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Post by Gandalf on May 27, 2021 14:32:27 GMT -5
314 AL. The Long Night is over. Westeros has survived decades of war and strife, and the land is scarred permanently. The Iron Throne is no more, and many of the great houses have been extinguished. Those smallfolk that survive are superstitious and fanatical, and in the absence of any central authority have looked to their own protection. Many go North, seeking a new life in those lands left empty by the dead. In the south, warlords and robber barons infest the ruined castles of broken lineages, whilst Free Companies sell their swords to those squabbling lords that survived armageddon. No kingdom escaped the long arm of death; the North is empty, the Riverlands broken and lawless, the Reach decapitated with those left battling for the sundered seat of the Gardener kings. The Mountain Clans rule much of the Vale of Arryn as they did in millennia past, while Dorne, The Westerlands, and the Stormlands are rife with sectarian conflict and civil war. Only the Iron Islands stands strong, Asha Greyjoy forging a New Way for her people in this broken world. New and old faiths vie for supremacy over the hearts and minds of the masses, and the towns and cities of Westeros have began establishing their independence over their former feudal lords. In the Reach, civil strife has gripped the land, with Tarly and Redwyne leading the squabble for Highgarden. In Brightwater Keep, Robert Baratheon’s bastard holds the last Tyrell heir captive, having sailed up the Mander with an army of sellswords and exiles to stake his own claim to the ancient seat of Gardener kings. Meanwhile, peasants band together under the leadership of rabble-rousing firebrands to free themselves from the bonds of feudal slavery, turning out their former masters and making them submit to the new order stemming from Oldtown. Here does the Faith rule, having temporarily subdued the Hightowers. The south is firmly in the grip of the Swords and Stars, a new Faith Militant that has cleansed their territory of the bandits and warlords that infest the rest of the Kingdom. They make their own play for primacy, and the old order is under siege from both God and Man. It is up to you to decide who prevails in this struggle. {Timeline}
304 AC:
- King Stannis embarks north with a mighty army and fleet to make war upon the dead. Lord Davos is left in control of King’s Landing and the kingdom itself.
In the King’s absence, tensions escalate to breaking point as the food supplies run short and temperatures drop. Religious fervour turns into violence, and the followers of the Seven and the Red God fight in the streets, accusing each other of hoarding food.
- The Smith’s day massacre ends with several thousand citizens dead from both denominations. The Goldcloaks brutally restore order as vengeful commoners target Essosi in vicious pogroms.
- The Second Great Ranging ends with the Night’s Watch retreating behind their fortifications, having suffered severe casualties. The siege of The Wall begins, with the dead throwing themselves at the ice every day and night. Brandon Stark enters the Wall through the Black Gate at the Nightfort.
- Danaerys Targaryen sacks the cities of Ghis, Qarth, Volantis, and Myr, purging them of slavery in ruthless conquest, growing her army of sellswords and freedmen. Tyrosh and Lys agree to terms, buying amnesty with partial emancipation and a hefty fleet of warships.
- After several weeks of endless battle, the dead begin their inexorable climb over the wall of ice.mThe Horn of Winter rings out: Eastwatch shatters and the dead pour into the realm. Jon Snow and the Lord Commander lead a fighting retreat to Winterfell, with many casualties.
305 AC:
- Danaerys Targaryen’s fleet arrives in Blackwater Bay to capture the island of Dragonstone. Lord Davos sends the royal fleet out to engage the Dragon Queen, only for her and Victarion Greyjoy to decimate the ships with Dragonfire. Dragonstone is captured after a bloodless surrender. Her fleet blockades the capital, causing the food problem to exacerbate; riots and starvation kill hundreds each day.
- Shireen and Devan Seaworth are wed at Storm’s End.
- King‘s Landing is besieged by Danaerys, and against the counsel of more level heads she attempts to seize the city by force. What follows is a disaster: dragonfire ignites the remaining Wildfire her father hid under the city, the blaze scorching much of the lower districts and killing almost half of the city’s remaining population. Baelor’s Sept lies in ruins, with only the Red Temple and the Red Keep surviving the worst of the blaze. The event distances her from the Lords of the Realm, who see her as Aerys come again; they rally around the young and pliable Princess Shireen, who occupies her seat at Storm’s End.
- Stannis leads a combined coalition of the Vale, Riverlands, Westerlands and the Crownlands to Winterfell, where Jon Snow has rallied the northern refugees from the Stark vassals. Soon the Others march on Winterfell itself, where the Battle for Winterfell begins.
Despite the numbers brought to the field by the King and the safety of Winterfell’s walls, the dead greatly outnumber them and after a few days of battle there is no end in sight. Seeing the hopelessness of their cause, King Stannis leads a sally from the walls with the most devout of his followers, buying time for the rest of them to flee to White Harbour and take the royal fleet southwards. After a last stand within the halls of Winterfell itself, the King falls to the blades of the dead.
306 AC:
- Jon and the survivors flee to the Vale, where his ‘half-sister’ Sansa rules in lieu of her departed husband. As the dead shamble towards the Neck, a stream of refugees crosses the frozen Trident. Danaerys, seeking retribution for her mistake, marches her host northwards to meet with Jon’s survivors.
- Night’s King takes his rightful seat at Winterfell, unleashing his power across Westeros. Soon the dead begin rising from their graves, from Dorne to the Wolfswood. The Wights even begin to float across the sea, washing up on the shores of Pyke and Great Wyk. In many places, the social order breaks down, and bands of armed peasants storm the castles of their former masters in search of food and shelter. Lord Fossoway and his kin are massacred in the brutal sack of Cider Hall in one such incident of desperation.
- Jon, Dany and whomever remain create an alliance of convenience, much to the chagrin of all. Jon is able to take Rhaegal as his mount, though few know how, and together they march to the Trident. The War for Dawn begins in earnest.
Using the dragons, the living are able to hold back the dead on the frozen banks of the river. One of the great wyrms falls and is risen to serve the enemy. Dragons dance in the sky once again, but when the days of battle are done the living still stand.
307 AC:
- Winter grows colder and darker, and the dead roam the land in great numbers. The survivors flock to the castles and fortresses of those lords who are still living or whatever robber baron has taken their place. Jon and Dany use their respite to build and fortify several castles on the Trident, solidifying the river against further incursion.
For the remaining year, the dead throw themselves against the walls of the living, dragonfire staving off the worst of the enemy as the living recoup their losses and restore their strength.
- In the West, Tyrion Lannister is installed as Lord of the Rock, marrying the young sister of Martyn Lannister. An uneasy compromise, his accession is largely backed by the swords of the Second Sons and the fire of the Queen’s dragons.
- In the south, the social order breaks down even further. Militant bands of peasant zealots roam the countryside, burning the dead wherever they can be found. Crops can no longer be harvested, not even from the Reach: food supplies run dangerously scarce. Cannibalism runs rife, and human sacrifices are offered to both the Old Gods and the Red God. Among the more fanciful tails detail a giant pack of wolves ruling the rural riverlands, allegedly led by a young girl.
- The coalition built around Shireen begins to crumble as war breaks out between the Reach Lords and the Dornish over food stores; Ashford is sacked and all but destroyed by Lord Yronwood and Lord Fowler; the ruins are quickly inhabited by scavengers.
Entire houses are extinguished by the dead and living alike, peasant rebellions and roving hordes of Wights claiming the lives and castles of house Spicer, Merryweather, and Rykker, among many others.
As rebels besiege Highgarden, Garlan Tyrell rides out to negotiate; heated words and bared steel lead to the Hero of Oldtown being torn from his saddle and beaten to death. Lord Willas, already sick with a chill, dies some weeks later, leaving Highgarden in the hands of a young girl.
- Riots break out in Lannisport over the Lord’s tax on grain; Lord Lannister of Lannisport is forcibly deposed in the commotion. The city falls into the hands of the self proclaimed League of Lannisport, with Lord Tyrion forced to accept their demands to ensure the continued flow of grain into the battered kingdom.
As Oldtown descends into chaos, religious zealotry grips the populace. A group of preachers calling themselves the Swords and Stars storm the Starry Sept and violently depose the Most Devout. They lead violent pogroms of any that do not prescribe to their fanatical interpretation of the Seven Pointed Star. Pilgrims cross the border into Dorne in their name, the ideology infecting the starving Dornishmen like a plague. The Hightower itself is besieged several times, as control of the city is wrested from the hands of the nobility.
- Night’s King is content to wait, allowing starvation and cold to fight the battle for them.
308 AC:
- Following Bran’s counsel, Jon and Dany decide to act. The War for Dawn moves north, where Night’s King is strongest. Why this gambit was undertaken is known only to those three; but whatever the reason, it motivated the allies for a final throw of the dice.
Numerous battles are fought and much blood is spilt, but the remaining dragons scorch the foe to ash. The greatest battle yet unfolds beneath the walls of Winterfell, where king Stannis made his final stand. Night’s King finally shows himself, and slays the Dragon Queen to raise her as his corpse bride. Drogon, enraged, takes the field himself (under the warg control of Bran) and scorches the dead in a storm of dragonfire.
With the death of Dany, all seems lost. Jon leads a suicidal charge on the Night’s King, Melisandre giving the last of her life force to keep him in the land of the living after grievous wounds - with some stating that she brought him back once more from death.
Divine providence rescues the living as Brandon Stark calls upon the long-forgotten powers of the Greenseers, the Godswood of Winterfell itself awoken by the fresh spilling of royal blood on hallowed ground. The earth itself shakes and moves, the old magic of the children breaking the land itself. Night’s King, distracted by the magics of the Three Eyed Raven, is slain by the Valyrian Steel blade of Lord Snow.
Winter ends, spring comes, and the dead lie still. But Westeros remains a land gripped by strife and lawlessness. A bleak future lies ahead, with the end averted at the final hour. With the Dragon Queen dead, her surviving draconid sons fly eastward, likely to the ruins of Old Valyria.
309 AC:
- Religious zealots ransack the Water Gardens after the Martells refuse to share what meagre supplies they have with the populace. Dozens of young nobles die, including the Princess’ son Baelor and brother Trystane. Myrcella Lannister is gruesomely killed and paraded through Sunspear, the ‘spawn of incest’ the natural target of popular outrage.
- Timmett son of Timmett leads the clans from the Mountains of the Moon into the largely defenceless Vale of Arryn, sacking the domains of Lord Belmore and capturing the castle of Lord Hunter before putting his family to the sword. Though a siege of the Gates of the Moon is repulsed, the clansmen are in control of much of the Vale
- An abortive attempt to depose Tyrion is halted after Martyn Lannister dies in a skirmish near Castamere; the Imp is naturally implicated in his death.
- Aurane Velaryon attempts to seize custody of Danaerys Targaryen’s twin sons and proclaims the eldest of them king on Dragonstone; their overzealous Dothraki bloodriders nearly kill him (removing his nose in the chaos) until he manages to convince them of his usefulness. His pirate kingdom of Dragonstone and Driftmark severely disrupts trade in the Narrow Sea.
