Hysing was greeted at the Husavik docks by city watchmen and members of the Onnokid retinue. Hysing and Kormac were escorted to the great Mead hall, where they were informed Prince Mayor Dag Onnokid awaited them. As they were led through the city center they heard whispers from the crowd, the city had presumed both men were dead on crusade. When they arrived at the hall they were told to wait until they were summoned by the Prince Mayor. As the crusaders waited the porter told them that when Dag returned from the crusade in 1031 the Patrician called a town meeting. Onnonkid claimed that while the Haraldrsons had fought bravely against the Saracens, they had been martyred outside of a town called Majdal Yaba by an overwhelming Muslim host. Citing his vast experience in war and politics, along with his close relationship to Prince Mayor Haraldr II through both friendship and marriage Dag easily convinced the Althing to elect him Prince Mayor Dag I Onnokid of the Icelandic Commonwealth.

The crusaders were brought into the main hall by members of the Onnonkid retinue. blue banners depicting the three white hearts of House Onnokid hung where the pale ships of House Haraldrsons once hung. When the Haraldrsons were finally let into the great hall they found Dag seated in a throne before a table overflowing with meats and wines. Patrician Sigurdr of House Magnusson sat at his right side whispering something into his ear. Dag stood as the crusaders entered. The political tactician welcomed the warriors and told them he would be honoring them with a feast, where songs would be sung of their deeds in battle. Kormac accused Dag of a grave betrayal. The patrician had clearly committed treason by seizing control while the Haraldrsons were fighting in the crusade. Dag retorted that precedent or not, Prince Mayors were elected by the Althing, not the small council. He claimed the ascendancy of Wulf I was illegal by the laws of the Commonwealth. He had been chosen by his fellow Icelanders to lead the republic. Dag quickly shifted the subject, insisting that the men let the conflicts of the Levant stay there and move forward towards Iceland’s future. He was even willing to have Hysing serve on his small council as Marshal.

Hysing stayed quiet for much of the meeting, letting his uncle Kormac do the majority of the talking. His older brother Wulf had been the politicial mouthpiece and he the sword and shield. He had no ability to outmaneuver Dag politically, so Hysing accepted the role of dutiful soldier. He would serve as Marshal.

Hysing was naught but a talented soldier. He had no mind for administration, organization, or planning. The stress of sudden responsibility of being asked to head the Haraldrson family weighed heavily upon him, but as a deeply religious man he was sure he would overcome.

Through administrative trickery Hysing soon learned that Dag had seized the trade posts in Strangfjordr, Mann, Galloway, and Carrick. These were all lands directly administered by the Haradrsons, adding further insult to injury. Unfortunately there was little Hysing could do and Onnokid soldiers occupied the trade depots. Trade on the Irish Sea was no longer dominated by Haraldrson ships, and blue Onnonkid sails became a more common sight, especially around the Isle of Mann.

On May 16th of 1035 the Grand Mayor received word that trade ships from Angland were being turned away in the Husavik harbor. Hysing went to the docks to investigate and learned that Dag had declared war on King Alewig the Holy for the coast of Lancaster. The Onnokid retinue was incredibly small and Dag’s personal lands could not generate enough wealth to hire the men to fight against the organized Anglish and their allies. At the next meeting of the small council Hysing learned the war was the fanciful idea of the boy king of Norge, who hoped to reunite all of the former Ivaring lands under a single banner. The King had offered Dag the western coast of Britain in exchange for weakening old King Alewig’s grasp on Angland.

Hysing understood that as the largest landholding Patrician the defense of the Commonwealth would now fall to him. He recruited Captain Muir and the Scottish band and sent them south to join the Haraldrson armies in northern Ireland. Dag had encouraged Hysing to see to his duties as Marshal, training new recruits in Husavik. Though he longed to fight in the south, Hysing dutifully saw to the training, doing his best to prepare the green men for war.

