For those familiar with modern day Galleon, this description of their former habits may seem striking. The horse and teljin raiders they once were is a far cry from the noble knights they now present themselves as. This is not to belittle the historical Galleons, nor to denounce the modern power they have become. But many have humble beginnings, and their strength was hard earned.
I hope the reader will forgive me for taking some time to address the important, yet oft forgot, early history of the Galleon people. For being a small neighbour, Galleon and Gedrovach are fundamentally tied in several ways. Galleon’s contributions to Gedrovach were, and honestly continue to be, substantial. To ignore them would be to ignore the stinger on a bee: an integral, and often dangerous, component.
The early history of Galleon is rife with legends which they maintain are truth. We know, by cross referencing with contemporary works at the time, that the region was initially four kingdoms: Ticate, Gallor, Vye and Elleon. Eventually Gallor successfully outmanoeuvered the other kingdoms under the singular name Gallor, its people becoming known as the Gallois. Galleon folklore states that Jehan Jian, the Paramour, was a Gallor prince who fell in love with a Ticate princess. Through a comedy of errors and trials, Jehan proved his worth and, essentially, accidentally became king of all four kingdoms. I will not go into detail here but it is an amusing, if sometimes nonsensical, story. Importantly, Jehan, for his love of the princess, was directly assisted by an angel: the High Seraph Charlial, no less. The Galleon people, as a whole, are not generally adherents of structured religion. They are steeped in folklore and superstition, of which Charlial is often cast as a central figure. To this day she remains a common emblem used in Galleon iconography.
Regardless of the exact truth, the Gallois lived, for a time, in relative peace. When Verdicus arrived, wanting to forge his empire, it was in the mountains of Ticate where he elected to begin. The Gallois did not readily accept this new ruler, however. Verdicus had arrived with a massive force of devotees, labelled the ‘Verdicii’ by the conquered, and he used this force to maintain his influence – Verdicus was nigh unkillable but even he could not be everywhere at once. However, the Verdicii found the Gallois extremely disruptive and hard to control. Verdicus could not expand his empire’s reach if he could not even contain his new homeland.
Fed up with the Gallois, Verdicus gave them an ultimatum: they could leave in mass exodus or every city, town, field and forest from Ticate to Gallor would be flattened by dragon-fire and every man, woman and child would be burned alive. The Gallois people took the threat seriously and left in huge droves into the southern plains. Many, however, did opt to stay and chose instead to denigrate themselves to the Dragon Emperor. These people were quickly intermingled and indoctrinated into the Verdicii culture.
The Gallois people struggled on, but the thought of retaking their homeland became entrenched in their culture and beliefs. Eventually, Verdicus was killed by Claude the Dragonslayer and, while his Empire shattered swiftly, Gallor (renamed Veraleon) renamed firmly in the grasp of Verdicus’ son, Rastionne von Ruhdrugon.
When Rastionne finally died, and Ceriphala remained the last of the Dragon rulers, his kingdom was split between his two sons: Brutarus controlled the mountainous peninsula of Ticate, often referred to as the Avidii Horn, and Crateron controlled the valley lowlands of Elleon. (The Gallor plains and Vye Coast were lost to rival kingdoms taking advantage of Rastionne’s death). Wishing to have the entire lands of Valereon for himself, Crateron eventually went to war against his brother. Unfortunately for Crateron, the mountains were difficult to assault. Brutarus had better armour, weapons and forts. However, Brutarus did not have the manpower to assault Elleon either: it had a larger population and its port cities were heavily defended.
Brutarus, instead of a direct assault, looked for a force he could manipulate and found the Gallois people waiting. Brutarus offered the Gallois people the lands of Elleon if they could take it from Crateron. He would supply them, arm them and give any general support he could. The offer, despite some reservations on its validity, was too good for the Gallois to pass up. Thousands of Gallois came together under the banner of Guiscarl Fuoron, a respected chief. Most came from the nomadic bands which were dotted across the Midland plains. While it is true that some Gallois had settled over time, the majority lived in roving bands which had little love for Midland or its people. They acted as mercenaries and raiders and it should be unsurprising that the Midlanders were happy to see the Gallois leave.