- Jon Snow leaves for parts unknown; his son Eddard is raised up as Lord of Winterfell by his fanatical followers, with Val the Wildling ruling in the young lord’s stead. The re-settlement of the north is led by the Free Folk tribes and what few Northmen survived the winter. Settlers from the south migrate northwards away from the constant strife and fanaticism that has gripped the Reach and Riverlands
310 AC:
- Sansa Arryn and Albar Royce wed at the Eyrie in a marriage of political expediency, ensuring the loyalty of what remains of the Vale aristocracy.
- On the Iron Isles, Asha Greyjoy’s reforms have produced a strong and centralised kingdom that profited greatly from the selling of fish to the beleaguered Greenlanders. Using the gold mines of Harlaw the Ironborn now mint their own currency, and have opened trade routes from Lordsport to the Free Cities and beyond.
A traditionalist rebellion on Great Wyk is ruthlessly crushed, with several houses submitting hostages to Lady Asha’s rule. Despite dozens of suitors, the widowed lady remains unmarried. Thralldom is all but abolished on the isles, with the former Thralls freed and settled in the more sparsely populated islands.
- In Dorne, Arriane launches a bloody retribution through a purge of those that follow the Sun and Stars. Martell’s credibility is further damaged by the massacre as the Princess wages war on her own people for much of the year.
311 AC:
- As the dust settles in the Reach, several lords lay claim to Highgarden’s vacant seat by virtue of their descent either from House Tyrell or the old Gardener kings. With war once again in demand, bands of freed-men and landless peasants join together as companies of soldiers for hire, soon finding employment in the struggle to claim lordship over the Reach.
Queen Shireen asserts her claim to Brightwater Keep as the last of the Florents; this being only in name rather than practice as the castle of her forefathers currently serves as the home of a particularly vicious warlord; her cousin, Edric Storm, freshly returned from the Disputed Lands with an army of hardened mercenaries at his back.
- The first ‘Common Council’ is assembled in Oldtown, made up of septons, town aldermen, and prominent community leaders from throughout the Reach. Clandestinely sponsored and encouraged by the new High Septon, it asserts itself as a legislative body acting on behalf of the legitimate monarch (whoever that might be). They enact the Seven Ordinances, a series of laws that limit serfdom and the power of the nobility over their respective domains, as well as enshrining the right for the King’s subjects to hold assembly. They also revoke Stannis Baratheon’s Edict of Tolerance and assert the Seven as the One True Faith.
- The Marchers War breaks out between Lord Tarly, Lord Yronwood and Lord Caron, as all three squabble to take ownership of the lands of their devastated neighbours in the Reach. It soon develops into a wider struggle as the Swords and Stars and the Red Faith attempt to involve themselves in the conflict, especially as the arch-conservative Lord Tarly begins to emerge as a natural candidate for the seat of Highgarden.
312 AC:
- House Hightower and the High Septon begrudgingly conclude the Oldtown Concordat, recognising the right for the people of the city to hold assembly as well as the pre-eminence of the Faith over much of the city. No longer the dominant power of Oldtown, the agreement nonetheless marks the end of the undeclared war that has waged between the Faith and the Hightowers since 307 AC, and places the much depleted City Watch back under their control.
- As Lord Tarly emerges as a popular successor to Tyrell, Lord Fossoway of New Barrel and Lord Caswell join together to advance their own claims to Highgarden; Lord Redwyne musters his ships and his banners to join the conflict. Lord Willas’ young daughter is seized by Edric Storm, who intends to wed her and claim the Reach for himself. The contenders swiftly join forces to unseat this upstart.
- Emboldened by the success of the Commons Council, preachers and radicals from Oldtown stir the peasants of the Reach up into rebellion as their lords fall back into the feudal cycle of conflict at their expense. Jon Manderwynd, a cleric from Oldtown, musters a vast army of peasants with the intention to enforce the Seven Ordinances by strength of arms. Thus marks the beginning of the Peasants War, pitting the ultra-conservative nobility of the northern Reach against the radical peasant reformists, supported implicitly by the High Septon.
- The Maidenpool Rebellion marks the failure of Lord Piper to enforce religious toleration among R’hllor converts and his own Seven-worshipping subjects. The subsequent massacre provokes the Red Faith’s zealots to scourge the southern Riverlands, a war between the common folk that escalates beyond the control of the feudal lords.
Despite the anarchy, the Blackwood and Bracken feud continues unabated, the two families contributing to the ongoing conflict through stoking tensions in the lands of their rival. The surviving riverlords similarly continue their cycle of petty squabbles, while Lord Edmure does his best to provide for the struggling peasantry.
- Queen Shireen leads a campaign north into the Kingswood, establishing a settlement at the mouth of the Wendwater to mark the extension of her authority into the Crownlands. Waterford, as it becomes known, is settled with peasants fleeing the wars in the Reach and Riverlands.
313 AC:
- Lord Tyrell’s young daughter remains hostage in Brightwater Keep, in the hands of Robert Baratheon’s bastard son. After several battles, the wider War for Highgarden remains inconclusive, as the nobles focus their energies on exterminating the threat of the rising peasantry. In the chaos, Lord Redwyne sails up the Mander and wrests Highgarden from the hands of Lord Tarly.
- Factions form in the North; the ‘Old Nobility’ led by the lords Ryswell and Glover coalesce in opposition to the large grants of land being offered to the Wildling clans and southron settlers. They also oppose the influence of the League of Lannisport, and fear similar ideas spreading to Barrowton and White Harbour. As more refugees trickle from the south, dozens of new houses are established in the empty lands of the Gift.
These nobles are further unsatisfied when their old enemies, the Ironborn, begin logging timber on Bear Island and the Wolfswood. Given the weakness of the northmen, they have no choice but to allow the incursion.
- Lord Edmure accepts many of the provisions of the Seven Ordinances, which endears him to the radical peasantry but distances him from his over-mighty bannermen. The Freeholding towns of Maidenpool, Darry, and Lord Harroway’s Town pledge their fealty directly to Riverrun as a result. Suddenly, Lord Tully finds himself as the champion of the Seven in the Riverlands, positioned against the incursion from the Red God’s crusaders that have entrenched themselves around Harrenhal.
314 AC:
GAME START: A summit is called between the factions by the High Septon at the neutral ground of Oldtown, to be attended by Storm, Tarly, Redwyne, and the peasant leaders, as well as all the prominent nobles.
{Houses of the Reach}Surviving:
House Hightower of Oldtown
House Bulwer of Blackcrown
House Beesbury of Honeyholt
House Roxton of the Ring
House Costayne of Three Towers
House Cuy of Sunhouse
House Cockshaw of Bradshome
House Ball of Manderford
House Westbrook of Westbrook
House Willum of Smallwood
House Storm of Brightwater Keep
House Tarly of Horn Hill
House Middlebury of Middlebury
House Inchfield of Inchfield
House Sloane of Fawn Crag
House Hunt of Hunt Hills
House Oldflowers of Sommerset
House Oakheart of Old Oak
House Peake of Starpike
House Redwyne of The Arbor
House Stonecrab of Stonecrab Bay
House Goldwyne of Mermaid's Palace
House Grimm of Greyshield
House Chester of Greenshield
House Hewett of Oakenshield
House Fossoway of New Barrel
House Kidwell of Ivy Hall
House Shermer of Smithyton
House Stackhouse of Derring Downs
House Graceford of Holyhall
House Yelshire of Yelshire
House Ambrose of Torrentpeak
House Wythers of Wythers
House Bushy of Alden Kep
House Vyrwel of Darkdell
House Appleton of Appleton
House Hastwyck of Hastwyck
House Varner of Roseford
House Caswell of Bitterbridge
House Leygood of Leygood Keep
House Footly of Tumbleton
House Orme of Harpshire
House Cordwayner of Hammerhal
House Meadows of Grassy Vale
Contested:
House Tyrell of Highgarden (de jure, de facto occupied by Redwyne)
House Rowan of Goldengrove (divided between claimants)
Extinct:
House Florent of Brightwater (occupied by Storm)
House Blackbar of Bandalon (occupied by peasants)
House Mullendore of Uplands (occupied by peasants)
House Stackhouse of Catswold (occupied by peasants)
House Durwell of Dosk (occupied by peasants)
House Norcross of Norcross (occupied by Storm)
House Ashford of Ashford (occupied by a warlord)
House Crane of Red Lake (occupied by a warlord)
House Serry of Southshield (occupied by Redwyne)
House Osgrey of Standfast and Coldmoat (occupied by a warlord)
House Fossoway of Cider Hall (occupied by a warlord)
House Risley of Risley Glade (occupied by peasants)
House Merryweather of Longtable (occupied by a warlord)
Surviving High Lords include their vassals
Tarly's Conservatives:
Tarly of Horn Hill
Peake of Starpike
Oakheart of Old Oak
Oldflowers of Sommerset
Cockshaw of Bradshome
Westbrook of Westbrook
Willum of Smallwood
Footly of Tumbleton
Orme of Harpshire
Cordwayner of Hammerhal
Redwyne's Faction:
Redwyne of the Arbor
Lord X of Southshield
Grimm of Greyshield
Chester of Greenshield
Hewett of Oakenshield
Caswell of Bitterbridge
House Dunn of Dunnsbridge
Storm's Faction:
Edric Storm of Brightwater Keep
Lord X of Norcross
The Faith:
House Hightower
House Bulwer of Blackcrown
House Beesbury of Honeyholt
House Cuy of Sunhouse
House Costayne of Three Towers
House Ambrose of Torrentpeak
Peasant's Revolt:
Bandalon
Uplands
Catswold
Dosk
Risley Glade
Neutral:
House Ball of Manderford
House Fossoway of New Barrel
House Roxton of the Ring
House Kidwell of Ivy Hall
House Shermer of Smithyton
House Stackhouse of Derring Downs
House Graceford of Holyhall
House Yelshire of Yelshire
House Wythers of Wythers
House Bushy of Alden Keep
House Vyrwel of Darkdell
House Appleton of Appleton
House Hastwyck of Hastwyck
House Varner of Roseford
Warlord X of Ashford
Warlord X of Red Lake
Warlord X of Standfast and Coldmoat
Warlord X of Cider Hall
Warlord X of Longtable
House Meadows of Grassy Vale
Claimed Major Houses: House Tarly - Axis House Redwyne - LM High Septon - Iron Aquilifier House Hightower - OzOther Characters and Houses: House Meadows - IA House Hewett - IA House Ball - LM Brandon Umber - Brew |
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Post by Gandalf on Jun 1, 2021 16:26:30 GMT -5
EDRIC STORM
Lord of Brightwater Keep (de facto)
Lord of Highgarden (claimed)
Lord Paramount of the Reach (claimed)
Storm is the very image of his father in his prime, a black haired man mountain clad in thick plate and wielding an ugly spiked warhammer.
