Duke Roger Audeling
Duke of Archeau and all the Halsats Roger Hédhart (a.k.a. Audeling (The Celebrated)
Son of Aldis Walia and grandson of Guthrum Walia, Roger was raised by his Areulified family in their estates in the county of Alest. His rule would be largely warlike as he dominated the other Halsat counties and formed the Duchy of Archeau and via his own adherence to the Ecclesia, converted the Halsats to the Mundana earning him Blessed status.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
A strong rider and military man, Roger was of Iolan-Halsat stock and in contemporary accounts of him, he is depicted as a man of the saddle and the sword.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Son of Hamelin the Warhearted and his wife Aldis Waila, eldest child of Guthrum Walia of Montdever. Much of Roger's childhood is unknown and poorly documented as he begins to be written of as he becomes Count of Alest after the death of his father on campaign against Halsat chiefs near the sea. It's said that a 16-year-old Roger led his army to these chieftains and beat them into submission, confiscating many of their holdings, a rare feat in the still largely Iolan Halsat culture. Roger was aided greatly by the donations and support of his own personal retainers as well as Count Ceslin II le Batailleur of Caistnac who ruled the strongest county in Areul and was the son of Roger's 1st cousin once removed Gerion who was the grandson of his great aunt Cilia Walia. It seems that the two rulers developed a deep friendship due to their diligent and ambitious natures and both aided each other in their own struggles to maintain power and establish dominance in their regions.
Roger's next clash would be his most famous, his war with his uncles Garin and Orn which would lead to the famous Battle of Cereux in 419 A.E, where a combined army of Roger and Ceslin faced an army of around 20,000 commanded by the brothers. It was here that Roger, still under the age of thirty, smashed the opposing army of his uncles and is said to have only fielded an army numbering little over a few hundred men. Roger's victory over his "heathen" uncles was celebrated throughout the Ecclesia and Count Roger was showered in gifts by his neighbors and the Patriarch who dubbed him "Victor iniqui" or Conqueror of the Unrighteous. Next, Roger involved himself in numerous internal affairs among other Halsat counties, he allied himself with Herluin of Moncluc and wedded his daughter Jeulie. Despite being allies, Herluin seems to have seen and envied the growing power of Roger and turned on him in early 422 A.E and the two began warring with each other. By this time, Herluin seems to have believed he could match up and defeat the brash and eager twenty-five-year-old ruler but he would be sorely mistaken. After a series of ill-fated offensives, Herluin and his army retreated after encountering the Halsats at the Battle of Aoila where they suffered large losses at the hands of Roger and his mounted knights. Herluin would try once more in 423 A.E to redeem his failings but this was compounded with his final loss at the Battle of Lake Monrea where his 8,000 men were again driven off by a Halsat force of around a hundred men. After this campaign, Herluin was finished and he personally surrendered to Roger outside his mustering camp and the wars between the two were over.
However, Roger was not satisfied, he had noticed his success and ease in conquest and he began eyeing all of Archeau and much of Areul for himself. In the winter of 426 A.E he prepared his men, drilling and recruiting more men for the coming campaigns. In the spring of the campaigning season of 427 A.E, Roger's army mustered and conducted their great raid, or sometimes called a "Déchirure" or Ripping, for the destruction and theft of crops that often came with such a campaign. Roger's army of almost five thousand ran through most of Areul, beginning in his core territories in Archeau, they made their way east all the way to the Rhor river when they turned back after unloading their treasures to a series of ships that took them back to Alest.
Next, Roger eyed Kantyra, destroying as he went until he met resistance in the form of a proper army commanded by the "rí túaithe" or Counts Cathaoir Ó Doirnín and Cruinn MacMadáin. These Kantyran nobles had allied and prepared their forces for an engagement with the Halsat marauders since they departed east from Alest and now, Roger faced deadly foes before him and his army. At the Battle of Cenel, Roger narrowly won against the Kantryans and soon he met with Ó Doirnín and MacMadáin in order to attain a feeling of peace and make the pair allies of his. At these negotiations, Roger offered his nieces Adeliz and Norène in marriage to both leader's sons and heirs and soon the two groups came to an agreement, and peace was made. Both Cathaoir and Cruinn would be notable allies of Roger's from now on and would notably lead contingents of their men during Roger's famous battles against Roussel Malterra.
