[hider=House Redwyne]
[CENTER][color=0000CD][b][h2]House Redwyne[/h2][/b][/color]
[img]https://awoiaf.westeros.org/images/thumb/0/0b/House_Redwyne.svg/545px-House_Redwyne.svg.png[/img]
[h3][i]"Water the Vine"[/i][/h3]
[/CENTER][h3]House Information[/h3][hr]
[b]Synopsis[/b]
[indent][color=gray]The Redwynes claim descent from the legendary Gilbert of the Vines, himself a son of Garth Greenhand, and once ruled their home of the Arbor as kings in their own right. Closely intertwined with the rest of the Reach by centuries of shared blood and marriage ties, the lords of the Arbor own some of the most fertile land in Westeros, home to prestigious vineyards whose wines are coveted around the world, and one of the largest fleets in the continent. Though the War of the Five Kings took its toll on the Arbor, as the island and its rulers lost much during the Ironborn invasion of the Reach, the decades since have been quite kind to them both. With Daenerys Targaryen keeping the peace, House Redwyne was able to not only recover, but to climb to ever greater heights. Today, the Redwynes remain one of Highgarden’s most powerful and influential bannermen, and are held in high regard by their peers for their skill in trade and might at sea.[/color][/indent]
[b]Head of House[/b]
[indent][color=gray]Lady Willemina Redwyne, Lady of the Arbor[/color][/indent]
[b]Seat[/b]
[indent][color=gray]The Arbor[/color][/indent]
[b]Demesne[/b]
[indent][color=gray]Known as one of the richest places in Westeros, the Arbor is a golden island teeming with life, dominated by vast fields and vineyards which yield a steady stream of sweet wines and fruits. Along with the homonymous seat of the Redwynes, a luxurious if modestly sized castle which sits in the heart of the island, the island boasts many smaller castles and settlements. Chief among these are Ryamsport, Vinetown and Starfish Harbor. Many smaller islands surround the Arbor as well, supplying further resources for House Redwyne’s constant shipbuilding. Without accounting for sellsails and sellswords, the Arbor currently provides its lords with two hundred warships and somewhere around five thousand fighting men.[/color][/indent]
[b]Recent History[/b]
[indent][color=gray]In the eyes of many, Paxter Redwyne died a hero’s death, defending the Reach from the Ironborn menace with fierce determination until his galleas, the [i]Arbor Queen[/i], sunk into the depths with its captain and crew, with dozens of other Redwyne warships. Euron Greyjoy’s onslaught had proven impossible to withstand, and in his wake he had left the shattered remains of a once great fleet. Though minstrels in the green lands sang proudly about the bravery of the Lord of the Arbor in the face of the iron king’s wanton destruction, the Ironborn mocked the dead lord and his broken, humiliated fleet.

The aftermath of the battle left House Redwyne in a most precarious situation. Paxter’s twin sons were still in King’s Landing, free from the suspicions of the High Sparrow but still very much in peril by the deadly intrigues which dominated the royal court. The Arbor itself had been partially occupied by the Ironborn invaders, with many of its precious vineyards razed and many among its inhabitants killed or enslaved. And when the Sept of Baelor burned, the green flames swallowing with it much of the Reach’s nobility, despair soon set in.

Had it not been for the arrival of Daenerys Targaryen, perhaps Horas and Hobber would not have lived to see their home again. Thanks to the dragon queen, the twins were witness to the end of the Crow’s Eye’s mad ambitions and Cersei Lannister’s tyranny. By the time the Long Night came to an end, Horas was already sitting on his father’s seat and commanding what was left of the Redwyne fleet to restore peace to the seas of Westeros, with Hobber as his principal advisor, envoy and commander.

Horas grew into a fine and competent man as the years passed, whose experiences in King’s Landing had made him cautious, prone to suspicion and more perceptive of intrigues. He built a decent reputation for himself as he faithfully served Willas Tyrell and led the recovery of House Redwyne’s strength and fortune with a prudent hand. Over the next decade, the vineyards thrived once more, Arbor wine sailed to every corner of the world and the Redwyne fleet replenished its numbers. Horas was a capable, if unremarkable knight, untested and lacking his father’s talent for sailing the seas.

