Nevenoe I
Roue (King) Nevenoe , I (a.k.a. Tad ar Vro)
King of Letha from 735 SI - 748 SI
Revolted against "Charles the Bald". Revolt begins with the death of Karo, son of the Chieftain of Retz, who is killed for bringing insufficient tribute in Roazhon.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born a peasant in the rural Viscounty of Poher, Nevenoe rose to power after discovering a lost treasure of the Kriores of Ker-Malastred, becoming wealthy and gaining a crucial alliance that allowed him to rise to the position of King of Gwened, placing him in a position to become a valuable ally to the King of Neustria.
The War of the Red Hand
The Gallian Crown had nominally controlled Eastern Letha since the 6th Century, demanding ever increasing tributes from its troublesome neighbor as a near-constant string of rebellions and revolts shook the Peninsula. The Gallian King, Loeiz an Deol, placed Nevenoe, the powerful Kont of Gwened, as the Ard Rí in an effort to combat the continued strength of Kernev and Dumnonia in the West. With Loeiz death, Karl Voal ascended to the throne, eager to make up for the loss of Arle by reinforcing his rule over Letha and Akitania. He increased the demands of tribute, to be delivered to his seneschal at Roazhon. The Ri Benn of Retz was an old man, and unable to make the journey himself. He instead sent his son, Karo and a parade of chariots laden with the prior year's tribute, a King's ransom of gold, food and wine. As he watched for his son's return in increasing despair and desperation, word reached him that the Gallian Seneschal, displeased that the tribute had remained at the prior year's level, had Karo executed as a traitor. The Ri Benn set off to Gwened, arriving as the Chieftain arrived from hunting a boar, his hands still wet with the beast's blood. When he heard the man's tail, he swore an Ere-Hud: “By the head of this boar, and by the arrow which slew him, I will not wash this blood from off my hand until I free the country from mine enemies.” Nevenoe gathered 25 smooth pebbles from the shores of the Mor Bihan, equal to the prior year's amount of silver by weight, and divided them into three bags, one more than asked for by the Gallian Crown. He traveled to Roazhon, but, upon being asked to wash his hands before the meal, a Lethaned hospitality custom, he declined, wishing to deliver the tribute first. The Seneschal eager to open the three bags of silver and unaware of the deeper meaning of Nevenoe's refusal, agreed. The sacks were weighed and the third was found to be significantly underweight. The Seneschal declared it so and Nevenoe, drawing sword from scabbard, tossed the man's head onto the scale. At the signal, his men overwhelmed the garrison, taking the town. With Roazhon taken, Nevenoe's conquest continued, taking all of Letha and the Marches of Neustria.Social
Reign
Rise and International Relations
The First Neustrian Civil War
The 700s were a time of great social and political upheaval across Northern Kornôgel, as the disparate tribes began to unite into the kingdoms and sovereignties that exist today. At the time, the most powerful by far was the Empire of Neustria, formed by Emperor Magnus I. The stability brought upon by Magnus's powerful rule was short lived, and the crumbling Empire quickly fell into civil war as Magnus's son, Louis I, ascended the throne in 712 SI. By 735, the Empire was in chaos, as civil war broke out. After putting down a Lethan Rebellion of Lowenen I, Louis returned to Per-Ys to discover his Sons, Lothair of Arle and Pepin of Akitania had launched their own rebellions. The Civil War was quickly, but incompletely resolved, leaving Louis in an even more precarious situation. Louis set about reorganizing the Empire's holdings to shore up his political defenses against Lothair and Pepin.An Ally in Letha
In 735, Neustria had a tenuous hold on several territories on The Armorican Peninsula, centered on the Ducal Cities of Gwened, Roazhon and Naoned, as well as the Marches of Neustria and the Biskonti Dol. The Marches largely served to contain the Stormlords of the Penn-ar-Bed and the Korrigan Troupes of the Ar Goat Armorican. To rule these holdings, Louis threw his support behind Nevenoe, at the time the Secondson of the Kont of Poher, to lead as Kont of Gwened and Markiz of the Neustrian Marches. This was seen as a compromise between Imperial supporters in the East and the independent Penn-ar-Bed in the West. Nevenoe's power was largely centered in Gwened, with limited control and influence over the de facto independent West and North despite his nominal position overseeing "the Lethaned". Even so, he proved a capable leader and loyal ally of the Neustrian Crown, serving to limit rebellions on the Peninsula and commit to the protection of Imperial interests elsewhere in its holdings. Despite being seen as an Imperial puppet, Nevenoe was able to extract unparalleled political power over the Ducal Cities and Marches, uniting the disparate tribes into a cohesive political, economic and military entity. But there was little question of his position being at the pleasure of his Imperial allies, and although he was never granted formal title by the crown, its influence was apparent.The Spark of Rebellion
