Ornand Dhunne

Jarl **Ornand Dhunne**, also known as **Ornand of Croftdale**, and the **Hero of Tolamir River**, is the Jarl of Dhunne, and an advisor to his son-in-law, King Renley Kaulden. He is the father of Queen Rhealla Kaulden by his late wife Arria Dhunne.

Born into an occupied Nordain, along with King Baylor Kaulden, Ornand played a pivotal role in the Nordish Rebellion that had driven out the Maudesian Empire more than thirty years ago. Raised to the position of Jarl of Dhunne for his service to King Baylor, and Nordain, he represents ideals of hard work and independence, and is considered a national hero by many.

## Background

Born in **8A78** as a Freeman, Ornand was the son of a farmholder from Croftdale, in the eastern Thaneholds, Gareth of Croftdale. After the Maudesian invasion, the Emperor declared a tribute tax from all of the Nordish Freemen. Ornand's father refused to pay the tax collectors, and, as a result, was accused of tax evasion and lost the farmhold.

The family resisted, but the Maudesian soldiers bested them, forcing Ornand and his father to watch as they raped and killed Ornand's mother. Gareth was nowhere to be found for the next three days. When he finally returned, he informed his son that he had murdered the Maudesian commander responsible. Unable to stay in Croftdale, they lived on the run in the Nordish wilds, banding together with other desperate Nordishfolk to eke out a living however they could. Sister Avita became notable for helping lead the camp, and Ornand would grow to respect her authority as practically equal to his father's.

While living with the outlaws, Ornand met Baylor, though he was not initially aware of Baylor's royal blood. When the Maudesian forces caught up with them, Gareth charged his son with saving the Prince. Ornand eventually managed to escort Baylor to Baron Terund Argander, and later joined the rebel army. He became one of Baylor's closest friends, as well as a key military advisor of the rebel cause. His strategies, and his creation of the guerrilla Night Elves, were responsible for many of the rebels' greatest victories.

Over the course of the rebellion, Ornand fell in love with Rowan Argander, who was betrothed to Baylor and thus the future queen. After Baylor fell in love with Amarille, Rowan and Ornand formed a romantic relationship. Both relationships were short-lived, however; Ornand discovered and revealed to Baylor that Amarille was a spy, which resulted in her death. After this, Ornand encouraged Rowan to marry Baylor to assist him, and guide Nordain, as queen. Afterwards, Ornand led the Nordish forces at the critical Battle of Tolamir River, and was rewarded for his leadership by being elevated to Jarl of Dhunne.

After the battle, Ornand sought out potential survivors from the outlaw camp, seeking to find any trace of his father. Ornand finally reunited with Avita at a hospice inside the Welserine Wilds. In a rare display of emotion, Ornand swept her up in his arms and rejoiced at the event. Afterwards, Avita took him to a hill where she had spread his father's ashes. There, the two wept and mourned over Gareth and all the others who had perished in the camp, with Ornand begging forgiveness from Avita. Despite his encouragement of their relationship, Ornand's own relationship with both Baylor and Rowan became strained. After their marriage, he rarely spent time in their company. Occasionally, Baylor would visit Dhunne, presumably to meet with Ornand, but it was usually without Rowan's accompaniment. After Rowan's death, Avita sent a message to Ornand. He arrived and spent hours behind closed doors with Baylor. When the two emerged, together they mourned over the resting place of Rowan's remains.

### Jarl of Dhunne

After the end of the war against the Maudesians, King Baylor gave Ornand the vacant jarldom of Dhunne in order to elevate him to nobility. This gift came with some significant drawbacks: Dhunne had suffered under Maudesian rule for years and was in a state of serious disrepair; as no Maudesian governor had wanted to reside in Dhunne due to its remote location; the castle was nearly in ruins. Upon arriving in Dhunne for the first time since its liberation, Ornand took one look at his new home and gave it up for lost, choosing to live inside a tent pitched in the middle of the courtyard while seeing to the harbor's repairs.

After a month, the people of Dhunne sent a representative to speak with Ornand, wondering whether he was going to abandon the keep and the village like their previous lords had. The representative they sent was Arria, who came from a long line of cabinet-makers and had little tolerance for those who neglected to care for their furniture. Her meeting with Ornand quickly turned into a shouting match; in the end, she reminded him that he wouldn't be Jarl of anything unless his freeholders swore fealty to him, which they wouldn't do if he left Castle Dhunne crumbling and empty. Ornand reluctantly followed her advice, appointing Arria to supervise the keep's repairs. He asked her to marry him two months later, and she accepted.

In the first years of Baylor's reign, Ornand spent most of his time in Dersoden while his wife ruled Dhunne. Jarless Arria was an incomparable foreman, and the jarldom rebuilt itself under her guidance. Due to his long absences, Ornand started taking his young daughter Rhealla to court with him in **9A10**. After the death of Queen Rowan, Ornand often stayed in Dersoden, despite having a beautiful wife and young daughter in Dhunne, claiming that Baylor needed him. Baylor commented on this, noting that, "We are all running away from something".

Ornand was suspicious of the Grey Order when they arrived in Nordain, suspecting them of being in league with the Maudesians. After Baylor vanished following a meeting with the Rangers, Ornand deployed the army to search for the missing King. Ornand was surprised when he found King Baylor safely returned, with the Rangers of the Grey in tow. Even still, Ornand believed the Grey Order was plotting something, and felt Baylor made a mistake in continuing to trust them. He disapproved when Baylor allowed the Grey Order to return to Nordain to re-establish their order there on a permanent basis. His distrust of them was so strong that months after, Baylor schemed to have Ornand leave Dersoden, and return to Dhunne, just so Baylor could conduct meetings with the Grey Order.

### King Baylor's Disappearance

When King Baylor disappeared at sea while en route to Gusten in **9A25**, Jarl Ornand spent almost two years searching for his lost friend, consuming much of the royal treasury and the majority of the Nordish navy. The search was futile, and when Ornand claimed that Maudet had purposefully sunk King Baylor's vessel in order to prevent Freefolk unity, he was called off by his daughter, Queen Rhealla, and a united Thaneholds. It was time to mourn the king, they said, and so, in **9A27**, a massive state funeral was held in Dersoden's temple.

King Baylor's death, and Rhealla's marriage to his son Renley, put an end to Ornand's visits to Dersoden for a time. He returned to his wife in Dhunne, and remained there in relative peace for the next three years. When Jarless Arria died in **9A28**, the king, the queen, and the entire royal court traveled to Castle Dhunne for her funeral. When they left, Ornand left with them for the final time.