Name: Lady Cyrenna Caron, Lady of Nightsong, Lady of the Marches, called Lady Carrion in recent years
Age: 51
Appearance:

The above plus ~25 years of fairly kind aging, because finding good art of women who actually look like they're in their late 40s to early 50s is hard.

Image borrowed from anneballaran on deviantart.

Personality: Lady Cyrenna is a hard woman, possessing little mercy and even less patience for fools. She is rather arrogant and vain, and her cynicism has been remarked upon by many. Cyrenna harbors a deep hate for the Dornish (especially in recent years) that could easily be called racism, and she has no qualms about expressing these feelings. As if all this wasn't enough, when pushed she has a very volatile temper that could be expressed in thrown objects or physical assults as easily as by words. Despite her off-putting exterior, the Lady Caron is a deft political operator who has used her wits and skills to keep the Marcher lords in line under her leadership; proof of her skills can be found in the facts that she has earned the fealty of these battle-hardened lords and that she has maintained leadership of House Caron even though by law the titles should have been passed down to her son once he came of age. Lady Cyrenna is also a prolific bookworm, preferring tomes of politics, history, and war tactics to those one might think more suitable for a woman. Though she has never been foolish enough to lead her soldiers into battle, what with the lack of training for combat and all, Cyrenna is the type of woman whom nobody would be surprised to find leading a charge nonetheless.

Biography: Cyrenna was born to Lord Rennifer Caron and his wife Gwin, formerly of House Swann. Though the Lord and Lady Caron tried and tried again to have many children, they were only ever able to conceive a single son, Petyr, and their one daughter. Being somewhat forward thinking and practical, Lord Rennifer had both of his children trained in the ways of ruling and leadership rather than relegating his daughter to sewing and other ladylike uselessness, and he would come to be very glad of that decision. Lady Gwin passed away shortly before Petyr came of age, and Petyr died a couple years later in a bandit raid (presumably of Dornish origin) as he was out riding with some friends. Though he tried to find her a suitable husband to carry on his House's lineage, Lord Rennifer was unable to do so before being caught up in the civil war, leaving Cyrenna as the Lady of Nightsong in his absence; his subsequent death in 130 AL, in the Second Battle of Tumbleton, gave her that title in permanence alongside a new one: Lady of the Marches.

Cyrenna was 24 years old when she became the head of House Caron. She used the continuing turmoil of the war to her advantage, finding herself a husband before one of the lords of the Stormlands could pressure her into marrying one of their heirs in order to acquire the lands and power of House Caron for their descendants; it would be for her own good, of course, because a woman needed a strong man to do all the ruling and such. Rather than letting herself become the last true Caron, Cyrenna struck an unorthodox marriage agreement with one Criston Wylde, who was seventh in the line of succession for his own House and had previously thought he'd be lucky to marry anyone of higher standing than a tavern wench. Criston was a rather pliable and easygoing man, the type who would (and did) gladly allow his wife to do all the lording and ruling, and who was quite happy to marry into the name Caron; he quite fancied the alliteration of his new name, truth be told.

Cyrenna and Criston were reasonably happy with one another, which was all that could really be expected of a political marriage. The Marcher lords weren't impressed with Criston, who was passable at best with a sword, but they were assuaged by their mistaken assumptions that the man would take over and be a tolerable Lord of the Marches whom they could manipulate to their own benefit. The years rolled by and House Caron found itself with three additions: Rennifer (named after his grandfather, of course), Lyonel, and Bryce. Two years after the birth of his third son, Criston died rather suddenly of an illness that also took young Rennifer and two dozen others in Nightsong and many more around the Marches. By this time the Marcher lords were coming to accept Cyrenna as the Lady of the Marches, though not enough to prevent them from aspiring to wrest power from her by marrying her to one of their sons. Unfortunately for them, their observance of the respectable period of mourning gave Cyrenna time to arrange her own second marriage much like her first.

This second husband, Damon Lannister of the Lannisport branch, was another fellow with little to no chance of inheriting his father's title, so it took very little convincing to get him to marry into Caron rather than keeping his own name; it also helped that he had met Cyrenna a few times at tourneys and other events she attended in King's Landing and that he was rather smitten with her; it further helped that he didn't care for his family and was happy to cut ties with them however possible. Though Damon was no Stormlander, he was a tried and trained knight who the Marcher lords would have at least grudgingly called Lord of the Marches, but alas it was not to be, for he was wrapped around the Lady Caron's little finger. Cyrenna had two children with Damon: a son they named Tybolt and a daughter they named Allyria, both with the blonde hair and fair features of their father. Damon gladly adopted Cyrenna's other sons, all with the dark hair of their Stormlands stock, as his own both in name and in his heart, and so they made a happy little family for many years.