Two weeks later Dag Onnokid suddenly died. The events of the Patrician’s death are dramatized in the 16th century poet and playwright Wilhelm Hristaspjot’s famous tragedy “Prince Dag,” in which the Patrician finally gained all he had desired, but was killed by the sorrow over the guilt of betraying his best friend Haraldr’s legacy to get there.

An Althing was quickly assembled in Husavik. The conflict with Angland was escalating and the only clear choice was the proven soldier. Hysing was elected unanimously. The newly crowned Prince Mayor stood in the old market square and accepted the honor before Bjorn’s Runestone chair. He promised he and his kin would bring glory to the Commonwealth as they had in the Levant.

Since the Harldrsons were now the primary belligerent in the war they could now call their own allies into the conflict. Frisia eagerly joined the war.

Prince Mayor Hysing personally joined the Scottish band and the Haraldrson levies in Strangfjordr to begin the march towards Cumberland. Word spread that the Jarl of Lancaster had assembled a large host and was pushing north to head them off before the Icelanders could take Lancaster.

As Hysing and his men cross the Irish sea the Prince Mayor was felled by severe pain in his feet. The Prince Mayor had been plagued by headaches and fatigue since returning from the Levant that had assumed were the result of the extreme stress of his position. When he removed his boots Hysing beheld in terror that rashes that covered the soles of both feet. His hands too were grossly lined. It seemed he had contracted the Great Pox.

In light of his condition Hysing handed over command of the Commonwealth army to Commander Oysteinn Ingjaldkid, a longtime friend and trusted adviser. Ingjaldkid bested the Anglish at the battle of Cartmel, pushing the Lancaster armies deep into Anglish territory. Word quickly spread that King Alewig’s own levies had arrived in Lancaster to give hopefully stop of the Icelandic invaders, but having anticipated a Lancaster victory at Cartmel, sent far too few knights to pose any real threat. The Anglish army of around 1300 men was crushed by Oysteinn who set up a seige at Lancaster.

In the camps outside of Lancaster word spread quickly that the Prince Mayor sought a personal physician for reasons unknown. One of the camp doctors who followed wars around Northern Europe presented his services. Frodi was a large man who had fought as a mercenary for many years before losing his hand fighting for a minor Irish lord. He had worked as an army healer ever since, though it was more butchery than healing in most cases, sawing off limbs and burning flesh.

The veteran claimed he could be of service to the Prince Mayor, and while the small council was skeptical, Hsying like that he acted with direction and spoke plainly like a soldier, so he agreed to the hire him.

Hysing explained his situation and Frodi went straight to work looking for a potential treatment which could help. While Frodi research the Commonwealth armies marched on, claiming the fortresses of Appleby in December of 1035 and Salford in April of 1036.

By October of 1036 the Dutch Civil War had ended and the Frisian King was able to commit more of his fighting men to the Commonwealth cause. The Dutch armies met the Icelanders at Lancaster and assaulted the fortress on the first of November. Lancaster fell quickly and a small garrison was left behind to defend the conquest. Unfortunately this far all of the Commonwealth victories were in the Jarldoms of Northumbria and Lancaster, far from the seat of Anglish power in Fulham and Vestmystur. If they wanted to Anglish to yield, the Commonwealth would need to make King Aelwig feel the cost of the war, and so Hysing commanded his armies to march south across Mercia to attack Middlesex directly.

By December of 1036 Hysing and his Dutch allies had reach Fulham and were laying siege. They spent Christmas in the camps outside the city with Haraldrson merchant ships sailed up the Thames to restock the besieging army and supply them with spiced meats and mead to help celebrate the holiday. The merchants also brought news that the expansion to Hysing’s manor house in Husavik was completed. It was now by far the largest private residence int he city, even supporting multiple floors! The gate compound supported a small garden and barracks for the Haraldrsons’ personal guards.

Inside the castle walls the Christmas season was far more bleak. Disease was rampant and Commander Oysteinn the Holy ensured no food or relief could reach the defenders. The city held out on dwindling supplies and finally surrendered in May of 1037.

