Library:The Antlered Crown

Igrav I the Mad, the last ruler from House Stenmær to ever sit the throne, ruled from 1085 - 1101 and was renowned for his strong sense of justice and benevolence in the early years of his reign. Legend has it that one day, he was on a hunting expedition and happened upon a shrine erected to the old gods of the Telerians, where he discovered a crown that would come to be known as the Antlered Helm. Those with him cautioned him to leave it, lest he anger the gods that the shrine was dedicated to. It is not known if the crown was an offering left by a loyal acolyte, or if the gods themselves put the artifact there to trick a hapless mortal. After taking the crown, he declared it the official crown jewels of the realm and would wear it when he went out, favoring its design and the wealth it contained. Years passed, and it seemed like Igrav slowly changed as they did. Initially, servants began to hear him talking to himself in his chambers at night. Soon after, he stopped calling upon the Grand Princess for visits to his chambers and ceased participation in his marriage, forsaking his children to be handled by servants.

In final years of his rule, some years after taking the crown, as problems and challenges began to compound, his sanity began to slip. His decrees and laws became more and more unhinged, he refused to be without the crown. He wore it at all times except for when he slept. He had it placed under strict guard when he wasn't wearing it. Anyone who touched it without his permission was executed by decree. In the last year of his reign, he came into dispute with House Ralinov, who refused to suffer his insanity any longer, and Grand Duke Vladimir challenged him to one on one combat in the ancient Telerian way. The terms Igrav laid out reflected his state, if he won, House Ralinov would be executed in its entirety, though it is unlikely his order would've been followed. This is the last documented time in history the challenge custom was ever utilized.

Though he was known far and wide for his skill with the sword, it was said his skill deserted him that day, and Vladimir felled him with his blade after only a minute of intense combat. Proclaiming himself Grand Prince with the support of eight of the nine houses, Vladimir had Igrav's body and the cursed crown entombed deep under Tårnborg Castle inside of a sarcophagus made of iron and encased in Latin concrete. All of which he sealed in a natural cave under the structure and constructed a thick wall of stone covering the entrance. Though his Christian faith had no room for what he considered "pagan myths and nonsense", he could not deny the obsession his predecessor had with the crown nor the apparent curse that resulted and would tolerate no one having access to it. He decreed that any who unsealed the tomb would be executed immediately, a law which still persists to this day, and had an entire sub level of the castle sealed behind layers of concrete and iron to forever prevent access to the tomb of his cursed predecessor.

Thus, legend has it that it remains sealed to this day, the Antlered Helm awaiting the day that the next ruler will open the tomb and unleash its curse upon the earth again