Yohn Yronwood

47

Lord of Yronwood, the Bloodroyal and Warden of the Stone Way

Yohn is the eldest child of the beloved Lady Baldera Yronwood and her husband Cullian Qorgyle. His mother's dedication to ruling Yronwood meant that Yohn was raised more by Cullian and a plethora of tutors. Yohn was a deviant child, often missing lessons and sneaking out at night. His father's approach was soft, meaning Yohn was left unchecked for most of his formative years. He was bookish, but unlike most children found himself more interested in reading about the reigns of past kings, politics and intrigue than the conquests of heroes and stories of dragons. Yohn learned the value of knowledge from a young age, listening in on the gossip of servants and guards and using it to twist their arm, such as blackmailing guards into keeping quiet when they saw him sneaking out in the night.

Yohn has little time for things or people that do not interest him. As a youngster he would attend his training sessions with Yronwood's master-at-arms, and even showed promise as a swordsman and archer, but simply did not care for it and so deliberately turned up late and complained the whole way through, eventually stopping attending sessions entirely. Yohn was far more interested in attending meetings alongside his mother, learning the intricacies of politics and gathering information on people and events. As he grew older, Yohn's intelligence and wits helped him to firmly grasp what it meant to be ruler; a curious mixture of doing what is right and doing what is necessary.

Yohn married at his mother's behest, taking Liera Jordayne of the Tor for a wife. He had never met the girl before, nor did he particularly care for her in the beginning, but did not complain once as he understood that significance of his marriage to a member of House Jordayne and that it would secure a strong alliance with another important Dornish house for years to come. One of Liera's retinue, a knight named Yandel, would eventually take the hand of Yohn's sister, Moryssa. Eventually the pair would grow fond of each other, and Liera would bear Yohn three children; his oldest son Yorick, a beautiful daughter named Alysanne and a younger son named Qalen.

Yohn did not fight at the Stepstones in 369 AC. Instead, Yohn travelled to Sunspear, where he was part of the group of lords overseeing the logistics and management of the loyalist Dornish forces that did fight on the Stepstones. Yohn committed 3,000 Yronwood soldiers, led by his brother Andrey, to the fighting. Yohn was displeased when Andrey was named to the Queensguard; despite the pair bickering incessantly, Andrey and Yohn were as close as two brothers can be, and losing Andrey's presence in Yronwood was a blow for Yohn. Especially when their mother died three years later.

Yohn had been preparing for it his whole life. The lady Baldera Yronwood had grown frail and infirm in her years since turning sixty, and Yohn had in essence been running Yronwood for the past four or five years. Nevertheless the loss was hard to take. The man who inherited was vastly different to the devious, obnoxious child that had terrorised the serving staff all those years ago. Instead, Yohn inherited as a well rounded, world-aware man, intelligent and shrewd. Yohn understands the realities of the world, how the right thing is not always the best course of action and how a person's state intentions are often far, far from the ones they hide beneath the façade of a friendly smile.

Yohn has ruled Yronwood for seven years with a firm, fair hand. He is well liked but nowhere near to the same degree as his mother. There are few that count as trusted friends in Yohn's eyes, even wary that his own children may be a danger to the future of the house with their impulsive and reckless natures. The most trusted among Yohn's friends is his father Cullian, although now the dusty old scorpion's mind has begun to wane. Now, in 379 AC, Yohn travels with his father and children to the tourney at Gulltown, both to see his son and brother compete, and to seek new friends and possible marriage alliances for his children.

Yohn's talents lie more with administration and intrigue than the martial prowess that past Yronwoods like Anders, Ser Yorwin, Ser Cletus, Ser Archibald and even his own brother Ser Andrey have boasted, making him something of an oddity as far as the men of the family are concerned. Yohn is witty and friendly, making him easy to talk to and trust. He is trustworthy and good at keeping secrets. He has a good head for numbers and logistics, taught to him by his mother so that he could ensure Yronwood prospered from its harvests and trade routes, as well as direct soldiers and supplies if it came to it. Yohn is good at retaining information and drawing conclusions from combinations of rumours and clues that he hears, dangerous in his ability to obtain and use information. Thankfully, Yohn is not a bad man; he bears no one any ill will and does not go out of his way to cause trouble or hurt others. One of the skills Yohn is exceptionally proud of is his ability to outdrink almost anyone in Yronwood, and he is looking forward to matching his skills against other Lords at the coming tourney.

