Brennos

Knight of Epona, Goddess of Horses – aka the Swan Knight

Brennos is a thirty-year-old Toleki knight whose current home is the Summer Country.  He is large, well-muscled and powerful, just over six feet tall, very strong and moves with grace and fluidity.  Although his cheeks are clean-shaven he has a long, neatly kept moustache, the ends of which just brush the base of his neck.  His wavy, shoulder-length red/blonde hair is plaited at his temples so as to hang on either side of his face.  The rest of his hair is loose about his shoulders.  He has pale skin and piercing green eyes.

A very well-spoken man, Brennos uses a refined and elegant style of speech.  His voice is deeper than the usual male voice and has a very attractive burr, especially on “r” sounds.

Brennos wears a bronze helmet with the large projecting forequarters of a Pegasus on top, the outspread wings of which stretch around both sides of the helmet above his ears.  A fine white horsehair plume trails halfway down his back.  The helmet has cheek guards beautifully embossed in curvilinear designs and a neck guard at the back.

His armour was specially crafted by Goibniu, the weaponsmith “Power”.  Brennos wears bronze breast and back plates (cuirass) and greaves (armour for shins) all heavily embossed and incised with curvilinear patterns.  A large, rearing Pegasus with wings outstretched covers most of the breast-plate.  Under the plate, Brennos wears a chain-mail corselet (shirt with short sleeves) with shoulder reinforcements attached across the top of his back and held in place below the pectorals with large studs.  A double thong of leather attached to the corselet through small metal rings holds the mail pieces together and prevents gaping.  All edges of the corselet are bound with rawhide.  The power of the armour lies in its very lightweight (half that of normal plate and chain-mail).

Brennos has a sword crafted by Goibniu that is a 70cm long (hilt guard to point) iron cut and stab weapon with a pointed blade.  The scabbard is covered with heavily decorated bronze depicting galloping horses.  The pommel of the sword is decorated with gems and enamel with a horse’s head on top of the hilt.  Brennos wears his sword suspended from his right hip on a belt of chain links.  The iron is very effective against Summer Country natives.  Damage inflicted by the sword ignores all armour up to and including chain-mail if the opponent is a liar or a cheat.  Brennos also has a broad-bladed dagger sheathed in a decorated bronze scabbard.  The scabbard is covered in a miniature version of the galloping horses design on the sword scabbard.  The artistry of the metalwork is of the highest calibre, very breathtaking.

The spears and javelins he uses are of bronze and iron with elongated points and butt-spikes.  The spears are inlaid with bronze in patterns of curvilinear style and are broad-bladed thrusting weapons.  Brennos uses a specially barbed spear which makes one wound on entry but tears away the flesh on removal from the body.  This is his “killing spear”.  He also uses a sling as a missile weapon.

His shield is a 1.1 meter long truncated oval (kite) made of oak planks chamfered to a thinner section towards the rim.  The centre of the shield is reinforced by a wooden spine swelling in the middle and hollowed out for a round or oval hand space in the back.  A bronze strap type boss protects the hand space from the front.  The boss crosses over the wide centre section of the shield and is riveted through the shield.  The flat area of the face and back of the shield is covered with leather.  Metal piping has been applied to the top edge of the shield to protect it from downward strokes.  The front of the shield is decorated with a large white Pegasus with wings outstretched.

The love that Brennos has for decoration extends to his gold cloak brooch, his gold torc and his heavy gold bracelet which he wears on his right wrist.  The gold cloak brooch has gems and enamel decoration and is used to hold his cloak on his right shoulder.  His cloak is made of wool and hart’s hair and has a braided fringe around the front and bottom edges.

Brennos rides a large, very elegant grey stallion, a “faery” horse gifted to him by Epona.  The horse’s name is Ambiorix and he has very intelligent eyes.

Brennos was born almost 200 years ago.  His mother was a singer and dancer who also played the lute, his father was a duellist.  After serving as a medium infantry soldier Brennos eventually became the bodyguard for a noble Gelfinlorn family.  He was knighted after brave and honourable service to that family over 10 years.  Not long after he received his knighthood Brennos was believed to have been slain in battle, his body hastily buried by the kidnappers of a child belonging to the household he was responsible for guarding.

Luckily for Brennos, the kidnappers were premature in their judgement and had actually buried him alive.  He was rescued by a party of night jinn who took him into the Summer Country and left him in the care of Epona.  Here he was healed by Ilvilon, Tintagel’s father.  Brennos has no memory of his journey into the Summer Country or of being attacked by the kidnappers.

After coming to the attention of Epona, Brennos was trained in the arts of war by a female warrior “Power” named Emer.  Emer trained Brennos in single combat on foot, on horseback and from the back of a war chariot.  Emer also gave Brennos valuable instruction in military strategy.

Brennos and Goibniu are very good friends.  The two can communicate via telepathy through the sword made by Goibniu.  Brennos takes his role as Epona’s Champion very seriously and so does Epona.  She doubles his endurance when he is fighting for her in the Summer Country.

Brennos will not eat hares, fowl, ducks or geese (won’t eat any birds) but does like pork, milk and moderate wine or beer.

A young musician of Epona’s court taught Brennos how to play the lute.  The musician’s name is Angus Og and he is very successful with the ladies.   Brennos worships Starrion and is in awe of Epona.