Hordaland
Hordaland is a loosely governed kingdom that is on the brink of collapsing into warring jarldoms. The former køenig, Ragi Steinson, passed away last year after a lengthy illness, leaving behind a 10-year-old son as his heir. Young Køenig Leif Ragison rules through his regent mother, Gudrid Ragiswif. The jarls are divided as to their loyalty, with some supporting the køenig, some throwing their might behind Ragi Steinson’s bastard son Amundi the Blond, and still others being courted by the Gats and Hrolfs.
The Hordalanders are more cosmopolitan than most of the other Northlanders, while remaining true to their Northlander ways much more so than the Hrolflanders. This is in large part due to the city of Halfstead, the Northland’s largest settlement and biggest trading center. Hordalanders are used to seeing strange travelers from distant lands, many of which come and stay for an entire season before sailing off for home. It is not unusual for a Hordalander jarl to host one or more strangers from the Southlands or even the distant Ammuyad Caliphate for the winter, and to do so is often considered a great boon and sign of status.
However, the people who settled Hordaland came from the Storstrøm Vale, the very heart of Northlander culture. Hordalanders cling tightly to their traditions, seeing every freeholder as his own ruler and giving the jarls only enough power to organize the hirth and see that the kingdom is well managed. The local Things are very popular, and most Hordalanders treat the rulings of the Things as being more law than suggestion.
Region
Hordaland
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