Gail Cordius
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Gail Cordius was a Human who is known for their service to the both Talon's Grotto and Talon's Port. Gail served as a long-term council member in Talon's Grotto before ascending to the position of Sovereign of the Depths in Year 1794 of the First Era.
Contents
Biography
Childhood and Early Adulthood
Gail Cordius was born in Year 1751 of the First Era within the city of Helena in the Holy Orenian Empire. His parents were relatively low-class citizens within the city, and Gail set out on his own at an early age. Throughout his childhood, he picked up on and was taught the art of combat through multiple sources, and was known to be capable of defending himself.
In Year 1769 of the First Era, Gail was called to the city of Talon's Grotto by his childhood friend, Nathaniel Goldblight to take up a position within the city. Gail was appointed first as a personal guard for Nathaniel, before the young Sovereign, wanting to fill the council with those he could trust, later appointed Gail as the Minister of Law within the city in Year 1771 of the First Era. It was in this time that Gail met his future wife, Aeline, who he later married in Year 1779 of the First Era.
As Minister of Law and Defense
During Gail's tenure beneath Nathaniel, he drafted a lawbook for the city, creating the basis for the common Talon's Port book of law which was adopted by countless modern Sovereigns of the city.
As time continued to pass, Gail saw the reign of four different Sovereigns, each of whom decided to keep him on the council within the same position. The ill-defined Minister of Law position soon became irreverent, before a movement passed by James Avery eliminated the Minister of Law in favor of a Minister of Defense position, to which Gail was immediately appointed once more. During the final years of James' rule, Gail took impromptu control of a multitude of Talon's Grotto's functions. More specifically, he worked on a series of public works projects such as charting a ferry between Sutica and Talon's Grotto, and completely redesigning the city from the ground up to be more welcoming to newcomers as the population in the seaside city-state continued dwindling.
After James Avery stepped down from his position as Sovereign in Year 1794 of the Second Era, the council voted unanimously on appointing Gail as the next Sovereign of the Depths. Upon obtaining the position, Gail set out to reform Talon's Grotto into a true nation on the world stage. The disasters that struck Talon's Grotto in Year 1796 of the Second Era caused his plans for Talon's Grotto to go unused as the citizens were forced to evacuate to the new land of Almaris on the World Ship, which Gail had recently ordered be repaired.
As Sovereign of Talon's Port
Upon reaching the shores of Almaris in Year 0 of the Second Era, Gail immediately began to plan the City of Talon's Port with his council. Citizens of Talon's Grotto spent many long years constructing their new city, though in Year 5 of the Second Era, it was finally fully constructed within the southern jungles of the newfound continent, and named the Sovereign State of Talon's Port. Despite his ambitious plans for a worldwide hub of trade and art, the marshes the city was constructed within stinted growth, only allowing Gail's vision of the city to reach a fraction of it's ambition.
In Year 11 of the Second Era, Gail worked to get Talon's Port recognized as an official nation of Almaris, raising them from the status of a simple city state, achieving the goal sought after by each Sovereign before himself. In the years past this point, Gail worked closely with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tianrui Ren, to form alliances and pacts with other nearby nations, forming pacts of non-aggression and trade with The Kingdom of Norland, The Kingdom of Haense, the Holy Orenian Empire, the Cove of Freeport, and the Chiefdom of Aethervale.
Assassination Attempt and Abdication
In Year 14 of the Second Era, tragedy struck. A band of mercenaries, later identified as the Metenian Company, infiltrated the city of Talon's Port, with their goal being to assassinate Gail. The battle was long, and hard-fought, with the sovereign being backed into a corner near the front of the battle and forced to fend off attacks from multiple assailants. Although the mercenaries were eventually defeated by the Talon's Port Militia, there was no choice but to amputate the man's leg after the battle, having suffered a direct hit from an opponent's warhammer which shattered his bones. Should a halfling have not thrown themselves at the assailant and knocked them back, trading their life for Gail's, it would have been his end.
In Year 15 of the Second Era, in light of his injuries, Gail Cordius declared that he was too old to continue leading Talon's Port, and after a subsequent vote by the council, passed the title on to Minto Townsend even in light of the halfling's recent actions within the newly founded city-state of Yong Ping, much to the dismay of former Minister of Foreign Affairs Tianrui Ren and Zhu Li Xiuying. After his resignation, he left Talon's Port with his wife Aeline and settled down in the small village of Veritas within the Grand Kingdom of Urguan.
Final Years
In his later years, Gail receded away from society more each passing month, seemingly only around to speak with Jorden within the local tavern. Though, even that did not last-- when Jorden passed away of her age, Gail was thrown into a state of turmoil, rarely seeing the light of day as he stayed within the four walls of his humble home.
In Year 26 of the Second Era, Gail soon received a letter from an old friend-- the forget-me-not druid, Briala, inviting him to meet her in the deserts outside the grove. Despite his ailing health and old age, he had little choice but to go. The two met for the first time in decades, speaking on the topics of their lives over the past years, and reminiscing of the bygone years. Later that evening, after Gail slipped into a bedroll for the night, he died peacefully in his sleep. The next morning, Briala would transport his body back to the village of Veritas- back to his wife.
Appearance
Gail Cordius was a 6'1" Human with deep brown eyes and chocolate brown hair. He has a crooked nose from a multitude of sparring run-ins, and is always seen with a well-trimmed mustache. He typically sports a light lavender shirt with a white sash across it, and wears moderately sized black boots. As of his later years, he tended to be seen with expertly carved wooden crutches, his right leg cleanly amputated from the knee down.
Family
Near the beginning of his tenure as Minister of Law in Talon's Grotto, Gail married an Elven woman known as Aeline, a citizen of the city when he had arrived. He had two Adunian children with Aeline. The first child, Lelina Cordius, was born in Year 1784 of the First Era, while their second child, Valerie Cordius, was born in Year 0 of the Second Era just mere moments after the World Ship disembarked at the shore of Almaris. Valerie is thought to be the first child ever born on Almaris. In Year 5 of the Second Era, Valerie was temporarily kidnapped by the orcs of Krugmar, but a swift recuse effort from an escaped Krugmar snaga managed to return her to Talon's Port safely.
Issue
| Name | Birth | Death | Marriage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lelina Cordius | 1784 FE | Alive | Unmarried | Firstborn daughter to Gail and Aeline Cordius. |
| Valerie Cordius | 0 SE | Missing | Unmarried | Secondborn daughter to Gail and Aeline Cordius, who had gone missing at a young age. Commonly believed to be the first child born on Almaris. |
