Duke Bernd Gabel

Bernd Gabel has been head of House Gabel and Duke of Southreach since 630 AF. While he had some training at arms in his younger years, much of that is long since forgotten, as he, as time went by, focused more and more on rulership in a time of peace, assisting his mother in his capacity as her heir. His approach to administration was sometimes at odds with the outlook of his mother, the late Duchess Richeza Gabel, not least in the matter of the Reuss-Ineth canal, which irks him to this day. He could simply cease construction, but the harm to House Gabel's prestige and his mother's legacy would be substantial. He must balance that with other concerns. His vassals are occasionally fractious, or else beset by problems of their own. He tends to take a dim view of their antics.

Bernd married Lady Ortrude Lindner, cousin to the since-vanished Count Gerhart Lindner, in 610 and they have three teenage children.

Besides all the internal matters, various people have made efforts to draw Bernd's attention to issues farther afield. He is not oblivious to them, though they are scarcely matters he feels he has the means to address. The most pressing is the Dominion of Rin, and even then, the most he has so far had the spare capacity to accomplish has been to bolster his core cadre of knights. He is a frequent presence at court though, and ultimately pressure may mount for him to look beyond his borders.

Bernd is calculating and intelligent. He can be ruthless with those who oppose him, though moderated by political considerations, just as he can be generous with his friends and, particularly, his more able servants. If calculation alone could solve all of Southreach's woes, he would be well equipped for it. There are moments, dealing with the particulars of rule, where he might for a spell seem tired, but the greater the problem that is presented to him, the more energised he becomes.

Bernd has a broad array of skills relating to the rule of his duchy. He is able to exhibit quite a ruthless streak when dealing with fractious vassals.