Kingdom of Svealand

The Kingdom of Svealand (Old Gothic: Konungsríkið Sænskaland) is a nation located on the Herugotland Peninsula. Its heraldry consists of a white and black raven banner on a deep blue field. It is bordered by Doresland and Roriksland.

History
The history of the Kingdom of Svealand mirrors much of the history of Rome. It is a kingdom founded by tribal explorers from the proto-Goths and the Herulii who traveled up into the southern half of the Herugotland peninsula. There, they founded the city of Maleren upon a hill. They constructed a great throne, and, after consulting with the priests and aurors, crowned Rikiar Natt och Dag, tribal leader of the proto-Goths, as the King of Svealand. The kingdom peaceably ruled the peninsula of Herugotland for nearly three centuries unopposed, until a violent winter led to mass starvation and the isolation of many of the tribal settlers in the north. Fearful that they would eventually be caught up in the harsh storms, then king of Svealand, Rorik Natt och Dag sent his son Magnus to sail southward. Staying on course, he discovered the Prussian tribes, and many of the tribes along the northern coast of Germania, before sailing back to tell his father of his findings.

Then, in the 5853rd year of the world by reckoning of the prophets, and after the first sundering by the reckoning of Fellman Heimisson, after much debate with his father, Magnus Natt och Dag received permission to gather noble warriors on another expedition, this time to settle the warmer lands to the south. However, after setting sail on this expedition, the fleet was blown off course, instead landing somewhere in the Cimbric Peninsula. Magnus left behind many settlers there, charting the course on his way back to Maleren, where he told his father of what he had discovered. These expeditions would be the foundation of the Vikings, the explorer warrior-nobility class of Svea and colonial society.

The Kingdom of Svealand would continue on in this fashion for two hundred years, until the miniature ice age ended. Afterwards, Svea explorers would be sent into the north of Herugotland, where they would discover the kingdoms of Doresland and Roriksland, the descendants of the tribes cut off by the ice age. Roriksland was by far the largest, having established their own Viking culture, though with more emphasis on land-based exploration through use of horses rather than naval exploration. Doresland was small, but had developed a highly religious society, which kept them militant and defensive, based off of the teachings of the Prophet Heimisson, who would eventually be exiled to Norway by the Svea following the conquest of southern Doresland, and further then to the Norgelaw in Britannia.

By 6951 BRP, the Kingdom of Svealand stood out as the dominant power in the Herugotland peninsula. Roriksland, while larger in size, possesses a far smaller population, leaving them with land but not enough men to defend it. They are, however, the greatest threat to the hegemony of Svealand, as they possess a strong, militant culture of professionalism on land. Svealand, being the foundation of the Vikings, possess the strongest navy out of all three of the kingdoms, and their openness to trade has made them the wealthiest kingdom, allowing them to equip themselves far better.

All three kingdoms, however, lack any control over their colonies. Most of them broke off from their father kingdoms due to the autonomy granted by being Vikings, while those that didn't tended to either collapse, or maintain only cursory ties to their fatherland.

Government and Power
The Kingdom of Svealand is the largest kingdom of Herugotland by population, controlling the entire southern coast, and being directly ruled by the king, who claims the Throne of Odin, and keeps the Horn of Heimdallr in Maleren, the capital and oldest still-standing town of Herugotland. It has a deep culture of poetry and religion, and it maintains religious warriors known as the Synir Hinna Heilögu who are feared throughout the coasts of Germania for their tenacity and professionalism, especially on the seas, where they are renowned boatmen.

Head of State
Magnus IV Natt och Dag is the current king of Svealand, and has ruled with power and prestige since ascending the Throne of Odin. He has done great works in suppressing the kingdoms of Roriksland and Doresland, and keeping the hegemony of Svealand on the peninsula, though this has recently been challenged by King Rorik III of Roriksland, who is building an army from those long-lost colonies to unite the peninsula.

Religion
The religion of the Kingdom of Svealand is the same ancestral religion that stretches back six thousand years [or longer, by the words of the prophet Fellman] to the tribes which settled Herugotland. Midgard, being the earth, is one of the nine worlds upon Yggdrasil, with the realms of the gods being two of these. Races that are known are believed to be invaders from these other worlds, and are normally purged within Svea society, though there are small societies and cults that permit them. There are many gods, Odin chief among them, Thor, his son, being the guardian of mankind, Loki; the trickster god, Freyja; goddess of fertility, and Heimdallr; guardian of the worlds. Ragnarok is believed to be the end of all worlds, wherein the warriors in Valhalla and Sessrúmnir will join the gods in the battle against Jormungandr, the world-serpent, and Fenrir, who will kill Thor and Odin - and in turn be killed by Víðarr, the other son of Odin, and who will become the king of gods and men.

This religion is primarily challenged by the cult of the Prophet Fellman Heimisson, the Cult of the Ragnarokic, who believe that Ragnarok has already happened, resulting in the death of all those in the lands once known as Scandinavia and their rebirth in the tribes of the proto-Goths and Herulii, and the death of the gods apart from Fenrir, Jormungandr, Loki, and Víðarr. Víðarr, driven by madness after he failed to avenge the gods, now tortures the lost souls who still worship the dead gods, whereas Fenrir, Jormungandr and Loki accept those who give them right worship into their hallowed halls, depending on the favor of which god they earned throughout their life. Most of the Cult of Ragnarok was exiled to Norway and Britannia Superior, where they formed the Norgelaw. However, even with the prophet's exile to Northumbria, many cells still operate within Svealand.