Bruelis Amalheim
King Bruelis was the ruler of the Kingdom of Osland and the instigator in the War of The Rim. King Bruelis was a just man and a good king. He only sought the best for his people and foresaw a greater future through the conquering of the evil that dwelt within The Rim. This vision would be catapulted to the forefront of his mind when his entire family, all but Jorelle Amalheim, was slaughtered by the Valaraukar Zarughal. He chased Zarughal to The Rim after amassing the greatest alliance Rheiknor had ever seen and invaded The Rim. The invasion ended in despair with Zarughal finishing what he started and killing King Bruelis in open combat. Jorelle ascended the throne later that year in 1003 PC.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
King Bruelis was a devout follower of the God of Protection, Helm, as is custom for the King of Osland. King Bruelis was raised as an Oslan Marine, to which his father was not pleased with. Bruelis found himself abroad on expeditions constantly and would avoid his princely duties for the love of the sea and adventure. Bruelis learned of the dangers of The Rim early in his youth from his excursions. He saw firsthand what nightmares lurked across the sea and how every one of them craved to cross and exact blood, gold, land, etc. This instilled within him a sense of duty to prevent such a cataclysmic crossing from ever happening. Bruelis had established an early relationship with Kevelon seeking knowledge from them of the secrets of The Rim and what lay in wait there. His travels brought him all across Rheiknor even to the far-away land of Raishar. All of this was building towards a great tragedy that was to take hold in the not so far future.
Bruelis was finally crowned king in the year 986 with the passing of his father. He took Rhialan Amalheim as his queen and they ruled Osland together. Bruelis began inquiring further into The Rim, specifically The Infernal Steppes. He sought the secrets of the forces at work there and what they were scheming. He also was trying to understand the nature of Mist Storms and what their connection was to The Rim. All of these years of prying into the mystical nature of Rheiknor, began to draw dangerous unwanted attention. A fiendish eye began to notice King Bruelis' delve into the arcane secrets of their realm.
In the year 994 PC, tragedy struck Bruelis. A Valaraukar named Zarughal entered the Blue Palace during a Mist Storm and slaughtered Bruelis' queen and all but one of his children. The fiend then escaped during the end of the storm back to his realm. King Bruelis survived the assault but was left with nothing but a pool of blood and bodies. That night, something changed within the despaired king. His sorrow was brief, for with its retreat came an inexplicable rage. He ripped the holy symbol of Helm which hung from his neck from himself and tossed it to the cold blood-stained floor.
The burial and time of mourning was swift. Once Rhialan was in the ground, Bruelis immediately sounded the call for all of his bannermen to muster in Voreth. The fleets and armies amassed that day were in numbers that Osland had never seen in its time nor had afterwards. King Bruelis declared war on The Rim itself, "The seas shall no longer shelter evil from the wrath of the righteous. This day, The Rim shall quake at the sound of its retribution." With his rousing speech, every able-bodied man set sail on his campaign across Rheiknor to summon every creature of law and civilization to his banner to assault the forces that seek to destroy them. He rallied the men of The Shaedrem Desert, the elves of Kevelon, the dragonriders of Raishar, the Nordic tribes, the Dhandoruhl Technate, and the Kingdom of Miscrea to his charge. Together they coordinated an all out assault of The Rim and sailed across the waters that had held them back from vengeance for so long.
Within this time, King Bruelis renounced his vow to Helm and did the unthinkable as an Oslan King. He swore his devotion to an elven god, Shevarash, the god of vengeance, loss, and hatred. Bruelis felt betrayed by his pantheon, more specifically Helm. He sought the powers of a different pantheon. It was because of this change that King Sylnan Dawn even considered an alliance. King Bruelis showed himself to be open to elven customs and religion, allowing King Sylnan to open Kevelon to the possibility of an alliance. This newfound devotion spurred Bruelis to found a new holy order dedicated to vengeance, loss, and hatred. The Order of Retribution was created with King Bruelis as its head. These paladins were dedicated to the destruction of those that have harmed Osland and to seek them out no matter the cost. The order was controversial with it being dedicated to an elvish god who was not in the typical pantheon, though none would ever utter such a complaint in the presence of King Bruelis.
In 995 PC, just over one year after the massacre of Bruelis' family, the immense invasion left the sanctuary of the continent and sailed across the waters to The Rim. King Bruelis landed in The Infernal Steppes and fought a hard battle just to get ashore. His forces were immediately assaulted by a swarm of fiends and infernal nightmares, vying to keep him from landing. The battle lasted for 3 days before the infernal forces retreated. King Bruelis did not stop. He chased after them with his regiment of Marines and Avengers. His chase gave the rest of his forces time to gain ground within the steppes and establish a landing ground which became the bastion of Hellfort. King Bruelis pursued the fiends across the red plains, winning victory after victory. He and his smaller army fought on the plains away from the main forces, who were still landing and building Hellfort, for a months time. It wasn't until his most trusted commander warned him of the men's fatigue and that they must return to the main force to recoup. King Bruelis heeded his advice and returned to the landing grounds where a new fortress stood to guard them against future assaults.
From Hellfort, King Bruelis led many bloody campaigns across the steppes gaining new ground with each victory. This gained ground was then filled with new forts and towers to further secure their march towards the infamous infernal stronghold of Dreadridge. It was there that Zarughal lay in wait of the enraged king of men.
After almost a decade of campaigning in the Infernal Steppes, the forces of Rheiknor became weary of the losses suffered year after year. The war began to look hopeless. Reports began flowing throughout Hellfort that the Miscrans forces had been utterly wiped out in the The Ghostlands along with their king. The dwarves had already abandoned the Miscrans a year prior, leaving their forces severely underpowered and under supplied. The others were not fairing well either. The Sultan had not been heard from in months now and was assumed dead along with all of his forces. This grave news shook the resolve of Bruelis' people, but the fight was far from over for the despaired king. He would not leave until Zarughal's corpse lay at the end of his blade.
And so, King Bruelis ventured forth once more from Hellfort with his largest army yet and laid siege to Dreadridge. For the first time in Zarughal's existence, he felt fear that day. The awesome forces of Osland brought all of their might to bear upon the best of the Infernal Steppes forces. The siege lasted for months, with skirmishes and small battles here and there slowly diminishing Osland's forces. Though they were mighty, Osland could not replace lives lost. As the months dragged on, their defeat was but assured. While King Bruelis may have been able to last against the hellish armies that assaulted them, his men wouldn't. With a heavy heart, one with Rhialan and all those he had lost, he made one last attempt to secure his righteous vengeance. He ordered his army into a full retreat back to Hellfort, only he would remain. His royal guard refused to leave his side, and so he bid them stay for it was their dying wish. Together, the Cerulean Guard and the Primarch's Avengers stood shoulder to shoulder one last time, fighting a horde of fiends, slaying them dozens at a time with a vengeful fury. They lasted long enough for their forces to safely retreat. They fought to the last man. There remained only a handful left and King Bruelis, and that was when the sound of thunder cracked against the sky but there was no lightning, only the beating of Zarughal's wings against the hellish red sky. He descended upon the last of the kings guards, slaughtering them one by one with fiendish ferocity. Zarughal finally singled out King Bruelis, and the mighty king raised Ringil one last time. The two battled for what seemed like hours, each reaching nearer to drawing blood. But alas, the good king had fought for years now and it became too much to carry further. Zarughal cracked King Bruelis' plate in two, and drove his hellish blade through his chest raising him above the field for all to see. Hell laughed that day. The king was dead, and the war over.
The remaining forces of Osland would return home, leaving only a small garrison to maintain Hellfort. They abandoned all other forts and strongholds they had established within the Infernal Steppes. The other nations would meet similar failure. Osland remained the only nation to have a foothold within the Rim, a monument to what King Bruelis hoped to achieve. Inches of ground for thousands of lives.
Relationships
Life
960 PC
1003 PC
43 years old
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Comments