All city watch who saw the Ingjaldkid banners approaching their walls were filled with terror. The young commander had honed his skills at felling the ancient stone fortresses of the Levant and as such the crumbling Roman forts of Britannia were no match for the siege expert. Vestmynstur was next and was easily capture by September.

The long summer gave King Alewig time to re-consolidate his forces in the north. The Jarl of Lancaster, who had the most to lose from the war was attempting to organize an army capable of retaking his fortresses in county Lancaster. With the center of Anglish rule in Icelandic hands Haraldr rallied his men for the long march back north to deliver the finishing blow to the shaken Anglish.

The stress of the war was definitely taking a toll on the Prince Mayor. Each night the candles burned low as Haraldr and his commanders debated strategy and troop movements. The war-torn Anglish and Mercian countryside was devastated making foraging difficult for the large Icelandic and Dutch armies. The stress was making him weak and his pox more irritating On one such evening Frodi pulled the Prince Mayor aside and advised him to take more time to relax. He had a competent team of commanders who could oversee the day to day movements of troops and battle. The Prince Mayor agreed and decided it was in his health’s best interest to take it easy for the remainder of the war.

With less focus on his military duties Hysing found he was able to keep himself occupied in other ways.

The armies of the Jarl of Lancaster made their last stand against the combine forces of the Icelanders and Dutch on the Furness peninsula in the shadow of Furness Abbey. The Commonwealth alliance outnumbered the Anglish three to one and decimated the Jarl’s entire force. The grueling battle ended on September 28th, 1038.

Hysing immediately sued Alewig II for peace, demanding the entire county of Lancaster. With his realm in chaos the Anglish King was left with no other option than unconditional surrender. Terms were agreed to before October.

Hysing appointed a young merchant from Husavik named Gudmundr as Mayor of Lancaster and returned to Husavik. He frequently saw his mistress Constanza and held a few small feasts. He hoped to expand Commonwealth interests in Ireland and met with his generals to decide the best plan of attack. As Husavik celebrated the dawn of the year 1039 Hysing announced they would be seizing the trade city of Dubhlinn and prepared for war.

Unbeknownst to Hysing the Mayor of Cumberland, an ambitious merchant named Sturla had wintered in Lancaster with Gudmundr. Sturla convinced the trusting young Mayor that together they could form their own republic without the oversight of the oppressive Haraldrsons. By February of 1039 Sturla was confident enough to declare independence and rallied an army to fight against the Commonwealth.

Oysteinn already had a small contingent of around 1500 Icelanders and Dutch combined besieging the city of Dubhlinn when they head an army of nearly 3000 Cumberlanders were marching their way. Hysing sent word throughout Strangfjordr that fighting men needed to be mobilized and rallied at Dubhlinn.

Sturla attacked the besieging army hoping for an easy victory. The Cumberland Mayor had not taken into account fresh Dutch troops who arrived in time for the battle outnumbering the Cumberlanders three to one. Nearly half the rebel army was felled or taken prisoner.

By September of 1039 the city of Dubhlinn had fallen and the boy Earl of Mide surrendered the city to Commonwealth control. With the situation in Ireland under control Wul felt he could concentrate on the rebellious Sturla.

Rather than take the northern route to reach Cumberland, Hysing opted to travel south through Wales, where he parlayed with King Arthfael II. The two men knew one another from their time on crusade. Arthfael was still cool towards the Commonwealth after the perceived slight of being passed up as King of Jerusalem. The two reconnected, exchanging stories of their time fighting in the Holy Land. The Welsh King was married to Hysing’s Sigrid who helped secure a renewed alliance between the two realms during Hysing’s stay. Arthfael entered the war against the rebellious Sturla.

With Welsh and Dutch aid the City of Penrith fell by December of 1039. Stural and Gumundr were imprisoned and brought back to Husavik where they were paraded through the streets riding backwards on a donkey before being locked away in the City Hall dungeons.

