[center][h1][b]THE   ANNALS   OF   HOUSE   CADE[/b][/h1]
[h3]A Song of Ice and Fire RP[/h3]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/xGvXjGy.jpg[/img]

"[i]Leoric Cade, lord of Castle Tarrow, shivered in the cold autumn chill of the night alongside his men. Though he wore leather, and chain atop of that, the cold seemed to seep into his bones. Perhaps it was the anticipation, not the weather, that chilled him so. The anticipation of battle. The anticipation of slaughter. 

The night was pitch black: they dare not light torches for fear of being spotted, and the moon was considerate enough to hide behind thick clouds, so they could see almost nothing from the edge of the forest. He could hear breathing, however; the breathing of thousands of men in tense anticipation. He could only pray to the Seven above that the westernmen would not hear it as well, deafening as it seemed to his own ears. Atop the hill, he could see the glow of the enemy camp, as the ruckus of their own host feasting carelessly. Minutes seemed to stretch to hours.

Then, he finally heard the sound he'd been straining his ears to catch: The screams of men, dogs, and horses. All at once, the camp seemed to become frenzied, like a disturbed hive. This was it, it had to be! It was the hour of the wolf. The Young Wolf. 

From duty runs rivers of gold, he reminded himself, echoing the words of his house to reassure himself. He could hear the shouts of his fellow lords ordering their men forward. "It is time," he shouted to those surrounding him. "Time to butcher these Lannister pigs. Onward, for Castle Tarrow, for Riverrun, and for Winterfell!" As the others took up the shout, he hurried forward into the darkness, among a line of men of shadows. They raced as fast as they dared in the darkness, towards the camp and battle... to claim Oxcross for the King in the North.[/i]"
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[h2]Premise[/h2]
Welcome to yet another A Song of Ice and Fire (Or Game of Thrones for you show types) RP. This one will be set during the later end of the War of Five Kings, well after the Battle of the Blackwater. Specifically, it will be set a few days after the capture of the Crag, the seat of House Westerling, by northern forces. Unlike many of these kinds of RPs, you (yes, you) will not be creating your own major houses. Instead, we will create characters belonging to, or pledged to, House Cade, a Riverlander house sworn to the Freys of the Twins. 

From how I see it, there are four categories of characters you can create:
1. A member of House Cade (ex: Brother to Lord Leoric, wife, son, cousin, and so on)
2. A petty lordling pledged to the Cades (You'd make your own house, but they'd be little more than landed knights, no big castles or anything)
3. A knight in the service of the Cades (Household knight or hedge knight, whichever you please)
4. A commoner (ex: a farmer, a guardsman, a cook, a messenger, and so on...)

Essentially, the House will start as a blank slate, which we'll fill up with our own characters as we make them. They'd all be involved in the goings on in Castle Tarrow. The big driving force of the story in the RP will be the War, of course. Being sworn to the Freys, we'll have to chose between loyalty to House Tully, or loyalty to the Twins.


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[hider=Map of the location][img]http://i.imgur.com/hZ4jqbd.png[/img][/hider]
[hider=House Cade]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ps01ddb.png[/img]
[i]From Duty runs Rivers of Gold[/i]

The Cades are, by Westerosi standards, a very young house. Having served the Twins for generations as household knights, they were granted the ruined holding of Castle Tarrow not long after the Targaryen Conquest. Lord Ondrew, the first Cade Lord of Castle Tarrow, took the bee as his personal sigil after finding hives thriving within the ruined walls of the ancient keep, and the banner has since overtaken the old sword-and-shield crest that the house had previously sported.

Through patience, leal service to the Freys, and enough good luck, the Cades have succeeded in restoring much of Castle Tarrow to a respectable state. Though some towers remain in poor condition, and an expanse of underground ruins remain wild and uncharted, the Cades now hold a strong fortress, and are foremost among the bannermen of House Frey. 