During their time roaming, the Gallois had become skilled riders, both on horse and teljin. They were efficient, hardy, and, because of their nomadic nature, were ready to migrate with their entire families in short-order. Armed with fine-crafted steel armours and weapons, the Gallois made short work of Crateron. Crateron had, quite foolishly, attempted to halt the Gallois on the open field of battle. His forces were shattered and he was executed by Guiscarl after the battle.
What happened next is a matter of debate among our sources. What is for certain, is that Ticate and the Gallois entered conflict with each other shortly after Crateron’s death. There are several conflicting stories which have been forwarded by scholars; pieced together from contemporary sources. The first, and most accepted by the Galleons, was that Brutarus reneged on his offer and attempted to destroy the Gallois before they had time to recuperate. In a hasty retreat, Guiscarl came upon the gates of Rastiphon where Crateron’s widow and aunt, Molygara von Rhudrugon (who often went by Queen Molly), still maintained control. According to Galleon legend, a messenger angel of Charlial (sometimes referenced as Charlial herself), appeared before Molygara and pleaded for the Gallois people. This messenger informed Molygara that she would be rewarded for her mercy as her future true love was leading the Gallois forces. Myths aside, Molygara did welcome the Gallois into her city and she did indeed marry Guiscarl shortly after. Awarded legitimacy over both the Gallois and the Verdicii of Elleon, Guiscarl’s strength was bolstered. Unwilling to continue the campaign, Brutarus returned to Ticate and the safety of his mountains.
The Verdicii, both those of Ticate and Elleon, wrote about a slightly different set of events. Ticate scholars insisted that Brutarus had offered the Gallois the open plains of Elleon and Gallor (should they be able to retake it for themselves), but he maintained rights over the coastal cities – especially the extremely wealthy Rastiphon. The Gallois succeeded in defeating Crateron and moved to besiege Rastiphon. As they had overstepped their bounds, Brutarus mustered his forces to claim the cities which were rightfully his. Unfortunately for him, Rastiphon surrendered before he arrived. His aunt married the conqueror Guiscarl to maintain peace and Brutarus conceded the cities to Guiscarl to avoid further bloodshed.
Further still, records from Elleon give one final recounting. To explain it properly, we must first discuss the history of Molygara. Due to a lack of Dragons, Rastionne had arranged for his sister, Molygara, to marry his eldest son Crateron in an attempt to strengthen the family’s dragonsblood. However, Molygara was very dissatisfied with the marriage. Molygara was the offspring of Verdicus and another Dragon Bellagara – making her full dragon, unlike her brother. Rastionne had distrusted her for this reason and had her cursed in such a way that she could no longer take her true Dragon form. This did not stop her from being both physically and magically gifted, however. Crateron, on the other hand, was mortal and weak. In only three generations the strength of the dragonsblood was practically nonexistent. Loyalty to her brother, and her father’s legacy, bound her to obey and she married her nephew – this did not mean she was happy with the arrangement. Long after Crateron’s death, Molygara had recalled being disgusted by the notion of marrying kin and had gotten “so sick after [their] wedding night that [she] never let the whelp touch [her] again.” Her displeasure became common knowledge and, eventually, Brutarus approached his aunt in hopes of forming a new arrangement.
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Brutarus believed that he had the strength to contain Molygara and offered to remove Crateron in exchange for her hand in marriage. Molygara did not respond to the marriage proposal but she did agree to work with Brutarus to kill Crateron. When Guiscarl attacked, Molygara convinced Crateron to meet the Gallois in the field. Upon news of Crateron’s death, Brutarus sent a letter, once again, asking for Molygara’s hand in marriage. In response, Molygara sent two copies of the same letter: one for Brutarus and one for Guiscarl. The letter, dubbed the Widow’s Letter, has allegedly survived to this day. The letter is crass in some parts but it, more or less, states that her bed had an empty pillow and the first one to reach the city would be allowed to rest their head. Of course, Guiscarl, whose forces were much faster and more mobile, arrived at the city first and claimed Molygara as his bride.