As the Commonwealth celebrated peace in Husavik. Hysing spent much of 1040 further stabalizing the republic and trying to recoup the cost of Dag’s war and the rebellion. By mid summer of 1041 grave news arrived from the continent.

The long-time internal power struggle in France had finally come to blows and fractured the country into two kingdoms.

The nobility of France had welcomed the Haraldrsons into the throne because the viking foreigners knew not the language or the custom of the kingdom and could be easily controlled. However, after a generation of rule the young Sven Haraldrson insisted he could rule France without the support of the Dukes of Berry or Artois. He had been given lands in North Africa and spent much of his youth in the war-torn lands of Iberia and North Africa. The French nobles of the periphery saw governance much differently than the metropolitans and Sven pushed the conflict to the point of civil war.

The French Dukes chose Francois de Vasconia as their new king. Francois was Basque and was easily controlled by his court. The complacent old man allowed his council to run the country in his stead. On the day of his coronation the Basque King planted an oak tree on an island in the River Seine around which he gathered his new vassals and swore an oath to protect France from the dangerous influence of the Haraldrsons and Burgundians.

The lords who had decided to stay loyal to Sven became know as Burgundians because the Duke of Upper Burgundy in Switzerland were some of the his most ardent defenders during the Civil War. What had initially been meant as a slight (calling Sven the King of the Burgundians) became a badge of honor and Sven assumed it as his primary title. The Haraldrson King had kept the loyalty of the French holdings in Iberia and Africa, along with a few loyalists in dejure France.

In response to the fracture Hysing offered an alliance to the only stable realm in Western Europe, Aquitaine. A similar alliance was also brokered with the King of Germany.

In the summer of 1042 the church approached Hysing about sponsoring a Miracle play. The play documented the life of Saint Ingjald of Lotharingia who baptized Bjorn the Wise in 919. The play was dedicated to Count Oysteinn “the holy” Ingjaldkid. Hysing was so moved by the occasion he announced at the opening of the play his intention to adventure on another holy pilgrimage.

Since he had already completed a pilgrimage to the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem on crusade, and a pilgrimage to Rome to present the Lance of Majdal Yaba to the Pope with his brother Wulf, Hysing wanted to follow the pilgrim’s path to Santiago.

Hysing travled the full length of the Way of Saint James through the spring and summer of 1042. He began his journey Aquaitaine, visiting his new allies there, then made the journey south into Asturias. He hoped the pious trek would help to aid in his battled against the great pox, and spent as much time as possible in prayer or leisure. Depictions of Hysing often show him with the seashells he collected on his pilgrimage, emphasizing his piety and connection to Saint James. When he reached Santiago he spent several days praying and collecting shells before catching a ride with one of his merchant fleets back to Husavik.

Hysing arrived to a city in chaos. There was a longstanding feud between the Magnusons and Haraldrsons, and as both families built their retinues, fleets, and merchant partners, the feud spread from the families to the city. After a tavern owner loyal to the Magnussons refused to serve Hysing’s younger brother Frirek and some of his friends a fight broke out that pouring into the street.

Hysing hated Sigurdr Magnuson. The uppity merchant had long plotted behind the scenes against his elder brother and father. It was well known Sigurdr had been one of the most ardent supporters of Dag when he arrived in Husavik and and was rewarded with a cushy seat on the council. Hysing had removed him from the council and was sure the order to not serve anyone loyal to Haraldrson had come directly from the top.

With Hysing back in the capital tensions eased over the winter. The miracle play for Saint Ingjald was doing quite well, lowly priests and respected Bishops from Northern Europe made the long journey north to Husavik to witness the play, and brought work back with them of the pious ruler who funded the project.

Icelandic explorers had traveled far and wide. The blue and white stripes were seen from the shores of Vinland in the west to Jerusalem in the east, but there were no waters they knew best than those of Britannia. The island of Albion was where they generated much of their trade wealth, and it was the passes, rivers, and bays where Icelandic sailors felt most comfortable.

