⤷ ( jay. ) the courts offer bread and salt to RODRIK of HOUSE FORRESTER. many say that the TWENTY-SIX year old LORD of IRONRATH is known to be LIONHEARTED and STEADFAST, though ill tongues whisper that HE is WOODENHEADED and MULISH. when his name is uttered, one is reminded of the scent of the woods, warm, calloused hands and creaking, oiled leather. may he be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: tom bateman)
Hi folks! This is Rodrik, a rework of an old character that I played previously, renamed and redone!
TW: Death, mentions of stillbirth
basics.
name. Rodrik Forrester
nicknames. Rodrik of the Ironwood, Blackshield
age. twenty-six (26)
traits. + loyal, experienced, friendly, stalwart, willful, stubborn, kind, brave, passionate, gregarious, patient
titles. Lord of Ironrath
loyalty. House Stark
family.
Aden Forrester, Deceased, Father
Alise Forrester née Glover. Non-Playable, Mother
Tommen Forrester, Deceased, Brother
Jaenette Forrester née Woods, Deceased, Wife
History
House Forrester was left ruined and destitute, with but one son to carry on the family name, in the wake of the Targaryen Reconquest and the War of Five Kings. Stripped of riches, prospects and with their lands near barren.
The Ironwood groves lay plundered and picked. Ironrath razed to the ground. The sons of House Forrester were left with nothing.
When peace returned to Westeros, through blood, sweat and tears, they began to rebuild their once prestigious home and the legacy of the Forresters. They petitioned, wed, built and grew in the years that followed.
The groves began to grow once more. Over time, passing generations of Forresters, the venerable trees grew tall and strong once more. And after too long a time, Forrester craftsmen once more carved the dark wood into artefacts of power and beauty.
Biography
Rodrik was born the second son to Lord Aden Forrester and his wife. A boysterous, happy babe who grew quickly.
He was quick to pick up a kind, charitable nature. He was stronger and taller than his older brother, but less shrewd. He took to the Maester’s lessons rather poorly. Instead spending his time bothering the laborers and footmen of Ironrath in his younger years, when he had learned to walk and speak.
At age six he was taken as a ward by the Starks of Winterfell, to strengthen the bonds between the Houses of the Wolfwood and their liege. He was a cupbearer for the high table and was taught along with the Stark children and their Greyjoy ward.
He formed strong bonds with the Starks. Particularly Tallis, who was his best friend and compatriot in Winterfell.
He grew, and grew, and kept growing until he towered high over most of his peers and even most adults. His love for labour made him strong and resilient, with capable and skilled hands when it came to whittling wood.
A month or two after his sixteenth nameday, he was released from guardianship and returned home to Ironrath a man, with strong arms and a dedicated spirit.
He became steward to his father. Though he had never taken to studies or numbers very well, he thrived in his new position. Rather than sitting back and counting coin, keeping books, he became actively involved in the harvesting and working of the ironwood that his family had cultivated for generations.
He learned to administrate, though he required the help of Ironrath’s Maester.
On his nineteenth nameday he married Jaenette Woods, the only daughter of Lord Malcolm Woods, who agreed to the betrothal and marriage as a way to secure his lands falling into good hands.
Sadly, it seemed Rodrik and Jaenette would not easily be blessed with children. Though there were a few pregnancies, no child was born with breath in their lungs.
Tragedy struck Rodrik and House Forrester when Slow Fever swept through the Wolfwood. The malaise took Rodrik’s father, brother and wife in one, fell swoop.
This left Rodrik, battered and numbed, to take the seat of his father. Freshly widowed and unprepared, he took the Ironwood seat and the lands of House Woods, as his father-in-law passed from the fever without heir.
the courts offer bread and salt to JULAN ROYCE of HOUSE ROYCE loyal to HOUSE ARRYN. many say that the THIRTY SIX year old LORD ROYCE is known to be LOYAL and STRATEGIC, though ill tongues whisper that HE is RECKLESS and UNCOUTH. may he be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: santiago cabrera)
Julan was born the second son to Lord Allard Royce. His birth was surrounded by rumours as he was born with a dark tuft of hair amongst the light haired Royce’s. His father refused to hear an ill word against his beloved wife and new child. As Julan is never expected to be an heir to the house’s seat, the rumors quickly died.
After Julan’s birth, four more children followed — two more sons and two daughters. A son and a daughter were born with similar dark hair and colourings to Julan which officially put away the rumors around his birth. As the eldest brother was busy, Julan became the brother that the younger siblings would come to for advice or training and he was happy to do so.
