Roderik Ratharid
Roderik Ratharid was the great-grandson of Rathar the Azure. While he was alive, he ruled over the Duchy of Helenus with a just and forceful hand. His sweeping reforms limited lawlessness and brought the duchy under firm control, leading to years of prosperity. Roderik is also the last known owner of the Sapphire Blade, one of the three Gem Blades of legend.
Roderik came into power during a time of strife within Martellia. Raids from the Eiturwood were frequent, and people were growing desperate enough to turn to banditry as well. Worse yet, war with the Fyklirites to the north loomed over head, the violent warriors of the north seeking to test their mettle against the still recently birthed Martellite Empire. Roderik, embracing his ancestor's story as a free soldier, began conscripting the commonfolk with promises of land ownership and power should they prove themselves in battle. With a flux of soldiers to his banner, all seeking to make their names in the history books, Roderik fortified the borders of the Empire against further raids from the Eiturwood, enabling the Emperor to focus his efforts on fighting the Fylkir's army.
Roderik is one of the reasons why the Ratharid House is so expansive. It is known that despite honoring his treaties and being a capable commander, Roderik was a rampant womanizer. He dallied with noble ladies in courts both near and far, and those encounters led to several bastards being born. Those bastard lines would claim lineage to Roderik, forming off-shoots of their own in pursuit of their father's glory.
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