Prince John "the Drunkard" of Galland

Prince John of Galland, called "the Drunkard", was Steward of Galland from 372 to 378 AG. Born in 356 AG, John was the fifth son of King Bertram of Galland. Known throughout his life as a drunkard and a philanderer, John was executed for treason by King William of Galland following the death of his father during the Second Gallander Civil War.

## Early Life

John was born on the 2nd of August 357 AG to King Bertram of Galland and his first wife, Queen Elisabet I of Galland. John was the fifth son and seventh child born of the union.

During his childhood, John was known as a quiet and nervous boy, dominated by his older brothers and generally preferring the company of his mother and sisters. Although he was less physically capable than his brothers, he excelled in the study of trade and was groomed to ascend to the role of Steward of Galland.

In 372 AG, at the age of 16, John was appointed as Steward and moved to the King's court at Grimsford. His astute management of the realm's finances and the subsequent financial windfall enabled King Bertram to commence a massive expansion of the kingdom's infrastructure, improving roads and canals throughout the realm. John was heaped with praise by the King and his court, though he was still known as an effeminate recluse by the common folk. In mid-372 AG, John was betrothed to Alice, daughter of Eorl Ecgbert of Sollust, who was 12 years old at the time.

## The Drunkard

In late 372 AG, John began to frequent the taverns and brothels of Grimsford. He quickly developed a reputation for drinking to excess and was repeatedly found stumbling through the streets of the city or passed out over a mug of ale in one of the city's seedier establishments. In December 373, a prostitute from Sollust claimed that John was the father of her bastard son, Edward, born only a few weeks prior. In April 374, another prostitute, this time from Halecroft, claimed that John had fathered her illegitimate daughter Beatrice. Although John denied these allegations, his reputation as a drunken philanderer was solidified when, later that year, a young peasant girl from Antilon claimed that her daughter Joan was John's bastard child. At this stage, John's reputation for womanising had become so widely known that it became common for young mothers in Galland to claim that children born out of wedlock were the illegitimate progeny of the Steward.

Despite attempts by the King to clean up his son's reputation, John succumbed to vice and became a drunkard. John was merry, affable, but pliable when in his cups, and his once-promising intellect began to fail under the influence of drink. Due to his perpetual drunkenness, John began to be known as "John the Drunkard".

## Marriage to Alice

On the 10th of March 376 AG, John was married to Alice, the eldest daughter of Ecgbert of Sollust. She quickly fell pregnant and their daughter, Alice the Younger, was born on the 17th of November. Despite his drunkenness and continued womanising, John appeared genuinely fond of Alice and his daughter.

On the 8th of October 378 AG, Alice was murdered following a feast at the court of Eorl Ecgbert. Although Ecgbert believed John to be the murderer and called for his execution, an investigation by a party of adventurers from Anglson concluded that the responsibility for the murder lay with a doppelgänger loyal to the criminal organisation known as the Black Hand. Following Alice's death, John appeared to fall into a deep depression, and his already extensive drinking became even more destructive.

## Death

During the Second Gallander Civil War, John was placed in command of a part of King Bertram's army. When the King's forces were routed at the Second Battle of Sollust, John was ordered to lead his forces against the forces of Halecroft that were raiding the eastern lands of the Eorldom of Grimsford. John was defeated in a skirmish near the border of Halecroft and captured by the Duke of Halecroft.

On the 26th of November, John was captured during a raid on the camp of the Duke of Halecroft. On the 30th of November, he was brought before King William of Galland at Grimsford and summarily executed by beheading for the crime of treason.