The Shadow Lord
House Grayer and other Noble Houses of the North
HOUSE GRAYER :
House Grayer is a noble house in the North sworn to House Stark. Their banner is a roaring shadowcat on a gray field. Their house words are Blood and Steel. They are seated in Ravenhold, a region in the north-west of the Wolfswood given to them by House Stark thousands of years ago when the North was its own kingdom. The Grayers are one of the more wealthy houses in the North having crafted high-quality weapons and armor forged in the catacombs beneath Ravenhold. They trade and sell their weapons throughout the Seven Kingdoms and beyond the Narrow Sea. House Grayer has a substantial military force, its standing army equals about thirteen-hundred men, which is bolstered to about five-thousand when they call on the lesser houses sworn to them. The soldiers are highly trained and armored with the very best steel that comes from the forges.
The house was formed by a wandering Hedge Knight named Belgrin Grayer who settled in Winterfell and completed many dangerous tasks for the King in the North. Belgrin lead a charge against a large force of Crannogmen who no longer wanted to live under the rule of House Stark and rebelled against the King in the North. Belgrin slaughtered the Crannogmen and brought their leader to the King, who delivered the King's Justice. As a reward for his faithful service Belgrin was given his choice of land parcels to pick from and establish his own holdfast. He selected a region in the north-west of the Wolfswood in the foot of the Northern Mountains. With the help of masons and laborers from Winterfell, Ravenhold was built within the year. Belgrin's prowess in battle and his skills as a commander caught the attention of other Hedge Knights who quickly came calling at Ravenhold to swear fealty to the new lord. Soon Belgrin had an army comprised of battle hardened warriors who were proficient in turning the smallfolk into a formidable fighting force.
Ten years after foundation House Grayer received a plea for help from a lesser house further south in the North. House Bellistar was being laid siege to by a larger house who wanted the goldmines around the Bellistar holdfast of Goldspire and had cut off all routes of escape. Lord Belgrin lead the charge personally and with nothing more than a thousand men they broke the siege on Goldspire. In return the Bellistars gave House Grayer the rights to three of the goldmines and their best weaponsmith. Upon returning to Ravenhold the Bellistar smith was impressed with the steel that was being produced from the mountain mines beneath the city but thought he could improve upon it. After some trial and error the smith presented the first sword of many that would create the wealth the Grayers would enjoy for generations.
With the profits from the goldmines Belgrin ordered the construction of massive forges in the caverns beneath the castle and began to mass produce the swords, axes and armor that would become his legacy. The Lord of House Bellistar felt that his house should have a cut of the proceeds since it was their smith who had created the process to make Grayer steel. Belgrin refused and relations between the houses rapidly fell apart. The Lord of house Bellistar ordered an attack on the goldmines that he had given to Belgrin and slaughtered the Ravenhold laborers before sending their heads to Ravenhold.
Belgrin and his council responded immediately and launched an assault on Goldspire with the backing of the King in the North. The siege lasted almost a year before Lord Stark decided to intervene with his own forces. The Bellistars were stripped of their land and sent to a desolate keep on the Northern coast called Blackpoint. Half of the goldmines were given to House Grayer while the other half, and Goldspire itself, were given to a lesser house that had been sworn to the Bellistars.
With the influx of gold, Belgrin expanded his weapons empire by selling his products to sell-sword companies across the narrow sea and further south in Westeros. He forged a relationship with House Forrester, a vassal of House Glover, and traded his steel products for their ironwood products. Their arrangement is still in place to this day. House Grayer flourished in its weapons empire for centuries after its foundation, fighting in the many wars of Westeros by the side of House Stark. The current lord of the house, Ryden Grayer, fought with Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon against the Mad King Targaryen and years later during the Greyjoy Rebellion. Now Ryden sits upon an empire training his firstborn son Edwen to takeover lordship of Ravenhold and any wars that may lay ahead.