Yohn is married to Liera Jordayne. They have three children; Yorick, Alysanne and Qalen. Yohn's father, Cullian Qorgyle, remains at Yronwood since his mother's death and helps guide the family a wise old voice. Yohn's younger brother Andrey serves on the Queensguard of Daenerys Targaryen. His sister Loreza resides in Wyl with her wife Walter and their children, while his other sister Moryssa lives in Yronwood with her husband Yandel and their children (Yohn's nieces and nephews).

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Yorick Yronwood

25

Eldest child of Lord Yohn and Heir to Yronwood

Yorick Yronwood was born in 354 AC, the first born child of Yohn Yronwood and his wife Liera Jordayne. Much like his father, Yorick spent much of his childhood running amok. He was often in fights with other children and was accused almost daily of being rude to and playing pranks on the serving staff in Yronwood. Yohn took a much harder approach to Yorick’s misbehaviours than his own mother ever did to him, having him birched and forcing him to apologise to those he had wronged. Although all Yohn wanted was to raise a well-mannered, pleasant boy, his methods did nothing more than breed resentment and turn Yorick into an angry boy.

All of Yorick’s anger and frustration came out in his sword fighting practice. Unlike his father, Yorick cared little for books and numbers, and spent every second he could get sparring with sword and spear, learning to ride horses and shooting arrows at straw men that he imagined had his father’s face on them. As Yorick poured himself into his training, his behaviour improved; he didn’t care about teasing and tormenting others, he just wanted a weapon in his hand a dummy to whack with it. He showed promise and would develop into a talented spear fighter. As his behaviour improved, the punishments form Yohn stopped, and were replaced with praise, encouragement and gifts like his own horse and spear. It quelled the resentment between the pair and bought them closer, but did nothing to eliminate the traits that were now deeply ingrained in Yorick's personality.

Years of being birched for pranks and missteps made Yorick angry. Fighting grew from a release of anger into a passion. As Yorick aged, he did not mellow. Instead, he became even more erratic and unpredictable. The boy of five and twenty years that, as things stand, will eventually inherit Yronwood when Yohn dies, is impulsive, reckless, and cares too much about what people think of him. His temper is feared throughout the castle and he is easily offended by any slight, leaving many a servant scared to knock on his door for fear they are interrupting something. He is not a bad person; he was raised by his father to be polite and well mannered, but he is often overbearing in conversation and does not think before he speaks, leading him to make blunt and unnecessarily offensive comments despite having no intention of offending anyone.

None of this is helped by the fact that his sister is just as free-spirited and stubborn, and the two often exacerbate each other's behaviour, encouraging one another to just do what they want to do. Alysanne is very good at manipulating Yorick and stoking the flames of his anger, and Yohn has expressed concern in the past that Alysanne would be able to entirely control Yronwood through Yorick unless the boy wises up and realises that Alysanne can control his behaviour. As horrible as it may seem, Yohn is eager to marry both Yorick and Alysanne in the hope it will separate the close bond between the two and allow Yorick to grow as a person into a more calm, collected and all around better Lord.

Yorick is a very talented spear fighter, fighting with nimble agility and grace. He is also capable of fighting with a sword, and is capable of using a spear effectively from horseback. He has a basic understanding of what is involved in ruling, thanks to the compulsory lessons that he and all of his siblings were forced to attend by his father. He lacks the compassion and people skills that his father has, and would be more suited to battle than lordship. He cares little for politics, does not like the idea of marrying someone he has not chosen and a small part of him secretly hopes he dies before his father so that he never has to inherit the lordship of Yronwood. Of course, despite being reluctant to take on the mantle of Bloodroyal, he would no doubt be furious if anyone suggested he should not be Lord of Yronwood.

Yorick is closest to his younger sister Alysanne. He does not get on well with his younger brother Qalen, who is very similar to his father both in looks and personality and used to often call Yorick out for things he said and did before deciding it wasn't worth suffering through the tantrums that resulted from it. His father Yohn encourages him to be the best man he can be, to pursue his passions and trying to prepare him for the lordship, but Yorick does harbour some bitterness towards the man that used to punish him daily. His uncle Andrey is Queensguard to Daenerys Targaryen, his aunt Loreza lives in Wyl and his aunt Moryssa usually gives him a wide berth.

