Deo Vallier

Deo Vallier (Also known as The Hero of Deed) is a famous war hero and military commander who rose to prominence in The Tarsaht-Commonwealth war of 805.

## Prewar Life

Deo Vallier was born in 779 into a lesser aristocratic family in Dormant. He quickly showed potential as a master of the traditional Farren knife and rapier combat. At 18, Deo won the Queen’s Rose at the annual Dormant tournament, where he met and became good friends with Prince Wolfram Guersh. In 802 he and Wolfram travelled to Vielle after hearing of an assassination attempt on the Emperor, Wolfram's brother Elan Guersh. When they arrived in the city two months after hearing of the news, Elan had been killed in a second, more successful attempt. Wolfram was crowned Emperor of Tarsaht, and Deo applied to the Imperial College of War in Vielle. The Commonwealth army would cross the Bernborn river on the 25th day of Summer 805, three years later.

## The Battle for Deed

Although he only had approximately two month’s training in the Imperial College of War, Deo was sent as part of the first army to force march to Deed to meet the incoming Commonwealth army as an officer.

From his private journal, which he gained a public following after publishing in Tarsaht propaganda journals throughout the campaign.

*‘I had five hundred men under me, mostly cavalry, and we were tasked with holding a small village named Baen, just a few miles west from Deed. We weren’t expecting contact, but were possibly expecting orders to reinforce the western flank in the main battle. In that event, the cavalry detachment, around 350 men including myself and my personal detachment of fifty men, would gun it and find an opening in the enemy lines while the rest stay in Baen. The plan was for us to cause havoc, but no plan survives contact with the enemy.*

Around midday, a letter was handed to me by an aide of General Marco de Piana, asking for the plan to go into action immediately. As we prepared the horses for the short ride towards the main battle, a few divisions of enemy cavalry, about two hundred in number, rode straight into the village, and a furious melee erupted. I had a choice, do we stay and fight off this attack, or do I continue with the plan and flank the main army? I left fifty horse to reinforce the main infantry defense of the village, which I felt would have been enough to fight back the skirmishers, and ordered us to ride on to Deed. However, as I arrived I saw a sorry sight, our men on the western flank were giving ground almost everywhere I looked. I spotted General Marco frantically running up and down the back of the units shouting orders to his officers, and before I could report for duty, he was hit through the eye with an arrow. Taking control of the unit, I ordered my cavalry to support a last-ditch attempt on attacking the enemy flank. Luckily for us, it succeeded. Although the battle was a loss in terms of giving ground to the enemy, we managed to break away from the assault with minimal casualties and causing tremendous damage to the enemy assault.

After the battle, Deo was called back to Tarsaht, where he was given the title 'The Hero of Deed'. Although the town had fallen, the initial Commonwealth attack had almost shattered the invading army, and had bought the empire enough time to gather enough of an army to fight further battles.

## Back in Tarsaht

Deo, now a public figure, found the fame and attention too much. After two years being paraded around Vielle, he demanded he be sent back to the front, and was refused by Wolfram who wanted to use him as a morale booster in Vielle. After an argument, Deo denounced Wolfram for being a coward and left. Initially, he planned to return to Dormant, but after being convinced by a friend he decided to present himself to the front. Deo spent three more years in the general staff of General Larosch Von Kayen, before he was injured in a magical fire during the Battle of Vielle.

Deo retired from the military in 809, buying the Corsair's Crossroad with his pension. Occasionally he will be visited by admirers from across Nesfeneu.