RYDEN GRAYER, Lord of Ravenhold, Overseer of the Cold Forges
his wife LADY NATALEYA, of House Redwyn
their children:
EDWEN, the heir to Ravenhold, twenty-five years of age
WYLLAM, commander of the lord's guard, twenty-two years of age
RENNA, the only daughter, fourteen years of age
his ward FREDRYC BELLISTAR, fifteen years of age
his household:
MAESTER ALREN, counselor and healer
SEPTON JEDDSE, keeper of the castle sept and library
VARRIN ASHFIELD, castellan
his eldest son NIKOLAS, a guardsman
his son HADAN, a member of the lord's personal guard
JAFER MORLEND, captain of the guard
EREK LONSAW, master-at-arms, Jafer's cousin
his brother SAMUEL, a member of the lord's personal guard
DANIEL BREWTER, steward
his daughter KAYSEE, handmaiden to Lady Nataleya
HENRICK DANERD, master smith
RELOR MASE, furrier
RACHELL, handmaiden to Lady Nataleya
his lesser lords bannermen:
Hallen Ashfield, Lord of Stonehill
Cameryn Rathmore, Lord of Goldspire
Mitchan Gower, Lord of Eastwind
Keven Varwyck, Lord of the Cold End
Gregor Maston, Lord of Redmast
Tamsen Brecken, Lord of Blue Creek
lesser houses sworn to Ravenhold are Ashfield, Rathmore, Gower, Varwyck, Maston, Brecken.
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HOUSE DARRE:
House Darre is a noble house from the South sworn to House Arryn. Their banner is a black bull on a white field. Their house words are: Courage and Loyalty. House Darre is seated in South Rise just south of the Neck. The knights of House Darre are fierce warriors, though their military might is rather unremarkable to the rest of the Noble Houses.
RISTAN DARRE, Lord of South Rise
his wife LADY SATRA, of House Rossen
their children
MYKAL, heir of South Rise, twenty-one years of age
JENNICA, the only daughter, twenty years of age
NYKLAS, second-born son, nineteen years of age
his siblings
JAKOB, captain of the guard, Ristan's twin
his household
QUENTIN TREMLAR, captain of the Lord's personal guard
his son RODRIK, guardsman
MAESTER YEGOR, healer, councilor
VIKTAR LANOR, castellan
BRENT ROSSEN, master-at-arms, Satra's brother
his lesser lords bannerman
SER AMOND CASSLER
JON CHANDLER, Lord of Highend
BERNIK ROUGHTON, called Rough Spear
HAROL DELLER, Lord of The Break
TRYNT BAYLOR, Lord of Bleakwind
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HOUSE BELLISTAR
House Bellistar is a disgraced noble house in the North sworn to House Bolton. Their banner is a silver fist on a blue field. Their house words are: The Fist of the North. They were seated in the prosperous hold of Goldspire before a bloody feud with House Grayer had them stripped of their lands and sent to the isolated keep of Blackpoint on the frigid northern coast, only a few days ride from the Wall. They were once a mighty house with a large army, but after the war with House Grayer they began a steady decline. Most of the Bellistar army deserted their lord to become hedge knights or sell-swords, now it is a small rabble of men that are either directly related to the Bellistar bloodline or unshakably loyal soldiers.
TREVYR BELLISTAR
his wife LADY MARYN, of House Carwyn
their children:
ARRON, heir to Blackpoint, now deceased
ROWAN, second-born son, twenty three years of age
FREDRYC, third-born son, fifteen years of age
his siblings:
MORREN, soldier,
his son JASEN, soldier, twenty years of age
NAYL, captain of the guard
his twin sons RICKARD and GRYMM, soldiers, twenty-five years of age
his household
MAESTER KEGRAN, counselor, healer
GABRIEL LOCKEN, steward
GARRON BANNICK, master-at-arms
his son VELL, soldier
TRESTIN, armorer, weapon smith
JARED CROWFIELD, sell-sword, leader of the Blackbloods
KYLER CROWFIELD, Blackblood lieutenant, Jared's half-sister
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HOUSE RATHMORE:
House Rathmore is a lesser house in the North sworn to House Grayer. Their banner is a gold eagle on a blue field. Their house words are: Live Well, Die Better. House Rathmore is the current house seated in Goldspire having won the prosperous holding in a tourney during the reign of the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen from its then owners House Rossen. Though by that time the goldmines of the region had been mostly used up Cameryn Rathmore has managed to make his house somewhat influential but not enough to rise above its 'lesser' status.
