Position: High Ranger of Albion
Group: House Hulce
Barony: Shrewsbury
County: Chester
Duchy: Gloucester
Race: Human
Halo died during the assault of Lord Rone’s circle during the Akari war, on the day he was due to marry Violet Mortimer.
I’ve actually only known Halo since my return to Albion; he was recruited to the House by my elder brother Miles in about 1104. Overall it wasn’t a good year for Miles (particularly given his death at Dunwich that winter) but I suspect that the chance encounter with Halo was probably one of his more foruitous days.
You’ll remember the quakes that devastated Gloucester and Keswick – vast swathes of crops were ruined, many acres of farmland along the Dragonspine was permanently lost, and rural communities suffered serious shortages of both food and raw materials. Unfortunately Miles, despite his obvious intellect, had a bad tendancy to sometimes be a little shortsighted – and at the time was far more caught up in demonology than politics. Giving the situation a fairly cursory glance, Miles saw a lack of tax revenues coming from rural communities and – knowing that tax collection is one of a Baron’s duties to the Pendragon Throne – resolved that the solution to the problem was to appoint someone new to oversee tax collection.
How exactly Miles came across Halo I’m not sure. As I understand it both were in the service of the faction – probably fending off some Imperial incursion – and managed to impress one another. However it happened, the end result was that Miles offered Halo the job and Halo saw fit to accept.
Now, had Halo simply done the job Miles had asked of him we would probably not now be having this conversation. The last thing a starving populace needed was harsh enforcement of taxes that they could never possibly pay … and I suspect had Halo attempted to do this he would have been the first victim of an uprising that subsequently ended Miles’ tenure as Baron.
It’s not that Halo is cleverer that Miles was … for all his faults, academically Miles was one of the most accomplished people I’ve ever encountered. What Halo brought to Castleford was insight; an ear to the ground, an awareness of the common man and his problems, and a willingness to look beyond the obvious for solutions. On top of that his commitment to the spirit of the land is every bit as strong as that of any Hunter follower I’ve fought beside.
When I succeeeded Miles as Baron of Castleford in 1105 Halo had already laid the foundations of what became our approach in the barony (and ultimately in Gloucester under Tylendal’s guidance). Halo understood that rebuilding for the future was more important than rules and quotas in the present. He was a key instigator in the reconstruction of rural Gloucester and must ultimately be considered a vital factor in a greater number of our successes there.
Halo’s work did not go unnoticed by the Pendragon Throne and in 1105 he was appointed as Ranger Of Gloucester. In this role he played a major part in the fight against The Green Man and the defeat of The Covenant. He has also been an active participant in faction politics since his appointment and worked closely with Hadrian Constantine in an effort to train and organise Albion’s archers.
Ultimately I don’t think anyone is in any particular doubt that Halo will be the next High Ranger of Albion. He has not only the skill and experience, but also the temprament, commitment and popular support.
William Hulce, interviewed by Archery Today
Summer 1107