House Sigil:
House Name: House Ryswell
House Words: “Only the Strong Prevails”
House Decription/General Information: House Ryswell are a Banner House of the Starks and hold The Rills for the Starks. They have, for generations now, ruled their lands from the safety and comfort of Castle Storn, named for the first Ryswell lord of the Rills, Storn Ryswell . Castle Storn is a fortress that is built high in the hills, it was originally the site of 3 large Dragon Glass obelisks. These were believed to have been brought down to their resting place in the Rills by ancient tribesmen who thought the stone contained the spirit of their dead. Once order had come to the Rills and the noble houses began to divide up the land House Ryswell decided to construct their home around these stones, as a sign that they were the rightful rulers of the Rills and that the natives of the Rills would have their sacred ground kept safe. The Lord Ryswell is lord to all other houses in the Rills and calls them to arms when the Starks or the king are in need of the men of the Rills.
Lord Robert Ryswell has led House Ryswell through many troubles over the past 32 years however he has found the civil war to be one of the most trying times of his life. Robert had followed Rhaenrya since the onset of the civil war and earned honour and glory on the battlefield commanding the men of the Rills however age was ever catching up with him and he is finding the life of a lord harder and harder. With the recent call for all of his supporters Robert is yet to send any men to Daeron since he is considering stepping down for his eldest son, Roger, and does not wish there to be turmoil in the field. However not all of the lords of the Rills support Robert stepping down, his son already has a reputation as being cruel and a political hound. He has already openly shown his desire to revoke the titles of all of the under lords and make House Ryswell the single controlling house of all the Rills. Robert also has another son, Edward, and a daughter, Joanna, both of whom wish to be Lord/Lady of the Rills. They are all vying for the support of the lords of the Rills. Roger is mainly using scare tactics, in hopes that he can force the lords under foot. However the northern spirits are rarely subjugated through fear. Edward has been traveling from court to court making pacts and promises without his brothers knowledge whilst Joanna has been growing her own coffers and bribing people of power in an attempt to sway a lot of the less sexist lords towards her claim. If Robert does not make a choice soon he well risk offending the King and if he does not name a successor that the lords will rally around he will risk bring unrest and internal conflicts to the Rills.
House Ryswell has become wealthier in recent years, a lot of the fighting has been away from their lands and so their farmland, forests and mines are relatively un touched. However not so much can be said for their people. Almost every family in the Rills has one or more family member lost in recent conflicts, including the civil war, and many of the serfs will be less than happy to go to another war with their king having received no real reward for their support in the civil war. With the recent troubles with the Dorne recruitment campaigns are already beginning anew and there is a less than warm welcome for it. Hopefully the situation in the Rills can be alleviated, even if the help of the Starks or the king is needed, before the men go to war again. Be it in Dorne or fighting amongst themselves in the Rills.
Name: Lord Robert Ryswell, Lord of the Rills and Master of the Horse.
Age:68
Appearance:
Personality: Robert was well known for being a brutal man who was well known to hang all those who defied his law. However in recent years the vigour and strength has left him, he normally defers to his children and advisors when it comes to laws and requests. He is very docile and lenient especially when dealing with criminals and can normally be found in his chambers rather than in his great hall. He has not become such a recluse that he would turn down an invitation from the king however there would be no joy for him in the occasion. He no longer goes out on the hunt and many of the taverns he used to visit haven’t seen him for years. He is a skilled tactician and used to be a fine warrior however age has slowed his reactions and many a war wound has made him weak. After his wife passed away 3 years ago it only made these poor traits in Robert even more obvious and his only wish is to now leave the courts of men and retire to a home in the country side in the warmth of the south.
Name: Roger Ryswell
Age:29
Appearance:
Personality: Roger is a ruthless man, much like his father in his prime he deals with men viciously and without thought. He carries out public executions himself and has a gang of ex soldiers who are fiercely loyal to him and act as his agents. He is well known to go on the hunt often and spends a lot of his time down in the dungeons torturing prisoners. His father gave him total command of the armies only a year ago and already his brother and other lords are questioning him as a leader. He has become paranoid as he has grown and for good reason as he bears a scar along his chest from when he was attacked by an assassin. He is currently trying to remove this cruel view people have of him in an attempt to curry favour with lords and reinforce his claim on the Ryswell lordship. His relationship with his brother is frosty and he never see’s his sister since the last time he did he attacked her and tried to rape her, in an attempt to make her first born a result of incest and illegible for the Lordship of the Rills after himself.
Name: Edward Ryswell
Age:24
Appearance:
Personality: Edward is widely seen as the preferable of all of Roberts children to replace him as Lord of the Rills. The years his brother spent practicing the art of torture Edward was being versed in the laws of the land and how to effectively run the Rills with the masters of the house as well as creating good relations with the smaller houses that made up the Rills. He is a big man of the people and is normally welcomed with large crowds and small feasts in the different holds. Edward believes in morals and chivalry between opponents, this makes him seem almost heroric however it also may have poorly prepared him for court politics and leaves him naive to others and their tricks.