CAMERYN RATHMORE, Lord of Goldspire
his wife LADY TREYSA, of House Rossen
their children
HARLEN, heir to Goldspire, twenty-seven years of age
WEYLAN, captain of the guard, twenty-five years of age
ALESSA, married to Edwen Grayer, twenty-four years of age
MASEN, soldier, nineteen years of age
his bastard daughter CHELSIE SNOW, twenty-two years of age
his household
MAESTER GRENDYLL, counselor and healer
MICHELL BENSAN, steward
SEPTON ALESWOR, keeper of the sept and library
JACOB WILLER, in charge of the daily gold mining operations
ARYANA SAMARTH, owner of Lord Rathmore's favorite pleasure house
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HOUSE FORRESTER:
House Forrester is a noble house from the Wolfswood in the North of Westeros. They are vassals of House Glover and loyal bannermen of House Stark, and have their seat at the wooden castle of Ironrath. Their words are: Iron From Ice, which echoes their belief that - like the ironwood itself - the adverse conditions and unforgiving landscape of the North only makes them stronger. Their banner is a white ironwood tree on a black field.
GREGOR FORRESTER, Lord of Ironrath
his wife LADY ELISSA, of House Branfield
their children
RODRIK, the eldest son and heir of Ironrath.
ASHER, the second-born son, exiled to Essos
MIRA, the eldest daughter, sent to Highgarden to be a handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell.
ETHAN, the third-born son
TALIA, the youngest daughter and Ethan's twin
RYON, the youngest son
his household
DUNCAN TUTTLE, castellan
MAESTER ORTENGRYN, councilor and healer
SER ROYLAND DEGORE, master-at-arms
MALCOLM BRANFIELD, Lady Elissa's brother
GARED TUTTLE, squire to Lord Gregor, Duncan's nephew
House Grayer is a noble house in the North sworn to House Stark. Their banner is a roaring shadowcat on a gray field. Their house words are Blood and Steel. They are seated in Ravenhold, a region in the north-west of the Wolfswood given to them by House Stark thousands of years ago when the North was its own kingdom. The Grayers are one of the more wealthy houses in the North having crafted high-quality weapons and armor forged in the catacombs beneath Ravenhold. They trade and sell their weapons throughout the Seven Kingdoms and beyond the Narrow Sea. House Grayer has a substantial military force, its standing army equals about thirteen-hundred men, which is bolstered to about five-thousand when they call on the lesser houses sworn to them. The soldiers are highly trained and armored with the very best steel that comes from the forges.
The house was formed by a wandering Hedge Knight named Belgrin Grayer who settled in Winterfell and completed many dangerous tasks for the King in the North. Belgrin lead a charge against a large force of Crannogmen who no longer wanted to live under the rule of House Stark and rebelled against the King in the North. Belgrin slaughtered the Crannogmen and brought their leader to the King, who delivered the King's Justice. As a reward for his faithful service Belgrin was given his choice of land parcels to pick from and establish his own holdfast. He selected a region in the north-west of the Wolfswood in the foot of the Northern Mountains. With the help of masons and laborers from Winterfell, Ravenhold was built within the year. Belgrin's prowess in battle and his skills as a commander caught the attention of other Hedge Knights who quickly came calling at Ravenhold to swear fealty to the new lord. Soon Belgrin had an army comprised of battle hardened warriors who were proficient in turning the smallfolk into a formidable fighting force.
Ten years after foundation House Grayer received a plea for help from a lesser house further south in the North. House Bellistar was being laid siege to by a larger house who wanted the goldmines around the Bellistar holdfast of Goldspire and had cut off all routes of escape. Lord Belgrin lead the charge personally and with nothing more than a thousand men they broke the siege on Goldspire. In return the Bellistars gave House Grayer the rights to three of the goldmines and their best weaponsmith. Upon returning to Ravenhold the Bellistar smith was impressed with the steel that was being produced from the mountain mines beneath the city but thought he could improve upon it. After some trial and error the smith presented the first sword of many that would create the wealth the Grayers would enjoy for generations.
