House Pelleneur

**House Pelleneur** has been the ruling house of Maudet since the end of the Fifth Age.

## Background

House Pelleneur first rose to prominence during the Fifth Age when Lambert Pelleneur, a young captain in the Maudesian army, distinguished himself during the Battle of Ayesmare in **5A24**. Lambert is said to have disregarded his orders, and went to the aid of the besieged Lysadorens, saving them from absolute destruction. Some say this was motivated by his infatuation with an Lysadoren camp follower, though this has never been confirmed. The Lysadoren force had been led by King Azarda Adelberto Campalla himself, who thanked his savior by elevating him to noble rank, and giving him one of his daughter's hand in marriage. Lambert adopted the lion as his symbol, a creature native to western Morgaea. When Lambert returned to Maudet, the Emperor felt obligated to follow suit and granted him a Marquisate. Jealous nobles gave him the nickname of the Swaggering Lion, a nickname which Lambert embraced.

House Pelleneur rose to royal status with Lambert's son, Alphonse, who led the civil war against the supposed usurper Xavier Volantus. He killed Xavier in single combat putting an end to the Volantus dynasty. As of Emperor Maxence's reign, House Pelleneur consisted of the main royal branch and four cadet branches. In addition to their Lysadoren royal ancestry, the family is related to Anderan nobility, Netheric nobility, and the Maudesian noble houses of Veradant, Montfort, and Ghislaine through marriage. They were also related to the Anderan royal Pardasian family in the late Seventh Age, through Emperor Eligius Pelleneur I's marriage to Princess Solara Pardasian. Eligius' decision to divorce his wife and marry his mistress, Yvette, after the marriage failed to produce any children notoriously soured all further relations between the two great royal families and their respective countries.

Empress Aurianne Pelleneur I ascended to the throne in **9A20** after the death of her uncle Emperor Maxence.

## Prominent Pelleneur Rulers

### Emperor Eligius I

Eligius Pelleneur I was Emperor from **7A71** until his death in **8A21**. During his rule, he presided over the end of the Crusades against the Orcimar, while Blackwall rebelled from Maudesian rule in **8A05**. He also strengthened trade with Ondrathum, with a trade agreement in **7A80**.

As Emperor, he remained childless for 28 years. In **7A82**, under great pressure to produce an heir, Emperor Eligius set aside his wife of 17 years to marry Princess Solara Pardasian. The Pardasian family had recently reclaimed the throne of Anderlay from the Larkhams, and was eager to build alliances. Eligius and Solara's wedding was supposed to build lasting peace and cooperation between Anderlay and Maudet. However, as the couple was still childless by **7A97**, Emperor Eligius sent Solara to a cloister, and married his mistress, Marquise Yvette. The Pardasians took this gesture extremely poorly. They sent a small war party into Maudet to reclaim their princess, but took no other military actions until **8A46**, when they started the Perendale War. Most historians agree that Eligius and Solara's failed marriage is at the source of centuries of warfare between Maudet and Anderlay.

Empress Yvette gave birth to twin boys in **7A99**, Guillaunt and Euccenio, ushering in the Eighth Age.

### Emperor Guillaunt

Guillaunt was born in **7A99**, only one hour before his twin brother Grand Duke Euccenio. He ascended to the throne in **8A21**. In **8A24** he ordered the second invasion of Nordain, which was completed in **8A44** with the fall of Dersoden, and ultimately saw the nation occupied for 58 years, until it broke free during the reign of Emperor Maxence.

Due to his wildly successful invasion of Nordain, Emperor Guillaunt was initially celebrated as a military genius in Maudet. However, as his brother had predicted, Anderlay took advantage of the fact that most of the Maudesian army was still committed to a war in Nordain, and declared war on Maudet in **8A46**. The Pardasians had been biding their time since **7A97**, when Guillaunt's father, Emperor Eligius I, still childless, had set aside his wife, Princess Solara Pardasian, and sent her to a cloister so that he could marry his mistress.

The Maudesian chevaliers met spectacular defeat against the Anderans, and though they managed to drive the Anderans out of Ghislaine and Armesans, Perendale was lost and never recovered. Guillaunt went from reveling in the approval of his court, to being the butt of jokes and the target of whispers. He was surrounded by courtiers who said his brother was behind this criticism, and there was open talk of placing Euccenio on the throne. By all historical accounts Grand Duke Euccenio only had his brother's best interests at heart, and was vastly relieved not to be burdened with the throne.

After the death of Marquise Yvette, Guillaunt's mother and a calming influence, Guillaunt snapped and ordered the assassination of Euceenio, and his entire family at their estate of Sablissent on the Feast of Ascension. Euccenio, his wife, their three grown children, and all eight grandchildren, the youngest, Camille, being only eight months old, were murdered and thrown into a mass grave, their bodies burned. There are rumors that one of Gratien's grandchildren, eleven-year-old Selene, escaped the massacre.

Guillaunt became increasingly paranoid, fearing retribution for the assassination. His health began to decline, but he refused to allow physicians of any kind into the palace. He was said to douse himself in self-made tonics, and famously wore armor everywhere but the bedchamber. By **8A50**, Guillaunt refused to leave his rooms at all. Only a single cook was allowed to prepare his food, and only under the supervision of ten chevaliers. He no longer ate anything but venison, and his health kept on declining. When he died in **8A51**, his sons entered his rooms to find that he had boarded up the windows and surrounded his bed with rows upon rows of daggers.