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Andrey Yronwood

44

Anointed Knight, Member of the Queensguard, Brother of Lord Yohn

Andrey Yronwood was the second child of Lady Baldera Yronwood and Cullian Qorgyle. Andrey had a similar upbringing to Yohn but was not as unruly. Instead, Andrey obeyed the rules, did as he was told, attended all his lessons on time and gave his all to every task put before him. Andrey tried his best to study history and numbers, but just did not have the knack for it that his older brother did. Instead, Andrey showed great promise with a sword. Yohn and Andrey have often joked that the only reason Yohn got away with ditching his lessons was because Andrey was good enough for the both of them.

As Andrey’s abilities grew, he was quickly uncovered as one of the best young swordsmen Dorne had seen in years. He made a name for himself by placing second in his first ever tournament aged 19 and has gone on to place highly and even win a string of tournaments since then. As his reputation grew, Andrey came out of his shell, and went from a reserved and quiet child to a self-assured young man with great faith in his own abilities. He loved playing up for tournament crowds and revelled in the affection and admiration that came with his success. Andrey never married, refusing every suitor suggested despite the insistence of both his mother and his older brother. Instead, Andrey travelled from tourney to tourney and left a string of bastards in his wake, none of whom he has officially acknowledged.

Andrey was finally put the test in 369 AC, aged 34, when Aegon Velaryon kidnapped Daenerys Targaryen and started the Stepstones Rebellion. Fighting on behalf of his brother Yohn, Andrey was placed in command of the Yronwood forces that were sent to fight for the Crown. While many were terrified by the prospect of their first real combat, Andrey was excited by it, and revelled in the chance to prove himself even further. Andrey fought nobly, brave in the face of danger and with determined ferocity that inspired the troops under his command to follow suit. When all was said and done, Andrey’s deeds were recognized by the queen herself, and Ser Andrey Yronwood was elevated to the Queensguard.

Since then, Andrey has served the Queen loyally. He is friendly but often struggles to walk the line between confidence and arrogance. Ever the showman, Andrey loves the attention that has come from swaggering around in ornate armor and donning the white cloak, but as thanks to his Queen will uphold his vows to his dying breath. Staying celibate for the last 10 years has been exceptionally difficult, but Andrey has somehow just about managed it.

Andrey is possibly the most talented fighter House Yronwood has ever produced. He has shown great skill in horse riding, jousting and sword fighting. He is not a bad commander; although he is not a scholar of battle strategy, he understands how to fight and has proven he can command and inspire troops to victory. He is well-tempered and has good self control, traits that make him useful as a bodyguard as he is incredibly unlikely to be provoked or tricked. He is loyal to the last, and would die for his Queen without a second thought.

Andrey's closest family member is his brother Yohn, the Bloodroyal. Andrey has been mostly separated from his family since he was named to the Queensguard and has not seen either of his sisters Moryssa or Loreza for the past decade. His father Cullian does his best to visit when he can but he is growing old and Andrey's duties do not leave him much spare time to catch up with friends and family. His nephews and nieces through his brother Yohn all like their uncle Andrey, and Yorick has made no secret of the fact that Andrey is who inspired Yorick to pursue fighting. Like Yohn, Andrey is wary of Alysanne, and believes the level-headed young Qalen would make the best ruler of any of the three, joking to his brother that the Gods put them out in the wrong order.

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Willam Payne

27

Lord of Payne Hall

Willam Payne is the eldest of the two sons born to Tommard Payne and Lylian Algood and has ruled over the lands of Payne Hall for the last three years since his father’s death. Willam is well liked by people; he is generous and kind, humble, genuinely caring and friendly. He is rarely seen without a wide grin on his face, and has a hearty laugh heard too often for some. He wholeheartedly believes in the importance of a man’s honour and is considered naïve and foolhardy by many of the shrewder lords in the realm. It is undisputable that Willam lives in something of an idealistic bubble; despite fighting himself in the Stepstones Rebellion and witnessing the horrors of war first-hand, Willam is still trusting and believes that everyone has goodness in them despite the obvious evidence for the opposite.

Raised in an era of relative peace, Willam has never had any reason to doubt the hearts of men. Still recovering from several wars costly in both coin and manpower, the Payne boys grew up in modest accommodation, bereft of the same luxuries that many of the richer and more powerful houses of Westeros enjoy as commonplace. As such both boys grew up humble, with more respect for the value of money and with greater empathy for the smallfolk that suffer in the fields yet have so little. Willam did much during his time growing up to build strong relationships with his people, visiting most of the farms that were restored with token gifts to show the appreciation of the family for the people who feed it.

