Ruaidrí, High King of Glas

Overview

Ruaidrí, Lord of the Northern Vale at 22 years of age, was in many ways, the natural choice for High King of Glas, due in no small part to luck. The son of the powerful Lord of the Northern Vale, Ruaidrí was raised with a firm education in command and the leading of men. Although the North is not as rich or as populous as the West of the island, it is ensconced by stout natural defenses that offer only two routes for a landward invasion to enter, both of which are protected by extensive fortifications. These natural borders also meant that the Northern Vale had no obvious targets for expansion or territorial rivals. Although cross border skirmishes were a fact of life on Glas, the Northern Vale avoided entanglement in larger wars or feuds, leading to a realm that was prosperous but slightly isolationist from the rest of local politics.

The Greenskin Invasion

When the Greenskin Army landed in Western Glas in the year -AL2, Ruaidrí's father, like the rest of the great Lords, led his troops as part of the first unified Glasih host in living memory. At the now infamous battle of the Láibeach Delta, the Glaish army was crushed and many lords, including Ruaidrí's father, lost their lives. The populous cities of Western Glas, and their politicking lords, fell in quick succession. As the Green wave swept into the island, many lords and peasants alike fled their lands and sought shelter in the safest place they could find, the Northern Vale.

Gathering the Resistance

The Greenskins launched an attack on the North in the year -AL1, attempting to take one of the passes that guarded entry into the Vale. This attack was repulsed by Ruaidrí, albeit with heavy casualties, giving the Glas its first victory of the war. For his role in their sole major victory, as well as being the only lord with his lands and power base still intact, Ruaidrí was elected High King of Glas, the first to hold such a title in over 200 years. Now with a clear leader, the Glaish resistance stiffened and brief forays were even made south and east, attempting to assert some level of parity with the invaders. This would all change in AL3.

Defeat and Salvation

In early AL3, the Greenskins once again launched a concerted effort to smash through the Northern passes. This time, they succeeded, due in part to reinforcements they received which contained higher quality troops like Orks, Trolls, and Rhino mounted cavalry. With their primary defensive line breached, native forces fell back to Ruaidrí's hold and prepared to make a final stand. They were rescued by the forces of the nascent self proclaimed Kingdom of Glas, who had arrived on the island three years earlier and carved out a holding in the south to challenge the Greenskins. Their King Nikolai-Wilhelm Emilich Hohenzollern-Romanov I, seeing the benefit of allying with native forces and not wished to be defeated in detail by the Greenskins, marched his small but professional and advanced army north and met the Greenskins in the battle of Sealbri in May AL3, securing a crushing victory at the cost of heavy casualties.
This placed Ruaidrí in an awkward position, as he now had to compete with another Monarch claiming dominion over Glas. More importantly, he needed the New Kingdom's advanced weaponry and methods of war if his own troops were going to stand a chance against the Orks in open battle. An uneasy alliance was signed that more or less punted the issue of rightful sovereignty down the road until the immediate threat was dealt with. As of AL5, efforts have been made by King Nikolai-Wilhelm to build trust and add substance to a theretofore nominal alliance

Personality

Ruaidrí had always been raised with a deep sense of the duty and honor expected of a lord of his stature. The untimely death of his father and his subsequent election as High King only elevated and sharpened these lessons. Ruaidrí is a deeply driven and energetic man, once posessed of a light hearted and charismatic nature, but more recently given over to a grim and stoic disposition. He sees it as his duty to lead his people through the greatest threat they have ever faced, and has vowed to succeed no matter the cost.
Ruaidrí has had his ambitions of a more centralized army in the style of the Elves frustrated by the great lords of his court, who continue to bicker and look after their own influence. His pride and honor have proven weaknesses at times, rendering him well equipped for the battlefield but not so for the influence jockying of the courtroom.

Forces:

200 Crossbowmen (steel Crossbows) 1000 Warriors (steel helmets, some kind of armor, swords) 400 Light Cavalry 400 Archers Thousands of Levies not called up

Description: Ruaidrí and a small retinue sometime after his ascension to High King