Bertramnus Devereux (Bertramm-oos De-Ver-o)
Seigneur de la Guerre Bertramnus Devereux (a.k.a. The Abollonian)
Bertramnus Devereux was the lord of war of the kingdom of Saltis during its war for independence. He is known for being a brilliant strategist with an exceptional ability to react to changes, and he is accredited as the war's victor. He is venerated as a national hero in Saltis, with city and town squares marked with a statue of him riding atop a sabodtonner.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
The history of Bertramnus is perhaps best explained by the way he's been viewed by different parties.
⇕Expand⇕Traitor.
Bertramnus was born in the kingdom of Navara near the capital of the same name to a distant relative of Demmus Bneurling; neither of his parents' name were recorded. Regardless, he, his parents, and any of his siblings were considered to be house members; in a later stage in Bertramnus's life they relocated to Saltis in order to influence the local politics, earning the nickname of "Abollonian" as a member of house Bneurling.
Most of Betreamnus' childhood and the entirety of his teenage years were shaped and influenced by Saltisian culture, and unlike his parents he saw himself as a Saltisian first and Navaran second. He joined the Saltisian armed forces in his late teens and by the breakout of the war for independence he was already a sergeant. In 1215 immediately following Demnus's death, the newly anointed king of Navara Meinhard Bneurling issued a decree for all Navarans serving in the Saltisian forces to desert their positions and post; Bertramnus publicly denounced the decree, an act of defiance that prompted the murder of his parents by Inequitars in 1219. As the current head of his household, Bertramnus was reassigned as an Osviri Thunder, and rose quickly through the ranks, being appointed as the Saltisian lord of war by 1230. This promotion led to his branding as a traitor in the kingdom of Navara and to being publicly ostracized by his former house; this, however, was easily offset by his status in Saltis.
⇕Expand⇕A worthy opponent, and a menace.
Bertramnus quickly took to review and rework the most prevalent Saltisian military doctrines and eventually completely replaced the principality's overall strategy which focused on in-depth defense and lacked any offensive aspect to the historical role it held. Drawing inspiration from Kavirian units, especially Highlanders and Wolfmen, the army gradually shifted to accommodate new tactics, such as raids, shock-and-awe attacks, and high mobility; the sabodtonners considerably loud hoofbeats contributed to the success of such tactics. In 1237 the transition was deemed complete by Guy D'euponnet.
Following the transition, Bertramnus focused most military effort on the north bank of the Hildari river as commanded by his prince, and oversaw deployment himself. This led the SFLK sending in larger forces as well in order to hold the line, not knowing that the Saltisian forces have drastically changed their strategy; Borbazec Index agents that would have otherwise provided the information relating to the transition were later found to be Saltisian loyalists. As the skirmishes became more frequent and more violent, more and more troops were sent by both sides, which in turn increased the violence and frequency of the skirmishes; this culminated with the arrival of prince Guy and champion cavalier Percival Half-Elven.
Despite the possible advantage that could be gained from killing Percival, Bertramnus ordered his forces to avoid harming him; though the reason for this order was never specified on record, the most widely accepted explanation is that he saw queen Isolda Artzmit, Percival's sister, as brash and emotional, deeming her capable of an unproportionate response; another speculation is that as a devout follower of the Four he accepted Kairoz the Andorian as the messiah and extended his reverence to his son.
⇕Expand⇕A single man with a kingdom in his debt.
On the dawn of the 18th of Last Harvest 1238 as the battle on the Hildari raged on, a volley of arrows launched from the southern river bank managed to kill the prince of Saltis and the leader of its army, Guy D'euponnet; with the army's morale shattered and the casualties steadily increasing, Bertramnus called for a retreat deep into Saltis, effectively using the frontier as a buffer between the armies, correctly assuming that raids by Navaran forces would be relatively peaceful, with house Nesraf acting as a moral guideline.
The countryside was being constantly raided for three days, as Bertramnus led the Navaran commanders to believe that the war was just won; though many civilian lives were lost and property was pillaged, no significant military aid was ever dispatched to protect the countrymen. This stratagem was a resounding success, as on the 21st of Last Harvest the full might of the Osviri Thunders encircled the Navaran cavalry led by Percival, slaying as many as 140 soldiers of different ranks and capturing a total of 78 knights and commanders, of whom were the three highest ranking commanders of the Navaran army: Percival Half-Elven, Meradazer Nesraf and Tiberius Redanerl.
Guy's son, Gaspard, urged Bertramnus to keep them all alive, as they are to be used as leverage to act against the king of Navara, Meinhard Bneurling; even though few Abollonians were among the captives, house Redanerl and house Nesraf were sure to pressure the king for the safe release of their housemates and their firstborns. Negotiations were held in Bertramnus' absence, as both Meinhard and his brother Raikor Bneurling declined to negotiate in the traitor's presence.
In 1239, two weeks prior to the The Kadian Dominion being established, the queen of Ader, accompanied by the arch priest of the Andorian Church, crowned Gaspard as the first king of Saltis and absolved Bertramnus of his transgressions against the holy pact.
After the war
As soon as the war was undoubtedly over Bertramnus abdicated his role as the lord of war and was promptly crowned as the first grand prince of Saltis by Gaspard. He was never married but had two bastard sons that were legitimized as his children; an estate was allotted for the newly formed house Lemaître within the palace ground. Even though he was officially retired, he led the Saltisian logistical efforts in the 1240's Krath War for Independence while acting as the viceroy through long durations of his king's absence.
Current Date: 2nd of Latsum, 1572
Species
Ethnicity
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Life
1187 AC
1261 AC
74 years old
Family
Children
Gender
Male
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