[center][img]http://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/thumb/f/f3/House_Velaryon.PNG/250px-House_Velaryon.PNG[/img][/center]
[b]House Name[/b]: Velaryon
[b]House Words[/b]: The Old, the True, the Brave

[hider=House Description/General Information:]
House Velaryon is an ancient and proud house, with the blood of old Valyria in its veins. They have been closely allied with House Targaryen since before the Doom and moved with them to Westeros, settling on the island of Driftmark, just west of Dragonstone. The house retained its strong allegiance to the Targaryens, many marrying into the royal family, such as the current king's mother.

The Dance of the Dragons was both glorious and calamitous for the house. The Queen's Hand Lord Corlys Velaryon and the three dragonrider heirs Jacaerys, Lucerys and Joffrey all died as a consequence of the civil war, the heirs in battle and Corlys in imprisonment under the Red Keep, and thus the house lost its pure-blooded lineage. 

Driftmark suffered heavily in the Battle in the Gullet, one of the bloodiest sea battles in history. The settlement of Spicetown was brutally sacked, the bodies of men, women and children butchered in the streets and left as carrion. It was put to the torch as was High Tide, the seat of the Velaryons, the treasures Lord Corlys had brought back from the east consumed by fire. Thousands died, Spicetown was obliterated, High Tide ravaged and almost a third of the Velaryon fleet lost. And the lives of two Targaryen princes, sent out for sanctuary in Pentos, were on the hands of the Velaryons, their escort intercepted by the Three Daughters fleet and never heard of again.

The fate of House Velaryon lay in the eight year old daughter of Lord Corlys, Merlya, and two bastards whom had been legitimised in the war, Ser Addam and Alyn formerly of Hull. Addam had even tamed his own dragon Seasmoke, which he rode into battle over Tumbleton to battle two other dragons to the death. There were no survivors, but in turn Addam protected King's Landing from the queen's foes, regaining the decimated reputation of House Velaryon. 

The house was left with two members, Alyn and Merlya. After the war when Aegon III ascended to the throne, Merlya was taken for his wife and queen, leaving Alyn to the lordship of the house which he retains to this day. He was burdened with the enormous task of reconstructing Driftmark and the Velaryon fleet, earning him great and lasting respect and loyalty from his subjects. Seven years later, Alyn had a son, named for his uncle Jacaerys, and two years later a daughter named Lunaerys, securing the future line of Velaryons.

Sadly, Queen Merlya passed away from a fever six years ago after she gave birth to her fifth child Elaena. Lord Alyn and his children are all that are left of the Velaryon line, save the Targaryen royalty.

The head of House Velaryon uses the titles Lord of the Tides and Master of Driftmark. Members of the house often have the Valyrian features of silver hair and purple eyes. The house rules over the island of Driftmark and its two main settlements, Hull and High Tide. The Velaryons boast the largest fleet Westeros has to offer, bar the Iron Islands, with a total of 61 warships, the flagship being the [i]Sea Dragon[/i], a menacing triple-decked war galley with the prow of a great draconic seahorse, a broad mainsail depicting the house’s sigil and two onboard catapults at opposite ends.[/hider]

[hider= Lord Alyn Velaryon]
[b]Titles[/b]: Lord of the Tides; Master of Driftmark; Admiral
[b]Aliases[/b]: The Oakenfist; Lord Oakenfist; Alyn of Hull [obsolete]
[b]Age[/b]: 42
[b]Appearance[/b]: 
[img]http://www.whendoesitair.com/images/actors/thumbs/290307.jpg[/img]
Alyn stands at 6ft 1in and has piercing light lilac eyes. Another notable physical feature of his are severe burns around his legs and all down his back.
[b]Personality[/b]: Alyn is a strong proud individual. Courageous and charismatic, Alyn is a natural leader, respected by his subjects. Possessed of a natural martial ability and strategic mind, Alyn is perfectly suited for a role in the navy. In spite of these favourable traits, Alyn lacks social tact and tends to speak his mind, especially to those who displease him. He is quick to anger and slow to calm. Alyn has a strong sense of duty and cares deeply for the state and future of the realm, his land and his house.
[b]Biography[/b]: Alyn was born Alyn Waters to a hedge knight's wife in the town of Hull, Driftmark. His mother was bedded on her wedding night by the promiscuous Ser Laenor Velaryon, despite his marriage to Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, in a tradition known as the 'first night'. Alyn was never accepted by his hedge knight father whom resented his existence, pained by the adultery done against him.

Alyn grew up more on the streets, getting up to mischief with the local children, among which was Addam Waters, his half-brother also born of the 'first night' tradition. The two grew extremely close and became almost co-dependent growing up, sparring with each other and stealing food from the markets.

