House of Erik

**Motive**: Specify the motive

### Titles

Lords of the Lossoth (147 VA - now)Jarls of Norðurhlið (131 VA - now)Chieftains of the Western Coast (formerly, ca 75 - 131 VA)

## Chronological Informations

### Reason(1)

Erik "the Peaceful" and his Lossoth tribe crossed the Icebay and founded Norðurhlið.

## Other

### Cadet Branches

House of Thorbjorn (117 VA - ?)- also affiliated to the House of Bard (Dale)

### Culture

Lossoth

The House of Erik (also called House of Norðurhlið because of their seat) is a noble house of Artheloth, founded by the chieftain Erik "the Peaceful" and that had an important part in the recent history of Forochel.

### Genealogic tree

Here you can see the genealogic tree updated at VA 175.

## Early History

After the fall of the realm of Artheloth at the end of the Fourth Age, the Lossoth tribes scattered around Forochel. In this context, around 75 VA one of the Lossoth chieftains drove his tribe across the ices that were covering the icebay in winter, and on the south-western coast of the bay he founded the village of Norðurhlið. His rule was calm and without wars, which granted him the name of "Peaceful".

When Erik died, his firstborn Thorbjorn "the Brief" ruled after him, but after only three years he was dethronized by the brother in a peasants rebellion, because they were unsatisfied with some land divisions he made. So he fled east, and his fate is unknown. It's possible that he founded a cadet branch.

The rule of Halfdan, Thorbjorn's brother, was a blessing for Norðurhlið, because even if it was born in blood led to a great expansion of the town. The small village's folk conquered and destroyed neighboring tribes, and when chiefs from other territories started to pledge to Halfdan's iron fist he declared himself first Jarl of Norðurhlið. When he died, he left to his son Harald the dominion on the coast between the icebay, Lindon, the northern Blue Mountains and the Belegaer.

Harald Halfdansson, trained since a young age in war and the art of leading, ruled for a very short time, from 142 to 144 VA: he was killed, in fact, by some Rhudaur hillmen that had traveled to the eastern borders of his dominion, and his death was sorrowful, for he was a beloved young man. He was remembered as Harald "the Complained". His brother, Sigurðr, swore revenge, and pushed by the young age started a unification process of the Lossoth tribes. He united the Lossoth of South Forochel in three years, and in 148 VA he pledged to the last descendant of the House of the Dunedain of Artheloth, Arahad, crowning him King of Artheloth, being granted the namely Lordship over the Lossoth in Artheloth.

## Server History

### Sigurðr "the Navigator" *(caranthir00)*

In VA 150, for the first time recorded in the history of Dale there was a contact between the Dalishmen and the Lossoth. The occasion was really simple: to make an alliance between the House of Bard and the House of Erik, the High Chancellor of Dale Sigurd Barding married Margrethe Halfdansdottir, younger sister of Sigurðr Halfdansson. The meeting was something to remember well, as the two cultures were born from one unique northern root.

In later days, the King of Artheloth, Arahad, asked the head of the House of Erik an impressing work: the settling of the Artheloth Royal Navy, hence the nickname "the Navigator".

In the year 163, the ship of Sigurðr, during a raid, was pushed south, and they by accident discovered and raided the coasts of Lindon. They were ultimately pushed back into the sea, but this started a new age for all Artheloth, for the Lossoth became aware of the long gone history of middle-earth, and Sigurðr, first of his folk, married one of the Firstborns of Ilùvatar, from whom he had a son, Forodréd.

He traveled in all the seas of Middle Earth, and eventually became the first of the Lossoth to sail around the world, on the footsteps of the Dùnedain of the Third Age. Died in 173 during a campaign north of the Icebay.

### Forodréd *(caranthir00)*

Son of Sigurðr, was the first half-elf born of a Lossoth and a Nolde. He grew in Norðurhlið until the age of 11, then he moved to the King of Artheloth's castle. He received a Lossoth, Elven and Dùnedain instruction, becoming one of the most knowledgeable people of Artheloth, despite his young age.

In 175, at the age of 13, he left with the widest fleet Artheloth ever organized to discover new cultures and make contact with them, to open the nation to the outer world. Such a travel lasted many years, and at his return Artheloth had fallen into ruins.

He then left for Dale, where his aunt lived, but after a long travel he discovered the terrible conditions of the people of those lands: for twenty years, civil war between feudal lords had made the people poor and the land pillaged. With the support of a large part of the citizens, he started a revolution, that caused a brutal and quick reunification of Dale under a republican government.

For six years he ruled as Prior of the Republic; he won the re-election, but refused the role and lived far from the politics for one year. Yet, the antidemocratic process of centralisation operated by the Emperor of Rhovanion forced him to leave Rhovanion and settle far in Rhun, where he married the former empress of Dorwinion, Arenelyya Dagothar-Engoria, self-exiled for the same reasons. They had two children, Constantine and Anna.