Age: 27
Marital Status: Betrothed, to Catheryne Tyrell (born 301 AL)
Children: None trueborn.
Core Traits: Bold, Proud, Ruthless
Heritage: Highborn Bastard (+1 charisma, +1 resilience)
Profession: Warlord (+1 authority, boost to levy and merc rolls)
Birthsign: Moonmaid (+1 charisma)
Resilience: 7
Charisma: 3
Intelligence: 0
Authority: 4
Robert Baratheon's only acknowledged trueborn son has walked a strange path. Sequestered to Essos for his own safety during the reign of his ill-loved uncle Stannis, Edric became a sellsword in service to the merchant princes of Lys. Leading a company of vagabonds and cutthroats under the banner of the Black Stag, Storm spent the Long Winter in the Disputed Lands. Even in times of apocalypse and famine, the market for violence never dissipates; Storm learned the sellsword's trade in a baptism of violence. He was fortunate enough to escape with his life after standing with the forces against the Dragon Queen, his honour bruised in what he viewed as a personal defeat to the last of the Targaryens. In an act of petty vengeance, he took part in the famed Sellsword's mutiny a year after, joining in the sacking of Tyrosh and Pentos alongside other mercenaries disgruntled at Danaerys' newly won peace. As the cold crept south, opportunities for employment shortened, and the proud son of a king was forced into common banditry to ensure he and his men remained fed. For a sellsword captain, Storm inspired an uncanny loyalty in his men, but even this had its limits when faced with certain death and starvation. Thus did a King's son turn common bandit, raiding the supply caravans of the Free Cities as they cowered behind their walls. Storm and his men were like wolves, lean and hungry, and for the first time he learned what it was to truly fight for his survival. Good men were lost to the winter, and he did not forget them.
As the snows thawed and the spring came, Edric saw opportunity. He had exhausted the goodwill of the Free Cities through a near decade of pillaging, and so Robert Baratheon's son gathered those men that had survived the winter to his side. They were hungry for gold and plunder, eager to taste the wealth of life now that they had stared death in the face. With five ships bartered from the Lyseni, he sailed westward. Storm's first thoughts had been of home, to take Storm's End as his own seat, but the sage counsel of Estermont had warned him both of the fury of Shipbreaker's Bay and the power of his royal cousin. In the end, he took a safer road, courting the Lord Redwyne for employment along the gentle tides of the Mander. The latter's political conflict with Tarly had borne no fruit as of yet, and he wished to seize the young Lady Tyrell as a bargaining chip to come to a settlement. With safe passage provided to Highgarden, Storm's daring night raid went off better than hoped - save for the young Stormlord taking Catheryne for himself and holing up in Brightwater Keep. Thus has a third player entered the conflict for Highgarden, the young bastard son of a king that matches his father's stubbornness and appetite for battle, with a mercenary's lack of scruples to match. Already has he taken a golden stag on green, aping the colours of the Tyrells and asserting his own claim as Lord of the Reach by right of his wife, who he will wed as soon as she comes of age. Storm has won his prize, and now the true test will be his ability to keep it.
THE BULL OF HOLLOW HILL
Hedge Knight
 Age: 30
Core Traits: Humble, Cautious, Cynic
Marital Status: Unwed
Heritage: Lowborn (+1 intelligence, +1 resilience)
Profession: Knight (+1 resilience, +2 tournament rolls)
Birthsign: Ice Dragon (+1 resilience)
Resilience: 9
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 1
Authority: 2
Ser Gendry of the Hollow Hill has buried three good squires, two good horses, and countless good friends. Winter was long and cruel, even in the service of a man such as Brynden the Blackfish. Death followed the cold winds south, and Gendry rode out to fight against that which cannot be killed. The long arm of the Night's King forever changed that which it touched, even those that remained in the land of the living. Hundreds of thousands died for their victory, if one could call it that, including his lord and master. What the Blackfish had seen in him, he could not have known, and still now he remains ignorant even with his towering stature and coal-black hair. It is perhaps better this way, for Gendry believes wholeheartedly that he won all he has gained through the strength of his arm and the stoutness of his heart. A horse, a decent set of armour, a Ser before his name. No squire this time, though. Three graves would be enough for one lifetime. The Bull of Hollow Hill did not linger in the North once the war was done, finding the land bleak and empty even in the spring. Nor did the Riverlands hold anything for him; he returned to find the Inn at the Crossroads burned down and the Heddle sisters disappeared. It was his mission to find them, for a time, though after a year of dealing with bandits and vagabonds he figured them long dead, or at least far far away from here.
So he rode south, giving his sword to whomever he considered deserving. A gang of peasants on the Blackwater kept him around for a few months, before the Red God's faithful came and gave them the gift of his painful fire. The vengeance he wreaked on them was not something he was proud of. On horseback he fled into the Reach, abandoned now by his very own God, too ashamed to even offer a prayer of forgiveness. He is a hedge knight, a vagabond in armour, and has spent the last year hence lending his sword to the petty disputes of upjumped nobles and vicious warlords. Like his father, drink has taken to him like an old friend, dispelling his nightmares and blackening the memories of cold and death. Gendry is a man without a purpose or cause, and at the bottom of the bottle he hopes to find one. He longs for the days of the Brotherhood, the camaraderie of the heroic outlaws and the company of his friends. Perhaps in the Reach he will find purpose again, though what purpose that is there are none who can say.
LEWYS 'THE FISHWIFE'
Sworn Sword
Age: 41
Core Traits: Cautious, Humble
Marital Status: Unwed
Heritage: Noble (+1 authority)
Profession: Knight (+1 resilience)
Birthsign: King's Crown (+1 authority)
Resilience: 5
Charisma: 2
Intelligence: 1
Authority: 5
Lewys Wensington was one of the King's Men, having declared for Stannis after the unfortunate death of his liege lord Renly outside Storm's End. A distant kinsman of the Baratheons, he was entrusted to be one of Edric's guardians in the Free Cities by Lord Davos Seaworth, and has been a stalwart companion of Robert's son ever since. Dubbed by Renly himself as 'The Fishwife', there are few things Lewys does not complain about, and he is regarded as being overly cautious by his boisterous ward. Nevertheless, his counsel and battle experience is sorely valued by Edric, as well as his ability to keep a cool head in the heat of battle.
FOSSOWAY OF NEW BARREL
Unlike their Red Apple cousins, the junior branch of landed knights that rule New Barrel survived the terrors of war and winter, though they still met with their fair share of misfortune. Ser Jon fell to the ambush in the Kingswood, cut down by a Golden Company sergeant while buying time for his liege and goodbrother to escape across the Wendwater. His wife Janna fell to fever a few years hence, their two daughters likewise did not survive the winter. Philip, their son, was left as a lone orphan and the master of a castle left deserted by conflict and pestilence. Now grown to manhood, the young lordling has attempted to immerse himself in the affairs of great men, affairs that are perhaps beyond one with so little experience of lordly ruthlessness. With little surviving kinsmen left, Philip has turned to those amongst his peers that he deems greater than himself, to ingratiate himself into their circles and win glory and honour on the battlefield, as his forefathers each have done. SER PHILIP FOSSOWAY
The Knight of New Barrel Age: 18
Core Traits: Bold, Ruthless
Marital Status: Unwed
Heritage: Noble-Born (+1 authority)
Profession: Nobleman (+1 authority, +1 charisma)
Birthsign: The Ice Dragon (+1 resilience)
Resilience: 6
Charisma: 4
Intelligence: 1
Authority: 3
Having seen much death for one so young, Philip has grown accustomed to living in its shadow. Father rode off to war and never returned, as men of honour often do. Mother and sisters died of sickness of winter, a fate that usually befalls the vulnerable and weak. He mourned them all, growing into a solemn youth that spent his days taking out his frustrations on the peasants and squires that served as his sparring partners, meek mannered boys that stood as the Lord of the Manor gave them a furious thrashing with a wooden sword. A few distant kinsmen remained to raise him, but a shared name and a few drops of Fossoway blood is no substitute for real family. Only his cousins Redwyne were spared, the spiteful Sers Horror and Slobber that had so often tormented him when he served uncle Paxter as a page. So, his parents became sword and shield, and he inflicted pain on those unfortunate enough to be put before him on any given day. The aggrieved peasants likewise made good target practice for the bow, the arrows serving as a stern answer to the gang of starving malcontents that had attempted to force him out the castle gates. That he pitied them he could not deny, but they angered him in their assumption that he had bought this plague of winter upon them. Had he not also suffered? Three bodies that could not even be buried or else they would rise again with the coldness of death in them, nothing now but dust on the wind with only stone to mark their passing. They remembered his anger when spring came and he could ride out again without fear of death; hatred and fear mingled in their eyes, visible even underneath their scraping bows and feeble prostrations. They would knife him like a common gutter thief, if cold steel did not protect him. Smallfolk no longer recognised their betters. Fishwives babble of change in the air, of the High Septon and his Seven Ordinances. That muckswilling swineherders could be the chosen of the Gods was a laughable proposition. It should be as it always has been, and those that take up arms against their betters should face the consequences. Steel and fire was the only thing these upstarts understood, including that bastard in Brightwater Keep. A choice between a baseborn sellsword and a priest was no choice at all; Fossoway would defend his birthright as his ancestors did.
