Fiefholder Sir Lardis Ceselryd, 26, is the second son of Barian and lord of Shenadun. He saw little of Shenadun in his youth, becoming a page at Brigmer manor at the age of 10 and later Lord Mellestin's squire. He did not expect to inherit the family estates, so he joined the crusade of the order of the Lady of Paladins against the Solori immediately after being knighted in 715. After nine months of bloody skirmishing, he received the message that both his father and his elder brother Cheorl had died in what looked like a Pagaelin ambush and that he was now the heir to the fief. He has never forgiven the killing and is determined to take revenge.

Sir Lardis has a largely paternalistic view on his serfs. He tolerates no opposition, but considers himself responsible for the well-being of his subjects. He believes in the idea of a feudal society - a chosen class of fighting men ruling and protecting the weak. However, given the history of his family, he sees social standing not as fixed but being tied to personal valor.

Sir Lardis is a good soldier, that is to say intelligent, strong willed and utterly ruthless. He has learned his lesson about war in the Solora Crusade and is ready to put his experience into use, should an open conflict with the tribes occur. Sir Lardis believes that the weakest point of any man of war is the place where he stores his grain and where his wife and children live. Consequently, he is attempting to improve the defenses of the village and to hire men with wilderness skills to scout Pagaelin sites. He believes that a war with the tribes is inevitable and that the time is almost ripe now, as long as the kingdom of Kaldor in the north is occupied with its internal affairs. If the Pagaelin make the mistake in giving him an excuse, he is ready to wage a terrible war against them that will, in fact, be a genocide right after the model of the Solora Crusade. The Pagaelin seem to have sensed the danger and have been quiet so far. Sir Lardis has been content to wait and to work on the defenses of Shenadun, believing that time is on his side. Nevertheless, he is constantly expanding his domain - a provocation that the Pagaelin will have to respond to sooner or later.