House Osriking

House Osriking (, meaning "Osric-descendants") or Osriken (, meaning "of Osric") is a well-respected family, directly descended from the pretender-king Osric I, seventh in Etrand, who ruled for two years from 106 to 108, making it a cadet branch - in fact, the last surviving one - of House Hengisting, and with it a family of royal blood. In the latter sense however, it always seemed to run on a rather contradictory habit, upheld by all of its heads. For over six centuries, the Margraviate of Steelhelm has been the "holding" of the family, which is currently the only domain with a seniority succession order, and thus House Osriking has no further branches to speak of.

For being such a populous and renowned family, the Osrikings are rather thinly related to other major families throughout the realm, deliberately avoiding marital relations with them, preferring ones of marginal political power and aspirations instead. This can explained by the fact that they are without exception dedicated to only martial exploits, staying far from court intriques, and indeed, their fame and current position were both earned by their dedicated service to the Kings of Etrand. This loyalist demeanor have brought several seemingly fatal blows to the Osrikings, however, every time they were always quick to recover from such hardships, probably because there was hardly any head of family with less than ten children.

Of the aforementioned hardships, one of the most famous was probably right before the outbreak of the succession crisis after the death of King Calder, the last male Tondberting ruler of Etrand. The Margrave Offa, who stood adamant behind the late King's decision regarding the nature of successon, rose his flag in rebellion against Calder's brothers, making it the first and last time that all the three princes joined forces with each other on the battlefield. His defiance and last stand along with seven of his sons is undeniably in the centre of bardic literature, and even a harp play from Dragoc honours his memory. Indeed, the annihilation of his roughly one thousands men strong host at the Battle of the Twin Hills may have been a vain effort, but at least a valiant one. Court historians argue over what impact his participation could have had on the succession wars if he remained patient, and rallied the loyalist forces in support of the Queen.

There was no war of Etrand in which the Osrikings have not participated one way or another, and there were few kings who could say that his life was not saved at least once by the sword or own body of an Osriking, Albeit they are unlikely guests on a noble feast, they are very much part of the Kingdom's great houses, and thus its everyday life. Currently, the 73 years-old Margrave Cyneweard II stands at the helm of his domain.