This is a thought that has been bugging me, and I haven't been able to find a clear answer: Who takes power in a Linnorm Kingdom when a Linnorm King dies? There has been a case of hereditary power (resulting in the kingdoms being unprepared for the invasion of Baba Yaga), which the Linnorm Kingdoms now reject, so how does a region maintain stability after a ruler dies?
Does it maintain stability at all? Or does it fall to infighting amongst minor jarls and huskarls? Or does a neighbouring Linnorm King step in and add the vacated lands to their domain?
There are two possibilities I have come up with:
1) A lesser Jarl or lord acts as a "place-holder" until a new Linnorm King claims power (which seems to be what Freyr Darkwine is doing in Hagreach)
2) A preexisting Linnorm King takes control, either through conquest, or the will of the deceased ruler.
Granted, The Linnorm Kingdoms are a chaotic, barbaric region, so its entirely possible there is no one tradition that defines the transition of power. But this leads me to beg a larger question:
What would happen if King Sveinn Blood-eagle suddenly died of a heart-attack?
Kalsgard is a metropolis that connects Northern Avistan to Tian Xia, and is at least open to the possibility of trade rather than war with the southern lands, just as The Ironbound Islands are.
So who would take over Kalsgard in Sveinn's absence? And what are the consequences?
Would Sveinn's will name a successor among one of the still living Linnorm Kings? Would power fall to Sveinn's advisors and huskarls? Or would The Linnorm Kingdoms simply slide into a bloody civil war, with the victor vying for Kalsgard's enviable seat of power and influence?
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Freyr may be a unique case, since he's also the commander of the Blackravens military order, dedicated to protecting the Lands of the Linnorm Kings from the Winter Witches and other witchery, but I think that seems the closest to a precedent: that the throne may be empty, but the realm is still governed by various figures of authority until a true Linnorm King arrives.
Freyr may be a unique case, since he's also the commander of the Blackravens military order, dedicated to protecting the Lands of the Linnorm Kings from the Winter Witches and other witchery, but I think that seems the closest to a precedent: that the throne may be empty, but the realm is still governed by various figures of authority until a true Linnorm King arrives.
I do believe that you are talking about the High King, there is a way to become said king.
I do believe that you are talking about the High King, there is a way to become said king.
Assuming a civil war broke out among the Linnorm Kings, killing Fafneihr would be the best way to bring it to an end.
I guess the question then becomes "would the Linnorm Kings war with each other over the Thanelands?"
There's certainly a lot of enmity between the other three Linnorm Kings:
White Estrid is forward thinking, yes, but also extremely ambitious.
Ingrimundr the Unruly wants to return the Linnorm Kingdoms to "ye good ol' days of plunder and loot everything that's weaker than us!" - A tradition that Estrid incidentally challenges by inviting foreign ships to trade in Halgrim.
Opir Eightfingers wants to prove himself and cement his legitimacy as a king - everyone doubts he actually killed a linnorm - and making a claim on The Thanelands (whom everyone in Southmoor is jealous of) would secure him the adoration of his people.
The only absolute opponent to a civil war would be Freyr Darkwine, who is intent on protecting the Linnorm Kingdoms from the threat of Irrisen. He is also noted as being the only significant leader in the Linnorm Kingdoms with a "good" alignment.
There's also a lot of violence inherent to the lower echelons of the region: Blood feuds, weregild and effigies are common practices: As a rule, the Ulfen people seem to stand by the rule of "might makes right" with an emphasis on "kick in their teeth if they mess with you, your property, your lord, or your friends and family.