Tensions in the Marches rose in 150 AL, which saw Dornish raids increase dramatically. By then Cyrenna had solidified her position (by way of poltical maneuvering and arranging beneficial marriages for her sons) as Lady of the Marches to the point that it had been years since she'd last heard of mutterings from Marcher lords about how a woman shouldn't be ruling over them. Damon and Lyonel led the Caron banner forth to fight off the encroaching Dornishmen, with Bryce tagging along as a squire looking to become a knight sooner rather than later. By 155 AL, Damon and Lyonel had both fallen in battle, Tybolt had died in a Dornish raid that set upon a riding party made up of many sons of noble houses, and Bryce was a seasoned knight and was now the leader of the Caron men at arms at the fairly young age of 21; his betrothed had also died in the raid that took Tybolt, and neither he nor his mother had found any interest in finding him a new wife. Allyria was a beautiful young woman who had the eyes and hearts of many young lordlings, but she too found herself disinclined to marry, much to the regret of said lordlings.

Cyrenna had been a stony woman before the rise in Dornish hostilities, but her losses turned that stone into hardened steel tempered by a burning desire for revenge. Though she let Bryce retain command of the men, both for the political reason of wanting him to become a strong leader and for the personal reason of not wishing to emasculate and embarrass her son, Cyrenna frequently rode out with them and acted as an advisor, which she was quite good at due to being rather well read on the subjects of war and strategy. She even had a suit of light armor crafted to fit her, and she wore a sword whenever they were out in the field, but they were mainly for show since she had no combat training and was wise enough to know that it would be utterly moronic of her to attempt to learn and put such skills to use. This happy medium between warrior and lady seemed to please the Marcher lords as well, who looked to her for leadership in these trying times.

Fighting and destroying the Dornish has become Cyrenna's sole cause, to the point that she has been neglecting her role as Lady Caron (leaving her daughter to look after things, just as her father did when he marched off to war) in favor of being the Lady of the Marches and bringing the fight to the Dornish encroachers. Her merciless ferocity in this pursuit in recent years has earned her a new appellation, spoken with proud respect by Stormlanders and spoken with fearful respect by the Dornish; they call her Lady Carrion, so named as a play on her House name and as a namesake of the heaps of corpses, both Dornish and Stormlander, left in the wake of her bloody campaign. Cyrenna herself likes to think of it as a prophetic name, foretelling the Dorne's future state after her lust for vengeance is finally sated: a bloody desert littered with piles of corpses, inhabited only by a newly thriving population of carrion eaters gorging on the remains of every last piece of Dornish scum.

Name: Bryce Caron
Age: 23
Appearance:


Image borrowed from charro-art on deviantart.

Personality: Bryce is a very practical and patient man. He is dutiful, intelligent but not well-learned (despite the best efforts of various adults through his early years), and possesses a rather dark sense of humor. He was once a very passionate lad with a zest for adventure, but that has been considerably dulled after years of fighting and seeing the people he cares about die painfully and bloodily. Bryce has wrapped a shield of duty and pragmatism around himself as a defense mechanism to protect what little is left of that young boy who dreamed of becoming Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, looking at the world with a cynicism nearly world-weary enough to match that of his mother. Where his mother has a fiery hate for the Dornish, Bryce simply sees them as enemies that need to be dealt with for the safety of his people; his practical mind frequently reminds him that the people of Dorne are just the same as anywhere else, that the men he cuts down are mostly there because some powerful lord told them where to go, not because they actually want to be fighting. He can relate to this sentiment in a very personal way, but he would never speak these thoughts aloud. Bryce keeps his feelings tucked safely away nowadays, instead presenting the world with the dull visage of a career soldier who has seen far more than he ever wanted to.

Biography: Bryce Caron was born in 134 AL, third son to Lady Cyrenna Caron and her first husband, Criston. He never truly knew his father, as he and the eldest of his sons died of illness when young Bryce was only two years old. Luckily he was not without a father figure for long, for shortly after an acceptable period of mourning had passed his mother married Damon of the Lannisport Lannisters, who took Bryce and his older brother Lyonel as his own in short order. The loving man taught them, and his own son Tybolt, all the lessons of manhood and honor and how to wield a sword as they grew into strapping young lads. Lyonel was something of a prodigy with the art of swordwork and upstaged his younger siblings for many years, though Bryce later found himself fairly adept and able to keep pace with his older brother once the Nightsong Master-at-Arms, Ser Leo Storm, had him try out a mace, which better suited his wide-swinging style of fighting. He had no patience for learning from books and sitting listening to lectures, so although he possessed the brightness everyone said he got from his mother he never actually cultivated his intellect, leaving himself simply a generally smart fellow rather than one with a scholarly intellect that would have Maesters suggesting he head to the Citadel to join their ranks. Young Bryce was simply not interested in intellectual pursuits, preferring to instead go on "adventures" around Nightsong and get into trouble whilst pretending to be some great knight of yore.

