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House Reed of Greywater Watch

"Mud Runs Deep."

House Synopsis

 Direct descendants of the last Marsh King, the family Reed has known a distinct, and honorable history in service of House Stark, guarding the entrance to the North. Their seat of power is the crannog castle, Greywater Watch, which is unique in its capacity to move, floating through the marshlands like an over-sized turtle, making it impossible for Ravens, or enemy armies to find. As such Greywater Watch has no maester or septons, nor even a godswood. Due to its elusive nature, and its small size Greywater Watch has a garrison of a dozen men, and fewer than a score servants to attend to the Reeds. They are certainly not the wealthiest family in North, far from it, but they can tax the merchants and travelers passing through the neck, which is where the majority of their income is derived. When rallied House Reed can field near a thousand bowmen. Small, tough crannogmen hunters who can stalk their foe through the marshes, and ambush them at every turn, peppering them with stork feathered shafts with flint tips, smeared with fungus and toad poisons. The Sigil of House Reed is the Lizard-Lion, a miniature dragon of the swamp, a reptile that can grow larger than a lion, and prove deadly to the foolhardy.

Realm

 The small, and distinctive gatekeepers of the north are the crannogmen, swamp dwellers and vassals of House Reed of Greywater Watch. Those of House Reed and the crannogmen are descended directly from the First Men, and some say the Children of the Forest themselves. They have adapted to thriving within the bogs of the neck, knowing the byways, highways, and lanes of the treacherous murk as if they were city streets, and the gnarled trees buildings. Great lion-lizards lurk just beneath the surface of the water, hidden below beautiful water lilies that wise men know better than to swim among. The crannogmen are often called mud-men, frog eaters, or by the ironborn as bog devils, but they care not, and insults flow off them like mud in water. As the Southernmost Northern house they are the watchers, guarding the narrowest part of the continent before the lands of the North open up. Many a invading army marched boldly into their home, and found themselves lost within, harrowed by poisoned arrows from the crannogmen, and dragged down into the sinking mud, drowning from the weight of their armor and weaponry. Only a single narrow causeway cuts through the swamps, the King's Road, patrolled and guarded by the Bannermen of House Reed. These sworn houses include House Boggs, House Quagg, House Cray, House Blackmyer, House Fenn, House Greengood, and House Peat. Together they can rally a further sixteen hundred men to fight for House Reed, though these are mostly armed with bows and spears, and have no armor to speak of. Within their homeland armor is only a hindrance and a death sentence. 

Important Members

Lord Stephen Reed

Fifteen Years * Male * Lord of Greywater Watch

Reputation
 Young Lord Reed, of Greywater Watch was thrust into his position of power on the year of his twelfth name-day, where he inherited all the lands of the Neck, Greywater Watch and the responsibilities that came with. In the wake of his late father, Lord Bastion Reed; Young Stephen had much to live up to. His fathers name was well known and revered throughout the North, and news of his death stung, it was thought that Lord Bastion Reed was unkillable. Compared to his father, Stephen's own rule of the Neck has been ineffectual, his stutter and lack of confidence is disquieting to other Lords of the Neck, and those who swore him fealty and those who rely on the Neck's defense mutter their concerns into their cups at the mention of Lord Reed's name. The lad is eager to please, though perhaps too eager, he is manipulated like a puppet on a string, pulled in a thousand different ways by clever men who would use his weakness for personal gain. In his heart Stephen longs to chastise his advisers, and lords, to stand firm and make his own decisions, but his own uncertainty keeps him within their thralls. Young Lord Reed is at his best when amongst the trees and waters, where he paddles his coracle and stalks through the trees softer than the lizard-lions through water. His shaft never misses its mark, and he can track a butterfly through a thick fog.

Biography
 The only true born son of Bastion Reed, Stephen Reed was raised and trained by his father, who was thought to be the greatest huntsman in the Seven Kingdoms. Stephen's mother died of sickness when he was very young, leaving him the sole heir to Greywater Watch and the Neck. Throughout his early days not much was asked of Young Reed, he was not but a boy after all. He was taught to fight, to loose an arrow and swing a sword, and stalk on silent feet through murky swamps. He was taught to read, and write, and all the other things young lordlings were expected to know. He was always a quiet boy, silent and submissive, never being one to get into trouble or begin petty rebellions against his betters. He was never expected to be anything like his father, who was bold and brash, but calculated and wise. A true born leader. Stephen was always a better follower, and preferring the company of hounds and huntsmen in the marshlands than lords and counselors in the halls of Greywater Watch.