Willam was gifted as a swordsman growing up, becoming a favoured sparring partner of Loreon Lannister. The two would fight often on Willam’s visits to Casterly Rock, although Willam rarely if ever was able to best the talented young warrior. As the time passed, Loreon dedicated himself to mastery of the sword and began touring tournaments, while Willam’s skills went in a different direction. He became something of a scholar of military strategy, studying historical battles and trying to understand the tactics that lead to victory. He has grown into a man armed with the knowledge to become a competent battlefield commander, although he has never had the opportunity to put his knowledge and skills into effect.

Since coming into his Lordship, Willam and his brother Desmond have tried to maintain the steady developmental work that has seen success under the last two lords of Payne Hall. Willam and Desmond are close and work together to rule Payne Hall effectively. Willam finds Desmond to pessimistic, always expecting the worst of people and bringing the mood in the room down. However, there is no doubting that Desmond has the brain for diplomacy and logistics that Willam does not, and Willam is smart enough to realise where his weaknesses lie and make use of the knowledge of others to improve the rulership of his lands.

Willam Payne is compassionate and it serves him well as a leader. His people love him and look up to him, and he can inspire loyalty in others with ease thanks to his pleasant personality and martial prowess. He has training as a swordsman and is a skilled warrior, but his true martial talents like in a deep understanding of strategy. His biggest shortcoming on that front is a lack of experience to back up his knowledge but given his chance Willam would be able to prove himself a competent battle commander. Willam is smart enough to recognize his own weaknesses and would be able to learn from his mistakes, making him an adaptive commander. Willam is not the ideal ruler himself, lacking a head for numbers or knowledge of the ins and outs of diplomacy that many of the best rulers have, but is able to counter this with his willingness to not be single minded and ignore the ideas of others just because he is the one with the title in his name.

both of Willam Payne's parents are deceased. Willam lives in Payne Hall with his brother Desmond Payne. He is married to Grayce Brax, with whom he has two children, a four year old daughter named Anysa and a two year old son named Curtass. Desmond's wife Rina Ruttiger lives in Payne Hall with them, and is currently pregnant expecting Desmond Payne's first child.

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Desmond Payne

23

Brother of Willam Payne

Desmond is the youngest of the two sons born of Tommard Payne and Lylian Algood and has been helping his brother Willam as an advisor for the past three years since their father’s death. Growing up Desmond was always withdrawn and quiet, often overshadowed by the lively and friendly personality of his older brother. As such, Desmond spent most of his younger years simply watching the behaviours of others, observing and learning, trying to understand their interactions and thoughts. He spent a lot of time shadowing his father Tommard, learning about the sorts of decisions and organisation that was needed to run their lands and keep their people and family safe, despite the fact that Desmond was second in line to inherit.

As an adult, Desmond has grown into a stern man. He has a ruthless edge that his brother lacks and is certain in his own mind that he will do whatever it takes to protect his family, operating in the background to ensure everyone has enough food and money to be happy. While his brother plays with swords and smiles charmingly at the other nobles, Desmond works quietly in the background to ensure the smooth running of their holdings. It was Desmond who organised Willam’s marriage to a Brax, securing an alliance with one of the more powerful noble houses in the Westerlands. Not bad progress, considering that Podrick Payne could find no suitor beside the second daughter of a house of landed knights.

Desmond is ruthless, cunning and world wise. He is grounded and realistic, often tearing down his brother's bold and horribly naïve statements. Like his brother, Desmond was raised well to be respectful and polite, humble, and deeply caring for the small folk that the Payne family is responsible for. Desmond is hard to get a good conversation out of, often choosing to remain quiet and simply listen to what other people have to say. Many think him odd, or if not odd then simply dull, but instead the gears in Desmond's head are turning all the time, calculating and concluding.

Desmond has training as a swordsman but does not possess the same natural ability as his brother. What he lacks in sword skill, Desmond makes up for with a knowledge of diplomacy and intrigue. While Willam spent time reading about historic battles and heroes, Desmond studied great politicians like Tywin Lannister. Desmond understands the logistics and decision making that goes on in running one's lordship, and many of the difficult decisions that need to be made for the successful running of the holdings of House Payne actually are made by Desmond rather than Willam. Unlike his brother, Desmond is sceptical of people, far less trusting and always considerate of someone's ulterior motives, traits that make him a strong leader and make up for Willam's own weaknesses in that regard.

