[hider=House Bolton] [Center] [IMG]https://i.imgur.com/slXC6Wk.png[/IMG] A red flayed man on pale pink strewn with red drops [color=#eda9c4][h1]House Bolton of The Dreadfort[/h1] [h2]"Our Blades Are Sharp"[/h2][/color][/Center] [b][color=#eda9c4]House Description:[/color][/b] Once renowned as Red Kings during the Age of Heroes, House Bolton sowed terror and paranoia across the North as rulers of the Dreadfort. While they now bend the knee and pledge fealty to House Stark, the banner of the flayed man still inspires fear in friend and foe alike. [h3][b][color=#eda9c4]Recent History:[/color][/b][/h3] The ascendance of Rycann Bolton to the Dreadfort's lordship began in tragedy and remains shrouded in secrecy. His late lord father - Robett "Ravenskin" - had died due to illness and within the fortnight the disease had spread across the fortress grounds and claimed the lives of many others. Among the other lost souls were his eldest brother Rodrick and their household maester Bertram. But that was many seasons ago. No specificities about the tragedy could be determined but rumours are a plenty. Whispers say that the Old Gods had punished their house due to Rycann and his brother Aden violating their house's oath not to flay men during their time in Essos. Further still, some braver and more foolish dare to say that the Redmark himself orchestrated the tragedy with the employment of Braavosi assassins. Though there is one truth known for certain with regards to this matter. Any man who dares speak of the incident may find himself before the lord of the Dreadfort, pleading a case as to why his tongue be not cut off for speaking falsities. As for their political standing, there has always been an air of fear when dealing with the Boltons and Lord Rycann has used this to shore up his grip on power. None of the other Northern houses have any immediate issues with his position and he has also kept to his vows of fealty to the Starks with no quarrel. Time will tell if this will remain the case as grumblings from the south are starting to reach his court. [hider=Family Members & Household] [img]https://i.imgur.com/4otYo9F.png[/img] [b][color=#eda9c4]House Bolton:[/color][/b] [List] [*]Rycann "Redmark" Bolton [*]Desmond Bolton [*]Alaric Bolton [*]Raelith Bolton [*]Alarra Bolton née Umber [*][s]Robett "The Ravenskin" Bolton[/s] [*][s]Rodrick Bolton[/s] [*][s]Aden "Quickbolt" Bolton[/s] [/List] [hr] [b][color=#eda9c4]Kennel Master:[/color][/b] Tarner Locke [b][color=#eda9c4]Huntsman/Hunting Master:[/color][/b] Brack Fenn [b][color=#eda9c4]Head Cook:[/color][/b] Colren Moss [b][color=#eda9c4]Steward:[/color][/b] Waylar Wells [b][color=#eda9c4]Maester:[/color][/b] Warne [b][color=#eda9c4]Household Guard Captain:[/color][/b] Brachyllo Hotoris [/hider] [hider=Rycann Bolton] [Center][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/u1EhYze.jpg[/IMG][/Center] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Rycann "Redmark" Bolton[/h3][/color] [color=#eda9c4]Age:[/color][/b] 44 (158 A.C.) [b][color=#eda9c4]Appearance:[/color][/b] The first thing anyone notices about Rycann is inevitably the eponymous burn mark that scarred his face. However, only some might make the observation that the lord of the Dreadfort obscures the untarnished part of his face with his long, dark hair. [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] Born the youngest male among three brothers, Rycann's lordship of the Dreadfort was never set in stone. Witnessing the daily duties of his father's court, he had concluded that the politics of Westeros were not for him at an early age. On his sixteenth name day, he had departed the realm he had called home and would soon arrive on the shores of Essos to join the Second Sons mercenary company. His brother Aden, going by the nom de guerre "Quickbolt", had join this group of noble sellswords years prior and had risen to a captaincy due to his tactical prowess and ruthlessness. Serving as his brother's second-in-command, Rycann would quickly adapt to his new environment and pick up on the intricacies of a new field of politics. This one though had a lot more outright bloodshed involved. Though he was now adventuring in an exotic land, the looming threat of death was always a knife's edge away. Yet, he revelled in this brutality and fought with reckless abandon. This would not be without cost however as an opposing foe nearly burnt off his face with a torch, barely surviving by choking out his foe and being saved by his comrades afterwards. Taking his survival of the crucible as a sign from the gods, he would wear his new scars as a badge of honor and would by then go by the name Redmark. However, it would be his further actions that would cement his reputation. In the land of Essos, the most visceral of the Boltons' legacy could be freely practised by the two brothers as they were no longer bound by the oath the Starks had imposed upon their house as they were no longer in the North. During prolonged campaigns, those that would be captured among their routed foes that were neither rich nor noble would be flayed as a warning. The poor fools would be rope bound on makeshift wooden crosses, slowly burning away under the hot sun as carrion would come to feast on their flesh. The practice was widely reviled, demoralizing some and hardening others. Unfortunately, this happened to both their enemies and their allies. Their personal sellsword band among the Second Sons would dwindle to a loyal few, more ruthless but just as effective. The names Redmark and Quickbolt were now infamous. However, his time adventuring would eventually come to an end as a messenger had informed him that tragedy had befallen upon his house, claiming the lives of his father Robett and brother Rodrick. A discussion between the two brothers would result in Aden refusing to give up his position among the Second Sons and the lordship of the Dreadfort had fallen to Rycann. While this might have sparked a potential succession dispute, the Quickbolt would meet his end as he fell off his horse while leading a pursuit mere weeks