In 430 A.E, Roger sent out one of his subordinate commanders to continue smaller raids deep into Areul land, this subordinate was Roussel Malterra a man from the Malterra clan who had been one of the allies of Roger's great grandfather Rosyn during his conflict with Marin II. During his raiding, Roussel had amassed quite a substantial amount of wealth and power for himself and had set himself up in Giroit as ruler there. Roger was angered by this betrayal and felt deserving of the wealth of the land as he had ordered Roussel and so he amassed his troops once more and set out to reclaim his bounty. For the next ten years, Roger would lead his men in expeditions into the south to capture Roussel and claim his gold and in the meantime, Roger's army of over a thousand would conquer most of northern Areul, much of the interior, and lay a Halsat claim to most of the region through the right of conquest. In the early years, Roger assumed Roussel would turn over the gold for a pardon and a help to some of the treasure, this however did not work as Roussel was thoroughly ambitious and eager to make a claim on the lands he now resided in. Seeing the danger of a central Areul dominated by the Halsats of Archeau, Roussel sought allies in the other counts and barons of the land and he would flee from court to court in order to escape the patrolling Halsat knights who pursued him. By this time, Roussel was regularly evading the cavalrymen sent around to find and locate him, even evading a patrol by hiding in a swamp, where he would lose his right eye from infection.
However, by 436 A.E the hunt was closing as Roussel had by this time amassed allies and could fortify near the town of Cabrisi. However, Roussel, for whatever reason abandoned his fortifications when he was relieved by an army from Count de Celice whose army then began mustering for a fight at the ridge of Rigal. The Battle of Rigal would become a monument to the greatness of Halsat knights under Roger, despite being outnumbered once more, some say 10 to 1, Roger led his men to battle at Rigal and used an impressive tactic to win the day. Knowing his knights were the greatest in the region, Roger ordered his archers to run forward, loose arrow after arrow at the enemy before retreating back behind his line of knights who would be screened by the famed Halsat cavalry. This line of battle devastated the opposing army and it is said that Roussel, in the heat of the fighting, lost his other eye to a Halsat arrow that pierced him under his helm. Turning and fleeing, Roussel and his army were cut down by the pursuing Halsat riders and a close victory was turned into a triumph as the Halsats captured many prisoners including the Count de Celice who was ordered to cease his warring and make peace with Roger.
Now came an era of peace for the warlike Roger as he came home to administer his newly won realm, a realm that stretched from the Gulf of Des Promeneurs to the western shore of the Rhor and from the border with the Kantryans to the south where he was made suzerain of dozens of small baronies and marquisates. Roger looked to the state of his people and wondered about the future as at this time, they were a largely still "heathen" people looked down on by the other people of Areul. Roger himself was already a zealous man of the Ecclesia thanks to his father, but he now set about converting his people to the "manner of the book". He contacted many traveling priests and asked them to make their residences in his lands and travel his lands converting his subjects to the Ecclesia. One such traveling priest was Laurent Seyrès who would be primarily remembered for his work "Une légende des Halsats et récit de leurs actes" or A Legend of the Halsats and record of their deeds.
As Roger grew old, his sons Galeran and Rainier began their quarreling over the succession. Galeran and Rainier had been born to two different mothers, Rainier to Roger's first wife Jeulie and Galeran to Roger's second wife Mathilde Merobaud, sister of Ceslin of Caistnac. The fighting between these two half brothers would spark a civil war between the duchy after Roger's death and incidentally lead to the weakening of the Halsat state before it would eventually ve enveloped under the rule of the Duchy of Vaseau during the rule of King Romel le Glorieux.
Roger's next clash would be his most famous, his war with his uncles Garin and Orn which would lead to the famous Battle of Cereux in 419 A.E, where a combined army of Roger and Ceslin faced an army of around 20,000 commanded by the brothers. It was here that Roger, still under the age of thirty, smashed the opposing army of his uncles and is said to have only fielded an army numbering little over a few hundred men. Roger's victory over his "heathen" uncles was celebrated throughout the Ecclesia and Count Roger was showered in gifts by his neighbors and the Patriarch who dubbed him "Victor iniqui" or Conqueror of the Unrighteous. Next, Roger involved himself in numerous internal affairs among other Halsat counties, he allied himself with Herluin of Moncluc and wedded his daughter Jeulie. Despite being allies, Herluin seems to have seen and envied the growing power of Roger and turned on him in early 422 A.E and the two began warring with each other. By this time, Herluin seems to have believed he could match up and defeat the brash and eager twenty-five-year-old ruler but he would be sorely mistaken. After a series of ill-fated offensives, Herluin and his army retreated after encountering the Halsats at the Battle of Aoila where they suffered large losses at the hands of Roger and his mounted knights. Herluin would try once more in 423 A.E to redeem his failings but this was compounded with his final loss at the Battle of Lake Monrea where his 8,000 men were again driven off by a Halsat force of around a hundred men. After this campaign, Herluin was finished and he personally surrendered to Roger outside his mustering camp and the wars between the two were over.