Since Lady Cyrenna didn't care for the notion of fostering her children elsewhere, Bryce found himself squire to his father (as he'd called Damon for as long as he could remember, despite knowing there was no blood relation) and older brother in 150 AL when Dornish encroachment on the Marches called House Caron to battle. After two months in the field, with the Caron host having dispatched half a dozen groups of bandits and outlaws and Bryce himself having two kills under his belt, he was knighted by his father, which was witnessed and approved of by a handful of other Marcher lords and numerous knights who were present. A few months later, a Dornish night raid on their encampment killed Lyonel as he was rushing out of his tent with no armor on and a sword in hand. That was only the beginning of the horrible losses to come, but Bryce soldiered on and managed to feel a level of pride upon being elevated to take his brother's place as Damon's right hand man. A year later Damon was also dead, and Bryce had built up his emotional defenses such that his grieving was a wholly internal affair. A year and a half after his adoptive father's passing, Bryce's last remaining brother (Tybolt, who hadn't been old enough to accompany the warriors) and his bride to be were killed in a Dornish raid that stabbed deep into the Marches, much farther than anyone thought the bastards were capable of. He did shed tears at this news, but only a few and only in the privacy of his own tent. A handful of months later, a mere week after his nineteenth birthday, Bryce was elevated to leadership of the Marcher host when the Swann lord who had been leading them since Damon's death also fell in battle.

Lady Cyrenna asked to join the war party next time they returned from the fringes of the Marches, early in 155 AL. She assured Bryce that she was not usurping his role as leader of the warriors, just that she wanted to destroy the Dornish scum and that her advice would be very valuable to him. He knew very well that this all was code for "I'm coming whether you like it or not, and I shall be in charge regardless of how it appears, so agree to this surface arrangement and I won't have to make you look like a child in front of your men." Bryce accepted her arrangement, secretly relieved to have the burden of leadership lifted from his shoulders. Though they never spoke of it explicitly, they dealt with potentially contentious matter of the passing of titles (as should have been done once Lyonel came of age, which would have passed to Bryce upon his death, making him technically the rightful Lord Caron) in their own oblique way: Bryce complimented her on her skill at leading strong-willed men, and Cyrenna said that one day he would need that same skill so he ought to watch and learn. That was that and the matter was never even hinted at again, which pleased both of them for their own reasons.

Bryce's life since the Lady of the Marches took charge has been rather simple: most days spent riding around the Marches looking for Dornishmen to kill, then leading his men into battle once targets are found, most evenings spent in the company of his mother speaking mainly of battle tactics with some intermissions of lessons on leadership and politics, and every night spent struggling to sleep with the faces of dead family and comrades floating before his eyes. It's not a glorious life, and truth be told Bryce has come to greatly dislike fighting, but he knows the Dornishmen must be dealt with and his sense of duty keeps him in the battle no matter how many of his friends die around him.

Name: Allyria Caron
Age: 18
Appearance:


Image borrowed from sedone on deviantart.

Personality: Allyria is the consummate lady, on the surface at least; she is kind and gentle, she is caring and understanding of the problems and woes of others, she is beautiful and nice to the commonfolk, and she possesses grace and poise enough to make a queen jealous. However, underneath all that Allyria is her mother's match in political maneuvering, but her methodology is that of manipulation and flirting and tempting promises rather than the blatant and blunt manner in which the Lady Caron deals in politics. Allyria is a very intelligent young woman, such that more than one Maester has bemoaned her unfortunate choice of gender and cursed the Seven for giving such a brilliant mind to a woman. She thirsts for knowledge just as much as man lost in the desert thirsts for water, taking in information on any and all subjects with great interest and able to apply that knowledge without a great deal of effort, though she often lacks interest in application and would prefer to start reading a new book rather than actually using what she learned from the last. Allyria is quite lazy when it comes to things that involve more work than holding up a book, though she would call it procrastination. She is extremely vain, very aware of her beauty and the perks it provides, and she takes full advantage of them. When not reading, Allyria is known to be horribly coquettish, often sending servants away to leave her alone in the company of men, to the point that many suspect her to be a well-practiced harlot. Her rather bawdy sense of humor also helps those rumors along. She of course doesn't dignify this slanderous gossip with a response, but her open amusement upon overhearing such rumors about her supposed loose morals leads most folks to believe them true, one and all.

Biography: Allyria is the fifth child and only daughter of Lady Cyrenna, the second child of her marriage to Damon Lannister. She was doted on by her father, and her normally stony mother had a soft spot for her sole daughter, though it wasn't obvious to those who didn't know her well. Allyria's parents took a more hands on approach to teaching her things than most noble lords and ladies would, though she also had Septa Mina to teach her the ways of being a proper lady (in which Lady Caron was a horrible instructor) and Maester Runcel to supplement her education. She experienced a lot of loss in her childhood; in 150 AL, when House Caron went off to fight the Dornish in the Marches, she was only eleven. Over the next three years Allyria had to grieve the loss of her father and two of her brothers, along with many of the men of Nightsong who had treated her like a favored niece or granddaughter and that she had thought of as part of her family. Many thought this litany of tragedy would make her turn out like her mother, hard and unforgiving, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Little Allyria came to the conclusion, subconsciously rather than by intentional deliberation, that since there was so much sadness in the world it was her duty to try to balance it out with kindness and caring. Thus she took to her Septa's teachings with gusto, figuring that being a proper lady was all about being good and nice, though she never was any good at stitching and such due to never practicing.