It should likely be noted that the Elleon records appear to, at the very least, be the most thorough account. That being said, Molygara, still alive to this day, has consistently stated in written and oral interviews that she had intended to marry Guiscarl from the first moment she had seen him. Furthermore, she denied ever writing the infamous letter. The exact truth may never be entirely clear but, regardless, we will not ponder any further on it here.
With the marriage of Guiscarl and Molygara, the Gallois people began settling into the region. Molygara and Guiscarl changed their surname to Ruhd-Jian, the people of Elleon began distancing themselves from the term “Verdicii,” and, slowly, the area and its people would come to call themselves Galleon. Over a hundred years would pass between Galleon’s founding and our story but we will not go into great detail here. If the dear reader is interested, I would suggest two works: the first is Jehan to Jehan: The History of Galleon from 488 to 1488 by my colleague, Marcus Ophelion; and the second being Horses to Hounds, an extremely detailed history detailing Galleon from 1212 to 1339, by Allarana Ruhmon.
To summarise these hundred years, Galleon was in a difficult position. They had made an enemy of Ticate to the West, which made trade around the Avidii Horn difficult. To their South were the kingdoms previously pillaged by the Gallois: Midland, Oustuor, and Constaille. Despite a change of name, the Southlands still held the Galleons in great contempt, a grudge which persists to this day. To their East was Gedrovach who, with little interest in westward expanson, had made it a simple policy to side with Ticate so their ships would have safe passage around the Horn. Indeed, Galleon was isolated.
Despite these setbacks, the continued presence of Molygara was a blessing essential to Galleon’s survival. When Guiscarl passed away, Molygara did not claim the throne for herself. To ease succession and possible jealousy, Molygara passed the throne to their first-born daughter Courdille. She, instead, took the position as Queen Dowager. She gave up direct leadership but was present as a mentor and advisor to each ruler. Through Molygara and her descendants’ hard work, Galleon continued to grow.
Part of their strategy was to recognize weaknesses and blind spots in their enemies’ guards. With Gedrovach being led by the feeble ‘klashaw [O], its western borders were ripe for plunder and exploitation. So, in 1325, R’hahes returned to a decrepit Wahtanonda, one ripe for Galleon’s plundering. If he wanted to rebuild and recover Wahtanonda’s strength, he would need to deal with the Galleons.
R'hahes did not react with violence or anger, however. Instead, he set a meeting with the leader of the Galleon raiders, telling the commander that he wished to have a meeting with King Guiscarl II. R’hahes allowed the raiders to keep any plunder they had obtained and gave them a parting gift: 50 Sudenese Ridgeback hounds. The Sudenese Ridgeback was an impressive dog. It was tall and lean; it was capable of high speeds and had a powerful bite; and it had been bred as an escort for Sudenese missionaries into ill tamed and dangerous lands, making them excellent scavengers. Along with these hounds, he offered 8 meldore hound-masters to train any offspring the dogs had; alongside the potential for Galleon to use these experts to train their own hound-masters.
The meaning of such an arrangement was not lost on the commander.[4] This was a long-term suggestion. By exchanging living, breathing people, R’hahes was putting the responsibility on Galleon to keep them safe – a responsibility which showed respect between neighbours. R’hahes clearly wanted to build relations between the two states.
Further still, the hound was, and still is, commonly understood as an important symbol to many northern peoples. Those of southern Avidicus may be surprised to learn this. There, dogs are often characterized as filthy, gluttonous and naive. In the North, dogs are associated with loyalty, respect and diligence. For Galleon specifically, there is a legend of the Frankian Hounds. According to this legend, the last Gallois king before their exodus, Franco Jian, had a pack of dogs which were very dear to him. As he prepared for his escape from Gallor, the Verdicii were already entering the city and killing anyone they found. He and his family only escaped safely because his hounds gave their lives while fighting and stalling the invaders.
The gift was thoughtful and showed deep respect toward the recipients and their history. The commander was extremely impressed and took the hounds to Molygara and Guiscarl II post haste. Guiscarl II agreed to a meeting and invited R’hahes to Rastiphon.
R’hahes, Calvade, Sklorane and several other advisors were welcomed with great excitement. The truth was that, despite remaining strong against opposition, it was a rare honour for Galleon to be treated as an equal and with respect by their neighbours. The people were excited to see this strange foreigner who had given such an impressive gift. Molygara and Guiscarl II understood that making peace and connections to the future Prince of Gedrovach would be a great boon. However, no one in Galleon could have expected the proposition R’hahes was about to make.
