Re: General Non-game Chat Thread

[Yoren longshore]

That makes 4(!) players in the last two days, pretty good when considering that most PBPs have already been dead in a ditch for 8 months after a year! Cheers to Reader, and cheers to all of us

[Ser Alfred Haigh]

So NOW the Kytleys come out ?
Tyyyyypical !

[Yoren longshore]

So NOW the Kytleys come out ?
Tyyyyypical !

I think Jorah meant that he playes Kytleys in the last game, no saying what he'll play this time around

[Ser Alfred Haigh]

I know, just saying. If theres any Kytleys popping up now, I'll laugh. Loud and hard.

[Yoren longshore]

Yeah, I would advise people not to join, playing in a house on your own is probably quite dull... Having no one to scheme with

[Ser Alfred Haigh]

Thats the point, though.
If no one ever joins that House, how can it grow ? Someone has to be the first at some point...

[Yoren longshore]

This is just my opinion, and many will disagree, but I feel like 6 houses is enough as it is :;
):
It's good to have at least 3 players/house, in my opinion at least...

[Ser Alfred Haigh]

Yeap, small is nice but at some point, its difficult to pull the alleged weight when you're alone.

[Kevan Lyras]

Yeah it is just, with so many players starting at the same time, it could be an opportunity to have the Kitleys start with new 3 players at the same time and take things from there.

[Ser Jorah Holt]

well, his kytley character was an Ironborn ward, so longshore might still gain a character

[Theomore Tullison]

I am still of the opinion that Kytley should be scratched off the home houses list and that it will be better if those three players, should we get them, beef up the numbers of other places.

[Yoren longshore]

I've updated the house descriptions slightly. If we get new players it would be nice if they are gotten up to date. Could someone from each house check that I've gotten it right? I haven't done much, just edited the recent history of some houses who have altered leadership (like Bartheld, Marsten and Longshore.)

Heraldry: A red ship on a field of green
Motto: First and Faithful

House Longshore

The blood of the Iron Born runs through House Longshore, yet the house has an unusual history.

Their arms are a red ship on a yellow base, with a black fess and chief.

House motto: “First to arrive, last to depart.”

History
House Longshore was founded before the Targaryen conquest, in the days when House Hoare still ruled the Iron Islands and much of the Riverlands. According to legend, the King of the Iron Islands gathered his finest captains and raiders on the shore, announcing that whoever claimed next claimed a castle from the Riverlands would be raised to a full lordship. Yoren Bloody-axe, a tough veteran and legendary founder of House Longshore, watched the ambitious young men of the Iron Islands set sail for the nearest shores, and the predictable response of the remaining independent Riverlords, who marched their forces to repel the invaders.

Taking his fastest ships and most loyal men, Yoren seized the castle that would subsequently be renamed “Landhold” and was raised to his promised Lordship. In the years to come, House Longshore would construct the stout tower known as “Kracken Point” several miles to the south to warn of approaching riverlords.

Despite several attempts to dislodge them, House Longshore has remained a thorn in the side of the Riverlands for generations. However, the Lords of House Longshore have been careful not to overreach – taking enough to keep their axes sharp and their raiders happy, yet not so much as to encourage the Riverlanders to unite and pay the necessary price in lives to expel the Ironborn from the mainland. The leaders of House Longshore must have the strength necessary to keep their men in line, yet also canny enough to know when and where to strike, resisting the temptation for short-term plunder that could enrage the River lords.

Out of necessity, House Longshore has enjoyed a long run of competent lords that would be the envy of many noble houses. The fractious nature of the Riverlands has also played in to House Longshore's hands – ambitious brothers and sons of Riverlords have been accused of aiding House Longshore raids in an attempt to gain the throne.

[Exception] Lord Andrik Longshore – mad, cut down by own brother in battle, line subsequently cursed.

Among the pragmatic decisions taken by House Longshore includes a policy against taking Riverlanders as thralls in an attempt to limit reprisals.

Key House Members
Lord Ferris Longshore, once a giant of a man, Lord Ferris is a shell of his former self, racked by a seemingly incurable wasting disease. Lord Ferris's deeply held, and strongly voiced, contempt for Maesters has not aided matters.
Roddric Longshore, Lord Ferris's second son and heir. Killed By Athelstan suspiciously just the day after his brother returned to Westeros.
Yoren Longshore, Lord Ferri's playboy eldest child left for Essos ten years ago, and nothing was heard from him but rumours of his death and fanciful tales of “The Iron Prince of Braavos”. Having matured and grown wealthy in the East, Yoren returned as a man or R’hllor, had lost his charm and his martial abilities. After his brothers death he has taken charge of the house in all but name. However, nobody is certain how he still has a grip… PC
Lady Alya Longshore, the youngest of Lord Ferris's children, a tomboy who can swing an axe better than most men, but also a fine singer and keen reader. Her father Married her off to Lord Redwayn, and is less concerned with Alya's view on her own fate than he is with furthering his house.
Leifnarr Longshore: Ferris brother. A giant of a man still retaining the strength that his brother has lost. As the house has expanded he has been granted a piece of land of his own.
Athelstan: He killed Roddric and later threw himself off a cliff to avoid being captured on treacherous activities.
Bomilcar: A mentor of Yoren who has later received a gift of land for his loyalty. A priest of R’hllor.
Henryk Pyke, House Longshore's master of arms is a great bear of a man who saved Lord Ferris's life in one raid years ago by blocking an axe blow with his own arm. Servants gossip that the man who struck him was the same man who left him to a bastard birth after dallying with his mother at court, but the only man bold enough to enquire will have to drink his meals for the rest of his life. Henryk's wound healed but left a ragged scar, with Henryk swearing to return the injury tenfold on House Mallister. Henryk is justifiably proud of his abilities with an axe, and any man who questions his ancestry at the tourney is likely to face an unrelenting foe in the melee.
Ereth Rewayn: Tactician with shrewd economic sense. Married to Alya Longshore. PC

Holdings
Alongside fractious nature of the Riverland houses, the second great defence of House Longshore is their stout castle, Landhold. The walls of Landhold provide a stern defence against assault, and the castle's design allows supplies to be brought it by ships, making a siege challenging without a naval blockade.

Further South, House Longshore maintains Kraken Point, a sturdy tower that has fallen to the Riverlanders several times in the past but has always been reclaimed.


House Tullison
Heraldry: Red mountains on a blue field
Motto: Stone Endures

Set on the edge of the Riverlands, among the rocky outcroppings on the westernmost face of the Mountains of the Moon, House Tullison rose from the humble beginnings of its founder to a place of prominence among the lesser Houses of the Seven Kingdoms. As a historically loyal ally and bannerman of House Tully, House Tullison looks to the heart of the Riverlands for guidance and fuels the defenses of its namesake House with iron from its mines.

