Rowan Kaulden

Queen **Rowan Kaulden** (née Argander) was the daughter of the late Baron Terund Argander and the older sister of Baron Ramund Argander and Thane Brice Argander. During the Nordish Rebellion, she fought together with Prince Baylor and Ornand of Croftdale against the Maudesian usurper, King Alain.

She eventually married Baylor, becoming the Queen of Nordain, and gave birth to King Renley Kaulden. She died of a wasting illness in **9A08** when Renley was still young. She is described as having beautiful brown hair and gray eyes.

## Background

Rowan spent most of her childhood in Erencliffe with her father and her two brothers. She was childhood friends with Baylor and was betrothed to him at a young age. When Terund was convinced to join the rebellion by Naranna the Rebel Queen, Rowan stayed with her father and the rebel army rather than going to the safety of the Freemarks with Ramund and Brice. She became an adept fighter, eventually gaining command of the rebel cavalry.

## Involvement

After Naranna was killed, and Baylor's whereabouts were unknown, Rowan refused to believe that he had been killed and used her cavalry to search for him. She finally found Baylor, as well as Ornand, not long after the two had left the Welserine Wilds. Later, during a battle against the Maudesians, in which Ornand led some of the rebels in a tactical maneuver that meant certain death, Rowan defied her father's wishes and rode to their rescue, saving Ornand and personally slaying the Maudesian commander, Hugo, the usurper King Alain's cousin.

In the following years, Rowan and Ornand struggled to drum up support for the rebel cause, her pleas often winning over those of the nobility who remembered better times. During this time, Rowan grew close to both Baylor and Ornand. For much of her life she had been infatuated with Baylor, but her feelings for him were unrequited despite their betrothal: Baylor cared for her, but not in a romantic way. However, her relationship with him soured when he entered into a relationship with the elf, Amarille, and Ornand admitted his own feelings toward Rowan, which she initially rebuffed.

At the disastrous battle of South Hill, Rowan and Ornand abandoned the rebel army in order to rescue Baylor. Amarille suggested that they use the Underways to get back to Dhunne, where the rebel army had fled. Rowan was initially opposed to the idea. During their journey through the Underways, she came to terms with Baylor and Amarille's relationship. Ornand reaffirmed his feelings for her, and the two became lovers.

After surviving the perils of the Underways and rejoining the rebel forces in time to aid in the Battle of Dhunne, Amarille was discovered to be an Maudesian spy, and was killed by Baylor. Shortly after, Rowan entered a relationship with Baylor at Ornand's behest. Rowan resigned herself to her role as Nordain's queen. At the Battle of Tolamir River, Rowan, along with Ornand, commanded the rebel army and led them to victory over the last chevaliers in Nordain.

In the years that followed the war, she and Baylor had grown to love one another, and she eventually gave birth to his son, Renley. Mother Avita described this as a different love to that which Baylor had for Amarille, but insisted to Renley that his father had loved his mother. Rowan would fall silent, and Baylor would look at her sadly whenever Ornand was mentioned, however, so the name was rarely spoken in the palace. Ornand never came there, and Rowan always found some excuse not to accompany Baylor to Dhunne when he journeyed there.

Some years after Renley's birth, Rowan showed symptoms of an illness which not even the mages of the Institute of Magic could cure. In later years, Baylor suspected his wife's illness was caused by exposure to the fiend taint during their journey through the Underways. After several months, the illness proved fatal, sending both her country and husband into a state of mourning. When people began to fear for Baylor's health, as his long seclusion was coupled with a waning appetite, Ornand was called to the palace and, after several hours, he emerged together with Baylor from the king's chambers and the two mourned together in the place where Rowan's ashes were placed.

## Legacy

Baylor was deeply affected by the death of Rowan. Two years after her passing, Ornand noticed how withdrawn Baylor had become from his duties with the kingdom, as well as his relationship with his son, a fact Ornand attributed to Rowan's death.