It is likely that R’hahes’ first real interaction with the Gallois/Galleon people was during the Siege of Elganford. Cantadoré had travelled far to collect mercenaries willing to fight against the Solari Empire, one such group were a band of Gallois.[5] The Gallois were impressive warriors; their skill on horse or teljin was second-to-none, and their sheer tenacity has been recorded time and time again. Despite being mercenaries, their loyalty to a cause was considered unwavering. Witnessing the raw strength of the Gallos had likely been part of his motivation to form a strong bond with Galleon. Even though the Galleons had become slightly more settled than their Gallois counterparts, the Galleons who raided Wahtanonda had lost none of their tenacity or skill.
Molygara was not ignorant to the struggles Gedrovach was suffering. She knew that civil war appeared likely in Gedrovach’s future as the Temple struggled to maintain control. She was also aware that R’hahes had seemingly sided with a heretic and suspected the Temple would do everything in their power to keep him off the throne. It seemed likely to her, then, that R’hahes had approached them with intentions of using their army to bolster his own forces. And, of course, she was correct.
R'hahes explained as such, that one day he would likely need friends he could trust to claim the throne which was rightfully his. However, he explained to the Galleon court, he recognized that such relationships could only flourish if both parties benefitted. He then proposed that he aid Galleon in retaking all the lands which traditionally belonged to them. This would include conquering Ticate, the Gallor plains controlled by Oustuor and the western coast of Vye (which had been under the control of Constaille for many years at this point).
The Galleon court was flabbergasted. They were shocked by the insanity which was coming from an individual who had approached them with such care and respect earlier. Many in the court assumed it had to be in jest. R’hahes is not remembered for any great sense of humour though, and, as he began relaying plans to transport supplies and weapons from Gedrovach, the court realized he was entirely serious. Molygara herself admitted later that she assumed, since it was clear the young-prince apparent was not joking, he must have been insane; a sentiment shared by much of the court.
However, Guiscarl II wanted to hear out the Prince-Apparent. In a smaller meeting with Calvade, Sklorane, Molygara, Guiscarl II, and Balwain, R’hahes revealed maps and documents which gave detailed plans. Balwain, as recounted by Molygara, was instantly enthralled and taken in by the grandiose plot; Guiscarl II following suit shortly after. Still, Molygara remained unconvinced; she became so concerned by Balwain and Guiscarl II’s acceptance that she became angry at the guests. She was moments from calling the guards on them when Calvade spoke up. We, unfortunately, have no record of Calvade’s speech nor does Molygara remember exactly what was said. Somehow, he convinced the Queen Dowager to believe R’hahes’ sincerity. As she listened to the careful and thoughtful nature of both his words and plans, Molygara began thinking that this young meldore really could succeed.
[4] [We, unfortunately, do not know the identity of this commander. While performing raiding, the members of this group were, in fact, actual members of the Galleon military. Essentially acting as privateers, these groups were sanctioned by the Galleon Crown to raid foreign lands. They would be supplied by Galleon and a portion of their plunder would be returned to the Crown. The commander referred to himself as the leader of a band but Wahtanondan documents show that R’hahes ignored this fa?ade and referred to the commander by his true station.
There has been some speculation about this individual’s identity. A large contingent believe it was Count Joran Gardner, whose lands shared a border with Gedrovach and, therefore, the most likely to benefit from these raids. However, the second person forwarded was Baron Balwain Rhymes. As we will witness moving forward, Balwain became an extremely crucial figure in Gedrovach-Galleon relations. He was a military focused individual and could have been inspired from his meeting with R’hahes in order to build a stronger bond with Gedrovach.]
[5] [As it may be slightly confusing, when historians to the “Gallois” after 1212 and the formation of Galleon, we are discussing the Gallois who were not part of Guiscarl’s return North. The Gallois of Midland have been almost entirely displaced or destroyed but certain remnants are still present. In the 1310’s, when Cantadoré was searching for mercenaries, this population was much more significant.]