History
According to family lore, Joston Rivers, the founder of House Tullison, was born around 15 AL, the natural son of the Lord of Riverrun. The Lord claimed Joston as his child, but sent him to be fostered at the Eyrie to protect the bastard against the machinations of his disapproving wife. Joston showed potential in the martial arts from an early age, and was made a squire to one of House Arryn’s sworn knights. At the age of 14, Joston accompanied his master to the armies of Aegon I, and continued to provide faithful service through the wars that solidified Targaryen rule. By war’s end, Joston had come to his majority and was knighted by his grateful master.

With the war over, Ser Joston was left a soldier without any battles to fight, and so became a hedge knight. He traveled the lands of Westeros for five to ten years before coming across the mining camps on the western edge of the Mountains of the Moon, and it was in this unlikely place that he found his destiny. Joston arrived in the camps minutes before clansmen swept out of the mountains, howling their barbarian war cries, intent on slaughtering the miners, stealing the camp’s women and anything else they could carry away. Joston organized a hasty defense of the camp, and, though several miners were killed and Joston was seriously injured, managed to drive off the raiders. As the smallfolk tended to his injuries, they told Joston of their near-daily battles for survival in defense of their claims. Taking it upon himself as a true knight to provide for their protection, Joston taught the miners how to defend themselves. According to his instruction, the smallfolk surrounded their camps with ditches filled with sharpened wooden stakes, and constructed mantlets covered with wetted leather to provide cover from arrows both hot and cold. He trained men and women alike to fight using their picks, axes and shovels, and children to standby with pails of water and dirt to fight fires. After several months, the smallfolk began holding their own against the clansmen and, while the attacks never ceased entirely, the clans began to seek out other, easier, targets just as often as they raided the camps.

The appreciative miners and their families began to refer to Joston as “Lord Ser,” regardless of how many times he told them he was bastard born, and no lord. Joston arranged for the iron ore produced by the miners to be transported to Riverrun, and there the smallfolk beseeched the Warden of the Riverlands to make Joston their lord in name as well as in deed. Impressed by the noble behavior of his natural son, the Lord of Riverrun sent a raven to Jaehaerys I, citing the accomplishments of his bastard, and asking for Joston to be ennobled. In 50 AL, the King granted the Lord’s request, and gifted Joston with the lands around the mining camps for the new House. Now a lord in truth, Joston set aside the bastard name Rivers and took up the surname Tullison, in honor of his father. Shortly after his marriage to Lady Casserdre of House Piper, Lord Joston began to build his seat on a small spur of the Mountains of the Moon, using the stone quarried as a byproduct of mining iron for the construction. Completed in 55 AL, Joston named his small castle Mountain’s Reach. The castle was designed to incorporate the rocky terrain as part of its defenses, giving Joston’s Rock (as it shortly became known) the appearance of having grown out of the mountain.

Lady Casserdre presented Joston with nine healthy children, five of whom survived childhood and ensured the continuance of the line. Joston died age 48, from a festering arrow wound suffered while fighting the clans. During the resurgence in tensions between the Blackwoods and Brackens, Lord Sterl of House Tullison answered the call of Lord Blackwood and went to war against the feared Lord Bracken. In the fighting, Lord Sterl met his end, leaving his wife, Lady Moraine, in charge of his two-year old son Dunstan, and his newborn daughter Yves. House Tullison continues to follow the example of Lord Joston to this day. Its soldiers protect the smallfolk villagers and miners from the ravages of the clans, and the Tullisons have maintained close ties to Riverrun as bannermen and through the trade of iron ore. Tullison iron has gained a reputation for its high quality, filling the coffers of the House to overflowing. With a steady supply of stone from the iron mines, construction on Joston’s Rock has never really ended, making it one of the most secure castles in the Riverlands.

Slow, steady and unremarkable is the best description of Tullison growth for the first few generations, though a shift in pace was observed after the great council of 101 when Lord Dunstan (grandfather of the present one) secured a marriage for his daughter to Lord Royce, and his son, Lord Sterl a few years after took sides in the feud between Raventree and Stone Hedge by marrying Moraine Blackwood, acquitting himself well in the fighting but was slain in battle, leaving behind two small children. But the bonds he created was built upon by his remaining family to give the young lord every opportunity to bring House Tullison into prominence once coming of age.

Key House members
Lord Dunstan Tullison, an athletic &
enthusiastic young man whose wins friends easily. He longs for glory and adventure and takes seeing the best in others to a fault. PC
Lady Aofie Tullison (formerly of House Royce), wife of Lord Dunstan, a somewhat shy and timid young woman.
Ser Theomore Tullison: A landed knight in the service to house Frey. A jouster of high caliber with dubious moral scruples. Cunning and charming, he has become a trusted advisor of his nephew Dunstan.PC
Lady Floreta Tullison (formerly of House Frey), wife of Ser Theomore, with the romantic dreams and playfulness of youth.
Lady Yve Tullison, Dunstan's younger sister, famously dubbed the “rose of the mountains” by Lord Brom Bartheld for his beauty and auburn hair. More self-possessed and composed than her older brother, Lady Yve is courted by nobles far and wide, keen to win the friendship of the ascendant House Tullison, although some have an eye to inherting House Tullison's lands should anything happen to Lord Dunstan. Despiute her age, Yve's voice is heeded at Lord Dunstan's council.
Lady Moraine Tullison, was wracked by illness since her husband's death at the hands of the mountain clans, Lady Moraine was a shadow of her dynamic youth. Previously a member of House Blackwood. Now she has recuperated after Daveth Coldbrook found a cure.
Lady Casserdre Royce, aunt of Lord Dunstan and sister to Ser Theomore, widow of Lord Yorbert Royce.
Ser Ulbert Hite, a landed knight in service to Lord Dunstan, a martinet and a bully, bigger and meaner than anyone else at Joston's Rock. He has even been known to defeat Ren Alyard in arm-wrestling matches. Perhaps surprisingly, the only person he seems to have any time for is Maester Haelis, as the men have bonded over a shared appreciation for the strategy involved in a good game of cyvasse.
Ser Mather Warrens, leader of House Tullison's elite Mountaineers and a crack shot with a bow, Ser Mather wears a scar on his face from a mountain tribe ambush.
Maester Haelis, a young maester who recently won his chain, Haelis's main interests are in architecture and botany.
Master Smith Ren Alyard, called “The Bull of Joston's Rock” by the smallfolk, Ren Alyard has served House Tullison ably for many years and has groomed a fine clutch of apprentices. A stubborn, humourless man, but dedicated to his craft.
Septon Weyls, a bald, paunchy generous with his time but with a judgemental streak he does his best to correct. Often found with an armed escort on the road to spread the comfort of the Seven to the smallfolk.
Ser Alfred Haigh: A knight recently sworn to the service of Lord Dunstan.PC
Ser Asten of Mountain's Reach, captain of the Tullison cavalry, a likeable and handsome young blond haired man.
Rafford of Flea bottom, a veteran of Prince Daemon's Stepstones campaign that now serves as Ser Theomore's aide.PC


Holdings

The castle named Mountain’s Reach by Lord Joston—and called “Joston’s Rock” by nearly everyone else—remains the primary defensive structure to be found in the Tullison holding. It is in, and directly around, Joston’s Rock that the majority of the population lives.


