#oc eafled

          Ethelward was the son of Hild, the nephew to Helm Hammerhand, and the tenth King of Rohan, first of the second line. Alongside his mother, he led a surprise raid to retake Edoras from the usurper-king Wulf, and afterward claimed the kingship of Rohan with the support of his cousin Saulwyn, daughter and last remaining family member of Helm. As king, he took the name Fréaláf, “surviving lord,” and worked to free Rohan from its Dunlendish conquerors.           In this he at last had the aid of Gondor, who had been struggling against their own enemies during the Long Winter but were finally free to fulfill the Oath of Círion and Éorl. Fréaláf and his allies drove their enemies back across the rivers Isen and Adorn and laid siege to Isengard until the Dunlendings who had occupied were starved and capitulated, fleeing the fortress.           At Fréaláf’s coronation ceremony, the wizard Saruman suddenly appeared after a long period of absence, offering his support to Rohan, which Fréaláf accepted gladly. At the advice of Fréaláf, Steward Beren of Gondor lent Saruman the keys of Orthanc, giving him leave to dwell in Isengard if he would protect it from another conquest.           Fréaláf was succeeded by his son Brytta, who continued his legacy of sending aid to those in need. This generosity earned him the name Léofa, “beloved,” first coined by his mother Aldwyn, who survived her kingly husband, and later adopted by all the people of Rohan. In addition to rebuilding his kingdom, Brytta defended his borders against the Dunlendings and faced a new threat when orcs invaded the White Mountains after their defeat in the distant War of the Dwarves and Orcs. Brytta fought them off, and when he died it was believed that Rohan was at last free of all intruders.          The wife of Brytta Léofa was Mildgith, a shieldmaiden who fought alongside him to restore Rohan. Mildgith bore her husband a son, Walda, who served in his father’s army fighting off orcs in the White Mountains. When Walda inherited the throne of Rohan, he declared his lands free of enemies, but after only nine years of his reign he discovered this was not true when he was attacked by a last roving band of orcs in the mountains near Dunharrow. Walda and his men were killed, with only Queen Eafled his wife surviving to bear the grievous news back to Edoras.           Walda’s son Folca took the crown and swore to avenge his father. He was renowned as a great hunter, clearing all of Rohan from the scourge of the orcs. This campaign took thirteen years, and when it was over Folca soon grew eager to hunt again. He searched far and wide for a prey worthy of his attentions, discovering it in the form of the monstrous Boar of Everholt. Though his wife Darwise begged him to leave it be, Folca rode out chasing the thrill of another great hunt, but Darwise’s counsel proved true in the end: though he slew the boar in the end, the beast gored him with its tusks, leaving him with mortal wounds. Upon his death, Folca was succeeded by his son Folcwine.