Erik the Wicked

King of Lysandus Erik Ebenwald

Erik, O Erik, may you turn in your grave!
It was taxes when hungry, money a crave.
Erik, O Erik, blood in his chalice!
His rule was nothing but malice!
~Song of King Erik, by Jethro the Chronicler

Erik Ebenwald, more commonly known as Erik the Wicked, was the fifth King of Lysandus. After taking the throne from Mortimer I, Erik Ebenwald became the king of the country from 1A 5652-5681. Afterwords he would be disposed of, and the line of Oncett would be restored with Mortimer II. He would notably be the last Ebenwald to ever be on the throne.
Erik Ebenwald was known as a tyrant, and for good reason. Under his regime he ignored the pleas of the people, instead driven by his thirst to expand the kingdom in an unrighteous crusade. His war with the noble Dragonlords was particularly infamous. He is a favorite pick for villains in bardic plays, as he was known for his entitled personality.

History

Early Life

In 1A 5631 Erik Ebenwald was born, being raised in the small city of Wewich. He would learn that his family was royalty from his father, who expressed a small bit of disdain to how he should have been the rightful king. Erik took these words to heart. He trained to become a squire under the local Dragonlord at the age of 16 until becoming a rightful knight. As he grew older, he began to notice the disdain people had with Mortimer I. Knowing he should be the rightful king, Erik began to set in motion a plot to dethrone Mortimer I.
In 5650, Erik approached the Dragonlords in Ebenwald in order to make a case. At first, they shrugged him off. However, he showed them distinct proof of his lineage in order to show that he should be king. He claimed that Dariah should not have taken the throne, due to his 3rd great grandfather, David, being the second son of Aethel Ebenwald and available at that time to take the throne as the senior-most male. The Dragonlords expressed their discontent with Mortimer I and evidently would end up agreeing in backing Erik's cause.
Two years Erik would spread his campaign to the people of Lysandus, proclaiming himself as the rightful heir to the throne. Then, in 5652, he plotted with the Dragonlords to take the throne by force. In the Courthouse in Ebenwald Erik would stage a coup. Mortimer I was trapped in the courthouse with the other Dragonlords and Erik. Erik offered Mortimer I to give up his crown peacefully, but the king refused. Erik would proceed to stab Mortimer I and take the crown. On that day, he crowned himself the King of Lysandus, to which the Dragonlords supported.

The Reign of Tyranny

In that year Erik would show his true colors. He rounded up the corrupt sheriffs remaining in Mortimer I's regime and put them to the sword, gaining public acclaim. However, he would soon place in men he held blackmail against to be the sheriffs, doing his own bidding. He raised the taxes on the people, which drew attention to the Dragonlords in the Court of Chiefs. As they tried to protest, he dug into a clause created by Adran I: the dismissal of the court. Erik shut down the voices of the Dragonlords and proceeded to collect his taxes as he pleased.
By 5654, he managed to get enough funds to build the army back to it's strength under Queen Dariah's early reign. When the Dragonlords tried to approach him in his throne room about this (and asking why he's not rebuilding the cities), he simply told them that their weakness of the cities made them vulnerable to attack by Boldurun and Gothai. He told the Dragonlords to fix the cities themselves. Insulted, they stormed out of the gates of Ebenwald. They did not know, however, that he was planning something horrible.

The Gothai Crusade

by Triternion

In 5657 King Erik visited Amagus tower to overlook the valleys of Keller. When he looked up north, he saw the border of Gothai, and told his men he was going to expand Lysandus' borders, more than his ancestor Aethel could have imagined. Working with a thieves guild, he orchestrated a staged event on the border, switching the orders of troops in Gothai to provoke Orwood, a Holy City for Amagus. Both the Gothain government and the Dragonlords of Lysandus were shocked, though did not know the true reason for the events.
The Dragonlords came to King Erik on his throne, pleading they would go to war for Gothai's "assault". King Erik immediately agreed and rounded up the troops in Lysandus. He talked to the Priests of Amagus, getting their permission to declare a holy war against Gothai. So, in 5658, the Gothai Crusade was initiated.
This horrible war would last for a period of 8 years. Erik went immediately aggressive toward Gothai. The nation was clearly not ready for the conflict and began to struggle in the first three years. However, sometime in 5662, General Leuswig of Gothai uncovered Erik's treachery, claiming that he had set up their kingdom for an unjust war. Erik tried to censor the news, which angered the Priests of Amagus. The King then denied all the allegations, stating the general was a liar. Curiously, General Leuswig would die a month later on the battlefield.
In 5676 as the Dragonlords led the armies of Lysandus, Erik began to create legislation to destroy Adran I's legal blockades to giving him more power on the throne, especially over the courts. It would be in the Battle of Turm Kalterfels when the Dragonlords would call King Erik to join them in battle. King Erik would pause his legislation for a few short months to join the battle. However, the Battle of Turm Kalterfels proved to be a disaster for Lysandus, to where they retreated past Orwood. Gothai pushed back the armies back into the valleys of Keller. The Gothains would proceed to take Orwood in a disastrous campaign for King Erik.