Heraldry: a black pickaxe on a coper field
Motto: Earth Yields


House Dulver
High above the green and growing Riverlands in the rocky crags and stony canyons of the mountains between Riverrun and the Banefort, Deepen Hall perches like a vulture over a herd of fatted calves. House Dulver, which claims the ancient mountain fastness as its seat, does little to assuage that impression. Shrewd, grasping and mean, the Dulvers hover on the edge of richer lands with hungry eyes on their neighbors, ready to make a meal of any one who falters. Though nominally sworn to House Lannister, Lord Dulver’s first loyalty is ever to his own ambitions.

History

Mudge the Bronzeman, say the Dulvers, was the first of the First Men to dig in the earth of Westeros, and it is to him that they trace their line and the founding of their name. It was from Mudge’s forge that the First Men armed themselves with spears and swords to drive out the Children of the Forest. It was the axes that Mudge made that cut down the weirwoods. But the Dulvers were known for practicality rather than zealous loyalty. When the peace was made, they planted a godswood within the walls of Deepen Hall and spoke their vows before the Old Gods. When the Andals came, the Dulvers built a seven-sided chapel and Lord Dulver took an Andal wife. And when Aegon came, they learned to love dragons. Whatever else may be said of them, the Lords Dulver knew where power lay, and strive in every generation to see that their allegiances lay with it. For all their cunning, though, the Dulvers have rarely been rich or powerful in their own right. Their holdings are small, remote and poor—stony hills and spare pastures. Their people are few. The Dulver knack for knowing which way the wind blows has served mainly to ensure survival rather than promote enrichment. Leastwise until Lord Harald Dulver took the lord’s chair.

Lord Harald’s father, Lord Hemmel Dulver, called Pinchpenny, was a notorious skinflint. It’s said around the tavern tables that the late Lord Dulver was so miserly that it took his lady wife locking herself in her chambers for a month for him to agree to serve more than turnip gruel and cider at their only daughter’s wedding. For all his reticence to spend coin on luxury though, Lord Hemmel had a miraculous nose for a bargain. He employed a veritable legion of factors combing the countryside for goods that might be acquired on the cheap. He bought up the goods of impoverished houses, the discarded weapons of defeated armies, brass hinges and bronze urns, books and candlesticks and iron tools. And when he had filled the cellars beneath his hold, he had his miners dig more.

When Lord Hemmel perished of a chill in his forty-third year (taken from his cellars while counting great casks of iron nails) he left his heir his name, his lands, and a hundred cellars stuffed to bursting with the castoffs of seven kingdoms. Some might count this a burden, but Lord Harald had two things his father had always lacked—ambition and the willingness to sell. There was little enough wheat among the chaff Lord Hemmel had gathered, but Lord Harald found it all. Through patience, will and a vicious knack for haggling, the new Dulver found buyers for the strangest things and in the strangest places. Every penny that came to him he sent back out to bring in more. And while he had his father’s nose, young Harald had a more discerning eye.

By the time of King Visery's coronation, Lord Harald was doing a brisk business taking the lead and tin and copper that the mines upon his land would yield and turning them into gold and steel and more. He had also got himself a Lannister wife by way of Lannisport, a cousin to Lord Jason Lannister and the Lannisters of the Rock. And when Lord Lannister kept his men at home during his years, so too did Harald Dulver. Each time a messenger arrived below his gates, Lord Dulver threw them open and welcomed them most warmly, be Blackwoods or Brackens, Faith Militant or Targaryen loyalists. But when they asked for men he had but to show them around the castle and let them see his ill-manned walls. “I have but blind old codgers and callow boys, my lords,” he said. “But I cannot let you go emptyhanded.” And so he sent them each away with casks packed with salt pork or wayns laden with new boots, but never men. When finally Lord Jason marched from Casterly Rock, Lord Dulver met him on the road with three hundred foot behind him. As the Dulver men joined the Lannister host and marched to whatever conflict required attention, Lord Lannister asked from whence these men had come. “My cellars,” said Lord Harald. “I had misplaced them behind some turnips. I hope His Grace will understand.” And so Lord Dulver’s turnips and the Lions of the Rock marched together. In recent years, House Dulver’s fortunes have advanced steadily, if slow. The mines that dot their holdings are not so rich as their cousins’, yielding lead and tin and copper instead of silver or gold. But even kings need chamber pots and spoons. When his neighbors need a thing, Lord Dulver can provide. Arrows, swords or the men called Dulver’s Turnips. Grain or salt or seeds. Two of everything in his cellars, it’s said. And acre by acre, Lord Harald’s domain grows because the Dulver always takes his price.

Key House members
Lord Harald Dulver, called the Vulture of Dulver for his looks and manner, Lord Dulver's steward rule has restored his house's fortunes.
Ser Walton Dulver, Lord Dulver's heir, and the mirror image of his father – a strapping young knight that others find easy to like. 20 in 126AL.PC
Short Tom Tinker, the eyes and ears of House Dulver on the road.
Septon Arlyn, a truly pious Septon beloved of the smallfolk and a valued advisor of lord Harald.PC
Lady Falyse Dulver, Lord Dulver's wife's fervour for the Seven would put most Septons to shame.
Ser Horas Dulver, Ser Walton's brother and inferior in most abilities burns to prove himself but is prone to foul tempers. Married to Lady Jeyne Blackwood. 17 in 124 AL.
Lady Helen Dulver, lord Dulver's youngest child, a curious girl with her father's keen mind. 16 in 124AL.
Ser Gambol Hill, Lord Dulver's bastard brother and the House's long standing master at arms.
Karyl Kays, chief stonemason to Lord Dulver.
Persal Littlefoot, an expert miner, although his expertise was bought at the cost of left left leg.
Maester Falstan, a maester skilled in healing and with a deep knowledge of forgotten lore, newly appointed to Deepen Hall.
Ser Tymond Lannister: A young knight in the service of the Dulvers.PC
Luceian Longbow: A young hunter with a love for drinks.PC

Holdings
The lands of House Dulver are known as Stony Heath, which is a fairly average-sized holding situated in the hills and mountains north of the Tumblestone between the Banefort and Fairmarket. A narrow, but exceptionally well-made road branches off from the River Road and wends its way up the hills to the gates of Deepen Hall, the seat of House Dulver who holds lordship over the lands about.

Deepen Hall is small as castles go. It was built some ten thousand years ago by the First Men using crafts long since lost. The castle sits on the shoulder of the Deepmont, a low, round-topped mountain. Its walls, towers and keep are all built of stone quarried from the mountain itself. In those dark and distant years, the builders of the First Men carved away the lower slopes of the Deepmont and left sheer cliffs broken only by a narrow causeway curling up and around to end before the great bronze gate. Towers flank the gate facing south with another, taller tower looming at the far end to look out over the hills to the distant waters of Ironman’s Bay. Between these three towers rises the main keep like a fist thrust up from the body of the mountain, the curve of its peak making a natural motte. Within the walls a half-dozen wells keep the castle in water and stables and outbuildings line the inside of the walls. Below the keep are the fabled cellars that gave Deepen Hall its name.