However, Roger was not satisfied, he had noticed his success and ease in conquest and he began eyeing all of Archeau and much of Areul for himself. In the winter of 426 A.E he prepared his men, drilling and recruiting more men for the coming campaigns. In the spring of the campaigning season of 427 A.E, Roger's army mustered and conducted their great raid, or sometimes called a "Déchirure" or Ripping, for the destruction and theft of crops that often came with such a campaign. Roger's army of almost five thousand ran through most of Areul, beginning in his core territories in Archeau, they made their way east all the way to the Rhor river when they turned back after unloading their treasures to a series of ships that took them back to Alest.
Next, Roger eyed Kantyra, destroying as he went until he met resistance in the form of a proper army commanded by the "rí túaithe" or Counts Cathaoir Ó Doirnín and Cruinn MacMadáin. These Kantyran nobles had allied and prepared their forces for an engagement with the Halsat marauders since they departed east from Alest and now, Roger faced deadly foes before him and his army. At the Battle of Cenel, Roger narrowly won against the Kantryans and soon he met with Ó Doirnín and MacMadáin in order to attain a feeling of peace and make the pair allies of his. At these negotiations, Roger offered his nieces Adeliz and Norène in marriage to both leader's sons and heirs and soon the two groups came to an agreement, and peace was made. Both Cathaoir and Cruinn would be notable allies of Roger's from now on and would notably lead contingents of their men during Roger's famous battles against Roussel Malterra.
In 430 A.E, Roger sent out one of his subordinate commanders to continue smaller raids deep into Areul land, this subordinate was Roussel Malterra a man from the Malterra clan who had been one of the allies of Roger's great grandfather Rosyn during his conflict with Marin II. During his raiding, Roussel had amassed quite a substantial amount of wealth and power for himself and had set himself up in Giroit as ruler there. Roger was angered by this betrayal and felt deserving of the wealth of the land as he had ordered Roussel and so he amassed his troops once more and set out to reclaim his bounty. For the next ten years, Roger would lead his men in expeditions into the south to capture Roussel and claim his gold and in the meantime, Roger's army of over a thousand would conquer most of northern Areul, much of the interior, and lay a Halsat claim to most of the region through the right of conquest. In the early years, Roger assumed Roussel would turn over the gold for a pardon and a help to some of the treasure, this however did not work as Roussel was thoroughly ambitious and eager to make a claim on the lands he now resided in. Seeing the danger of a central Areul dominated by the Halsats of Archeau, Roussel sought allies in the other counts and barons of the land and he would flee from court to court in order to escape the patrolling Halsat knights who pursued him. By this time, Roussel was regularly evading the cavalrymen sent around to find and locate him, even evading a patrol by hiding in a swamp, where he would lose his right eye from infection.
However, by 436 A.E the hunt was closing as Roussel had by this time amassed allies and could fortify near the town of Cabrisi. However, Roussel, for whatever reason abandoned his fortifications when he was relieved by an army from Count de Celice whose army then began mustering for a fight at the ridge of Rigal. The Battle of Rigal would become a monument to the greatness of Halsat knights under Roger, despite being outnumbered once more, some say 10 to 1, Roger led his men to battle at Rigal and used an impressive tactic to win the day. Knowing his knights were the greatest in the region, Roger ordered his archers to run forward, loose arrow after arrow at the enemy before retreating back behind his line of knights who would be screened by the famed Halsat cavalry. This line of battle devastated the opposing army and it is said that Roussel, in the heat of the fighting, lost his other eye to a Halsat arrow that pierced him under his helm. Turning and fleeing, Roussel and his army were cut down by the pursuing Halsat riders and a close victory was turned into a triumph as the Halsats captured many prisoners including the Count de Celice who was ordered to cease his warring and make peace with Roger.
