Gavineus Andalin

**Gavineus Andalin I**, born **Gavinea Whorrim Andalin** was an Ahremian general and noble who served as the second king of Ahremia from 1118 SY to 1143 SY. He was the son of Plavion Andalin, the first king of Ahremia and the founder of House Andalin. After ruling for 25 years, Gavineus' worsening health caused him to abstain from all non-ceremonial responsibilities of kingship and allow his eldest son, Ansafrid, to rule as steward until Gavineus' death in 1144 SY, upon which Ansafrid became the fully-fledged king of Ahremia.

Gavineus' reign is remembered fondly by most Ahremians. He supported the creation of many castles, forts, and walls during his reign - many of which are still around today. He continued the legacy of his father, leading successful military campaigns into Lietuva and northern Birgolon. He would also marry Mariya Erndulsche, princess of Coscos, with whom we would give birth to three children, all of which would lead successful lives.

## Description

Gavineus was a very public ruler, giving us many accounts of him. He had blue eyes and brown hair, and was thought to have looked a lot like his mother. He has a gentle face and was described by some contemporaries as being very handsome. He was a confident man on the outside, and mimicked his father's mannerisms and attitudes while acting on official business. His sons and grandsons and wife describe him as a very loving husband and father, and his preoccupation with being king not allowing him to see his sons often was a great internal conflict for Gavineus.

## Life

### Family

Gavineus was apart of House Andalin, or the family of Andalin. He had a singular brother, Terrico Andalin (1091-1172 SY). His parents were *Plavius Andemos* (1045-1118 SY) and Pistil Miscura (1066-1138 SY). His maternal grandfather was Whorrim Miscura (d. 1097) from whom he received his middle name. He also had his paternal grandparents Sofronios Andemos and Lafarika Andemos, both of whom had passed before his birth.

Gavineus would go on to marry Mariya Erndulsche Andalin (1087-1061 SY), daughter of Hakter Erndulsche, ruler of Coscos and Aketcha. With her he would have four children, two sons and two daughters. His first son died in infancy, but soon after his daughter Raithwyn was born. Later his son Ansafrid and his younger daughter Labina would be born. Gavineus would live to witness the birth of his grandson and future king of Ahremia, Wyroldus.

### Early Life

Gavinea Whorrim Andalin was born on the 12th of Alcona, 1085 SY in the city of Nazka. His father Plavion was not present at his birth, but his godparents Linus and Cecille Petyvil were. Due to his father's controversial public presence, Gavineus lived his early years in a modest flat with his mother in the Corum area of Nazka. He would reside there until his father Plavion had securely gained power within the whole of northern Ahremia, a feat he had accomplished by 1091 SY. Shortly after returning from war, Plavion had impregnated Pistil with Terrico, Gavineus' younger brother. Plavion opted to use the Glass Palace in Euritas as the royal residence, and had his family reside there with him. In Euritas, Gavineus was taught by a private tutor how to read and write, do basic math, and learn rhetoric and negotiation.

Gavineus was known to be both a womanizer and stubborn adolescent, often going against his father's wishes. A well documented incident is when the teenaged Gavineus seduced the daughter of a local merchant lord who demanded Gavineus either marry his daughter or pay for her dowry to her future husband. Plavion luckily intervened, and the dispute was settled. Plavion was inducted into the Pretorian church at age 10, and was given the title of acolyte by the local Pretorian chapter. Plavion considered sending his son to a foreign boarding school, but decided to instead stay close to his family. During his childhood, Gavineus became good friends with Lamme Erkenham and Fernstald Kahn, both later counts of Eroda and Dilbura, respectively.

Plavion was known to allow his son to occasionally sit in on diplomatic meetings in order to gain some idea of how to rule a kingdom, a responsibility he was expected to fulfill.

At age 20, Gavineus and his father agreed to have him serve as viscount of Eroda under Glaude Erkenham. For the next thirteen years, Gavineus' political titles would fluctuate. During this time he served as the Viscount of Eroda, diplomat to Alziron, and Sub-Earl of Dilbura. It would be this last position that he was in when he father Plavion died of a sudden and immediate heart attack in his private quarters in the Glass Palace. Upon his death, Gavineus was rapidly prepared for a coronation ceremony. His father's cabinet decided to give him the official name of Gavineus because they felt it sounded more international. His coronation was held in 1118 SY, beginning at the royal docks in Euritas and ending at the Glass Palace gardens, where he was given the crown of the Andalin Dynasty and was named the 2nd King of Ahremia, Gavineus I.

### Reign

Gavineus had formed a loose royal court in about four months, consisting mostly of aristocrats he had served under and the children of his father's associates. He used the title *his majesty*.

#### Lietuvan Campaigns

A military objective for his father during his last years at reign was to conquer Lietuva, a land long argued as part of Ahremia. Unfortunately, his father did not take the initiative in time, and died before he was able to begin a campaign. Taking off from where his father left off, Gavineus roused the Ahremian army and entered Lietuva and 1120 SY. He hoped to capture Pocamietra, the capital, by 1122 at the latest.

