Lord of Seonon, Warden of Llyn Tywal
Luichan fen Penraic is Mormaer of Clan fen Penraic and lord of Seonon, ruling over the bound villages of Andurn, Bryn Glas, Mag Arba, and Swenryn. He is known across Battania as a rare figure of restraint in a land that often praises cruelty as strength. Where many war-leaders seek to break enemies through terror, Luichan seeks to break invasions through discipline, terrain, and patient defense. This philosophy has shaped Seonon into one of the more stable and quietly prosperous towns of the Greenwood Expanse.
Luichan rose to prominence not through inheritance alone, but through reputation earned in border skirmishes against Sturgian raiders. His bowsmanship is precise and deliberate, favoring carefully chosen targets over reckless volleys. In battle, he positions archers to deny movement through narrow ground, forcing enemies into killing zones rather than chasing glory in open pursuit. Those who have fought under him speak of a commander who wastes no lives and tolerates no disorder when survival is at stake.
As one of the Twenty of Dunthanach, Luichan carries authority that reaches beyond his clan lands. His voice is heard in councils where even mormaers argue cautiously, for to dismiss the counsel of one of the Twenty is to risk being seen as reckless with the Greenwood’s safety. Luichan uses this standing sparingly. He does not posture or threaten rivals with his title. Instead, he frames his arguments around long memory: the cost of wars fought for pride rather than necessity, the villages burned because leaders chased vengeance rather than defense.
Luichan’s rule over Seonon reflects his personal code. He maintains roads and watch-fires, rotates militia duties among villages, and enforces strict discipline on his retainers when dealing with civilians and outsiders. He has paid skilled peasants and displaced folk to settle in his lands, not as charity, but as investment. He believes that knowledge and craft are forms of defense equal to spear and bow. This policy has made Seonon a place where healers, fletchers, brewers, and silk-workers gather, strengthening the town’s resilience. It has also drawn suspicion from more insular clans, who see openness as weakness.
In council, Luichan often stands alone against those who favor punitive raids and public executions as deterrence. He argues that terror hardens enemies and teaches them to strike without mercy in return. His preference for allowing beaten foes to withdraw has earned him a reputation for generosity in victory, but also quiet enemies among those who profit from cruelty and plunder. Some whisper that Luichan’s mercy invites future raids. Others counter that Seonon’s relative stability proves his method works.
Personally, Luichan is reserved, speaking little outside council and war. He keeps his hall modest by mormaer standards, favoring practical furnishings over ostentation. He is known to walk the lakeshore at dawn when fog still clings to Llyn Tywal, a habit that has given rise to stories that he listens to the lake’s whispers. Luichan does not indulge such talk, but he does honor the old tales of Algana and Gorawan, ordering that the tower overlooking the lake be maintained as a place of quiet remembrance rather than spectacle.
Luichan’s greatest strength is also his greatest vulnerability: his refusal to rule through fear. In a land where betrayal is common and rivals are ruthless, mercy can be read as softness. Several clans watch his domain closely, waiting for proof that restraint fails. Luichan knows this. He accepts the risk. To him, Battania’s survival depends not only on killing invaders, but on preserving a way of life worth defending.