Gawain Wildwüd

Gawain is the second son and third child of King Wildwüd. Unlike his older brother who was raised in the Emperor’s palace because his father was the Emperor’s right hand, he was raised in Goldtree by his mother and uncle along with his two younger sisters Alyssa and Eryn.

Gawain looked up to his older brother as his role model. He was a knight, a good enough steward to be on his father’s council by merit. Unfortunately his brother was killed during the Burning Sea Pirate Wars after his ship was rammed and sunk off the northern shores of the drylands, thus making Gawain the heir to the Goldtree throne.

Gawain has always been well spoken, likable, and agreeable, not just with his peers but even more of the senior nobles in the Wildwüd lands and even in the thoughts of other houses. It made for an easy transition as he was named heir by succession, at least publicly. Privately, Gawain struggled with the loss of his brother and the idea of filling his shoes to match the abilities the Wildwüd’s lost.

Gawain was no extraordinary fighter, but he had been knighted and knew how to wield a blade. To round himself out he started to study old battles, studied the art of business under his uncle Grenn Wildwüd, all while using his natural charisma and diplomatic skills to create relationships with important families in the Lushlands and other major high king houses.

This diplomatic skill led to a marriage and alliance with the Brightstars, as he married the second Brightstar daughter, Nymia Brightstar, securing the borders between their realms, the Drylands and the Lushlands, for the foreseeable future.

During the Arterin Uprising, Gawain was given command of five thousand men to reclaim The Vein from the rebels. It was the first true test of his command and he was successful, sieging, assaulting, and taking the castle in four days. After the siege he knighted a young lowborn named Loran Hunt who saved him from taking an arrow to the throat.