Chapter 13, The Reign of Erian: Part 1

Erian the Able, 3^rd Grand Prince of the Kingdom of Aerdy

Born -253 CY, Died -181 CY

Reigned -198 to -181 CY

Princess Marberga, Niece of
Fasstal Landrav of the Union
of Ehlissa-Zelrad
Sophia Myles in Tristan and Isolde (2006)

In the summer of -198 CY in the Kingdom of Aerdy, a rebellion broke out among the primarily Flannish population of the Duchy of Serumaran in what the Aerdi were now calling Ahlissa(1). While the newly ennobled Duke of Serumaran, Magno of the house of Darmen was perfectly capable of putting down the rebellion, his uncle by marriage, Erian, Duke of Jalpa, uncle of Grand Prince Gilbra, and the Aerdy chancellor was not as sure of his diplomatic skills. The Duke was anxious of the possibility of antagonizing the union of Ehlissa-Zelrad to the south with which Aerdy had just a few years prior signed a peace treaty with after annexing a considerable part of the old Queendom of Ehlissa. Tensions were high with the Kingdom of Nehron to the north. The monarch of that nation, King Ferro II, had been making overtures to the Flannish Kingdom of Lathu, which represented a threat to Aerdy’s north-western borderlands. Also, recent skirmishes between the other Ahlissan duchy, Avoharp, and Ehlissa-Zelrad had raised temperatures on both sides of the border. With this in mind, Erian arranged a diplomatic meeting with Landrav, the Fasstal of Ehlissa-Zelrad at that nation’s fortress of Ker Bazainn(2) which in those days marked the border. Maintaining peace was foremost in Erian’s mind but his secondary purpose was to find a potential bride among the Zelrad princesses for Grand Prince Gilbra. He succeeded in both goals, though the arrangements for a marriage contract pledging the hand of Marberga, daughter of Landrav’s younger brother, Salneh, dragged on into autumn. With the final details confirmed a great feast was held in celebration.

Hatha the Younger, Crown Prince
of the Naelex and Lord
of Strinken - 198 CY
 Art by Anders Ehrenborg

Unknown to all in attendance, the fate of Aerdy had just been thrown into chaos. On the 12^th of Patchwall the seventeen year old Gilbra, second grand prince of the Kingdom of Aerdy, died of a broken neck after falling from his horse while hunting in the Grandwood. His aunt by marriage, Erian’s wife, the Duchess Florula, was acting as informal chancellor as she often did when her husband was away from the capital. Though the Duchess tried to keep the news of the Grand Prince’s death a secret until her husband could be notified, word reached the Naelax lands first. Soon a messenger arrived from Erian’s niece, Lorana and her Naelax husband, Hatha the Younger claiming the crown for their son, Baldo. This was backed by Baldo’s grandfather, Hatha the Elder, Prince of Naelax. They warned of their intention to march on Rel Astra and take the crown by force if necessary. By the time news reaches Erian at Ker Bazainn the Naelax had mobilized their forces, with Hatha the Younger marching north and his father leading an army west to secure Pardue, blocking the lower crossing of the Flanmi. Florula, hearing of the larger size of Hatha the Younger’s army had withdrawn all her forces into Rel Astra to settle in for a siege, knowing that Erian would be on his way to relieve them. Hatha the Elder had taken Pardue on the western bank of the Flanmi River without much trouble and now held a fortified position against any forces from west.

Duke Erian, meanwhile, had ridden swiftly north and east with his guard of knights, gathering more cavalry as he went, including the Duke of Kalstrand. Riding west for Nulbish news reached Erian of Hatha the Elder’s position in Pardue. Gambling that the crossing of the Mikar River to the north would be less well defended he sent word to the Duke of Nulbish to attack Pardue and tie down Hatha the Elder there, while he turned north. He passed through Torrich where he gathered the newly crowned Darmen prince, Barzo to his cause. At Forrin, which was the seat of the Rax Principality he found the Rax Prince, Marcean, entertaining Naelax emissaries. At the appearance of Erian, Marcean threw the Naelax banner-men into his dungeons and joined the Duke in his advance to the Rax castle of Spiral, which held the crossing of the Mikar. Erian’s gamble paid off when he found only a token force holding the opposite bank. Easily overwhelming them he advanced on Dornelan, defeating the main Naelax force in northwestern Medegia just north of the city. Making no effort to take Dornelan he moved his force swiftly toward the Naelax capital of Mentry.