With the profits from the goldmines Belgrin ordered the construction of massive forges in the caverns beneath the castle and began to mass produce the swords, axes and armor that would become his legacy. The Lord of House Bellistar felt that his house should have a cut of the proceeds since it was their smith who had created the process to make Grayer steel. Belgrin refused and relations between the houses rapidly fell apart. The Lord of house Bellistar ordered an attack on the goldmines that he had given to Belgrin and slaughtered the Ravenhold laborers before sending their heads to Ravenhold.
Belgrin and his council responded immediately and launched an assault on Goldspire with the backing of the King in the North. The siege lasted almost a year before Lord Stark decided to intervene with his own forces. The Bellistars were stripped of their land and sent to a desolate keep on the Northern coast called Blackpoint. Half of the goldmines were given to House Grayer while the other half, and Goldspire itself, were given to a lesser house that had been sworn to the Bellistars.
With the influx of gold, Belgrin expanded his weapons empire by selling his products to sell-sword companies across the narrow sea and further south in Westeros. He forged a relationship with House Forrester, a vassal of House Glover, and traded his steel products for their ironwood products. Their arrangement is still in place to this day. House Grayer flourished in its weapons empire for centuries after its foundation, fighting in the many wars of Westeros by the side of House Stark. The current lord of the house, Ryden Grayer, fought with Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon against the Mad King Targaryen and years later during the Greyjoy Rebellion. Now Ryden sits upon an empire training his firstborn son Edwen to takeover lordship of Ravenhold and any wars that may lay ahead.
RYDEN GRAYER, Lord of Ravenhold, Overseer of the Cold Forges
his wife LADY NATALEYA, of House Redwyn
their children:
EDWEN, the heir to Ravenhold, twenty-five years of age
WYLLAM, commander of the lord's guard, twenty-two years of age
RENNA, the only daughter, fourteen years of age
his ward FREDRYC BELLISTAR, fifteen years of age
his household:
MAESTER ALREN, counselor and healer
SEPTON JEDDSE, keeper of the castle sept and library
VARRIN ASHFIELD, castellan
his eldest son NIKOLAS, a guardsman
his son HADAN, a member of the lord's personal guard
JAFER MORLEND, captain of the guard
EREK LONSAW, master-at-arms, Jafer's cousin
his brother SAMUEL, a member of the lord's personal guard
DANIEL BREWTER, steward
his daughter KAYSEE, handmaiden to Lady Nataleya
HENRICK DANERD, master smith
RELOR MASE, furrier
RACHELL, handmaiden to Lady Nataleya
his lesser lords bannermen:
Hallen Ashfield, Lord of Stonehill
Cameryn Rathmore, Lord of Goldspire
Mitchan Gower, Lord of Eastwind
Keven Varwyck, Lord of the Cold End
Gregor Maston, Lord of Redmast
Tamsen Brecken, Lord of Blue Creek
lesser houses sworn to Ravenhold are Ashfield, Rathmore, Gower, Varwyck, Maston, Brecken.
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HOUSE DARRE:
House Darre is a noble house from the South sworn to House Arryn. Their banner is a black bull on a white field. Their house words are: Courage and Loyalty. House Darre is seated in South Rise just south of the Neck. The knights of House Darre are fierce warriors, though their military might is rather unremarkable to the rest of the Noble Houses.
