House Yronwood
"We Guard the Way"
Ryon Yronwood
Lord of Yronwood, Warden of the Stone Way, Master of Laws of Dorne, The Bloodroyal
Also Known As: Ryon the Tyrant, The Rebel Lord, Ryon Wrongside
Age: 54
Appearance:
Personality:
Ryon Yronwood has a reputation of being ambitious, ruthless and without morals. There is little he will not do to further his goals and is rumoured to be behind the deaths and disappearances of dozens of nobles and courtiers. Years ago Ryon was interested only in power, but with age he became more concerned with his family and his legacy. His greatest concern is to leave a powerful Yronwood to his daughter and a well-taught daughter to his precious Yronwood. Before the war Ryon dreamed of an Yronwood as Prince of Dorne, but this has become only a distant memory. His defeat left him broken and turned him into a bitter man filled with regrets and resentment. He is as ruthless and dangerous as he used to be but all passion seems to have disappeared. In Sunspear, away from Yronwood, he feels his control over Dorne slipping but he remains determined to restore his ancestral seat to its former glory. At the same time he is conflicted by his desire to take revenge against an enemy that has been dead for five years, leaving in his place only a son that has been nothing but generous to Ryon.
Biography:
Lord Ryon of Yronwood, eldest child of Daron and brother of Nymeria, grew up in a time of relative stability. Most of his youth he spent in Yronwood where he was tutored and taught so that he could one day succeed his father. He never became much of a fighter despite the efforts of dozens of different teachers but showed a great interest in literature and poetry. After completing his education Ryon travelled through Dorne and even visited the Summer Islands where he claims to have found the goldenheart bow that now adorns the wall in his chambers in Sunspear. It was also during these travels that he met Ormond Deepwell, the man who would become his best friend and later his most trusted advisor.
At the age of 35 Ryon inherited the throne of Yronwood as his father passed away in his sleep. By then he had already fathered two children with his wife Myrena Manwoody and was nothing like the young man he used to be. He had lost his lust for adventure and poetry and had become a man of politics and power. Quickly after the start of his reign it became apparent that though he shared his father’s sense of politics, he was nothing like his father. In public Lord Ryon was friendly, respectful and merciful, but this it did not take long for even the commoners to see through this façade. Through careful scheming, bribery and even assassination Ryon destroyed dissent and ensured loyalty through fear.
In the early years there had been considerable opposition but as Ryon grew wiser and more experienced his grasp over Yronwood tightened and his influence in Dorne grew. In 150 AL, when the tensions between House Yronwood and House Martell had been rising for some time already, the power of Yronwood was considerable. When Nymeria Yronwood called on her brother to rise up against her husband Prince Trystan, Lord Ryon answered. Often Ryon would think back of the day he rose up against his liege lord, trying to find where he went wrong. It was painful to accept that he made a mistake. He was a calculative and patient man and ensured that all his plans were executed perfectly. Incompetence to Ryon was a sin greater than any other, doubly so since he never hesitated to murder, bribe and torture when it was beneficial. Perhaps it was his reckless sister, perhaps it was the cowardice of his allies, or maybe it was his pride.
In the first few engagements the rebels won and in for a time the tide of war seemed to be in their favour. However, as the war effort continued and more and more men marched to war, the treacherous Marcher Lords started their raids on Dornish lands. In 150 AL Dornish incursions into the Marches increased but as the civil war raged on they were beaten back by the Marcer Lords. Over the course of the year the rebels and loyalists were on even footing but gradually Prince Trystan began to gain ground. Defeated in the Marches the support for Ryon started withering away and finally in 152 the civil war ended after the decisive battle near Godsgrace.
Ryon was imprisoned but when Prince Trystan died his successor released him from prison. Ryon was appointed as the Master of Laws of Dorne, a position that meant both honour and shame for the rebel lord. It was a generous, not to mention dangerous, gesture of the Prince to appoint Ryon but it kept the peace between the two houses and, as Ryon was well aware, kept Ryon in Sunspear where his every move could be watched.
Neora Yronwood
Regent of Yronwood, Heiress of Yronwood
Age: 25
Appearance:
Personality:
The burden of leading House Yronwood when her father passes away weighs heavily on Neora but nothing in her behaviour gives that away. Unlike her father Neora shows little interest in politics and instead occupies herself with the passions for which she has become infamous throughout Dorne. Only the finest gowns and dresses with the most expensive fabrics can satisfy her taste, and only the rare and the exotic manages to sate her appetite. Neora is not simply spoiled, but profoundly decadent, spending vast sums on clothes, jewellery and lavish feasts. Though her vices are what first meet the eye, underneath Neora is patient, strongheaded and unrelenting. Before the civil war Neora was seen by most as a naïve and spoiled brat, but during the war she matured quickly. In the field at her father’s side a true gift for strategy and tactics was revealed and after the war her obsessive interest in battles and war never diminished. As the regent of Yronwood she relies on her ability to convince and persuade to make others do her bidding, rejecting the tyrannical ways of her father.
