Alren DeNurem
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Alren DeNurem (born 13th of Godfrey's Triumph, 1725) was an Imperial statesman, the 3rd General of the Imperial State Army, and 3rd Field Marshall for the Holy Orenian Empire. He was most known for his military career, highlighted by his groundbreaking restructuring of the ISA and his aggressive campaigns in the Inferi War and culminating in being named the 4th Generalissimo in Human History. In the year 1781, he was bestowed the County of Mordskov for his military and civil service to the Empire by Peter III, Holy Orenian Emperor. His service as Secretary and later Chief of War stretched across 39 consecutive years. With regard to the lofty positions of power Alren held throughout his military and administrative career, he was remarked as staunchly apolitical and in stark contrast to corrupt behavior.
Early Life
Born in 1725, Alren married his wife Gwyneff in 1740 and immigrated to the Holy Orenien Empire in 1742 where he worked as a fletcher and general laborer in the city of Helena. Little was known about his origins prior to his arrival in Helena but it was noted that he was properly educated and familiar with melee combat. Due to the high demand for missiles during the Rubern War he was able to scrape together a humble living fletching arrows and crossbow bolts. He would often take on civilian contracts to procure raw materials for construction for various holdings in the Crownlands, Haense, and Curon. However, as the war continued to grow in its brutality, civilian industry outside of the safety of cities withered, affecting Alrens ability to provide for his family. For a very brief period of time, Alren would run in the City Assembly, hoping to try and improve conditions for the immigrants and refugees as a result of the Rubern War to Helena.
Military Career
In 1743, at the age of 18, he was conscripted as an auxiliary fighter by Colonel Darius Sabari to fight in a vanguard army tasked with intercepting the AIS siege army advancing on New Reza. Following the route of the enemy forces, Alren DeNurem was officially recruited as a Private into the Imperial State Army under the command of Captain Jasper Carrington in the 1st Brigade (Helena Regulars). During his service under Captain Carrington, Alren saw combat during the Rubern War on numerous raids against the Lorrainian Stronghold and the Norlandic defense front in Curon. For much of his enlisted career he served in the scout and expeditionary forces of the Imperial State Army alongside notable soldiers Rylan Swint, Alexander Cenobia, and Peter d'Arkent. He was distinguished with a promotion to Corporal after several successful raids against AIS forces stationed in Lorraine and discovering safe infiltration routes past enemy defenses in a number of strongholds. He would eventually come to be mentored personally by Captain Jasper Carrington where he was trained in law enforcement and civil pacification. He would also be educated in the principles of officership and military sciences through his position as Jaspers right hand man.
Alren was awarded an Officer Commission as an Ensign in 1746 for his work in developing a standardized basic military training for the Imperial State Army and the foundation of the Imperial Combat Academy which offered higher education to all service members in the Empire. He was fast tracked to Lieutenant when he was assigned the regimental billet responsible for running the newly designed basic training program. Upon the retirement of Captain Jasper Carrington, Alren was promoted to Captain of the 1st Brigade under the command of Colonel Darius Sabari. He would also be elected as Lord Mayor of Helena in 1748 marking the beginning of a 23 year career in civil service for the city. His tenure as Lord Mayor kick started the Helena Reconstruction Project, the Revitalization of the Helena Slums, public works projects to decrease municipal poverty, reforms to municipal law enforcement, and the introduction of progressive tax reforms. He took full advantage of his position as Lord Mayor and Captain of the 1st Brigade (responsible for the defense and law enforcement of Helena) to institute greater safety for Imperial citizens against enemies foreign and domestic in addition to other social and economic policy reforms. When the Chelovek conspiracy was uncovered by Peter III, Holy Orenian Emperor, Alren aggressively engaged with the terrorist organization that took root in the city. He would often organize public executions of captured Chelovek combatants and would regularly denounce the racist and supremacist messages spread by the organization. The conflict would escalate during the Helena Slums Riot of 1750 where it was alleged that Chelovek agents were violently targeting non-humans during a demonstration in the city slums district. A fire erupted from an unknown source that quickly spread to the tightly packed buildings. Alren would lead his brigade to disperse the violent mob and organized the efforts to put out the flames before they spread to the rest of the city. He would become injured by a collapsing building but continued to dictate relief efforts as Lord Mayor during his recovery.
Throughout his time as Captain and his eventual promotion to Colonel of the 1st Regiment in 1756, Alren DeNurem was responsible for the rapid modernization and dogmatic reconceptualization of the Imperial State Army. In the years since the start of the Rubern War, the Imperial State Army had greatly deteriorated and the Imperial forces were largely decentralized. As well, a decade of marshal law policies brought on by the war saw the break down of internal military structure and standards. In addition to the foundation of the Imperial Combat Academy, Alren expanded the active Brigades of the 1st Regiment from one to five- each contributing unique and integral functions for the Imperial State Army. The military sciences of the Imperial State Army saw expansions in the form of a standardized military handbook, enlisted force structure expansions, comprehensive commissioning programs, military honors programs, Lex Kaedreni reformations, the formation of a standardized military medical corps, and subsidized military service incentives to include salaried pay. He was a major proponent and driver for the near complete centralization of all military powers under the Imperial Crown. Due to the established military codes regarding the importance of the Colonel of the 1st Regiment, Alren was by default promoted to a General of the Imperial State Army- 1st Order- and subsequently Field Marshal of the Imperial Forces. This also prompted his appointment as Secretary of War under the Basrid Ministry, lead by Simon Basrid. His tenure as Secretary of War and then Chief of War continued with the transfer of power to the Stahl-Elendil Ministry- lead by Jonah Stahl-Elendil- the only member of the previous administration to retain their seat on the Council of State.
In the decades leading up to the Inferi War, Alren was responsible for the bolstering of Imperial defenses which at the time were predicated on the threat of another coalition war against the Empire. Massive works projects were commissioned and built over the course of 2 decades by the ISA Corps of Engineers, many of which he personally drafted and led. Some such projects included the complete overhaul of The Bastille, improving its defensive capabilities and abilities to host the greatly expanded number of Brigades. Another was the Imperial Rapid Response Railway, a military operated underground railway built alongside the civilian network that stretched from Helena to the furthest reaches in the Empire- namely the North-Eastern Territory, which shared a border with opposing participants of the Rubern War who still displayed aggression against the Empire. This railway had multiple stops along its route at key choke points known to be active targets of Imperial dissidents, bandits, and foreign aggressors against civilians. Finally, among the most impressive was the star fortress the Eye of Man, which was built atop the abandoned capital of the defunct Kingdom of Curon. Other than being the location where the rediscovery of gunpowder for the Empire was made, it was also the final stronghold in the last days of Arcas following the conclusion of the Inferi War. Imperial citizens and foreign refugees alike were sheltered within the defenses of the Eye of Man before being loaded onto ships destined for Almaris.
During the Inferi War, Alren commanded the Imperial forces in numerous altruistic engagements in support of the nations of Arcas with the primary focus being to control the spread of the incursion from Korvassa. His work in the rediscovery of artillery sciences greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the descendants against Inferi forces, especially during sieges of Al-Faiz and Aegrothond. His willingness to cooperate with foreign militaries and his expert strategical prowess allowed the opponents of the Inferi to strike devastating blows, halting their invasion plans from the Korvassan plane. In 1795, at the conclusion of the campaign and a 50 year military career, Alren DeNurem was awarded the honor of Generalissimo by Anne I, Holy Orenian Empress- a title held by only four commanders in Human history.
