Edwyn of Anecaster
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| Alias(es) |
The Unifier The Steward | |||
| Title(s) |
Lord Ealdorman of Anecaster and Steward of the Aletheian People Earl of Eadywnson | |||
| Allegiance |
House Eadywnson Council of Anecaster | |||
| Predecessor | Beowulf Eadywnson (as Earl of Eadywnson) | |||
| Race | Human | |||
| Culture(s) | Aletheian | |||
| Born | In -23 AR, Wulfport, Unknown continent | |||
| Father | Beowulf Eadywnson | |||
| Mother | Aethel Cenyedd | |||
| Spouse(s) | Joan of Whitepool | |||
Edwyn of Anecaster is the first Lord Ealdorman of Anecaster and Earl of Eadywnson. The head of the powerful House Eadywnson, Edwyn led the last survivors of the Aletheian people through the last stages of the Aletheian Wandering, overseeing the settlement of Anecaster and the creation of the Council of Anecaster. For his efforts in ending native raids against his people, he was proclaimed the first Lord Ealdorman of Anecaster and Steward of the Aletheian People in 5 AR.
In 9 AR, Edwyn led his forces in defeating a major rebellion by native Urulians within Anecaster. Through the Edict of the Four, Edwyn initiated a campaign to assimilate native Urulians into Aletheian culture and convert them to the Faith of Four. He granted lordship of Leiftown, now Reevesthorpe, and Angelsforth, now Reddingsforth to earls Arthur Reever and Aedward Redsfield respectively. As Lord Ealdorman, Edwyn oversaw the development of the new Aletheian homeland, including the construction of new towns and temples.
Biography
Early life
Edwyn was born twenty-three years before Raedan to Earl Beowulf Eadywnson and Aethel of the House Cenyedd. He was born in the settlement of Wulfsport on a continent now lost to history. As the eldest son, Edwyn was made heir to his father and was made a lord of House Eadywnson upon his birth. Edwyn had two younger siblings, Aedward and Matilda, both of which had a strong relationship with Edwyn. Edwyn's skill in sword combat in his youth was well known amongst the lords of the three great houses. At the age of thirteen, Edwyn was married to Joan of House Whitepool, a loyal vassal of House Eadywnson. On his fifteenth nameday, Edwyn was granted Theobane, the ancestral sword of his house, by his ailing father.
Earlship
Edwyn succeeded his father as the Earl of Eadywnson in -13 AR. As head of the oldest and most powerful house, and the only house with royal blood, Edwyn, like his father and grandfather, was considered the first among equals. As such, he reign as the de facto leader of the Aletheian people long before his ascension as Lord Ealdorman. In -3 AR, Edwyn led a host of a hundred men in a successful rescue of his sister, who was kidnapped by a radical sect of the heretical Order of the Siblings. In the battle to rescue her, Edwyn reportedly slew over fifty cultists before personally capturing and executing the cult sermoner, whose name has been purposefully forgotten by history. The rescue of his sister earned him the respect of his fellow earls.
In -2 AR, Edwyn led the evacuation of Wulfsport, leaving the unknown continent of his birth before a heathen army of over a thousand warriors advanced into the city. From -2 AR to 2 AR, Edwyn led his people in search of a new, and hopefully permanent, home. A navigational mistake by Lord Aedward Eadywnson, Edwyn's brother, led to the discovery of Urulia by the Aletheians in 1 AR, and after a number of expeditions into the foreign land, Edwyn led the Aletheian people in Landing of the Aletheians, founding the settlement of Anecaster at the mouth of the River Bretlestone. Along with earls Willem Redfield and Arthur Reever, Edywn signed the Proclamation of Bretlestone, formally establishing the Council of Anecaster and the Great Council.
In 5 AR, Edwyn gathered a host of three hundred men to confront Rollo of Leiftown, who had gathered an army of over seven hundred warriors to expel the Aletheian people from Urulia. In the Battle Upon-the-Hill, Edwyn and his host successfully defeated Rollo and his army, which was a coalition of inexperienced volunteers whose historic differences prevented a unified command. During the battle, Edwyn personally dueled and slayed Rollo. In order to prevent another native army from forming, Edwyn led his host to the cities of Leiftwon and Angelforth, receiving their fealty in exchange for cultural and religious protection.
Lord Ealdorman
Ascension
Upon his return to Anecaster, Edwyn was celebrated as a legendary hero of the Aletheian people. For his role in destroying the native army, Edwyn was proclaimed as Lord Ealdorman, an ancient title from old Aletheia. He was officially anointed by the High Sermoner of the Faith of Four in a lavish ceremony, where he was granted the additional title of Steward of the Aletheian people. Upon his assumption of official duties, Edwyn issued the Edict of Permanence, declaring Anecaster as the permanent home of the Aletheian people.
Reign
In 9 AR, Edwyn led his army in crushing a major native rebellion. In the aftermath of the rebellion, Edwyn granted the lordships of Leiftown (now Reevesthorpe) and Angelforth (now Reddingforth) to House Reever and House Redfield respectfully. Through the Edict of Four, Edwyn ordered the assimilation and conversion of the native Urulian people to Aletheian culture and religion, as punishment for forsaking what he perceived as "Aletheian mercy".
In 10 AR, Edwyn established the Anecasterian Common Law, with the backing of the Great Council, which established the first set of codified laws for the Aletheian people since leaving their ancient homeland. A year later, he approved of the first additions to the Common Law, which prohibited the worship of native religions and solidified the Faith of Four as the sole legal faith in the lands of Anecaster, and prohibited the speaking of "heathen languages". Edwyn enjoyed a positive relationship with the Great Council during the initial years of his reign, though both grew to gradually distrust each other as Edwyn attempted to secure more power.
In 15 AR, Edwyn sent his brother, Lord Aedward Eadywnson, as an envoy to the lords of the Lordstrom Lake without the consent of the great council. This later causes a number of disputes between the council and the lord ealdorman, nearly resulting in civil war. Their issues were mostly resolved with the Edict of Anesforth, agreed upon in 16 AR, which granted Edwyn more executive power in exchange for greater trade autonomy amongst the two other great houses.