Absolon des Jardins, King of Dhirim and Charas

Absolon II (1199-) was the King of Dhirim and Charas from 1207 to 1257. He was the sixth of the des Jardins dynasty to wear the crown of Dhirim, and the first of his dynasty to wear the crown of Charas. He was the only child of Edouard des Jardins, who reigned before him until his scandalous suicide in 1207.

On the outbreak of the Great Swadian War, Absolon won major initial victories, but suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Ryibelet Fields at the hands of the grizzled King Esterich of Praven. He went on to pursue a peaceful foreign policy, a renewed trade with nearly all his neighbors, and a reformed military. These changes went on to make the Kingdom of Dhirim the most powerful realm in the west, a circumstance not unnoticed by his neighbors.

When the city of Durquba was retaken by Sultan Mujhaid, however, he joined with his rival Woldemar Honigswald in attempting to drive him out of the city, only recently won by the Fifth Crusade; an effort which failed at the Battle of Chadir. The sensible negotiation at the Peace of Chadir however, made peace between the West and Durquba, allowing pilgrims to go to and fro the holy cities, and securing a thirty year peace between Durquba and Charas. He quickly rebounded from Chadir and went on to challenge the despotic reign of Venerio lo Grato, who had invaded the Calradic Empire unprovoked and slaughtered most of the Velucan senate when they later attempted to curtail his powers. The King of Dhirim reluctantly allied himself with the surviving senators, and with a coallition force headed by senator Julian de Loredan and Woldemar Honigswald, he met Venerio's forces at The Battle of Tulvessio Hill, slaying the Imperator in a duel on the verdant hills.

With no clear threats to Dhirim, Charas, or the Calrads, the King ruled over a quiet, humble decade from 1224 to 1234. But as old feuds once again tore at the West in 1235, Dhirim was not spared, being briefly mired in a failed Baron's Revolt before an all out Pravenite invasion commenced. His capable defense of his realm during the Marcher War won him a great victory at the Battle of Martre, against the host of King Woldemar of Praven, and precipitated further victories at Flussweil, Ibestadt, and finally Suno, ending the conflict between the two kingdoms in their lifetime.

The dethroning of Mujhaid by Emir Mishaari of Ahmerrad and Kamaal of Bariyye in 1235 signaled a change in Sarranid politics. The Emir took all of his predecessors former titles and ruled a large Sultanate from Durquba to Ahmerrad. His ally Kamaal's gains were even more immense; the former sultan now ruled a vast Caliphate in Sarrania, and counted Mishaari among his vassals. All of Sarrania save the rebelling Jameyyed soon found itself under the Caliph's thumb, putting the holy city of Charas in striking distance. The disgraced Mujhaid fled to the holy city, seeking the aid of his former enemy, Absolon. Converting to the makerist faith, Mujhaid, now Michael, entreated Pope Aurele to call a new crusade for Durquba. Aurele acquiesced, and gathered the foremost Kings of Calradia at the city of Uxkhal, where the Sixth Crusade was proclaimed.

Absolon quickly agreed to lead the effort, and Woldemar followed him, taking the cross to expiate his sins. Virtually all of the core realms took up the cross in some capacity, leading to an unprecedented 37,000 strong host. As the main army set off towards Durquba from Charas, a second contingent moved to besiege Jameyyed. The main crusader host arrived at Durquba and retook the city with minimal resistance, the Bariyyen force guarding it having long since torched the city and fled. The crusaders occupying the city soon found themselves stricken by dysentery, with even Absolon and Woldemar falling ill. The second army in the meantime succeeded in taking Jameyyed, and marched to Durquba to link up with the main force. While Absolon recovered from his illness, Woldemar did not, ordering his army onwards without him. While Kamaal expanded his Caliphate into distant Aserai, Mishaari was tasked with defeating the crusader army. Reluctant to engage the numerically superior host, Mishaari was eventually forced to meet Absolon in the field by the Caliph himself. The ensuing Battle at El Tamsurah was a crushing defeat for the Ahmerradians, with Mishaari himself being captured and the army being virtually annihilated. By the time the Caliph returned to Sarrania most of Durquba had been retaken by the crusaders. In an impromptu negotiation with Absolon, Kamaal acknowledged the return of Durquba to Michael, and proceeded to occupy all Ahmerrad as recompense. The Sixth Crusade had been won, and Durquba became a makerist kingdom under Michael. The victory was in no small part due to Absolon's leadership.

The Birth: February 10th, 1199 A.D.
Absolon II was born on a cold February afternoon, frost crawling along his infant body as he braved his first few hours of life. His parents, King Edouard, and Queen Anna wept of sorrow by his small wooden bassinet. He would surely perish, amidst this awful overblown winter surge, his infantile body was cold to the touch, and his cries were hoarse and weak; it seemed nigh inevitable that King Edouard's only child would be dead by next morn.

When the sun rose on February 11th, Chateau sur la crête's stone walls were dripping wet. The ground lay porous with mud and muck. A few seedlings poked up from the dead grass. And the nascent Absolon was cool in his crib.

Spring had come early.

The marriage of the house of des Jardins and the house of du Toit, the marriage of the crown with the grand duchy of Tilbany, a hazardous experiment to unite the realm, would survive.