The house words, From Duty runs Rivers of Gold, stresses the importance of diligence and obedience to one's lord. Taking the example of the hives that are kept in the castle courtyard, many Cades stress the symbiotic relationship between bees and beekeeper, between lord and vassal. Service rendered well and true brings success to the family.

[b]A note on Castle Tarrow[/b]
[hider=Map of Castle Tarrow][img]http://i.imgur.com/2NQLIk8.png[/img][/hider]
[u]The Palisade:[/u] Outside of Castle Tarrow proper, there is a rough wooden pallisade which surrounds the hilltop. Low, without a gate, and in poor condition, it nevertheless serves to funnel incomers into an easily visible path. 

[u]The Outer Walls:[/u] A relatively new construction, the outer walls were built by Leoric's great grandfather. Though smaller than the inner walls, they are thicker, and it is on the outer wall that any theoretical defense would take place. The gate has two components, an iron grate and barred, wooden doors. 

[u]The Inner Walls:[/u] Built some thirty feet high, these walls are the highest and most impressive part of the fortress. They surround the Keep, and from the top one can see miles around in every direction. The inner gate is made of thick studded oak, and kept in good condition at all times.

[u]The Keep:[/u] The heart of the castle, it is older than the rest of the fortress, having been build some two hundred years ago by the first Cades. A small, stout building, it is nevertheless solidly built, a squat mass of stone overshadowed by the surrounding walls. Contained within is a relatively modestly sized hall, which can feast guests and hold audiences of no more than 50; some kitchens; and sleeping quarters. There is a single flat-topped tower protruding from its roof, in which resides maester Illric. Even from there, the outlying region is not visible behind the high inner walls. Finally, the keep has an entrance to the cave network beneath the castle, which has never been fully explored.  

Pictured above, Castle Tarrow, despite mostly being of new construction, sits on a site that has been fortified since man first walked the Riverlands. The First Men ruled petty kingdoms from hillforts there, and the Andals likewise after their coming. Many castles were raised and fell over thousands of years, and their remains can still be found in the sunken caves beneath Castle Tarrow, more cave than stone after the passage of so much time. 

There are around thirty permanent servants in Castle Cade, counting the cooks, the stablehands and the blacksmith, and the various other jobs required. Outside of planting and harvesting seasons, there are frequently influxes of more servants as outlying farmers find employment in the Castle during slow times, but since the war started all these idle hands have left to fight in the war instead. A dozen or so beehives are kept in the yard, a testament to the traditions of House Cade, as well as a sourcee of revenue.

The original Castle Tarrow was raised and held held by a minor Andal house which nonetheless held great sway over the region between the Twins and Seaguard. They resisted the Stormlords tooth and nail, rebelling at every possible chance. Harwyn Hoare, having snatched the Riverlands after trouncing the Stormlanders at Fairmarket, found them equally vexing. His humor being black, and his army strong, he tore Castle Tarrow to pieces, torching its buildings and wiping out its house. 

The borderlands between the Mallister and Frey holdings remained lordless and disputed for two generations. When Aegon the Conqueror took his throne, however, he adjudicated the matter among his tour to reforge the Riverlands, dividing the land between the two competing houses. The Freys granted their portion- and the shredded remains of Castle Tarrow- to House Cade, who have since rebuilt the fortress into a formidable redoubt.
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[hider=List of approved players]
[list]
[*] Kassarock 
[*] Kalleth  
[*] Emma  
[*] alexfangtalon 
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[hider=Character Sheet]
The following sheet contains everything you are REQUIRED to have. Of course, you're free to reformat it and add in additional things if you so desire. Please post your app in the OOC or PM me for my approval before putting it in the character tab.

[b]Name:[/b] 
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Station:[/b] What is the social standing of your character? Can vary between a commoner and a member of House Cade itself.
[b]Family:[/b] Who shares your blood? Alternatively, put close relationships here. This section should be added onto as other players create characters and the web of relationships grows.
[b]Description:[/b] A physical and psychological description of your character. Pictures are welcome, but you are still required to write verbal descriptions.
[b]Biography:[/b] Describe the life of your character up until the point of the start of the RP.
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