Horace Valdwyn

== Biography ==
Horace Valdwyn, first of his name, was for a time considered a decent king. Having come to power in a time of relative peace and order, Horace’s reign was not one that had to struggle much to keep the internal power balance of Avalon in order. Instead, Horace is often remembered for the foreign policies enacted during his time, and the lasting effect they would have both on the country and on the king himself.
In the fall of xxx year, several lesser noble houses of the Ostnian plains suddenly lost their homes. A brutal centaur uprising in the Golden Plains meant that many of the lesser houses were hit hard and fast, brought to ruin much before the nobles of Ostnia could cease their bickering for long enough to put up a united front. Busy with their own issues and with too many plots to worry about the invasion, the lesser nobles’ fellow Ostnians rejected them. Receiving news of the events and sensing an opportunity, Horace sent an envoy to the disturbed houses, offering them sanctuary and land in the swamps of the Blackmont territory, a harsh land in need of new settlers to tame it. With the Ostnians being residents of the Golden Plains, they were well-accustomed to such a setting and accepted King Horace’s offer, jubilant at the prospects of a new home.
The immigrant nobles showered King Horace and the Avalonian Kingdom with many gifts - faster and sleeker horses than were available in Avalon along with charms of their gods and shamans. Most notable among them was a gift in the form of an Albion dream catcher. The shaman who provided the gift insisted that it would fix the King’s sleep, granting him blissful rest each night. For many years after, this proved true, and King Horace lived happily with his wife and children; however, as with all gifts of Albion, the dreamcatcher was poisoned with the desires of Argyros, God of Nightmares.  
Horace’s sleep was blissful indeed, but strangely, they always centered around horses, each finer, swifter, and stronger than before. Slowly, the king began to distance himself from his family. He grew less interested in the affairs of humans, instead turning his attention to the royal stables. It is reported that by the time his eldest son was 10 years old, King Horace had started to visit the stables often, even at strange times: after dinner, early in the mornings, sometimes even in the middle of the night. Most of such recordings were put to torch and removed. One of the few that remains accounts for one disturbing report that suggests that at one point a mare gave birth to a centaur suddenly and without warning. Most notable about the colt was its golden mane. Much of history is obscured from here, and it is unclear what happened to said colt—only the documentation of its existence and the claims that it was the child of King Horace remain true to this day.
=== Existence Today ===
Some say deep within the Ashmont Mines, Horace's progeny flourish unbounded.