Editing Dalma Humphreys

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = Dalma Humphreys.jpg
| caption             = Between 57 and 65 years old in 3076
| name                = 
| birthdate           = [[3011]] or [[3015]] (canon) or [[3019]] (apocryphal)<ref>''Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers'', p. 72, states she was born in 3011 and 61 years old in 3076, which is obviously wrong as the numbers do not add up. The apocryphal novel ''Präludium'', p. 9, describes her as ten years old as of 11 September 3030 and the (equally apocryphal) follow-up novel ''Gier'', p. 29: describes her as ten years old as of 22 September of 3029</ref>
| died                = [[3086]]<ref name=WoREp49>''Historical: Wars of the Republic Era'', p. 49: "Evelyn Humphreys profile"</ref>
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Humphreys]]
| rank                = 
| title               = [[Duchess of Andurien]]<ref name=WoREp49/>
| position            = 
| profession          = Noble
| parents             = [[Richard Humphreys (31st c.)|Richard Humphreys]] (father)<br/>[[Elala Cisne]] (mother; apocryphal)
| siblings            = [[Steven Humphreys]]<ref>Full name (with Humphreys surname) stated in ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]'', p. 80, where he is also expressly referred to as Dame Dalma Humphreys' brother</ref><br>(possibly also [[Danai Centrella]])<ref>''Historical: Brush Wars'', p. 57: "The Devil's Brood"</ref>
| spouse              = 
| children            =
}}
'''Dalma Humphreys''' was a [[thirty-first-century]] noblewoman from the [[Free Worlds League]] and the political leader of the [[Duchy of Andurien]] therein.

==Character Description==
In her youth she was described as a determined and pragmatic woman, who by all accounts was a model [[Free Worlds League]] citizen. Over the decades of politics, she became more like her grandmother, Dame [[Catherine Humphreys]], in her suspicion of League politics.

==History==
===Early Life and Political Career===
Dalma was born into political dynasty charged in the protection of all things [[Andurien]]. She was the daughter of [[Richard Humphreys (31st c.)|Richard Humphreys]], who in turn was the fifth child of Dame [[Catherine Humphreys]] of the [[Duchy of Andurien]].

Although conflicting sources give the year of her birth between [[3011]] and [[3019]], Dalma was in any case born to a very young father; Richard Humphreys himself was only born in [[2998]].
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
According to the [[apocryphal]] German novels ''[[Präludium]]'' and ''[[Gier]]'', Dalma was born ca. 3019 (being 10 years old in [[3029]]) to Richard Humphreys and [[Elala Cisne]]. The (very young) couple had considered an illegal abortion, but were found out. Dame Catherine Humphreys subsequently separated them, by raising Dalma like her own child, sending Elala to [[Andarmax]] in the [[Capellan Confederation]] where her livelihood was covertly provided by an Andurien-sponsored job as a reporter, and exiling Richard to [[Kanata]]. This caused a rift between Catherine and her son Richard.

Richard was recalled from exile in 3029 to marry [[Emma Centrella]] on his mother's orders, but he refused and focused on reuniting with Elala, a quest in which Emma actually helped him. However, when Richard finally found Elala on Andarmax, she had become a full Capellan citizen, had married a Capellan man, and was a member of the [[Ash Witch cult]]. Richard was prepared to join the cult to be with her, but when his identity was revealed the ultranationalistic cult took him as a hostage against the attacking Duchy of Andurien. Richard was rescued by Emma Centrella in a fight where Elala fired a gun at the rescuers and killed one of Richard's bodyguards. On Richard's request she was later released and allowed to move into the Capellan Confederation with her husband.
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}

After the [[Andurien Wars]] in which Dalma's grandmother tried to secede the Duchy of Andurien from the Free Worlds League, only to have her realm reconquered by the League, the Duchy had a federally appointed governor installed. Dame Catherine Humphreys passed away before her trial took place. Her oldest surviving son, fifth son (and Dalma's father) Richard, did not succeed her because he was considered too close to the "Canopus affair", the doomed alliance between the Duchy and the [[Magistracy of Canopus]] that had led to a costly war.<ref name=BWp82/>

Not having the taint of her family's involvement in rebellion, Dalma actively supported then-new [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] [[Thomas Marik]]. She was seen as a patriotic and stoic individual in affairs concerning the League.<ref name=BWp82>''Historical: Brush Wars'', pp. 82-83: "The Occupation"</ref>
[[File:Dalma Humphreys HBHM.png|right|thumb|Dalma Humphreys in her younger days]]

===As the Ruler of Andurien===
In [[3048]], Dalma reclaimed the family's title of leader of the Duchy of Andurien.<ref name=BWp82/> She moved ahead with determination to rebuild her shattered realm.

