Rydan

These are the first steps along the path to conquest. Tread lightly.
Born Esparan but raised in supposed isolation, Tohmas Galanth stands between blood and upbringing. Called north to defend the family he never knew, he must inspire the people to rally, lest the invading Northlander forces overrun them.
But Tohmas is not the naive commander his enemies or his allies expect. Remnants of a crushed Rydan's clan seek vengeance against him. Northlanders ready their axes for his throat.
In between the two, every other Prince of Espar bickers for supremacy, oblivious to the fact that the greatest threat to them all is Tohmas himself.