Doric Swert had a total of 19 children through his three wives. They were born over a period of 48 years and included 8 males and 11 females. However six children died during infancy. Nonetheless, Doric's children ensured the future of the dynasty. The following three articles provide a brief description on each child and their life and are split as per their mother.
Doric said:
How did remember all my children's names? I hear you ask. Well it's quite simple really. I used to have a mnemonic. Let's see if I remember it. "Don't worry son, I'm positive the challenge that all kings go spiritually on..." Hang on, do I have a daughter named Onya? No. Ah forget it, too many damn names.
To the wife Adelais de Ponthieu:
Raised with the hopes of becoming the matriarch by her parents for what was during her lifetime a quickly growing family. Entered the clergy and prospered becoming a scholarly theologian and upheld the pious traits of shyness, cowardice and modesty despite her laziness; perhaps not matriarch material after all. She married Harold Godwineson, son of the former King of England and with a claim to the throne. Soon after her wedding she became pregnant but died during the childbirth along with her child.
Doric said:
Ah my Daniac. My first, my darling, my princess. She had so much yet to give when she was taken. I cried for days upon her death so young.
The eldest son, he immediately became heir apparent. Unfortunately at the age of 14 months the infant was suddenly involved in an accident and died. Luckily by that stage a new heir had been born.
My first born son. I could forget every other child's name but could never forget his as all I had was intended to be his. If only we had put a guardrail on that balcony...
Samolk ‘the unlucky’ (1069-1108)
Upon the death of Warenzo he became the heir apparent of the Swert clan. Raised in the military he matured to be a competent leader ready for the thone but failed to impress as a warrior. At the age of 16 he married Thora Yngling, a daughter of the King of Norway whose training as a charismatic negotiator prompted Doric to hire her as his chancellor for many years despite her deceitfulness. Furthermore, this marriage meant that if a son was born, a Swert would be second in line to the Norwegian throne.
Samolk is famous for his bad luck with his fertility. Together with Thora he gave birth to 6 children. Unfortunately for him his first five children were all daughters. Under the pressure of his duty to provide a male heir, became very stressed. Finally in 1093, his wife did provide him with a boy and they named him Edoran. However Edoran was born with an illness and despite his father’s prayers and wishes, he passed away a year later. This death affected Samolk in a way from which he never recovered. He soon had a falling out with his wife as he blamed her for her inability to provide him with a son. With his failure to ensure an heir, Samolk fell into a depression which saw him become rather distant from everyone. He grew rather tired with life and comtemplated suicide but did not follow that path. However his habits soon became unhealthy and he developed pneumonia. It is recorded that his heartbreak at the death of Edoran and his five preceeding daughters shortened his life considerably. In 1108, he died at the tender at of 39, heirless, unhappy and never actually succeeding in taking up the throne of his father.
Doric said:
And I thought my luck was bad when I only got 4 living sons from 19. Poor Samolk lost his faith. As I told him time and time again, patience will bring an heir. But alas, not only did he not gain one, I lost one when he couldn't take it anymore.
The third son of Doric, his claim to the throne became superceded by the maternal descendents of Samolk. Immor followed the ways of his father in that he adopted chastity in what became a common trait amongst the Swert dynasty. Whereas Samolk was a competent man until his depression, Immor was naturally gifted in regards. However thanks to his training in the military he became a tough soldier and one of the best skilled marshals in the land. He was adopted as marshal by Doric and after his father’s death continued in that role for his nephew Stomagh. Immor’s personality was a melting pot combining romance and hostility but despite this fell in love with Nichola Dunkeld, the niece of the King of Scotland. Immor seeked a male son in a hope of getting a Swert into the Scottish line of succession but, in the same manner as Samolk’s wife, Nichola failed to provide Immor with a son. Instead they had two daughters Sione and Isabel before Nichola’s sudden death in 1099 at the age of 29. Immor remarried to a much younger woman, Clemenza de Normandie, daughter of the King of England. However Immor could not love this woman despite the possible gains through inheritance and instead chose a life of celibacy. They were married for over thirty years without a child until Clemenza died in 1130. Immor continued serving as a marshal until his death in 1141.
Doric said:
If there was one son who most imitated myself it would be Immor. A great warrior of a man who ended up taking the vow of celibacy. Which is a bit of a shame because he had the fertility to create many sons.
Born just ten months after the birth of Immor the two were treated as twins on occasion. Petrimarc became the oldest living son of Doric and the first to provide a proper heir, which meant in many ways he ensured the Swert dynasty’s continuance. He married Gudrid of Orkney in what was a political marriage which now saw both daughters of the Duke of Orkney being married to Swerts, with Ingrid having married Doric years earlier. This also meant Petrimarc married his mother-in-law’s sister even though she was the same age as Petrimarc.
Petrimarc was also a skillful accountant with a midas touch. He was adept as both a chancellor and steward but it was the latter that became his role for the County of the Isle of Man for many years.
Doric said:
Petrimarc's marriage to Gudrid completed my plan to inherit the Orkneys. With the Duke's two daughters each married to a Swert, it would only be time before the Swerts gained a Duchy.
Toro ‘the Mad’ (1076-1124)
The fourth son of Doric, Toro grew to become mad at a young age. Despite several attempts at treatment, no cure was found of his illness, however the man himself didn’t seem too worried. He lived his life as though he wasn’t the total lunatic he was. At the age of 16 he married Felicia de Normandie and had six children.
Doric said:
They say there's alway one, don't they? Well Toro was a real handful growing up, had I not lived so long I could have blamed him for sending to me to an early grave.
Toro said:
