A Lord's Duty (The Chronicles of Galennor Book 1) Read online

  A LORD’S DUTY

  The Chronicles of Galennor: Volume One

  By

  J.S. Crews

  Published in association with Ghastly Oak Publishing

  https://www.GhastlyOakPublishing.com

  This is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, locations, or events is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 by J.S. Crews in association with Ghastly Oak Publishing. All rights reserved.

  Cover illustration created by Jason Moser, acting as a paid contractor and inspired by a description provided by J.S. Crews. He can be contacted at http://www.maverickdesignworks.com/. Cover illustration is the wholly-owned property of J.S. Crews. Cover illustration is Copyright © 2018 by J.S. Crews. All rights reserved.

  Map image created by J.S. Crews. Copyright © 2018 by J.S. Crews. All rights reserved.

  E-Book ISBN: 978-0-9994696-0-6

  Print ISBN: 978-0-9994696-1-3

  J.S. Crews asserts the moral and legal right to be identified as the author and owner of this work in its entirety.

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations and/or exerpts embodied in critical articles and reviews. Requests for information, etc. should be addressed to the author at the website listed below.

  Visit the author on the World Wide Web at https://crewsbooks.com

  Dedication

  This novel is for my family. I began this journey over two decades ago as a youth with more imagination than good sense. The road has been a winding one, to say the least. Throughout it all, the single consistency has been the willingness of my kin to support me, even when I had nothing but big dreams and writing was just my little hobby. A man truly couldn’t ask to be surrounded with better people.

  I also owe a big thank you to my friend Michael “Uncle Mikey” Hambrick for saving me from a computer crash literally just weeks before it was time to publish this novel. I can honestly say he was the only thing standing between me and the possibility of jumping off a bridge, and Dropbox and I are now inseparable.

  A Brief History of the Origins of the Kingdom of Galennor

  In ancient times, the race of mankind split into many distinct groups—some along racial lines, some cultural, or geographic (and, often, all of the above). Some of these divisions include the many tribes and clans of the Voronni and Wodonni peoples (most of which still live a largely tribal lifestyle to this day); the Madari, the Lyrouni; and the Golysi (who later formed the kingdoms of Madaras and Lyrounne and the Golysian Empire); the Viljandi, who eventually arrayed their governments in the form of numerous independent principalities; and, finally, the Galenni.

  The Galenni were a people of similar genetic makeup and basic physical appearance, who—while their individual tribal cultures were far from perfectly uniform—shared in the veneration of the same god: Kharanus. Some tribes had a whole pantheon of gods and goddesses, while others had only the one, but the worship of Kharanus was a link they all shared.

  Over the centuries, tribes allied and warred with one another; some grew strong through conquest and alliance, while others were wiped from the memory of man. Eventually, great chieftains became kings, and the lands of the Galenni were dotted with an untold number of tiny kingdoms. Yet more time passed, as these nations rose and fell, some to the swords of their neighbors and others to the ineptitude of their own rulers and to the ashes of history itself.

  Eventually, power was consolidated under one such nation, which grew into a true kingdom, uniting the many tribes of the Galenni peoples under the rule of the Calleron line of kings. That nation was to be known as the Kingdom of Galennor.

  Partial Map of the Kingdom of Galennor

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  (In Alphabetical Order)

  Aelfrid Plowmanson – a common brigand.

  Allet – brother of Kaeti Wood and brother-by-law of Ansel Wood.

  Anders Wood – child of Ansel and Kaeti Wood; a babe in arms.

  Ansel Wood – a franklin (freeman) with his own lands; farmer, woodsman, and veteran of military service on the kingdom’s northern border; husband of Kaeti; father of baby Anders.

  Baram – a commoner living on lands under the protection of Sir Gottrey Wakefield.

  Baron James Danbourne – Assistant to the Steward of the Ducal Household of Newport; youngest son of the Duke of Danford; nephew of Duchess Aleese.

