History of Daneland, the landing of the Danes, the travels of Thorfinn Karlsefni and the Danes by Maester Joss Quid
Daneland
Daneland the eight kingdom of Westeros, famed for their longboats and people who seem to rival the Ironborn in their love of the sea, so much so that every bastard born in the Daneland is called Seas, the Danes were also most honorable for their actions during their travels south of Westeros, they befriended the Martells of Dorne as well as some houses in the Stormlands, along with their honor comes also their opportunistic approach to things, the Danes were able to secure Daneland which was once a western part of the Reach due to a cunning deal between their leader Thorfinn Karlsefni and then King Aegon V Targaryen and with such a land they were able to enrich it as well as expand it due to the knowledge and bravery of their new lords the House Karlsefni.
The eight kingdom of Westeros was formed after the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion and the War of the Ninepenny Kings by people who called themselves Danes who came from a land called Denmark, there were five hundred of them tall and gruff, men, women, and children all led by a man called Thorfinn Thorsson Karlsefni. The Danes before settling to the coast west of the Reach, sailed south to Dorne where they were met by the Dornishmen who quickly brought them to Sunspear where Thorfinn Karlsefni told their story to the current Prince of Dorne, Olyvar Martell, they were a people who tire of war back from their homeland and instead look for a new land to settle in, Olyvar wanted to help them himself but due to the fact that he is a vassal of the King of the Seven Kingdoms he couldn't give them land but that doesn't mean he couldn't give them aid and so after advising their leader Thorfinn to seek the king at King's Landing as well as giving the Danes supplies on their journey, a friendship was then formed between Dorne and the Danish people that lasted until Robert's Rebellion.
The Danes sailed to the arm of Dorne then proceeded to the Sea of Dorne where they were met with harsh storms before they landed to a stop at a shore in the Stormlands, carrying their longboats, the Danes marched inland but the people of the Stormlands thought they were Ironborn marauders and so some Stormlords attack the Danes as they were setting camp near Mistwood, the Danes despite being surprised by the sudden attack, were able to defend themselves against the small army of the Stormlands repelling their first wave of attack and even using their longboats as barricades from one account of a soldier it was recorded:
"These men were fierce fighters, axes, swords, daggers, and teeth, they defended themselves with such ferocity that the ground was wet not with their blood but ours"
The conflict would have escalated further if not for Einar Thorsson Karlsefni, Thorfinn's brother-in-arm called out for a talk between them and the Stormlanders, despite the hesitation on both sides Lord Jon Mertyns, lord of Mistwood, went to the side of the Danes and then Thorfinn Leifsson Skyrrauga one of the leaders of the Danes went to the side of the Stormlords, after some talks between the two sides, the Stormlords were able to understand the situation of the Danes then as a recompense to the Danes, House Mertyn welcomed them to their castle at Mistwood where they feasted and an agreement was made between the two sides where the daughter of Lord Jon Mertyns married one of their group, Karli Arngrimsson Reidyr, who settled in the Mertyn lands with the others who are weary of the travel, after the affair at the Stormlands the Danes then proceeded to the Crownlands where they are welcomed by King Aegon V Targaryen who had received messages from Dorne and Mistwood. An account from the then Grand Maester Merion told of the meeting:
"The barbarians are a curious folk, with their leaders were their partners or rather wives, fair faced comely women and yet in their eyes were a fierce fire, all of them were beautiful, except for one, the wife of Einar Karlsefni, Hild Bodastrengr Hrafnakellsdottir, who had a scar on her right eye, ruining the woman's face but not emphasizing the fact that the woman is a warrior as she carries herself, Thorfinn Karlsefni's wife, Gudrid Vidforla Thorbjarnardottir, was a beautiful black haired woman, but she cut her hair short putting an appearance of a boy, I almost mistaken her as Thorfinn's squire if not for the curves of motherhood that she shows, Thorfinn and Einar were almost giants compared to the king, with their fur cloaks and beards they are like the men of the North, but they're differences is that Einar had brown hair and Thorfinn had yellow like Lannister gold"
The meeting between the Danes and the King of the Seven Kingdoms was the start of the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion, as Thorfinn and King Aegon V Targaryen exchanged pleasantries, Daemon III Blackfyre and Aegor Rivers were preparing the Golden Company for war. The Danes stayed on King's Landing where Thorfinn's wife Gudrid gave birth to their son, Snorri Thorfinnsson Karlsefni, there the birth was witnessed by King Aegon V and his friend Ser Duncan the tall, before the King could call for a celebration a rider arrived at night bearing the news of the crossing and that some houses of the Reach, the Riverlands, and the Vale had declared for the Blackfyres, turning to Thorfinn Aegon asked for his help in the war, to which Thorfinn quickly negotiated for lands of their own in the west of the Reach, Aegon V signed a declaration that gave the western portion of the Reach to the Danes, giving them Old Oak and the Shield Islands.
