Ansafrid Andalin

**Ansafrid Andalin I** was an Ahremian general and aristocrat who served as the third king of Ahremia from 1143 SY to 1177 SY. He was the grandson of Plavion Andalin, the founder of the Kingdom of Ahremia and the first king. He was born a year prior to his grandfather's death and was the son of the second king of Ahremia and Plavion's son, Gavineus Andalin. Ansafrid was a brilliant general, and spent a large amount of time commanding his army on various campaigns. His final campaign in the southwest of Birgolon would prove his final, as he was killed on the battlefield in 1177 SY at the age of 60. He was buried in Euritas and would remain there until his grave was desecrated many years later.

Ansafrid is most remembered as a general, and a supported of provincial government. He was an imposing politician at the surface, but was also known as the *great cooperator* to many Ahremian nobles. He was mainly concerned with growing the territory and population of Ahremia, a goal which he completed to a good extent. He was married twice. His first marriage was to Princess Beliand of Camwealth, a marriage of which no children were born. His second marriage was to Cordelia Emmands, the exiled queen of Sevastén. From his second marriage came two children, the first of which was Wyroldus Andalin.

## Description

Ansafrid had two very different images. Too most Ahremians he was known as a strong, reasonable ruler. He was a supporter of local rulers, and allowed greater autonomy to the governors, dukes, barons, and lords of Ahremia. But to foreign populations, he was known as a brutal military leader. His long and generally successful campaigns in Birgolon and Greater Katemia made him seem like an evil force to some. Physically, he was average height and had a somewhat stocky build. He was said to have had brown hair and brown eyes and had a soft face and a short beard. As a young man, he wore his hair in a braided middle part. As he got older, generally wore a skull cap or crown to cover the little hair he had left. He wore much more jewelry and iconographic clothing as opposed to his predecessors.

## Life

### Family

Ansafrid was a member of House Andalin, of which all the members are descended from Plavion Andalin. Although the family was originally from Zedia, the Andalin Dynasty has been strongly associated with the city of Nazka. By Ansafrid's birth, the Andalin family had grown since the time of his grandfather and many of his family members served important roles in his personal and political life. His uncle Terrico, who was a seasoned knight and the former right hand man to Gavineus was one of Ansafrid's closest military advisors during his reign. Terrico's son and Ansafrid's cousin Esplange Andalin also served a major role in Ansafrid's campaigns. Ansafrid's second wife Cordelia and their son (but only in the very last years of his reign) also held high office in Ansafrid's administration. Ansafrid's frequent absence made his family's presence in his court necessary to keep running the country.

### Early Life

Ansafrid Andalin was born on the 1st of Gadfralla, 1117 SY to Gavineus Andalin and Mariya Erndulsche Andalin. He was the eldest and first son of both of his parents. At the time of his birth his father held a position in the court of the Earl of Dilbura, making the southern Ahremian city his birthplace. Only a few months after his birth his grandfather and the current king of Ahremia Plavion Andalin died, and his son Gavineus was coronated as king. Ansafrid and his mother along with his older sister Raithwyn would reside in the Glass Palace in Euritas for his childhood.

Ansafrid was trained in sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat from a young age. He attended schools in both Euritas and the northern city of Eisenhall. Among his closest childhood influences were his mother, his uncle, and his older sister Raithwyn, whom he looked up to.

At age 14, his father Gavineus engaged him to the princess of Camwealth, Beiland. Gavineus held this wedding to secure a successful alliance with the Kingdom of Cisalia. Although the alliance went through, the marriage failed. Beiland would not bear any children, and would be sent back to Camwealth shortly before Ansafrid's coronation.

Once he had finished schooling, he served a very general position in his kingdom as the crown prince. He served as the captain of the Euritas guard for a time, which would only further his fighting skill. At the age of 26, he received most responsibilities of kingship after his father's health began to go downhill towards the end of his life. Only a year later his father Gavineus died, leaving Ansafrid king.

### Reign

#### Birgolon Campaigns

##### Bleakwater Marsh

Ansafrid had been left with a large chunk of Birgolon under his rule, a piece of territory conquered by his father from the Empire of Exelon, which had by Ansafrid's time lost its holdings in Birgolon. About a third of Bigolon was ruled by Lohn and Ahremia, the latter being named the Principality of Sagda. The rest of Birgolon was a collection of petty states and tribes, with the notable exception of the Kingdom of Houtsnieu (1135-1163 SY) which was centered on the cities of Lacki and Azirun.

His first campaign in Birgolon launched in 1152 SY, when he invaded a large piece of locally ruled land called *Plaatya* with 2,000 conscripted men from Ahremia. At Bleakwater Marsh Ansafrid led a charge against Birgol tribesmen fighting in the name of their leader, a man named Dunfrie. The skirmishes at Bleakwater lasted several days, in which fighting ensued in extremely unfavorable conditions. Terrico would send a messenger back to Ahremia in fall of 1152 SY:

> "The conditions we are forced to fight in are nothing but the worst and most unsuitable for a battle - our troops can barely walk in the quicksand-like ground, let alone lead a charge on these barbarians." - Terrico Andalin, 1152 SY
>
>

The Ahremians eventually reached a town which they sacked for food, and took the men of the village for slaves to use in their service. While encamped on a marshy islet on the 13th of Leppenis, 1152 SY, Dunfrie and his tribesman ambushed the Ahremian forces and killed as many as 150 men. The remaining Ahremians in the area quickly prepared for battle, but Dunfrie's forces had disappeared. This prompted Ansafrid to send scouts further in to discover the location of Dunfrie's army.

The following event is described in detail in the annals of Ansafrid. The scouts topped a steep hill on the edge of the marsh, at which point they were gifted a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside. A *zigir* (herder) passed by, at which points the scouts asked in broken Birgol the location of Dunfrie's army. The zigir then informed them that Dunfrie was no more than a pseudonym for a general working under King Hocien of Hotsnieu, a general named Lylmag.

##### Battle of Dil-Dunfrie

On the 29th of Leppenis, the Ahremian army discovered the location of Lylmag's army, a castle which they named Dil-Dunfrie (Dunfrie town in Ahremian). The Ahremian army was immediately met with a surrounding force when they encroached on the castle grounds, ensuing the battle of Dil-Dunfrie. The battle pitted a force of about 1,800 Ahremians against around 600 of Lylmag's men. The battle was short, and resulted in an Ahremian victory. The siege of the actual fortress took multiple days. During the downtime, the Ahremians took part in looting the surrounding towns.

On the first of Minetas the castle was breached, and Lylmag was taken into custody. Ansafrid, Terrico, and Terrico's son Esplange questioned him and were able to discover the location of a few cells of Birgol troops, but in the end Lylmag was pyred in the Ahremian camp.

##### Invasion of Hotsnieu (1153 SY)

After a small break from Birgolon, Ansafrid traveled back to the southern border to finish off Hotsnieu. He entered near the coast, with the goal of securing the kingdom's main port of Azirun. He was met with immediate resistance, which caused heavy casualties. In mid-1153 SY Ansafrid's uncle and secondary general Terrico Andalin recieved news that both his wife and eldest son were killed in a hunting accident, prompting him to leave Birgolon and go home - taking away a crucial asset to Ansafrid.