  Baron Morley (mentioned) – Lord of Durleston; vassal lord of the Earl of Sarton.

  Baron Tarson – Knight-Commandant and Master-at-Arms of the military garrison of Newport.

  Baron Tomas Reylie (mentioned) – Lord of Reylie Hall, a castle under the authority of Duke Valdimir; immediate liege-lord of Sir Gottrey Wakefield.

  Belios – eldest son of Vytaus; heir to his father’s position as Chieftain of the People of the Elk of the Wodonni; a boy of sixteen summers.

  Brandr – second-born son of Vytaus; a boy of fifteen summers.

  Brunni – Headman of a small village west of Newport, under the protection of Sir Gottrey Wakefield.

  Captain Heuric – Duke Valdimir’s Captain of Guards, the senior captain in the Newport city garrison and commander of the Duke’s own household guards.

  Captain Kevan Turnbull (mentioned) – Master-at-Arms and commander of Earl Philus’s household troops in Sarton.

  Corporal Dekin – a common soldier in the service of Duke Valdimir in Newport.

  Countess Lorenn (mentioned) – Countess of Bornyn; wife of Mikal; daughter of Duke Valdimir and Duchess Aleese.

  Countess Sheela (mentioned) – Countess of Woodmont; wife of Earl Monrowe Corvinus; daughter of Duke Valdimir and Duchess Aleese; mother of Alastar Corvinus.

  Crim – a common servant in the household of Sir Gottrey Wakefield.

  Donal – a common mercenary; plays a tiny role in the part of the story centered around Ansel Wood.

  Duchess Aleese – Duchess of Newport; wife of Duke Valdimir and mother of Countess Sheela, Prince Valdic, and Countess Lorenn; grandmother of Alastar Corvinus; younger sister of the Duke of Danford; aunt of Baron James Danbourne.

  Duchess Catherine (mentioned) – Duchess of Glendon; wife of Duke Joran; mother of Jonas; a former lady-in-waiting to the Queen in Callicane (the mother of the current King); a daughter of the Marquis de Terrignan, a high ranking noble of the Kingdom of Lyrounne, an island nation to the south.

  Duke Joran Calleron (mentioned) – Lord of Glendon; father of Jonas.

  Duke Valdimir Calleron – Lord of Newport; Guardian of the North Kingdom; father of Countess Sheela, Prince Valdic, and Countess Lorenn; grandfather of Alastar Corvinus.

  Earl Cedric Halderman – Steward of the Ducal Household of Newport; uncle of Earl Mikal of Bornyn.

  Earl Mikal Halderman (mentioned) – Lord of Bornyn; son-by-law of Duke Valdimir and Duchess Aleese.

  Earl Monrowe Corvinus (mentioned) – Lord of Woodmont; son-by-law of Duke Valdimir; husband of the Countess Sheela; father of Alastar Corvinus.

  Earl Philus Hackitt (mentioned) – Lord of Sarton; vassal of Duke Valdimir of Newport.

  Glebb – called Big Glebb; a commoner and tradesman; plays a tiny role in the part of the story centered around Ansel Wood.

  Hamlin (mentioned) – a commoner serving as a cook in Glendon.
/>   Horgas – a trusted and dependable warrior and clan member of the People of the Elk of the Wodonni.

  Hunald – a mysterious Lyrounni foreigner recruiting interested parties into an unknown business opportunity; thought of as The Peacock by Ansel Wood, because of his flashy demeanor.

  Hywel – a common mercenary; plays a role in the part of the story centered around Ansel Wood.

  Kaeti Wood – wife of Ansel Wood; mother of baby Anders.

  King Haelid the Fourth (mentioned) – King of the United Galenni Peoples and Lord Protector of the Kingdom of Galennor.

  Leffron – called Laughing Leffron; a commoner and traveling bard; plays a role in the part of the story centered around Ansel Wood.