Aside from her ladylike pursuits, Allyria distracted herself from her sadness by reading. Where she avoided work in other areas, she found herself seeking new books to read and being happy to answer the Maester's questions about them as it gave her a chance to discuss all the interesting things she had learned. Maester Runcel was quite pleased by this, as all four of the Caron boys had been greatly disinterested in pursuits of learning and Lady Caron seemed to feel his primary job was taking care of the ravens, so he felt his knowledge was finally being put to proper use. By the time Allyria turned fifteen, he found himself no longer truly a teacher and felt more like the girl's peer in the intellectual realm, and some days he felt he was being generous by thinking of himself as her equal. By then his work on her education saw him mainly working finding new books for her to read, since she had already surpassed his knowledge in many subjects; he had to take solace in the fact that she never cared to go beyond theoretical knowledge in the areas of warcraft and smithing, as those were his two pet subjects and he would have been rather devastated if the young girl surpassed him in his realms of mastery. Maester Runcel was the first to curse the Seven for making Allyria a girl, for her gifted mind would have been greatly welcomed in the Citadel, though later a few other Maesters joined their voice to his when they heard or saw how well she absorbed information.

While many were impressed by how freakishly well-learned the girl was at the tender age of fiften, others at the time were more interested in her beauty or the way she seemed to be a model of what a lady should be. The former interest remained unabated, but the latter was quickly embroiled in controversy, for Allyria was quickly becoming known for her inappropriate interactions with men. She often told jokes and made comments that would make a sailor blush, and she made no effort to hide her amusement at hearing such things from others, which in and of itself was very improper behavior for a lady. Allyria's sense of humor may have sparked rumors and gossip, but soon enough there were much juicier things for the servants to whisper about. Through a combination of her beauty, her House's power, and her mother being far too concerned with matters of keeping the Dornish out of the Marches to bother with something so frivolous as finding her daughter a suitable husband, Allyria had many suitors come calling to Nightsong hoping to win her heart and her hand. She was an incorrigible flirt from a young age, which Septa Mina had hoped was simply the foolish young girl testing out her influence over boys and that it would stop as she matured, and she kept it up as she flowered into womanhood. It was only moderately scandalous before she turned sixteen, whereupon she started sending her attendants away to leave her alone with some of her suitors.

Allyria knew very well what kind of rumors this would spawn, and she knew exactly what the young men where silently praying for when she arranged to be alone with them, but they all had it wrong. She was not engaging in licentious behavior with these men (well, not much at least, just some teasing and kissing and a stray hand now and again), she was purposely causing rumors to distract from her actual misbehaviors and manipulating the men to build up their hopes and trust. Many of her dalliances resulted in very favorable trade arrangements for House Caron with some young lords who had hoped she would be pleased by their favor; she was, of course, but not enough to succumb to their desires. She strung them along with hints and teases, keeping them thinking she wanted them but that she was flighty and indecisive and couldn't choose between all of her lovely suitors. She did in fact have some favorites who she considered settling down with, but that would of course end the game, and she wasn't ready for that. The rumors flew and Allyria was grandly amused by the success of her ploys. Everyone was busy talking about how she must be getting up to all manner of sin in her sitting room on the days where she was alone with suitors, while in truth her naughtiness was kept to the cover of darkness; she engaged in some nightly activities with a couple of her handmaidens, and some nights she slipped quietly out of the Nightsong keep for trysts with a couple different lovers over the years, first a blacksmith's apprentice and then the son of a knight who was off fighting with the Caron host.

In 155 AL, when Bryce returned home briefly, Lady Cyrenna chose to go with the warriors and take over leadership of the campaign against the Dornish in the Marches; she was meant to appear to be an advisor only, but those who knew her and Bryce well weren't fooled at all. Sixteen year old Allyria was left to manage the affairs of Nightsong, with Maester Runcel and Septa Mina to aid and advise her (which meant the Maester dealt with the tedium and the Septa cajoled Allyria into doing necessary duties like passing judgement on thieves and the like), and this autonomy (and her mother's distraction) is what allowed her to go about manipulating young men and having night-time affairs without anyone able to step in and correct her behavior.

Allyria has done a fair job of ruling Nightsong (thanks to the previously mentioned aid) in her mother's absence, coming into her own as a lady as she sees fit, to the pleasure of some and the dismay of others. Suitors still come along frequently, though nowadays more from abroad and less from the Houses of the Stormlands as more of them send their banners to join Caron in the Marches. She's quite happy with her cozy setup, despite knowing that people she cares about are off fighting the Dornish, and currently has no aspirations other than to enjoy her lot in life, which she does indeed.

Ser Leo Storm - 48 years old, former Master-at-Arms for House Caron, now their Commander of the Guard acting as a lieutenant of sorts in the Marcher host fighting against the Dornish.

Septa Mina - 62 years old, Septa formerly assigned as governess to Allyria, now a mix between grandmotherly figure and moral/spiritual advisor to the young woman.

Maester Runcel - 59 years old, Maester to House Caron, unofficial castellan in the absence of Lady Caron.