Stories say the mountain itself is hollow as an old gourd, and while this isn’t entirely true, the cellars do go deep. There is, in fact, as much of Deepen Hall below the earth as above it. Dulver’s Turnips hid in them. And it’s said that more than one rival or unwelcome relative has disappeared into them over the years. Any time they’ve shown any signs of running out of room, the truth of Lord Hemmel Dulver’s words is proven—you can always dig another hole. In recent years Lord Dulver has acquired a parcel of land north and east of Stony Heath, and with it a small tower house of stone and timbers. His younger son, Ser Horas Dulver, holds it in his name with his young wife and a small complement of men from the castle’s garrison.

Heraldry: A brown boar running on a red field. [edit: switched to red]
Motto: Joy in Service

House Bartheld

Although it was loyalty to House Baratheon that initially raised the Barthelds to the nobility, the denizens of Hart House later became known for hosting indulgent—some might even say depraved—festivities each year, at which an everchanging roster of guests would drink deep of their host’s hospitality. Fittingly, the most recent lord of Hart House abdicated his role to his grandson so that he could pursue the hand of Lady Yve of House Tullison. The heir to the house, Davain Bartheld, is much more conservative than his forbears, which is not sitting particularly well with most other members of his family.

History

House Bartheld Is a minor lineage, born thirty years after Aegon’s landing when a serving boy saved Lord Raffin Baratheon from assassination. One of Baratheon’s banner knights is said to have knighted the lad on the spot. Ser Hamish Bartheld went on to prove that even a serving boy could rise to great heights. Although he was never brilliant—or even very good—as a soldier or a statesman, he developed a reputation for honor and loyalty that served him and his descendents well. To this day, House Bartheld is a family where good faith is regarded more highly than skill or cleverness. Ser Hamish developed a huge appetite for everything life as a noble offered. By the time he died, he was obese, red-faced from drink, and suffering from several venereal diseases.

The first Bartheld took his degeneration with good humor and, it is said, died with no regrets. The Barthelds emulate their eponymous ancestor, though most are more careful with their health. All of Hamish’s children—trueborn and bastard—did well for themselves in their own way. Some became Maesters at the Citadel or took the Black and several were knighted as well. Despite gaining some respect as a family, without land, the Barthelds were dependent on the Baratheons for wealth and station. In return, the Barthelds have served the Baratheons as squires, chamberlains, companions, bodyguards, and bedwarmers and prospered. The most cynical Barthelds claimed—but never within earshot of their patrons—that House Baratheon never granted them holdings of their own to keep them dependent, so that the Baratheons could continue to enjoy the fruits of Bartheld labor. Although they maintained a close relationship with House Baratheon, the Barthelds also acted as procurers and bodyguards for other houses, for a price. Rumors persist—vociferously denied by the Barthelds themselves—that the family whored its sons and daughters in the hard days after the Dance of Dragons.

These stories continue to stain the House’s reputation. Brom Bartheld, the first true lord of the house, began his career as a knight in service to Prince Daemon Targaryen. He was also a friend of Lord Jamys Kytley, called the Sybarite, and a frequent guest at Jamys’s extravagant parties. When Brom’s cousin Tobias Bartheld tried to open Broms’s eyes to Jamys’s abuse and neglect of his smallfolk, Brom refused. Jamys was his friend, and that was all he would let himself see. Brom and his sons, including one who served Prince Daemon as a squire, joined Daemon's military expeditions on the Stepstones and distinguished themselves in battle. Although Brom survived these battles, two of his four sons did not. As a form of compensation for the family’s years of service and Brom’s sacrifice, King Viserys finally granted House Bartheld land of its own. House Bartheld was given the territory of House Asrig, which had lost all its sons in the war fighting on behalf of the Targaryens. House Asrig had been the worst kind of nobles. Inspired by the cruelty of the Targaryens, they had satisfied their desire for luxuries and companionship at the expense of the smallfolk and indulged in cruel, extravagant punishments. Lord Leofrick Asrig was particularly fond of punishing entire families or villages for the misdeeds of a few. On one memorable occasion that a peasant insulted his wife with a bold stare, Lord Leofrick gave the man’s friends and neighbors a choice: either they delivered his eyes to the castle, or he would send his knights to claim ten. Upon hearing of the death of her husband and sons, Lady Inez Asrig had ordered every village and fortification burned to the ground and set fire to the castle from the inside. Brom Bartheld arrived to discover that his new house seat had been devastated. All the major structures and most of the villages had been destroyed and the peasants were traumatized and distrustful, eager to believe that their new lord was just as bad as the old one. When Hart House was complete, Brom celebrated with a huge feast. The party won Brom many allies and goodwill from his creditors.

Inspired, Brom turned his native hospitality into a tool. Since then Hart House has hosted a variety of colorful characters, from young men avoiding duels they can’t win to young women avoiding suitors they can’t shake to old lords reliving glory days they can’t repeat. Brom Bartheld boasts— without revealing any details—that Hart House has hosted at least one septon and his lover, and helped a pair of star-crossed lovers avoid their families long enough to be married in secret.

Young Davain Bartheld, Brom’s oldest grandson, was the heir apparent of the House. Brom retired unexpectedly and left Hart House—his aging squire, Dart Rivers, in tow—to seek the hand of Lady Yve Tullison. Davain is something of a black sheep, an ascetic in a family of sybarites. Davain has already alienated some of his wilder family members by toning down the yearly party. Davain’s father was particularly insulted by his decision to hire businesslike middle-aged servers rather than attractive girls, and his uncle Kent was annoyed to discover that Davain has banned hunting parties from departing Hart House with more than a single wineskin, however, he has been a good ruler and has fastened his grip over his house.

Davain’s uncle Fendrel, on the other hand, is concerned that overabundant sobriety will hurt the house’s standing. The Barthelds thrived under Brom’s hospitality and permissiveness, and he is afraid that sobriety and propriety will ruin them. Fendrel Bartheld, currently a guest of Hart House, was probably his uncle Davain’s worst enemy, although he has later tried to make amends. He schemed to disgrace Davain and replace him, but he failed and fled to Essos, now he has returned to serve, or has he? Although many has been dissenting Davain is not completely alone. His uncle Tobias remembers that summer will not last forever. With winter surely on the horizon, he believes that House Bartheld will benefit from more sober leadership. Not all of his sons agree, but at least one of them, Ser Edmund, is Davain’s ally, though his duties to the crown keep him away from Hart House.

Holdings
The seat of House Bartheld is a huge manor rather than a true castle. Brom commissioned an image of the Targaryen arms to be fixed over the front door. The house is full of dragon imagery, from the swooping dragons on the tapestries to the dragon head newel tops to the huge stone stags that flank the entrance.