  Lieutenant Taegan – a young officer in Duke Valdimir’s household guard and the city garrison of Newport; nephew of Captain Heuric.

  Lord Wendel Baedon – Lord of Eborham Manor and its principle village of Baedonton; direct vassal to Baron Morley of Durleston in the Earldom of Sarton.

  Lydda (mentioned) – a common servant in Glendon; Jonas’s childhood wetnurse.

  Martyn – a young Galenni boy, saved from becoming a Drua priest’s sacrifice by Vytaus; taken as a slave but with hopes of adopting him into the clan, according to Wodonni custom.

  Mileka – wife of Uslan, Chieftain of the People of the Hawk of the Wodonni; mother of Rorka.

  Odek (mentioned) – someone intimated as having some authority among the Dwaragein (dwarves) of the west; trusted by Vytaus, Chieftain of the People of the Elk of the Wodonni.

  Prince Haemon (mentioned-deceased) – firstborn son of King Haelid and elder brother of Prince Arramir; originally the Heir-Apparent to the throne prior to his tragic death some years prior.

  Prince Valdic Calleron – son of Duke Valdimir and Duchess Aleese; heir to the Duchy of Newport; Prince of the Royal Blood; husband of Princess Consort Celeste; father of the toddler Prince Varian.

  Prince Varian Calleron (mentioned) – son of Prince Valdic and Princess Celeste; Prince of the Royal Blood; a small child.

  Prince/Squire Jonas Calleron – son of Duke Joran and the Duchess Catherine; sole hereditary heir to the Duchy of Glendon; Prince of the Royal Blood.

  Princess Consort Celeste (mentioned) – wife of Prince Valdic; mother of the toddler Prince Varian.

  Rorka – son of Uslan; heir to his father’s position as Chieftain of the People of the Hawk of the Wodonni; a young boy.

  Rowlee (mentioned-likely deceased) – husband and father to Ulfius’s deceased daughter and grandchild; clan member of the People of the Hawk of the Wodonni.

  Sergeant Doreon – a common soldier in the service of Duke Valdimir in Newport; often found at Sir Eadred’s right hand, where best he might curry the knight’s favor; despised by the servants of Castle Newport and called “The Rat” behind his back because of his skinny, pointed face and beady eyes.

  Sergeant Hammid – a common soldier in the service of Duke Valdimir in Newport.

  Sir Eadred Meyrick – son of Duke Barklai Meyrick of Aggladane; hereditary heir to the Duchy of Aggladane; serving a military tour as a knight in Newport.

  Sir Flannery Ogden (mentioned) – Glendon's Master-at-Arms; Jonas’s former tutor in marshal affairs back home.

  Sir Gottrey Wakefield – a vassal landed knight in service to Baron Tomas Reylie.

  Sir Percey Wakefield (mentioned) – son of Sir Gottrey Wakefield and heir to his lands.

  Squire Alastar Corvinus – son of Earl Monrowe Corvinus and the Countess Sheela; hereditary heir to the Earldom of Woodmont.

  The Bear – the enigmatic and physically-imposing companion of Hunald; he remains unnamed, thought of as The Bear by Ansel Wood because he is the muscle behind The Peacock’s flash.

  The Black Robe – an enigmatic figure, somehow exerting influence over various Wodonni clans; known for distinctively dressings in a dark robe, hence the sobriquet; his true identity and background are unknown.

  Tink – a common verderer, living under the protection and patronage of Lord Wendel Baedon; plays a tiny role in the part of the story centered around Ansel Wood.

  Ulfius (mentioned-deceased) – uncle and formerly the closest advisor to Uslan, Chieftain of the People of the Hawk of the Wodonni.

  Uslan – Chieftain of the People of the Hawk of the Wodonni; husband of Mileka; father of Rorka.

  Vytaus – Chieftain of the People of the Elk of the Wodonni; father of Belios and Brandr as well as other unnamed, younger children.

