Heremmer Halberon was an Erindari, noble who rebelled against the Orsini Dynasty in the year 404/6.
Heremmer was born the son of Duke Harkon Halberon; the Lord of Herrondale, and much of his young life was spent as any other wealthy noble scion of Erindar.
In the year 392/6, things began to change for the worse when King Eduard Orsini assumed the Ivory Throne after the sudden death of his father; King Eradan II.
Eradan had been a kind and fair ruler; but sadly, his eldest son Eduard was brash, spoiled, and petulant. He was quick to anger and lashed out at both nobles and officials at court over any perceived slight.
Under King Eduard, the Orsini monarchy of Erindar became completely corrupt, rife with rampant political favoritism.
This corruption began soon after Eduard's coronation, when he began a series of political programs that favored certain, sycophantic Vassal Lords at the expense of others.
It soon became a 'tradition' that nobles who ingratiated themselves to the monarchy were richly rewarded, while those who did not were heavily taxed; some even had their lands seized by royal decree.
As king, Eduard simply took whatever he wanted, without any regard for justice. By the year 404/6, King Eduard had consolidated his power and surrounded himself with greedy, self-serving nobles.
One of these nobles in the king's inner circle was Duke Avery Trask of the Duchy of Relford. Avery had long desired the rich, lands of the neighboring Duchy of Herrondale, and with his new, close relationship with the new King, he saw his chance.
In the year 404/6, based on a false criminal accusation leveled by Avery Trask, King Eduard ordered the Halberon family lands seized, and given over to the Duchy of Daggerford.
Eduard also ordered Duke Harkon to appear at court to appeal for clemency. During the royal audience, where both Avery and Harkon argued their positions before the king, Duke
Harkon exposed the falsity of the charges against him and by doing so, humiliated King Eduard before the entire court. King Eduard then flew into a rage, and immediately ordered Duke Harkon arrested for treason.
The next morning, despite pleas for mercy from his family and other noble houses; Harkon was executed on the grounds of the Cordova Palace.
The King further ordered all remaining Halberon lands seized and ordered the arrest of Harkon's only son Heremmer.
After his father's execution, Heremmer was turned into a fugitive with a Royal Warrant signed for his arrest.
Soldiers from both the Royal Court and the Duchy of Daggerford invaded the Herrondale lands, killing and burning indiscriminately in an attempt to flush out the young noble and his band of rebel followers.
Heremmer fought in several skirmishes with these soldiers, and by doing so, became the leader of what came to known as the Halberon Uprising against the corrupt Orsini Monarchy.
The Uprising dragged on for over 18 years and caused much suffering and bloodshed throughout the kingdom of Erindar.
As the uprising grew, more and more nobles and commoners joined with Heremmer. After ten years of skirmishes and small ambushes, the rebels were no longer seen as bandits and brigands.
They had their own large army and were holding almost 25 percent of Erindar's territory under military control. In 412/6, King Eduard gathered a huge army of 75,000 men and decided to personally crush the uprising once and for all.
Things went badly for Eduard from the very start; he lost three major engagements in a row and was forced into a retreat. Finally, in 415/6, Eduard himself was slain at the pivotal battle of Demerest.
Legends persist that the King was killed by his own soldiers, but in any event, the loyalists suffered yet another crushing defeat.
With the death of king Eduard, the loyalist faction took another blow. Many noble wanted to make peace, but Eduard's son; Estris II; the new King of Erindar, wanted to continue the war and exact revenge for his father's death.
Thus, another eight years of bloody fighting ravaged the kingdom. In the year 423/6, Heremmer killed King Estris II in single combat at the Battle of Crittendon, and the Uprising finally reached a bloody conclusion.
Soon after the battle of Crittendon and the ensuing capture of Chelstad, Heremmer was anointed the new king of Erindar and became the first monarch of the Halberon Dynasty.
Legacy
Today, Heremmer is considered an important, heroic figure to the Vaas people.