A trained eye notices that although it was not built to repel a siege, Hart House is not entirely defenseless. The walls are made of good stone, well laid and well mortared, and doors are made of stout wood banded with iron. Much of the house’s decorations are placed so that right-handed attackers charging up the stairs will entangle their swords in tapestries and statues, leaving them open to attack from right-handed defenders charging down at them. Secret passages in the wine cellar lead to safety and collapse with a good kick to the right timber. Most importantly, Hart House is situated on a bluff overlooking a forested valley. In order to reach the manor, attackers would have to make their way up the slope, in full view of the house. Although not a castle by any means, Hart House was built by a man who had survived the harships of foreign campaigning, and it takes care of its inhabitants.

Dragon's Eye, a stout tower, rounds out House Bartheld's fortifications.

Key house members
Brom Bartheld, the disgraced former Lord of House Bartheld. A man of great size and even taller stories.
Fendrel Bartheld, Davain uncle and was a competing claimant to rulership of House Bartheld.PC
Lord Davain Bartheld, Brom's heir, claimed the throne of House Bartheld.PC
Lady Ayleth Bartheld, betrothed to Davain Bartheld, a beauty with a sharp wit.PC
Ser Corbin Celtigar, a sworn sword and guest of house Bartheld, cooling his heels while controversy dies off elsewhere.PC
Maester Forthwind, House Bartheld's maester, who overcame physical handicaps to achieve his current status,
Edmund Bartheld, Davain's cousin, a mediocrity in every field but unfailingly loyal to his cousin.
Ser Rowan Clay, House Bartheld's master at arms, a strong swordsman with a rustic accent that masks a mind for strategy.
Lady Ysme Bartheld, Davain Bartheld's younger sister, a notorious tearaway.
Nathaniel Mason: A prostitute who supported Davain. He has later been an invaluable assistant in the hard times facing his house.PC

Heraldry: A portcullis over a red and blue chape field
Motto: Never Falter

House Coldbrook
Located near the Green Fork at the northern end of the Trident, House Coldbrook rules from the supposedly cursed fortress of Castle Grenward. A young house founded during a brief resurgence by the Faith Militant and loyal to House Stark, House Coldbrook struggles to find its fortune with little more than a strong arm to its name.

History

House Coldbrook is a young house, not even twenty years old. Born out of an echo of the Faith Militant uprising of the previous century, it has claimed the last lands of a dying house to rise to nobility. Now its future lies in uncertain territory as two brothers contest to inherit their father’s title, although neither has a fully legitimate claim. Until the resurgence of the Faith Militant, Ser Tomas Coldbrook had been a lowly hedge knight of little remark aside from his skill with mace and shield. Tomas’s father, Ser Garret, had likewise been a hedge knight who was ever reminding Tomas of their poverty and common station. From a young age, Tomas was determined to earn his family the full honor and wealth of a noble title. When his father was slain chasing bandits while in service to the Tallharts of Torrhen’s Square, Tomas took up his father’s arms and armor to find his long desired noble title. His chance came during the Faith's uprising, during which Tomas Coldbrook fought alongside the Stark forces aiding the Targaryen cause.

During the battle Tomas inadvertently saved the life of Lord Stark by taking a spear meant for the Lord of Winterfell. He was rewarded for his luck with a choice assignment in the wake of the battle;
among the rebel dead was Lord Ollier Darry, an religious zealout with a relatively poor holding that represented the closest fortified position to the battlefield. Along with a number of Stark bannermen, Tomas Coldbrook was dispatched to take the castle so it could be used to house the wounded from the battle. The castle was easily taken due to the fact that Lord Darry had taken all but a token force with him to battle. Soon after, Lord Stark marched south to continue his campaign, leaving most of the wounded at Castle Grenward to catch up in the weeks to come. Eventually Tomas Coldbrook was left in charge with a handful of soldiers to hold Castle Grenward and to care for the remaining wounded. Tomas Coldbrook sat out the rest of the war in Castle Grenward, and the smallfolk of the region say he did a much better job seeing to their security and wellbeing than the deceased Lord Darry. With Darry dead without an heir, his house vastly weakened by its association with the Faith Militant, and Tomas Coldbrook doing a sufficient job controlling the territory, Tomas was elevated to a lord following the conclusion of the war. Finally he had obtained his goal: owning land as Lord Coldbrook, lord of Castle Grenward and a bannerman sworn to House Stark.

Unfortunately this windfall did not come without tragedy. Sonya, the smallfolk woman Lord Coldbrook had been involved with for many years, died of fever soon after he was awarded his title. Sonya had already borne Lord Coldbrook a son, Garret Snow, but Garret had been born out of wedlock— Tomas, often traveling in service to various lords, had not even known of the child until the boy turned three. Some smallfolk suspect there was foul play in Sonya’s death. Lord Coldbrook faced widespread pressure to marry according to his new station;
that pressure eventually led to his marriage to Alianna Frey, one of the many minor nobles of House Frey and herself a widower with a son. Lord Frey considered her to have little political use due to persistent rumors that the woman carried a curse, so marrying her to a fledgling lord seemed little sacrifice and would place the new Lord Coldbrook in debt to House Frey.

While the Lord and Lady Coldbrook are cordial in their relationship, no one would mistake it for anything more than friendship. Lady Coldbrook’s son Daveth never saw the same love and attention from his step-father that his step-brother Garret did. While there was no passion in Lord Coldbrook's marriage, fate gave him a male heir almost a year after his wedding night, a strong, bright boy with the best qualities of both his mother and father. However, even this blessing seemed to be overcome by the curse of castle Grenwald, with House Coldbrook's prodigiously talented heir falling dead in his first tournament. Lord Coldbrook turned his attention once more to his remaining child by blood, Garret Snow.

Between having a bastard as the favored heir and rumors of curses House Coldbrook has created no end of gossip among the locals. Combined with Lord Coldbrook’s low birth, these blemishes have made them social pariahs in the Trident.

While Lord Coldbrook is an outcast in matters of intrigue, his personal skill in battle and as a leader of men does him much credit. He earned glory for his young house during raids by the Ironborn and Prince Daemon Targaryen's campaigns in the Stepstones, leading his personal guard, the Company of the Morningstar, on battles to retake one of House Mallister's Villages and was among the first ashore on the Stepstones. During his time away the neighboring lords learned that Lady Coldbrook was no wilting flower;
she and the remaining soldiers in her service fought off a bandit gang that was foolish enough to attack her and her escort while she was out riding. By the time Lord Coldbrook returned from making war, House Coldbrook had cemented its reputation as a militant house that values martial prowess and cunning, even if it is a little deficient in the courtly arts. More recently strife has entered the halls of Castle Grenward as Daveth Coldbrook has reached eighteen years of age and the question of which son will inherit has become an immediate concern. Tomas favors Garret, while Alianna favors Daveth, and Garret is technically a bastard even if he is a recognized one. This is further complicated by the fact Garret has little aptitude for succeeding his father, having little skill in managing lands or dispensing justice, while Daveth is far more skilled in such matters. The whole issue would be settled by a child of Lord and Lady Coldbrook, but so far their limited attempts at producing an heir have proved fruitless. Lord Coldbrook has no male siblings to serve as his heir, so it seems he is stuck with a reckless bastard and a weakling scholar. While House Coldbrook is not bound in familial love, it is bound in loyalty and friendship, And it turned out to be stronger than the lords pride, as now Daveth is officially the heir.