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Post by Magnate Lucius on Jun 2, 2021 0:48:04 GMT -5
House Redwyne of the Arbor Only the Shield Islanders can truly understand the pains of what occurred when the Seven Kingdoms were ripped apart by war and violence of an unprecedented scale. The Arbor, one of the richest lands in all of Westeros, a paradise of vineyards, shipbuilding, and rich waters, was scarred by the arrival of the Ironborn. The island was ravaged by the sea raiders and all of her inhabitants cut down, to a man, by the madness that was Euron Greyjoy. And yet, by the tenacity and bravery of the Reachmen, the island was reclaimed, but to this day the scars remain. In the decade or so after, Lord Paxter has become old and senile. His sons, the Horror and the Slobber, are the ones who rule, overshadowing their mother, Lady Mina, and their capable cousin, Ser Desmond. Whereas Paxter had been wise and polite, Horas and Hobber are tyrannical and cruel. The war did not do any wonders for the twin sons as they had been unhorsed by nobody knights and held hostage. They had been tossed into a multitude of supposed lovers, by the damned lioness, Cersei, in an attempt to humiliate Margaery Tyrell and have her removed. There had been no kindness to them, so neither would give any back. As the Reach fell into turmoil and civil war, the Redwyne twins moved against the vacant seat of Highgarden, using their mother's claim to assert the dominance of the Redwynes over the whole of the Reach. With the support of the Shield Islanders, they made for the Manderford, sailed up the Mander, and captured the ruined Highgarden. Here, Horas proclaimed himself Lord Protector of the Reach, while Hobber was named the Marshal of the Knights in order to assert their authority. And so, the Tyranny of the Twins would begin. Back on the Arbor, Ser Desmond aides in ruling their homeland, alongside Mina, supporting his cousins from afar. Though loyal, his mind has some doubts, given the horrid state that the Reach is in. Mains: Horas 'Horror' Redwyne, Hobber 'Slobber' Redwyne, Ser Desmond Redwyne (married to Denyse Hightower) Secondaries: Lord Paxter 'the Old' Redwyne (made an aux due to being senile), Mina Tyrell (wife of Paxter), Desmera (marriage to be determined), Denys Redwyne (son of Desmond) Horas Redywne, Lord Protector of the ReachAge: 32 (282 AC) Marital Status: Married Estalia Stonecrab (b. 376 AC) Children: 2 sons and 1 daughter; Rohanne (b. 302 AC), Denys (b. 305 AC), and Ryam (b. 312 AC) Core Trait: Ruthless, Proud Heritage: Blue Blooded (+2 Authority) Profession: Nobleman (+1 Authority, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: King's Crown (+1 Authority) Traits (10 points):Resilience +4 Charisma +1 Intelligence +2 Authority +7
Hobber Redywne, Marshal of the KnightsAge: 32 (282 AC) Marital Status: Unmarried Children: 1 bastard; Patricia Flowers (b. 310 AC) Core Trait: Cynic, Bold Heritage: Blue Blooded (+2 Authority) Profession: Nobleman (+1 Authority, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The Stallion (+10% army speed, +1 to battle rolls when commanding cavalry) Traits (10 points):Resilience +4 Charisma +1 Intelligence +1 Authority +7
House Ball of Manderford Once, a long time ago, House Ball chose to side with traitors and paid for it with the loss of land and prestige. They had been a well-known and respected house among the many noble and knightly families that made up the chivalric society of the Reach. When banners were raised, red dragon against black dragon, it was the Balls who turned on the Targaryens and sided with the Blackfyres. Like others of the Reach, who had aided Daemon the Traitor, castles were seized and the Ball name was blackened by their treachery. For many a generation, they served as best they could to crawl back to upward in a struggle that was caused by the muddy foundations beneath their feet. When the War of the Five Kings erupted, they joined House Tyrell. When the Long Night came upon them, they continued to fight alongside their kinsmen. Yet, when the Reach became divided, at the end of House Tyrell's main line, Lord John and his brother, Ser Garse, fell into a neutral stance. Across the Mander was the bastard of Robert Baratheon, Edric Storm, who likely sought control of the Mouth of the Mander. To the Northwest were the Redwynes, led by Horas and Hobber, who were now a dominate force or so they believed so by possessing the ruined Highgarden. Reachmen fought against Reachmen. Would they side with the victor or become traitors once more? Lord John 'the Red' Ball (left) and Ser Garse Ball, the Knight of the Mander (right)  John 'the Red' Ball, the Lord of ManderfordAge: 28 (286 AC) Marital Status: Married to Estalia Middlebury (b. 280 AC) Children: 2 sons; Lyonel (b. 302 AC) and Quentyn (b. 304 AC) Core Trait: Zealot, Cautious Heritage: Blue Blooded (+2 Authority) Profession: Nobleman (+1 Authority, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The Moonmaid (+1 Charisma) Traits (10 points):Resilience +4 Charisma +5 Intelligence +2 Authority +4
Ser Garse Ball, the Knight of the ManderAge: 26 (288 AC) Marital Status: Married to Victoria Dunn (b. 281 AC) Children: 1 son; Leo (b. 309 AC) Core Trait: Idealist, Bold Heritage: Noble-Born (+1 Authority) Profession: Knight (+1 Resilience, +2 Tournament Rolls) Birthsign: The Ice Dragon (+1 Resilience) Traits (10 point):Resilience +5 Charisma +2 Intelligence +2 Authority +4
The Bastard of Crakehall'The Boar', 'the Bearded Pig', 'the Lord of Swine' - Ser Gerold Hill  Gerold Hill, the Warlord of Red LakeAge: 40 (276 AC) Marital Status: Married to Melessa Crane (b. 394 AC) Children: 3 daughters and 1 son; Belenna (b. 310 AC), Melara and Ormond (b. 311 AC), and Rosamund (313 AC) Core Trait: Ruthless, Cynic Heritage: Lowborn (+1 Resilience, +1 Intelligence) Profession: Warlord (+1 Authority, Boost to levy and mercenary rolls) Birthsign: The Ice Dragon (+1 Resilience) Traits (10 points):Resilience +7 Charisma +3 Intelligence +1 Authority +5 From the forests near Crakehall came forth a surge of swine, a mob of peasants utilizing whatever they could get their hands on as weapons. At the head of their pack came a large man of immense strength and girth. The emblem of a tusked pig, a boar, was messily emblazoned, with paint, upon armor stolen likely from a dead knight. From the North, they burst into the Reach and stormed towards Red Lake. The noble House Crane fell to the onslaught of swine herd that had become the force of a warlord overnight. The Lord of Swine, the Boar himself, took a daughter of House Crane as his wife and proclaimed himself the Lord of the Red Lake. And thus the story of the Bearded Pig, Gerold Hill, the Warlord of the Red Lake, began.
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Post by Royal Joker on Jun 2, 2021 15:33:24 GMT -5
Holy Army of the Seven Who Are One
Jon Manderwynd
"Jon o' the Mander"
Septon
Leader of the Holy Army of the Seven Who Are One Age: 38 (b. 276 AC) Marital Status: Celibate Children: None Core Trait: Ruthless, Zealot Heritage: Lowborn (+1 Resilience, +1 Intelligence) Profession: Firebrand (+1 Charisma, +2 Incitement rolls) Birthsign: The King's Crown (+1 Authority) Traits (10 points):Resilience +1 Charisma +4 Intelligence +2 Authority +3 The fate of the Seven Kingdoms has been brought to ruin by the machinations of godless, greedy highborn nobles and their bloodthirsty armies. Not even the sacred Faith could stand against this heresy, with even High Septons clad in gold and jewels being bought and sold like cattle. The world suffered greatly for their sins, and it is up to the remaining few who keep the Faith to save what remains. Jon Manderwynd is not a highborn man, his father a mere merchant from Oldtown. In his youth he sailed up and down the mighty Mander with his family, buying fruits and vegetables to be sold at the market in their hometown. Yet the mercantile life was already destined for his older brother, so young Jon was sent to the Starry Sept to become a cleric of the Seven. During his studies Jon was found to be a devout, humble student performed admirably, though not extraordinarily, in his duties. By the time of the War of the Five Kings was nearing it end, Jon had just taken his septon vows, ready to leave Oldtown to aid those communities still suffering from the years of war and pillage. Then came the end of days, and all the world went dark. The dead rose from their graves, while the commonfolk were driven to desperate acts of violence by starvation and fear. Winter and darkness and madness gripped the world. Septon Jon did what little he could in Oldtown, offering what food and shelter he could provide, yet it seemed like an insurmountable task. When his material possessions run out, he offers his words to the huddled masses, and finds a gift of speech he never knew he had. As Oldtown descended into chaos, Jon's words turned into fire against those responsible for the end of the world - the sinners, the faithless and the heathens. Soon words lead to violence, and Septon Jon is swept into a position of power over those with nothing but their Faith. When the dust settled and Spring returned, Jon o' the Mander saw the powers of old descend upon each other like hungry wolves, fighting over titles and castles. In order to counteract this regression, Septon Jon joined his brethren at the first Common Council to enact the Seven Ordinances to protect the Faith and the faithful from the transgressions of the highborn and the devilry of the Red Heathens. Yet the lords and the pagan worshippers continue their old ways, spitting on the laws put forth by the Common Council. Through his gift of the tongue, Jon Manderwynd gathers an army of the faithful masses for a single purpose - to uphold the Seven Ordinances, by sword and torch if necessary.
House Oakheart of Old Oak Aron Oakheart Lord of Old Oak Age: 42 (b. 272 AC) Marital Status: Married, to Melissa Sloane (b. 275 AC) Children: Arthor Oakheart (b. 294 AC), Florence Oakheart (b. 296 AC) Core Trait: Idealist, Humble Heritage: Noble-born (+1 Authority) Profession: Nobleman (+1 Authority, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The Moonmaid (+1 Charisma) Traits (10 points):Resilience +4 Charisma +2 Intelligence +1 Authority +3 Aron Oakheart was never meant to rule. The second youngest son of the late Lady Arwyn, just a few years older than his brother Arys, he had trained to become a knight in the service of Lord Tyrell. He marched with Mace's army in support of Renly, then he fought for Joffrey at the Blackwater. When he returned home with his mother to Old Oak, Aron had hoped for a few years of respite. Yet it would not be so - the return of Stannis Baratheon and a Targaryen princess with three dragons, the beginning of Winter, the dead rising from their graves and the complete breakdown of the old order. The Oakhearts, old and powerful, became one of the main targets of the roaming bands of starving peasants. One by one, Lady Oakheart lost her sons during Winter - to disease, to the living dead and to the peasant mobs. When only Aron remained, Lady Arwyn herself succumbed to winter fever. The new Lord Oakheart was left defending his lands and home from all who would seek to desecrate his family's holdings. When Spring returned, Lord Aron found the world unrecognizable. Several houses had been wiped out, while peasant mobs still roamed the land. Without a strong unifying force, the Reach descended into anarchy once more. For Aron, a return to the world before the war, a return to normalcy, was all he desired. Yet upstarts in Oldtown and zealous bandit gangs did as they pleased. Lord Oakheart turned to a man of strength and integrity, who could lead the Reach out of this time of chaos - Lord Randyll Tarly.
House Bulwer of Blackcrown Alysanne Bulwer
"Red Alys" Lady of Blackcrown Age: 23 (b. 291 AC) Marital Status: Widow, of Ser Royce Blackbar (d. 308 AC) Children: Jon Bulwer (b. 308 AC) Core Trait: Cynic, Cautious Heritage: Noble-born (+1 Authority) Profession: Nobleman (+1 Authority, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The Crone's Lantern (+1 Intelligence) Traits (10 points):Resilience +2 Charisma +2 Intelligence +4 Authority +2 Alysanne Bulwer was the firstborn child of Lord Jon Bulwer, who died of a summer fever when she was but a young girl. In her stead, her lady mother Victaria Tyrell ruled with the counsel of septon and maester. As part of her education and to build up her relations with the future highborn of the realm, she was made a lady attendant of Margaery Tyrell and accompanied the young queen to King's Landing. Although she was but a child, she quickly came to learn the cruelty of the royal capital, especially during the bitter rivalry between the two queens. When Winter came, Alysanne had already returned home, called home by her mother to avoid the wrath of the Dragon Queen as she set King's Landing on fire. As the dead walked again, famine plagued the Reach and bandits roamed the countryside, the young lady was married to a handsome knight of House Blackbar in the hopes of securing more allies in the desperate times of Winter. Yet the handsome knight would die of a fever just a few months after Lady Alysanne had given birth to their son and heir. Not long after, Lady Victaria passed away as well. It would be up to the young lady to lead her family through the dark times. As the sun heralded the return of Spring, so did Lady Bulwer's hope of a return to normalcy. Yet there were no illusions that the last 10 years had not occurred. Too many noble houses extinguished, too many armed and angry commoners, too much faith in the old system lost. The Bulwers found themselves allying with the Faith, House Hightower and the Common Council in order to rebuild and reform the Seven Kingdoms. While Lady Alysanne certainly had no love for the mob of zealous peasants roaming the Reach, she certainly had no love either for Lord Tarly and his faction of old timers, who would tear down the fragile new order in order to return to a past that was long lost.