Name: Joanna Ryswell
Age:21
Appearance:
Personality: Joanna is the youngest child of Robert Ryswell and knows it. She has always been overlooked by her father for any state role or this is her biggest wekanes, as well as her biggest advantage over her siblings. She is able to move through the holds and courts relatively un noticed allowing her plotting and scheming which she seems so naturally talented at to be mostly unhindered. She has already orchestrated the fall of two of the lower houses and her gaining of two large farms in the southernmost part of the Rills. She has a silver tongue and is well known to twist others to do her bidding. She is a flirt however never lets men touch hr body. She finds that making a man want her but not have her has far more sway than giving him what he wants.
Name: Tyril Bannon
Age:31
Appearance:
Personality: Tyril is an ambitious man and an expert in combat and tactics. He hasn’t the major war experience and so can sometimes be naïve in how troops will react and how battles fare on a national scale however he is always willing to learn and in small skirmishes is almost always the smartest man on the field. He refuses to exploit others to achieve his gains however he is not afraid to play the game if it involves maintaining the safety of House Ryswell which he now considers his home. Despite his loyalty to the King he does not wish any involvement in the invasion of Dorn and so stays at Castle Storn in the Rills keeping watch over Roberts Lands. Some say that he has designs on the House itself as many of the soldiers believe he has the military genius needed to maintain control and bring glory to the Rills. Most of the army would be willing to follow him in a coup if needs be since many have a hatred for Roger.
History: Tyril is a actually of Dornish descent. His family were slaves in a merchants house however when he was born his mother gave him away to save him from a life of servitude. He was given to the head of a villages militia. Here his adopted father taught him how to fight and how to defend a location even when heavily outnumbered. As he grew up he trained more and more becoming more adept at fighting with each passing year. When he was 15 he was considered to be the best fighter in his village. However a local warlord hiding in the hills came down and began to pillage and terrorize the people. In a bold move Tyril rallied the men of his village and beat back the bandits from their palisades. From then on his adopted father gave way to him as the new head of the militia. He began by changing the training regimes and re arming the mn. Turning a weekly group of mates looking for a thrill into hardened and grizzled men who knew how to thrust a sword. After a few years the bandits returned however they did not expect to find such a group of trained men. In just over a week of fighting Tyril had rooted out the bandits hideout and destroyed it. Bringing the loot back to the village. When he was 27 his father told him how he was actually adopted. He couldn’t stand it. He felt his whole life had been a lie and fled. Traveling from court to court training young men and sometimes settling for a time in a small village to help it against bandits. When he came to the court of House Ryswell he was in his late 20’s. He had seen a few battles and had been in charge of a small mercenary company in the Summerlands to try and raise some cash to travel to the north and the courts he hadn’t been too yet. Tyril and Robert become fast friends and Tyril’s tactics were a fresh view that Robert’s aged commanders couldn’t seem to get their heads around, being very stuck in their ways. He was offered a place in Castle Storn as Master of the Guard. He consuls Robert on almost all decisions in battle and in recent years has become the head of the house aguard, keeping Castle Storn safe.
Name: Yannin Kinnis
Position in House Ryswell: Master of the Coin
Age:28
Appearance:
Personality: Yannin seem like a kind man, he always has a smile on his face and is well known to go out for a friendly drink with friends. However he has certainly not got clean hands. He delas with competition brutaly and is well known to destroy a mans business before it even has a chance to take off. He has a young wife who mainly resides at his manor and he has been known to put her before any affairs of the hold. He also promotes the safe sale of the vices, legally monitored brothels and family controlled gambling dens are maintained, in turn reducing crime and bringing in extra coin.
History: Yannin was born in Kings Landing to a mother who was a prostitute and his father turned out to be of his mothers brothels owner. From an early age Yannin was aware of the the poverty and filth in which he lived yet it meant he did not look down on it but embraced it as a way to make a lot of money. By age 12 he would read over his fathers books with him as his father tought him reading, writing and counting. By 16 he was practically making the books for his father. He could hide money, move it and draw it out tax free without the government knowing anything. However it required a lot of good luck and eventually his luck ran out. One fateful night his fathers brothel was raided by the Gold Cloaks. His father was killed in the raid and his mother was whisked away. He himself was cut across the nose but managed to escape. In doing so he came to Lord Robert Ryswell who was on a visit to Kings Landing. Yanin was grabbed by Roberts men and had to explain himself , he came clean of everything and in doing so secured his safety. Robert had little knowledge on how to run his lands economically and Yannin was a perfect candidate for Master of the Coin.
