Dagonaut

Dagonaut is the king of the Kingdom of Dagonaut, a ruler whose decisions connect the personal story of Tiuri with the neighboring realms’ uncertain peace. He trusts Tiuri even when rumors cast the young man as a thief and murderer, receives a message of friendship from King Unauwen, and gives Ristridin and his companions leave to investigate the Black Knight’s death.

Identity and Political Setting

Dagonaut rules a realm bordering Eviellan and linked by a history of incursions and cross-border conflict. Eviellan’s conquest by King Unauwen’s younger son changed the pattern of local disorder: the new ruler put an end to raids and internal feuding, but disagreement between Eviellan and the Kingdom of Unauwen continued. Fighting between their forces could spill into Dagonaut’s lands, where clashes and damage to settlements gave the king’s realm a direct stake in disputes otherwise regarded by many of its inhabitants as affairs of the western kingdoms.

Ties with Unauwen

King Unauwen sent Ewijn to Dagonaut with a message of friendship. In Ristridin’s account, Dagonaut and the castle lord are among the few in the realm who know Unauwen better and understand that the two kingdoms share an enemy. The mission presents Dagonaut’s court as a point of contact between the neighboring realms, even while their political tensions remain unresolved.

Trust in Tiuri

When reports spread that a young man had fled the chapel and might be the horse thief seen wearing the dead knight’s ring, Bendoe suspected that he was Tiuri, son of Tiuri the Brave. The rumors also implicated the fugitive in the murder. Bendoe noted that Tiuri’s friends, his father, and even the king did not believe he was capable of wrongdoing. Dagonaut’s inclusion in that list marks him as a figure whose confidence in Tiuri weighs against the suspicion gathering around the young man; the evidence does not show him publicly intervening in the accusation at that point.

Response to the Black Knight’s Death

After the search for Edwinem led Ristridin and Bendoe to Dagonaut’s city, they learned that the Black Knight with the White Shield had been found murdered in the forest near the Inn at Yikarvara. Dagonaut gave them permission to begin investigating at once. Ewijn joined the inquiry while in the city, and Arwaut, Bendoe’s nephew, joined as well. The king’s authorization turned the group’s suspicions into an official investigation, though the evidence here records his decision rather than a later resolution or further direct role.