Both Redwyne twins, having witnessed the comings and goings of courtly politics in the capital, understood the value of finding a bride from a powerful family. Thus they constantly sought matches which would raise their station in the realm, though their efforts did not bear fruit as ripe as they might have hoped. Queen Daenerys flatly refused a matrilineal union with Hobber, while Sansa Stark showed no interest in Horas’ affections. After a failed attempt to seduce Malora Hightower, Hobber married Jennelyn Fowler, an expensive match which the twins hoped would get their house special treatment in Dorne. Horas, on the other hand, opted to marry one of Anya Waynwood’s daughters, which granted his traders a stronger foothold in the Vale. Their respective marriages also gave the Redwyne twins four children who survived infancy, with a daughter on Horas’ side, and two sons and a daughter on Hobber’s.

It was Horas’ heir, Melara, who during her father’s lordship began to arrange for House Redwyne’s future rise to a position of much greater prominence in the realm. While her father bolstered the Arbor’s traditional strengths with scrupulous measures, Melara set her eyes on the world of banks and manufactures, as well as a further expansion of their wine trade. Having spent many months traveling the Free Cities, the heir to the Arbor had learned much about many such oft neglected arts and trades, more than most of her peers in Westeros, and she aspired to use her unusual understanding of them to further her family’s interests. Equal parts audacious and ingenious, she made a name for herself as a builder and dealmaker, thus earning the moniker of ‘the Founder’, by spending her family’s accumulated riches in the creation and support of several new ports, towns, vineyards and guilds, most of them outside of the Arbor. She lent silver and gold to well-chosen lords, binding their lands and wealth to her father while profiting from the interests paid in return. All the while, her new vineyards almost multiplied House Redwyne’s production within a few years and her guilds gave her a substantial amount of clout among lenders and artisans.

Horas’ health began to wane around the year 331 AC, probably due to a severe anaemia, forcing him to relinquish many of his responsibilities to Melara and Hobber, with the latter put in charge of the Redwyne fleet. He was then struck by a long, debilitating illness two years later, which left him bedridden for four months until his death, in 333 AC.

As Horas’ successor, Melara redoubled her efforts to expand the Arbor’s wealth and power, with growing success. Her personal friendships with the lords Hightower and Tyrell, along with her alliances, gave her house and the Arbor a privileged standing in the Reach’s politics. A system built on favours, debts and her good reputation allowed her to do business with a significant advantage in most of Westeros, which in turn meant that she could conceivably accrue reserves large enough to sustain a kingdom.

At the time of her ascent, however, Melara was a childless woman who had already passed the age of thirty and had suffered many miscarriages following her marriage to a younger man of House Lefford, the second son of the then lord of the Golden Tooth, a union she and her father had arranged for the advancement of House Redwyne’s business interests in the Westerlands. With her youth nearing its end and, by extension, her fertility, Melara was not expected to ever have an heir of her own. Instead, she designated her eldest cousin, Aladore, to be her heir.

Yet in early 340 AC, to the surprise of all, Melara did become pregnant once more. Against the advice of her maester, who warned her that hers would be a difficult pregnancy, she carried on with her duties as long as she could. The physical toll the ensuing months took on her led to a painful, traumatic birth which killed her.

Thus began Aladore Redwyne’s regency and eventual lordship over the Arbor while he lovingly raised his late cousin’s newborn son and lord, named Josua. A man known for his vivacity, generosity and quick wit, Aladore lacked Melara’s self-taught skill for unorthodox endeavours but possessed a seemingly natural talent for battle, persuasion and botany. Those three gifts he used to further Melara’s aspirations, albeit without the reckless but sometimes highly beneficial approach that had served his predecessor well.

The proud father of a son and a daughter, Aladore married the latter, his sweet Julina, to Loras Hightower, thus forging a useful bond between both their houses. As for his son, Eden, he had him trained as a warrior and a sailor, meant to one day lead the Redwyne fleet if needed, and sent him to Driftmark to serve as Monterys Velaryon’s squire.

Josua, for his part, proved to be a fiery boy from an early age. At times forceful and lighthearted, his fierce determination and vigor made him a promising student in most matters, though he did not have the subtlety required to deal in courtly politics. He fought well in the yard, rode on horseback with confidence, and sailed almost as well as Eden did. He also had inherited his late mother’s ability for mathematics and earnestly took his lessons in viticulture.

