Louis Contoire, Count of Westmore

Louis, Count of Westmore is a Breton prince and nobleman. He is heir apparent to the Archduchy of Glorinel.

Summary
Born under the sign of the Tower in 3E 276 at Rhostir Castle, Louis is the only child of Charles Contoire and Kintyra Septim. His father succumbed to infection two years after his birth. As one of two potential heirs to the Archduchy of his grandfather, the other his uncle Francois, Louis was thrust into court politics as an infant. Supported by a number from the nobility, the child was made Count and heir. His mother notably sought the sponsorship of her cousin Emperor Uriel V, but this proved unnecessary.

Thomas Garnay, then the Archbishop of Glorinel, was principally responsible for the prince’s education. This was not without precedent in history and both the Archduke and Louis’ mother looked to keep him in the capital. Sir Regis Tavel was later made his instructor in the martial arts. At first riotous and troublesome, Westmore was by the later years of his childhood regarded as a model pupil.

He was made squire to Sir Gilles of Brenholt, a cousin by his great-aunt’s second marriage. At fifteen, he began to joust in the local and greater tourneys of the realm. Gaining attention and fame as the youngest jouster in High Rock, Louis journeyed to other realms by the express invitation of their rulers. The Archduke encouraged these gallant pursuits, personally knighting him on his seventeenth birthday.

This career as a knight was exceptionally short lived, however. Only hours into the tournament celebrating his birthday, Louis was struck off his horse in the jousts. He was grievously injured, dragged along the course and pierced by the splinters of his opponent’s lance. Though he survived death, taking no mortal wound, the young Count’s left leg was beyond the repair of restorationists and surgeons.

Crippled at seventeen and bedridden for months, Louis met both sympathy and suspicion. He could not walk without the aid of a cane, jousting was possible but realistically beyond him, and he was rendered useless with a sword. His own father, a man unpopular with many, had died at just thirty-four; for some, a pattern began to emerge and perhaps Westmore’s ability (and therefore his right) to rule was not a sure thing.

Once he recovered from the incident, Louis took up the pen and developed (or by the incident was made to develop) new interests. Employing a number of learned men, he embarked upon a programme to improve the County of Westmore. In 3E 295, he began renovations of Castle Rhostir. During the next two years, he directed and oversaw the construction of Castle Calon. New farms growing basic tubers were sown around Calon with the aid of magics to restore the fertility of the land.

By 3E 298, the Count was making particular efforts to learn Aldmeris. He sought the tutelage of the Elven scholar Tulindol. Louis furthermore began to write frequently to the Archbishop for guidance in matters of faith.

In what would be his most pronounced step into active governance, Louis commissioned a census of Westmore and its population in 3E 299.