Regulus I of Gylfin

Third Empire

**Regulus I of Gylfin**, born **Regulus Velius**, was an Imperial king. He was the first ruler of the Kingdom of Gylfin from the House of Velius, which he founded.

Before acceding to the throne, he was known as Regulus Velius *the Younger* to distinguish him from his father. As king, he was nicknamed *'the Cyrod'* and later *'the Old Cyrod'*.

## **Biography**

The future ruler of a High Rock kingdom was born in Cyrodiil, to a family of politicians. His father, Regulus (the Elder), was a member of the Elder Council. His mother was Julia, *née* Paterculus, was the daughter of Princess {Princess}, herself the daughter of King Enguerrand VIII of Gylfin.

Regulus had no expectation of inheriting the faraway throne of his great-grandfather; many preceded him in the line of succession. His education therefore befitted a future Cyrodiilic politician, since his father hoped for Regulus to sit on the Elder Council. A quick succession of kings in Gylfin, attributed to plague, hunting accidents and murder, brought Regulus closer and closer to the throne.

On the death of the childless Enguerrand IX in 3E 251, the kingdom rightfully passed to Regulus Velius the Younger: a cousin the late king had never met, and who had never set foot in High Rock. The civil war between Emperor Cephorus Septim II and the disinherited Andorak Septim, raging across the Empire since 3E 247, delayed the arrival of this news in Cyrodiil. In the meantime, another of the late king's cousins had seized the throne for himself, assuming the regnal name of Enguerrand X. The usurper pledged his allegiance to Andorak Septim, thereby incurring the wrath of Emperor Cephorus. Regulus the Elder was among the Elder Councillors who voted to crown Cephorus as Emperor. The emperor now repaid this loyalty by recognising the younger Regulus as the King of Gylfin. The king was commanded to take possession of his realm, so to deprive the emperor's enemy of that kingdom's support. The succession of Gylfin thus became a theatre in the War of the Imperial Succession.

Regulus landed on the delta of the Cygnus River in 3E 253, at the head of the the Twelfth Legion. Command of the legion was held by the veteran general {General}. The legion's initial assault on the fortified city of Gylfin was repelled, and thus {General} was compelled to invest the city. The Siege of Gylfin dragged on for two years, during which time Regulus fought in numerous skirmishes against the supporters of the usurper Enguerrand X. King Berenger I of the neighbouring Kingdom of Torlan took advantage of this turmoil by seizing the marcher County of Dolen.

Gylfin finally capitulated to Regulus in 3E 255. To his horror, the Twelfth Legion promptly pillaged the city. The army's pay had long been in arrears; {General} claimed that his soldiers were merely claiming their due. This did little to endear the populace of Gylfin to their new king, who was wrongly suspected of inciting the legionnaires. Nevertheless, Regulus defied {General} by refusing to execute the deposed Enguerrand X. The erstwhile king would remain a comfortable prisoner for the remainder of his life.

The Twelfth Legion remained billeted in the city until the following year, when the War of the Imperial Succession ended in a settlement. On their departure, King Regulus initiated a programme of public works to restore the ruinous city which he now ruled. These initiatives demanded high taxes from the king's already impoverished subjects, deepening Regulus's unpopularity. In his early reign, Regulus I was perceived as a foreign tyrant and a puppet of the emperor. It would take many years for *'the Cyrod'* to earn the love and loyalty of his people.

*Unfinished*