When Robert Guiscard left for Italy to defend his realm against Henry IV, he advised Bohemond to extend the area he controlled in the Balkans. Bohemond took this advice. He sent out Petros Aliphas (Pierre d'Aulps) and Pounteses (Raoul de Pontoise?) and campaigned himself, with mixed results. Pierre occupied the two Pologoi; Raoul captured Skopia. Bohemond himself, having been invited to intervene by the inhabitants of Ohrid, hastened there but failed to take the citadel, which was guarded by Ariebes. From failure at Ohrid he continued to Ostrobos where he was also repulsed empty-handed; then from Ostrobos he turned towards Berroia, going through Soskos and Servia. Continuing from Berroia he reached Moglena by way of Bodena; at Moglena he rebuilt a small fortification, leaving an adequate garrison commanded by Sarakenos. From Moglena he moved on to Asprai Ekklesiai on the Vardar river, where he spent three months. There he discovered that three counts were planning to desert to Alexios I: Of these, Pounteses escaped, Guillaume was blinded in trial by combat, Renaud was sent to Guiscard in Italy and blinded there