	His life changed dramatically however on the year of his twelfth nameday, when his father was slain by an assassins knife while travelling the Riverlands. Lord Bastion wasn't an old man, still young and in his prime, and on a hunt for a new wife when the blade found his heart. His demise sent shock waves through the proud crannogmen, who deemed the Frey's responsible, and rallied their men to march to war under their new young lord, whom they thought would surely wish vengeance for his father's butchering. Stephen had no desire to fight his House's ancient foe, and hesitated in Greywater Watch, mourning his father and never really making a proper decision on whether to go forth or not. A year passed and slowly the crannogmen returned to their homes, and harvests, ashamed of their lord who would not seek retribution for the fallen Lord Bastion. Only House Peat, the proudest of the noble houses from the Neck, and most hateful towards the Freys marched out with a few hundred Crannogmen, defying the wishes of House Reed and determined to enact penance on the Riverlands House. They were easily scattered by the Frey cavalry, and their lord slain on the battlefield. And in response no action was taken by House Reed for this humiliation. Two years on and the Lords of the Neck have all but given up on anything decisive coming from Stephen Reed, and have resorted to manipulating him for their own gain. Though passion and grief burns in Young Stephen's heart with a desire to act, he submits to this humiliating life of weakness, wallowing in his own guilt and shame.

Recent History

 The Neck, and those Lords who reside within have always been secluded from the rest of the North and Riverlands, stuck in the unappealing bog between the two kingdoms they are oft an afterthought of the greater powers. House Reed has a tendency to fall into shadows only to spring into importance for a short time, and than fade again. The crannogmen do not mind the flow and tide of this, they prefer their long isolation's with brief moments in the limelight. In recent years they had once again fallen into the deep shadows, a forgotten realm hidden from view, their keeps rotting, and their armies scattered and ill trained, until Lord Bastion Reed came onto the scene. The Lord of the Neck was an active man, ambitious and bold he made himself known, building up the crannogmen's power in both the North and South. He married a Lady from the Riverlands, renewed the ancient oaths of Fealty to House Stark, and rebuilt the army of the Neck from the ground up. House Reed was once again a dominate and notable force in the world. Under Lord Reed's careful, guiding hand his House and lands continued to flourish in a short lived silver age of the Marsh Men.

	Lord Bastion however, wasn't loved by all. During one of his diplomatic missions in the Riverlands he made a fool of House Reed's ancient enemies, the Freys. Lord Reed thought himself untouchable then, but the Frey's have long memories, and serve their vengeance cold. Years later, in the dark of night while in his bed an assassin took Bastion's life. When the news reached the crannogmen they swore, and they cursed, tearing their clothes and mourning, for a whole day, then they prepared to march to war. Soldiers were gathered, horses saddled, arrows feathered, and wagons lined on the King's Road facing South. It was known, that the Frey's had struck, and it was time to repost. The Army of the Neck was at that time, the largest it had ever been, and better armed and equipped than any time in its history. Under the leadership of Bastion Reed it might have even been enough to threaten even the powerful Freys, but the proud Crannogmen never marched forth. They remained encamped by the King's Road, until one by one, two by two, a dozen by a dozen the marshmen went home, leaving suddenly in a flood until only House Peat remained. Deserted by their fellow houses, and with vague orders to remain in their position the proud and hateful Lord Peat marched his small warband out of the swamps and down towards the Twins. They were met in the field, surrounded and slaughtered and scattered, there'd been no chance for them, and they fled back to their swamps leaving the Heir to House Peat in Frey hands, and their lord dead on the field.

After it was shown that another house could brazenly slaughter their liege lord, and kill three hundred crannogmen on the field without any reaction from House Reed, that noble house, and all those of the Neck were mocked, and seen as a jest. Irrelevant weaklings to be cast aside and unconsidered by even minor houses. The name Reed carries with it little weight now, and the shamed Crannogmen slink about in their swamps as the Neck slides back into seclusion, to ashamed to show their faces.

Relations

House Stark
 House Reed is a loyal vassal of House Stark, and renews its oaths of fealty regularly. They are charged by the Starks to protect the Neck, and they do so without question or complaint.

House Frey
 House Reed, and House Frey have been feuding for thousands of years, since back when the Freys attempted to conquer the crannogmen many generations before. Their relations have never improved since, and hit a boiling point recently which resulted in the deaths of nearly three hundred crannogmen and the demise of two noble lords of the Neck, and the capture of another. Lord Peat is still held in captivity by the Freys, though House Reed has done nothing as of yet to seek his release.

Ser Arthur Stone of Lowers Bluff

65 Years * 180lbs * 5'11"

Character
	Ser Arthur Stone of Lowers Bluff is a well built man, slim and aged, but tough and strong as an ox. His craggy face is often lit by a friendly smile, with his features breaking into warm wrinkles every time. His brown eyes are kind and understanding, peering out from behind a crooked nose that looks as if its been broken a few times. He is balding, with only slim patches of silver hair around his head, but despite this he stands proudly, his back straight and his shoulders set. He looks to be a kindly old man, and he lives up to his appearances. He's fatherly and charitable, perhaps even to much so, as he has never been the most pragmatic person, always optimistic and lenient in his judgment, enraptured by the ideals of his knightly creed, honor, chivalry, and duty. There are few men in the world like Ser Arthur Stone, and even fewer knights, making the bastard knight of Lowers Bluff a rare man indeed.