As the second son, his teachings weren’t focused on ruling, instead he learned battle strategy and became excellent with the sword and bow and arrow. He had dreams of being a knight but with the wars and scuffles popping up in their lands and in the Eyrie, he kept his focus on being a useful ally and fighter to represent his family.
While his father has been keen on Julan marrying, he has never found someone to settle with. Matches have attempted to be made but since he has a dirty mouth, most ladies find him uncouth and do not want to be matched with him despite being considered handsome. This doesn’t bother Julan as he has never lacked a lover, he just hasn’t wanted to marry.
When Lord Arryn’s son was rearranging the men in close council, his father was offered an opportunity but instead sent Julan. With his strong strategic mind and loyalty, he has become a useful and trusted adviser.
He takes his families words quite seriously. WE REMEMBER. Julan finds his own meaning in them and as such, he is always kind to the small folk knowing they will remember the kindness as much as they would remember cruelty. He learned this habit from his mother.
He is very calm in nature. In day to day, it makes him level headed in discussions and planning. On the battlefield, it makes him eerily terrifying to those opposing him. That’s not to say he isn’t fun as well. When there isn’t business or war at hand, he is overtly friendly and loves to hear people’s tales and stories.
RANDOM HEADCANONS
His father is still alive and ruling over Runestone. His eldest brother is married with three children, two sons. This makes him fourth in line for the house’s seat. Julan has no interest in ruling and never has.
Julan is naturally right handed but an injury from his second battle left his right arm heavily scarred, leaving his pinkie and ring finger weak and almost useless. He retrained himself to fight left handed.
Despite having his father’s favour, his is very much a momma’s boy.
He has a scar across his left cheek where he was kicked in the face by his first horse. He refused to ride for months afterwards but finally got over the fear after much teasing from his brothers.
MUN STUFF
Hi there! I’m Danielle and I’m Australian, which generally means I’ll likely never be online when everyone else is.
I’m excited to interact with everyone and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!!
⤷ the courts offer bread and salt to STEFÁN BLACKTYDE of HOUSE BLACKTYDE. many say that the TWENTY-NINE year old HEIR of BLACKTYDE CASTLE is known to be CHARMING and FEARLESS, though ill tongues whisper that he is IMPULSIVE and REBELLIOUS. may he be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: luke pasqualino)
hello everyone, meet my trash son. i told myself i wasn’t picking up a fourth character but clearly i have zero self control. so here’s stefán, please love him or punch him in the face.
ABOUT.
stefán was born the second son of lord harlon blacktyde. he was pretty much given a lot of freedom growing up since he wasn’t expected to inherit blacktyde castle. the freedom he was given only added to his rebellious nature. he was a restless child as well, and the moment he was old enough, he spent nearly all his days at sea with the blacktyde fleat.
when he was a young boy, he was sent to pyke to be fostered by house greyjoy. there he was raised alongside the greyjoy siblings. stefán loved living on pyke and the added freedom it gave him.
he grew to consider the greyjoys like an extended family, especially kristján who became his closest friend.
his mother died giving birth to his younger sister. stefán was at pyke when it happened but he returned home for the funeral. he was given the choice to return to blacktyde at that point but happy with his life at pyke, stefán chose to return to pyke.
when he was sixteen, he became first mate of kristján’s ship. a year later, stefán didn’t hesitate to follow his friend and brother when kris decided to leave pyke behind. it was the greatest adventure of stefán’s life and he loved every moment of the six years that he spent away from the iron islands.
shortly after his return, stefán’s older brother died. his father called stefán back to blacktyde island. the expectations of the heir were now placed on his shoulders, but after spending twenty-four years with absolutely no expectations the adjustment proved difficult.
he adapted to his new position but stefán still spent a lot of time off of blacktyde island. staying in a keep or in one place for long didn’t suit him. he often spent time on pyke or at sea. his father didn’t mind as long as stefán continued to prove himself.
recently, his father began growing weaker and battling an illness. his ailment prevented him from leaving blacktyde castle or fulfill all his duties so stefán had to step up and take on more responsibilities. everyone knew harlon blacktyde wouldn’t survive much longer. now it was only a matter of time before stefán became the ruling lord.