Holdings
Castle Grenward is situated within a few leagues of the Neck that serpartes the North and South of the kingdon. The castle is an ancient structure, pre-dating the Targaryens and thought to have been built to protect nearby farms. The castle is of Andal construction and legends say it is at least five hundred years old, though there is no record of who controlled it before the Targaryen Conquest and the rise of the Tullys in the Riverlands. In those ancient days, Lord Edmyn Tully awarded control of Castle Grenward to House Ferros, a small banner house in their service. House Ferros became the first to suffer from what smallfolk in the area call the Grenward Curse. During the revolt of the Faith Militant, a group of zealots managed to sneak into Castle Grenward and killed every member of House Ferros, ending the line forever. House Tully quickly reclaimed the castle and awarded it to another bannerhouse, House Wellyn, but within a few generations, House Wellyn was stricken by a plague that wiped out the entire family.

Again House Tully awarded Castle Grenward to another loyal house, only to see it wiped out as the Riverlords took sides in another conflict between the Blackwoods and brackens. This trend has continued on up to the current day with a branch of House Darry only taking possession of Castle Grenward in the wake of this conflict. Now House Darry seems all but doomed and the whispers among the smallfolk say it was Castle Grenward that brought them low. Several have already begun to wager about how long House Coldbrook will last before the Grenward Curse ends its line as well. The castle itself is not large, but it is solidly built. The outer wall is large and thick, broken only by a single gate that opens on a road that links up to the Kingsroad a short distance away. The large walls create ample space within the castle to allow soldiers to drill regularly. Several stables and bunk houses have been built against the outer wall to provide extra housing for the troops under House Coldbrook’s banner. The keep itself is a small structure built around a single tower that sits at in the northwest corner of the yard, allowing anyone in its highest levels to see for miles in all directions. The keep is very simple, consisting of a single large feasthall and audience chamber, kitchen, and rooms in the tower for the Lord and Lady Coldbrook and their children. The castle has no maester or septa, though Lord Coldbrook hopes to attract a maester when his fortunes improve.

The castle is fed by a series of wells and Lord Coldbrook always makes sure to have several months of provisions in reserve just in case of siege, as unlikely as that may be. Many of the smallfolk in the region still consider Grenward Castle to be cursed and will not spend the night in the castle, something that does not make Lord Coldbrook’s work any easier. The castle is said to be haunted by the many who have fallen victim to its curse, something even Lord Coldbrook is reluctant to deny. Everyone who spends more than a fortnight comes away with some manner of strange story to tell, most of which involve ghostly apparitions in the corridors, weeping coming from empty corners, and eerie lights walking the tower and the battlements. While none of the soldiers admit to being afraid of these disturbances, few keep watch alone if they can help it. Castle Grenward’s large outer wall allows a great deal of room for expansion, something that Lord Coldbrook has been looking at for several years now. He hopes one day to rival Casterly Rock or Winterfell.

Key House members
Lord Tomas Coldbrook, a veteran knight &
iron-willed commander, founder of House Coldbrook.
Lady Alianna Coldbrook, Lord Coldbrooks equally strong willed wife, a political match with a child from a previous marriage.
Garret Snow, Lord Coldbrook's bastard son, born to a commoner before his marriage. His martial talent has elevated him in his father's eye, but rumoured to have all the base appetites Westerosi tradition ascribes to bastards.PC
Daveth Coldbrook, Tomas's heir, in spite of being Lady Alianna Coldbrook's child from her previous marriage. A keen scholar but with little talent for warfare. Lady Alysanne Blackwoods bethrothed. PC
Lady Alysanne Blackwood, "
Black Aly"
, betrothed to Daveth Coldbrook, and sister to House Blackwood regent, Ser Myles.
Farris Leed, House Coldbrook's loyal and quick witted steward.
Kieran Orell, House Coldbrook's dependable but aged Captain of the Guard has accompanied Lord Coldbrook on all his military campaigns.
Michal Growne, House Coldbrook's master smith
Hamish Orell, it is said that Coldbrook's Master of the Hunt knows the marshlands better than than the crannogmen.
Ser Jorah Holt: A Dornish knight later elevated to the status of kingsguard. Both a capable commander and amongst the best warriors in all of Westeros.PC
Ser Loreia Durant, Daveth's sworn shield. Warrior woman raised on Bear Island, and the first female knight. Often accompanied by her faithful hound, Badger.PC
Lord Baelon Drakeson: Bastard of Daemon Targaryen and Bannerman to house Coldbrook, capable in both combat and intrigue.PC
Lady Gwyneth Marsten (now drakeson), Mikael's only daughter is a beautiful young lady, vivacious where her cousin Corrine is delicate and pretty. A stubborn young woman with more experience of court than most her age, she has been sent to House Tullison in an attempt to woo Lord Dunstan Tullison. She called of the bethrotal, and has later married Baelon Drakeson.PC

House Coldbrook Timeline
104 - Garret Snow born
105 - House Coldbrook formed
106 - Daveth Coldbrook (then Daveth Oberyn) is born
111 (early) - Alianna Coldbrook marries Tomas Coldbrook
111 (late) - Joren Coldbrook, son of Lord Tomas Coldbrook &
Lady Alianna Coldbrook is born
123 - Joren Coldbrook, riding as a squire in his first joust, is slain in a tourney mishap


Heraldry: Per chevron sable and vert, a lightning bolt argent
Motto: “Let the Heavens Reign”

House Marsten

Amid the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon, House Marsten guards the western border of the Vale of Arryn. A proud house, still with the blood of the Andals within its veins, though recent years have seen it falter under cruel circumstance. Alliances and intrigue are all that remains of Marsten’s once-vaunted strength. Can such weapons still prevail, however, against the threats of time and steel?

History

The blood of the Andals runs deep in the Vale of Arryn. The Seven live here as nowhere else in Westeros, kept ever in the minds and hearts of the Vale’s inhabitants. The Andals, the wild race that wrested the lands from the First Men, have their roots here in the Vale and in House Marsten. Of the Houses still in existence, only House Arryn has a more venerable Andal lineage, tracing back to the Kings of Mountain and Vale. As befits a family with such a long history, the events that brought House Marsten to its historical stature are well known throughout the Vale. The House was founded by Petyr Marsten, a bannerman to Erreg the Kinslayer, during one of the defining battles of the Andal invasion. Near the current site of the Bloody Gates, Erreg and his men met the forces of the First Men, but they had underestimated the strength that desperation would give to those who fought to save their lands. Erreg was cut off from his larger party and surrounded, and it seemed that he might meet his end. Petyr saw through the chaos of the battlefield, however, and fought his way to the side of his lord, turning the tide of the battle and saving Erreg’s life. In return for his great service, Erreg gave Marsten his choice of lands in what would be known as the Vale of Arryn, stating that he “should always have such a one to guard his back.” Erreg’s statement has become the watchword for this family, and through the centuries they have remained one of the most trusted bannerhouses for House Arryn.