As a result a booming cartography industry appeared in Husavik. The Patricians were generous in their patronage for map-makers and charters. The Commonwealth’s maps were trusted throughout northern Europe and each of the Patricians was sure to have a large map in their manor-house detailing the extent of their family ‘s trade empire.

Wealth was flowing into Haraldrson coffers from all of the expanded trade and in September of 1043 Hysing purchased the buildings across the street from his manor house to expand his armory into a Bowyer with a practice range for new recruits and barracks to house more of his retinue.

Religion had brought Hysing great fame and honor throughout his career, but he had received a soldier’s training and education. It was time to embark on a quest of religious learning. The Haraldrson family tutor and the Bishop of Husavik were summoned so the Prince Mayor could begin studying the scriptures.

As the Prince Mayor worked hard to learn Latin and better understand the scriptures news of a radical shift in power arrived from the east. Slavic traders claimed the years 1043 and 1044 were wrought with warfare. The balance of power between the Christian Hungarians and the Savage Magyars broke down when the King of Hungary was too buy dealing with internal unrest to check the power of the Warlord Bernat the Evil.

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The Polish King Vladislav was forced to submit to Tengri rule. The Salvic traders told terrible stories of the atrocities unleashed upon the Poles. Some feared that if the Magyar were left unchecked they would envelope all of the grasslands of the east.

South of the Magyar wars a new Sultan reigned in Anatolia. The young Mazigh II had an experienced court who were eager to reclaim the lost Kingdom of Syria.

In 1044 the Shia world exploded with calls for a Jihad of reconquest. The Christians needed to be pushed out of the land. The Kingdom of Jerusalem under the guidance of Hysing’s brother Haraldr had diverted significant trade away from Anatolia. The Gafurids hoped to push the invaders out and seize the new trade connections for themselves.

Trade connections with the Kingdom of Norge forged during Dag’s tenure as Prince Mayor led to new markets opening in Scandinavia. Among the flood of Norse, Swedish, and Lappi goods arriving in Husavik a particular hat stood out. These wild hats made of deer or rabbit fur were popular because of their water resistance and warmth, but stood out because they came dyed in a strange array of reds, blues, and other bright colors. Since they came along with the Norse traders the caps became known as Norwegian Caps and those who wore them Norwegians. The caps were instantly adopted by the wealthy merchant class in Husavik, but were seen as extravagant and flamboyant by the rural peasantry and urban poor.

Hysing became personally enamored by the strange new caps, which inspired an entirely new manner of clothing among the urban artisanal and merchant classes. Moreover this clothing, which divided the Commonwealth along class lines, also represented chances within the empire that followed from nearly a century of travel throughout Europe and the mixing of northern cultures with those of the Mediterranean. The Commonwealth had grown incredibly wealthy through trade and war, and Hysing felt their manner of dress should reflect their new status as a power in Northern Europe. Though the peasants and poor might have used Norwegian pejoratively, Hysing and the Haraldrsons wore it as a badge of honor and a projection of Iceland’s wealthy future.

Though Dag Onnokid’s legacy lived on through the introduction of Norwegian culture, his house did not fare so well. His only son died suddenly and childless in 1045. The Onnokid estate and trade posts were auctioned in Haraldr Square in Husavik. A young merchant named Folki won the bid for the manorhouse and trade ships. The young man claimed to be a descendant from Erik the Red and Lief Erikson. Fashioning himself Folki of Erikssons he had made his fortune running the treacherous trade route between Vinland and Iceland. Hysing saw potential in the young man and proposed a marriage to one of his nieces as a toke of good will that would unite their houses.

With the Onnokids eliminated no great house came within reach of the political capital wielded by the Haraldrsons.

The only family to pose even a semblance of a threat were the Magnussons. With Sigurdr dead his ambitious eldest son Alfr had taken control of the family. It was known from the streets of Husavik to the waters if the Irish sea that Alfr hated the Haraldrsons and openly plotted against them. Hysing would have to deal with the treat eventually, but he could not outright arrest the Patrician for fear of being labeled a tyrant.