EXTRA.
has garnered himself the nickname “the deathless” because boy has almost died A LOT. he almost died when he was born from complications and then again when he was a toddler and got very sick. when he was young he was thrown overboard during a terrible storm and everyone thought he had drowned until he clawed his way back onto the ship. and then multiple times after that from reckless stuff he’s been involved in. but no matter how badly he’s been injured or how close he comes to death’s doors stefán has always survived. he’s very pleased with the rumor that he’s incapable of dying.
currently the commander of the blacktyde fleet. the rank was bestowed upon him shortly after he returned from his six years away.
extremely fearless and confident. he’ll take on any challenge with total confidence that he’ll come out victorious. he knows he’s strong and a skilled fighter, and he’s more than happy to remind people or prove their doubts wrong.
prone being reckless. he honestly has very little self-restraint, especially if he’s challenged or dared to do something. in part it’s tied to the fact that he believes himself incapable of being killed. he has nothing to fear if he’s always going to survive. but theon has always been reckless ever since he was young
has killed people, especially during his time in essos. he’s bloodthirsty and merciless when fighting and has no problems fighting dirty in order to win a fight. he’s also trained since he was old enough to carry a weapon - especially the axe and sword. so he’s extremely skilled.
can and will hold grudges. if someone does betray him then he won’t rest until he gets revenge.
super cocky. very blunt. but is also super charming and flirtatious - or at least he thinks he is. he’ll flirt with anyone, woman or man, if they show any interest in him.
⤷ ( yvvy. est. 24. she/they. none. ) the courts offer bread and salt to CELIA STARK of HOUSE STARK. many say that the TWENTY-TWO year old PRINCESS of THE NORTH is known to be PASSIONATE and FIERCE, though ill tongues whisper that she is UNRULY and HOT TEMPERED. may she be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: rose williams)
【about】
➼ Celia’s early childhood was made up of happy memories of shirking responsibilities to play fight the other kids in Winterfell until she was eventually dragged back to her studies. She much preferred learning the maps of the world to the needlwork lessons, always asked more questions than any could answer about the stories of old wars and gruesome wives tales.
➼ The young Stark princess was loyal to her family to her very core. There were few others who warranted the type of fealty she readily showed her siblings and as she aged, so did her feelings. So idealistic was she in the notions of war, she imagined herself fighting alongside her brothers or commanding her own soldiers, winning glory and honor and being welcomed back to Winterfell as a hero.
➼ She grew older and learned how to hide her growing curiosity in the ways of the knights. The second daughter of the Stark family could hardly run off to pledge herself to a lord as a knight instead of a wife, but she held the dream aloft all the things that might threaten to tear it apart.
➼ She was known to light up any room she entered, joyful and bright, a flame burning with dreams and ideals that flourished and grew with every passing day that seemed impossible to extinguish. She was quick to fight, quick to argument, always loud and playful in her youth. Celia’s passion gave way to a fierce but quiet determination towards getting what she wanted and she began to train in secret, first with close friends, then with the sworn shield her father had gifted her for her fourteenth name day. She was going to become a warrior, then she would pledge her sword to her brother, the heir to the North.
➼ It wasn’t until her father began to speak of offers of marriage that she grew fearful and in her panic, she began to argue with him more and more until it escalated. Celia had seen what marriage had done to her brother and she wished for none of it. She also knew how the argument had ended for Edrik and their father, but Celia could not idly twiddle her thumbs while her father steadily ruined all that she had wanted. She confessed to her true intentions, to what she truly wanted in this life and Dane Stark crushed her dreams one order at a time. She was going to marry a man of good standing, her sworn shield would be dismissed from life-long vows, he would see to it that she never touched a sword again.
➼ The last things she ever said to her father were words born of anger and childlike hatred and though she loved her father more than anything, she would disobey him and prove to him that he was wrong.
➼ When she was told of her father’s death, she locked herself in her room for weeks, misery and despair taking root deep within her being. She wanted nothing more than to take back what she said, tell him that she loved him, but it was too late.
➼ The day she resurfaced from her grief was the day she decided she would prove to her father, to the old gods and the new, to everyone that she would be a knight of legends and support her brother wholly in his reign. She locked away the pain of loss she felt, clinging to the remnants of her dream in its stead.
【headcanons】
➼ celia does not know how to swim
➼ she is ambidextrous but prefers her left hand
➼ she has a horse named Crow and she talks to him about going off to fight battles together.
➼ though she is quite upfront about taking up the sword and fighting, she has yet to tell many of her intentions of becoming a knight or pledging her sword to her brother. one of her sisters is her only confidant save her sworn shield.
【wanted connections/plots】
➼ oathbound | her sworn shield given to her by her father on her fourteenth name day and she uses them less as a guard and more as a training instructor.
