Donlevy the Young

Donlevy BelMaris, known as Donlevy the Young, was the 20 Baron of Polten in Damara. He was named for his father, Donlevy the Old.

Personality
Donlevy the Young was somewhat naïve at the outset of his political career. He was good at heart, but also not above warmongering.

Activities
As baron, Donlevy the Young ruled Polten from the capital at Trailsend. His close ties to Impiltur made him one of the most influential barons in Damara in the mid-to-late 14 century DR.

Relationships
Donlevy the Young was a member of the noble House BelMaris. He relied heavily on the advice and counsel of his predecessor as baron, Zorth BelMaris, and as a result was a supporter of Baron Dimian Ree of Morov. However, he feuded with Dimian's closest ally, Baroness Sylvia of Ostel.

History
When the Vaasan War began in the, Donlevy the Old feared for his infant heir's safety should Zhengyi the Witch-King triumph. To keep his son and his lineage safe, Donlevy the Old arranged for the two year-old Donlevy the Young to live in hiding as a farm boy in Tellerth, a town on the furthest eastern fringes of the barony. When Zhengyi massacred the BelMaris family at the end of the war in the, the 12 year-old Donlevy the Young was left as the only true heir of the Barony of Polten. However, he had to remain in hiding as Zhengyi had installed a puppet and pretender to the family name, Zorth BelMaris, to rule the barony.

Two years later, the Bloodstone Wars broke out between the baronies and with Zhengyi's Kingdom of Vaasa. The town of Tellerth, along with nearly a thousand Polten soldiers and all of their families, turned their backs on Baron Zorth when he refused to stand against the Witch-King. With Zorth's popular support at an all-time low, Donlevy the Young came forward to claim his birthright. Despite being only 14 years old and having no experience as a ruler, it was clear that the people would support his claim, so Zorth stepped down. However, Zorth managed to convince the new baron that his experience would be valuable, and so was kept on as an advisor. As Donlevy's decisions began to look more and more like Zorth's doing, such as supporting Dimian Ree's claim to the Damaran throne over Gareth Dragonsbane's, many of Donlevy's allies began to express worries over the pretender's influence. However, by this time Zorth had positioned himself to deflect these concerns before they reached the baron's ears.

Over the course of the, he was able to bring Tellerth back into the fold. He also began feuding with Baroness Sylvia of Ostel, resulting in the dissolution of the Morov-Ostel-Polten alliance that had formed during the Bloodstone Wars. Soon, skirmishes had broken out on Lake Mogador between the two baronies' small navies.

Ultimately, Donlevy decided to back Gareth Dragonsbane’s claim to the throne. By the, he had leveraged his barony’s historically strong ties to Impiltur to become one of King Gareth’s most trusted—and wealthiest—allies.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Bloodstone Lands Campaign