Rigarner Gathian

Rigarner was related to King Horgath VII (great grandson of Edrolien). He was the only Gathian outside the king's immediate family to serve at court. He was a well-traveled man, having spent time in Zoraa, Gascony, and the Southern Wastes, and was one of the most renowned swordsmen in Haleglar. He attended the War Conference on Fivus 10, 1766 and was assigned to guard Aethernel Aydombiel on his journey to slay Alikanaktor at Garzogl, a job Rigarner believed would fall on himself. On the way he befriended Gascon Aleisuma Tioran and the two developed a romantic interest in each other. However, they were not to be as Rigarner was killed by Alikanator's son Sarvis during the Battle of Garzogl.

Information
Born: Tentheto 12, 1730; Enaliera

Died: Twelthen 4, 1766; Garzogl

Family: Distant relation of the royal family.

Race: Halglaran

Hometown:Enaliera

Position: Lord Protector of the Palace

Hair: Black

Eyes: Brown

Biography
"“My father was a drunk. He allowed his children to do what we wanted, no matter how irresponsible, but shouted at us whenever we woke him from an afternoon nap, or spoke to him with anything but a timid voice, or interrupted a moment with one of his harlots. I soon realized that was not the life for me. Even when I came of age and could leave I was not happy. I did not want the purposeless life of a lord shut away in a holdfast, with all the wealth he could ever want but not the freedom to pursue any passions beyond his castle’s walls.""“When I was twenty-three, I finally built up the resolve to leave. I wanted to travel, to see the world around me, to have a life that would be worthwhile. During that time, I honed my craft as a swordsman. I had already practiced some in my father’s house, but now I drove myself to excel. My Gathian name prevents me from joining the royal guard, but I could learn from them – watch their exercises and spar whenever I could. I spent a year in Zoraa, learning to be stealthy and use my surroundings to my advantage. I even spent time in Gascony among the famous Gascon Knights and learned from them. Then war called me back to Haleglar. The conflict was short-lived, a feud with Gascony over some isle in the Bay of Bengardiel, but it gave me firsthand experience in war. I traveled a little more after that, but more of my time was spent in Enaliera. I became part of the King’s court, a position I would never have predicted myself to be in, nor even dreamed possible. And now here I am, the only man in our fifty-four to have ever been in war before, and the only one to have been south of the Gascon River.”"~Rigarner to Ordas Deradan.

Early Life
Rigarner was the son of Tarogon Gathian, and was born and raised in a secluded castle somewhere in Magledor. He and his many brothers and sisters were at the whim of their drunk and mildly abusive father. Nobles in Magledor were largely ignored by the law, leaving Tarogon free to drink and whore all he wanted, and with no peers nearby there was no reprimand against the treatment of his household.

It did not take long for young Rigarner to realize this sequestered life was not for him, but it took seven years after coming of age for him to finally leave Magledor behind, abandoning his inheritance in the process.

Traveling Years
Rigarner first went to Enaliera, and lived there for two years. As a Gathian, he was forbidden from joining the Royal Guard, but he spent a great deal of time with them and learned a great deal. While the Guard did not have the benefit of training at the Aberdeen Military Academy as their successors under Oriathon V would, they were still the most highly-trained militant in the nation.

In 1756 he begun his tour. He spent many months in Zoraa, mostly around Kreyans, and learned from fighters there, who were experts in stealth and using their surroundings to their advantage. However, he never participated much in Archery, another strength of the Kreyani, as he held the northern sentiment that archery was a coward's way of fighting. In 1759 he sailed to Eiphtor, and in 1760 entered the Western Territories. He reached Oevith and from there sailed down the Gascon River to Haigon, where he spent two years. He spent time among the Gascon Knights and learned a great deal from that elite force. Then he set out on his greatest endeavor yet: to travel the Southern Wastes. His goal was to reach the Divori River, but he never made it. He got through the Morvan Desert and into the Tavieyi Wasteland, but after thirty-six days turned west and made for Talantia.

The Delvaro War
Soon after, war broke out once again between Haleglar and Gascony, forcing Rigarner to return home. The conflict was over the isle of Delvaro, which both countries had settlements on but Haleglar decided to claim entirely for itself. The war involved only a few hundred men on each side, but it was a bloody affair. Each side knew that retreating off the island meant admitting defeat, and so both sides entrenched. Forty days in, Haleglar deemed it to dangerous to send supply ships in so the soldiers and the remaining Halglaran inhabitants were left to fend for themselves. When the leading general died from dysentery (a disease that plagued both camps, as there were few sources of clean water on the island), Rigarner stepped up and took command. He inspired confidence in the remnants of the Halglaran army and rallied them, but ultimately the Gascon superiority in numbers and resources won out. 365 soldiers had fought for Haleglar on Delvaro. Five months later, only 155 were left. The population of 1,000 had been whittled down to 400. At last the Halglarans admitted defeat and fled Delvaro on a fleet of fishing boats. They arrived five days later in Lijirania, bearing a tale of resolution and heroism that would go down as merely a sentence in the history books.

Rigarner stayed awhile in Ectriaa to recuperate before returning to the capital and being granted a spot in court as a war advisor.