➼ fascination | someone who she should not be around ever, yet she can’t help but get underfoot, preferably a warrior of some sort, someone she bothers for tales about battles, etc.
➼ ladies in crime | her confidants and her friends, people who are alongside her when she’s up to no good.
⤷ the courts offer bread and salt to CASSIAN MARBRAND of HOUSE MARBRAND. many say that the TWENTY-SEVEN year old RULING LORD of ASHEMARK is known to be GALLANT and DUTIFUL, though ill tongues whisper that HE is DISTRUSTING and RESENTFUL. may he be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: bob morley)
it’s alex again. this time here to introduce my soft son who has a lot of trust issues.
ABOUT.
had cassian been born thirty minutes earlier then his life would have been completely different. however, it was his twin brother, tywin, who came into the world first and cassian second. second by only thirty minutes but the second born is still the second born.
while his brother was given all of their parents’ attention and was instructed by the best tutors lord tytos marbrand could find, cassian was raised by nurses and left to fend for himself. he rarely saw his parents and even when he did get to spend tiem with them they never cared much for him. in their eyes, he was the spare heir they had no use for.
became a very troublesome child as a result. the only way he could gain his parents attention was by getting into trouble and causing fights. it meant that his parents were constantly angry with him but at least he got their attention for a little while, even if it was only to scold him or make sure he didn’t cause trouble when they had guests.
eventually his parents grew tired of his antics. they decided to send him away.
cassian became the ward of a northern house. he absolutely hated his foster home and, unsurprisingly, his behavior worsened.
while with his foster family, he began training to be a knight. he genuinely enjoyed training and he demonstrated great skill with a sword. it also gave him an outlet for his anger.
the maester at arms at the keep viewed cassian like a son and trained him personally. it wasn’t long before cassian considered the man more of a father than his birth father. finally having a father figure in his life was extremely beneficial for arthur. his anger faded some and he became more serious and dedicated to his duty as a knight. he wanted nothing more than to become the best knight he could be. he succeeded; by his late teens he was considered one of the best fighters in the realm, some even compared his skills to great swordsmen of history like arthur dayne.
when cassian was seventeen, the master at arms passed away. for a little while, cassian regressed to his old ways due to his grief before he snapped out of it and decided it was time for him to leave the north.
he return to the westerlands and became a knight for house lefford. his dedication, hard-work, and skill allowed him to rise through the ranks until he was a captain.
there cassian remained for the next ten years. he considers them the happiest years of his life. he found friendship amongst his men and was well-respected by the ruling family. despite his closeness to ashemark, he never heard from his family. but at this point he was content with it; he was happy with his life and his future was bright.
cassian would have spent the rest of his life as a knight; he even considered joining the kingsguard, but then tragedy struck. a few months ago a deadly illness struck ashemark and the entire ruling family fell ill. none of them survived. as the only surviving child of lord marbrand, cassian was declared lord of ashemark and called home.
suddenly he found himself in a place he hadn’t set foot in since he was a child and expected to step into a position he’d never been prepared for. he feels entirely over his head and alone, but is doing his best.
EXTRA.
has SO MANY trust issues that are all a result of his family abandoning him ever since he was little. it takes him a while to trust someone and even when he does a part of him is always waiting for them to turn their back on him
that being said when someone does gain his trust he’s extremely loyal
he is genuinely a sweetheart. he truly wants to protect people and live up to the whole “ideal knight” that exists in songs
loved reading about knights as a kid
like it was always his dream to be a knight and go down in history as one of the greats, and now he can never achieve that
he’s a completely different person when he fights. all the softness goes away and he’s really ruthless despite being an honorable fighter most of the time.
he’s a little cocky when it comes to his skills with a sword but he’s worked really hard to get where he is so he feels he deserves to be a little confident
really hates his family and normally refuses to talk about them
he does his best to hide his insecurities when it comes to ruling because he already knows people doubt him and wish his cousin had been named heir instead.
POSSIBLE CONNECTIONS.
friends / confidants / allies
people he knows from his time in the north
former flirtationships / past lover
enemies / rivals
frenemies
his betrothed - i’m going to submit a wanted connection for this but basically his brother was betrothed to a woman before he died and since the match was viewed as very advantageous for both of the families involved cassian is expected to marry the lady in his brother’s place. cassian is not happy about the arrangement
⤷ ( lily. gmt. 22. she/her. n/a. ) the courts offer bread and salt to ALAYA VANCE of HOUSE VANCE. many say that the TWENTY FIVE year old LADY OF ATRANTA is known to be BRAVE and DETERMINED, though ill tongues whisper that SHE is HOT-TEMPERED and STUBBORN. may she be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: heida reed)
She is originally a Corbray of the Vale, an old but poor house. She is the youngest of five children and her parents liked to use her and her siblings to try and bring more money to the house. Her two older sisters were both married off to try and make more powerful connections and add more wealth, while her brothers were sent off to other households as squires.