Ulrick Ashford "Black Ulrick"
Sworn Knight of House Bulwer Commander of the Black Bulls Knights Age: 41 (b. 273 AC) Marital Status: Married, to Roslin Middlebury (b. 276 AC) Children: Jon Ashford (b. 294 AC), Leo Ashford (b. 295 AC), Mace Ashford (b. 298 AC) Core Trait: Bold, Proud Heritage: Noble-born (+1 Authority) Profession: Knight (+1 Resilience, +2 Tournament rolls) Birthsign: The Stallion (+10% Army speed, +1 to Battle rolls when commanding cavalry) Traits (10 points):Resilience +5 Charisma +1 Intelligence +2 Authority +2
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Post by oznerol on Jun 3, 2021 8:37:31 GMT -5
 Ser Andrew EstermontThe King's Cousin, the King's Man
 Above: the Stormlander knight as portrayed in sanguine and ink by Gorgonzo Ghirlandino, a painter of Lys.
Born 273 AC Status: Married, to Lady Margery Tyrell (b. 283 AC). Children: Alester Estermont (b. 310 AC). Traits (10+3):Resilience: 5 Charisma: 3 (+1) Intelligence: 2 Authority: 3 (+2) Heritage: Noble-Born (+1 Authority). Core Trait: Moralistic, Bold, Humble. Birthsign: The Moonmaid (+1 Charisma). Profession: Warlord (+1 Authority). Biography:The Turtles reign over a small island, Estermont. No-one truly remembers which was named after whom, if the Andals who reached those shores took the name of the isle or if it was the isle proper which was named after the adventurers themselves. Whatever the chicken or the egg did, the Estermonts stayed at the Stormlands, sworn to Durran’s line, even after it became Orys’ line when the dragons came and conquerers. They do have droplets of the stags’ blood here and there, like only a few others, and that was the main reason Steffon Baratheon took as wife Cassana Estermont. The aged lord Estermont, Eldon –he was born the twelfth regnal year of Maekar Targaryen- had fathered in his prime two sons and a single daughter with his first wife, the long-dead Marissa Caron. That daughter, Cassana, was to become the mother of Robert, Stannis and Renly Baratheon and thus she sired kings. The eldest son, Aemon, named after the Dragonknight -because his father was a wee lad with dreams of chivalry by the time-, would be married to a lady, Jocelyn Penrose, who died in childbirth, delivering Alyn. He remains his father’s only son, for Aemon’s subsequent marriages proved to be sterile. The second son, Lomas, was married to his brother’s wife’s younger sister, Aelinor, also daughter of a Lord of the Parchments, and he sired a son in turn, Andrew. Alyn and Andrew by virtue of their kindred became cousins to the king when Robert Baratheon usurped the throne in 283 AC, the very same year the younger Estermont was born. Lacking in close kin, the Estermonts were the only uncles and cousins the Baratheons ever had. Eventually, Andrew became a tall lad who squired for Stannis Baratheon in Dragonstone, living in his household for many years until he became a man and grew his beard. He was to be part of what were known as the King’s Men, loyal knights and noblemen that would follow their liege Stannis in his pretence to claim the crown for himself, after Robert was skewered by a boar and their children were uncovered to be but mere spawn of incest between Cersei and Jaime. Nevertheless, he kept the Seven as his gods, even if in Dragonstone the Red God swayed the hearts of many other men; however, few were as stubborn and honor-bound as Andrew, who chose to follow the faith of his fathers. He is a very tall fine-looking man, towering over many -just like Robert, Renly or Stannis- and has a long, pointy beard and bushy, brown eyebrows. Andrew is affable, honourable and easy-going, but he can be quite hot-headed and stubborn. The knight keeping his faith led to Ser Davos Seaworth, the loyal and well-meaning Onion Knight, to handpick Andrew himself to scurry away Edric Storm, only acknowledged bastard of king Robert, after Lady Melisandre spoke her mind about burning the child to use the potency of his blood to end the war by unnatural means. As the highest born and closest in kin to the lad, Andrew was to lead the party of loyal king’s men that escorted Storm out of the Stormlands and into Essos, away from the greed and zeal of the Red Lady and her hungry lord. They all set sail in the Mad Prendos, staying for a time in Pentos, then Myr and finally Lys, where they hid and remained the following months, while the realm they left plunged itself deeper into war. On the meanwhile, Ser Eldon, Andrew’s father, was castellan of Storm’s End and held the castle for Stannis Baratheon, until it was taken by the Dragon. The aged knight refused to bend the knee before the ilk of the would-be conquerors, least so to the one they said was Aegon Targaryen, and bluntly replied there was no king but Stannis, of House Baratheon. He was put to the sword like many others that had worn the Baratheon colours. Ser Eldon’s brother, Aemon, and his father, Eldon, had been sworn back to loyalty and both had said their oaths before Tommen Baratheon, the Lannister spawn sitting on the throne. However, after the Targaryen pretender took the capital the Estermonts remained in their isle, just like they did when a daring Velaryon bastard called their banners from Storm’s End, claiming to be Lord Protector for Robert’s heir. But Robert’s heir was either his brother or the bastard in Lys, squire and ward of Andrew Estermont, who did not even hear about his father’s death until a whole year passed. The young man vowed to return to the Stormlands and make amends of his death. Eventually, they did come back to Westeros, after spending most many hard years of Winter in the Disputed Lands. However, once they sailed, the ragged company avoided the Stormlands, firmly under the rule of Shireen, who now ruled the Seven Kingdoms, or what remained of them, from her ancestors’ stronghold of Storm’s End; King’s Landing having been razed during Daenerys’ assault. The kindred of both Estermont and Edric Storm remained faithful to the late Stannis Baratheon and his offspring, and with Davos Seaworth at the helm as Hand of the Queen both were unwilling to defy the royal rule. However, the Reach stood divided and as a more precious prize than the Stormlands ever were. In a daring move, they firstly seized Brightwater Keep and then, Highgarden, claiming the remaining Tyrells, including Sara, Margery and their infirm matriarch, Lady Olenna. With them three in tow, they returned to the sacked Florent keep, and stoke a claim to the Reach, with Edric wedding Lady Sara Tyrell as soon as she was of age and flowered, while Estermont was handled his part of the spoils and married to the thrice widowed Lady Margery. The later saw in this an opportunity to avoid a worse fate, having survived the perilous aftermath of her brothers’ death. After all, Estermont was kin to kings and was considered gallant on his youth. They both sired a child, Alester Estermont, curly of hair and green of eye, hale and hearty. The Stormlander knight is the most loyal follower of Lord Edric and his most ardent supporter: the royal bastard considers him a paternal figure of sorts, he had warded and taken care of the man since he was a lad.
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Post by ironaquilifer on Jun 5, 2021 12:02:34 GMT -5
High Septon Father of the Faithful His High Holiness Shepherd of the Faithful 
b.250 (64 as of 314AC)
Ability
- Resilience: 0 (1)
- Charisma: 4 (5)
- Intelligence: 5 (7)
- Authority: 1 (2)
Traits
- Ruthless
- Zealot
Heritage
- Highborn Bastard - +1 Charisma, +1 Resilience
Birthsign
- The Crone's Lantern - +1 Intelligence
Profession
- Cleric - +1 Authority, +1 Intelligence
Biography
Born a bastard of the Dornish Marches, the man who would come to be known across the Seven Kingdoms as the voice of the gods on earth had given up a good life in exchange for his vocation of faith. A child of the warrior peoples whose history was that of the defense of the realm against the near heathen Dornishman, the youth then known as John Flowers grew up to know that the faithful must be forever vigilant against the falsehoods of men. Those who relied upon the flesh often found that its weakness took them at their height, hubris that any god had to punish. So the child of the Marches, raised in the prosperous busom of god-fearing nobility, knew where his destiny lay.
But the boy John wanted, as any of the flesh, not to give himself to the quiet contemplation of the perfect world of gods, but instead to the sword of faith. He wished to carve a name for himself, a name that would bring glory to himself and the Seven. Yet glory was not to be his, not when his blood was of sinful lust. This was to be his condemnation. His salvation. Instead the boy who would become a man did so not in the garb of a knight, not of the gentle company of those gods chosen nobles who protected the weak as the divine willed, but in the fellowship of the innocence garbed good men who understood the word of the gods.
The man who had been Flowers accepted his new lot as was his duty. Though the family of his birth provided for his education, their generosity soon turned towards recompense. Septon John spent years repaying the life he had been given, even as the distance between he and them grew. Soon such spiritual distance cut John from the family who refused him their name. And this severance permitted the man to dedicate himself to the perfect work of the gods. A dedication which saw modest shrine become glowing septa which in turn became the hallowed chambers of the Starry Sept.
High Septon, avatar of the gods, whose name was once one of treachery and deceit, who knew no bounds but in glorification of the divine majesty of creation, wishes as he has always wished since a youth sitting at the knee of the good folk of the Marches: to be the sword that reclaims the land for the faith. And perhaps then, find himself a name that will be remembered.
House Meadows Lords of the Grassy Vale
Lord of Grassfield Keep
Lord of Grassy Vale Titus Meadows b.285AC
Ability
- Resilience: 2 (2)
- Charisma: 4 (6)
- Intelligence: 0 (0)
- Authority: 4 (6)
Traits
- Moralistic
- Cautious
Heritage
- Noble Born - +1 Authority
Birthsign
- The Moonmaid - +1 Charisma
Profession
- Nobleman - +1 Authority, +1 Charisma
Biography
Titus, the one who was meant to be a spare, grew up in understanding that he was to be the right arm of his brother. A strong arm he would be, reliable and trustworthy. His acceptance of family, of the traditions and ritual that made his people what they were, marked him out as a paragon of Andal virtues. Young Titus became the clearest favourite of his father, an aged man of no small dedication to the chivalric code. While this young lordling came to terms with his place, his brother did not. For the eldest, the one destined to see the family to new glories, he could only see a rival in the brother that wished to protect him. He saw only punishment in his teachings, a birthright that would soon be stolen.
On a still night, the brother who feared for his lordship was presented with a corpse. The mourned figure of his father, a man who had dared a moonlit ride that saw him thrown from horse and stolen from life. The sudden death of his father, of the one who was meant to lead for years yet to come, weighed heavily on young Titus for many years. His world, and his place within it, changed drastically. No longer was he the favoured son, the one relied upon to see the family's fortunes protected. Now he was a drain upon the coffers of his elder brother, a threat to his good health and long life. But before anything could come of the growing divide between the young boys, war came to the Reach.
