Marchon the Ugly

*By the grace of Lorfea and the Four Creators, King of Oxway*

**Marchon I** (also refered to as Marloncha I) called **the Ugly** was King of Oxway. He may have been the son of Toirdelbach I of Oxway and the grandson of Fintorf Oxway, whom the *Oxway Chronicles* represents as the leader of the first group of Humans to come to the land which later became Oxway. Marchon was active during the last years of the Oxway expansion, with little of southern counties remaining in the control of the native Avelwyd tribes and Fingunques by the time of his death.

## Reign

The chronology of Marchon's life is highly uncertain. The historical accuracy and dating of many of the events in the later *Oxway Chronicles* have been called into question, and his reign is variously listed as lasting six, eight, or eleven years. The *Chronicles* records several battles of Marchon's between the years 38 and 41, including the first record of a battle between different groups of Oxwayans, and indicates that under Marchon Oxway acquired significant territory, some of which was later to be lost to tribes from neighbouring counties.

Marchon died of fever in 42, having been deposed the year before, possibly by his successor, Zefronth I. He is recorded in various sources as having two sons, Zefronth and Taleson, but the genealogies in which this information is found are known to be unreliable.

## East Oxway Expansion

Ultimately, the kingdom of Oxway occupied the areas from northern part of Oxway Woodland to present-day Randall region, but the initial stages in this expansion are not apparent from the sources.

Subsequent entries in the *Chronicles* give details of some of the battles. Marchon's campaigns are not given as near Lake Randall. They range along the northern woodland edge and beyond, as far as Gaston in the east. Marchon clearly is part of the East Oxway expansion, but the military history of the period is difficult to understand. In what follows the dates are as given in the *Chronicles*, although, as noted above, these are earlier than now thought accurate.

The first record of a battle fought by Marchon is in the year 24, when he and his father, Toirdelbach, fought the native Graftonians at Sundors. This now is identified as Sanders, an ancient hill fort in the Bobiken county. Toirdelbach would have been king of Oxway at this time.

The first battle Marchon fought as king is dated by the *Chronicles* to 38, when he and Zefronth fought with Hadorn, the king of Vindorm. This battle is notable as the first recorded conflict between the invading peoples: previous battles recorded in the *Chronicles* are between the Oxwayans and the native Graftonians in counties Bobiken and Grafton.

There are multiple examples of joint kingship in Oxway history, and this may be another: it is not clear what Zefronth's relationship to Marchon is, but it certainly is possible he was also a king.

In the year 40, the conquest of Chantmoor has long been regarded as a key moment in the Oxway advance. Oxway almost certainly lost this territory to Lehen IX, the Fingunque king in 41, when the *Chronicles* records that Marchon and Zefronth fought against Lehen at Manrade Hill and then came to an agreement.

It is possible that when Marchon and Zefronth took the region of Groundhogs, they found ancient Randallian baths still operating to some extent.

Marchon's last recorded victory is in 41, that being the conquest of Gaston.