Using their children to their advantage is not uncommon, but Alaya’s father is a very cruel man who is not above punishing his children when they step out of line. Alaya and her siblings grew up living in fear of their father, as he would often launch into violence at the slightest provocation.
When her older siblings all got sent away, Alaya bore the brunt of their father’s anger but eventually managed to get up enough courage to say enough was enough. Her oldest brother returned home for a brief visit from the Riverlands, where he had been acting as a squire for the Vance family, and Alaya begged him to take her back with him.
He managed to smuggle her out of Heart’s Home under the cover of darkness and brought her to Atranta with him. Fortunately, the Vance family had grown accustomed to her brother and enjoyed having him around, and so were happy to welcome his younger sister, especially since they were all too aware of the cruelty of sibling’s father.
Alaya wanted to repay their kindness by making herself useful, and so did whatever she could to assist - whether it was helping the younger Vance daughter with her studies, acting as a friend and companion to the older daughter, and she was also not above helping out in the kitchens. Alaya was able to spend time with her dearest brother and genuinely enjoyed the company of the Vance family, and so was truly happy for the first time in her life.
Unfortunately, she could not remain hidden forever. Her brother managed to deceive their father about her whereabouts for a long time, but he eventually discovered she was with him in Atranta. He arrived at Atranta under the pretence of being a father worried sick about his daughter, but Alaya suffered horribly at his hands as soon as they were alone. He left her in a terrible state with the promise that she had one day to make her excuses and say her goodbyes so they could leave without suspicion.
As she was still unmarried, Alaya was her father’s property and she knew that once they returned home she would suffer more than she ever had before. But her brother had a plan. Their father could do what he liked to her for now as she was still his responsibility, but if they could transfer that responsibility to someone else, then Alaya would be safe. Unfortunately, the only quick way that he could think of was for Alaya to get married. Once she was married, she would be a part of her husband’s family and therefore his obligation, and their father could not forcibly remove Alaya from her husband.
To her surprise, they didn’t have to look for long, as the eldest Vance son offered to be her husband to keep her safe. The two of them got along well, and he knew his family would support the marriage if it meant she would be safe from her father. Seeing no other way to escape her father’s savagery, Alaya went through with the wedding.
Her father was furious, but to Alaya’s surprise he left quickly. She is unaware that her new husband paid her father off for the insolence of wedding his daughter without his permission and had given him a decent sum on the condition that he was to leave Alaya alone.
Alaya and her husband have been married only a short while and are still getting to know each other better. She likes him well enough, and will always feel an immense gratitude towards him for being willing to tie his life to hers just to keep her safe, but she does mourn the loss of her independence even if her husband gives her many freedoms.
Her husband has not brought it up yet, but Alaya knows there are certain duties expected of a wife. So far they have only shared a brief kiss on their wedding day, but she is well aware that her husband is one day to be the ruling lord of Atranta and fears he will soon expect heirs.
⤷ ( olivia. gmt. 21. she. none. ) the courts offer bread and salt to CASSANA BARATHEON of HOUSE BARATHEON. many say that the TWENTY THREE year old LADY of STORMSEND is known to be CHARISMATIC and VAIN, though ill tongues whisper that SHE is CONNIVING and INSENCERE. may she be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: adelaide kane)
The Baratheon name was enriched with a strong lineage, for hundreds of years they were among the highest nobility in all of Westeros. That is not to say that they have all had the wit and courage to ensure that only the strong survived. For Cassana, she was brought up being told her family history in bedtime lullabies, like it was all sweet harmony.
Sometimes she wondered if all womanly sweetness had been spent on her sister Katherynne, and she was left with nothing but bitterness and spite. Cassana was not inherently cruel, but she was exceptionally selfish. She did not do things for others without expecting something in return. In fact, unless it was her family, Cassana had no interest in another’s welfare.
Spoiled and indulged, she wanted for nothing and refused to share. Cassana knew that she was beautiful, knew that she had a mind for politics and pragmatism and most importantly, knew her worth.