By 355 AC, Josua was a man grown, well on his way to earning his knighthood, and was deemed capable of ruling on his own. With Aladore serving still as his advisor, young Josua did not alter the course set by his predecessors, which was still yielding extraordinary results. With his inheritance, he was able to stand tall among the other lords of the Reach despite his age, and he wielded that influence with tenacity. Before long, he was leading a loose amalgamation of merchants and lords who depended on his house’s wine, fruit and coin, along with the guilds founded by his mother.

Josua’s rule was a promising but tragically short period. Changes were few and mostly advantageous for his house and, save for a failed crop in 357 AC, the Arbor flourished under his watch.

Unfortunately, what future he might have had as a lord was suddenly extinguished in 358 AC by his murder. He was found in a brothel in King’s Landing on the eve of Queen Daenerys’ nameday celebrations, lying dead alongside a boy whore, the two of them with deep stab wounds in their chests. The mystery behind his death was never solved, though speculation abounded. Since he had been unmarried and childless, the rule of the Arbor fell into the hands of Aladore once more.

Although the now Lord Aladore did retain his good character from years past, Josua’s death, which was followed three years later by Eden’s, left him shaken and heartbroken for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, he kept pushing for House Redwyne to become a great house in all but name, broadening his influence and reaffirming his strengths and commitments throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

Aladore’s lordship proper lasted a decade, until his own death in 369 AC, marking the culmination of a period of twenty-nine years which came to be known by the lords and maesters as the Golden Age of Redwyne.

The end of Aladore’s era was reminiscent of the end of his grandfather’s own, as the Lord of the Arbor perished alongside most of his crew doing battle against Aegon Velaryon’s fleet during the Stepstones rebellion. Although the Redwyne fleet was victorious, the loss of their old and revered lord of many years threatened to leave a power vacuum in the Arbor, as well as all those who were in his sphere of influence.

With Aladore dead, the Arbor was left in the hands of his eldest granddaughter, Willemina. A girl of one and seven, the new lady of the Arbor was said to be a true prodigy, curious and shrewd beyond her years. Eden’s only child, her grandfather had doted on her and made a habit of taking her with him in his visits to the mainland, proudly presenting her to the lords and ladies of the great houses as proof of House Redwyne’s bright future.

As a ruler, Willemina took it upon herself to complete her predecessors’ work, although her way of doing so relied more on scholarship and strategy than it did on the arts of persuasion and courtesy, like it had with her grandfather. She rapidly exceeded her peers’ expectations, positioning herself as a major force in Westerosi politics in her own right thanks to her stranglehold on various elements of trade in the continent. As a lady, her presence became notable among other lords and ladies, for better or worse, because of her strong personality. Some found her dry wit an appealing alternative to the traditional decorum of the Reach, while others thought her impertinent.

As of now, the Redwynes stand as one of the richest houses in the Reach, and all of Westeros. While Highgarden struggles to contain the spread of the Summer Rot, the Arbor provides the mainland with much needed untainted wheat and fresh produce, as well as lending money to those houses which cannot afford to purchase supplies on their own. In that regard, Willemina and her kin have an advantage to press. Yet it’s the increasingly tenuous situation in King’s Landing itself which appears to concern the Lady of the Arbor the most, as it presents its own opportunities as well as perils. House Redwyne is sworn to the Tyrells, but with Queen Daenerys in her withering days and pretenders already lurking in the shadows, only time will tell what role the Arbor is meant to play in the next chapter of the world’s history.[/color][/indent]
[b]Realm Relations[/b]
[indent][b]House Tyrell[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Hightower[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Baratheon[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Targaryen[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Stark[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Arryn[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Greyjoy[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Lannister[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Tully[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Martell[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Velaryon[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color]

[b]House Mudd[/b]
[color=gray]WIP[/color][/indent]
[b]Storyline Premise[/b]
[indent][color=gray]Prosperity often makes of a certain nature people indulgent, content to enjoy their good fortunes and await the passing of time with little care. However, for those who have a penchant for waking dreams, a bountiful harvest is an inspiration, an instrument for imagining and wanting more. Even more so when they see those who used to stand proud and tall above them wither.

Of all the treasures in the Reach, from the sublime gardens of the Tyrells to the awe-inspiring heights of the Hightowers, the golden island of the Redwynes is one of the few which has not yet been touched by the misery and instability born from the Summer Rot. Instead, the lords of the Arbor continue to grow in wealth and power while their liege in Highgarden struggles to deal with the devastation in the mainland.