Naelax Cavalry attempting to retreat from 
the Battle of Carlusia - 198 CY
Art by Wayne Reynolds

Hearing of this defeat and assuming Erian would advance on Rel Astra, Hatha the Younger left the siege with most of his army and advanced southwest only to find when he reached where the South Road splits to Dornelan and Mentry, that Erian had instead marched on Mentrey and already defeated the forces of Lorana, who had unwisely assumed the same thing as her husband and advanced on Dornelan. The 14 year old Baldo, Erian’s grand-nephew was taken prisoner in the camp where he had waited out the battle. With Lorana and Baldo captive the city surrendered. Turning south toward Mentrey, Hatha the Younger met Erian in battle near the border with Medegia close to the village of Carlusia which gave the battle its name. Though Hatha's force was considerably larger, Erian had time to choose advantageous ground and set up defenses, which were able to repel the Naelax three times before both armies retired for the night. The next morning, the 18^th of Ready’reat, marshalling his forces to attack Erian again, Hatha was stunned to see an army at his rear, led by the Darmen prince. The ensuing battle lasted less than two hours. Caught between Erian and Barzo, the Naelax were swiftly defeated. Hatha was captured and then executed on the battlefield by Erian himself.

Hatha’s father, having heard of the defeat of his daughter-in-law had moved his army swiftly toward his capital but was met and defeated by the Rax Prince, Marcean at the crossing of the Bracca River, 50 miles southwest of Mentrey. Taken in chains to that city he was beheaded and quartered, each portion of his body carried to the four corners of Medegia to be an example of the fate of would-be usurpers. His head was placed on a spike on the bridge over the Ment River alongside those of the chief Naelax nobles who had supported the insurrection.

Settled in at Mentrey, Erian was joined by Florula, who had come south after reinforcing her army with Torquann allies, including that house’s prince. She was taking no chances on the Naelax rising again. There Duke Erian faced a dilemma as to his next course of action. He could support the claim of his grand-nephew to the crown and rule as regent, but that meant a Naelax dynasty with all the enmities that house brought with other of the Celestial Houses. On the other hand, the laws of succession were less clear at the time and would readily support his own claim as the uncle of Gilbra and brother of Mikar. He had also spent most of his life in service to his brother’s dream of a united Aerdi kingdom and did not wish to risk it crumbling into civil war. After much thought and consultation with the gathered princes and dukes, he declared his right to the crown. Baldo would succeed his grandfather as Prince of Naelax and Medegia, though he would remain a hostage in the court at Rel Astra throughout his minority. Erian placed his elder son, Gennor(3) as governor over Medegia. Lorana would remain imprisoned in Mentrey. The Naelax Principality he entrusted to his younger son, Nalaster(4).

High Priestess of Stern Alia,
Ingradda Garasteth
Lucía Díez in El Cid (2000)

Erian chose to have his coronation take place in Pontylver at the Great Temple of Stern Alia where he would be crowned by the Seven High Priestesses of that demigoddess(5). His predecessors had been crowned by Stern Alia's priestesses in the Pantheon Temple in Rel Astra but Erian, whose succession had been disputed, felt that having his coronation take place in the site most sacred to the demigoddess honored by all Aerdia would provide a further cachet of legitimacy to his right to rule. In addition he could make a show of requiring the Medegian lords who had so recently disputed his rule to swear fealty as his procession travelled from Mentrey to Pontylver. Indeed, his way was lined with contrite Naelax lords bowing before his passing. Further, its slow passage required them to host their sovereign lord at great expense, draining money that might otherwise be spent in hatching plots. It was an unusually warm winter and good weather held out for entire procession to Pontylver, which was proclaimed to be a favorable omen for his rule. He arrived on New Year’s Day of -197 CY and was crowned the following Godsday, the 4^th of Needfest as Grand Prince of Aerdy and Prince of Garasteth. His grand-nephew, Baldo, was the first of the assembled lords to pledge their allegiance.

Next Chapter -- The Reign of Erian, Part 2

Art Notes:

Princess Marberga, Niece of Fasstal Landrav of the Union of Ehlissa-Zelrad -198 CY The daughter of Landrav's younger brother, Salneh, Marberga would go on to marry into the house of Garastheth even though the death of Gilbra delayed that union. She would later marry Erian's second son, Nalaster in a separate contract negotiated with her father, who had succeeded his brother as the primary power among the Zelrad kingdoms. She was reknowned for her great beauty and scholarship, having translated a number of works in Ancient Suloise into the Aeridan dialect of Old Oeridian. She is also known for her correspondence with her husband's cousin, Ingradda, which helped fuel persistent rumors about that person.