At the age of 14, there was a call to the citizens of Driftmark by Prince Jacaerys Velaryon--also Alyn's half-brother--for more dragonriders for the blacks. Alyn and Addam were instantly enamoured with this quest and devoted all their energy to finding and taming the two dragons Seasmoke and Sheepstealer that had been ravaging the island in recent months.

The first they found was Seasmoke, sleeping on the peak of Driftmark's highest point. Addam approached the dragon with an iron will, ignoring its warnings, and instantly bonded with it. Thereafter, it was easy to find Sheepstealer devouring sheep in a field. To Alyn's chagrin, Sheepstealer proved a far more stubborn beast than Seasmoke, issuing a stream of fire to seriously and permanently burn Alyn's back and legs. If it weren't for Addam and Seasmokes' intervention, Alyn would have been burned alive, something for which he was eternally grateful, knowing that many other seekers who aspired to ride that dragon ended being eaten by him instead.

Giving up on finding his own dragon, Alyn and Addam went to Lord Corlys and told them what they had done. He rewarded them richly, going as far as to petition Queen Rhaenyra to remove the taint of their bastardy, which was accepted.

Now true Velaryons, the brothers left their home of Hull for good and stepped forth onto the battlefield, the Dance of the Dragons raging in the Crownlands. The call for arms was immediate, as the Battle in the Gullet erupted just days after the brothers' legitimisation.

Whilst Addam and four other dragonriders including Jacaerys Velaryon took to the skies, Aryn was given charge of a section of the Velaryon fleet. Knowing nothing of naval warfare, Aryn was literally given a trial of fire, dragons igniting enemy ships all around him. The Lyseni fleet destroyed much of his small fleet and some managed to squeeze through his defences to sack Driftmark. Aryn saw firsthand the death of Prince Jacaerys and his dragon Vermax as they plummeted into the sea and Jacaerys overcome by Myrish arrows. It was hell and the images of burning ships and corpses still haunts Alyn's dreams to this day.

Miraculously, Alyn survived the battle, though the fleet and Driftmark were in tatters. With no time for recovery, the fleet was sent off to capture the lightly-guarded King's Landing and Addam sent off to the mainland. As the gates were opened, Alyn led a large army of Velaryon soldiers to assault the River Gate. Hightower knights held the gate for eight gruelling hours, arrows falling like rain upon their heads. Eventually, they broke the gate and the city, earning Alyn a great boost in reputation from the Velaryon men.

In coming weeks it seemed his efforts for the queen were in vain. The two mysterious traitor dragonriders from the Battle of Tumbleton raised suspicions amongst the dragonseed men. Alyn and Addam were accused by the black council. Lord Corlys, who had grown to become like a father to Alyn and Addam through the trials of war, stood vehemently against these claims as the two were brought before the queen, even saying they were the "true heirs" to House Velaryon and worthy of Driftmark, despite the last Velaryon prince Joffrey still being alive. However, his protests were ignored, and the queen commanded the arrest of Addam. Corlys, hearing of this, warned Addam, allowing him to escape. This was the last time Aryn was to see his beloved brother as he flew on Seasmoke towards the horizon. For this, Corlys was punished and sent for the rest of his days to the dungeons beneath the Red Keep, but not before telling Aryn he loved him like a son. Aryn never forgot that day and it still fills him with great sadness to think of Corlys' indecent demise.

With both Corlys and Addam gone, Alyn was left with the command of the entire Velaryon force. In a fit of rage, he told his commanders what had happened to their lord and Addam, and the Velaryons swiftly decided to withdraw their support of the blacks and back out of the civil war altogether. Alyn never lived to regret the decision, there would be no more bloodshed of his brethren for a wicked queen. His honour had been wounded but it was selfish to sacrifice lives to defend it.

Addam, it seemed, thought otherwise, and gathered an army from the Riverlands to reclaim Tumbleton. He was successful, but paid the ultimate price with his life, yet, like the true warrior he was, took two dragons with him. Alyn does not begrudge his brother's resolve, and respects him as a greater man than anyone else could ever be. He is proud his brother died with honour and his words that not all bastards need be turncloaks has been engraved in Alyn's heart.

The death of the last Velaryon prince Joffery towards the end of the war left Alyn in control of the Velaryon House and sole custody of Merlya Velaryon, the true heir. Her leadership of the house was surrendered shortly by the proposal of marriage to the new king Aegon III, building crucial bridges between the divided Targaryen and Velaryon houses. Her support over the years until her passing six years past was pivotal in the reconstruction of Driftmark and the Velaryon fleet, appealing to her husband the king to send funds and resources.

