Bors the Elder

## Bors Gaunnes I

* Older
* Younger

**Sir Bors the Elder** was a Lord of Camelot, over the Brechfa Hold. He was the Albion head of the House of Gaunnes.

## Biography

### Early Life

Sir Bors the Elder was the son of King Ganis of Léon, and Lady Ediva. He has one older brother, King Gaunnes and one younger brother, Lord Gaunnes. He also has a younger sister, Lady Aefentid, and an older sister, Lewen, who died in infancy.

## Marriage

Bors the Elder was betrothed to Lady Evaine, sister of the wife of his brother Ban, from a young age.

When Bors the Elder was visiting Gwynedd with his father as a young man, he had a brief romance with a Gwynedd maiden called Audra. Audra became pregnant and not wanting to tarnish Lady Evaines reputation, Bors the Elder payed Audra to not tell anyone. Audra gave birth to a boy called Iseldir.

After Sir Bors the Elder's twenty-first birthday, Sir Bors the Elder and Lady Evaine married, with their daughter Marie being born the same year. Maire died when she was four years old from a flu.

Their next child was born two years after Maire, her name was Amice. Amice sadly only lived a few days, with a suspected birth defect. Their next child did make it to adulthood, Sir Bors the Younger. Bors the Younger was born the year that Maire died.

### Getting Brechfa

With his father being the ruler of Léon, the House of Gaunnes had close ties with Emperor Aldroenus of Armorica. When Uther Pendragon, nephew of Emperor Aldroenus, went over to Albion from Armorica to conquer the Kingdom of Camelot, the kingdom of Léon helped in his takeover.

Sir Bors the Elder was a commander during this takeover, and over saw many knights, inlcuding twins Sir Bohort and Sir Lionel. Sir Bors the Elder was bored between battles, and started a relationship with Sir Lionel.

Because of the Kingdom of Léon's help in the conquering, King Uther gave the Gaunnes family the Brechfa hold, giving them lordship over the land.

King Ganis gave the hold to Sir Bors the Elder, as he was the second born son, and Prince Ban already has a male heir.

So, Sir Bors the Elder moved to Camelot with Lady Evaine, Bors the Younger, and Sir Lionel, with Sir Lionel offically becoming a member of the Albion House of Gaunnes household.

### Trouble with Children

A year later, Elinot Gaunnes was born, second son of Lady Evaine and Sir Bors. After Elinot was born, Sir Bors the Elder and Lady Evaine continued to try to have more children, but they were unsuccessful, and eventually gave up.

Elinot died when he was eight due to a hidden infection from a small wound he got playing with other noble children.

Lady Evaine realised she was pregnant again when she was the same year. They weren't expecting this to happen. Because of her age they both knew that the chance that the child and Evaine would live through the birth, wouldn't be high.

Sir Bors the Elder went to the High Priestesses Nimueh for help. In the end Lady Evaine died during the childbirth, but Nimueh was able to keep the baby alive. Sir Bors the Elder felt incredibly guilty for killing their wife.

The baby, Leon, was sickly, and didn't seem like he was going to make it. Sir Bors the Elder and Sir Lionel not wanting their wife's death to be in vain, contacted Nimueh again. They begged the High Priestesses to make it so Leon wouldn't die. Due to Nimueh being a master of life and death, and the fact that the Gaunnes and Jeunnes family were such devote followers of the Old Religion, she completed their wish. Unknown at the time, Nimueh cursed Leon to be Immortal.

> There is no need to worry Sir Bors, your youngest child won't die
>
> Nimueh

His immortality was figured out when he was around five, he was a accident prone child. Sir Bors the Elder betrothed Leon to Anwen Mathrafal, to create a union between the House of Gaunnes and the powerful and influential House of Mathrafal.

### The Purge

The Brechfa hold had multiple Druid camps in it, and due to the Gaunnes family following the Old Religion, magic thrived. The family were friends with the Mystics and the Druids.

During The Great Purge the Albion side of the House of Gaunnes denounced the Old Religion, turning to Christianity. This created a rift in the family as the Léon side and main branche of the House of Gaunnes rule an Old Religion Kingdom, and were such devoted members themselves.

Talk of religion, the Purge, and magic in general became taboo between the sides.