His first call to arms, when the good lord Tyrell assembled the Reach behind Renly Baratheon, pretender to the Iron Throne, marked the young Titus. That service, which he had quietly boasted could only last the year, came to stretch fivefold. His sword, once for the green stag, became that of the one which burned as his elder brother lead the family from one pretender to another. Titus marched beneath the burning heart at Blackwater, where green flame turned his banners to ash. And as if for the humour of the gods, that same service saw Elwood become victim to the Dragon not long after, a beast of flame itself. With his knightly mentor slain, Titus found himself a prisoner, who was soon forgotten and left to waste away as squire to one Lannister lackey after another. Months became years, until at last the stag returned. By this time Titus was longing not for the glory of victory, but the quiet reward of home. A home now beset by rebellious peasants, rampaging heathens, and the greedy eyes of its neighbours.
Titus found his strength in those coming years, reclaiming the body that had been starved from him by the ambitions of men and women beyond his ken. And in that strength the boy that had wished only to see his brother safe now turned his eyes to the birthrights of his family. Of the glories that were meant for a lord of the Vale.
Arthur Meadows b.267
Ability
- Resilience: 5 (6)
- Charisma: 1 (2)
- Intelligence: 0 (0)
- Authority: 4 (6)
Traits
- Bold
- Proud
Heritage
- Noble Born - +1 Authority
Birthsign
- The Ice Dragon - +1 Resilience
Profession
- Nobleman - +1 Authority, +1 Charisma
Biography
For some, the memories of years gone cold are too painful to recall. Arthur, who was once so young and full of worry, is in many ways the man that his young nephew was modelled to become. He was the youngest born child, a position which often saw neglect or dismissal to a life outwith that extended the family influence. But as the youth Arthur was to find out, the gods had the means by which to make every life valuable. He was five when his mother passed, a woman who had ever been poorly even before his own birth. Not half a year later his first sibling was taken by the Stranger. Two more went before young Arthur left home to ward at one of his father's allies. Five of his siblings in total would die before Arthur truly became a man in winning his spurs. Though the deaths were not in the strictest sense unexpected, for the man raised to put his family before personal glory, their losses were nothing less than a personal affront. He would do better.
And better he did, overreaching his position so often that brave fools would whisper of his impending kinslaying. That he held himself alone as lord of his family estates. This often brought great friction between his lordly brother and Arthur, friction that at times would result in the threat of official exile. But in the end these threats were never realised, and the man who swore to protect his family ensured that for almost two decades his family were safe. And safe they were, that proud family of the Grassy Vale. Safe, until they were not.
The death of his lordly brother came not at the hand of a wasting illness, nor the keen edge of a criminal's blade, but at the end of a tourney lance. Thrown from his mount, the man who had been like stone to Arthur struck his head and never recovered. And into the hands of a boy were his family's fortunes placed. A boy who had no time to listen to the demands of his everprideful uncle. That exile which was long threatened looked to become reality. So real in truth that a weary Arthur began to set his own affairs in order. That was, until green stag wed golden rose. Left as castellan of the family estates, a punishment only in the eyes of the young glory seekers, Arthur outlived another relative. The shame of such a failure has seen the aging noble place himself as the shadow of his last nephew, to become his arms and armour and at last fulfill the oath he gave a loving brother years before.
House Hewett Lords of Oakenshield Lord of Hewett Castle Lord of Lord Hewett's Town
Glendon Hewett b.280
Ability
- Resilience: 2 (3)
- Charisma: 0 (1)
- Intelligence: 0 (0)
- Authority: 8 (10)
Traits
- Ruthless
- Bold
Heritage
- Noble Born - +1 Authority
Birthsign
- The Ice Dragon - +1 Resilience
Profession
- Nobleman - +1 Authority, +1 Charisma
Biography
Glendon was a good boy, everyone agreed. The firstborn son of the late Lord Hewett was ever eager to please his family and their household, the first to wake in the morning and the last to leave his father's company at night. This was seen as a good omen by that most wise of nobles, whose ever-increasing brood of children was decidedly less masculine that he had hoped. As the number of his daughters rose without sight of any more males, the expectations of young Glendon rose. To the pleasure of everyone in the household, he rose in turn to meet them. Glendon became a well read youth, never far from the maester's rookery when the lessons of the master-at-arms was over. He grew in leaps and bounds, both physically and mentally, until such a time as an island like Oakenshield could not contain him. So it was that as a young boy, on the path to manhood, that Glendon embarked on his father's ship and travelled up the Mander to achieve an education befitting one of his station.
This education, among the great chivalric families of the Reach, grew in time. Months became years. And the years began to multiply as Glendon earned his spurs on the eve of King Robert Baratheon's death. So it was that Glendon Hewett followed his liege lord Tyrell north, first for Renly and then for Joffrey. Eventually he reunited with his brothers, once so young now more stranger than family. They bound together with the knowledge of their father's death. Glendon, who had seen his father only in passing in those years of his upbringing on the mainland, could feel only sorrow at the family that had been taken from him. So it was that when they eventually drove out the Ironborn scourge that so plagued the Reach in those following years, that good boy who had wished to please became a lord of unyielding steel.
Percy Hewett b.287
Ability
- Resilience: 6 (7)
- Charisma: 2 (3)
- Intelligence: 0 (0)
- Authority: 2 (4)
Traits
- Bold
- Humble
Heritage
- Noble Born - +1 Authority
Birthsign
- The Ice Dragon - +1 Resilience
Profession
- Nobleman - +1 Authority, +1 Charisma
Biography
Sweet Percy, whose birth was one of bloody and pain and screams. Poor Percy, whose first steps were overshadowed by his brother's departure on a chariot of oak and cloth. Unassuming Percy, who had his lessons behind the joys of his sister's firstborn. Quiet Percy, who bored his father with tales of knights long dead. The second born son was not given the same easy attention of his more appealling brother. Not that it could stop him, when the young Hewett first grasped the hilt of a training blade. And with blade in hand Percy lived a pauper's life on the training yard, daring any and all who could lift a stick to a duel as a true knight of old. So it was, without the tears of Glendon's departure that Percy embarked on a boat, squire to one of his father's aging household knights. To the roads they travelled, tourney's no small for their entry.
But it was no true life for a son of the Shields. And when war blossomed as it ever did in the kingdom, Percy found himself a strange fellow within the walls of Kingslanding. There, beneath a foreign flag and among his father's enemies, young squire Percy prepared to face down the oncoming horde. That it was a foreign flaming heart that eventually came crashing upon the walls of the city was no small comfort to Percy the forgotten son. Had it not been for the heroic return of Tyrell to save the city, the young Hewett was certain to have found himself counted among the honoured dead.
But victory was cut short, as he found himself confronted with a figure only vaguely recognisable: Glendon. Owing to their shared lineage, Percy who had for the longest been envious of his brother did everything in his power to remain at his side. This attachment only grew as the war raged on, and the tragic knews of the nefarious Ironborn invasion of their home reached their ears. By the time they learned of their father's death at the hands of the reavers, Percy had rekindled his familial bond with both his brothers. Together, they have worked together to reclaim the stolen glories of their land.
Branston Hewett b.289
Ability
- Resilience: 3 (3)
- Charisma: 4 (6)
- Intelligence: 0 (0)
- Authority: 3 (5)
Traits
- Bold
- Proud
Heritage
- Noble Born - +1 Authority
Birthsign
- The Moonmaid - +1 Charisma
Profession
- Nobleman - +1 Authority, +1 Charisma
Biography
The youngest son of the Hewett clan, Branston found himself spending the first years of his life surrounded by women. By this time, his eldest sisters were mothers of their own, married to the most prestigious lords and knights of the neighbouring estates. As such, the growing Hewett spent far more of his time among his cousins than he did his own brothers, a fact that eluded his father for a long time. As such, Branston has enjoyed a much more varied education than his elder male siblings. This has seen him interested in fields which his brothers never had a chance to come across, of the histories told not of kings, but of the local myths and legends of the smallfolk. He learned to battle not with sword but with mace, to train with bow and not lance, and to chose for his mount a longship over a destrier.
So it was with no true surprise that Branston found himself urging his father to accept wardship not among the noble families of the mainland, not of the famed knights who won their peacetime renown among the tourneys, but instead to live with his fellow shield islanders. To learn of sailing and navigation, of how best to lure with the promise of gold, and to taste the exotic flavours of the east. And this education earned him fast friends and a breadth of knowledge with which to better his station as was limited by the notions of rigid chivalric tradition.
He served aboard the galleys of Redwynes fleet, a young lordling more passenger than crew, but whom would drown just the same should battle find them. But battle only found them years later, when Hewett was older, more learned. And these battles were fought not for crowns, but to save his people from the evil of the Ironborn. Battles in which he would eventually reunite with the brothers he had thought lost. Brothers, with which he would reclaim a home they had all thought gone. A home they would not lose again.
