Crown Adayr I

(a.k.a. The Valiant)

Adayr Terim - later Crown Adayr I of Terima and the Unified Realms - is best known as the founder of the Unified Realms.

Origins

House Terim were a political footnote for decades, ruling over a small coastal fiefdom in the East of the Spanning Sea. Afforded modest protection from land and sea by geography, the House was in its third generation of rulership. Adayr was the fourth of six siblings.
In a time and land dominated by Orc raids, nobles were expected to raise private armies to protect their own lands. Adayr grew frustated with the limitations of such small armies, but as fourth in line had little hope of provoking change, and was often busied with leading scouting teams or diplomatic missions. Returning from one such mission, Adayr discovered the family lands had been attacked, overrun, and the castle razed.
Adayr was suddenly homeless and alone. The mission fled, but no help was found from neighbouring realms; they lived as beggars. Eventually Adayr decided to use newfound freedom to start the movement they felt was needed.

The People's Army

Adayr's retinue became the People's Army, fighting for the defence of the people of the realms, no matter their lord or station. The movement was immediately popular thanks to early success, and many commoners began to take up service. Success begat success, and the People's Army grew to five hundred strong within three months.
Public opinion force the leaders of the realms to offer their support; those that refused found their peasant in uproar, and their soldiers defecting. Equipment and training facilities were made available. The People's Army began to undertake offensives against Orc raiders, driving them out of lands they had ruled by proxy. A year after its founding, the People's Army was almost four thousand strong
Adayr had become a political force, but greater intervention would set the path that changed history.

Dragon-Favoured

Adayr made a point of continuing to serve as a front line warrior. During a typical patrol, a small group of travellers were found encircled by a force of Orcs. Though outnumbered three to one, Adayr led a charge and drove the ORcs away, rescuing the travellers. Two among them revealed themselves to be glamoured dragons. Impressed by the principled valiance they had seen, they bestowed a great blessing of fate and entrusted five eggs into Adayr's care.
The eggs hatched shortly after, and suddenly Adayr was a figurehead uniting people far and wide. Oaths of fealty and pledges of aid flooded in, emboldening Adayr to strive for greater feats:

To unify the realms! To protect their peoples! To defeat the enemy!

The rest, as they say, is history.

Rule & Succession

After freeing and unifying the realms, Adayr became leader of an empire on a scale not seen in living memory. Bastion was built as the capital of the new state, and all flourished within the safety and freedoms of the Realms. Adayr ruled peacefully for seventeen years before succumbing to old age.
Adayr took no partners or consorts, and never produced a descendant, leading many to fear that a crisis of succession would engulf the Realms upon their death. However, for many years Adayr had adopted one orphaned child at the bloom of the year. Little had been thought of this practice until Adayr's successor was revealed to be a "Child of the Realm" - Crown Tristayn I.

Species

Human

Year of Death

17 TE