### Emperor Durante I

Durante was the second son of Mad Emperor Guillaunt. He ascended to the throne in **8A55**, following the assassination of his brother Emperor Eligius II by dissatisfied nobles. To celebrate his coronation, the grand bridge named Durante’s Crossing was constructed in **8A56**. The bridge’s ceremonial dedication was presided over by Durante’s sister, Grand Duchess Leontine.

When Durante took the throne, he also inherited the political turmoil left behind by the Mad Emperor, which had already cost his brother his life. In an effort to win over the nobles of his court, one of Emperor Durante’s first acts was the establishment of the Council of Heralds. The Council of Heralds would be the final arbiter over all disputes involving titles; including that of Emperor.

Durante I rebuilt Chateau Lyon, the Pelleneur palace in Aerasala, built by the first Pelleneur Emperor, which had been destroyed by an elven uprising earlier in the Eighth Age. He renamed it the Verdant Palace. The palace was designed for the emperor, and his immediate family, and became the heart of the Imperial Court during the darkest months of winter. He also commissioned a massive fountain to commemorate his family's victory over Xavier Volantus.

Like many other Pelleneurs, Emperor Durante I had an interest towards the occult. He particularly favored all things ancient and arcane. It is said that Durante’s desire to reconstruct the palace of Aerasala stemmed from his interest in the site itself rather than politics. He believed the place was located at a nexus of elven magic, and that spending time there would grant him longer life as with the fabled immortal elves.

Durante died of heart failure in **8A70**, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Emperor Durante II.

### Emperor Maxence I

Maxence was Emperor from **8A84**, until his death in **9A20**. He was the second son of Emperor Durante I and was never meant to ascend to the Maudesian throne. His elder brother, Emperor Durante II had two twin sons and was therefore secure in his line. Maxence was free to pursue other interests, none of which involved the Game. Most of the Imperial Court ignored him, and that was the way he liked it. All that is recorded of that era is that he married, produced a single daughter and showed little interest in her.

An outbreak of the Hundred-Days Sickness in **8A77** changed his plans as both of Durante's sons perished, as did Maxence's own daughter. Wracked by grief over the loss of his sons, Emperor Durante II lost all interest in ruling, and instead started spending his time hunting in the country. When Durante was thrown off his horse during a fox hunt in **8A84**, Maxence suddenly became Emperor of Maudet. Famously, his response to the chevaliers delivering the news at the estate is said to be "*This will not do at all*".

Maxence was also rumored to have taken his youngest cousin Alain as his lover. One day, Alain offended the Emperor, and as a punishment he sent him to the Maudesian-occupied Nordain in order to rule as its king.

During his reign, the Nordish Rebellion, under the leadership of Prince Baylor Kaulden, liberated Nordain despite the numerous legions of chevaliers that Maxence sent in support of his cousin. Also, in the second decade of the Ninth Age, he threatened Blackwall with invasion because its Viscount, Alden Perrin, was charging exorbitant fees to Maudesian ships. It is also stated that he maintained a friendship with Matron Florence III.

Upon his death in **9A20**, the country was almost thrown into civil war as there was no clear heir. Maxence's mistress Dowager Lady Mallette, a very influential court member, is rumored to have killed Maxence, and helped his niece Aurianne I ascend to the throne. Maxence had tried to deprive Aurianne of vital support by reassigning her ally, Duke Pascal, a relation of Aurianne's mother, after her parents' demise but this ultimately proved futile.

### Empress Aurianne I

Aurianne Pelleneur was born in **9A04**. When she was sixteen, Grand Duke Gaspard Veradant's wife Claudine killed her mother, Clarisse Montefort, by arranging for "a hunting accident." Her father, Grand Duke Reynard, killed Claudine in retaliation, and then died himself of "illness" caused by Claudine's poisoned stiletto. Aurianne took the throne in **9A20**. Her ascension is swathed in rumors, with some Maudesians claiming that she had her uncle, Emperor Maxence, assassinated to take power.

Aurianne's ascendancy marked a period of intense struggle in the empire, as nobles positioned themselves to overthrow her. Most said Aurianne was too young and inexperienced to hold power, but she proved to be an adept player of the Game. She hinted at the possibility of marriage to several powerful families, while ultimately marrying no one; yet she continued to maintain alliances with these families. Today, there are still many nobles who consider Aurianne's rule illegitimate.

Aurianne has inspired something of a cultural renaissance in the Maudesian Empire. She has been a fervent contributor of education and the arts. In particular, the University of Maudet, and the Grande Maudet Theater owe much of their current reputation to her rule. Before Aurianne's intervention, the University of Maudet was severely stifled by the Ministry's limitations, and served mostly as a dumping ground for the younger children of the lesser nobility. After Aurianne was crowned empress, she announced her intention to study at the university herself. She also arranged to lessen the Ministry's restriction on theological studies. The University of Maudet is now one of the most prestigious institutions in Morgaea, respected for its studies on nature, magic, history, and the arts, and attracting nobles from several nations. Noble blood is currently required for entry, though Aurianne has been urging the University to accept even elves if properly sponsored by a noble. Aurianne similarly lifted all restrictions on the Grande Maudet, announcing that artistic freedoms should not be constrained by worldly concerns.