The campaign would be warranted when Lietuvan pirates raided Halda. Though the pirates were not related to the Lietuvan royalty, Gavineus took it as a threat and launched an overland invasion through the Lagbern Mountains. The campaigns in Lietuva lasted only 1 1/2 years, by which the end of Ahremia had taken Pocamietra. The king of Lietuva, Ermhaus, was exiled to the northern lands.

#### Birgolon Campaign

A secondary campaign taken by Gavineus was the Birgol Campaign, a military effort that lasted from 1125 to 1130 SY. In 1123 SY, Gavineus ordered the governors of Ahremia to round up 2,000 soldiers each to fight in Birgolon. Once the army had been organized, Gavineus' army numbered about 13,500. Birgolon was still under Elvekian rule at the time. Gavineus' goal was to liberate northern Birgolon and build an Ahremian castle in Sagda. The army entered Birgolon near the coast in 1125 SY, immediately clashing with the local Elvekian militias at the border.

Gavineus would lead this campaign personally, yet would give many tactical responsibilities to his brother Terrico. By 1126, the Ahremian army found themselves still stuck near the border, with little progress made. As more time passed, more specialized units (mainly cavalry) were being sent from the reaches of the empire to the Klenax region to fight the Ahremians. Realizing this fault, Gavineus sent messengers to Lohn to secure an alliance in which Lohn would receive half of the northern territory if they agreed to aid the Ahremians. The Lohnian monarchs agreed, and over one thousand knights from Lohn were sent to fight.

The next major Ahremian incursion occurred towards the end of 1126 when a combined Ahremian-Lohnian force beat back Exelon's forces and made it to the city of Sciptal, where they installed themselves for the winter. Throughout winter, Exelon had to take troops from Birgolon to secure their western border with Katemia. It was at this time Terrico, now the lord of the army, made a risky winter incursion further into Birgolon that brought him within three miles of Sagda. Exelon reacted quickly, by invading Lohn and attempting to sack the town of Bergais, of which they ended up doing. This angered the Lohnian royalty, warranting them to send a second unit of soldiers brought from County Lindset to fight in Birgolon.

Soon after the soldiers arrived, Gavineus and the Duke of Lindset both traveled personally to the front lines to lead the Siege of Sagda. The siege lastly a measly 30 days, at which point Skipje Lagadec (ancestor of Turien Lagadec) surrendered the city to the Ahremians. With Sagda came Tecurea and the land was split roughly fifty-fifty between Lohn and Ahremia. Out of the Tecurea valley was made the Principality of Tecurea (1127-1311) and out of Sagda became the Fiefdom of Sagda (1127-1257). Provincial status was discussed for Sagda but was eventually decided in favor of making the land a royal territory.

The Birgolon Campaigns would not end here, though. As Exelon weakened, Ahremia pushed forth deeper into Birgolon without the help of Lohn, hoping to capture *Azirun,* the principal city in Birgolon and the seat of Exelon's local government. More personal motivations included making Birgolon a Pretorian nation. A edict issued in 1130 SY outlawed the worship of the old gods within Ahremian territories in Birgolon, a law that would come to exist in any additional territory gained in Birgolon. The capture of Ballene in 1130 SY marked the end of Gavineus' activities in Birgolon. The newly formed Kingdom of Cisalia, of which Ahremia was an ally of, dissuaded Ahremian into pushing any further. The majority of Birgolon, even those *de jure* under Elvekian rule were mostly lawless, as Exelon's central government began to fold. Most Ahremian generals felt it would be unwise to push into such lands.

#### Later Years and Death

After the campaigns in Birgolon was over, Gavineus returned to Euritas where he would rule from for the remainder of his reign. Satisfied with the territorial gainings he had achieved, the king mostly tended to more minor responsibilities. One issue that faced him when he got home was the status of Euritas as a jurisdiction. The guards and public services run in Euritas were funded directly by the royalty, yet Euritas was (in law) territorially part of the province of Eroda and as outlined in 1090 SY was supposed to be being ruled as a territory by House Kranor. Gavineus chose to formally separate Euritas from Eroda and rule the city as a capital district and keep House Kranor out of the picture. This decision would lead to disastrous consequences in the reigns of his successors.

Gavineus began to grow very sick in his later years, so much so that he was bedridden almost constantly. Considering the fact that he not very fit to rule, he gave most of the kingly responsibilities to his eldest son, Ansafrid. As his health continued to decline, Ansafrid transported his father to Nazka, his birthplace, so he would die in his homeland. Gavineus would spend his last few months there before dying of pneumonia at age 59. His daughter, Raithwyn, was charged with organizing his funeral. His funeral was held in 1144 SY in Nazka. After his funeral, a procession led his ashes to a spot about five miles north of Nazka where they were deposited into the ocean. A small dias was constructed in the sand near the beach, where many pilgrims come to put flowers, ceremonial pieces, or coins in his honor. Several statues were built of Gavineus after his death, the largest of which previously stood in the main square of Sagda.