Dalan I Karthmere

Dalan I Karthmere (June 4, 288 - December 5, 330 AC) was a Thyllanorian noble and the 15th Highlord of the Realm of Thyllanor, and the father of Dalan II Karthmere, Adrian Karthmere, and Eleysiea Karthmere. He is best known for participating in the Farmers' Revolution, which led to his death in 330 AC. He was the first and only Grand General of the Farrowhalt Freehold, and has been cited by many as the first ruler of the 4th century AC to bring Thyllanor's focus back into military power.
It is not truly known what gave Dalan his inclinations towards rebellion. It is said his father Malveus III Karthmere instilled these virtues in him, but this story is often turned away by those who knew Dalan -- or better yet, Malveus himself. Most agree that Dalan's actions were as a result of the Loyal Lions coming to an end, and he was attempting to act in a way that he saw as distinctly feudal -- this had been a behavior not often seen in past contemporary Karthmeres, as the likes of Malveus II and Vicede II supported the foundation of a bureaucracy and lower government separate from the feudal oaths. Dalan himself accused the Dragomári of motivating him to raise Thyllanor's banners for war, with Aeganar IV unsurprisingly being a necessary component to his argument.
As history views it, Dalan was a good ruler, perhaps even rivaling Richard III Karthmere in some aspects, as in the way he ruled and how he administered power; his support for the con-crownists' rights just goes to further solidify this claim, but his name is not highly regarded due to his controversial views and the choice to fight for what many viewed as a lost cause. He brought Thyllanor into war against the Kingdom alongside Veddel Markwell and Michael Avleston, and ultimately lost, which resulted in Thyllanor becoming something of a militaristic state; it was Dalan's own son Dalan II who started the coalition against Aeganar IV Dragomárus in the 346 AC rebellion, and although the cause was seen as highly righteous due to Aeganar's tyranny, some scholars have taken to blaming Dalan I for all of the problems that Thyllanor has faced in the past 25 years.
== Appearance and Background ==
Dalan I was unique as far as Karthmeres went in appearance and personality. He was of average build, but was quite handsome by most standards, with a strong jaw and raven-black hair inherited from his mother Lyssa's Moonlyt heritage. 
Dalan challenged traditional perceptions of the Karthmere lords by being uncommonly well-versed in what constituted social justice for the time; an advocate for the rights of all, be they merchants, peasants, or nobles, which perhaps stemmed from the desire to avoid blunders made by prior Karthmere lords; the notorious Nobilis Karthmere in the 140s AC comes first to mind, an infamous violator of human rights who committed atrocities on his own people and brought about such acts as the Five Day Doom, where it was rumored that Nobilis gave an order to kill everyone in Faercrest.
Dalan also valued the opinions and constructive criticism of others in a way that was virtually unheard of for someone of his status, which is one of the reasons he supported the ideas of democracy under the Farrowhalt Freehold. In his early reign, following his dispersal of the coup against his reign brought about by his bastard brother Malveus Landrocaster, there were some making comparisons of Richard III Karthmere to Dalan, for his effective use of power and his authority over the realm.
During his time as lord, he had seen himself appointed to the office of King's Hand twice, but declined a third term, secretly holding contempt for Aeganar IV as his madness progressed. 
== Personal life ==
Dalan I was born on June 4th, 288 AC, to father Malveus and mother Lyssa Dorwont. He enjoyed the typical life of a heir apparent noble's firstborn son, being taught by instructors the basics of the world and how to deal with the problems in it, and being taught chivalry and knightly skills from the marshal of Thyllanor. He enlisted in the military at age 19 in 307 AC, and this was a consistent source of work and merriment for him even after his coronation. He quickly earned a reputation for being immersed in his duties, and didn't bother to find a wife until his thirties, when he began to court Viviana Messys.
He was betrothed to Viviana in 324 AC, and his first son, Dalan II, was born in 326 AC, Eleysiea Karthmere was born in 329 AC, and his final child, Adrian Karthmere, was born in 331 AC. Dalan II can recall his father vaguely, but the two younger children have no memories of him.
== During his reign ==
Dalan inherited the throne in 309 AC when his father, Malveus III, died. Early into his reign, his half-brother Malveus Landrocaster, a bastard, attempted to claim the throne for himself in a small coup that lasted less than a month. He was put down and swiftly imprisoned, yet this segued Dalan into a lifetime of warfare and leadership. He continued to rule an uneventful Thyllanor until he became a prime participant in the 326 AC rebellion, in which he proved himself to be a capable leader, and later, general of the Farrowhalt Freehold; the short-lived 'democratic' empire that would've been if the rebellion had been won. He fought in many of it's battles, on both the winning and losing side, and was eventually killed in the Six-Day-Siege at Faercrest, when he gathered a group of men, and in a final act of defiance, charged out of the gates towards the encroaching Andorasi army. At this moment, the flame from the dragon Vhalax would come down upon the charging army; Dalan, miraculously, was able to escape from being roasted alive in his plate-mail, and later fled further into Faercrest as soon as he could. He was not without wounds, however, and in his state was easily killed by someone in good condition; namely, by Daemalor Celtheon. Dalan had taken him and a cadre of soldiers to an abandoned alley, where he was cornered and killed hours later. Dalan's body being brought before the Thyllanorian defense severely hurt their morale and forced them to surrender; and with that, it is said the Farmers' Revolution came to a swift, bloody end. Dalan's remains are interred at the Karthmere Family Crypt in Faercrest.Category:House Karthmere
Category:Lord Paramounts
Category:Wielders of Ayrtfel and Neldfel
Category:Thyllanor
Category:Generals
Category:Farrowhalt Freehold
Category:June births
Category:December deaths
Category:288 AC births
Category:330 AC deaths
Category:Members of House Karthmere
Category:Characters