In 1046 the peoples of the island of Faereyar renounced their tribal ways, organizing into a small trading city. A budding merchant from Husavik who had embraced the new Norwegian lifestyle was appointed as the first mayor of Faeyar. Mayor Ossor was a stubborn man, but Hysing was impressed by his deep understanding of theology, and appointed him despite the small council’s protests that they needed a man with stronger administrative skills in the position.

By the spring of 1047 Norwegian manner of dress and culture had made its way to Vestisland. The colorful hats and lingual distinctions were now as common in the streets of Reykjavik as they were in Husavik.

In October, as Husavik prepared for All Saints Day festivities the Bishop of Husavik requested a special meeting with the Prince Mayor. The two men discussed the growing number of small shops and stalls opening up peddling false relics. Soldiers who fought in the crusades often pawned supposed nails of Christ or Fingers of John the Baptists to make payments against gambling debts. Hysing agreed with the Bishop that the practice should stop and sent his personal retinue to crack down on the impious merchants who hawked such wares. The confiscated goods were publicly burned on November 1st in celebration of All Saints Day.

The public burning of the relics caught the attention of an aspiring priest from House Magnussons. Sigurdr was the son of Alfr Sigurdrson Magnusson and loathed his father who wanted him to take up the merchant trade rather than the cloth. Sigurdr and Hysing bonded over their shared interest in the Catholic faith and became close friends. Sigurdr became the eyes and ears of house Haraldrsons within the Magnusson family, proving weekly reports directly to the Prince Mayor on all of Alfr’s activities.

After a year of collecting information from Sigurdr Hysing had enough evidence to arrest Alfr for conspiring against the Commonwealth. The small council gave their consent and dispatched a small contingent of skilled soldiers to arrest the Patrician.

Under cover of darkness the soldiers arrived at the Magnusson Manorhouse. Sigurdr left the gates unlocked and the arresting soldiers were able to catch the Patrician unaware and unprepared. Alfr was apprehended with minimal casualties and locked safely away in the Harladrsons’ personal dungeons.

As the Commonwealth felt the firm warm suns of spring in 1049 Hysing approached the Small Council with a plan. King Aelwig the Holy was on his death bed. The ancient King had lost his lucidity in his old age and was reliant on his councilors to rule. Trust in the monarchy of Angland was faltering and it was the perfect time to bring the trade city of Macclesfield under Commonwealth governance. The council overwhelmingly agreed, and emissaries were dispatched to Wales and Germany requesting military aid in the war.

The Commonwealth armies, including the Scottish Band were rallied in Lancaster and marched south towards Macclesfield. A small garrison of Englishmen blocked their path, but Hysing’s Commanders were sure they would pose no threat.

With Commander Oysteinn leading the charge the Icelanders easily won the first battle of the war, felling nearly half the enemy soldiers while only sustaining 8 casualties of their own.

By October German, Welsh, and Icelandic soldiers stormed the fortress of Malpas. The large allied host moved on towards Chester, setting up a siege camp at the beginning of November.

Hysing stayed in Husavik during the war for his health. He communicated with his commanders via merchant ships that passed from the British Isles to Husavik. Though the war effort often kept Hysing busy, he still found time to occupy himself with his great vice: lust. There were often whispers in the the Husavik market square of the large numbers of women seen walking the halls near the Prince Mayor’s chambers. Some even said his kinsmen’s wives were often seen in parts of the manorhouse where they should not have been.

As the Prince Mayor sat drafting a letter for Commander Oysteinn and his uncle Kormac with instructions to march on Vestmystur the physician Frodi entered his study claiming to have made a breakthrough with an experimental new treatment that he felt could sooth the Prince Mayor’s pox. Hysing was a brave man, and so he agreed to undergo the procedure.