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Post by oznerol on Jun 11, 2021 12:39:27 GMT -5
HOUSE HIGHTOWER OF OLDTOWN AND THE HIGHTOWER
FAMILY TREE:Lord Lancel Hightower, married his distant cousin, Lady Rhaella Hightower. - Lord Leyton ‘the Old’ Hightower (b. 227 AC), married four times. Died of old age in 304 AC. 1) Married to Lady Sanelle Fossoway, of the Green Fossoways, died in childbirth. -> Lord Baelor ‘Brightsmile’ Hightower (b. 254 AC, d. 309 AC), married Lady Rhonda Rowan (b. 275 AC). - Lord Lyonel Hightower, the Young Lord (b. 302 AC). 2) Married to Lady Eleanor Crane, who committed suicide. ->Lady Malora Hightower, the Mad Maid (b. 257 AC). -> Lady Alerie Hightower (b. 260 AC-d. 312 AC), Lady of Highgarden, married Mace Tyrell of the Reach. - Lord Willas Tyrell (d. 307 AC), married Talla Tully. - Lady Serra Tyrell. - Ser Garlan Tyrell (d. 307 AC). - Ser Loras Tyrell. -Lady Margaery Tyrell, married Ser Andrew Estermont. -An infant son, Alester Estermont (b. 310 AC).3) Married to Lady Donella Bulwer, who died of a debilitating sickness. -> Ser Garth Greysteel (b. 265 AC, d. 307 AC), died before Highgarden, alongside his nephew Garlan Tyrell. Unmarried, no offspring. -> Lady Denyse Hightower (b. 267 AC-d. 303 AC), married Desmond Redwyne (d. 302 AC). ->Ser Otto Redwyne (b. 291 AC), married Lady Alicent Costayne. ->Lady Desmera Redwyne (b. 295 AC), married her cousin, Ser Anton Cupps. -An infant son, Leyton Cupps (b. 312 AC). -> Lady Donella Redwyne (b. 301 AC-d. 302 AC). ->Lady Leyla Hightower (b. 268 AC), married Ser Jon Cupps. -Lady Larissa Cupps, a member of the Faith (b. 289 AC). -Ser Anton Cupps (b. 293 AC), steward and knight of the Faith, married his cousin, Desmera Redwyne. -An infant son, Leyton Cupps (b. 312 AC). -> Lady Alysanne Hightower (b. 270 AC-d. 313 AC), married Lord Arthur Ambrose. -Lord Rutger Ambrose (b. 293 AC). -Martin Ambrose, forging his chain at the Citadel (b. 297 AC). -Melissa Ambrose (b. 299 AC) 4) Married to Lady Rhea Florent, his widow. ->Lady Lynesse Hightower (b. 272 AC), married Ser Jorah Mormont (b. 254 AC), later chief-concubine of Tregar Ormollen. -Offspring unknown. Born out of wedlock. ->Ser Gunthor Hightower (b. 277 AC), married Alla Tyrell. -Leo ‘The Tall’ Hightower, the Rose of Oldtown (b. 300 AC). ->Ser Humphrey Hightower (b. 281 AC), married Lysa Ormollen, daughter of Tregar Ormollen. Remained at Lys, serving the merchant prince. -Lyssandro Hightower (b. 303 AC). LADY RHONDA HIGHTOWER, NEE ROWAN
The Lady Regent, The Widow, The Steel Whore Born 275 AC Titles: Lady of Oldtown, Lady of the Hightower, Regent of Oldtown, Voice of Oldtown. Status: Widow. Children: Lord Lyonel Hightower (b. 302 AC). Traits (10+4):3 (+1) Resilience. 3 (+1) Charisma. 3 Intelligence. 5 (+2) Authority. Core Traits: Ruthless, Proud. Birthsign: The King’s Crown, +1 Authority. Heritage: Noble-Born, +1 Authority. Profession: Matriarch, +1 Resilience, +1 Charisma. LORD LYONEL HIGHTOWER
The Young Lord Born 302 AC. Titles: Beacon of the South, Defender of Oldtown, Defender of the Citadel, Lord of Oldtown, Lord of the Hightower, Lord of the Port, Voice of Oldtown. Status: Unmarried. Children: None. Traits: Not of Age. Core Traits: Cynic, Cautious. Birthsign: The Crone’s Lantern, +1 Intelligence. Heritage: Noble-Born, +1 Authority. Profession: Nobleman, +1 Charisma, +1 Authority. LEO ‘THE TALL’ HIGHTOWER
The Rose of Oldtown Born 300 AC. Titles: None. Status: Unmarried. Children: None. Traits: Not of Age. Core Traits: Bold, Idealistic. Birthsign: The Ice Dragon, +1 Resilience. Heritage: Noble-Born, +1 Authority. Profession: Knight, +1 Resilience, +2 Tournament rolls. BACKGROUND The Young Lord of Oldtown and the Hightower is Lyonel Hightower, only child of late Baelor Hightower and his wife, Rhonda Rowan. He was born late into his father's life, as Lord Baelor was almost fifty by then. A much desired child, he was cherished and lavished by both his parents, and two years after his birth, he became heir to Oldtown and the Hightower, after the death of Lord Leyton due infirmity. The formerly charming and cheerful Brightsmile had not a good health, particularly after the strife of Oldtown’s siege, which paid a toll on his rowdiness. He died not much later, after his fifty-seventh day of the name, of a sickness of the bladder. Lady Rhonda remained regent for her infant son, but woe the realm whose ruler is a child: The Hightowers were now unable to impose their will effectively over the unruly populace and the ravenous Faith. To the outrage of her brother-in-law, Ser Gunthor, she had to sign peace with the warring factions, effectively granting away the house’s dominance over the storied city. That placed her at odds with some of her in-laws, but she got the support of Jon Cupps and his son, both well-placed at the new Faith’s hierarchy, as noble supporters of the new regime. Lyonel grew to be a tall and spindly lad, all knees and elbows, but he lacked the martial nerve and strength of some of his late relatives, like Garth Greysteel or Garlan Tyrell. He did not have love for the tilt, the sword and the lance, preferring the more scholarly pursuits of his late grandfather Leyton, growing close to the so-called Mad Maid, his aunt Malora. He was looked down as an unfitting lord in troubled times, lacking the strength due age, character and upbringing to rule over Oldtown and the Hightower. Ser Gunthor, himself a grown and mature man, started to weave plots, considering his own candidacy to his nephew’s seat. However, he was not a loved man, considered eccentric and soft on his own way, and there were those who preferred his son, Leo, to replace Lyonel at the head of House Hightower. The child was the living image of chivalry, and at four-and-ten years of age he was not only thick with muscle, but also tall and as broad as a child of his age could be. He also had Tyrell blood, son of Alla, late Lord Mace’s cousin. This made him a very popular character inside and outside the Hightower’s household, and many say he would very soon earn his spurs at the hands of Lord Costayne, turning him into a knight, something his cousin would never be. He is now widely hailed as the Rose of Oldtown, something that made weary and worry not only Lady Rhonda, but possibly also the warring factions for Highgarden’s throne, that could very well have another contender to deal with. However, no matter how many lordlings parade themselves around, is Lady Rhonda the one who rules Oldtown, day-to-day, and she is the city's Voice and sole guardian to her son and his legacy, as widow to the late Lord Baelor Hightower. She has ruled for several years now: the solemn and rather dry woman she was once, only became harsher and less tolerant with time. Weary and hardened with widowhood and regency, Lady Hightower is now a severe black-dressed widow, who would rather have her in-laws hung from the battlements than having to stand their bickering. Still, she is an able woman, well-read and sharp, and knows contemporizing is the best weapon she got, considering she is but a woman, looked down by many. No matter: she has both the stomach and heart of a lord and she has ridden ahead the Hightower men and dressed the steel garb of a knight both; which infuriated many within and without Oldtown. It is also rumored she will attempt to claim, sword in hand if needed, her forebears' seat of Goldengrove, since "her claim is as good as any other woman's". She has armed many brigands and firebrands to strenghten the City Watch, and these rascals, now called "the Lady's Men", wear a badge of an oak leaf. Her enemies call her the Steel Whore.
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Post by AxBrew Sunster on Jun 13, 2021 1:16:54 GMT -5
 Dickon Tarly Born: 288 AL (26 as of 314 start) Marital Status: Wed to Eleanor Mooton, 300 AL Children: 2 (Myles Tarly, born 305 AL, Randyll Tarly, born 309 AL)
Resilience: 6 (Heartsbane +2, Birthsign) Charisma: 4 ( Nobleman)Intelligence: 2 Authority: 4 ( Noble-Born, Nobleman)Moralistic: Dickon Tarly had honor drilled into him by his father from a very young age, as part of his preparation to eventually take over the Lordship of Horn Hill. Now that he has done so, and much earlier than expected, Lord Dickon is even more committed to restoring the reputation of his family and proving that the Tarly's are still a house of honor. Bold: Whether it is his youth, or his training in his father's style of war, or his newfound urgency to prove his own worth and honor, Dickon has a penchant for somewhat rash action on the field of battle. In time, this tendency may be tempered with experience, but until that happens, he is likely better suited to commanding a cavalry charge than a full army. Andal Heritage: +1 to Cavalry combat rolls The Ice Dragon Birthsign: +1 resilience Noble-Born: +1 authority Nobleman: +1 authority, +1 charisma
 Eleanor Tarly (nee Mooton)
 Born: 287 AL (27 as of 314 start) Marital Status: Wed to Dickon Tarly, 300 AL
Children: 2 (Myles Tarly, born 305 AL, Randyll Tarly, born 309 AL)
Resilience: 3 (Matriarch)
Charisma: 4 ( Matriarch)Intelligence: 4 Authority: 1 Cynic: After seeing the blood of her people soak the soil of her lands while kings fought over crowns, and watching her city change hands again and again, Eleanor puts little faith in the "great men" of the world and thinks little of their wars and efforts. Though she is not entirely unhappy in her marriage, even that is little more than a product of men playing at politics, and has not instilled any more hope in her. Humble: The days of the Mootons ruling as petty kings in the Riverlands are long past, and they have been little more than a footnote in the minds of many since they sided with the Dragon. Their port is wealthy, but their house is not particularly mighty in reputation, and Eleanor has little in the way of laurels to sit upon. Andal Heritage: +1 to Cavalry combat rolls The Crone's Lantern: +1 intelligence Noble Blood: +1 personal combat Matriarch: +1 resilience, +1 charisma
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Post by Royal Joker on Jun 13, 2021 3:54:42 GMT -5
Eddard Freestone "Old One-Eye" Lord of Norcross (de facto) Age: 45 (b. 269 AC) Marital Status: Unwed Children: None trueborn Core Trait: Ruthless, Bold Heritage: Highborn Bastard (+1 Charisma, +1 Resilience) Profession: Warlord (+1 Authority, Boost to levy and mercenary rolls) Birthsign: Stallion (+10% Army speed, +1 to Battle rolls when commanding cavalry) Traits (10 points):Resilience +3 Charisma +1 Intelligence +2 Authority +4 Eddard Freestone has fought his entire life to carve out his own place in the world. The spawn of the frolicking of some minor Vale lord with a milkmaid, he was never recognized by his lord father's family. Working on a farm in the Vale most of his adult life, he often had to contend with the barbaric Mountain Tribes during their raids into the fertile valleys. In battle Eddard found his true calling in the thrill of taking another man's life. By the time he had come of age, he left his old home behind and ventured out on the road. Working as a guard here and there to earn enough coin to cross the Narrow Sea. Spending several years in Essos fighting for different sellsword companies, he gained a reputation for his sense for tactics and for his bloodthirst. He also lost one of his eyes to a bastard Lyseni soldier during a nasty skirmish. When the War of the Five Kings broke out, Eddard Freestone was initially hired by Stannis Baratheon along with many other sellswords from Lys and Myr. However, when the tides turned at the Battle of the Blackwater, Eddard slipped away to live another day. A few days later, he joined the Lannister payroll to fight their enemies. The lawlessness and destruction of the countryside in the Riverlands allowed the unscrupulous sellsword to help himself to any valuables during the march against the young King Robb Stark. When the war ended and most of the Lannisters' foes were dead, Freestone went on the road again to find a new war to fight. When all hell broke loose with the coming of Winter and the army of the dead, Eddard took a gleeful joy in the anarchy that followed. Rallying a group of sellswords, cutthroats and criminals, he roamed the countryside in search of food and valuables. Sometimes he demanded tribute from a village and let them be, other times he burned it to the ground anyway. During his exploits he built up quite the following, his bandit gang almost resembling an army, in size if not in discipline. When the wet dew of Spring was in he air once more, Eddard set his sights for grander ambitions than a simple bandit or a sellsword. He marched south to the Reach, pillaging on the way. Finally he found his prize - a castle, abandoned and ransacked. Taking it for himself and claiming the title of the previous owners, the self-proclaimed Lord of Norcross will do anything to defend his new prize. In the current political climate, he chose to ally himself to Edric Storm, bastard son of the former King Robert, a former cutthroat sellsword after his own heart.