after Rycann returned to the Dreadfort. His adventures are now merely memories. Lord Rycann had found himself in the position that he ran away from all those years ago. However, he cannot help but wonder how differently his life would have turned out if he had not returned to fulfill the duty he owed to his house. [/hider] [hider=Desmond Bolton] [Center][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/jCtzp0F.jpeg[/IMG][/Center] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Desmond Bolton[/h3][/color] [color=#eda9c4]Age:[/color][/b] 20 (182 A.C.) [b][color=#eda9c4]Appearance:[/color][/b] His skin is as pale as the snow surrounding the banks of the Weeping Water, hair as brown as first spring's mud on the Lonely Hills. If one were to describe the image of a man from House Bolton, one might have inadvertently described Desmond if it were not for his eyes. Instead of his house's ghost grey eyes, he instead possesses a deep auburn hue like that of his mother. [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] The heir presumptive of the Dreadfort, Desmond Bolton indulges in the many pleasures of life that his station affords him. Like many others of his house, rumours surround his vices but none can be too sure about their true nature. However, unlike his kin, it is not just violence that plagues his reputation. Desmond supposedly beds many of the common folk women in a private residence at White Harbor while also squandering his father's wealth on frivolous luxuries imported from the other lands. While a first born son of House Bolton, Desmond is uncharacteristically social for a Northman. Preferring the intrigues of southern court life over a Northern feast or melee, Desmond spent most of his teenage years as a page in the Reach under House Tarly and found the other kingdoms to be more vibrant and festive than his own. Even today, he keeps correspondence with his former hosts and attends events all over the Seven Kingdoms if only to avoid confinement of the cold walls of his own keep. [/hider] [hider=Alaric Bolton] [Center][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/MsZB1Wd.jpg[/IMG][/Center] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Alaric Bolton[/h3][/color] [color=#eda9c4]Age:[/color][/b] 17 (185 A.C.) [b][color=#eda9c4]Appearance:[/color][/b] Standing at over six feet and weighing at sixteen stone, the heavyset Alaric strikes a memorable figure at first glance. While the youngest of Rycann's children, he is easily the most imposing in appearance as he also possess the lineage's signature grey eyes. A calm demeanour constantly masks his face though many take to mean and assume that he is naturally cold and aloof. [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] The second son of House Bolton and named after his mother, he is the clear favourite among Rycann's children. Unlike his brother who spent his formative years in the Reach, Alaric stayed in the North and had squired under Torrhen "Silver Fang" of House Stark instead. He was already naturally gifted in physical endeavours while the lessons from his mentor and his father would only further his martial talents. While his grandfather was infamous in obscuring every endeavour he undertook, Alaric is seemingly becoming the Ravenskin's antithesis. The young lordling does not hold many secrets and is blunt with his words, accidentally offending his peers from time to to time. However, what he lacks in guile, he makes up for with nerves of steel and a heart of stone. Acting in the name of his father, Alaric has personally put criminals to the sword without as much as flinching. [/hider] [hider=Raelith Bolton] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Raelith Bolton[/h3][/color][/b] [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5392209]Rycann's only surviving sibling[/url]. While the title "Lady of the Dreadfort" would usually go to a female ruler of House Bolton or the ruling lord's wife, it finds contemporary usage in reference to Raelith. The lady Alarra detests her presence at court. [/hider] [hider=Alarra Bolton née Umber] [Center][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/L8Gx7Yo.jpg[/IMG][/Center] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Alarra Bolton née Umber[/h3][/color] [color=#eda9c4]Age:[/color][/b] 36 (168 A.C.) [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] Once promised to be wed to Rodrick, Alarra would instead become Rycann's lady wife. A daughter of house Umber, she is noticeably taller than Rycann and is known for her straightforwardness. [/hider] [hider=Robett "The Ravenskin" Bolton] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Robett "The Ravenskin" Bolton[/h3][/color][/b] [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] The late lord father of Rycann, the Ravenskin was known for many things and only half of those may be true. There was one thing apparent about his lordship of the Dreadfort and it was how he seemingly knew everything that went on in his realm. Thus, one of the most prominent rumours about Robett was that he was a skinchanger and observed his domain through the eyes of ravens. [/hider] [hider=Rodrick Bolton] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Rodrick Bolton[/h3][/color][/b] [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] Rycann's eldest brother and once heir-presumptive to the Dreadfort. By all accounts, he was a fine noble who had a bright future that was snuffed out. [/hider] [hider=Aden "Quickbolt" Bolton] [b][color=#eda9c4][h3]Aden "Quickbolt" Bolton[/h3][/color][/b] [b][color=#eda9c4]Description & biography:[/color][/b] Second son of the Ravenskin and brother to Rodrick and Rycann, Aden was a lordling who loved fighting in melees and attending tourneys. Eventually, he would travel east to carve out his own fortune. He was renowned for his fighting prowess, specially with a crossbow. He would meet an unfortunate end while chasing down his foes on horseback, accidentally getting bucked off and cracking his skull on impact. 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