[center][h3][b]House Carlisle[/b][/h3] [img]http://i.imgur.com/mqmhEkf.png[/img] [b]Lords Paramount of the Riverlands[/b] [i]"From Duty Runs Rivers of Gold"[/i] [hider=Family] [u] [/u] [b]Leoric Carlisle[/b] [b]Age:[/b] 7 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Description:[/b] Though still young, Leoric has already begun showing himself as his father's son. He throws tantrums when forced to study or read, and instead prefers to spend his time playing with swords and listening to stories of glory. One way he differs from his father, however, is his hair color: Unlike the rest of the Carlisles, who as a rule have light-brown hair, his own is black, taking after his Blackwood mother. [b]Biography:[/b] Leoric Carlisle was born in Galenave, the seat of House Carlisle, from where they have ruled the Riverlands as direct bannermen of the king for three centuries. In his first years, he grew up much like any ther lordling, and his father, the young and valiant Lord Walder, made arrangements for the young boy to be fostered with another great lord. All changed when Lord Walder died jousting, however, taking a lance in the eye. The five-year-old Leoric was left as Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. His great-uncle, Ser Ondrew 'King Bee' Carlisle, quickly stepped in to seize power in the region. Though Ser Ondrew had effectively governed the Riverlands for yers before then, given his nephew's disdain for anything not involving swords and tournaments, in the wake of Leoric's ascension he became the Lord Paramount in all but name. He scrapped the plans for the boy to be fostered, preferring to keep him in Galenave, where he could be controlled. Since then, Ser Ondrew has been attempting to steer the young Lord Leoric away from the martial pursuits that killed his father and grandfather, though he hasn't had much success. [u] [/u] [b]Ameda Blackwood[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/c8MtEg8.png[/img] [b]Age:[/b] 27 [b]Gender:[/b] Female [b]Description:[/b] Still young, Ameda is known as one of the fairer ladies in the Riverlands. However, where she was once sweet and naive, she is now cold and hardened, and cynical to the core. She distrusts others, and sees herself as the only one capable of securing her son's reign. [b]Biography:[/b] Hailing from Raventree Hall, Ameda was raised in the faith of her forefathers, rejecting the new gods in favor of the old. Since an early age, she was betrothed to Walder Carlisle, the future lord paramount of the riverlands. Their marriage was mainly political: though not by any means unhappy, she had no great love for her husbamd, and vice versa. For better or for worse, the marriage ended early and brutally when Lord Walder was killed in a tourney. With her young son- then only five years of age- the Lord Paramount, the King Bee, Ser Ondrew Carlisle, moved in and seized control of Galenave. The last two years since then have been marked by a constant struggle for power between the two, with Ameda trying to remove Ondrew from his grip on power, and rule the Riverlands herself. [u] [/u] [b]Ser Ondrew Carlisle, the King Bee[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/n70EzuY.png[/img] [b]Age:[/b] 48 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Description:[/b]Though he is growing in age, Ser Ondrew is just as vigorous as he was in his youth. An imposing man, he commands respect and authority simply by his presence. His left eye is marked by an ugly scar, a remnant of the war against the dragon kings, when he had failed to protect his brother. In temperament, Ser Ondrew is a patient man, rarely displaying overt emotion. He does not rush into anything, preferring to move all his pieces into place before settling himself into a certain course. [b]Biography:[/b] Ser Ondrew Carlisle was born the third son of the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands. Early on, his eldest brother died, taken away at a young age by the plague. Thus, his older brother, Merwyn, became Lord Merwyn upon their father's death. For nearly a decade, he aided his brother in ruling the Riverlands, until the War came. The lords of Westeros rebelled against the Targaryens, and the Carlisles led the Riverlands into the conflict. In the climactic battle, the brothers fought side by side. However, they were rushed by the enemy. Ser Ondrew was slashed in the face, nearly losing his eye in the process, while his brother died on the field. With the war over, Ondrew returned to Galenave to bury his brother in the crypts of Galenave. His young nephew was now Lord Paramount, though he did not care for any of the title's responsibilities. The young lord shunned all matters of governance, leaving them to Ser Ondrew, while he feasted and attended tourneys. He made a reputation for himself as a valiant warrior, earning the nickname the Golden Sting, but eventually he met a predictable end, dead in a jousting accident. This was two years ago; Ser Ondrew used the opportunity to take control of Galenave, and, by extension, the Riverlands. Now, he rules the family domain personally, while he tries to each his great-nephew properly, without much success. [u] [/u] [b]Taggart Carlisle[/b] [img]http://i.imgur.com/qfU3eW1.png[/img] [b]Age:[/b] 22 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Description:[/b] A handsome youth, Taggart resembles his father, Ser Ondrew, a great deal. He has a certain arrogance about him, however, that contrasts with his father's usual humility, and has yet to learn the value of patience and planning. He views the Riverlands as rightfully his, and holds his cousin, the Lord Leoric, in disdain. [b]Biography:[/b] In most houses, a man born in Taggart's position could not hope to attain much glory in life, belonging to a lesser branch of a family as he does. Luckily for him, however, his father is Lord of the Trident in all but name, and he has been groomed since his youth to succeed him in that position, if not standing to inherit the title. Growing up, he was close to his older brother, Cleos Carlisle, and was thus stricken when the latter decided to join the Night's Watch a few years ago. [/hider] [b]House History:[/b] The Carlisles like to boast that their lineage stretches back to the Age of Heroes. Most agree, however, that the house only appeared under the Mudd kings of Rivers and Hills, with the Carlisles being a branch of that house which was given Galenave as their seat, and the defense against the Valemen as their duty. The Mudds fell, however, and for centuries the Riverlands were an unpleasant place to be, being first occupied by the Stormlanders, and then by the even more brutal Ironborn. Throughout it all, the Carlisles survived, by any means necessary. All changed when Aegon the Conqueror landed in Westeros and swept aside the old Kings. Harren the Black burned in his vile castle, and the lands of the Trident were freed. Though many riverlanders sought to establish their own, independent kingdom once again, the Carlisles stepped up as the most vocal supporters of the Targaryens. For their support, Aegon made House Carlisle the Lords Paramount of the Trident. [b]House Seat:[/b] The Carlisle seat is the ancient castle of Galenave. Located on the eastern bank of the Green Fork, it was first built by the First Men in ages past. When these were displaced by the Andals, they rebuilt the fortress after their manner, with high stone walls and imposing defenses. But with the decline in fortune of the kings of the trident, Galenave declined as well, and the castle fell into ruin, a sprawling maze of decrepit structures. In fact, when it came time to select a new lord of the castle, it was infested with bees, with hives being found within the ruined walls themselves. Taking this as a sign from the gods, the new lord of Galenave took the bee as his sigil. This was the beginning of House Carlisle. Since then, the fortunes of the house have risen, and as Lords Paramount they have had the resources to renovate the castle somewhat, rebuilding the keep in a more comfortable manner. While most of the surrounding castle is still ruined, this has often proved to be an advantage: any attacked would have to fight through its maze-like structure, which, apart from being difficult to navigate, also proves treacherous for the unwary, filled with traps, dead ends, and simple hazardous construction. As for the keep itself, it is high and strong, and nearly impossible to take, as one would have to use siege weapons in its assault, yet bringing these weapons through the ruins would be unthinkable. [b]House relations:[/b] N/A [/center]