  Prologue

  “The Warchief”

  Vytaus, chieftain of the People of the Elk, stalked silently out into the night, brooding. Following on his heels, Belios knew better than to intrude on his father’s thoughts when he was in such a mood. They had just left the great longhouse of the Grand Council of the Kulti Nation—a confederation of some of the strongest clans of the Wodonni peoples—and Vytaus was not at all pleased.

  The normally wise council had just committed their clans to a course he believed to be a great folly: the Kulti Nation would join the other Wodonni clans in going to war. Vytaus was no stranger to the battlefield and, in fact, harbored no particular love of peace. He had led his warriors into the fray many times, the skulls of previous enemies dangling from leathern straps across his horse’s back to strike fear into the hearts of otherwise stout men. In fact, he had great pride in the fact that every slave he owned had been taken in battle and never purchased with coin or trade, such as weaker men might acquire them. The clamor he was hearing now among his people, however, was not the normal lust for adventure and the spoils of war, nor even the very real and ever-present need for better lands to farm; this seemed somehow darker.

  It had begun with the coming of the Black Robe. None could say for certain from where he had come, but whispers of the man reached them first from among the clans in the far north. He seemed simply to appear and present himself to this or that chieftain, and soon the stranger was counted among his most trusted advisers. Disturbingly, any who dared speak against him soon found themselves shunned and exiled from the lands of their own peoples. Even now, there were reports of broken men skulking in the hills and forests, preying on those unlucky enough to encounter them. Men who had once been proud sons, nephews, and cousins were now nothing more than clanless vagabonds, fit only to decorate a hanging tree. And, as if the shameful act of driving good men to such a state was not enough to trouble Vytaus, it was not even the worst of it.

  Once the Black Robe situated himself at the chieftain’s right-hand, he would begin to make changes—subtly at first, but then more extreme. He was soon joined by those he referred to as his children: tall, enigmatic warriors who never showed their faces and were clad head-to-ankle in plate armor the color of onyx. These acted as his personal guards and often took up lodging in the homes of the good men who had been driven away. There were even quiet whispers that the Black Robe spoke against the gods. Yet even these things were not the worst of it.

  For soon after the monsters would come.

  Long had the Wodonni fought to subdue The Vile Ones, and even now outlying villages would sometimes fall prey to the raids of the despicable orcish and goblin folk. They would come in the night, reaving, and by the time the sun had risen there would be nothing left of the village but smoking, ruined buildings and blackened corpses.

  Raids were nothing new for the Wodonni people. In fact, it was an accepted custom for many clans to raid for horses and cattle, and sometimes even for children and women to replace members of the clan who had fallen in battle or to sickness. The reaving practiced by the Vile Ones, however, was an entirely different thing. Women and even young ones were slaughtered right alongside the men. Livestock that could not be carried off was killed where it stood and left to rot. Everything was destroyed.

  Many times, those alerted by the smoke from afar would discover valuable items still strewn among the wreckage; there had been little or no theft, only carnage. And even worse, from time to time, some of the village
rs—even grown men—were not to be found among the dead, leaving one to wonder what might have happened to their bodies. Many possibilities came to mind, but some thoughts were best left unexplored.

  It was said the people would stand in horror, watching helplessly as hundreds of the terrible beasts lumbered out of the hills and woods toward their villages, only to be commanded to throw open their gates. The terrified clanspeople were admonished not to raise up in violence and were assured no harm would befall them, even as they endured the hateful stares of these beasts in manlike form. At least with respect to their physical well-being, the promise had proved true. The Black Robe held orc and goblin alike under his sway, by what dark arts no one knew.

  Once a given position was secure, the Black Robe would move on, leaving some of His Children and the beasts behind. They were there to help safeguard the people, it was said, and—in this way—many seemed to have been seduced and no longer feared the Vile Ones, instead perceiving their presence as a source of strength. The Black Robe had even used them, it was rumored, to punish some who had chosen not to welcome him.