Lywys Gardynyr

Lord Lywys Gardynyr, Earl of Thirsk, was a Dohlaran citizen and an officer of the Royal Dohlaran Navy.

Biography
He was raised in the countryside, far from Gorath, the Dohlaran capital, and disliked ostentation, whether religious or secular. 

By the Year of God 892, he was the senior professional admiral of the Dohlaran naval forces and served as second-in-command to Admiral Duke Malikai in the Southern Force. Even though Earl Thirsk was the far more capable officer, he was overruled by Malikai on several occasions.

When Lord Malikai was killed in the Battle of Rock Point, Thirsk took over command of the Southern Force and led his surviving ships into hiding at Crag Reach. However, thanks to the "visions" of Merlin Athrawes, the Royal Charisian Navy quickly found them and defeated them completely in the Battle of Crag Reach. Earl Thirsk was taken to Crown Prince Cayleb aboard HMS Dreadnought, where he formally surrendered his sword to the prince, who informed him that his fleet would be burned and that he and his crew would be left behind on the island with only basic provisions and one unarmed ship to return to Dohlar. 

After the Battle of Crag Reach, he was offered by Baron White Ford to stay on in Tarot as the second-in-command of the Tarotisian Navy. 

He was also a widower of several years, and all three of his daughters had husbands and children of their own. 

Earl Thirsk was one the most competent admirals in the naval forces that stood against Charis. Despite internal opposition, he trained his crews before sending them to sea to face the Imperial Charisian Navy galleons. His naval reforms drew a lot of criticism from other, more conservative officers; they disliked the fact that he promoted commoners over noblemen, and forced men of "better birth" to learn the ways of the sea from "lowly" merchant seamen. 

Much like the German general Erwin Rommel on Old Earth, Thirsk was admired by both his allies and foes. 

In the fall of the Year of God 897, his family was ordered to the Temple Lands aboard a Church ship to make them de-facto hostages of the Inquisition. However, seijins Merlin Athrawes and Nimue Chwaeriau intercepted the vessel, took the Thirsk family away, and had a recon skimmer destroy the ship with a laser-guided bomb, eliminating all witnesses. 

Having learned of the loss of the ship and presuming the death of everyone he loved, Earl Thirsk sat alone in his townhouse study, drinking and mourning, when Merlin arrived and informed him that his family was safe. Now free to act according to his conscience, the earl continued to lead Dohlar's defense, but when the Charisian Navy fought its way to Gorath and eventually bombarded its waterfront into rubble, he launched a coup, arresting the Church's agents and forcing King Rahnyld IV to abdicate. Taking over the role of First Counsellor and regent for the underage Rahnyld V, he negotiated a ceasefire with Charis and began the long process of rebuilding Dohlar. 

Promotions

 * Admiral

Posts

 * Second in Command, Southern Force
 * acting Commanding Officer, Southern Force