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Roger of Conté, born in 401 HE[1], was a Tortallan royal and held the title of Duke. He was the only nephew of King Roald V, and was heir presumptive of his cousin, Jonathan of Conté. Roger gained quite a bit of notoriety over the years and was known throughout the Eastern Lands as a powerful sorcerer. He conspired against his extended family, wanting to become king. He was killed by Alanna the Lioness for this, and later resurrected by Thom of Trebond. In his new life, he wished to destroy the entire land rather than rule it. He was finally killed during the Coronation Day Battle of 438 HE.

Biography

Early life

Roger was born in 401 HE as King Roald's only nephew from Roald's younger brother. Nothing is known about his mother, but his parents were killed when he was a child. There isn't anything known about his childhood or education, either. However, it can be assumed that Roger went through the training for knighthood and finally got his shield, because he later took on a squire. Besides that he was also educated in the use of magic.

He traveled a lot during his early years and befriended those he thought were worth it, and made enemies in others. Liam Ironarm is believed to have an enmity with the duke, but it is unknown how that came to pass. As Liam is afraid of magic, it is possible that his fear came from an altercation with the duke.

Life at the palace until first "death"

Magic Teacher of the Pages

By the 430s of the Human Era he had already gained the reputation of a powerful sorcerer and was famous throughout the Eastern Lands. Before being called to court in 431 HE Roger was in Carthak. From there he sent the Sweating Sickness, his first move in trying to seize the throne, hoping it would kill his cousin Jonathan. After the sickness was defeated, King Roald called Roger to court to teach the gifted pages sorcery and to try to find out who sent the Sweating Sickness that attacked the city. A little over a year after his arrival in the capital, Roger took Alexander of Tirragen on as his squire.

High Treason

Over the course of the following years, Roger made further attempts to kill his cousin without arousing anyone's suspicion, including sending Jonathan to the Black City to face the Ysandir, and placing him in the front lines during the war with Tusaine in the Drell River Valley. He also attempted to kill Alanna of Trebond, still known as Squire Alan, multiple times. He was afraid she would interfere with his plot, as Alanna had made it obvious that she neither liked nor trusted the Duke.

Roger had a few major accomplices in his plot for the Tortallan throne, notably Alexander of Tirragen, his former squire, and Delia of Eldorne, his implied lover. He cast a spell to prevent key members of the court, Sir Myles of Olau, Duke Gareth of Naxen, the Lord Provost, as well as Alanna, Jonathan, and King Roald from realizing what he was doing or from acting on any of their suspicions. Alanna weakened the spell during her Ordeal of Knighthood enough that she could break free and reveal Roger's true intentions to the world. After breaking into his chambers and finding evidence against him, Alanna accused him in front of the whole court on the second feast of Midwinter in 437 HE. Roger challenged her to a trial by combat, in which he used illegal magic in an attempt to beat her and also accidentally discovered and revealed her true gender, but Alanna managed to defeat him anyway.

"Second life"

While it was believed that Roger died from this duel, he did not. Instead, he was in a state called Sorcerer's Sleep, which allowed him to plan his revenge carefully. In the meantime, Delia managed to goad Thom of Trebond into bringing Roger back to life not even a year later. King Roald, ever the peacemaker, returned all of Roger's estates and titles to him before his own death. On the day of Jonathan's coronation, Roger and his supporters mounted a full-scale attack. While most of his fighters believed they were attempting to put Roger on the throne, Roger's true plan was to destroy Tortall with a giant earthquake, presumably because he had been driven mad by his time in the Sorcerer's Sleep. However, Alanna managed to permanently kill Roger before his plan could come to fruition. He died on the day of the July full moon in 439 HE, during the rebellion.

Physical description

Roger was generally considered very attractive. He was over six feet in height, with fair skin, blue eyes, brown-black hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He was broad-shouldered and muscular, with strong-looking hands, and exuded charm and confidence. Before his first "death" he dressed very well and was vain of his appearance. After his return, his hair was too long and there were food stains on his robe.

Magical abilities

Roger's magical standing was never stated explicitly in any of the books. There is some speculation among fans of the books that he is the equivalent of a black robe mage from the university in Carthak, like Numair Salmalín, as it was said that Duke Roger was the most powerful sorcerer in the Eastern Lands in his time. Gary of Naxen stated that "every sorcerer in the Eastern Lands would think twice before taking him on." Furthermore, he sent the Sweating Sickness to Tortall while he was in Carthak, which was at least a month's worth of travel away.

