Natalin I Dawnrise

### Early Life

Natalin I Dawnrise was born in the town of Fenhallow in the year -410. He was born into a poor family. His father was a fisherman on Lake Grauven and was rarely home, often spending days at a time on the lake. Natalin lived in a time that was renowned for its unpredictability. the land he would one day name Tellmir was divided in to warring kingdoms to numerous and insignificant in size to be worthy of mention. Fenhallow was not the grand, lake spanning capital that it would one day become but rather a simple fishing town. Natalin was a rambunctious child who showed little interest in pursuing his fathers craft and instead devoted himself to the study of war. He sought out a local blacksmith who taught him martial skills with sword, axe, and bow. The blacksmith, a former royal attendant to a distant king who had been driven out upon the succession of an upstart resulting in that kings death. His name was Eric Bellows and he would be instrumental in Natalins later life He taught the boy to read, write, and do sums. Additionally, he taught him to speak Sylvan. Why the blacksmith did this and how he even knew the language have been sharply debated.

Fate came calling for Natalin when an invasion of a neighbouring kingdom, the Hawkers of western Lake Grauven began in the spring of -396. Fenhallow was destroyed, his family home burned, and his family killed. he alone survived due to hiding in the forest. He would never forgive his own cowardice on that day and his many writings give a clear sense of guilt and self loathing. At his young age, however, what could he have possibly done? Natalin became obsessed with vengeance. In -392, he voluntarily joined the army of Lord Strevel Micam, a powerful landholder from north of Auraavia who wished to retake the western shore of Lake Grauven and claim it for himself. Natalin quickly rose up the ranks of the ramshackle military. Through his battle strategy and downright vicious demeanour, he was soon on of the Micams chief Lieutenants. The soliders of the army began to hold a deep respect for him due to his assertive but not domineering leadership. It was them that gave him the nickname "Sturgeon" for the glassy eyed look he would assume before a battle. The trust Micam had in him was almost complete dependency by the end of the campaign in -390, when he won a decisive battle against the last Hawker queen. Legend holds he faced her in a final duel in the shallows of Lake Grauven where he defeated her despite being deeply slashed along his left side.

### Marriage

Victorious, he was lauded with praise and rewards by Micam, who believed he had found a way to claim all of central Tellmir for himself. Natalin had other planes. At the victory feast on the western coast of Lake Grauven, he rose and gave a toast to his liege. He asked the banqueting soldiers and underlings to raise a glass to the man who had won them victory. When the men had cheered Micam, he laughed and said "Okay, now who really won this war?". It was a huge gamble, and he risked execution if it failed but he would never agin have a shot at Micam like this. Natalin had planned it with some of his most loyal men earlier and he figured he had the support. He was right. The men cheered for Natalin and when Micam protested and called for Natalin to be taken away, no one moved. It was instead him who was taken away. Micam was summarily executed in the ensuing frenzy. Natalin had planned to keep him alive as with him dead, he now faced a problem.

Natalin knew he needed some legitimate claim to Micams property and lands. Otherwise, his authority would not be recognized. In order to accomplish this, he conspired to marry Almyra Micam, the current legitimate heir. Almyra was known as a brute and a scoundrel. She spent her time in gambling houses and thieves dens, wearing disguises to hide her identity. She had long craved her fathers power and some scholars claim she had once conspired to kill him herself before those plans fell through. She agreed to meet with Natalin in the ruins of Fenhallow. Her disreputable nature did not make her popular with the people but enough remained loyal to her within what had once been Lord Micams kingdom that Natalin would face a long, drawn out campaign all over again to assert his authority should she decide. Almyra knew she faced such a fight but she refused to "Let that bastard have all the rewards for killing the old codger". Natalin claimed Streven had been killed in the final battle, a lie which Almyra saw through in an instant. They both asserted that they would not back down. Blades were drawn but before blood was spilled, they dismissed their guards. What transpired between the two is unknown. Some claimed they duelled each other to a draw, others say the "duelled each other to a draw";). Regardless, when they turned to their delegations, they had a new mission- plan a wedding.

### Conquest of Auraavia

The wedding took place in midwinter of -389 on the coast of Grauven Lake. They then styled themselves King and Queen of Tellmir. The name of his country, he chose from a Sylvan word, meaning "Land of the Frozen Lakes". They quickly got to work building fortifications and walled towns. Natalin took special care to ensure his former home of Fenhallow was rebuilt and expanded. They then set their eyes south to Auraavia. The city was an enormous source of trade through the river as well a food from its farms. Almyra had long pushed for her father to launch campaign against them but he had been obsessed with Lake Grauven instead. Now Almyra had all the military power she had craved as well as a skilled commander for a husband. They waited for spring to begin. They flooded in form the north and quickly took the northern outposts of Auraavia, except Fort Meyselhem, a riverside fortification manned by local fisherman. Natalin was so impressed by their resilience that he offered to leave their town completely untouched as long as they would swear loyalty to him.

It is around this time that Eric Bellows reemerges in historical records. He is recorded as an advisor to Natalin during the campaign and is credited with taking Castle Irehen, Auraavia last major line of defence. The Lord of Auraavia, Maxim Ester, had expected the Mica lands to collapse into a war of succession and was caught off guard by the speed with which the invasion took place. The entire campaign was over in less than a year, ending in Esters death along with the death of both his children in the siege and fall of Auraavia in -389. By right of conquest, Natalin took control of the city and its rich lands. However, his ambition was not sated. It was in the afterglow of this victory he decided that he would conquer all the lands from Rookstead to the Free Kingdoms, from the mountains to the sea.

### Conquest

Natalin was encouraged by both Almyra and Eric, although Eric was a great proponent of doing this through diplomacy and alliances while Almyra pushed for war. The two of them would be rivals for many years and would ultimate lead to both their downfalls. Natalin chose a middle path. The lands to the east were barren and occupied by local chieftains more than kings. Still, they were fierce warriors and would not bow to a king easily. To the West were more established lords and elven outposts that were prone to internal bickering. Eric Bellows was dispatched to the east and was ordered to try and find a diplomatic approach to the tribes. Natalin and Almyra went west and continued to swallow up smaller kingdoms, now with the vast territory of Lake Grauven and Auraavia powering their army. Natalin continued to employ innovative tactics, frequently making use of terrain and natural obstacles to trap and outmaneuver his enemies. It was around this time that Almyra became pregnant with Ezral, Natalins first son.

The city of Forests edge was an elven city, directly under the control of Evestia. The city was occupied by the Clerics of Sehanine Moonbow as well as Wood Elf hunters and Rangers. These forces could decimate his forces, using his own tactic of knowing the land against him. He knew he couldn't just take the city. Natalin chose to take an underhanded approach towards Forests Edge. He called for a peace meeting between him and the head Clerics of the city on the fields outside the gates, where he set a grand feast. What exactly the food was has changed with the tellings over the years, but a key component has always been an enormous roast boar. When the elven delegation arrived, they were invited to eat. Reasonably wary of such an offer, Natalin allowed them to cast whatever magic they wished upon the food to make them comfortable. True to his word, he sat in silence as they inspected the food, casting magic to purify it and check for any sort of magic. When they were finally satisfied, the Clerics sat down and began to eat at which point the grand feast jumped up and devoured them. Natalin had laid out multiple Mimics in the form of food. The ambush was successful and he soon took the city with heavy losses.