Duke Gareth of Naxen was a close adviser to King Roald of Conté (the elder), serving as his Prime Minister and King's Champion and also being the king's brother-in-law. He was also the pages' Training Master when Alanna of Trebond went through her training years. As such he taught her in swordsmanship and by the time she returned from the Roof of the World had formed a very high opinion of her.

BiographyEdit

Gareth went through the training of a page and squire to become a Knight of Tortall.^[4] He spent most of his early adulthood with "soldiering" and only settled down in his forties. Around 410 HE he served in the Battle of Joyous Forest, where Coram Smythesson saved his life. He also lost his finger during this time.^[4] Upon settling down he married Roanna of Irimor and they had a son, Gareth of Naxen the younger.^[2]

Duke Gareth was among those palace inhabitants who caught the Sweating Sickness in March 431 HE.^[5]

During Alanna's time as a page and squire Duke Gareth was the Training Master. By 442 HE Wyldon of Cavall held this position. Duke Gareth was also the Prime Minister and King's Champion during the reign of King Roald. When King Roald died in 439 HE his son Jonathan, Duke Gareth's nephew, became king. He offered Duke Gareth both positions again, but he declined. However he remained an important figure in Tortallan politics, leading the Council of Lords^[6] and heading the peace delegation sent to Carthak for negotiations in autumn of 451 HE^[7].

He had heart problems, suffering his first heart attack during the day of Jonathan's coronation in 439 HE, but was still alive during the war with Scanra in the early 460s.

Physical descriptionEdit

Around 430 HE Gareth was described as being "tall and thin, with dull brown hair that fell into his muddy brown eyes." He had a thin and nasal voice. Despite his plain looks he had something commanding about him.^[4] As he aged, his coloring started to yellow and gray. A finger from his left hand was missing since his Ordeal of Knighthood.^[4]

Skills and abilitiesEdit

Duke Gareth was a master swordsman, at one time regarded as the best in Tortall. He did special training with some of the more gifted squires, including Alexander of Tirragen and Alanna of Trebond. He was also Gifted, and Tamora Pierce has stated on Sheroes that she sees his magic as being a dark rose in color. However, she also states that Duke Gareth no longer uses his Gift because it would put too much strain on him. In Alanna: The First Adventure it is mentioned that he taught the pages a spell to start fires.

FamilyEdit

                                             ?            
                                             │
                       ┌—————————————————————┴———————————————————┐
                       │                                         │
Roanna of Irimor ┬ Gareth I of Naxen                    Lianne of Naxen ┬ Roald I of Conté
                 │                                                      │
             Gareth II of Naxen ┬ Cythera of Elden                    Conté
                                │
         ┌——————————————————————┴—————┬———————————————————————————————————┬——————————————————————————┐
         │                            │                                   │                          │
Gilmyn of Naxen - Dolsa of Rosemark  Zenoby of Naxen - Beltair haMinch  Jaquetta of Naxen  Geoffrey of Naxen

His sister was Roald's wife, Queen Lianne, making him the uncle of Jonathan.

AppearancesEdit

• Alanna: The First Adventure
• In the Hand of the Goddess
• Lioness Rampant
• Emperor Mage

Notes and referencesEdit

1. ↑ This date is estimated taking into account that Tammy revealed at Random Buzzers that he married in his forties and that Gary was probably born in 415; pressuming he married in his very early forties and Roanna had Gary very soon it would be around 375, but there is no confirmation for that; it could as well be 365 or earlier when he married in his late forties and Roanna only had Gary a while later; however, this seems to be unlikely for the fact that Duke Gareth is still alive in Lady Knight, which would make him a hundred years old;
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Random Buzz;"Champion's Duties, Scanran War, King Roald/DukeG, Bazhir"; April 22, 2009
3. ↑ Random Buzz; "Famous Women"; April 23, 2009
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Alanna: The First Adventure, Chapter 2
5. ↑ Alanna: The First Adventure, Chapter 4
6. ↑ Emperor Mage, Cp. 2
7. ↑ Emperor Mage

See alsoEdit