Sir Lionel outwardly denounced the Old Relgion, but didn't actively take part in the Purge, even going back to Léon during the worst of it. Sir Lionel beleives that Sir Bors the Elders sudden change was due to the fact he could blame Evaines death on magic, just as Uther was doing, but like with the other branch of the family, talk of religion, the Purge, and magic in general became taboo bewtween the Lord and knight.

Sir Lionel contemplated leaving Camelot for good after the Purge, but Sir Bors the Elder convinced him to stay. They relationship had suffered though, and Sir Lionel manly stayed to help Sir Bors the Younger and Leon.

Sir Bors the Elder took part in the drowning and killing of his Druid neighbours. He turned on friends and fellow knights (if they practiced magic or had association with it). He was very active during the purge, gaining the name 'Traitor' from those who followed the Old Religion. He did use his title of Lord to influence people to renounced the Old Religion themselves.

Bors the Younger was in Camelot the capital at the time, traing to be a squire. Because of this his perception of magic and magical creatures had to become outwardly negative. Bors the Younger quickly spoke negatively about Druids, and when he became a knight himself, he also took part in prosecuting people with magic.

Unlike his father Bors the Younger felt guilty for what he was doing. This changed there relationship, as Bors the Younger knew his father felt no remorse. Bors the younger outwardly kept their relationship friendly however, not wanting an argument or other houses to notice their 'drama'.
This also changed his relationship with Bors the Elder, how could his father do this? However, they kept up friendly appearances.

Leon on the other hand was in Weogorna, and he didn't understand why his friends were being killed, or why he wasn't (associating his immortality with magic. Sir Bors the Elder and Leons relationship was originally really strong, with Bors being very protective and close of Leon, and Leon looking up to his father. After the purge their relationship became strained.

It was outwardly know that the two didn't get along.

Sir Lionel could also see that what Sir Bors the Elder was doing was ruining the relationship between Sir Bors the Elder and his two sons. He tried to help both boys come to terms with what was going on.

### Death

The year that Bors the Younger became of age and a knight, was the same year that King Ganis died. Because of his death, Sir Bors the Elder's older brother became king. When King Ban became king, King Glaudas ruler of Trégor, a kingdoms in Armorica, delared war on him for Léon.

After many years of battles Sir Bors the Elder and Sir Lionel were called to Léon to help. He asked King Uther for reinforcements for the war, and Uther promised that he would send them, a returing the favour that the Gaunnes family did decades ago.

King Uther did sent reinforcements and the kingdom of Léon won the war, gaining some of Bituria.

There was a great loss however, with Sir Bors the Elder, his nephew Prince Lucant and King Ban himself all lossing their lives on the battle fields.

A funeral was held in Léon, Sir Lionel, Sir Bohort, King Uther, Sir Bors the Younger, Squire Leon, Prince Arthur and many other Camelot nobles attended the funerals. They was also buried in Lesneven, their home town.

Due to Ban's only remaining heir being illegitimate, Bors the Younger became the king of Léon.
Bors the Elders other son, Sir Leon, passed the ownership of Brechfa to his uncle, Sir Clodio, not wanting the titles or lands himself. Sir

Leon originally tried to pass the lands and titles to Sir Lionel, but he refused to take them.

Sir Lionel stayed in Léon after the funerals, becoming one of Sir Bors the Youngers councilmen, and greatest adviser.

## Trivia

* Sir Bors the Younger is always refered to as such, since his father is such an important knight and it was an easy way to distinguish them
* Like his son, he prefers the title 'Sir' over 'Lord'
* Sir Bors the Elder spoke Gaulish, basic Vulgar Latin, Old English, Old French, and Common Brittonic
* Sir Bors the Elder was ambidextrous
* Sir Bors the Elder was Pansexual
	+ He was known to have many lovers, but his main ones was Sir Lionel
	+ Lady Evaine either didn't know about this or didn't care

## In the Legends

Bors the Elder is King Ban's brother, and Lancelot's and Hector de Maris' uncle. He marries Evaine, the sister of Ban's wife Elaine, and has two sons, Bors the Younger and Lionel.

Ban and Bors become Arthur's early allies in his fight against eleven rebel kings in Britain, including Lot, Urien, and Caradoc, In return, Arthur vows to help them against their Frankish enemy, King Claudas, who has been threatening their lands back in the continent. Arthur is late on his promise, however, and Claudas succeeds in his invasion, resulting in both kings' deaths. Ban's son Lancelot is taken by the Lady of the Lake, but Bors' children are raised in captivity by Claudas' retainers.