The details of exactly what the one handed healer did were hazy. Frodi gave the Prince Mayor an elixer to dull his senses for the operation. Hysing could have sworn he remembered the physician rubbing rotting flesh against incisions made on his palms and feet, but perhaps he was mistaken. When he awoke in his chambers his feet and hands were bandaged and he found himself feeling much better!

The bulk of the Commonwealth army marched down to lay waste to the county of Middlesex, but due to a miscommunication a small contingent of men arrived late to the county of Chester and found themselves ambushed by the Jarl of Lancaster who hoped to reclaim his castles while the Commonwealth army razed the south.

The disorganized army was easily bested and was forced to route south to join the main Commonwealth armies in Middlesex. The county of Chester was undefended and the Jarl of Lancaster moved to reclaim his former castles.

In February of 1051 a ship arrived at the Husavik docks carrying the body of Kormac Haraldrson. The last living son of Haraldr the Wise died peacefully on the front while besieging Vestmystur. Hysing held a large funeral for called for a month of mourning in the city.Hysing was a proud warrior and a skilled (if reckless) commander who had seen the Commonwealth through two crusades and countless wars in the British Isles.

Hysing’s death shook the foundation of the Haraldrson family power in the city. There were few men alive who were so revered and respected as the Berserker Knight of Husavik. Kormac had long been Hysing natural and preferred successor, but now it was time to think towards the future of his house.

Hysing younger brother Frirek was a blusterous rabble-rouser. He was known to pick fights in the streets of Husavik, especially with members of House Magnussons, but many felt he had a kind heart and Hysing liked the young man’s zealotry and natural military intuition. In a special meeting of the Haraldrsons family following Kormac’s funeral Hysing declared Frirek his formal successor should God claim the Prince Mayor from his world.

Though the Haraldrson family accepted Hysing’s wishes, convincing the Althing would be another matter. There were still many in the city loyal to the imprisoned Alfr Magnusons so Hysing sunk over 400 gold pieces into a campaign promoting Frirek’s leadership skills and virtues.

Back in Angland the shattered Commonwealth armies brought word of their defeat in Chester to Oysteinn in Middlesex. The Commander listed the siege and commanded the Icelandic and German armies to march north through Mercia to meet the Anglish in battle.

The Icelanders fells upon the the ill equipped Anglish army outside of Halton on the first of September 1051. By the 5th the Anglish were completely crushed and driven from county Chester.

As Febrary of 1052 drew to a close a large ship bearing golden crosses on its sails arrived at the Husavik docks. Hysing personally made the trip down to the waterfront district to treat with those on board, hoping his younger brother Haraldr was among them. Unfortunately the ship brought no family, only emissaries, apologies and good news. The Lord Protector was not able to visit because he was treating for peace with the Gafurid Caliph. Jerusalem stood tall against the invasion and was victorious. The Kingdom of God was safe for now.

The Gafurid Caliph Mazigh II was forced to renounce his claims to Syria and recognize the legitimacy of the crusader state. Mazigh was a bookish young man who had lived his entire life in Anatolia. He grew up reading the histories of the triumphs of the Romans and was more interested in a future looking west than south. He declared himself the Grand Sultan of Rum, and began styling himself in the Greek fashion. While this change satisfied the crusaders it greatly angered the Byzantines and their allies who generally referred to Mazigh’s empire as the Sultanate of Anatolia.

Much of the rest of 1051 passed without much of consequence occurring. Hysing was busying corresponding with his commanders who continued to take Anglish castles in the south. On a warm day in March of 1052 Hysing found himself feeling incredibly ill. After a few nights locked in his bedchamber he allowed Frodi in to see him. The Prince Mayor was sure it was the pox ready to take him. After a quick examination the healer suggested that the Prince Mayor was showing signs of a poisoning. After an antidote was administered Hysing locked down his manor house and ordered every room search. Tragically a vial of the poison used on the Prince Mayor was found in his own wife’s room. When confronted Maria Karling admitted to the act, claiming her husband had made a mockery of their marriage with his whoring and adultery. Hysing felt moved, but he could tolerate no assassins within his court. He ordered Maria locked away in the dungeons and locked himself away in prayer to contemplate the betrayal.

