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"However, one name, in particular, stands apart from all others, for it’s a name steeped in Bretonnia’s glorious history – that of the incumbent ruler, King Louen Orc-Slayer. But for someone to get a name like Orc-Slayer, there has to be..."

—The famed Orcslayer of Bastonne.[6]

Louen Orc-slayer, also spelled Louen Orcslayer[5], was the Royarch of Bretonnia who, in the year 2201 IC (1223 according to the Bretonnian Calendar[2a][2b]), declared an Errantry War to rid Bretonnia of Orcs and other Greenskins.[1b][2b]

When he became King of Bretonnia, he ruled from his home province of Bastonne and Castle Bastonne, just as Gilles Le Breton did when he united the Bretoni and decreed the tenets of the Code Chivalric.[6][7a]

History[]

When Louen, subsequently famed as "the Orc-slayer," ascended the throne, Bretonnia was once again beset with invading Orc and Goblin tribes. These forces had been amassing for years on the borders of Bretonnia, and they were then streaming out of the Pale Sisters into Couronne and Gisoreux.[1a][2a][6]

Louen's solution was to declare an Errantry War to rid Bretonnia of this curse. The war was pursued with enthusiasm for several years. During this time the retinues of the dukes, reinforced by thousands of eager Knights Errant, vanquished the Orc warlords and carved out new domains along the frontiers.[1a][2a]

Orc strongholds which had remained in remote parts of Bretonnia were finally conquered. The ramparts were thrown down and Human Bretonnian Castles built upon the rubble. Many of the young Knights Errant were granted these domains along with the full knightly title at the end of the years of war.[1a][2a]

The borders of the realm edged further into the foothills of the Grey Mountains as Orc and Goblin tribes were forced to migrate. King Louen was himself in the forefront of these campaigns and personally led armies against the Orcs year after year.[1a]

Over the next century, Bretonnian territory was gradually cleared of Greenskins, who took to the mountains and forests to escape the king's knights. By the end of Louen's reign there were hardly any Orcs left in Bretonnia.[1a][3a][4a][5a]

Heraldry[]

King Louen Orc-slayer bore the heraldry of a red, fire-breathing Dragon imposed upon a field of white and gold. The Dragon is the traditional symbol of Bastonne, the Bretonnian dukedom from which Louen hailed.[3]

King Louen's heraldry bears a striking resemblance to that of Jasperre le Beau, a famed hero in present-day Bastonne.[1c]

Sources[]