Everything changed with the death of Louis I. The Emperor's son, Charles I, ascended to the Throne, opposed by his elder brothers. Initially, Nevenoe continued his loyalty to the new Emperor, until he was persuaded by Lambert, Kont de Naoned, to switch his support to Lothair. Nevenoe, Lambert and Pepin became a collective thorn in the Empire's Western side. But Nevenoe had greater ambitions than swapping on King for another. He would remake Letha into an independent Kingdom. With deft diplomacy, he gained the support of the Stormlords and the Korrigan Troupes, re-establishing ties that had been frayed since the reign of Conomor the Cursed. The Lethans launched a lightning fast rebellion against the distracted Empire, seizing control of Naoned, Roazhon and the Marches as permanent additions to his Sovereignty. While Charles besieged Tolosa, Nevenoe led raids deep into Cenomannie , ransacking Royal treasuries and allied Churches along the Liger River. Imperial forces counterattacked, marching as far as Roazhon, but to little effect. After achieving victories in the East against Lothair, Charles arranged for allied Archperfects of the Faith to send an ultimatum to the rebels in the West: renew their fealty or accept military consequences. Lambert of Naoned and Pepin of Akitania submitted, but Nevenoe refused. The defectors, angry at Nevenoe's embrace of Korrigan and Penn-ar-Bed support, joined with Neustria to invade the Peninsula, but was defeated in at the Battle of Redon along the banks of the Gwilen River.The Odet Raids
In 736 SI, Nevenoe was faced with a new enemy and threat. The Marie-Morgane of Ys-Beneath-the-Waves, emboldened by their newly perfected Oceansong, launched the Odet Raids, attacking shipping and settlements along the An Hirwazh1, the Kernev Coast and the Odet River. The raids reached as far inland as Kemper before the armies of Queen Ahes Dahut were driven back to the sea.War of the Red Hand
The Odet Raids had the result of pushing the historically independent Penn-ar-Bed towards Nevenoe, as the sudden complication along their remote shores threatened shipping and coastal security of the remote, traditionally difficult to assail regions. Additionally, the threat of renewed merfolk attacks led Nevenoe to pursue peace with his neighbors to the East. Nevenoe swore allegiance to Charles, and in turn was recognized as ruler of the Letha and Lambert was removed from his position as Kont of Naoned. The peace would not last, and within a few months, Nevenoe had returned to raiding the border, specifically the County of Duron in the Duchy of La Manche, then the Duchy of Anjev Angered at the breach, Charles reappointed Lambert to Naoned, only for the Kont to join his friend-turned-enemy-turned-friend raiding in Cenomannie. Charles took Roazhon and Naoned without bloodshed, but quickly lost them. Nevenoe conquered Anjev and Cenomannie before dying on campaign near in Whitehill. He was succeeded by his son, Erispoe I, establishing a hitherto unknown line of succession in Letha.Domestic Policies
Religious Reform
Nevenoe saw The Southern Church as a tool of Neustrian Interest, undermining Lethan control of the Peninsula, but also as a potential political and cultural tool of his own. He openly supported the Faith, establishing a major monastery at Redon as a show of devotion. At the same time, he orchestrated the creation of the Archperfecture of Dol, which shifted control away from Neustrian allies in the Archperfecture of Threetower and allow direct political influence over the Church on the Peninsula. This in turn, allowed local cultural influences and traditions to flourish within the Faith. To secure the support of the Korrigan of the ar Goat and the Stormlords of the Penn-ar-Bed, Nevenoe repealed the outlaw status of The Path of the Forest, allowing the druids to worship openly once more.Relations with the Fair Folk
Nevenoe's reign marked a sea change, the largest re-establishment of relations with the Fair Folk since Conomor, bringing several Tuath, most notably the Teuz into Lethan society and took a Fae lover as his queen.Family Ties
Nevenoe was the Secondson of Kont Erispoe of Poher and brother of Rivallon, Kont of Poher.
Relationships
1 - Rade de Brest and Douarnenez Bay
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
King of Letha and Count of Gwened
Circumstances of Death
Buried in Redon Abbey
Place of Death
Near Whitehill in Viscounty of Vendôme
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Sex
Male
Gender
Man
Presentation
Masculine
Eyes
Grey
Hair
Long, black, held by a thin golden circlet around his brow.
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Weathered
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments