Baraton V 'the Bastard'
King Baraton Blakfort, Eilnala (a.k.a. the Bastard)
Lived: 1223 - 1299
Ruled: 1246 - 1299
Ruled: 1246 - 1299
Overview
Baraton V's reputation was forever tarnished by his birth. As a bastard of the family, he lacked the Honesty that defined the previous rulers, but he was a Just and Generous king. In addition, he was a Brave, Herculean fighter as well as an Intelligent politician.Early Reign
Upon his coronation, the vassals of the newly crowned king swore fealty, restoring the chain of loyalty missed by his father. He didn't waste much time on ceremony as the Holy War began and he was obliged to take part. Not much is known about his involvement in the conflict however. By the end of 1251, the Holy War ended with the successful defense of the city of Yi'riila. He wasn't willing to leave Austium and spent the war in his castle. In 1253, he started showing the symptoms of Jacob's Curse, but his ailment was drawn out as his strong Constitution made him more resilient to the disease. With the aid of Strunitor Braidbeard, he recovered without much issue.Wars and Hardships
His allies were assaulted by the Atacodian Kingdom and called for his help. He saw the opportunity and marched his army towards the Atacodian capital to sack the city. With the Atacodian army preoccupied in foreign lands, his army surrounded the city unhindered and successfully circumnavigated its defenses in a year. A year later, while ransacking the Atacodian countryside, the Atacodian army arrived to face Baraton's forces and managed to catch them unaware. His forces were crushed in the dead of night, but the war was won a year later as the Atacodians couldn't capture what they wanted. 4 years passed without much happenning, but in 1262, Scovonia was attacked by Orc Pirates and called for help from the human kingdoms. He answered their call, but didn't send his troops to Scovonia. Instead, he chose to send money and supplies instead. He hired scholars to began documenting his more distant relatives and make a detailed bloodline of the Blakfort Dynasty. In the first few weeks, it turned out that quite a few members of the family were similarly gifted in their blood.The Beast of Wolvewich
In 1266, the Orc threat was over. Baraton decided to leave the castle in celebration for the first time in years. His people greeted him with love and respect. He decided to go for a hunt in the woods of Wolvewich. On his journey, he came across a beast in the forest. The beast took down half of his hunting party. He and the remainder of his party managed to slay the monster, but Baraton was scarred from the encounter. He did show that the Blakfort Dynasty was resilient and not afraid to fight their enemies personally. Interestingly, none of the members of the hunting party spoke about the events after it happened. In 1270, he wanted to advance his father's ambitions for the Paladellian crown and attacked them for a territory claimed by the Duke of Kuyuruk. For two years the war went well, but the claimant died, making his war pointless and he was forced to end the war.Territorial Disputes
Upon his father's death, many of the South-Eastern territories were disputed between the Blakfort and the Kerevian Kingdom. The tensions escalated to a point where war became inevitable and in 1275 the Kerevian Kingdom launched their first assault. To Baraton's surprise, the Kerevian forces besieged and sacked Striflucas in an attempt to stop the main supply lines going through the Blakfort Kingdom. Baraton's forces pushed deep into enemy territory as well, sacking the Kerevian capital. In the next two years, minor clashes happened between the two armies and in 1277, the war ended in Baraton's favour when Striflucas was finally recaptured. Only a year later, Kerevia was attacked from the other side by a neighbouring, Kaolite Kingdom. Despite fighting his kin a year earlier, he rushed to help his half-sister and together, they managed to drive them back in 1281. 6 years later, his young daughter died of Jacob's Curse and a year after that, he began showing symptoms as well. While Strunitor couldn't help his daugther, Baraton's own life was saved by him and he recovered from the ailment.End of his Reign
The Soul War
In 1294, the Sixth Holy War in the name of the Order broke out when the soldiers of the Soul Jar began their onslaught on southern human kingdoms. He decided to personally lead his army into war and marched his forces south. During the Holy War, he clashed with the enemy many times, but even his elite fighters were no match for the soldiers of the Soul Jar. In 1297, the Holy War was lost and the population of the southern kingdoms were decimated by the fanatics of the Soul Jar. The war later got the nickname of the Soul War and was the most lethal war ever with hundreds of thousands of dead warriors and civilians. Two years after the Soul War, he attacked the Paladellian Kingdom once again and quickly seized the majority of their territory. Soon after, he usurped the title of Paladellian King, making himself 'thrice-crowned' as well. Unfortunately, Jacob's Curse returned to him and this time, his life was taken by the disease. His newly acquired title got separated and the Kingdom of Paladell was independent once again under the rule of his youngest son.Relationships
Legacy
- Resilient Bloodline
Major Events
- 1246-1251 - Fifth Holy War in the name of the Order
- 1294-1297 - Sixth Holy War in the name of the Order (Soul War)
Territory Lost
Paladell
Ethnicity
Previously Held Ranks & Titles
Life
1223 AU
1299 AU
Circumstances of Birth
Born as a Bastard
Family
Spouses
Velina Reznik
(Wife)
Siblings
Children
Comments