Now came an era of peace for the warlike Roger as he came home to administer his newly won realm, a realm that stretched from the Gulf of Des Promeneurs to the western shore of the Rhor and from the border with the Kantryans to the south where he was made suzerain of dozens of small baronies and marquisates. Roger looked to the state of his people and wondered about the future as at this time, they were a largely still "heathen" people looked down on by the other people of Areul. Roger himself was already a zealous man of the Ecclesia thanks to his father, but he now set about converting his people to the "manner of the book". He contacted many traveling priests and asked them to make their residences in his lands and travel his lands converting his subjects to the Ecclesia. One such traveling priest was Laurent Seyrès who would be primarily remembered for his work "Une légende des Halsats et récit de leurs actes" or A Legend of the Halsats and record of their deeds.
As Roger grew old, his sons Galeran and Rainier began their quarreling over the succession. Galeran and Rainier had been born to two different mothers, Rainier to Roger's first wife Jeulie and Galeran to Roger's second wife Mathilde Merobaud, sister of Ceslin of Caistnac. The fighting between these two half brothers would spark a civil war between the duchy after Roger's death and incidentally lead to the weakening of the Halsat state before it would eventually ve enveloped under the rule of the Duchy of Vaseau during the rule of King Romel le Glorieux.
Accomplishments & Achievements
Major victory at the Battle of Cereux
Victory at Lake Monrea, at Cenel, at Rigal
Victorious and profitable Déchirure in 427 A.E
Successfully converted a majority of the Halsat-Iolan population to the Mundana Ecclesia
Founded the Duchy of Archeau
Victory at Lake Monrea, at Cenel, at Rigal
Victorious and profitable Déchirure in 427 A.E
Successfully converted a majority of the Halsat-Iolan population to the Mundana Ecclesia
Founded the Duchy of Archeau
Failures & Embarrassments
Upon his death, his sons fought for the throne
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Secure riches, glory and strength on the field and throughout his realm
Virtues & Personality perks
Pragmatic
Virtuous
Courageous
Chivalric
Kind Hearted
Honorable
Virtuous
Courageous
Chivalric
Kind Hearted
Honorable
Vices & Personality flaws
Inflexible
Stubborn
Grandiose
Trusting
Stubborn
Grandiose
Trusting
Social
Family Ties
Father of Rainier and Galeran Hédhart
Husband of Jeulie de Moncluc and Mathilde Merobaud
Son of Aldis Walia and Count Hamelin Hédhart
Husband of Jeulie de Moncluc and Mathilde Merobaud
Son of Aldis Walia and Count Hamelin Hédhart
Religious Views
Roger's father Hamelin had been a convert to the Ecclesia as a young man and as such, raised his only son in the faith and taught him his manner of religious adherence. Roger was a devout Ecclesial member and prayed five times before battle, dipped his weapons in holy waters, and spent his life converting his people to his faith. His importance to the Halsat-Ecclesial relationship cannot be overstated as he laid the groundwork for the Mundana's acclimation to the later Tiranar monarchy as "The first daughter of the church".
Social Aptitude
Loyal and steadfast to his friends while a thundering reaper of revenge and blood to his enemies, Roger was a man of skill, percision and someone to be feared if they were to cross him. In conversation, he appeared lax and sometimes was described as a dull man in regalia and a brilliant one in armor. It seems Roger was made for war, he loved commanding men and seemed truly at home surrounded by his subordinates and other commanders in his war tent.
Speech
Speaking three languages, Roger was a well-educated ruler and even issued decrees in Arish, an uncommon occurrence during his day. He successfully made allies in the Kantyran rulers of Kantrya and had received a Kantryan embassy on more than one occassion.
Relationships
Ethnicity
Life
393 A.E
457 A.E
64 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Born the son of Hamlein Warheart and his wife Aldis Walia
Spouses
Mathilde Merobaud
(spouse)
Jeulie de Moncluc
(spouse)
Siblings
Children
Gender
Male
Height
6'2
Weight
200 lbs
Quotes & Catchphrases
"Let all the world breathe in relief, for I cannot conquer all of it."
Belief/Deity
The Mundana Ecclesia
Aligned Organization
Other Affiliations
Lakic
Arish
(A young Roger marches his men into battle against his uncles Garin and Orn)
(Anachronistic depiction of Roger as the Blessed converter of the Halsats)
Comments