Tamriel Data:Horskva Kongerike

Book Compilation
Added by	Tamriel Data
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This is a compilation of books assembled for easier reading.

Horskva Kongerike

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Parts I-VII

I. Prologue

A son, prince and king-to-be, came before his father, king and corpse-to-be. He asked that his father share his knowledge of the Wise Kingdom, hard won through a lifetime of power, that he might learn the ways of kingship. What transpired has been recorded, that any prince high or low may gain this knowledge and thus prepare to build a Wise Kingdom of their own.

II. The land

Son: Will you tell me of the land I shall one day rule?

Father: I shall, my son. This land is Uld Vraech, and we are the heirs of High King Vrage himself. We are a seafaring kingdom, controlling the straits between Dunkreath and savage Solstheim, and rich from the trade that passes through our seas. What we cannot extract peacefully we take through force, for the gods have granted us these straits as our one deserved boon.

III. The people

Son: And will you tell me of the people of this land?

Father: I shall do this also. The Men of Uld Vraech are stoic and strong, braving the hostile sea and Dunmereth both. They will be loyal to you without question. The Ashen Folk also live among us, in small numbers, and you must never trust them or they will see the kingdom ruined. The others you see about you are traders, diplomats, and those outsiders who would take our wealth by guile, yet these you can exploit to your own ends.

IV. Marvels of the North

Son: What sights will gladden my eyes as I travel the frozen North?

Father: The greatest sight is the peerless Throat of the World, for our power is manifest in its distant peak. Danstrar, the serpent hall of our cousins, is another wonder, for any ship that passes peaceably beneath its great skull will never be becalmed. Then there is the Dragon Wall, where almost three millennia ago the people of the North cast down the demon Mauloch who, in his revenge against the Sky, gave us the Year of Winter in Summer. The other wonders you must find for yourself, for a king of Uld Vraech must be a traveler foremost.

V. Outsiders and enemies

Son: And who are those I must fear, lest they take these marvels from us?

Father: All who are not of Uld Vraech are outsiders and can be welcomed but never trusted. The Ashen Ones will always seek to push us into the sea, but they fight themselves more than us and often their great clans will pay gold for the might of our warriors. The Tjaski-men are no longer a threat, for it was our revolt three hundred winters past that drove them from the North and ultimately from their southern throne. The Men of the south are weak and will seek to tempt you into submission to an empire they cannot hold; laugh at their promises and their pompous displays.

VI. Commerce and taxes

Son: From where comes the gold that fills our coffers and the arm-rings that reward our crews?

Father: All must pay fealty to their king and it is proper that you extract that fealty through the taxation of their gold. Merchants you will tax for the right to use your harbors and your markets and your waters, and any who try to outrun your tollships know that their cargoes are forfeit. However, the truest way for Kyne's folk to find fortune is upon the battlefield, and the greatest wealth of our kingdom was borne home on the shields of our warriors.

VII. Raiding and the seizure of wealth

Son: Where, then, shall I seek this battle-gold, to bring wealth to our people?

Father: To make war upon your neighbors is best. The last target of your aggression should be our cousins to the west, for it will diminish your standing in the eyes of the Moot and should be attempted in only the harshest of winters. Better to send your warriors east instead, to pillage the ashen settlements of Dunmereth and the curious islands beyond. Be swift in your looting, but not afraid to give battle if the odds are fair, for the nobles of those lands carry much wealth with them to war. It is by this that you will be a rich and much loved king, and your favored warriors will glitter in battle from their countless arm-rings.

Parts VIII-XV

VIII. The royal household

Son: Who are those, father, who make up our household?

Father: The members of the royal household are many, and though they are not family they are your greatest allies if you would be leal to them in kind. The lowest servants are those who cook your food, brush your horse, and satisfy your whims and wants. Then there are the learned servants, who count your wealth and record your judgements for all of time. Last but mightiest are the hird, your favored warriors amongst whom the greatest will ride at the prow of your warship and speak the law with your own voice.

IX. Guardsmen and the hird

Son: And who will protect my household from those who would bring us harm?

Father: The taxes of the city go towards the maintenance of a guard, who keep the peace and chase the pirates from our waters. They will be the first line of defense if the city should come to siege. Then there are the warriors of Uld Vraech, who will give their lives to protect what is yours. The greatest and most loyal of these will join your hird, and with it your household, and you will show them favor for they will keep you safe even in the most savage of battles.

X. Vassals and rulers

Son: Where will be my place, father, on the great pillar of oaths?

Father: Those leaders of Men, whether thanes, jarls, or masters of the many clans, who swear their oaths to you are your vassals. They are bound to you and your kingdom, just as your oath would have bound you to the High King in ages past. But the swearing of oaths runs in both directions, and you must never forget the obligations of safety, prosperity, and justice that you owe to your vassals in turn. The gods will not smile upon a fickle liege.

XI. Respect for the gods

Son: And how can I show my respect for the gods, that I might enjoy their boon?
Father: The gods are rulers of the hearth foremost, and your home will always be the place of closest proximity. The southerners build great and empty buildings for their gods and thus always remain alien from them. You, instead, will pray in silence by the fire and honor your murte without ceremony. Seek the graces of the wives or hags or witches who speak for the gods, and your rule will be long and prosperous.

XII. Expectations of behavior in the royal presence

Son: And what, dear father, should I expect of those in my royal presence?

Father: Son, you are king and you must demand deference from all who come before you. The dearth of haughtiness is the death of the kingdom, for fearful respect is the binding of good rule. All will bow before you; Men of your land will bow once, Men of the outlander territories will bow twice, and those of Mereth will not part the rough earth from their faces lest they do you dishonor. See this done lest the dais of your throne grow brittle.

XIII. Punishments and the right of execution

Son: What then, as king, shall I do with lawbreakers and those greedy of conceit?

Father: As king the power of death is yours; all live only through your forbearance. But remember too that prosperity and obedience come through a recognition of order; expectation breeds acquiescence, and this we call justice. Though you have the right of execution, better it is to resolve disputes through the seizure of wealth, the seizure of land, and the seizure of freedom. Through these you grow stronger, whilst making of those who defy your laws an example against which all can measure their own obedience.

XIV. Ways to break a sworn oath

Son: And though I stand astride the great pillar of oaths, how may I assure the freedom of my will?

Father: Oaths are the most sacred before the gods, and so the breaking of such a pact is the most precarious of rituals. First, you may kill they to which you owe your word, if this does not itself break your word to them. Second, you may burden them with oaths of your own, such that they forswear your debt in hope of their own relief. Third, and most grievous, you may call on them to defend their right to your fidelity in open combat, though through this you risk both your life and your rule, since any who best you in such a challenge may extract from you one additional oath of no set breadth.

XV. Epilogue

And so the son learned the ways of kingship, and set these learnings down so that all inheritors may too fashion by their untrammeled restraint the Wise Kingdom.