Seven years after the war, Lord Alyn was wed and had a son Jace, named for the boy’s uncle Prince Jacaerys, and two years later a daughter named Lunaerys. Alyn continues to rule over Drifmark and the Velaryon fleet, teaching his son as best he can the ways of warfare and lordship and his daughter how to be a lady and suitor. He hopes to wed his children into the Targaryen family, seeing the Conquest of Dorne as a way to prove himself, his son and his house to the crown.

Alyn captains the [i]Sea Dragon[/i], the greatest ship in the Velaryon fleet. He has recently been appointed an admiral by the king in preparation for the Conquest.[/hider]

[hider=Ser Jace Velaryon]
[b]Alias[/b]: The Seahorse
[b]Age[/b]: 19
[b]Appearance[/b]: 
[img]http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/9a/21/89/9a218959752fb79111681930ab6db8af.jpg[/img]
Jace stands at 5ft 11in and has piercing light lilac eyes.
[b]Personality[/b]: Jace is a driven and strong young man, much like his father in his talents and charismatic presence. He idolises the image of the chivalric knight and has grown in its light, developing into a brave and dependable individual. He hates to let people down, especially his father who he too idolises for his past adventures and strong leadership. Jace is proud of his heritage and wants nothing more than to impress upon the Targaryens his true Valyrian spirit.
[b]Biography[/b]: Jace was born the firstborn son of Lord Alyn Velaryon and heir to the house and Driftmark. He was raised with the indoctrination of his father to be the best warrior and suitor he could be to win the approval and support of the Targaryens. He received the best education the maesters and septons of Driftmark had to offer and intense martial training.

By his mid-teens, Jace had already made a name for himself in the tourneys of the realm, quickly becoming a favourite for his skill with the lance and sword and his attractiveness and chivalric charm. He idolised the image of the knight since a young age and grew up obsessively trying to become the best one he could. For his prowess in the tourneys, he was knighted by the late king Aegon.

Jace’s main duty however is to the Velaryon navy. Placed by his father as the commander of the second-largest fleet, Jace commands 27 ships from his giant war galley the [i]Drowned Horse[/i], second only in size to [i]Sea Dragon[/i] with a great seahorse prow and onboard ballista. Jace is yet to fight in a true battle but has gained valuable experience hunting down pirates and smugglers off Crackclaw Point and the Blackwater Bay, boosting his credibility amongst his underlings.

With his busy life, Jace has little time for women. Visits to brothels in the past have only brought him great shame and damages the image he has of himself as a true knight. Despite his feelings of self-loathing and disgust on the matter, Jace has experienced carnal feelings for his sister Lunaerys. He wishes to find a wife in one of the Targaryen princesses to escape from this lust and to do his father and house proud.[/hider]

[hider=Lunaerys Velaryon]
[b]Alias[/b]: Luna
[b]Age[/b]: 17
[b]Appearance[/b]: 
[img]http://i41.tinypic.com/dbin1t.png[/img]
Lunaerys stands at 5ft 4in and has piercing violet eyes. She is the model of pure Valyria.
[b]Personality[/b]: Lunaerys knows what she wants and gets it. Nothing gets in the way of what she sets her mind to. She has always dreamt of being royalty and living in King’s Landing and has modeled herself on being the perfect young lady and suitor. Lunaerys has a dangerous streak and is capable of striking like a viper from the shadows if anything gets in the way of her dreams.
[b]Biography[/b]: Lunaerys was born the second child of Lord Alyn Velaryon. Her childhood was spent being educated alongside her elder brother by the best maesters and septons Driftmark had to offer. She focused her energies on learning and adopting the skills and sensibilities of a high-born lady in the scope for becoming a princess in adulthood.

Lunaerys has come to Summerhall with her father and brother to be displayed before possible suitors and spread word of her suitability. She is determined to flaunt all her feminine charms in this endeavour, especially towards the King.[/hider]

[hider=Notable Subordinates] 
[b]Thomas of Spicetown[/b] – A gruff commander who proved himself alongside Alyn in the Dance of the Dragons. He grew embittered and withdrawn after the burning of his home, but it also strengthened his resolve as a warrior to protect Driftmark from further harm. He commands a squadron of 18 galleys from his double-decked war galley the [i]Ghost of Spicetown[/i].

[b]Jabari Teek[/b] – A flamboyant, middle-aged Summer Islander who wound up shipwrecked out in the Blackwater Bay and was rescued by a Velaryon cog. He was offered a new life in service to the house and its navy and has grown to be a dear friend of Lord Alyn and respected commander in the fleet. His ship [i]Green Parrot[/i], a swanship with a parrot's figurehead, leads a small squadron of faster warships in the fleet. Jabari is always seen wearing a grand bright yellow coat of tropical bird feathers.[/hider]