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Very few who have sailed west into the Eventide Vast in an attempt to chart it have ever returned and fewer still with anything to report besides endless rough seas. Prince Cerdic is the most notable exception to the disappointing rule of Arvum's explorers, earning special recognition from House Valardin for his efforts. The younger son born during an era of relative peace and prosperity was consumed for wanderlust, and as a child of a powerful house but not saddled with the responsibilities as the heir, he was able to capitalize upon his position to launch the most successful expedition to into the Eventide Vast.
 
That he returned at all after years at sea was a pleasant surprise to all of House Valardin. That he returned with his one surviving frigate's hold heavily laden with gold and exotic spices from the West was a far more welcome one. Amid tales speaking of islands fiercely guarded by giants, and of the great krakens of the deep that dragged two of his ships under (which scholars are discouraged from taking literally), Prince Cerdic also brought word of great empires and kingdoms to the west. He encountered varied nations such as the Weijin Empire with its emperor's palace as large as Arx itself or the Nefer'khat with their mighty pyramids and sand dune seas. While some maintain that he simply did not travel far enough to find the true end of the world, some believe that he encountered the eastern most reaches of Eurus and the placements of stars heavily indicates that the world is round, but there is no consensus for it. The grave peril of such journeys has not eliminated adventurers seeking to repeat the voyage, but as of yet the Compact has not made formal contact with any of the empires beyond the Eventide Vast.
 
The statue of Prince Cerdic is in the style of all memoralized in the Valardin hall, armored and standing at attention with sword placed in the ground. At the base of the statue is an inscription:
 
"All must sail into twilight eventually, but that journey is not the end."
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House Valardin is unquestionably one of the most militarily powerful of houses, but even its most ardent supporters would find it difficult to claim that the westlands are a dominant naval power and all simply agree that the westlanders' strength lies on land with its highly disciplined, well trained and famed cavalry forces. But through history, not every vassal of Valardin has been willing to concede the point, and Baron Lionel Safecove was one such man. A minor man at arms that originally hailed from the Lyceum, the sailor by trade had spent years impressed into naval service as a thrall among the Thrax navy before escaping and finding service in the far westlands beyond the reach of his former masters.
 
Working in the small mercantile fleet of a minor noble with coastal holdings in the west, Lionel quickly distinguished himself as he organized first a ship's repulsion of pirates, then teaching anti-piracy tactics to the naval forces of his lord, then finally as a knight and captain leading a naval flotilla that annihilated a Lycene pirate band that was preying upon Valardin commerce. While he earned his knighthood and was deserving of recognition, Lionel would not have earned a place in the Valardin Hall if it were not for the War of Waves, the only war between House Valardin against the Lyceum and House Thrax that never had a battle on land. House Thrax and the Lyceum's combined armada launched the long and treacherous westward journey to sweep around and attempt to attack the home fortress of House Valardin, Sanctum, and capture it in one stroke.
 
Lionel's smaller but swifter vessels launched attacks that harried the enemy armada all through it's journey, the stormy nature of the Eventide Vast making cohesion difficult that allowed the Valardin forces to constantly fall upon and destroy enemy vessels. When the enemy armada arrived, Lionel launched a brilliant defense that encircled and devastated the already battered (but more numerous) enemy fleet, and is credited with boarding the enemy flagship, personally dueling the Prince of Thrax in command and slaying him in single combat. For his actions that largely saved the westlands, the commoner was awarded a peerage of a new barony, and the Barony of Safecove to this day is one of the only westland holdings with a distinct naval tradition.