Beren was the lord of the Bretonni of Castle Gisoreux and the surrounding lands by 977 IC, when Gilles le Breton began his campaign to free the lands of Bretonnia.[1c] As recounted in The Histories of the Unconquerable Realm, Beren fought valiantly against foul ambushers within the Forest of Arden and was the lone survivor of his party, sorely injured and lost. A vision of a white hart led him to safety, and it is this occurrence that is remembered and honoured in the heraldry of Beren's descendants.[1b]