Roger got his magical gift from the non-Conté side of his family, and so the color of his magic was orange, rather than blue like Jonathan's. When Thom raised Roger from his grave, the spell left the two of them magically tied, and the color of each of their gifts changed to a dark blood red, a combination of Roger's orange gift and Thom's violet gift. Roger hid his returned Gift by using their magical tie to force Thom to contain both of their Gifts, causing a magical sickness in Thom, and appearing to be bereft of magic.

Personality

Roger has an extremely colorful taste in clothing. Alanna described it as the one thing she admired about the Duke. He also has a cruel sense of humor, making fun of Alanna when she first returned to Tortall.

Further Information

During the events of The Song of the Lioness series, Roger was second in line to the Tortallan throne, after his cousin, Prince Jonathan. Before Jon's birth, he would have been first. It is presumed, as he bears the name "Conté", that his father was Roald's younger brother. Either that, or he is from a cadet branch of the Conté line, perhaps a cousin of Roald's, as it was never explicitly stated what degree of kinship Prince Jon and Duke Roger shared.

Family tree

Thom of Pirate's Swoop's Versions

From 795 AE to 367 HE

Collapsible family tree showing the family line prior to 367 HE.

Conté family per Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline[2][3]from 795 AE[4] to 367 HE.
Unnamed ancestors[5]
Newlin I of Conté[6]Unnamed woman
Conté manUnnamed woman
Unnamed womanNewlin II of Conté
Roald I of Conté[7]Annable of ?
Unnamed womanEnnalt of ? AKA Newlin III of Conté[8]
Roald II of Conté[9]Unnamed woman
Doras of Great MinchGareth I of ContéWoman x2[10]
Unnamed womanConté manContés[11].Contés[11]
Conté manUnnamed woman
Conté man x2[12]Baird II of Conté[13][14][15]Unnamed woman
Unnamed womanRoger I of Conté
Unnamed womanJonathan II of Conté[16]
Baird III of Conté[17]Unnamed woman
Roger II of Conté[18]Unnamed woman
See QueenscoveJasson I of Conté[19]
See BarzunHenrim of Queenscove AKA Gareth II of Conté[20]Unnamed woman
Jessamine of BarzunRoger III of Conté[18][21]Unnamed womanBaird of Conté[22]See Trebond
Gareth III of Conté[23]Unnamed womanContés[24]Contés[22]
Conté woman[22]Lionel of Trebond[25]
Wylles of Conté[26]Unnamed womanSee Trebond
Jasson II of Conté[27]Unnamed woman
Roald III of ContéUnnamed womanSee Legann
Roger IV of ContéConté woman[28]Legann man
Unnamed womanRoald of Legann AKA Roald IV of Conté[28]See Dunlath[29]
Baird IV of ContéUnnamed womanSee JesslawConté womanDunlath man[29]
After 367 HE