The Alchemist's Guild has been established in King's Landing for a little over three decades, their guildhouse having started as a stone hut at the base of Visenya's Hill, amongst a cluster of small streets. The first Alchemists were quick to turn their knowledge and labor into profit, spreading tinctures, mixtures, and drinks throughout King's landing, their location in the center of the city allowing for frequent and pervasive proliferation of their wares. A mere seven years after their establishment, the Alchemist's had established an incineration service for refuse and trash and began excavating the base of Visenya's hill in order to expand the guildhouse. At fifteen years, a number of scholars, mages, and chemists from far-off lands had joined the guild, resulting in an explosion of alchemical goods and services along with a marked increase in their quality. Around this period, the guild began to establish a series of esoteric, mystically obscured tenants and rules in order to protect their trade secrets as they grew in number and value. In particular, they had begun to produce and refine various forms of fuel including coal, charcoal, oil, and tar, and had also begun to chemically isolate and purify various precious minerals and ores - an art commonly referred to as transmutation which in practice was simple chemistry. Since then, all full members of the Alchemist's guild have been known as 'Wisdoms,' a title intentionally chosen to invoke an impression of mysticism. More commonly, Alchemists are referred to as 'Mancers' by the common people, disdainful of the pretentious air the guild had adopted. At the height of their power, the Alchemists were some of the most respected individuals in the city, only somewhat lesser personages than the Hand of the King and members of the Small Council. There was even talk of an Alchemist joining the Small Council, although this talk died as the guild declined.

Presently, the Guild of Alchemist's has dwindled as the power of their magically inclined members continuously waned with the absence of dragons from the world, and their activity has proportionally declined. While they still provide a large number of services, they no longer provide them on the same scale or with the same quality of service. The Guild employs perhaps four dozen individuals, with nearly 6% of all Market activity in King's Landing involving alchemical wares - however, less than 30% of the profit from these transactions makes it back to the guild due to shady dealing. The previous Guildmaster died of stroke, bankrupt after having funded research into recreating more potent magics which failed spectacularly. A new Guildmaster has since been elected, though their identity is not yet common knowledge and the new agenda for the Guild unknown.

The Alchemist's Guild provides the following services and wares:

-Distillation of fluid substances
-Waste Disposal (Incineration)
-Transmutation of Minerals and Ores
-Mixture of elixirs, tinctures, ointments, and balms (Medicinals)
-Production of Fuels

Although the remaining mages amongst the Alchemists have little magic that remains potent after the death of dragons, many of them are well versed in magical theory and can be hired for consultation and advice.

Name:Knossos Argider
Age: 32
Appearance:

"The world and all its parts are the only gods there are."

Personality: Knossos is a very straightforward and serious man. He hates idle talk, and he hates wasting time that could be spent working. He has little appreciation for material possessions or wealth, and only goes out of his way to care for materials and objects he needs to do his job. He has no sense of humor, is irritable and morose. Combined with how little patience he possesses, he can often snap at people or bluntly tell them to go away. While he can often be rude and act annoyed, he very rarely gets angry. His only apparent passion is chemistry, or 'alchemy.' He has memorized the properties and appearances of dozens of materials, and is constantly tinkering and experimenting with Guild stocks to try and discovery new chemical secrets. His greatest pleasure is discovering a new reaction or developing a new concoction, which is just as well since that happens to be his job. The only thing he values other than work appears to be merit - he greatly admires the Blackwatch for their duty (whether they care or not), respects the Targaryen lineage for their accomplishments, and has expressed awe at the architectural wonders of Westeros from the wall to the Eryie.

Biography: Knossos was born is Lys, one of the free cities of Essos, and by all accounts led a normal life there, working for his family amongst the many docks. Both his parents were killed one day by a Faceless man, who took a small measure of pity on the boy and anonymously made him into an apprentice for one of Lys many alchemists. Having nothing in his life - no parents, no home, and no true friends - Knossos could only have food and shelter to live for as long as he worked. So he worked, as an assistant and an errand boy. When he could not work he would speak with alchemists, begging them to teach him their craft so that he did not have to spend the night out on the streets.

Years went by in this fashion, and Knossos eventually became a proper assistant to his master and began to practice alchemy in earnest. Knossos spent more than a decade living inside the same building, working with noxious fluids and fine powders, applying fire and measurement, and saw few living people other than other Alchemists and their assistants. He surpassed his master in time, and surpassed the skills of many of the other alchemist's in Lys - and when they told him there was no more to discover, that he had mastered every secret of Alchemy, he laughed at them and told them they knew nothing if they thought there was nothing more to learn. Around this time, the Guild of Alchemist's in Westeros had reached the height of its power and had sent an envoy to Lys to recruit new members from the Alchemists there. Having grown disillusioned with the practices in Lys, and after briefly discussing terms with the envoy, he leapt for the opprotunity. Knossos has worked for the Guild of Alchemists ever since, although since his move to Westeros he has taken a scholarly interest in architecture and has left the Guild on many occasions to travel Westeros and observe its wonders.

Name: Micia Verbera
Age: 30
Alias: Old Flame
Appearance:

"The truly honorable serve to upbraid the powerful."

