"With a heart of stone and resolute temper Beren stood unbowed, and with each sweep of blade and thrust of lance, foeman's blood would spill."
- —Beren.[1]
Heraldry of Gisoreux.
Beren was the first Duke of Gisoreux and the tenth of the Grail Companions of Gilles le Breton during the Twelve Great Battles that freed and unified Bretonnia.[1a]
History[]
Beren was the lord of the Bretonni of Castle Gisoreux and the surrounding lands by 977 IC, when Gilles le Breton began his campaign to free the lands of Bretonnia.[1c] As recounted in The Histories of the Unconquerable Realm, Beren fought valiantly against foul ambushers within the Forest of Arden and was the lone survivor of his party, sorely injured and lost. A vision of a white hart led him to safety, and it is this occurrence that is remembered and honoured in the heraldry of Beren's descendants.[1b]
Lord Beren joined the Grail Companions of Gilles when the knights of Bastonne, Mousillon, Lyonesse, Bordeleaux, Aquitaine, Brionne, Carcassonne, Quenelles, Parravon and Montfort came to his aid during the eighth of the Twelve Great Battles. Together they managed to break the magical onslaught of the greenskin shamans.[1a]
After the securing of all the lands of the Bretonni tribes, a great meeting took place in the home of Folgar of Artois. Here, the formal dukedoms were created, and the Bretonnian calendar was introduced - thus, year 979 of the Imperial Calendar is considered year 1 of the Bretonnian one. Each of the great lords of the Bretonni, the fourteen Grail Companions, including Gilles le Breton, were named Dukes. The Dukes swore oaths of allegiance, and Bretonnia was formed.[1c]
The Heraldry of Gisoreux[]
Long ago, the first Duke of Gisoreux was saved by a vision of a white hart that led him to safety. To this day the device is still borne into battle by his descendants. Although rare, the legendary white hart is still occasionally seen, appearing as a harbinger of great feats of heroism or before the onset of a storm of magic.[2a]