Alternate Version

Notes and references

  1. Random Buzz; "Roger, Contes, and Inheritance.";April 17, 2009
  2. 2.0 2.1 Tortall: A Spy's Guide (electronic edition), Cooper Family Papers, Timeline of the Realm of Tortall.
  3. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnotes for Newlin I, Roger the Liberator, and Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  4. 900 Asaron's Era was 1 Human Era, so this would be about 104 years pre-HE, or 471 years before this chart ends.
  5. It wasn't clear whether Newlin I was the first Conté or only the first royal Conté.
  6. Per the timeline, Newlin I opened the Book of Gold, founded Tortall, and was its first king. But prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan I was the first Conté king, that another family held the Tortallan throne before him, and that the Contés were ennobled in the Book of Silver. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022. See also the Succession of Tortallan Monarchs.
  7. Not to be confused with Roald V, Jonathan IV's father.
  8. Newlin III was Annable's nephew by birth and was adopted by the childless royal couple.
  9. Not to be confused with Roald VI, Jonathan IV and Thayet's son.
  10. Gareth I's other two wives were Merice of Queenscove and Andrette of Tameran.
  11. 11.0 11.1 In total, between all three wives, Gareth I sired nine children (five women and four men) who gave him eighteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
  12. It was also possible that the elder great-grandsons were sired by other Contés rather than being Baird II's older brothers (for example, if a sister or younger brother of Doras and Gareth I's firstborn son reproduced before their brother).
  13. Baird I was omitted.
  14. Baird II was Gareth I and Doras's "third great-grandson", which could in theory mean three-times-great-grandson rather than third-eldest great-grandson, but the former was temporally implausible.
  15. It was likely that Baird II's royal parent and grandparent were men, though it wasn't stated explicitly, as Ms. Pierce has stated that prior to Jonathan IV's reign the royal succession was secured to the male line. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  16. Jonathan I was omitted.
  17. 17.0 17.1 Baird III founded the Provost's Guard in 127 HE (two years after his death, according to the Spy's Guide timeline). Terrier (electronic edition) "The Provost's Guard".
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 The notes on the timeline made it clear that the character referred to as Roger II in the Terrier (electronic edition) "Cast of Characters" was called Roger III in the Spy's Guide. See also Roger III of Conté.
  19. Jasson I was co-regnant with Sidea of Naxen, but wasn't married to her and didn't sire children at all but adopted his cousin instead.
  20. Gareth II was a cousin of Jasson I by birth, but the degree was not specified.
  21. 21.0 21.1 Roger III of Conté was married to Alysy of Galla until her death, but the marriage produced no issue. Terrier "Cast of Characters" and Mastiff.
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 Per Bloodhound (electronic edition) "September 13, 247", Prince Baird's oldest daughter was married to Lionel of Trebond, which implied he had other daughters. Per Mastiff, he was childless.
  23. 23.0 23.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine's son Gareth's regnal number may have only appeared in the Spy's Guide.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine had more children after Gareth III per this Random Buzz thread "Fall 2011 Chat with Tamora Pierce!" as archived at the Wayback Machine October 17, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Bloodhound "Thursday, September 14th, 247".
  26. Wylles became king, but as there was no second King Wylles, no regnal number was used.
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan IV's grandfather Jasson III of Conté was Jasson II, not Jasson III. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  28. 28.0 28.1 Roald IV was Roger IV's nephew by birth. It was inferred that his birth Conté parent was a woman. It was not known whether there was further issue from match.
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 Per Wolf-Speaker (electronic edition), Ch. 3, Maura of Dunlath and Yolane of Dunlath were Jonathan IV's "third cousins or something like that" (This meant they shared at least one great-great-grandparent. In the Spy's Guide version, this would have to be Roald IV.) It's inferred that the half-sisters' Conté ancestor was a woman.
  30. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnote for Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that "the Old King" (which generally meant Jonathan IV's grandfather, Jasson II-or-III) married a Naxen third cousin. Random Buzz thread from 2009 "Random Tortall Questions..." as archived at the Wayback Machine March 30, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022. (Perhaps Jesslaw had a connection to Naxen, or Jasson II-or-III was married twice.)
  32. 32.0 32.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV's father Roald the Peacemaker's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald I, but the timeline indicated he was Roald V.
  33. Jonathan III was omitted.
  34. 34.0 34.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV and Thayet's son Crown Prince Roald's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald II, but the timeline indicated he was Roald VI.
  35. 35.0 35.1 Shinkokami's first pregnancy was referenced in Ch. 6 of Trickster's Queen, but Lianokami's name appeared only in the "Official Chronology of Tortallan Events" in the Spy's Guide and Ms. Pierce's online commentary. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  36. Specifically, canon sources (other than Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline in the Spy's Guide) and Tamora Pierce's extracanonical commentary. Unfortunately, both canon and comments conflict with the information given in the Spy's Guide. See footnotes for Newlin I, Roger II-or-III, and Jasson II-or-III. Additionally, there may have been members of the family not mentioned, as Ms. Pierce was not giving a complete accounting. Sources specified in footnotes.
  37. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 Mastiff.
  39. 39.0 39.1 39.2 Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 4.
  40. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Ch. 2.
  41. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Epilogue.
  42. Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 5.
  43. Squire (electronic edition), Ch. 1.
  44. 44.0 44.1 Wild Magic (electronic edition), Ch. 8.
  45. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Kaddar and Kally". August 26, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15th, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.
  46. 46.0 46.1 46.2 First Test (electronic edition) Ch. 2
  47. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce: "Vania, Ilane, and Thayet". August 28, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.

See also

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