RISTAN DARRE, Lord of South Rise
his wife LADY SATRA, of House Rossen
their children
MYKAL, heir of South Rise, twenty-one years of age
JENNICA, the only daughter, twenty years of age
NYKLAS, second-born son, nineteen years of age
his siblings
JAKOB, captain of the guard, Ristan's twin
his household
QUENTIN TREMLAR, captain of the Lord's personal guard
his son RODRIK, guardsman
MAESTER YEGOR, healer, councilor
VIKTAR LANOR, castellan
BRENT ROSSEN, master-at-arms, Satra's brother
his lesser lords bannerman
SER AMOND CASSLER
JON CHANDLER, Lord of Highend
BERNIK ROUGHTON, called Rough Spear
HAROL DELLER, Lord of The Break
TRYNT BAYLOR, Lord of Bleakwind
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HOUSE BELLISTAR
House Bellistar is a disgraced noble house in the North sworn to House Bolton. Their banner is a silver fist on a blue field. Their house words are: The Fist of the North. They were seated in the prosperous hold of Goldspire before a bloody feud with House Grayer had them stripped of their lands and sent to the isolated keep of Blackpoint on the frigid northern coast, only a few days ride from the Wall. They were once a mighty house with a large army, but after the war with House Grayer they began a steady decline. Most of the Bellistar army deserted their lord to become hedge knights or sell-swords, now it is a small rabble of men that are either directly related to the Bellistar bloodline or unshakably loyal soldiers.
TREVYR BELLISTAR
his wife LADY MARYN, of House Carwyn
their children:
ARRON, heir to Blackpoint, now deceased
ROWAN, second-born son, twenty three years of age
FREDRYC, third-born son, fifteen years of age
his siblings:
MORREN, soldier,
his son JASEN, soldier, twenty years of age
NAYL, captain of the guard
his twin sons RICKARD and GRYMM, soldiers, twenty-five years of age
his household
MAESTER KEGRAN, counselor, healer
GABRIEL LOCKEN, steward
GARRON BANNICK, master-at-arms
his son VELL, soldier
TRESTIN, armorer, weapon smith
JARED CROWFIELD, sell-sword, leader of the Blackbloods
KYLER CROWFIELD, Blackblood lieutenant, Jared's half-sister
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HOUSE RATHMORE:
House Rathmore is a lesser house in the North sworn to House Grayer. Their banner is a gold eagle on a blue field. Their house words are: Live Well, Die Better. House Rathmore is the current house seated in Goldspire having won the prosperous holding in a tourney during the reign of the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen from its then owners House Rossen. Though by that time the goldmines of the region had been mostly used up Cameryn Rathmore has managed to make his house somewhat influential but not enough to rise above its 'lesser' status.
CAMERYN RATHMORE, Lord of Goldspire
his wife LADY TREYSA, of House Rossen
their children
HARLEN, heir to Goldspire, twenty-seven years of age
WEYLAN, captain of the guard, twenty-five years of age
ALESSA, married to Edwen Grayer, twenty-four years of age
MASEN, soldier, nineteen years of age
his bastard daughter CHELSIE SNOW, twenty-two years of age
his household
MAESTER GRENDYLL, counselor and healer
MICHELL BENSAN, steward
SEPTON ALESWOR, keeper of the sept and library
JACOB WILLER, in charge of the daily gold mining operations
ARYANA SAMARTH, owner of Lord Rathmore's favorite pleasure house
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HOUSE FORRESTER:
House Forrester is a noble house from the Wolfswood in the North of Westeros. They are vassals of House Glover and loyal bannermen of House Stark, and have their seat at the wooden castle of Ironrath. Their words are: Iron From Ice, which echoes their belief that - like the ironwood itself - the adverse conditions and unforgiving landscape of the North only makes them stronger. Their banner is a white ironwood tree on a black field.
GREGOR FORRESTER, Lord of Ironrath
his wife LADY ELISSA, of House Branfield
their children
RODRIK, the eldest son and heir of Ironrath.
ASHER, the second-born son, exiled to Essos
MIRA, the eldest daughter, sent to Highgarden to be a handmaiden to Margaery Tyrell.
ETHAN, the third-born son
TALIA, the youngest daughter and Ethan's twin
RYON, the youngest son
his household
DUNCAN TUTTLE, castellan
MAESTER ORTENGRYN, councilor and healer
SER ROYLAND DEGORE, master-at-arms
MALCOLM BRANFIELD, Lady Elissa's brother
GARED TUTTLE, squire to Lord Gregor, Duncan's nephew