As with every significant family lineage, there are both bright and dark spots. One of the infamous legends of House Marsten is that of Carnwyn the Mad, the wife of Petyr’s great-grandson, Lord Willem Marsten. Carnwyn was a niece of King Stefen and a member of the Arryn family. She gave Lord Willem seven strong sons and ruled by her lord’s side with legendary grace and beauty. It was said theirs was a true love match, the like which never comes to pass. Tragedy befell the house, however, when he went riding with his men along the border of his lands, investigating an incursion by the Clans (who lived and raided even then). His horse trod upon a snake lying in the road and reared up, throwing Lord Willem to the ground and dashing his head against the rocks. When Lord Willem’s body was brought back to the keep, it’s said that the Mother turned her face away and the Stranger entered the hall. Carnwyn saw the body of her husband and ran weeping to him, screaming inconsolably. She could not be parted from his body and stayed with him until night fell, speaking to no one, until the entire household had fallen asleep. She rose, washed her face and hands, took a dagger, and slew first her sons and then herself, falling on the blade when she had finished. The only one to escape was Diermad, the youngest, who had hidden in the stables upon hearing of his father’s death and was thus spared. It was through Diermad that House Marsten survived, carrying forward. He married an Arryn lady named Jeyne, and the two rebuilt the House from its great tragedy. Despite his sorrowful young life, he was known as Diermad the Joyful, as he and Lady Jeyne had ten children live to adulthood and most of them wed and had children as well. He had a long life during peaceful times, and did a great deal to restore stability to House Marsten.

Throughout the time of the Andals, House Marsten remained strong, adding figures of legend to its halls. Kieran the Just famously made peace with the local barbarian clans, while Stefan the Pious saw visions of the Seven and renounced his inheritance to join the Faith. It was in his honor that a sept was built in Hartsbridge, and he served as septon there for decades. Eventually, however, Andal rule came to an end. Had House Marsten been pledged to another family, it might have meant their end. Following Aegon’s Landing, House Marsten stood with its king until the Arryns were forced to bend the knee. Even then they bowed only when their lord bade them do so. After accepting Targaryen rule, however, they stood always in House Arryn’s shadow, serving loyally for many decades. During the Faith Militant's uprising in the first century of Targaryen rule, the house distinguished itself again by working to wipe out an Arryn branch in the Vale that supported the Fiath Militant, a move which gained House Marsten the current seat of Hartshorn, once an Arryn castle, along with that family’s former lands. Most recently, House Marsten rode with House Arryn against the mountain clans. Unfortunately, the most recent lord of House Marsten, Lord Corben, lost his two oldest sons and heirs in battle.

This seemed the beginning of a decline for the house, as ill-fortune has dogged its heels ever since, culminating in Lord Corben’s sudden death three years later from a plague that also claimed his remaining son, young Willem, who was only five years old. He left behind his widow, Lady Isobel, and his young daughter Corrine. Lord Corben’s brother, Mikael, vanished to seek adventure Essos before this bout of ill fortune. leaving his only daughter, Gwyneth, in the care of his brother. He is presumed dead, but there are rumors that he was the victim of intrigue at court and left Westeros to escape the words and daggers of his enemies. Since Lord Corben’s death, Lady Isobel Marsten has ruled the house with a firm but light hand. Although many suitors have approached her since her husband’s death, she has refused them all. As Lady Corrine is now becoming of age, however, interest in House Marsten has revived, and the western foothills are under continual siege by lords and knights young and old who see the Marsten lands, name, and bride as a potential windfall waiting for the right man to take hold of it. Lady Isobel had no intention of letting her husband’s name be wiped out, however. She ceded control of the house to Corrine Marsten, who has proved to be as capable as she is intelligent.

Join House Marsten if...
You're interested in helping one of Westero's noble houses regain its stature.

Important House members
Lady Isobel Marsten, Lord Marsten's Widow is a stern woman, she was devoted to finding a suitable match for her daughter and found Ben.
Lady Corrine Marsten, the leader to House Marsten is a dark haired young woman and a credit to her house.PC
Lord Ben Marsten: A lord of some reknown and the husband of Corrine Marsten.
Gareth Stone, a foundling left on the steps of the local sept, Gareth's keen mind has won him a place as steward at castle Hartshorn. He has the black hair of a Marsten, and local gossip has him as the bastard of Mikael Corben, who disappeared to seek adventure in the East.PC
Ser Markus Elridge, House Marsten's master at arms is the third son of a knightly family who has had to earn his own place in the world through his skills. Now in to his middle years he is not as quick as he once was, but is still a doughty warrior.
Ser Mikael Marsten, Lord Corben's younger brother, believed dead after failing to return to an expedition to Essos.
Ser Ulbert Hite, Was the house Tullison's captain of the guard is a martinet and a bully. He was bigger and meaner anyone else at Joston's Rock. He was even been known to defeat Ren Alyard in arm-wrestling matches. Perhaps surprisingly, the only person he seemed to have any time for is Maester Haelis, as the men bonded over a shared appreciation for the strategy involved in a good game of cyvasse. He is now a landed knight under Lady Corrine Marsten.
Lady Dyana Marsten: Dyana lacks the charm of her sibling, but more than makes up for it with her ability to fight. She has proven herself in the melee to be as good there as her sibling is in the courtroom.PC
Luke Seldon, Mayor of Hartsbridge with a charming avuncular manner.
Septon Aeryn, a commoner raised in the Sept, Aeryn has grown in to a dashingly handsome man. With the Marsten's favouring the castle Sept since Lord Corben's death, Aeryn has less influence than he once had.
Septa Heloise, an industrious woman charged with overseeing the castle Sept as well as Lady Corrine Marsten. Heloise's insatiable curiosity has driven her to be as knowledge on many matters as a maester.
Maester Leopold, formerly the Maester to House Marsten, Leopold was sent away by Lady Isobel after Lord Corben's death. He now makes a living teaching local nobles and maintains various contacts in Hartsbridge. Leopold continues to correspond with Gareth Stone, who has been unable to convince Lady Isobel to reappoint the Maester.
Lord Aaron Lyras, a bannerman to House Marsten with a plump wife and an impressive brood of seven children.
Lord Kellan Kriegar, lord of the beleagured House Kriegar. A widower with only one heir, an adolescent girl.
Gorton Hare, the town blacksmith, popular with everyone except Luke Seldon, as Gorton represents the town's merchants in disputes.
Lyndan Flowers, a well travelled trader and information broker who has travelled as far abroad as Essos. He has attempted to secure a meeting with Lady Isobel, but has so far been frustrated in his attempts.
Rhaemon Ansel, Hartsbridge's oldest resident, and supposedly descended from an obscure Targaryen, although his hair is too silvered with age to offer any clues. Rhaemon keeps a dovecote with several ravens among it, but does not wear a Maester's collar.
Ser Kevan Lyras: A household knight and a bannerman of house Marsten. Keeper of the Gates of House Marsten and married to Lady Sofia Blackwood. PC

Holdings

House Marsten is fortunate in its lands, as the steep hills and rocky terrain that cover the bulk of the House’s holdings make them easily defensible. A medium-sized, navigable river has its headwaters in Marsten lands, making for easy transportation to the east through the lands of House Corbray. The town of Hartsbridge is home to the only bridge crossing the river and serves as the gateway to Marsten lands. The house seat, Hartshorn, is an old but well-built castle.

