Duke Gerald Salfeld

Gerald Salfeld acceded to the rule of House Salfeld and became Count of South Valley in 612, following the untimely death of his father, Achim, in a hunting accident. After taking some time to adopt to his abrupt change of circumstances, he settled into the rule of South Valley. He was swift to consolidate his position and ensure there were no issues either with his vassals or at the imperial court, though he has always preferred to delegate the minutiae of administration to family members.

In 615, Herwig Ascher, Duke of Greenwood, in Intis, died without any obvious heir. A few months into the succession dispute, Gerald decided to press a distant claim he had, with his late grandmother being a granddaughter of a previous Duke of Greenwood. He gathered allies from around the empire. The brief Greenwood War of 617 followed, and the Salfeld coalition seized the duchy from Intis. The Intisi Crown sent diplomats to Sanctuary to protest. They were ignored.

Gerald has spent the years since consolidating his rule of Greenwood. He left most of the existing power structures in place, rather than displacing the nobility who were there, and is even liked by some of them. He still does things the Adanan way, and appears to be a more agreeable ruler for the local nobility than House Ascher had been.

Trouble looms on the western horizon for Gerald though. The Dominion of Rin is expanding rapidly. It is widely believed that it shall attack Intis before long, and should it overrun Intis, Greenwood would be in a vulnerable position indeed.

Gerald is unmarried and childless, meaning that his heir is his younger brother, Raimund, also unmarried. These things do happen in the empire, though some observers have noted that this opens the door to the very situation that led to the Greenwood succession dispute in the first place.

Gerald is intensely charismatic, with a personality magnetic enough that he could lift a portcullis with his smile. He is affable and amiable, at least with his friends. He might not be so friendly with his enemies, but he is always willing to treat with them, a trait demonstrated plainly during the Greenwood War, where he was generous indeed with the local nobility even as he appointed himself their ruler. He can read political situations like a book, and has a deep understanding of precisely which levers to pull to effect change. He likes to have a friend for just about any eventuality.

He is a frequent sight indeed in Sanctuary. He always has a listening ear for anyone who might approach him. He routinely hosts social functions of all sorts, and enjoys entertaining a broad range of guests.

Gerald excels in all sorts of social situations and has a superb grasp of politics.