Personality: Micia is akin to fiery embers. Warm and pleasant to look at, but liable to burn those that touch them. She presents a facade of coy and coquettish behavior, armed with a vocabulary of barbs and scathing aphorisms. Underneath, Micia is deeply bitter and resentful, being dissatisfied with the way Noble houses and lords reign over Westeros and its people and suffering from mild depression and a perceived notion of helplessness to change the situation. Micia has bad days when she can barely drag herself from her home, weeping from dawn until dusk, but usually has good control of her senses and takes insults and setbacks in stride. She is not afraid to have others hurt and beaten for crossing her, and she is infamous in the King's Landing markets for her threats. Very heavy handed in business, Micia nonetheless has certain soft spots for orphans, bastards, and knights, and she has many patrons who visit her for advice and help - usually provided for free.

Biography: Micia is a lowborn from Heart's Home of the Vale. The ruling house of Corbay was always a poor one, though its nobles eeked all they could from their claim to nobility. While the Lord Corbay was an honorable ruler, many members of his family and court frequently flaunted their heritage and tormented the peasantry. Micia grew up believing that nobles were like the gods - without mercy, and powerful. At the age of fifteen, she was kidnapped in a raid by the Black Ears mountain tribe and vanished for six months only to reappear a ways off the High Road, where she was rescued by a Knight from the Reach, traveling back to his homeland from a visit to the Eyrie. While he volunteered to return her to Heart's Home, she begged to follow him back to the Reach, saying she would take her life if she was forced to remain in the Vale. Troubled, the knight took Micia back to his hometown of Ashford, where he housed her for several months while she recovered from her ordeal in the wilds of the Vale.

Determined to repay the knight for his kindness and to be productive, she eventually became a healer, using her knowledge of herbal remedies learned through living by poor means in the Vale. Despite saving many lives, she became disappointed by the scale of her efforts, and at the age of 19 started a market stall to help procure medicinal materials and distribute them cheaply, petitioning many knights to sponsor her efforts. By the age of 22, Micia operated a respectable and fairly large operation which saw many remedies and medicinals become more widespread throughout the Reach. By training assistants and children amongst the town, she was able to cut several corners and eliminate many of the costs normally associated with producing medicine, earning her a reputation as a reliable trader amongst merchants as she was always willing to purchase simple supplies in bulk at fair prices, and amongst the people for her selflessness.

At this time she began to court several knights, and when her polyamory was discovered she lost many of her sponsorships, resulting in the near collapse of her trade and abandonment by many of her assistants. Micia contemplated and nearly attempted suicide, but received an invitation by the Alchemist's Guild to join them in King's Landing as a provisional quartermaster due to her reputation, with word of her polyamory not having spread beyond Ashford. Seeing as she no longer had a future where she could meaningfully influence the lives of the people in the Reach, Micia moved to King's Landing and has been with the Alchemist's Guild since. She contributed little to their knowledge of medicine and herbal remedies, but provided valuable business and mercantile experience which the Guild sorely lacked. Today, she serves as the man spokesperson for the Guild, its services, and its products, and she manages the logistics and distribution of alchemical goods in King's Landing, as well as the acquisition of supplies and materials needed by the Guild. No longer in the land famed for its adherence to chivalry, her practices and methods became harder and ruthless, and she is considered one of the keenest traders in the city. Her enemies and rivals gave her the name 'Old Flame,' mocking her past polyamory, though few dare say such to her face. The Guild has dwindled in recent years and its profit margin has grown slim to none, but Micia has remained as efficacious as ever, not letting the guild wane due to lack of effort.

Name: Fabrice Iscart
Age: 57
Alias: The Other Fool
Appearance:

"Alchemy can change and reshape all things - and we have the power to change the world."

Personality: Fabrice is a proud and snobbish man, having fully embraced the mysticism of the Guild of Alchemists. He insists on being referred to by his proper title of 'Wisdom,' and takes great pleasure in expounding upon the knowledge possessed by members of the Alchemists guild while disparaging the ignorance of others. He can become easily angered if others do not acknowledge his skill and talent, and he bemoans how far the Alchemist's guild has fallen due to the apathy of 'indolent pissants.' He is fond of reminding people that he's their better, in one way or another, and becomes bitter and forlorn on the occasions when he actually speaks with a superior. He is also faintly lazy, preferring to put off work in favor of pursuing his own interests. He is not an uncommon sight at the court of the Red Keep, associating with the highborn members of society in attempts of gaining sponsorship and raising interest in the guild - his demeanor and ragged appearance have led to his derisive nickname, with many members of the court considering him to simply be the second of the King's fools.

Biography: Fabrice is a native of winterfell, a lowborn with carpenters for parents. While normally this would have seen Fabrice locked into a life of peasantry, gathering wood in the forest one day led to his stumbling upon the Maester of House Stark, who had fallen from his horse and sprained his ankle when it became spooked and ran. Helping the Maester back to Winterfell, the scholar offered to teach Fabrice to read and write for his kindness. Fabrice's parents, knowing that those who could read had much better prospects than those who couldn't, encouraged Fabrice to accept the offer. Fabrice spent two years learning to read and write from the Maester, learning much about the political climate of Westeros in the process in addition to history and religion. Eventually it became apparent that the Maester was grooming Fabrice for an education at the citadel, but when the time came he declined the offer.