Thorfinn Karlsefni was reluctant to take up arms again, he had left his homeland in search for peace and yet he had found war in a new land, but as he and the others of their group debate at what they are about to do, Hild Bodastrengr stood up then pulled out her knife struck it in the table in front of the men who went silent, an eyewitness account told of what she had spoken:
" 'I had followed you Thorfinn from the coasts of Norway to Odense, to Grikkland then to Vinland, by the Lord Christ inaction is a sin, and I swear by my father's name I shouldn't have let you live back in Norway if this dilemma is where we find ourselves, so be it! A little blood will not bother the conscience so long as it is done with a noble purpose!' the words were taken by the men of the assembly as even King Aegon V himself was awestruck at the woman, and so Thorfinn began to draw his sword and then swore an oath of fealty to the King of the Seven Kingdoms"
The Blackfyres landed on Massey's Hook and there the Danes launched a shore assault on a part of the Blackfyre forces that land there, the way the Danes fought were put into greater detail at the battle of Massey's Hook where one of the captain of the King's soldiers told of the event:
"The barbarians fought alongside their women, they carry axes with them as their throwing weapons and some were equipped with strange crossbows, with their round shields lapping as they bear down to the enemy, axes were hurled, quarrels flew in the sky before the foe could respond, it was a fierce fight as the shock and speed of the charge was enough to put panic on the enemy and were put to flight"
The Blackfyres were able to retreat their forces before their whole army was overwhelmed by the preemptive strike that Aegon V approved to Thorfinn, the ferocity of the Danes in battle was enough for the Blackfyres to fear their surroundings but the Danes never followed through with their attack, much to the relief of Daemon who then proceeded towards King's Landing only to be met at Wendwater bridge by Aegon V's forces, the battle was fierce and ended with the victory of King Aegon V's forces and the death of Daemon III Blackfyre. As per agreement of the Danes and the King, they were allowed to settle in the west of the Reach despite the protest of some of the prominent houses of the Reach, as it was a part of their land, King Aegon V then decided to provide money for the Danes to buy off the land to the Reachlanders which started the Bidding war, a war between the Danes and the Reachlanders which ended when Thorfinn Karlsefni and Lord Moryn Tyrell made an agreement to marry a daughter of Highgarden to a son of the Danes, the agreement eased off the hostilities between the Danes and the Reachmen but some of the lords of the Reach thought Moryn Tyrell to be weak but it was alleviated when they realized that the Danes could be a buffer between them and the Ironborn raids.
With the troubles over, the Danes settled in and founded the town of Leifsburgh and the eight kingdom of Westeros, Daneland, the Karlsefnis were then hailed as Defenders of the western sea, Warden of the Danelands, a new recognized Great House of Westeros. The Danes were loyal Targaryen supporters particularly during the War of the Ninepenny Kings, the Danes sent their Huscarls in battle against the last of the Blackfyres and one Eirikr Karlsefni one of Thorfinn's son died protecting Jahaerys II Targaryen earning recognition from the King and even securing more land from the Reach as some of the Reachlander lords supported the Blackfyres because of the Targaryen support for the Danes during the Bidding war, after the War of the Ninepenny King and peace is secured in the Eight Kingdoms of Westeros, they were beset by another wave of Danes who were following Thorfinn Karlsefni, some of this Danes went to the North and became vassals of House Stark while some of them settled on Daneland where they found their peace, the Danes then found the city of Hafn that became a trade way to Reach and Dorne as well as a port for the famed Danish longboat.
