Rendar Alens
Lord Warden of the Realm Rendar Alens (a.k.a. Duke of Blackmoor, Marquis of Culain, High Earl of Eldyn, and Count of Westhill)
High Sun is a glorious month, and there's always a tourney or some other celebration in the capital. Hawksholme shakes off the last vestiges of winter like the rest of the kingdom, and we're all as excited as cattle getting out of the barn for the first time since the snows flew. I'd spend a glorious day watching the jousts and archery contests and all the rest, and Gods, I saw the biggest man I'd ever seen in my life trounce everyone who set a foot to earth near him. As I did every evening when I visited the capital, I took myself down to the Golden Hawk, to help myself to a few flagons of Buck's famous beer. And I mentioned this giant of a man to him and he broke out laughing.
"Ah, lad," he said, "sure but that was the Duke of Blackmoor hisself, Rendar o' the House Alens or I'm the uncle of a lonely Akarthan sheep shagger!"
Of course everyone laughed--nothing gets the patrons of the Golden Hawk roaring as much as an insult aimed at anything from Akaryth.
"And sure but he's a bear of a man. You know House Alens' sigil is the bear, right? And he's Lord Warden of the Realm, if ye so please, so every man or woman who wears the Queen's colours or carries arms in her name reports back in the end to the Duke hisself. And we all pity the poor man's wife. They say there's nary a horse in the land kin bear him up, so we all gets t' wondering how she does it!"
Laughs all around, and even more as Buck's most popular barmaid, the lovely Seþryn, shouted out that she'd tame any bear she liked, and show the horses how it's done. But Buck continued,
Birth and Early Life
"So th' Duke wasn't born the duke, because one never is. His father Garen was the duke in them days. And 'is son was a bear of a man from boyhood, and as soon as he could manage it he was joustin', huntin', roamin', ridin', and romancin' his way all over the Reach of Kulain. And sure he wanted to learn fightin', arms, an' history but he didn't care much for the finer points of a noble education. The diplomacy n' all that. And his father got t' see him as a bit of an embarassment since he was always runnin' about like a dog in heat. Wanted to join the Knights of the Griffon too, but truth be they weren't gonna have him in their ranks like that." Buck took a large swig out of his flagon, draining it. "Seþryn!" he shouted, "crack one of the barrels from autumn n' bring out a round!" Cheers, of course. "So as is often the case, hard times make men harder--not a word, there Seþryn! I swear she's got the mind of an alley cat and the claws t'match. Hard times, yeah. And King Halar III shuffles off into an early grave, and as ye all be too aware, his uncle challenges the king's sister Selðe for the throne. And Balar's Rebellion was sure as I be the best tavern-keep in the realm,"--cheers of assent over flagons of free beer--"the hardest of times. And of course Selðe Halad ends up athrone as our magnificent Queen Heulyn II. But durin' that strife, round about a year in, Garen Alens takes hisself a wound that goes foul, and shuts 'is eyes fer good. And now Rendar, he's the duke and it's time to man up.Balar's Rebellion
"And man up he surely does. The new Duke doesn't just lead his men in the war, he fights. And ye kin imagine what runs through the heads of men facin' him. Well, usually it's 'is sword or axe, but just before that it's a real questionin' of the bad decisions that got them in front of 'im. And he carves his way through the war, and ain't a one who can stand to him. Shar of Midcliffe tried, and it cost 'im his head right there on the field." "But the Duke, he does well. And he gets real tight with the common lads, Theo of Aldwyn and Wil Haleson..." Buck was interrupted by a tremendous cheer. Theo and Wil were two of the Barons Mendicant--common men who, due to their incredible and pivotal service during the war were key figures in Selðe's victory. Raised to low nobility as a reward, they're immensely popular among us commoners, being as they are our own done real well. "Settle down," shouted Buck over the din, "the price of free beer is shuttin' up while I hold court in my own tavern!" Laughter and a shorter cheer. "So the Duke was the one, so I hear tell, who suggested the whole Barons thing. But be that as it may, one way or the other, when it came time to name people to Queen Heulyn's High Council, our noble lass appointed the Duke to be Lord Warden of the Realm, and since then, that's what he does. And the lad who used to chase everything from deer to brew to skirts became the man who keeps this land safe and reminds us that we can all make somethin' good of ourselves. Even you, maybe," he said, glancing my way with a wry grin.
Current Location
Age
42
Date of Birth
14 Spring
Birthplace
Blackmoor Castle
Family
Children
Current Residence
Blackmoor Castle
Sex
Male
Eyes
Brown, fierce
Hair
Long, straight, black, fading to gray
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
6'11
Belief/Deity
Druidism - Keledoni
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Comments