Colm 'Callous Col' Cockerwall was the head of Clan Cockerwall, and the first king of the Westmoors.
Early Life[]
Colm Cockerwall was born in 1001 A.A, and was the son of Weylam Cockerwall, the head of the clan. In 1015, Weylam fought in the relief of Calasandur, part of the war of the sorcerer-king, where he was killed during the fighting. Afterwards, due to Colm's age, it was decided that he would be in a regency for two years, and that his advisors would handle the day to day running of the clan.
Colm would argue against almost every decision the regents made, to the point where they often gave in and relented. This earned him the nickname 'Callous Col' in response. In 1017, his regency ended as he reached 16 years old, and he became count of Cockerwall in his own right.
The Feuds[]
After becoming a count, Colm began to partake in the many feuds that were going on in the Westmoors, longstanding grudges between clans. This began with border raids, which by 1019 had progressed to full scale warring between Cockerwall and multiple clans. This ended with multiple smaller clans being wiped out, while the larger clans were forced to kneel to the Cockerwalls.
The First King of the Westmoors[]
By 1030 Colm had subjugated most of the clans, resulting in him inviting every clan in the Westmoors to his keep. Once there, he announced that he was now the 'first King of the Westmoors'. While the majority of the clans, having been cowed by Colm into submission, some resented his rule, and saw him as a brutal tyrant. The most prominent of these clans was the Cotterseas,
Colm spent much of his reign quelling rebellions, reinforcing his control over the remaining loyal clans, and establishing foreign ties with many of the surrounding kingdoms, most notably the Kingdom of Gawed. Over the years, Colm grew to admire the gawedi greatly, referring to them as 'our refined cousins'. He began to wear gawedi clothes, redesign his keep into a gawedi castle, and in a speech to his subjects in 1047, named his clan as 'House Cockerwall' instead of 'Clan Cockerwall'. This increasing gawedi influence caused more clans to join the more traditional Cotterseas, decrying the Cockerwalls as foreign.
In 1055, a 54 year old Colm Cockerwall was travelling through the moors to besiege the Cotterseas and end the war, when he was attacked. It isn't known if it was by bandits, Cottersea loyal soldiers, or his own guards, as the only survivor of the skirmish was Colm himself. Wounded, he rode back to his castle, where he collapsed right outside the gate. After being helped to his bed, he named his son as the new king of the Westmoors and died thereafter. His death sparked the anarchy of the moors.