Over the course of her reign, she became much like her grandmother before her. By the [[Jihad]], she saw the fragmentation of the League's central authority and its inability to respond to crisis. Consequently, she raised new frontline military forces help defend Andurien from attack. She initially formed the [[Andurien Rangers]] brigade in [[3073]], marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of her ascendance to the throne.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 66: Andurien, Mosiro Signs Defense Pact - Year Dalma formed the Rangers is mentioned</ref> Like their predecessor formation, the [[Defenders of Andurien]], the Andurien Rangers show loyalty only to the Duchy's needs.

In [[3075]], Magestrix [[Naomi Centrella-Liao]] visited Dame Dalma, delivering a message of peace and warning to her and the Andurien parliament. While they celebrated their nations' past relationship, voicing hopes that the ties would grow stronger again, Naomi, being married to the Capellan Confederation's incumbent chancellor, also signaled that if actions taken by Andurien would turn against the Capellan Confederation, Andurien would face two nations, not just one.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 31: Naomi Centrella meets with Dalma and her government and warns against aggression toward her or her husband's nations</ref>

In February [[3076]] Dalma discovered that [[Word of Blake]] forces had learned of Naomi Centrella-Liao's return route to [[Sian]]. She scrambled aerospace forces and moved to rescue Naomi from a Word of Blake ambush in the [[Furud]] system. Dalma traveled with the rescue force, to meet with Naomi herself. At the meeting, she chided Naomi's lack of proper escort through potential hostile space. She also offered her hand in peace by offering her fighters and ships to properly escort Naomi back to Sian. The Magestrix accepted the offer, trusting Dalma and her people.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 76: Crisis Averted - Dalma dispatches a rescue force to save Magestrix Naomi Centrella from Word of Blake terrorists</ref>

By [[3079]] several regiments of troops from the [[FWLM]] had defected to serve the Duchy of Andurien by one means or another. These defections were in great part due to the revelation that [[Captain-General of the Free Worlds League|Captain-General]] "[[Thomas Halas|Thomas Marik]]" was in fact a doppelgänger, but some of the defections were considered rather surprising, such as the defection of the [[Fifth Free Worlds Legionnaires]], a unit which had been fanatically loyal to the League. Having pledged their allegiance to Dalma Humphreys, the Fifth would become the [[Second Andurien Rangers]] and would serve the Duchy with distinction.<ref name="FR:FWLMp12">''Field Report: FWLM'', p. 12: "Duchy of Andurien"</ref>

Not all such defections were smooth and seamless, or free of bloodshed. The [[Ninth Free Worlds Legionnaires]] was imploding, with various officers and cadets all trying to wrest control of the regiment and pledge allegiance to various factions; this brief but bitter internal struggle only ended when Dalma intervened personally, ending the struggle before the violence could spread further by persuading the regiment to become the [[Third Andurien Rangers]] while also allowing those serving within the regiment who objected to joining Andurien service to leave the Duchy peacefully.<ref name="FR:FWLMp12"/>

Through her negotiations Dalma convinced her neighboring province, the [[Mosiro Archipelago]], to enter in a defense pact which effectively tied the Archipelago to the Duchy.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 66: Andurien, Mosiro sign defense pact</ref>

==Family & Legacy==
Dalma had no children of her own, but had a brother named Steven (presumably a half-brother through her father). She appointed Steven's daughter as her [[Heir-designate]] for the Duchy. When Dalma Humphreys died in [[3086]], her niece [[Evelyn Humphreys]] inherited the title of Duchess of Andurien.<ref name=WoREp49/>

==Notes==
Canonical information on Dalma's childhood and activities in the years prior to the Jihad have not been written as of this writing. Her father Richard appears in several [[apocryphal]] German novels about the Andurien Wars (notably ''[[Präludium]]'' and ''[[Gier]]''), and the childhood history of Dalma as well as the story of her parents is described in some detail (with one cameo appearance of Dalma as a 10-year old child in 3029, playing piano for her grandmother Catherine).

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Report: FWLM]]''
* ''[[Gier]]''
* ''[[Historical: Brush Wars]]''
* ''[[Historical: Wars of the Republic Era]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]''
* ''[[Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers]]''
* ''[[Präludium]]''


[[Category:Free Worlds League Characters|Humphreys, Dalma]]