Caladog fen Gruffendoc is the High King of Battania and the leader of clan fen Gruffendoc. He is the owner of Marunath and the father of Mengus and Corein.
Background[]
Following the disappearance of his predecessor, High King Aeril fen Derngil, while hunting, Caladog led the Battanian tribes to war in retaliation for the Calradic Empire's crimes against them. Caladog was responsible for the Battanian ambush that decimated the imperial vanguard during the Battle of Pendraic. In the aftermath of the fighting, Caladog came to blows with then-Prince Raganvad Gundaroving regarding the spoils of war, with the latter labeling the former a coward for taking time to strip the dead.
Description[]
The current High King of Battania is Caladog, a brilliant war captain adopted by the prior king, Uthelhain, who then died in mysterious circumstances. Despite the doubts around his succession, Caladog has made himself popular among the lesser clans of the land who admire him, a man of no great lineage, for having discomfited the Battanians’ traditional clan hierarchy. His clan is the fen Gruffendoc, a formerly obscure family now swollen with his comrades-in-arms with whom he has made marriage alliances.
According to his Personality Traits, he is Generous (Generosity 1), Devious (Honor -1), Daring (Valor 1) and Cruel (Mercy -1).
As with all noblemen and women, his Armor, Weapons, Perks, Friends, Enemies, and Attribute Points are all randomized at the beginning of the game.
Skills[]
| Skill | Value |
|---|---|
| One Handed | 300 |
| Two Handed | 300 |
| Polearm | 300 |
| Bow | 250 |
| Crossbow | 200 |
| Throwing | 200 |
| Riding | 220 |
| Athletics | 200 |
| Tactics | 80 |
| Charm | 160 |
| Steward | 80 |
| Trade | 60 |
| Leadership | 160 |
Trivia[]
- Caladog is partially inspired by Gruffydd ap Llywellyn, who was the King of Wales from 1055 to 1063.[1]
- His name may be a reference to Caratacus, known in Welsh as "Caradog", who resisted the Roman army for a decade using guerrilla tactics and may have been the inspiration for Caradog ap Bran and Arvirargus.
Quotes[]
| “ | I am a busy man, but there is always time to talk about the blessed battle of Pendraic.
Our dear old beloved King Aeril, a wonderful man but with a heart perhaps just a might too tender, did not wish for us to go off to war. But then he disappeared and I, his son-in-law, ascended to the kingship. The clans cried out for war! They had a hundred years of crimes against them to avenge. I, a father to my people, gave them what they wanted. Now, the Empire uses tricks and traps in war. No Battanian fears to meet an imperial soldier, man-to-man, but we thought it would be a good laugh to use their tricks against them. So we laid an ambush, on both sides of a wooded pass, and wouldn't you know? They marched right into it. They turned and twisted as our arrows rained down upon them, like fish going frantic in a pond as you draw the net tighter. Then, when they were greatly discomfited, we took up our falxes and swords and reaped the harvest. Oh, there was some unpleasantness later with the Sturgians, about the spoils of war, but what a grand old day it was! |
” |
| — on the Battle of Pendraic | ||