We rejoin Concar in 790. He devotes his efforts to improving the realm and uses some of his remaining funds to build up his infrastructure and builds a hospital in Leon.
Later in the year, his brother Gradlon comes of age. Concar uses his connections to secure him a betrothal to a princess of Cornwall, then gifts the Barony of Montroulez to Gradlon so that he would have a title.
This proved to be a mistake. The following year, when the betrothed would have married, the reagent of Cornwall (her mother) refused the marriage. Apparently, a Baron was somehow a less desirable match than the unlanded brother of a Count. Concar struggled to find a suitable match for his brother and in the end, the best he could find was Steren, a courtier from the petty kingdom of Powys. (And I just noticed that she has the same name as Concar’s sister, who we’ll get to in a minute. Weird.) Still, Gradlon seemed content and happy with Concar.
In 792 the Hermetic Society asked Concar to search for an Artifact. He and Morganne dutifully do as asked, but fail to find anything.
Concar’s sister Steren came of age, and he again used his contacts to secure her marriage to Prince Berneri of West Francia. This further strengthens the bonds between his growing lands and the massive kingdom to his east, but Steren was not happy with the arrangement. Her opinion of her brother dropped dramatically and she became his rival.
Concar began working on a great Theorem, one that would hopefully cement his place in the Society forever, but the stress of working on it made him sick. His court physician tried several treatments before trying an experimental one. It worked and cured Concar of his Food Poisoning, but his hand was burned off in the cleansing fire. Concar became one-handed.
As he was recovering his friend and lover Morganne revealed to him that she was with child, soon giving him the daughter Guenmon. Concar, being honorable, immediately acknowledged her as his own and legitimized her as Guenmon Verch Concar. Gisela and his children with her disliked this, but Concar felt he had to do what was right.
Two more years passed, then Concar received word from his spymaster that his sister, Steren of West Francia, was plotting to kill him. This concerned him in that he still had not secured the duchy and, while he trusted his spymaster, he knew that he did not have the resources that his sister probably had access to as a Princess of Francia. Concar started his plot to kill his sister before she could kill him.
Chancellor Piran had yet to come up with a plausible claim on Poher, but Concar realized that he could make a de jour ducal claim against it at a cost of Piety and Prestige. Feeling paranoid because of the plot against him, Concar transferred Piran to the county of Broerec and launched an attack on Poher.
Poher’s armies fell quickly to the combined might of Kernev, Leon, and Tregor, but the sieges of the holdings would stretch out for almost two years. Concar released all of his vassals’ levies and left only his own in the field, helping their loyalty to him.
Somehow, during this time, the county of Kernev prospered. Unexpected, but the increased income helped keep Concar’s armies in the field.
Despite the war, the Hermetic Society again asked Concar to search for an artifact. Since the war was in a state of siege and he no longer needed to lead his armies, he and Morganne set out once again. This time they were successful, with an artifact to please the society and extra gold to fund the war.
Much happened in 798. The war had been dragging on for some time but his Council remained loyal and the populace, while starting to grumble, remained passive. His son Morvan came of age and Concar arranged a marriage to Lada of Pannonia. This time he waited until the marriage was complete before gifting Morvan the Barony of An Erge Vas. Morvan seemed content at this arrangement.
Perhaps because of her help in retrieving the artifact the prior year, the Hermetic Society promoted Morganne to a full member, meaning she was no longer Concar’s apprentice. Concar approached his son Morvan for the position, to keep membership in the order in the family, and Morvan accepted.
Morganne, meanwhile, gave Concar a daughter; Clemen mab Concar. As before, Concar immediately acknowledged and legitimized her. He was no longer concerned about what his wife Gisela felt as she had become Chaste and no longer interacted with him.
He also learned that Morganne had started a plot to kill Gisela. Speaking with her, he learned that Morganne had developed the ambition of getting married. As she was his friend and lover he decided not to interfere with her plot. Instead, he quietly put his backing behind her.
The siege continued. Troop losses were increasing, but his council was still fully loyal and by reducing some of his levies he was able to reduce the discontent in his realm.
Then, late in the year, Chancellor Piran fabricated a claim on Broerec.
As if on schedule, the last holdouts in Poher fell and Count Erispoe of Poher was captured. The county fell into Concar’s hands. He immediately ransomed Count Erispoe and used the money to hire a mercenary company to bolster his tired troops. Then, he immediately declared war on Broerec; the few remaining troops from Poher that he had been so recently fighting joining in with him.
At home in Leon, Lady Sebdaan of his court began showing an interest in Concar and the two quickly became lovers. She almost as quickly became pregnant, and her husband only slightly less quickly realized it was not his own. Sebdaan became known as “The Unfaithful” while Morganne, perhaps because of what she considered to be a betrayal, became Paranoid and known as “The Twitchy”.
Later, when Adomnan mac Concar was born, Concar would acknowledge and legitimize him. Gestin mab Custentin, Sebdaan’s husband, declared himself a rival of Concar’s even though he preferred the company of other men above that of his wife (perhaps her reason for becoming interested in Concar in the first place.) Concar’s entire family was angry with him but he was focused on the war against Broerec. They were unhappy because of his current actions but he was trying to secure the future of his dynasty!
Late in the year, Broerec fell; Count Guihomarch surrendering to Concar. Concar immediately went to found the Duchy that would ensure his dynasty would continue but found another option available to him…
On the third of January of the year 800, Concar declared himself King of the petty Kingdom of Brittany. He dispatched Piran to the County of Domnonca, the only county around him that was not part of West Francia. He then paused and turned his attention to his newly formed Kingdom. His treasury was almost empty, his armies were exhausted, and his people were tired of the strain of several years of war, but it was all over. Now was the time to start to rebuild.
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