Fabrice had spent his early life as a lowborn peasant, and while learning with the Maester had seen nobles coming and going about their business. Coupled with his learned knowledge of Westeros politics, Fabrice had become power-hungry and desired more than the citadel could give him - and he had no intentions of ever pledging himself to the realm or to anybody else, if he could help it. Instead, he elected to become a clerk so he could retain access to the Winterfell library. He spent years studying there, looking for ways to gain power quickly. The Maester, recognizing that the man who had been his student was listless with his current duties, informed him that the new Alchemist's Guild in King's Landing had proven very popular with the people there, and that his learning and proficiency for organization would see him do well there.

Taking this to heart, Fabrice made the move to King's landing and began to work for the Alchemist's guild as a clerk, while also apprenticing himself to a chemist in order to properly learn the art. He became a proper chemist a mere five years after the guild's inception, and recognized the potential usefulness of chemistry for refining and purifying various substances. Fabrice's studies in those areas contributed significantly to the guild's rising prosperity, and after a decade had passed he fully embraced the guild's adopted policy of obscuring themselves in Mysticism. For a brief moment, he had everything he had ever wanted - respect, a title, wealth, and knowledgeable authority over others. However, he pushed too hard. His adamant insistence upon veiling his profession in mysticism and his over-inflated opinion of his own status made him unpopular both within the guild and by his patrons. Although he did eventually become High Master of Transmutation, his demeanor lost the guild many clients, leading to a dip in business which contributed to the guild's decline is prosperity. Now Fabrice is old, without the respect he used to have, his coin dried up, and his only surrounding friends equally knowledgeable in Alchemy as he within their specialties. Having become dour and resentful, he longs for the days when he had everything he so rightfully deserved.

Name: Lord Leoric Tully
Age: 55
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Personality: Leoric has often been called a fool, and it's half true. Though he tries to accomplish things, and works to aid others, he fails more often than not. Whether it be through incompetence or bad luck, he simply cannot succeed. His bitterness only increased when his nightmares began, and he was labelled as insane. He certainly does not feel mad, yet he has grown weak and timid, his position being all but taken by his brother. He desires only to live out his days in peace now.
Biography: Leoric Tully was born during the reign of Viserys I. He grew up alongside his younger brother, Karyl, and the two were rivals in almost everything, Where Leoric was kind and good-hearted, Karyl was cold and unforgiving. And while Karyl was strong, Leoric was frail, and often suffered from his frail health. Nevertheless, when the dance of dragons broke out, it was Leoric who led the riverlander army in support of the dragon queen, his brother being too young for such a task. He did not stand out during these campaigns, his only notable accomplishment being wounded at the Battle of the Lakeshore by a marbrand spear. When the war finally ended with the death of Aegon II and the ascension of his nephew, Leoric returned to the riverlands, only to find his father dead, slain by the pox, and his brother ruling from Riverrun, having managed the riverlands ever since his brother left for war and his father fallen ill.

Leoric was appointed Lord Leoric by the order of the king shortly thereafter. Though he was eager to manage the lands of the trident, he had little skill in this, and frequently caused more problems than he solved. Over the years, an unspoken agreement was formed with his brother: Leoric would rule in Riverrun, and Karyl would do all the work. Leoric eventually married Mallara Strong, daughter of Harenhal. They had great trouble begetting an heir, and for many years it seemed as if Karyl and his sons would inherit the trident, until a boy Mallara bore survived childbirth; He was named Euson Tully.

Life continued as normal for several decades, until Leoric began suffering from nightmares, sometimes even in his waking hours. He saw giants and dead dragons, and frequently saw the world from the eye of an animal. His maester declared him mad, and he was duly isolated from the rest of Westeros, his brother taking on those duties he had not already possessed. Leoric's mental degradation was accompanied by the sickness of his wife, who grew more and ill as time passed. Now, he spends his days locked in his keep, mourning his wife who still lives.

Name: Mallara Strong
Age: 52
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Name: Karyl Tully
Age: 49
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Personality: Karyl Tully is known to be the opposite of his brother, Leoric. Where Leoric is kind and warm, Karyl is cold and aloof. While Leoric fails at most everything, Karyl seems to succeed at everything he touches... Save attaining lordship, of course. This limitation, and the knowledge that he will always have to bow down to his brother, has embittered him considerably, and he has become more and more ruthless as the years passed. He still retains his skills, however.
Biography: Karyl Tully was born in Riverrun some years after his brother, Lord Leoric. He distinguished himself in his studies, and squired for Lord Strong of Harrenhal. When the dance of dragons broke out, he returned to Riverrun to aid his brother, only for Leoric to command him to stay behind, citing his young age. He was thus left behind, and saw none of the action. Despite this, he stood out more than his brother; While Leoric accomplished little and less during the war, Karyl deftly handled those lords who had stayed behind, and amassed another army for the black cause. After the war ended, he was shoved aside of his duties, which were taken up by Leoric, who was newly named Lord after the death of their father.

He was duly married to a Mallister wife, and had several children in the long years that followed. He watched as his noble brother bankrupted the riverlands, and failed at everything from diplomacy to economics. Gradually, he took charge once more, a process which accelerated once his brother began having his nightmares. He now is seen as the true ruler of the Riverlands... Though that authority cannot be passed to his children, as Leoric himself has a son, a troublesome sitution indeed.

