Clan Gwantir

The Kaldoric arch-enemies of the Ceselryds are the members of the noble clan Gwantir and their retainers. The feud between the two families began with the capture of Shenadun by the Ceselryds and has continued to the present day.

The origins of Clan Gwantir can be traced back to the early military clans in the Kingdom of Pagostra who fought in the migration wars and in numerous wars and feuds thereafter.

The first noble in the line of the clan was Badran, a yeoman who was nighted in 523 by Dysarion, Baron of Jedes, for saving his life during a skirmish with Pagaelin tribesmen. While he never held any land, Badran managed to pass his status to his sons by paying regional knights take them as squires from the riches he had made from plunder during his many campaigns. His descendants followed in his footsteps. Most Gwantir clansmen spend their lives in the saddle and on ramparts, fighting for various lords. Many of them died young, others were crippled, but they always succeeded in passing on their status to their offspring.

Raelf Gwantir was the first and only clanhead of the Gwantirs who ever held land in his own right. When King Torastra led his army into the victorious Treasure War against King Balesir of Chybisa in 675 TR, the Gwantirs were the large mercenary force that Torastra hired to reinforce his feudal levy. Raelf and his clansmen captured Shenadun during the siege of Burzyn and were rewarded with the fief after the victory in 678.

Raelf put much effort into the rebuilding of the village and making the fief prosperous again. He also started to build a stone fortification, but lost his fief before it could be finished when King Balesir returned from his exile in Melderyn with an army. Raelf was not present when the village was taken as he was among the delegation negotiating with Balesir at that time. It is said that Raelf just had claimed that Balesir's army would never manage to cross the Ulmerien when the Chybisan King received a message whispered into his ear, smiled, and then said: "It seems that we just have". The defiance of the Kaldorians crumbled as the remaining land-holding nobles panicked, and they eventually agreed on Balesir's peace terms.


Sable a fleur-de-lis argent on a canton or a gauntlet gules embrued gules.
Motto: The swift prevail
Registry: Tower of the Unicorn, 679 TR
Holdings: none
Major Tenants: none

Deeply humiliated, Raelf went back to Kaldor with his remaining clansmen. King Torastra tried to soften Raelf's losses by making him the bailiff of the Valganara Hundred. Raelf pressed the feud with the Ceselryds until his death in 709. His eldest son, Trenaux, became the new bailiff of the hundred in 710, after long and exhausting queries with the sheriff of Hutop. Trenaux was less keen on bashing heads with the Ceselryds and concentrated on local affairs instead. This paid off when he secured the post of bailiff of Girhim manor to his cousin, Malachin. Trenaux died in 718 from an infected wound and was succeeded by his brother Brenoir as clanhead. Brenoir struggled for more than a year to be appointed as new bailiff of the Valganara hundred. Brenoir claimed to be the new bailiff of Valganara hundred in the winter of 719, shortly after the sheriff Merik Elendsa died. Brenoir possesses documents which prove that the sheriff appointed him during his last visit to Torret a few days before his death. Nevertheless, this came as a surprise to many in the region, as it was widely known that Brenoir and the sheriff were at odds. No one has openly disputed Brenoir's status so far and the bailiff of Aldoral, Sir Kodar Maradyne, who handles the duties of the sheriff as long as the post is vacant, has been wise enough not to meddle in this affair.

It is common knowledge that the Gwantirs are campaigning for the office of sheriff also. While there is small chance that King Miginath would give the post to the Gwantirs, Maldan Harabor is a known ally of the clan. The clan has been employed by Maldan Harabor on various occasions and supports his claim for the Kaldoric throne. Clearly, the Gwantirs expect to attain the office of the Sheriff of Oselshire in return. Maldan Harabor has signaled his agreement, as this would both secure his claim to Hutop and give him a powerful instrument to secure the loyalty of the other sheriffs. The Gwantirs have done Maldan's dirty work in the past and are ready for more. If the King should before appointing a new sheriff, it is likely that the Gwantirs would try to seize Hutop keep in hope that Maldan legalizes their claim to the post of sheriff.

Aside from securing and expanding his power base, Brenoir is eager to open a new chapter in the feud with the Ceselryds. After almost a decade of relative peace during Trenaux's clanheadship, his enmity towards the Chybisan has not lessened. He swore on his father's deathbed to reclaim Shenadun and to eradicate the Ceselryds.

The Gwantirs have considerable influence in parts of Oselshire, despite the fact that they hold no land on their own. Their control over the ruthless mercenary gang of the Scarlet Gauntlet has done its share to build up their reputation. The Gwantirs maintain a firm grip on Valganara hundred and every enemy of the clan should be very careful not to enter their territory.

Important Clansmen

Clan Gwantir is quite large and has several junior branches and countless distant relatives and bastards in both noble and common clans. It can be assumed that they have members in most influential groups in Oselshire, most of them concentrated in the Valganara hundred. Only a few of the most prominent members can be summarized here. The GM should feel free to insert additional Gwantir clansmen whenever it seems appropriate.

The Scarlet Gauntlet

This band of mercenaries was founded prior to clan Gwantir's to noble status and has always been the main basis for the clan's power. This was reflected by including the company's badge into the coat of arms when it was registered after the victorious campaign in the treasure war in 679. Their loyalty lies entirely with clan Gwantir. Several of their numbers are members of junior branches of the clan or acknowledged bastards and their officers are always knighted clansmen. All members are skilled fighters with a lot of combat experience. They have a reputation for excessive brutality and are little better than brigands if not kept in check. While they have been employed to guard caravans on occasion, they are mostly hired by employers who wish to cause havoc and destruction somewhere, which clearly is the company's area of expertise. They have been very successful in rooting out minor revolts and hunting down brigands, Gargun or barbarians.

Note: If appropriate, the GM may decide to spread the rumor that the Scarlet Gauntlet was once hired by Sir Kathel of Dezaller, the lord of Loban, for a raid against Taelda tribesmen. Players, who have played the adventure "A hundred Bushels of Rye" might get a fairly good impression of the company's usual behavior.

The current strength of the company is 19 men. Most of them are battle hardened veterans aged twenty to thirty-five years. With scarred faces, tattoos and occasional missing ears, eyes and fingers, they are a fearsome sight. They are men who make their living by killing and plundering. While not doing the one or the other, they tend to spend their time drinking, brawling and bullying everyone in their path. Few town guards have the stomach to restrain the excesses of this band. When drunk, they are quick to respond to any form of provocation by beating up or even killing those who annoy them.