Hatha the Younger, Crown Prince of the Naelex and Lord of Strinken - 198 CY The youngest of Hatha the Elder's sons and the only one to survive into adulthood. By the time he was married at the age of 12 to Mikar's daughter Lorana, all of his older brothers had fallen in battle, either in Aerdy's wars or the intra-clan feuds and duels that were frequent in Medegia and the Naelax lands at the time. The coronet he wears to symbolize the office of Regent that he claimed in his son's name is typical for the Naelax, having been patterned after the Iron Crown of the Bladelands. While Hatha the Younger's ambitions cannot be doubted there is no disputing that the mastermind behind the insurrection was his father, Hatha the Elder. The old man would have doubtless acted as the true power behind the throne if his grandson, Baldo had successfully been crowned.

Naelax Cavalry attempting to retreat from the Battle of Carlusia - 198 CY When the battle turned against them and Hatha's guard was overwhelmed a number of Naelax cavalry broke through the encirclement and tried to escape to the north. They were cut off by peasant levies in the train of the Prince of Darmen commanded by a common groom named Gerino, who slew three Naelax knights in the action. Gerino was knighted by Grand Prince Erian himself after the battle. His descendant, Caldni Vir of Edgefield would go on the gain fame as the victor of the Battle of Shamblefield and be named the first Marquis of the Bone March by Overking Manshen in 109 CY.  

High Priestess of Stern Alia, Ingradda Garasteth -197 CY A second cousin of Grand Prince Erian, Ingradda was of the same house and was the youngest High Priestess of Stern Alia at the Great Temple in Pontylver. She had ascended precipitously to that position from being an acolyte, when at the age of 17 her predecessor broke her vow of celibacy. Such a betrayal of the gods was punished in the direst terms, with the offending priestess or acolyte being lowered into an oubliette beneath the altar stone of the temple where she slowly starved to death. Ingradda is perhaps most famous for a collection of poems ostensibly dedicated to and about Stern Alia, but rumored to in actuality be inspired by Princess Marberga, her cousin Nalaster's wife. The content of the poems is told from the point of view of a penitent longing for union with the demigoddess and the tone of many is amorous focusing on a demigoddess whose description is suspiciously like that of Marberga. Historically, this has been regarded as scandalous in some quarters as much for the perceived lack of chastity on the part of a priestess who is sworn to that virtue as what is seen by some as their blasphemous nature. There is however no hint that the relationship between Ingradda and Marberga ever extended beyond correspondence. Indeed they only ever laid eyes on each other two times; first when Ingradda presided at the crowning of her cousin Erian as Grand Prince and a second time when as Princess Dowager, Marberga undertook a pilgrimage to the Great Temple. 

End Notes:

1. Ahlissa was the collective name for the parts of the old Queendom of Ehlissa which had been conquered and annexed by Aerdy in -201 CY. In -200 CY Grand Prince Gilbra had created two duchies out of the new lands -- Avoharp in the east, awarded to a Cranden noble who ruled from Hexpools, and Serumaran in the west, with a Darmen duke ruling from Zelradton. The annexation was part of a treaty signed with Landrav, Fasstal of the union of Ehlissa-Zelrad.

2. The Ker Bazainn referred to here is the original Ker Bazainn, which at that time was a possession of Ehlissa-Zelrad and was destroyed over a century later during the conquest of the Kingdom of Zelrad in -76 CY by Grand Prince Naerid of the Cranden Dynasty. The castle that currently has that name was constructed in 345 CY by the Herzog of the South Province to protect the northern mouth of the Ahzdunt Valley and the approach to his capital of Hexpools.
Ivid the Undying (IVID), p. 131 “This grim fortress has guarded the land passage between the hills, south to Idee, for more than two centuries.”

3. This name comes from the fan-created “Timeline of AerdiGrand Princes and Overkings” by Canonfire! member Taras Guarhoth and posted on that site in 2001. While I’ve diverged from this timeline in my own writing I do want to honor the creativity of Taras, one of the earlier Canonfire! members and the author of a wealth of material on the Great Kingdom.

4. Also from the “Timeline of Aerdi Grand Princes and Overkings” by Taras Guarhoth.

5. As given in Chapter 2, The Pre-Aerdy Period: Outside Influences on Aerdi Culture and the First War between Thalland and Medegia, the Seven High Priestesses of the Great Temple of Stern Alia in Pontylver were drawn from noble daughters of the seven great clans of the Aerdi tribal confederation. In the time since, the Medegi had become extinct. The Rax, originally not considered one of the great clans had risen in power and came to replace the Medegi when they were wiped out by the Naelax. The Thallari had been considerably reduced in stature since the fall of their kingdom but a few minor branches of that family remained and supplied the priestess and acolyte to the temple required by each clan.