Fridrik Harald Remur Dagur Garrelts
Emperor Dagur Garrelts
Fridrik Harald, third emperor of the the Saltkrigere Empire, was a cruel and paranoid ruler, whose crimes against man, the gods, and the empire led to his death at the vengeful hands of his high steward (who was subsequently executed himself). Birthed with the name Dagur Garrelts, he took the Fridrik Harald upon his ascension to emperor.
His Perspective
Fridrik Harald, often called the most hated man in history, earns his title of "monster." Having spent most of his life in rigorous education, autobiographies shine light on his "uncanny" intelligence and capability of solving any problem presented, resulting in outshining peers a decade older than him. These older peers were often "consumed with jealousy and odium" as a result of their own shortcomings. This made Harald the subject of teasing as a child by those in his class, perhaps flaming the fire of his paranoia and hatred for those around him. His family life proved to have similar complications, with his older brother (Magnus Garrelts) "taking to alchemy best left forgotten." It was due to his brother's misbehavior that Fridrik attempted to have him pulled from power at court. In response, Fridrik states that "Magnus took upon himself the role of judgement, casting his lot among a self perceived 'divinity' that he has neither seen nor felt." The coy language seems to refer to a quarrel in which Magnus, angered by the submission to court, tortured and killed Fridrik's bloodhound with a branding iron. In response to the event, their mother forced Magnus to purchase a new pup for Fridrik. Only 16 at the time, Fridrik would kill the pup at its refusal to follow the same training regimen that the previous dog had become accustom to, stating "I have no need for my brother's mutt." In later years, Magnus would die from butcher's rot following a botched boar hunt with his siblings, leaving the succession to emperor in the hands of Fridrik. In response, Fridrik says "the gods leave those who entertain the sins of man idle and forsaken. Dark alchemy has no place in our empire, and though my hands are white as a senator's wool with devotion, I have never felt pleasure from my brother's damnation. May Bailum be kind in his indifferent judgment." Other writing by Fridrik highlights his inclination to spend time with the lower class as a child. Often playing various games of dice and ball, his activities weren't all so wholesome. Several occasions saw him engage in thievery. The victims never recognized the child and would seek to accuse him of the crimes, only to be punished themselves for making assertions on the crown. Fridrik says that the shop owners "were right to be punished, not recognizing the hand that serves divinity," though he had no authority at the time of these events. Many would consider the young Fridrik to be kind for choosing to ignore class and engage with children outside of his peers, but this was not done out of kindness. The emperor wrote that "many of my equals were given allowances that were poorly thought through. As children, they did question me in my endeavors and knowledge. Perhaps this alone would be insubstantial, but they took to slander my mother at her time of power. This went unpunished, and so I performed my sonly duty in disengaging from my peers. Those of the farming class made no such mistakes as insulting me, my claims, or stories of past escapades. They were loyal and subject to my word." Fridrik covers much of his history in truth, layered with justification. The degree of honesty he writes with is uncanny for emperors at the time, especially given the cruelty he displayed. It is abundantly clear that he viewed himself above others and viewed the world as one of enemies and servitude.Peer Perspective
Fridrik's contemporaries feared him as he furthered his career. The members of his court avoided the emperor unless entirely necessary, and they feared what his desires for the nation would mean for future generations. That is, the empire had made great legislative and geographical progress throughout its existence, and they feared that Fridrik's disregard for continuing its growth would lead to its demise. The court soundly believed that growth was a necessary spectacle to keep the masses entertained (and as such, submissive), and without any advancements the empire would consume itself. These beliefs were unfounded at the time, but Fridrik was hardly doing his people any favors by abusing his authority for luxury. One member of the emperor's council heard the complaints of the court and acted as an intermediary, but would be stripped of land, titles, and citizenship for doing so. The court firmly stated that they had not spoken to the council upon further questioning. This is only one example of the man's lack of sensibility, but it served as the basis for his peers' refusal to speak with him. The court, serving out of loyalty to Magnus, wrote many letters between each other that have been saved to this day. They often refer to Fridrik as an "oaf," and wrote openly about the man's overwhelming paranoia. The council was divided when Fridrik's younger brother (Vinn Garrelts) was sent back to Shellbay on the emperor's orders. The only progress that the empire had made was due to Vinn's devotion, but Fridrik came to see his younger brother's actions as an attempt to undermine his authority. Vinn departed willingly, fearing what the madman would do to his wife and daughters upon refusal. Over the course of his career, he only gained notoriety for being unstable and harmful to both his family and the public good.Crimes
Emperor Harald committed a litany of crimes in his career that usually went overlooked. While many emperors have gotten away with small infringement, Fridrik paved the way for the position of emperor to be feared. During his career, his royal guards noted several occasions of Fridrik murdering individuals that crossed his path, seemingly for no reason at all. In his third year of ruling, he went to the orc district within Saint's Maar where he disguised himself and his guards as commoners. One of his guards at the time recorded an event in which Fridrik "riled up the locals at a pub before murdering an orc woman with a concealed knife. Upon the other customers rising to 'resolve' the mad man, his honor asked us to reveal ourselves and slay any that stepped forth. Not understanding the circumstances... many of the residents stepped forth. The situation was not one that we stomached lightly., and the lot of us sought penalty from the Consilium in later days, to which we were told we were only performing our duties." Different nights saw Fridrik attacking the homeless of the city, stuffing their bodies into the newly fashioned sewers. Historians consider it blatantly clear that Emperor Harald murdered his brother. Some historians claim that he may have murdered his niece in his later age after her refusal to marry him, but there is not sufficient evidence to state for certain. The final crime of his career would lead to his death. Vinn, thinking that marriage would calm Fridrik's mind, had the eldest daughter of the Abdel family agree to matrimony. Ecstatic about the implications of the marriage, she was ignorant to Fridrik's cruelty. Her personality was also destined to clash with Fridrik, being independent and free-willed. Ignoring that the marriage would bring her family honor, she only wrote of her excitement for getting to see her brother again (the Emperor's high steward, who was unaware of the arrangement). Within 2 weeks (and before their marriage), Fridrik would kill is wife-to-be with a hunting spear. In court, his guards claimed that they had been told to leave his quarters while the two of them spoke. Upon reentering due to loud crashing noises, they stated that "the emperor had no passion in his face, only saying that he had 'no need for his brother's mutt.'" The guards, knowing Fridrik's temperament, left him while the temple healer. In their absence, Fridrik's high steward came upon the scene, where he strangled the emperor to death.Trial of the High Steward
Following the High Steward's murder of Emperor Harald, a trial was held by the imperial court to decide his fate. Regardless of the universal hatred for the late emperor and knowledge of his crimes, the decision to execute the high steward was swift. While many would state their appreciation for the events that transpired, punishment would be necessary in order to uphold the several precedents that the Saltkrigere Empire wished to represent:
I. Murder of the realm's overseer must be punished, no matter the justification. To let a great treason go unpunished sets the same expectation into the future.
II. Judgement and punishment is to be carried out by the impartial Bailum. Judgement under passion's guidance is not but misjudgment.
III. Justice is a divine domain. To carry out punishment without consensus is to put oneself equal to the gods.
IV. To put the life of one Lord or Lady equal to that of the realm's overseer is to leave their authority subject to question.
Children
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