Penda I

## Biography

### Early Life

Penda I was *High Queen and Empress* of the Aventis Empire from 2278 to 2321. Regarded as one of the most successful leaders in Aventis history. Penda I is an ancestor of modern Aventis Emperor *Ginwald I* and one of the most revered matriarchs of *House Rumania*, catapulting the Empire to power during the brief *Aventis Civil War* of 2278, following the death of *Aedilfrid I* of *House Fullex*.

Penda I was born in 2249 in the Aventis capital city of *Enteris* (Shattershield in *Federation Standard*) to the powerful *Rumania* family, conquerers of the equatorial midlands of Aventis Prime and one of the three *Great Houses* of the Aventis Empire.

From an early age, Penda showed interest in warfare and became an exceptional swordsman by the age of 15, winning many instances of the *Great Tourney*, a complex series of events, including duels and martial displays, such as deflecting energy weapon blasts which an *Aventis Steel* sword.

However due to the stigma around female warriors at the time, due to the male dominated Aventis society till that time, Penda was forced to disguise herself as a man for many competitions, a feat which was made easier by her dominating physical stature and her towering height.

Her father, although resentful of his daughter at first, became exceptionally proud of her military ability and attempted to petition *Emperor Aedilfrid I* for his daughter to attend the *Aventis Military Academy*. He was refused permission, as *Aedilfrid* was manipulated by his homosexual lover and advisor, *Talvin Telkana* to bar Penda from service as other Aventis females would demand equal treatment by military service. *Talvin* was also a known misogynist and was rumoured to sexually assault his female servants.

Enraged from her treatment by the Aventis court, Penda refused to marry, instead falling in love with a low ranking barmaid in one of the taverns in Shattershield which she frequented. However her father soon found about about the illict affair and had the barmaid killed, covering up the whole affair to Penda who was distraught and deeply saddened by the murder, which was disguised to look like a simple mugging.

In 2278, *Emperor Aedilfrid I* died from cardiac arrest, leaving no heirs for the throne. The *Aventis High Council* were split on appointing his successor, with House Telkana arguing that *Tavin Telkana* should inherit the throne due to his position in the court, becoming *Lord Protector* of the Empire.

With the court devolving into open *Civil War* as both *Fullex and Rumania* opposing this declaration, both sides declared war on each other. However before the battle could truely begin, Penda's father and Penda herself petitioned the council to accept Penda as ruler, due to the fact that her mother was the sister of *Aedilfrid I*. Meeting with the court in secret, both sides were bribed, promised and threaterned into accepting the new arrangement.

*Empress* Penda I was crowned in 2278, using the same precident that allowed early Empress *Guinis I* to rule the Empire after the death of her husband. One of her first actions as *Empress* was to execute her own father, which she had discovered had been the responsible for the death of her barmaid companion and place her own brother, *Zardus Rumania* into the head position of *House Rumania*, ensuring the loyalty of her own family as her scheming father had been hated for a long time.

### Reign

Penda I proved to be a fierce and politically shewd leader, leading a suppression of *Telkana* resistance to her rule by personally leading her troops into battle on Wightnare and capturing the current leader of *House Telkana*, using the natural pitch-black environment of the planet to hide the bulk of her forces and sneaking into the complex pretending to be Black Eye Consortium traders, then destroying the gates from the other side as well as the shield which protected the complex.

*"The Sacking of Wightnare"* as the event became known, was so famous that it became required military learning at the *Aventis Academy* long after Penda's death.

Once the treachery and plans of *House Telkana* who had been planning to subvert her rule had been stopped, Penda turned her attention to governing the Aventis Empire, instituting massive changes including the *"Female Empowerment Act"* which allowed woman to serve in the Aventis military. Penda herself was a know advocate of banning forced marriages in Aventis society but was prevented from doing so because of the already strained political relationship with the *Aventis High Council*.

As well as being an exceptional military leader, Penda was also a great patreon of the arts and culture, opening up Shattershield to many different species from the Black Eye Consortium, Megalodon Communism and even members of their long standing enemies, the Rothian Corporation, providing new *Royal Arts Decrees* which allowed them to live and work in the city, improving the economic state of the Aventis Empire drastically.

Appointing *Grand Knight* *Lurain Deroita* to Admiral of the Aventis Fleet, Penda I was able to regain Palas (Zeta Berenices I), a world which the Aventis and Rothian forces had fought over for hundreds of years. Despite her advanced age, Penda continued to battle, as a common soldier on the front lines of the war, despite the Admiral's objections.

By 2300, Penda was under heavy pressure by the *Aventis High Council* to have children and thus create an heir from the Empire, of which many of the people had grown to love and deeply respect her, calling her the *"Queen of Iron"* and *"Daughter of Excalis"*. After years of resistance and at the age of 51, Penda agreed to marry and quickly selected a suitor from *House Stewdus,* a well respected smaller house within the Empire.

Despite her royal physicians warning her that childbirth at her age could be extremely dangerous or even fatal, Penda overcame the odds and gave birth to *Tavus,* who would eventually succeed her as High King.

However in 2302, *Tavus* began to become extremely ill with a disease, none of the doctors in the Empire could help or even analyse the illness due to insufficient Aventis medical research at the time.

Desperate for answers, Penda launched an attack on the Rothian Union held world of Asturia (Asturia IV) as she had learned that Rothian Corporation *Pu'rik Industries* could cure *Tavus*. However the Aventis were still at war with the Roth and the current Rothian Emperor refused to help so Aventis troops siezed the *Austrian* city of Melth'han for 2 days while Penda pleaded with the head of *Pu'rik Industries* to save her baby at swordpoint, which *Pu'rik Industries* had no choice but to agree to.

The invasion of Asturia became known as the *"2-Day Invasion"* and was famous as absolutely no civilian or Rothian Military officers were injured as the Aventis had declared that their honour would be upheld and nobody would be harmed, something Penda had personally overseen.

After the invasion, Penda became increasingly erratic, overly concerned for the safety of her son and heir and the need for a replacement should he ever become ill again. Facing the prospect of events beyond her control, Penda began suffering miscarriage after miscarriage due to her advanced age. Eventually in 2321, she died in childbirth, her body mourned as one of the greatest Aventis leaders that has ever lived.