War of the Dragonlords

When Erik returned back to Ebenwald his charters were waiting. He quickly passed them and used his remaining army to enforce them. The House of Chiefs was demolished. The Dragonlords grew angry and began to amass their own militias in their cities. Erik would find enforcing his rule of law difficult with the resistance of the Dragonlords. Erik proceeded to claim the Dragonlords as traitors to Lysandus for their "treachery". The Dragonlords ended up joining together to try and remove Erik from the throne, realizing how much of a tyrant he was.
5678 came around, to the point where the Dragonlords managed to ally themselves with a younger man, who had more right to the throne than Erik: Mortimer Darius Oncett, the son of Mortimer I. Mortimer Darius publicly challenged King Erik, stating he was no true king. King Erik quickly captured Mortimer Darius, placing him in his prison. He planned on executing him in the following year. As such, the Dragonlords rallied the people of Lysandus to oppose King Erik.
Nearing the execution day of 5679, a huge riot overtook Ebenwald. The people in the city began to storm toward the castle gates. This, however, only proved to be a distraction. A group of infiltrators came into the castle unnoticed by King Erik and set Mortimer Darius free. Mortimer Darius fled the city, stopping back at Brymoor to collect troops with the Dragonlords. Thus, in 5680, the War of the Dragonlords commenced.
With Mortimer Darius commanding the legions of the Dragonlords, they began to dwindle the remaining army that King Erik had. King Erik proved to be a horrible general. Over the course of 9 months, the armies of the Dragonlords came closer and closer to Ebenwald. Then, in 5681, they broke through and stormed the city. King Erik was taken hostage by the Dragonlords.
However, Mortimer Darius had strange compassion. He took the crown of King Erik from his head and let him flee. And flee he did. Erik Ebenwald fled south, quietly living in Silver Town until the end of his days, hated by the people there. He would die in 5690 of a illness, and the people of the town celebrated his demise.

Mental characteristics

Accomplishments & Achievements

Erik's only accomplishment was raising the funds in Lysandus so he could rebuild his army. On a negative sense, he also succeeded in demolishing the House of Chiefs, something he loved doing. Also, he is now immortalized as a villain in many plays and songs, because he is a favorite subject to mock and harass posthumously. Jethro the Chronicler notes how he thinks this is 100% deserved.

Failures & Embarrassments

Where do we begin?

• His loss at the Battle of Turm Kalterfels was a humongous loss for the Kingdom of Lysandus.

• Obesfeld and Orwood were completely taken by Gothai.

• He ruined the taxing system in Lysandus with his corrupt sheriffs.

• His efforts weakened his own government by decentralizing via removing the courts, giving the Dragonlords more control of their cities!

King Erik was horrible and goes down in history as the worst king Lysandus had ever faced. His lust for glory only turned him and the nation into a failure on the continent of Eiren and ultimately weakened it further than it had been before.

Personality Characteristics

Motivation

Historically, Erik wrote to himself that he would shine as great as King Ebenwald Lysandus. He hoped to restore the throne properly to that house so the nation could dominate on the continent. He also was greedy and loved money, and felt war was the only way for him to be remarked as a good ruler.

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Sources:

• Dynasty of the Oncetts, by Oslafa of Kirkwall. Date of writing: circa First Age 5800.

• Last of the Ebenwald Kings, by Inwaer Ebenwald. Date of Writing: First Age 5700.

• Last Testimony of King Erik, by Erik Ebenwald. Date of Writing: First Age 5689.

• Song of King Erik, by Jethro the Chronicler. Date of Writing: Second Age 56.

• The Chronicles of Lysandus, by Aedweld. Date of writing: First Age 5750.

Honorary & Occupational Titles

King of Lysandus, Head Justice of the Court

Life

5631 ME 5690 ME 59 years old

Birthplace

Wewich, Lysandus

Gender

Male