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Post by FieldMarshal Bismarck on Jun 15, 2021 10:47:36 GMT -5
Brandon Umber Brandon son of the Greatjon himself. Brother of the Smalljon, Rickon the Bear of the North and Eddard the Reaper of the Stormlands. The umber blood had meant much in the past decades. AS Brandon navigated the terrible times that had passed he found himself south. His brother's dead or missing. Brandon chose to carve out an existence in the post apocalyptic world. Leading a band of man that he had gone through hell with. Selling himself to the highest bidder to find a place to call home. |
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Post by oznerol on Jun 15, 2021 13:12:58 GMT -5
LORD ALEKYNE FLORENT
The Dispossessed, Lackland, the Poor
Born 270 AC Status: Currently separated of wife. Children: Alesser Florent (b. 293 AC-d. 304 AC), Belenissa Florent (b. 295 AC) Core traits: Cynic, Proud. Heritage: Noble-born. Profession: Nobleman/Social Pariah. Birthsign: The Shadowcat. Traits (10+1):2 Resilience. 4 Charisma. 2 Intelligence. 2 (+1) Authority. BIOGRAPHY:Lord Alester Florent had a son and two daughters, all three of them suitably born with prominent ears. Proud appendages of their lineage. The daughters were married off to high-born lords, Tarly and Hightower, the later having been widowed three times and twice the young lady’s age. But Alekyne? He was the spoiled child, heir to what was perceived the finest castle in the Reach –obviously a false statement-, to the most noble lineage and rightful rulers of the Reach –a spurious and weak claim, at best-. Thus, Alekyne did as he pleased, when he pleased. That did not go well, unsurprisingly, when he married out of lust, during the grand tournament at Oldtown. His eye caught a beauty, her skin black as the spotless night, a flawless pearl. The issue, she was a foreigner and worst, of a questionable lineage tainted by bastardy. Lord Alester wrathfully had his son jailed on his own quarters, back in Brightwater, and covered up the affair, denying the fact. Later on, he married off his son to daughter of the noble house of Crane, but the frail woman would die in childbirth, delivering a son. After his wife died, Alekyne refused to marry and started to have an open dalliance with who was his true wife, now living at his expense in Oldtown; like many more noble mistresses –some said Oldtown housed half the adultery in the Reach-. The affair resulted in a daughter, legitimate on all sides, but rejected by her grandfather: Belenissa. When war came to Westeros, Florent made a dangerous bid. They bent their knees to Stannis Baratheon and a thirsty foreign god. His kinship to Lady Selysse and his swords both gave Lord Alester the title of Hand of the King, as vacuous as it was, and later on got him burned, after he tried to seek peace. The throne declared the wide-eared noblemen outlaws and had Brightwater Keep granted away to Garlan Tyrell. Alekyne, now a landless knight, sought shelter with his infirm brother-in-law, Lord Leyton Hightower, the only willing and powerful enough to do as much. He openly started to live to his rightful wife, who nevertheless grew tired of war and ran away before Euron Greyjoy came, sailing to the Free City she was born into. Alekyne, dispossessed, disinherited and marked as a mere brigand, remained in Oldtown. Beyond the reach of the crown. A mockery of his former self, living at the expense of his brother-in-law, his daughter an addition to the ranks of Lady Rhea’s ladies-in-waiting. The son did not live to see spring, dying of a sweating sickness, something that almost broke the spirit of the would-be Lord Florent. But, the daughter lived and grew to be one of Lord Lyonel’s court and household most radiant beauties. Now, penniless and powerless, Florent seeks to marry his daughter to any man willing to help him regain Brightwater Keep, in hands of his own kinsman, Edric, who he had never met before. However, the man lived through war and the end of the world, something many were unable to, to his credit. Above: Lady Belenissa Florent, sole child of Lord Alekyne, many consider her a bastard, others look down at her skin.
He could be considered a fine looking fellow, if it wasn't for his ears, the prominent appendages most his kin had. To conceal them, he wears his hair long, almost to the shoulders, but now his brown mane has turned grey. Lord Florent's robes are rather old-fashioned and have seen better times. He has pawned most his lordly possessions, but still retains the most valuable heirlooms he could save from Brightwater Keep's loss. His daughter lives at Lady Rhonda's household, as part of her entourage, and is clothed at her expense. The lady is of a foreign but splendid beauty. She has little of her father's side: not marrying a cousin did much to Florent blood in terms of actual beauty.
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Post by Gandalf on Jun 15, 2021 16:26:19 GMT -5
BENNIS MANNING
Age: 41 Marital Status: Widowed Children: Walder Manning (20) Lysa Manning (16) Core Traits: Cautious, Humble Heritage: Lowborn (+1 resilience, +1 intelligence) Profession: Merchant Banker (+2 intelligence) Birthsign: The Shadowcat (+1 to spying and assassination) Resilience: 4 Intelligence: 6 Charisma: 3 Authority:0 Bennis Manning grew up in King's Landing, on the Street of Steel. His father was a blacksmith of little note, and so he made his own way with the merchant guilds of the city. Beginning as hired muscle for the less savoury businessmen of the capitol, he became well acquainted with Flea Bottom and the rather cutthroat manner in which business was conducted in the slums. It is possible that he killed a man, but he certainly would never admit it, and they would have never found the body. Those poor souls that meet such a fate would end up in the infamous Bowls O' Brown, with no questions asked. The Goldcloaks, inept and corrupt as they were, did not consider it their priority. Eventually, Bennis came to run a usury business of his own, and employed his own muscle to make the collections. He came to be well connected within the guilds, and soon had his fingers in many different business opportunities. Wholesale smuggling became lucrative, especially as war broke out and food grew scarce. When winter came, the grain of Gulltown made him a rich man. But Bennis saw which way the wind was blowing. With Tommen's rule proving more unstable by the moment, he upped sticks and moved his entire operation to Oldtown. Folly, his contacts called it, until the city was levelled in dragonfire. A calculated risk paid off perfectly. Having survived the Winter, Bennis has rebuilt his usury business to be stronger than ever. Connected with the influential guilds and the city watch, his only potential worry is the increasing presence and influence of the Faith Militant within the city. Undeterred, Bennis Manning sees opportunity once again in the wars to come.
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Post by Royal Joker on Jun 16, 2021 13:11:28 GMT -5
House Tyrell of Highgarden Margaery Estermont (née Tyrell) "Little Queen" Age: 31 (b. 283 AC) Marital Status: Married, to Andrew Estermont (b. 273 AC) Children: Alester Estermont (b. 310 AC) Core Trait: Ruthless, Proud Heritage: Noble-born (+1 Authority) Profession: Matriarch (+1 Resilience, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The Shadowcat (+1 to Spying and Assassination efforts) Traits (10 points):Resilience +1 Charisma +3 Intelligence +4 Authority +2 The life of Margaery Tyrell is almost as fantastical as the stories of old. Daughter of one of the greatest houses in the Seven Kingdoms and widow to three kings. Her beauty, faith, charity and rivalry with Queen Mother Cersei were known across the realm, for good and ill. Yet it would be in the final days of the Baratheon-Lannister dynasty that would set a mark on her legend. The bitter power struggle in King's Landing leading to her lord father besieging the Red Keep, followed by the mysterious ambush inside the castle and the disappearance of both King Tommen and the Queen Mother, both presumed dead at this point. Following the chaos in the capital, Queen Margaery was shipped off to Sunspear for her own safety, while her lord father marched south to deal with the Targaryen pretender at Storm's End. Yet tragedy struck - the Reachmen ambushed and betrayed by those serving the Young Dragon, her father slain, while the Martells declared for the Targaryen cause. Now she was stuck in a cage under close guard of those who murdered her father. While Margaery would eventually return to Highgarden, she would return a broken woman. All of her work and sacrifices had turned to ash, only to return home utterly defeated. The ill times of her house would continue, as Winter and the Long Night descended upon Westeros. Crop failures, famine, rebellious peasants and roaming bandits were but a few of the maladies that struck the Reach. Both her brothers would die during the Siege of Highgarden in 307 AC - one beaten to death by a mob, the other to the winter chill. This left Highgarden in the hands of its women, the former queen and her grandmother Lady Olenna. It would fall on these two ladies to raise young Catheryne, the next Lady of Highgarden. The coming of Spring and the end of the Long Night did not bring a new light to House Tyrell. From the ashes of the Reach rose anarchy and petty warlords, all set on claiming Highgarden for themselves. A second siege of their ancestral home, followed by a bold night raid and kidnapping by Robert Baratheon bastard son. Now in the hands of a troop of sellswords pretending to be lords, Margaery Tyrell has been wed a fourth time - not to a king, but to a knight of House Estermont, giving birth to a son. While she loves her child, the same cannot be said for her "husband" nor her captors.
Catheryne Tyrell "Sparrowhawk" Lady of Highgarden (de jure) Age: 13 (b. 301 AC) Marital Status: Betrothed, to Edric Storm (b. 287 AC) Children: None Core Trait: Cynic, Proud Heritage: Noble-born (+1 Authority) Profession: Matriarch (+1 Resilience, +1 Charisma) Birthsign: The The King's Crown (+1 Authority) Traits (0 points):Resilience +0 Charisma +0 Intelligence +0 Authority +0 (Birth Gift: Genius child (+3 Intelligence on turning 16)) The birth of young Catheryne Tyrell was an auspicious day for her father, the future Lord Willas of Highgarden. After years of war across the Seven Kingdoms, the birth of the next generation of Tyrells was a promise of good times and prosperity, according to the learned men of Highgarden at least. From an early age, young Cath showed a gift for learning and a thirst for knowledge unlike most children her age. Yet her childhood would be a tale of tragedy. Winter and the Long Night would drive her house and homeland to the brink of ruin. Famine, revolts and lawlessness plagued the land, and at an early age she lost both her lord father and her chivalrous uncle. The young Lady of Highgarden's education would fall on her aunt Margaery and her great-grandmother Olenna, two of the most influential women in Westeros. From them she would learn etiquette, history, politics and all other topics that she would need to one day rebuild and rule a broken realm. From her late father she inherited a love for animals and an interest in hawking, earning her the nickname "Sparrowhawk". While the coming of Spring is usually an occasion of celebration and joy, it would not be so for the Tyrells of Highgarden. Besieged on all sides by their so-called sworn banners, their times of ill fortune seemed endless. Young Catheryne's fall from grace was only exacerbated by her kidnapping at the hands of Edric Storm, the bastard son of King Robert Baratheon. Now imprisoned at Brightwater Keep with her aunt and great-grandmother, she is "betrothed" to her captor, only waiting for her flowering before he claims her maidenhood and her birthright.
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