Reputation
	Outside of House Waxley and the town of Wickenden, and his own hamlet of course, he hasn't gathered much of a wider reputation. To those who live on his, and the surrounding lands and those who recall his name he is admired. Known for his loyalty, fair judgment, and charitable acts. His hamlet of Lowers Bluff is located in the southern region of the Vale, a few miles off the lands of House Waxley. It is a farming community, but remains more well known for its beehives, whose wax they sell to their mother town of Wickenden. Arthur's own house isn't much to brag about, but it has a hearth, four sturdy walls, and a roof and he is proud to call it home.

History

	Born the son of the farm hand's daughter, bastard of the Lord of Waxley's third born son, Arthur Stone was not promised much of a future. His father, a nobleman expected to marry a highborn lady and not expected to inherit any lands officially refused to recognize Arthur's existence, discreetly funneling money from his father's coffers to ensure his son was clothed and ate well at the very least. This perhaps saved Arthur's life, as he was born at the middle of the ten year winter, when the mountain snows kept the crops from growing. When famine struck his mother had just enough to feed them, and keep them warm until at last the earth warmed and the farmlands grew once more.

	When Arthur grew older, around the age of eleven his father became the heir of Wickenden, and all the lands of House Waxley. His two elder brothers having perished, one by the cold, and the other from a riding accident. Arthur's life improved drastically from that point on, no longer was he expected to become another serf in the fields, he was officially recognized as a bastard son of a lord, and given the name Stone. His father squired him to a knight by the name of Ser Robert Balilvon, a landed knight of Lowers Bluff, sworn to house Waxley. In the following years Arthur Stone would prove himself to be a loyal man, and a good squire, attending to Ser Robert in the many tourneys he attended, seeing to his needs, and being his shield bearer in battle.

	By the time Arthur turned twenty-one he had proven himself in battle, and was deemed worthy of the honor of knighthood. His knight, Ser Robert had fallen ill previously, and perished in his sleep leaving his lands without an heir. Seizing the opportunity, Arthur's father, now lord of House Waxley knighted his bastard son, and granted him the hamlet of Lowers Bluff. Thus rewarded Ser Arthur Stone swore featly to his father and the House of Waxley, returning to his longtime home, now its liege lord.

	From then on Ser Arthur lived his life in lowers Bluff, serving his lord when called upon, and seeing to the day to day running of his hamlet. He proved unsuccessful in marriage, his first wife dying of sickness, and his second bearing him no sons or daughters. He discovered an alternative with a young lad he rescued from a fire and took pity on, bringing him into his home and treating him as the son he never had. The boy, Moryn would latter become his squire serving him dutifully as he had done for Ser Robert, and even saving his life in battle. Moryn showed far more talent then Arthur ever had, and proved himself far earlier driving Arthur to knight him at the young age of seventeen, naming him the heir of Lowers Bluff.

	The Ranger’s sealed panels withdrew with a hydraulic hiss as Ursa gave the order for Jean to take over. Grunting Jean picked himself off the floor, taking ahold of the multicolored joysticks at the flight board. Ursa sounded in a bad way, even over the comms Jean could tell something had gone terribly wrong. They would need to board, and bring the wounded captain over to the healer bot. ean glanced over at said healer in trepidation. The pink robot was standing over Takashi, making a long incision down the back of the lizard-man’s hip, his scalpel coming away, stained red with blood.
	“Hey!” Jean shouted, rushing over and snatching the murderous robot away from Takashi’s limp form. “What in the hell are you doing?”

	“NEEEEEEED, to RE-plACE, Paintanceeeas 66666oooo KID-ney!” The bot squealed, sparks spouting from the plasma hole burned into its chest.

	“No, no you don’t. His kidney is fine, he is fine, just unconscious. I need you to reboot Taylor. Do you understand?” Jean shook the bot, the discouraging sound of parts shifting and clattering inside the metal encasing emanating from him. “You need to reboot so you can patch Ursa up. Taylor, command reboot.”

	For a moment the bot remained unresponsive, then the lights behind its viewing ports dimmed and a distinct ‘windows powering down’ tone sounded. Sighing with relief Jean patted the off-line robot’s head affectionately before returning to his position at the helm.  Pressing a few buttons Jean opened the main airlock, giving the returning crew members space to board the Ranger. The shuttle shuddered as the pod thudded down in the cramped space, scraping against the durasteel walls and bumping the roof, but it sufficed. Slamming his fist down on the ‘shut-door’ button, conveniently marked, the doors slipped closed, concealing the pod in darkness. Jean watched the entire thing on the CCTV display, squinting as something shifted in the darkness. “Airlock is secure y’all,” he said over the comms. “Get Ursa up to the bridge immediately…”

	The lights sprang back on and standing in front of the unsuspecting escape pod was none other than Naefario, captain of the Gorefill, his cybernetic arm outstretched, some unnamed, malicious killing device pointing at the door. He looked disheveled, and angry, the scalpels having been removed, and trails of green blood dribbling down his limbs and face, spider webbing liquid trails across his muscular form. Thinking fast Jean practically punched the loudspeaker switch, yelling so that the entire ship could hear.
	“DON’T OPEN THE DAMN POD DOOR!”

He was too late. The door slid open, and Naefario fired.

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