Tyll Cwallgun
Tyll Cwallgun | |
|---|---|
 Nwngan Dydd's portrait of Cwallgun. | |
| Born | 26th Lyddian 1172 |
| Died | 11th Ddifawb 1224 |
| Occupation | Leader of the Phyrean Federation |
| Years active | 1203-1224 |
| Successor | Gwenyn Cwallgun an Nhyll |
| Spouse(s) | Rwn Darmadan, Cléfan, Rhurwdd |
| Children | Gwenyn Cwallgun an Nhyll |
| Parent(s) | Lliol Ddlanwyn (mother), Hedab Cwallgun (father) |
Hiaharth Tyll Cwallgun an Hedab, otherwise known as Tyll Cwallgun, Tyll Ddlanwyn or Tyll an Hedab was the leader of the Phyrean Federation during the Glen War. He was a Queendom mercenary turned rebel, and the child of the last sovereigns of an independent Levon.
Biography
Early life
Tyll Cwallgun was born on the 26th of Lyddian, Llun Mód of 391, to the Cwallgun clan, the prestigious ruling family of Levon, back then a portuary city-state and enclave within Amrhyl.
At around 12 years of age, the young Cwallgun, much to the dismay of his family, began growing horns, revealing a previously unknown clunic ancestry. The nearby Queendom of Secyl was then promoting a large anti-clunic campaign, and were quick to use this controversy as a casus belli against the city-state, beginning the Biennial War against Secyl and the Kingdom of Amrhyl, which was in the process of annexing Levon. The city-state's ruling family then went on voluntary exile as Secylian mercenaries began a search party to enslave young Tyll.
They would hide in the small town of Berrelè, in the Province of Hower, but were quickly found out after the 4th month. The mercenaries sacked the town and massacred its inhabitants, along with Lliol Ddlanwyn and Hedabyd Cwallgun, Tyll's parents. Tyll fled to safety amidst the chaos.
Post-exile
Young Tyll would go to great lengths to avoid being found, going from town to town, never staying in the same place so as to avoid another massacre. Frequently, he would camp out in the woods, away from any large settlements, and train his swordsmanship with a stolen sword. Around his late-teenage years, presumably 17 or 18, an elderly swordsmith turned hermit, only known by name as Wyll, took him under his wing. This man would then make Tyll his own personal longsword, sending him to do mercenary work with it. It is widely accepted that his relationship with Wyll was not one of mentorship, but instead emotionally (and probably sexually) abusive. There's extensive evidence of this in the few writings by Tyll from this time. Being semi-literate, he would resort to writing in tree bark and animal hide about his experiences. Three mostly complete texts dating to Tyll's time under Wyll have been found and confirmed to be his, codenamed BT II, BT IX and HT VI.
BT II
BT II (short for Bark Text II) goes as follows:
Crai abasr ddaro
Gamnalaf myrydd le ddagu
Iddai toit scaf a le hart byt ge ngawr yfyt
Notice the misspellings (in bold). Translated, this reads:
I slaughtered sheep today
Foster father taught me how
I wonder if it hurts as bad, my knife in their flesh
This text is widely cited as proof of Wyll's sexual abuse against Tyll.
BT IX
Bark Text IX goes in a similar vein to BTII:
En a le fat scit ddaro
Lynbafar a el le ngwylmynt
Rhifai miai ddar
Yrymos taf a[']g ddu a och
This text reads as such:
My skin is bruised today
He was disappointed with my work
I know I deserve this
It does not lessen the sting
HT VI
Hide Text VI is particular in that it shows that Tyll was religious in some capacity during his young adulthood. It is a typical prayer upon a deity, although his choice is rare, as he calls upon the wild forest spirit Hul Hur.
Hur hur nirai[']n crilan le marhyl wn le myrydd
This translates to:
Hul hur I call upon you to dispel my bitterness towards my foster father
Service to the Queendom of Secyl
It wasn't until the Llun Mód of 401 that he would be captured by Queendom mercenaries, Wyll being killed in the process. Upon facing execution, Cwallgun insisted to join the Secylian mercenary armies, to which his captors agreed, sending him to the frontlines against the Darsavians. At this time his first love (or rather fascination) for someone became apparent: Fférlwfan, a fellow young soldier from Amrhyl forced to fight for Secyl after his hometown was sacked and its inhabitants either massacred or taken as prisoners of war. There exist some poems by Tyll describing his love towards him. Fférlwfan would die at the Battle of Etsonart in the Llun Maf Hyfor of 401, sending Tyll into a long period of mourning. He would make a small rock mound at Ahwan hill in his memory, and records suggest that he would often flee at night to pick flowers and put them near it.
During his mercenary service he was eventually promoted to a position which gave him direct contact with the Princess of Secyl, Lyada of Secyl, with whom he would become very close, and took interest in her ideas of a rebellion against her mother. The both of them would then go on to create the basis for their coup. Keeping their escapades secret, they gained the favour of Ągel Brecherwier, an asconian general, and Etson Povoróg, a darsavian rebel leader.
Rise to the throne of Levon
In the Llun Maf Hwyr of 402, the initial stages of the rebellion would begin when Cwallgun and Lyada escaped to Levon. The levonian people's morale was low from their imposed dependence on the Queendom of Secyl. Thoughts of insurgence were rampant, and when the previous heir apparent returned promising them freedom, they were eager to put him on the throne. The Queendom-imposed sovereign was lynched and murdered. Having now taken hold of one of the most important ports of the Orddonach, he then united Amrhyl, Hower, and the Bluehand countries to create the Phyrean Federation, now having a very firm control on the economy of the entire Orddonach. However, Cwallgun was not well-versed in economy. Preferring instead to focus on battle tactics, he appointed a close ally, Piaromant Belbrínol, as chancellor.
Glen War
After the Revolt of the South, jumpstarted by the secession of the Federation, part of the Asconian Kingdom (the so-called Allied Counties) seceded, aligning themselves with the anti-Queendom ideals of the Federation. This sudden shift in the tides prompted them, along with the now-allied Almighty Marcian Empire, to start the Glen War. The war would come to an end on the 21st of Chrawdguwnt 1205, with the Battle of Arafath.
Tyll would go on to become a massively influential leader, along with Lyada, with whom he would have a child, Gwenyn Cwallgun an Nhyll, the following year. He also had two male lovers after the fact, only known by their first names: Rhurwdd, a hogharryan boy, and Cléfan, a young levonian soldier.
Death
Cwallgun would die on the 11th of Ddifawb 1224. The details of his death are largely unknown, having been kept secret at his request. He was buried at his birthplace, Levon, in the graveyard at the Cathedral of Hallow Marthall.