- "What is it about the word King that makes even the most reasonable people behave like idiots? I have little desire for this obsidian throne. This throne, made for the King of Kings. This throne, that has been sat upon by great warriors and rulers alike. Yet, despite my lack of desire, I am fated to rule here. Yes I, Ivar the Mad... The Crazy. You see, Freydis Dariusdatter, the Queen Mother, appeared to me in my dreams. As such, it appears I am fated to be the King. The Gods are with me."
- ―Ivar the Crazy
Ivar II Dariussen, more commonly known as Ivar the Mad, Ivar the Crazy, or Ivar the Younger is the second son of Ivarr I of Astafor. He is a descendant of Darius Salvatore through the House of the North Star, and he is dubbed by scholars as Astafor's mad king.
The origin of his nickname is not entirely certain. "Ívarr þeir ódr" could be translated to "Ivar the Mad", but "ódr" could also be translated as "Eager", since "Mad" and "Eager" translates to the same word, "ódr", in Old Norse. It is known that Ivar was very eager to sit upon Astafor's throne, claiming that he was chosen by the Gods to. However, several of the sagas depict him as often vexed/mad or having anger-prone tendencies such as violent outbursts, while a passage in Dariusssona þáttr (also known as the tale of Darius' sons) suggest it refers to the condition known as Intermittent explosive disorder.
Early Life[]
Childhood[]
Ivar grew up as the son of Ivarr I of Astafor and Astrid of Hadeland. He was the younger brother of Ivar Astridsson (Ivar the Unready), the heir apparent to the Astafarian throne. Throughout his boyhood, Ivar was tormented by explosive outbursts of anger all his life, which came out in the form of temper tantrums as a child. His rage was often out of proportion to the situation.
His father often abused a young Ivar. In training Ivar to be a strong and fierce warrior, Ivar was often neglected. Ivar could not confide in any individual besides his mother, as the Kings of Astafor were often taught to not be weak. At six years old, Ivar's father had him take his first life. This meant that he had activated his werewolf transformation. It is highly likely that Ivar is the youngest werewolf to trigger their curse (documented at least).
Every full moon, Ivar would transform into a wolf. He described this transformation as a fiery pain that was like being burned from the inside out. During one of these particular transformations, Ivar wandered far into the woods, stepping foot on what would later become Sigurdland. While there, Ivar was responsible for eleven deaths. When his father found him, he starved him and chained him to his root cellar.
Third Swedish Crusade, 1293 A.D.[]
When he was nine, his father took him to the third Swedish crusade, where (in the sagas of Astafor and certain Swedish chronicles) it is said he was thrown into the conflict, and left to fend for himself. His father told him if he survived, fighting for his life, he would be welcomed as his son. However, if he lost his life on the battlefield, he would be denied entry into Valhalla.
Luck shined upon Ivar, as the apex of a full moon gave him the chance to survive. He became a werewolf and eat several warriors in the conflict. Proud of him, his father welcomed Ivar as his son.
From this point on, Ivar's father respected him much more as an individual and gave him certain privileges within his court. Ivar was recognized for the first time as his father's true son by the Astafor populous, and was given land and title.
Conflict of Astafor's Throne, 1301 A.D.[]
As an heir to the Astafarian throne, Ivar was now being mentioned in conversations about the future of Astafor, and favoured over his brother Ivar Astridsson.
After Ivar's father became ill, Ivar was set to rule. Instead, his older brother would have the throne, eventually being replaced by Ivar's cousin, Hvitserk the Great.
Ivar's rule of Astafor, Late 1310s[]
N/A
Ivar's Astafarian Army[]
- "You still claim to be Vikings, so act like it! Come with me and conquer Henry, and conquer England. The Gods are with us."
- ―Ivar the Crazy