Veshek Redoran

Veshek Redoran Van Den Bent, more commonly known as "Veshek Redoran," was a legendary Trebai ruler and the founder of the city of [Redoran Peak.

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Early Life

Redoran was born in the waning years of the First Era, before the time of the Unknown Orator but after the first written Trebai records. A member of House Van Den Bent, which ruled the prominent agricultural province of Frewerner, Redoran was the third child of his parents. Due to his royal position, Redoran was granted an esteemed education, and was even tutored by the famed orator Gerwine Bernard.   From an early age, Redoran was constantly at odds with his older brother (and his parent's firstborn), Jan. He enjoyed spending time far more with his older sister, Gretjava, who was highly skilled in the use of magic. Though controversial within Frewerner, Redoran himself was fascinated and developed an appreciation for his sister's craft. Redoran had several other siblings, but none of them were very important in his life; most became monks or knights of Frewerner, or died at an early age. Redoran's' father died when he was fifteen, leaving his older brother in charge. Redoran's mother began to suffer from early-onset dementia when Jan reached adulthood, leaving her unable to command.   Due to his eagerness to learn as well as his innate talent, Redoran developed a vast knowledge of military tactics and combat techniques. In addition, thanks to the efforts of Gerwine Bernard, he also developed an appreciation for ancient literature and strived to incorporate the principles of ancient heroes into his everyday life.  

Attack on Van Hill and Guerrilla Campaign

When he was sixteen, the ancestral stronghold of the Van Den Bent family, Van Hill, was raided and burned down by House Wolfram of the neighboring territory of Pazhicko. House Wolfram had seized an opportunity to attack and conquer these lands, since Jan had just recently taken the throne at the age of twenty. The raid was a success, with Van Hill burned to the ground. While his older brother and sister focused on evacuating commoners from the lands surrounding Van Hill, Redoran struggled in vain to find and kill the leader of the attacking force. Barely escaping death, he returned to his family furious.   After the family established themselves at the ancient Van Den Bent sanctuary of Halvak, Redoran found himself in fierce disagreement with his brother. While Jan prepared to pursue a strategy of rebuilding military strength in Frewerner, Redoran insisted on quickly taking the fight to the enemy. Frustrated by what he perceived as his brother's inaction, Redoran and Gretjava rallied a group of less than one hundred warriors whom they had met at the Funeral Games of their father. Supposedly, Redoran's rousing oratory and Gretjava's use of magic persuaded the warriors to join them. The entire group then set off into the wilderness and made their way into the lands of House Wolfram, where they waged a fierce guerrilla campaign against the enemy.   The campaign lasted for almost ten years. Near the end, it became clear to Jan that his brother's efforts were proving far more successful than his own strategy of periodic all-out assaults on the borders of Pazhicko. He pardoned his brother and sister and invited them back to Halvak. Here, the two brothers reunited and resolved to fight House Wolfram together, while Gretjava departed in search of the Sword of Splendor, a mythical weapon said to carry the power of Etermel himself. 

Defeat of House Wolfram and Royal Declaration

During a trip to ask for help from the rulers of the neighboring territory of Brakerk, House Svarcova, House Wolfram launched their own guerrilla attack against Redoran. En route, Redoran's convoy was attacked and Jan was captured by the enemy, who promptly fled. Redoran alone survived the attack, and rode to beg House Svarcova for immediate assistance in bringing his brother back. House Scarcova agreed, and Redoran led a small force to rescue his brother. However, when they reached Jan, they found only his desecrated corpse, and a thunderstorm prevented the party from following his captors any further.   The taunt would backfire for House Wolfram. Redoran mustered a massive army with the help of house Scarcova and others, and, once his sister returned with the Sword of Splendor, he launched a huge campaign into Pazhicko. In less than two months, Redoran made his way to the stronghold of House Wolfram and executed their leaders, though he let the family's small children, as well as a single young adult, live. After this, he burned down the ancestral stronghold of House Wolfram.   Following this raid, Redoran declared himself the Prince of the Trebai. Scholars, even by the time of the Fifth Era, were conflicted as to why he did this. While some interpreted the declaration as the words of a man drunk on victory and infuriated by the death of his brother, others perceived it as a calculated move to establish his power in the newly conquered territory and prepare for the subsequent campaign he would launch. 

Founding of Redoran Peak and Marriage

In a move that shocked most of the Trebai people, Redoran began to conquer more territory, making his way through the coasts of the Western Commons. He combined the forces of House Van Den Bent and House Scarcova with the forces of House Wolfram, under the leadership of Pavel Wolfram, the young adult whom he had let live and who had sworn loyalty to House Van Den Bent.   The leaders of each territory he moved through eventually submitted to Redoran. Their leaders either lost to him in battle, recognized his authority due to his ownership of the Sword of Splendor, or were simply too frightened or did not have time to muster a resistance. Eventually, Redoran ended up at the edge of Trebai lands, at the mouth of the River Victory (then called the River Halvoy). Here, he established his own stronghold, which he named Van Hill in honor of his family. He renamed the surrounding sleepy fishing village Redoran Peak, after himself, and established his power there.    After settling in, Redoran asked his sister, Gretjava, to marry him. The two had fallen in love during his guerrilla campaign against House Wolfram, but put off their love to avoid controversy. Now in a position of much greater power, Gretjava agreed and the two were wed. Though this move harmed Redoran's reputation somewhat, Redoran's power was great enough that the move did not put him into jeopardy.   During the next twenty years, Redoran employed large amounts of Trebai in building monuments and infrastructure for the city. The period was later known as the First Trebai Golden Age, because economy and culture both flourished. Redoran and Gretjava bore several children, who were all powerful magic-users thanks to their mother.  

Battle for the Kingdom and Death

In the western reaches of Trebai lands, however, people were not as happy. While Redoran Peak was awash with prosperity, a series of famines and distant attempts at control by Redoran left several of the western Trebai nobility deeply unnerved. Moreover, these more traditional Trebai individuals were disgusted by Redoran's use of guerrilla warfare, incestuous relationship, and magic-using family. Several attempts by Redoran to negotiate with the west failed. Using the fear of a future magic-using ruler, a prominent western noble family, House Mejethko, mustered a massive navy, and set out to attack Redoran Peak.    The ensuing battle was one of the most legendary Trebai conflicts in history, with the two factions waging a nonstop war for almost a week. Redoran himself fought in the midst of the battle, wielding the Sword of Splendor. Despite his protests, his children and wife fought alongside him in fierce ship-to-ship warfare. Because Redoran focused all his efforts on preventing any sizable number of enemies from reaching the shore, the battle ended up victorious for him- at a massive cost.   All of Redoran's children perished in the fight, as well as his wife. Redoran himself was grievously wounded in the fight, and, on his deathbed, declared his only surviving family member, his younger brother Racjek, to be his successor. He was entombed in his homeland of Frewerner.

Legacy

Redoran's united kingdom quickly fell apart after his death, despite his success in battle. His brother, Racjek, died soon after him and the kingdom was not able to stay together. However, the golden age that Redoran had brought for a short time prompted later calls for unity that later prompted the formation of the High Kingdom of Atla Vera.   Redoran Peak, by the Fifth Era, was the largest city in Atla Vera. It persisted as a center of not only Trebai culture, but for all peoples of Atla Vera.   Redoran himself would go down in history as a Trebai hero. His legendary weapon, the Sword of Splendor, was lost in the final battle of his life, though it reappeared at several times. Some said that in the Trebai's darkest hour, Redoran would appear to save his people; others said that Redoran had become a god of the Trebai, with several cults to him floating in and out of existence during the next few thousand years.