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The Seventeen and One Monarchs
of the Ysgramor Dynasty

Book V: Valdimar the Vanquisher

by High Chronicler Valerius of Winterhold

A history of Skyrim's early High Kings

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High King Valdimar, also known as the Vanquisher, the Deliverer and the Savior of Skyrim, ushered the Atmoran people into the First Era after his triumph over the dragon priesthood. Valdimar's long rule is best remembered as the king who rebuilt the nation after the destruction wrought upon it for the last 60 or so years.

Return of the King

His coronation in Windhelm was brief ceremony, attended by the city-folk almost immediately after his victory. Before he disappeared, Valdimar's wartime general Hans the Fox forged for him an ebony and whalebone mace encrusted with gemstones to mark his reign as the new king and to ward against dragonkind. According to legend, every gemstone in the Vulpine Scepter was enchanted with numerous curses against dragonkind, each more malevolent than the last.

One of his first decrees was the establishment of the Sisterhood of the Hawk: a religious order that would serve as the official faith of his kingdom. Valdimar, recognizing Kyne's part in his victory, elevated the deity above the other totems in the Ancient Nordic Pantheon. It was around this time that primitive totem gods began to slowly fall out of favor and instead become characterized as the deities we know today. Kyne (alongside Shor) were among the first, however over the next several centuries veneration of the other animal gods followed suit.

Teachings surrounding the Thu'um was codified under his rule. With the aid of the greatest Tongues, he laid the groundwork for the Voice to be taught to every child thereafter, with the most proficient students conscripted into his armies. Grand mountain temples were re-purposed into schools that taught this new type of warfare, and soon the Thu'um became ingrained into Nordic culture.

In honor of his fallen kinsmen and forefathers, he erected numerous cenotaphs and monuments throughout the land. Most notable was the towering statue of his great, great grandfather Yngol the Martyr, which was built overlooking Snowhawk. In recognition of their aid against in felling numerous dragons during the war, Valdimar offered the giantish clans of Eastmarch a truce and granted them to right travel the lands in peace. In the years that followed, the citizenry began a tradition of gifting them painted cows as way of thanks.

Rebuilding a Nation

In an effort to bolster the drastically reduced population under Dragon rule, Valdimar sent emissaries back to his clan's ancient holdings on Atmora. His envoys reported that ever since the priesthood had abandoned Atmora, the clans who remained had devolved into a fractured and warring society. He offered each and every clan gold and safe passage to Skyrim should they wish to join their brethren on the mainland. Given than the situation on Atmora was worsening dramatically as the "Freezing of Drekihrim" took hold, almost all remaining clans gladly took up Valdimar's offer. Their arrival was a boon to Skyrim, as many of the old traditions and heritage of High Atmoran culture that had been eradicated by the priesthood were revived.

The Houses of Clan Skerd

Among the new arrivals was Grelka Cruel-Wind, chieftain of the largest clan, whom Valdimar married shortly after. Her clan was absorbed into his, and she took the title of Skerd-Queen before she bore him three children.

These children, Hjonrskar, Fjora and Asbjorn, would go on to birth three great houses under the banner of Clan Skerd, from which all Nordic kings thereafter would descend from. This tripartite division of the Ysgramor Dynasty was the precursor to the Moot, and would last for almost 300 years, until the War of Succession.

Hakon One-Eye remained as the general of Valdimar's army, and was successful in defending Skyrim for years to come. Felldir the Old retired to the Valley of the Ancestors in the Jerall Mountains to study the mysteries behind his Elder Scroll in complete seclusion, and was later credited with the founding of the Cult of the Ancestor Moth.

Valdimar ruled as High King for forty seven prosperous years before abdicating the throne to his son Hjornskar in 1E 50. He spent the rest of his days at his family's old farmstead near Riften and died many years later at the age of 105.

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