Elwar Dodren, sometimes called the Snoring King, was the human king of Falderheim from 929-965 IaC. He was a powerful and well-respected king whose complete dominance over the warring families of Falderheim brought a stable peace to the kingdom for many years, much to the war-loving king's dismay. King Dodren played a large role in the Great Throne War when he lead the armies of Falderheim against the legions of Betaria. King Dodren ultimately perished in the war from Palefire, but his death was a catalyst that rallied the Alliance to victory.
Description
Elwar was a tall, imposing figure, even though he had been slightly shriveled by age, standing around 6'5". He had a long, serious face that was usually upturned into a smile, wrinkling his cheeks and forehead. He had dull, grey eyes and somewhat unkempt grey hair, paired with a long, greyish-black beard. According to his wife, Elwar was quite a looker in his youth, before he "decided to get old".
Elwar had a reckless personality, and generally sought to end his conflicts, no matter how petty, with a fight. Elwar was stubborn, relentless, and easy to antagonize, but though he often acted foolish, he was a surprisingly intelligent and fair ruler. Still, Elwar's heart, like many Falderians, lied in war, which he sought at every opportunity. Elwar liked to fight on the side of the righteous and disenfranchised, as "Underdogs are often made to overcome terrible odds. That means the fight is better."
Skills and Abilities
Elwar was a skilled skill martial fighter and wartime commander, experienced in both battle and leadership. His prowess allowed him to seize the throne of Falderheim ahead of his older brother after besting him 17 times in single combat. Elwar's battle tactics and experience were enough to quell the insatiable warring families of Falderheim in only 3 years after he took the throne, maintaining a steady peace in the region ever since.
4 Longsword Fighting
Elwar developed a signature fighting style using 4 longswords, effectively turning him into a hurricane of blades on the battlefield. Elwar refused to share the secrets of this style with even his closest confidants, unleashing it only when necessary. He took this style with him to the grave.
History
Early Life
Elwar was born in 882 IaC as the second born son of the Dodren family. He was an unusually resilient child, already fighting with his older brother before he reached his first year.
Elwar soon made a name for himself in Falderheim as an indefatigable warrior and a charming hero that won people over with his force of will. Sent on missions of great danger by his father, the king of Falderheim, in order to remove his destructive presence from the kingly court, Elwar became something of a folk hero among the people of the kingdom as he felled giants, trolls, harpies, thurgos, and by some accounts, a dragon, all on his own.
Early Rule
When the king of Falderheim fell ill and died in 929, Elwar had just returned to Vijilande from quelling an prising of tieflings in Unknown. As his elder brother attempted to claim the throne through his birthright, Elwar challenged him to the Trials of Brodas, and ancient forgotten tradition that claimed if a younger sibling could best the older in single combat 17 times consecutively (once for each of the old houses, now a deprecated concept), they would become the rightful heir to the throne. A country of tradition, Elwar's brother was forced to accept, and Elwar handily defeated his brother in each of their bouts, regardless of the unfair disadvantages that were placed against him by the court.
Now considered a hero of the people, Elwar's disruption of the common court proceedings shook up the tensions of the warring families, who until that point had been in a tense truce. Elwar's lack of proper diplomacy infuriated the family leaders, who began to fight each other for land and resources. Ignoring warnings from his advisors, King Elwar declared war on all the families simultaneously, who turned all their antagonism towards the capital in response. Unafraid, Elwar marched into battle at the head of his regiment despite his age (nearing 50) and position. His absolute domination of the battlefield earned him the moniker the "Storm of Vijilande". In only 3 years, Elwar managed to beat the warring families into submission, such that they did not attempt any major declarations of war during the rest of his rule.
After his conquest of Falderheim, Elwar soon became bored of life at court, and would often disappear for months into the Arcaunac Valley, returning with the heads of his kills. In Iron 934, Elwar waged an unsuccessful war against Sanaris, likely because of his strange war tactic of immediately giving up the lands he seized so that the enemy would recuperate and rebuild stronger. Elwar later signed a peace treaty with Sanaris, claiming that he was tired of the defensive way that Sanaris protected their borders, as opposed to the more proactive approach that the warring families wished for.
During these peaceful times, Elwar would constantly inform his court that he was bored. Over time, people began to refer to him as the Snoring King, as he had naught else to do.
Later Life
In Iron 951, King Dodren and a contingent of his most powerful warriors traveled to the Isles of Wrath after a spell by the Nightseeker shrouded the world in darkness. Elwar arrived quickly after darkness fell, teleported by his court wizard, and began crafting plans to attack the Shadow Fort the Nightseeker had created. King Dodren met with both Halarain Ovastios and Seamus McHammerface at this time, making a promise to support their claims to their respective thrones should they prove themselves in the upcoming battle. During the Battle for the Sun, King Dodren attacked with furious and unrelenting strength, refusing to submit despite his age and many injuries. The emerged from the battle bloodied, but excited to continue warring alongside the two future kings.
After crafting an agreement with Seamus and Halarain, King Dodren lead the forces of Falderheim against Betaria, a preemptive measure as the assumption was that they would attempt to take advantage of a power vacuum caused by the Great Throne War. Dodren did not expect Sanaris to ally with Betaria, leading to a difficult position for Elwar that he fought on two fronts; a situation he enjoyed immensely.
Death
As the years of the war passed, Elwar's tactics and presence on the battlefield remained unrivaled, but his age was finally beginning to catch up with him. Despite warnings from family and friends, he continued to put himself on the front lines of battle even as he turned 80.
In Iron 965, King Dodren lead a particularly unprepared assault on a Betarian keep that was believed to have been relatively unguarded. This was a trap by the Betarians, however; the keep was actually stocked with Palefire that was rained down on the Falderians as they attacked. During the approach, Elwar took a direct hit of palefire that eviscerated his left arm and upper chest, but he continued onward regardless of his lethal injury. He made it to the keep and killed its commander before dying immediately afterwards, standing on his own two feet at the age of 83. The Falderians rallied off of his death and left none in the keep alive, despite being vastly outnumbered.
Elwar's death boiled the blood of the Falderians, who led a united front alongside the Pallamians, the new Sanarian army, and the Nightspell Moors against Betaria. The ferocity of the Falderians in the ensuing battles became tales of legend among the soldiers that fought alongside them.
Legacy
King Elwar Dodren was succeeded by his wife of 56 years, his 8 sons, 12 daughters, and 67 grandchildren, all of whom he instilled with a desire to take the throne. As per his wishes upon his death, was left standing at the site of his defeat for 17 days, after which his corpse was burned in sacred fires of Vijilande. The keep where he was defeated was torn down, and the bricks where transported back to Falderheim to be used in the construction of a nightmarish, trap-filled tomb, where the majority of his wealth was buried. After a memorial and statue was built at the former site of the keep, the Falderian families began to spread word across the continent and world regarding the location of Elwar's tomb and the ridiculous amount of wealth hidden inside.
The Unknown became a location of immediate legend for its brutality and ridiculous wealth; the few that have managed to return alive from the tomb rarely did so without lasting injury or grandiose tales of the treasure held within. Adventurers with death wishes congregate at the dungeon to attempt to retrieve its great prizes, just as Elwar intended.