Both of Desmond Payne's parents are deceased. Desmond lives in Payne Hall with his older brother Willam, Willam's wife Grayce and their two children Curtass and Anysa. Desmond's wife Rina is currently pregnant and the pair are expecting their first child, which Desmond is hoping will be a son.

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Lady Elissa Stokeworth

31

Lady of Castle Stokeworth

Masculinity, a stiff upper lip, and iron. Elissa Stokeworth is no lady socialite. Though never trained in combat, she dresses in full armor, rides with her soldiers, and always has a weapon on hand. Elissa understands that the men of Westeros only recognize power and strength, and seeks to project an image of those two things. In actuality, Elissa is clueless at arms and would much prefer a dress to a suit of armor, but she possesses a willingness to give up her own comfort for her ambitions, something successfully beat into her by her father.

Elissa is ambitious and desires greater station, but she's not evil, she's capable of being quite friendly to those she likes, and has a poisonous tongue when the time calls for snark. She's also a bit of a romantic, and enjoys performing public displays of affection with her husband as a sort of brag. Elissa can lack tact, which is either a downside when she's upset, or a bonus when she's attempting to be funny, and combined with a love for wine, this can lead to her saying rather controversial things.

Above all, Elissa values loyalty, and finds disloyalty and deceit utterly disgusting. If someone earns her loyalty or is owed her loyalty by obligation, they will find a willing and able servant. This doesn't mean she lacks fire, and she will protest plans she finds foolish, she just won't say no if overruled.

Disloyalty or betrayal triggers a red rage in Elissa, and her words go from slightly barbed to stabbing. It takes extreme measures to bring Elissa to strike anyone, but she will if she feels suitably offended. Other things that enrage her are insulting her husband or other members of her immediate family, or bringing up her lowborn heritage.

Elissa is a skilled speaker, both diplomatically, where she excells at befriending other lords, and in speechcraft. She has a talent for using her words to inspire loyalty from her colleagues and subjects, and is capable of establishing goodwill with even the least diplomatic lord. Elissa is not a commander of men, but as a commander of ships, she's surprisingly talented, a talent inspired by her father's attempts to build their clan a navy. Elissa is a capable enough administrator as well, but she struggles with impulse control when it comes to spending money.

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Ser Bronn Stokeworth

Member of the City Watch of King's Landing

29

For a massive, often drunk beast of a man, Bronn Stokeworth is a sorry sight. A depressed, often in tears mess, the man has mourned his wife for the past three years, and doesn't seem to be looking to stop anytime soon. Once a boisterous and rowdy man, hated by many for crimes committed while drunk, Bronn travelled the Seven Kingdoms, whoring and fighting. He even took his ancestor Bronn of the Blackwater's personal arms as he own to demonstrate his separation from his family. Bronn now wanders King's Landing in a gold cloak, drinking his sorrows away.

Bronn is no simple drunk, however. Well, he is simple, but he's still a lordling, and has the sense of entitlement that all lordlings possess. He turns red and furious when denied, and can be extremely cruel to those he thinks has wronged him. For all his rage and entitlement, Bronn is still a loyal man, much like most others in his house. In fact, he's probably more loyal than the rest of them, as a result of contentedness with simply drinking himself into a grave rather than seeking higher station. Blindly and stupidly loyal, Bronn is an excellent henchman, but for all his stupidity and inability to look into the future, he is no dog, and will bite back if pushed too far.

Bronn despises cowards, he also despises abusers, hell, anyone who takes their family for granted. He believes in honor and justice, and with a lack of desire to take part in intrigue or politics, will often take justice into his own hands despite the wishes of his betters unless ordered otherwise explicitly, and even then his loyalty only extends so far. With all of this, it's no wonder why his sister sees him as a dangerous wild card who could derail any of her plans accidentally, and is perfectly fine with leaving him to drink.

Bronn's name is rather fitting, as he is a paragon of brawn. A massive bear of a man, halfway past six feet, Bronn is capable of tossing a grown man like a doll, and on the battlefield he wears a massive suit of heavy steel armor, with a two handed sword taller than he is. Ironically, he's not an especially skilled swordsman, relying on brute strength and a willingness to toss chivalry to the wind. Bronn is a mediocre tactician, but is surprisingly perceptive, and has often defeated opponents trying to outwit him just by noticing what they were doing before they had started doing it. This perceptiveness also allows him to notice when someone is attempting to play games of intrigue. Bronn is also shockingly well read on the laws of the realm, and this may be the one intellectual pursuit in which he can be said to excel.