Bernhard (ˈbɛrn.haʁt)

Crown Prince of Deira

"...and he shall be returned to you once you pay a sum of 75,000 silver marks."

— excerpt from the ransom demand from Jarl Gunnar Bloodaxe to Eadric, King of Deira, for the return of his heir.

Bernhard of Deira is the son and heir of King Eadric of Deira. When the raiders of the Reginnsþjóð recently raided and sacked Deira's capital, Bernhard was captured by Jarl Gunnar Bloodaxe. He is currently imprisoned on the island of Uisgneach, which Bloodaxe had been using as a base of operations for the last several years.

Early Life

Bernhard is the only child of Eadric and Mathilde, after many years of trying and several miscarriages. According to rumor, Eadric was preparing to put Mathilde aside as functionally barren when she finally carried Bernhard to term. After losing so many other children before him, Mathilde was intensely protective of Bernhard and they were never separated by more than a few feet for the first seven years of his life. During this period, his father has rarely present, being preoccupied with crushing rebelling Albannach peasants. But when he visited for Kerzennächte in Bernhard's seventh year, Eadric flew into a rage over how Mathilde was coddling the boy. He subsequently ordered that Bernhard be placed in the care of several tutors charged with turning the boy into the kind of prince and heir Eadric thought he should be. After much pleading, he permitted Mathilde to remain with Bernhard, but as an observer with no say over how Bernhard was educated, treated, or disciplined.

A Prince's Education

Eadric's opinions on how a prince should be educated focused heavily on military and combat, with some academic study such as literacy and mathematics. Bernhard was quickly thrown into learning how to use a sword and shield, how to ride a horse, and how to plan a battle, with tutors who were instructed to be harsh in their punishments and sparing in their praise. Eadric hoped to counter the softness of Bernhard's earliest years by this approach, and demanded regular reports on his son's progress.

For his part, Bernhard did his best to please his father and learn what he was being taught. He was an apt student, and quickly gained profiency equal to his peers in the use of sword, shield, and lance, both on the ground and on horseback. Similarly, he did well with his more academic studies. Nor did he neglect his mother's influence - while he was not able to spend much time with her, he made an effort to visit with her whenever he could and even spent his scant spare time reading and memorizing the books of poetry she loved and snuck to him when his tutors' attention was diverted. Ultimately, Bernhard believes that his father is correct about what kind of prince he must become, but fears that doing so will make him an alien to his mother and undeserving of her love.

The Sack of Dunwych

While the Reginnsþjóð has been harrassing the coast of Deira for years, they recently pulled of their most daring attack to date. Jarl Gunnar Bloodaxe took advantage of the ongoing unrest within Deira, and deployed several ships to raid disparate parts of Deira's coastline simultaneously. These raids were intended to pull Deira's forces, already stretched by several rebel uprisings, away from the capital of Dunwych, leaving it lightly defended. He then sailed a large force of ships up the Tamesis River and invaded the heart of Dunwych, burning and pillaging as he went.

When Bernhard heard that the city was under attack, he armed himself and took command of the palace's guards. He directed them to bring as many of the city's women and children into the relative safety of the palace and to keep them from the raiders. Then he and the guards took up defensive positions and waited for Bloodaxe and his men to reach them.

The outer defenses of the city were breached quickly, and the raiders spread through the streets like ink spilled on paper. Most of them began looting and burning immediately, but a core group with Bloodaxe at the head forced their way to the Palace gates, intent on looting Deira's treasury for themselves. Bernhard and the palace guards were there to stop them, but they were outnumbered, and the raiders were far more experienced in combat. Bernhard was injured, and was nearly killed when one of the guards told the raiders who he was. Finding himself with the Crown Prince in hand, Bloodaxe had him bound and carried back to the ships, to be held for later ransom. As he was carried away, he saw that the city was in flames, and that the raiders were pouring into the palace intent on stealing whatever they might desire. He struggled to free himself, but between his bonds and his injuries, he was unable to escape.

Imprisoned on Uisgneach

For the last two months, Bernhard has been a prisoner of the Reginnsþjóð in Bloodaxe's stronghold on Uisgneach. His wounds have been treated, and he is treated as an honored guest, given good food and freedom to wander the tiny island, albeit always in the company of several armed men. He knows that messages have been sent to his father with a ransom demand, but not whether those letters have been received, or if his father will be willing or able to pay the sum Bloodaxe has named. He also knows nothing about the fate of his mother, save that she is said to have vanished during the sack of Dunwych. He has resolved to be courteous to his captors, so as not to disgrace his position. He has also sworn to himself that once he is free of them, he will bend himself to the utter destruction of the Reginnsþjóð, by whatever means necessary.

Current Location

Uisgneach

Species

Human

Ethnicity

Eot

Year of Birth

3972 PC 13 Years old

Parents

Eadric

Mathilde

Aligned Organization

Deira

A Princely Ransom

The amount demanded by Jarl Gunnar Bloodaxe for Bernhard's release is well outside the amount that his father Eadric can easily raise, as the coffers of Deira have been depleted fighting the rebels, and much of what remained was stolen during the sack of Dunwych. However, Eadric is related to the House of Klüpfuchs, which rules over the neighboring kingdom of Bernicia. While Eadric's branch of the family is estranged from the Bernician royalty, it is possible that they would be willing to loan him the money he needs to ransom his heir - if he can swallow enough of his pride to ask them to.

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