02 - Iron Kingdoms W.. - Captain Spud Is Amazing

108.1.141.197
natuRal ResouRCes: coaL and suLFur, aLuminum ore, Low-
Grade iron ore, siLica, cLays, saLt, timber, arabLe Land
Prime Minister Deyar Glabryn,
Archduke of Southryne
Archduke Deyar Glabryn (male Ryn Alc4/Ari10):
King Rynnard di la Martyn died in 595 AR, leaving
many illegitimate offspring. The old king was an
exceptional lecher and never established a clear line
of succession to the Llaelese throne. No sooner did he
rest in his grave than the Council of Nobles fell upon
the supposed heirs like vultures, each cabal hoping
to use one of them to further their own schemes.
Unfortunately, the heirs with the strongest claims
fell to assassination or vanished mysteriously. Many
believe two sons and a single daughter yet survive with
di la Martyn blood in their veins, but they went into
hiding years ago. One of the surviving sons supposedly
moved to the city of Berck and serves as an officer in
the Ordic navy.
During this storm of controversy, the Archduke
Deyar Glabryn was named lord regent. He has
stymied the royal succession for over a decade
during which time he was repeatedly accused of
being overly concerned with cementing his own
power base. He even went so far as minting coins
with his own image on them. Glabryn has always
somehow sidestepped such charges by manipulating
events to his own advantage.
Archduke Glabryn presents himself as an affable
and reasonable man of enormous education and
good breeding, but his ruthlessness is no secret. The
oldest son of the influential Glabryns, Deyar survived
a motherless childhood and assassination attempts
ordered by two of his younger brothers who wished to
gain power over the family estates. Both of the plotting
siblings disappeared soon thereafter, and Deyar never
saw them again. Years later as he was on the upward
path in the Llaelese gentry, Deyar mimicked his
brothers’ schemes and as many as a dozen rivals died
by his orders, one by his own hand.
Archduke Glabryn possesses exhaustive knowledge
of court politics, Llaelese history, and etiquette and is
a competent alchemist. The latter has been a field of
longstanding interest for him as he finds it soothes
his nerves. He is particularly versed in the lore of
mixing poisons and their antidotes along with other
deleterious concoctions. His peers know him as a
crack shot with a pistol, and he keeps both gun and
dagger on his person at all times.
winds oF war
the timinG oF the diPLomatic mission by the archduke’s wiFe and
dauGhter, aLonG with many other susPicious actiVities, Lend
credence to the susPicion that GLabryn had ForeknowLedGe
oF the inVasion and did nothinG to PreVent it. indeed, the
surViVinG members oF the counciL oF nobLes beLieVe Lord
GLabryn worked to weaken the LLaeLese army and undermine
the western deFenses. the truth oF these susPicions remains
unknown, but the comPeLLinG eVidence incLudes the Fact
that the archduke had receiVed Periodic enVoys From korsk
at Least a year beFore the inVasion theoreticaLLy to discuss
trade arranGements. it is beLieVed in some circLes that
soVereiGn coaL aLLiance and seVeraL oF GLabryn’s aLLies in
the order oF the GoLden crucibLe were co-consPirators.
whiLe this has not heLPed Lord GLabryn’s PoPuLarity, many
oF his PraGmatic Peers are more understandinG. cLearLy LLaeL
couLd not haVe stood aGainst khador, and many more LiVes
miGht haVe been Lost, more buiLdinGs destroyed, and the
entire kinGdom’s commerce couLd haVe been undone. some
counciLors eVen beLieVe the archduke acted wiseLy.
The archduke is married to the Lady Rebekah
Welsny Glabryn (female Ryn Ari8). Despite a lack
of affection for one another, they have raised three
mature daughters all of whom were married to cement
strategic alliances. Before the Khadoran invasion,
Lady Glabryn and one of her now-widowed daughters
went to the Cygnaran court to parley with King Leto
and his Royal Assembly. This was explained as an effort
to improve relations with their ally, for King Leto and
Lord Glabryn have never gotten along well (King Leto
disapproved of the archduke’s regency and had been
pressuring for a resolution to the royal succession).
Lady Glabryn and her daughter Sabyna di Voxsauny
(female Ryn Ari3) remain in Caspia out of fear for
their safety but communicate with the archduke via
secret courier. Of note, Sabyna’s husband was Balen
di Voxsauny, the Archduke of Voxsauny, who was
executed in Merywyn after its capture. She is Deyar’s
favored daughter and one of the few people about
whom he truly cares. She had just become pregnant
at the time of the journey and has since given birth to
Deyar’s grandson, Balen II.
World Guide 241