Biography:
When Neora was a child the ties between the Martells and Yronwood were still close and she often travelled between Yronwood, Sunspear and the Watergardens. Maester Norren, her tutor, followed whenever she was sent to Sunspear or the Watergardens where she often remained in the care of her aunt Nymeria. Neora got up to a lot of mischief in her youth but as the precious daughter of the Lord of Yronwood, she got away with nearly anything. To her father’s and tutor’s displeasure Neora was a bad student and only seemed to develop a great eloquence that helped her talk her away out of trouble. Despite the Maester’s efforts to turn Neora into a worthy heiress, the young girl turned into a teen with eyes only for clothes, jewellery and boys.
Her youth had been mostly carefree and she fostered healthy relations with her close kin, but she was well aware of the rising tensions between her aunt Nymeria, and in extension her father, and Prince Trystan. The visits to her relatives in Sunspear became less frequent until that fateful day that Nymeria rebelled against her husband and a civil war erupted. As the heiress of Yronwood, Neora joined her father in his military campaign and it soon became apparent that she had been paying attention to her lessons after all. When the treasury of Yronwood was still full, Neora never wanted for luxury, even in the field. A train of servants and carts filled with the necessities of a lifestyle of decadence followed along with the marching soldiers.
The bannermen of Yronwood resented the young heiress, but it soon became apparent that she had a gift for military tactics. Recognising her talent, Lord Ryon gave her more and more authority and after a few successful engagements even gave her the command of her own army. The nobles and troops first resented her, but after she had to forgo her luxurious lifestyle and emerging victorious from her first battle as general she regained their respect. Though never bloodying her sword once, she would be remember long after for the battle at the Scourge where she beat back a loyalist army despite being outnumbered. As the tides of war turned Neora’s illustrious career of command was cut short by her father who insisted she go into hiding. In the last major engagement between the rebels and loyalists that ended the war, her father and brother were captured and Neora was left to rule Yronwood as regent until their release.
Hefty war reparations were to be paid, but Prince Trystan did not order Neora’s arrest. Even though the coffers of House Yronwood were almost empty, the young regent sought to recreate her life as it had been before the war. Though her ways displeases many, she is generous to those around her, especially the knights that fought with her during the civil war. During her regency Yronwood has been far from stable, with many ambitious nobles vying for power, but due to good relations with her officers and the reputation of Lord Ryon the Tyrant few dare question her rule openly. Neora does not feel great resentment towards her cousins as her father does, but she too struggles with consolidating the power of House Yronwood while staying loyal to those who crushed her aunt’s rebellion.
Edgar Yronwood
Also Known As: Edgar the Bloodletter
Age: 23
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Personality:
Edgar cares greatly for his family and would do anything to serve their interests. He can be cold-hearted and ruthless but manages to hide it well. Only under stress does his true nature come out and can he lose his temper. He admires his father to the point of worship while he sees his sister as a naïve child that needs his protection. Because he spends much time travelling, Edgar lost the refinement associated with his name and developed a healthy taste in drink and women.
Biography:
As the only son of Edgar meant more to his father than Neora ever did. However, being the favourite and the only male child came with great expectations. While his sister was given everything she desired, Edgar was raised more strictly and was not allowed to indulge in the ‘womanly’ weaknesses like Neora. He spent most of his days in Yronwood where he was tutored and only visited his relatives when Lord Ryon travelled to Sunspear. Because of how differently he and his sister was raised there was always a strong rivalry but this, along with the resentment he felt towards his parents, faded with age.
In time he decided that his parents expected more from him because he was superior to his sister. The more he saw Neora indulge in her excesses, the more he became convinced that she would one day need his counsel and guidance. Because of this the old sibling rivalry turned into a close bond to the point where Edgar was one of the few who could change Neora’s mind. Edgar truly admired his father and in many ways became just like him, or even surpassed him. He was ruthless and underhanded, capable of anything to achieve his goals. Proud of his creation, Lord Ryon involved Edgar in his political affairs and soon realised that the boy had another useful talent that could be exploited.
In the tradition of his house, Edgar was trained in swordplay and had become a skilled fighter. In the civil war Edgar, 16 years of age, was just a squire to Ser Alfryd but managed to distinguish himself in battle by slaying Ser Philip Umbar of Hellholt. At the final battle at the Vaith Edgar was captured and imprisoned along with his father, when he was released the bitter young man became violent and vengeful. His father, naturally, found the perfect use for his son’s anger. Edgar, followed by a group of men he called his friends, became his father’s fist and blade. He would put down revolts, hunt bandits and dispose of troublesome nobles. As word of his acts spread he became known as Edgar the Bloodletter, not because of his many victims, but because of how most of them met their end by having their throat slit. Edgar was a true artist with his dagger and would quickly and nimbly find gaps in the armours of less skilled opponents.
As the years passed Edgar became more calm and composed and would rely on stealth rather than brute force to accomplish his tasks. With his family’s interests split between Yronwood and Sunspear Edgar travels throughout Dorne with the merchant caravan of his close friend Baros Deepwell. In Sunspear he has not once reached for his blade, but away from the seat of the Martells he still does his father’s dirty work.
Lady Myrena Manwoody (49), third child of the late Lord Franklyn Manwoody, spouse of Ryon Yronwood,
Ser Ormond Deepwell (60), knight of Deepwell's Keep, counsellor, close friend of Ryon Yronwood
Baros Deepwell (29), son of Ser Ormond, a prominent Dornish merchant, close friend of Edgar Yronwood,
Maester Norren (68), counsellor and tutor,
Ser Alfryd (38), distinguished knight and military advisor.
More to come.