Such climate has cultivated increasingly enormous ambitions within the heart and mind of the sagacious Willemina Redwyne and her kin. Under her rule, the Arbor could well become the capital of the kingdom in all but name, yet even that may not be enough for her. The time of House Tyrell might be nearing its end and, if so, who better to take their place in the world than the true heirs of the extinct Gardeners and the only family that has truly known how to thrive in these times of hardship? With plenty of resources and one of the largest fleets in the Seven Kingdoms at her disposal, the Lady of the Arbor now sees the world possibly offering her the opportunity to sow the seeds and water the vines of the greatest harvest in her house’s history.[/color][/indent]
[h3]Character Information[/h3][hr]
[hider=Willemina Redwyne][CENTER][color=0000CD][b][h2]Willemina Redwyne[/h2][/b][/color]
[img]https://img04.deviantart.net/f572/i/2015/160/1/8/cassandra_by_inawong-d8woanr.png[/img]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZjm-lHqXQk][ ♫ ][/url][/CENTER]
[b]Identity[/b][indent][color=gray]Willemina Redwyne, also known as ‘Mina Silvervine’ and the ‘Queen of the Vines’[/color]
[/indent]
[b]Age[/b][indent][color=gray]Twenty-seven.[/color]
[/indent]
[b]Role[/b][indent][color=gray]Lady of the Arbor
Captain of the [i]Stargazer[/i][/color][/indent]
[b]Characterization[/b][indent][color=gray]Long before she came to be known as the 'Queen of the Vines', this young lady of the Arbor was known by another moniker. Her loving father had taken to calling her 'Mina Silvervine', for even from an early age she had been fascinated by the colour silver, and because he saw something unique in her. A single child, born and raised on a golden island of unending luxury, Willemina surprised her family by being comparatively austere, [/color][/indent]
[b]Attributes & Talents[/b][indent]
[b]The Silver Prodigy[/b]
[color=gray]It is no exaggeration to say that the Lady of the Arbor might be one of the greatest minds of her generation. Her insatiable curiosity is only matched by how quickly she learns when she follows her curiosity. As a child, she was a precocious genius with a penchant for numbers and the study of nature, who could solve all manner of mathematical problems and understand complex concepts with very little need for guidance. Now a woman grown, she is renowned for the ease and skill with which she oversees the Arbor's production, trade and finances, as well as her fascination with botany and astronomy. She is analytical to a fault, only taking action after she has observed every variable and considered every alternative.[/color]

[b]The Princess of Thorns[/b]
[color=gray]Though long gone from this world, Olenna Redwyne, the 'Queen of Thorns', is still remembered among the nobility as a woman whose sharp tongue could cut deep. For better or worse, many regard Willemina as her heir of sorts. The 'Queen of the Vines' has made a name for herself as a cavalier, downright imperious young lady with a dry wit and very little tact. Though her harsh words are often received with a great deal of mirth by many of her peers, others consider her insensitive, aloof and arrogant. She is not as charming and gregarious as her liege, Alys Tyrell, and her lack of humility is a constant blemish on her cultivated appearance. As far as Willemina herself is concerned, she does not think of herself as arrogant or rude, but merely truthful. She expresses herself the way she does because she is honest, because she does not conceal reality with pleasantries, and because she knows better.[/color]

[b]The Bloom of Spring[/b]
[color=gray]Even now, at the age of twenty-seven, Willemina is considered a delicate, refined beauty and one of the most coveted maidens in the Seven Kingdoms. Her comely looks and silver gowns are famous enough to have been featured in the verses of some minstrels' songs, and a few bold suitors have written her letters in which they express a painful longing for a glimpse of her in feasts and tourneys. Willemina, however, understands that spring will inevitably pass pass, both for the world and for her, and that she cannot wager her position on something as fleeting as the allure of her youth.[/color]

[b]The Daughter of the Straits[/b]
[color=gray]Willemina's grandfather was not a forward thinking man, yet he did not neglect to teach his heir the art of sailing when she became his heir. The Lady of the Arbor is a capable captain and admiral, though she has yet to be tested in battle and vastly prefers leading from the rear.[/color][/indent]
[b]Immediate Family[/b][indent][color=gray]Her father, {[b]Eden Redwyne[/b]}. Died from an infected wound in 361 AC at the age of thirty.
WIP[/color][/indent]

[b]Personal Relations[/b]
[indent][color=gray][b]WIP[/b] - WIP[/color][/indent][/hider][/hider]