Name: Euson Tully
Age: 15
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Lord Royce Baratheon assumed rule of Storm’s End in 143 AC, his father’s death coming very late in his reign. Married to a Tarth of the Sapphire Isle, he was blessed with three children - Silas, Stevron, and Shiara. Each would have their own tics and questionable natures - but all were well-loved and very well adjusted, in their own capacity. The family was in a very peaceful place. Disputes with other parts of the kingdom were at an all time low, and the Marcher Lords even seemed to finally be dying down with Dornish tensions. Raids across the strip of sea between the two lands had virtually dropped to nil - dangers had been averted - and grand tourneys like that of 148 were held. All this changed in 150.

The ascendancy of several minor knights in Dorne to holdfasts just past the border had inflamed tensions. Chaos had come to the families of the Marcher Lords - sons and daughters killed on peaceful rides by sandy-skinned raiders. Racist slurs and spittle flew, with anger on both sides starting to swell. The Yronwood/Martell civil war exacerbated this - and conflict blew up between Dornish bandits and Marcher guardsmen. Soon enough, even his lordship Royce was forced to ride south, with a few hundred banners, to fight and defeat a host of Dornish deserters that was terrorizing the countryside. It was there, in 153 AL, that Royce Baratheon fell.

At age fifteen, Silas Baratheon rose to the Stone Drum’s throne. A boy of fifteen, he was assisted by his veteran uncle Ser Clyde in management of the keep. A man with a silent soul, keeping in horrors of war, Clyde gave only transient guidance to the otherwise increasingly strange Silas. Even in his youth, Silas was exceptionally… bored. Work in school disappeared quickly - it was as if the boy could read a book and understand it in only a few hours - something that took even Maesters weeks or months. This, still, he called ‘boring’. Often found climbing or fencing sideface like some Braavosi, his pursuits focused intently on both his duties as head of the court, and on solving and abrogating mystery.

He claims, though no one can quite corroborate, that he can deduce the exact spot where the fat king of House Durrendon was slayed by Orys Baratheon in single combat. This spot, north along the coast of the Stormlands, is now home to a small monument that Silas carved during one of his ‘bored’ stages, in between interesting cases of the court. A large stone rock with the Baratheon sigil intricately carved, Silas considers it only fitting to the founder of his noble family.

Thankfully, his siblings are considerably more normal, though not without their own scandal. Stevron Baratheon is an up and coming knight, having taken to combat training where Silas has found it dry and without interest. Quickly becoming a fan of adventure and glory, he has turned this training into a penchant for travel and exploration. A veteran of many a tourney, including those of the Rock and even as far north as the Vale of Arryn, Stevron’s short years have been full of exploring Westeros. His rumors of preferring no female company at said events are something of a scandal in and of themselves. Rumors similarly, however, abound that he is no stable fooler either. It seems as if the man is completely disinterested in the matter entirely - and that such a lack of purpose has seen him on these wide and ranging journeys.

His other sibling is… queer. In the literal definition. Shiara Baratheon is a young woman of marriageable age. She is a warrior, with determined eyes, whom loved her mother and her father more. Where Stevron is witty, Silas madly brilliant, Shiara is calculating and ruthless. She, in her youth, was not brought up traditionally. It is known that Lord Royce and his wife were of a… rather… hedonistic persuasion. Relations were something far more open, far more Dornish, in ways that many a Septon would find unacceptable within a family. The girl lost her virginity at thirteen to a very attractive handmaid. A female handmaid. Though just as into handsome men as any of her sex, it seems that Shiara’s deadliest sin is lust. One she has more than enough problems curing. Despite this, her upbringing as the most straight-edge of the three Baratheons made her the foremost political expert of the family.

When it comes to familial diplomacy, Silas deducts - Stevron laughs away - Shiara deals. If anyone is fit to rule Storm’s End, it’s her. The way she acts as orchestrator within the walls says plenty about that.

There are two remaining figures of note within Storm’s End: Ser Clyde, and Maester Grasshair. Both are characters of great skill and renown, though for far different purposes. Clyde is the Master at Arms - and alongside Shiara is the sinew that ties together the chaos that is the Stormlands. Suffering from severe war flashbacks in the Marches, having seen his brother die before him, and dealing constantly with the pain that causes - he is the one sane man left in a castle full of hard-charging and often quarrelsome family members.

Maester Grasshair is… different. Having replaced the old Maester that taught the Baratheon children in 153, he was picked explicitly for his different nature. Rumors of Baratheon madness resulted in the Citadel sending their maddest Maester, hoping that he’d be at home. All too well - all too well. Grasshair is from the Iron Isles - one of the only ones to ever visit the school. A follower of the drowned god, he never the less retains a spark of brilliance that seems to stun most - when he isn’t babbling incoherently behind feet upon feet of facial hair. A close compatriot of Lord Silas, the pair are often conducting scientific experiments that would shock even more liberal members of society. He’s a doctor of the first order, though. That’s where his usefulness is best seen.