Belin Tekkinmod

The Tekkinmod family can trace their line to the time of the Haften Empire, and their ancestors were instrumental in the latter periods of the Haften council.

Belin Tekkinmod was born in a rich village on the Wessen Plateau on the banks of the River Tell. His father was an administrator in Tellmond and Belin saw little of him during his childhood.

As a young man, he worked in the mines of Tellmond at Mount Gannon and then trained in the guards.

His family's influence with the king led him to open new mines in the North Hoar Ridge.  As his influence grew, he found himself initially opposed to the king and he created a strong power base in the west of the country of Wessen.

Belin Tekkinmod saw more opportunity in the little-populated region of Coldor, sometimes known as the empty lands. Coldor was under the thrall of four warrior tribes led by brutal war lords and were beginning to mine in the north of the country in the Caut Range.

Tekkinmod persuaded the king in Tellmond to fund an army and allow him to conquer and claim Coldor. 

The warrior tribes were spread out over the steppes to the north of the Great North Forest though the two most powerful warlords had both established modest, heavily fortified towns on low hills that gave clear views over the treeless plain. The war and the siege of the towns would last three years, and Tekkinmod gained a reputation as a fearsome and efficient general.

Eventually, the warlords were destroyed and their towns razed to the ground.  Tekkinmod took control of Coldor, splitting the spoils with the king in Tellmond. In exchange, the King officially pronounced that Tekkinmod was governor of west Wessen and Coldor.

Although Tekkinmod had substantial land and mining assets, arguably much larger than the King, the King retained control of the highly lucrative mines in Wessen and the gold resources in the mountain, making him the wealthier of the pair.  The partnership between the two having proven to be worthwhile, remaining grievances were set aside, and they became firm allies and friends.

Tekkinmod had always dreamed of reviving the Haften empire and from before the invasion of Coldor had planned to take spread his influence, especially in The Prelates, which, with a higher population, were the stronger market for the mines.  Although not a religious man, he believed that Oran Helting was right that humans were the true inheritors of Dirt. Furthermore, he saw the dragons as a threat to his ambitions as they were not territorial and were very protective of some human communities. It became his aim to create a lasting Haften empire and to destroy the dragons altogether.