[Theomore Tullison]

There's a distinct lack of Theomore. Also, Ulbert Hite is now a landed knight in service to Mountain's Reach, while the role of Wilain Marks was supplanted by Baelon (and I believe Baelon later recycled the name for some NPC of no great importance). Kashal and Horag were also both slain in the first off-season. Might also add Dunstan's wife (Aofie formerly of house Royce), and Casserdre (married into house Royce), which is sister to Theomore and Sterl...never got around to start writing the off-season scene with Theo and sister dearest though.

[Yoren longshore]

There's a distinct lack of Theomore. Also, Ulbert Hite is now a landed knight in service to Mountain's Reach, while the role of Wilain Marks was supplanted by Baelon (and I believe Baelon later recycled the name for some NPC of no great importance). Kashal and Horag were also both slain in the first off-season. Might also add Dunstan's wife (Aofie formerly of house Royce), and Casserdre (married into house Royce), which is sister to Theomore and Sterl...never got around to start writing the off-season scene with Theo and sister dearest though.

How could I have forgotten you! The script has been edited now:)

[Baelon Drakeson]

I think House Kytley has an image problem. They just aren't exciting - a lord who is much more scholar than warrior, their lands are primarily swamps, the pre-gen characters are all settled adults or children, the house has just barely begun recovering from terrible mismanagement. It just doesn't seem like the place for a bold knight, charming ingenue, or devious schemer... but I think that is a faulty impression.

As for being alone in a house... well, until Kyl joined BitW, I was the only Kytley. Yeah, it's nice being with others, but if you are willing to form alliances and work with other houses it's not so bad. I had good working relationships, primarily with the Tullisons and Marstens. I made it work.

The problem is when for one reason or another others don't trust you, or are more inclined to use you than help you. The former has to do with your own actions, the latter has to do with whom you choose to try to work with (which of course is limited by the former as well).

I've updated the house descriptions slightly.

Just took a very brief scan through, but here's a few things.

Ser Willain Marks, Lady Gwyneth Marsten's personal bodyguard is tall and dashing, seemingly having stepped in to the world of men from a fairytale. Ser Willain is rumoured to have enjoyed more than just House Tullison's hospitality during his time at Joston's rock, but his paramour varies depending on who tells the tale. Claims to have been knighted by recently departed Ser Humphrey Mooton of the Kingsguard and has the skill with a lance to support his words.

Might want to eliminate this guy - it's already caused confusion once (because I thought it was funny to use his name for something else, mea culpa), but in our history it was Baelon that served as Gwyn's bodyguard. The rest of it happened more or less the same, just a different knight (Ser Willain doesn't exist at all in our version of Westeros).
EDIT: Beaten to it by Theo.

Also, I note inconsistency in using character's titles. A lot of missing 'Lady's, 'Lord's, and 'Ser's.

Also also, Gwyn did not fail to woo Dunstan, she changed her mind - in fact, they were on the verge of being betrothed. It had to be called off at the breakfast that it was supposed to be announced at.

[Kevan Lyras]

Kevan Lyras: A landed knight and a bannerman of house Marsten.

I am not a landed knight, technically just a household knight. But you could add that I am Keeper of the Gates of House Marsten and married to Lady Sofia Blackwood

[Yoren longshore]

I am unsure on who are technically ladies and lords, but I will look through it. My bad Kevan, you will be edited:)

[Theomore Tullison]

Every noble woman is a lady, but there is only one Lady Marsten for example.

Aside from the Kytley pregens being dull, yeah, plenty of room for custom made characters to shine, but since there's understaffed houses as is, I'd advocate shutting it down for the benefit of focusing on what's already here.

[Ser Alfred Haigh]

Ort turn it into an NPC house with which to demonstrate the changing tides of fortune, whether for good or for ill...

[Baelon Drakeson]

I don't see the harm in leaving it. If someone wants to be in House Kytley, they should be able to.
For instance, a player may wish to join a house that does not have a lot of baggage from previous stories to deal with, or where they can take on a leadership role without feeling like they are stepping on the toes of preexisting and storied characters.

I do not think it is a good idea to force players into a subset of houses - that is more apt to drive them away. Incentivize them, maybe - but not shut off options.

[Ereth Redwain]

I agree House Kytley should remain open if someone wishes to play in it even if it's rather lonely, but you have no burdens or baggage from previous stories. In regards to other Houses we should try to populate the ones with less players in them. Yet I don't want new players to feel forced into those Houses.

Yet we have "
sub Houses"
like Theomore's that had a player join it, instead of the main Tullison branch. Kind of like a different flavor inside the same House, but gives more option to join a small populated House and it's own issues as a Frey bannerman.

I foresee House Redwain and House Tullison working together a lot more as Frey bannermen.

[Baelon Drakeson]

Well... no.
As much as House Drakeson is it's own house, pragmatically we are part of House Coldbrook - not just because Baelon swore an oath of fealty to Lord Tomas, but in metagame concerns of player organization. The same thing binds the two House Tullisons together, and House Redwain to House Longshore. Otherwise House Drakeson would be rightfully included among the small houses in which there is a desire to place others... but that is not the case. It's not leadership of NCs that I'm talking about, it's leadership of PCs - or at least, not being subject to the orders of other PCs.

[Yoren longshore]

It would certainly turn into a bit of a mess if we suddenly had four extra houses running about :;
):
I don't think we should ban people from joining any house, but we should ask them a second time if they want to join Kytley, a lot of the fun I have derived from this game has been working together with Ereth and Athelstan before him. When I thought I would be in a house by myself I actually wanted to just jump houses, regardless of how attached I've become to Yoren.

[Lady Corrine Marsten]

Ser Ben Marsten should be Lord Benedict Marsten, and the paragraph at the end of the Marsten description is way out of date.

Also, why does House Longshore have 2 sigils and 2 mottos?

[Ereth Redwain]

One for the Riverlands and one for the Iron Islands :;
):

In all honesty I do not know, probably a change and one or the other didn't get updated?

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