the Vikverjene with great haste we rejoiced as our battle-hunger was to finally be sated and much plunder was to be had... But neither elves nor beasts were these curious wayfarers. Instead, we crossed swords with hardy, charred skinned Nords-who-are-not-Nords, all of which wore impressive beards to rival our own. Whence these Men hailed from is unknown, but their love for battle was unmistakable. From their hands they conjured exquisite blades of light as they sang in their heathen tongue. Our own blades sang a blood song as they boarded our ship and a glorious symphony rang into the night...

Yokudans were not the only race of men Harald encountered in his expeditions. While he was well aware of the elves who thronged the south and the east, the western lands remained a mystery. Harald had long sought to venture past the Druadach Mountains, but his predecessors declared the region forbidden ground after King Hrogar's failed war with Dwarves of Nchuand-Zel. Harald formed an elite scouting party led by the famed hero Kvenel the Tongue. The Gray Outriders departed from Windhelm in 1E 153 and headed west into the mountains.

Khosey's "Tamrilean Tractates" famously transcribes a firsthand account of the Outriders discovering a tribe of Bretons after venturing deep into the modern-day Western Reach. Mistaking them for yet another variant of elf, the Outriders attacked the tribe but halted their slaughter when one of the tribal elders began to wail for his life in broken Nordic. When word reached Harald, he reasoned these "Manmeri" were descendants of Atmoran slaves taken during the Elven destruction of Saarthal some 300 years prior, but generations of Elven intermingling and slavery had rendered them scarcely recognizable as humans.

Forbidden Legend

One of the more dire threats to Harald's kingdom was dealing with the treacherous sons of Archmage Gauldur of Snowhawk. Gauldur had long advised the royal court, first under King Haknir and later under King Harald. Gauldur was revered throughout the north and many sought his counsel. Although his sons, Jyrik, Sigdis and Mikrul served in the War of the Jerrals alongside Harald, they were infamous for their cruelty and wickedness.

Jyrik discovered the source of his father's power, an ancient Atmoran amulet, and conspired with his brothers to murder his father. And so it was done. Consumed by power, he and his brothers laid waste to villages across the kingdom until King Harald sent his personal Clever Man, Archmage Geirmund and a company of battlemages to stop them. After a long pursuit, all three brothers were eventually slain, but at the of cost Geirmund's life.

Harald ordered a tomb built for Geirmund and named the nearby lake after his honored friend. Lest any try to recover the amulet that had been sealed in the tomb, Harald decreed that the name and deeds of Gauldur and his sons were to be expunged from every record and chronicle.

Later Life

Harald fathered seven children with the Skerd Queen, Sigrid Laransdottir, but rumors circulated that he sired numerous illegitimate children over the years. Recent events reveal that this was at least partially true after the tomb of his bastard son, Olmgerd the Outlaw, was uncovered in Morrowind.

His eldest, Prince Hjalmer, was Harald's favored son and was groomed to take his place after his death. His younger brother, Prince Vrage, was deeply troubled by his father's decision, especially since he was considered by many in the court to be a stronger choice.

Harald had an unusually long life (for a Nord) and lived to 108 years old, 78 years of which he ruled Skyrim. He outlived all but three of his sons. Despite his age, he worked tirelessly on various future campaign to expand the kingdom and eventually compiled his work into a tome known as the Cartulary of Birthright. Before his death, he presented the tome to Prince Hjalmer ordering him to follow through with his campaign of expansion.

Harald died in 1E 221 and was interred in the deepest crypts below Windhelm. Prince Hjalmer assumed the throne immediately, however had other plans for the kingdom, much to his court's surprise.

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