House Karlsefni
Sigil: A silver longboat impaled by a golden sword on a green field
Words: Harken to me
Members:
Thorfinn Karlsefni, 60 (married to) Gudrid Vidforla, 55
Issues:
1. Snorri Karlsefni, 44 (married to) Mina Tyrell, 40
Issues:
1.1 Leif Karlsefni, 22
2.1 Thors Karlsefni, 18
3.1 Garth Karlsefni, 10
2. Eirikr Karlsefni, 38 (died)
3. Askeladd Karlsefni, 22 (married to) Kraka Ingstad, 20
Issues:
1.3 Atli Karlsefni, 6
2.3 Ylva Karlsefni, 6
3.3 Gyda Karlsefni, 3
4. Thorunn Karlsefni, 19 (married to) Joffrey Hewett, 21
Issues:
1.4 Ari Hewett, 2
2.4 Wylla Seas, 1
Einar Karlsefni, 62 (married to) Hild Bodastrengr, 56
Issues:
1. Helga Karlsefni, 40 (married to) Ragnarr Askrskirnn, 45
Issues:
1.1 Hrafnakell Askrskirnn, 18
2.1 Sigurd Askrskirnn, 14
2. Hrefna Karlsefni, 33 (married to) Gwayne Oakheart, 30
Issues:
1.2 Ivarr Oakheart, 15
2.2 Arys Oakheart, 11
3.2 Alyssa Oakheart, 8
3. Thorbjorn Karlsefni, 24
4. Floki Karlsefni, 19
House Hornstrandir
Sigil: A red ax on a golden field
Words: I sail, I go, I conquer
Members:
Thorfinn Skyrrauga, 60 (married to) Allayne Grimm, 58
Issues:
1. Thorgild Skyrrauga, 39 (married to) Sprota Munsa, 36
Issues:
1.1 Roald Skyrrauga, 21
2.1 Solveig Skyrrauga, 18
2. Knut Skyrrauga, 26 (married to) Ragnhild Finwe, 24
Issues:
1.2 Harald Skyrrauga, 8
2.2 Yngvild Skyrrauga, 4
Thorvald Hornstrandir, 60 (married to) Thorgunna Alfstan, 54
Issues:
1. Thorkell Hornstrandir, 30 (died)
2. Hrolfr Hornstandir, 25 (married to) Astrid Sigvaldsdottir, 20
Issues:
1.2 Bjorn Hornstandir, 7
2.2 Leif Hornstandir, 4
3. Arneis Hornstandir, 20 (married to) Ubbe Hardrada, 20
House Reidyr of the Danelands
Sigil: a black tiwaz rune on a green field
Words: I am the reckoning of man
Members:
Arngrim Karlisson Reidyr, 43 (married to) Cassana Fell, 40
Issues:
1. Dag Reidyr, 18
2. Brunhild Reidyr, 15
House Uppsalla
Sigil: a black longboat on a blue field
Words: Sail and away
Members:
Danr Hrolfrsson Uppsalla, 54 (married to) Elena Osgrey, 49
Issues:
1. Hrolfr Uppsalla, 23 (married to) Vigdis Gunnarsdottir, 20
Issues:
1.1 Dag Uppsalla, 4
2.1 Helga Uppsalla, 2
2. Ingve Uppsalla, 19 (married to) Olafr Haraldsson, 21
Author's note: okay I dreamed about this before but I never get the chance to put it into paper, this was before I write House Hellenese or rather a demo version of House Hellenese before I decided that it should be demigods not vikings that should be a migratory story, so anyway this whole story is inspired by the saga of the Greenlanders as well as the manga Vinland Saga (read it! Its cool) where instead of going to america the vikings found themselves on Westeros.
Criticisms and praises are appreciated
Miko 56