Hysing’s reflection and prayer were soon interrupted by troubling news. Sailors arriving to the docks reported that a large fleet was seen sailing north to attack the Commonwealth. Apparently the bastard son of some minor French noble whose grandfather held some tenuous connection to a minor Irish Earl felt entitled to his “birthright,” all of the Dutchy of Ulster. Aimery the aspiring usurper managed to convince a small menagerie of cutthroats, sell-swords, and other distasteful characters to follow him in hi quest to reclaim what was rightfully his. Hysing’s son Nils, the Commonwealth’s spymaster, had brought whispers of Aimery’s actions over the past few years, but Hysing had never expected the boy to actually amass an army.

In Angland the ancient King Aelwig drew his final breaths. The king’s son Kjartan lacked the will and political capital to continue the fight and sued for peace. With Macclesfield brought into the fold, Hysing could focus on Aimery. He ordered Oysteinn to move his armies north to defend northern Ireland at all costs and sent a transport fleet south from Husavik to give his armies more mobility.

The Commonwealth’s finances were looking grim. Though trade was flourishing, the six year long war with Angland had taken a toll on the treasury. Hysing was concerned that the Commonwealth might not be able to continue paying the Scottish Band. Though the Scottish Band had basically been in the continue employ of the Commonwealth for over 100 years mercenaries could never fully be trusted and you always had to worry about them switching sides to cash in on a quick payment.

Thankfully the Steward Mayor Bo of Lancaster worked some financially wizardry to ensure the Commonwealth would not forfeit on its debts.

As the transport flotilla left the Husavik docks in early December of 1052 they saw Aimory’s fleet approaching Husavik. The French noble had already landed over 1500 men in Ausisland and was preparing to attack Husavik directly. Hysing felt duped, his entire army was defending the south. No many living could recount the last time Icelanders had been forced to fight on the home island. A dispatch of men in the retinue of House Magnusson sallied from the gates to meet the defenders.

The northern warriors took the disorganized and unprepared Frenchmen by surprise. Aimory had no experience with snow or cold and had little understanding of the terrain. The Magnusson guard was able to push back and crush the French ever though Aimory had over three times their numbers.

Aimory was forced to retreat west overland towards Reykjavik. As the French attempted to reorganize their armies for a siege Hysing commanded the Scottish Band to land in Reykjavik and attacked them. Thew Scots quickly routed the French and captured Airmory himself.

The captains of the Scottish band personally delivered the usurper to Hysing. The Prince Mayor passed swift judgement on the villain, sentencing him to live the rest of his days in the cold darkness of the cave dungeons used by the old Kings of Iceland. Aimory was paraded through Husavik backwards on a donkey wearing nothing but a crown of rotting wood. When they reached the city gates the prisoner was made to dismount and walk the long trek into the mountains where he was locked in the cold ancient cells, surrounded by the bones of Sven Haraldrson, Hemming the Peasant, and other traitors of old.

Though the cold of the cells was sure to end the young man’s life Hysing felt he wanted Airmory’s life to end sooner. The headsman’s axe would be too quick and the slow freeze of the ice cells too long. The Prince Mayor organized a meeting wit ha few like-minded members of the court who conspired to end the young frenchman’s life in more creative ways.

With a truce with Angland signed and the usurper detained Hysing locked himself away with his biblical texts. Emissaries arrived occasionally from Germany and Frisia requesting aid in continental wars. Though Hysing lent some monetary and moral support to his allies he was too busy to send real troops into the fight.

By November of 1054 Hysing was recognized by the Bishop of Husavik as the primary Biblical scholar in all of Iceland, perhaps all of northern Europe. None could doubt his piety. Hysing had completed three Holy pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome during the crusade and to Santiago of his own accord. He defended and patronized religion in his own court and country, giving ample money to the church. When men and women spoke of the Prince Mayor they called him Hysing the Blessed, for there were none more holy than he.