When her betrothal to Gerald Swann was announced, he had pushed her against the stone wall and grunted that he looked forward to their wedding night. Bile had arisen in her mouth and she had an immediate rush of loathing for the brutish man. Her greatest fear in life was a cage, an inescapable trap filled with ideas that she was a meek woman, just a broodmare to look docile and simper and the sight of her husband.
Inspired by the death of King Robert, Cassana convinced her betrothed’s man-servant to get the brute drunk while they were on a boar hunt. Cersei Lannister may have been evil, but she was certainly clever and Cassana had to respect her for that. When she received a letter stamped with the sigil of House Swann, she had almost smirked, but instead looked woeful as she tore open the contents to reveal the death of Gerald. No one suspected her, how could they? But the surface of her heart grew darker for it.
For a year she lived in the comfort of knowing that her life was tied to no man, but that was how long it took to secure another engagement. But she was less opposed to that man, her blood didn’t curdle at the sight of him.
OTHER FACTS.
As a child, she suffered from horrible nightmares.
Cassana has a preference for sweet things, her favourite treat being lemon cakes.
Despite her self-indulged nature, she has a weakness for her nieces and nephews and they are perhaps the only people to make her laugh wholeheartedly.
Can dance more than moderately well, but has no patience for instruments.
She detests getting wet or being cold, so she is not thrilled to be in the North. However, she does refuses to admit weakness and so she keeps her grumblings to herself.
Has an ostentatious style, everything is encrusted with jewels, and she is not scared of showing parts of her flesh ( i.e margery tyrell dress silhouettes ).
⤷ the courts offer bread and salt to LADY MYRIAM of BRAAVOS. many say that the TWENTY-NINE year old MISTRESS OF WHISPERERS / INTELLIGENCE LIAISON of THE SOUTHERN KINGDOM is known to be RESILIENT and INSIGHTFUL, though ill tongues whisper that SHE is CUNNING and SECRETIVE. may she be blessed and protected in this war of crowns. (fc: beren saat)
here she is folks , the character i thought i wasn’t going to bring here make but then did anyway !
this here is myriam - - woman of mystery. she doesn’t have a surname ( or at least not one that her mother told her of - - and in braavos she definitely didn’t have need of one )
she was born the daughter of an famous ( and extremely wealthy ) braavosi courtesan, who assumed the moniker of THE ROSEFINCH.
it was made clear to myriam from a young age that one day she would inherit this name , or one of her own & follow in her mother’s footsteps. in truth, it wasn’t something that she was incredibly opposed to, as she & her mother lived in extreme comfort and her mother was actually rather revered in certain circles. of course - - there were the more unsavory aspects of being a courtesan , but they felt more like a fact of life. a trade off. still , she developed a keen distrust for men. she saw them treat her mother ( and eventually herself ) with contempt and cruelty before turning around with words of adoration.
she was groomed for the job EARLY on. education and refinement took extreme precedence in her life. she didn’t really have time to be a child ?? she was too busy ‘bettering’ herself. this kind of turned her into a lil bitter bean tbh. she had a good head for facts & figures , and a particular interest in the more financial side of her mother’s ‘business.’
by the time she was old enough ( i don’t wanna talk about how young or old that was because ages in the asoiaf / got world are so gross okay. ) she was put to work. since her mom was still kicking it and unready to retire, myriam opted for the pseudonym THE STARLING.
she was just as big of a success as her mother. her ability to charm & woo others was unrivaled , and her wit & general savvy made her incredibly sought after. she took full advantage of this, using it as a means of building wealth. though born into the life, myriam had no real desire to remain a courtesan forever.
during her time working, myriam discovered that she had a pretty keen ability to work her undeniable charm to weasel information out of people. it was the literal definition of pillow talk.
but life in braavos wasn’t always kind, and she felt tired, bitter, and lacking a great purpose.
eventually , having built quite the fortune for herself & seeing her mother safely retired , she began to hatch a plan. utilizing connections she had made with various westerosi lords in her years as the starling, myriam crossed the narrow sea and made a permanent move to westeros. she used those same connections to serve as a third party with which to buy several pieces of property. though she had given up ( for the most part ) the life of a courtesan , it was difficult to stray too far from her roots. myriam became the madame of several of king’s landing’s finest brothels. while looking at it as a great commodity , she wanted the girls of those establishments to be better treated by the men who had owned them before.
myriam began to employ her ability for intelligence gathering within her business. her girls began to collect tidbits of information and bring them to her. she, bold as she was , would then approach the crown with what she deemed pertinent and be paid for this information. ( her business model is literally a mix between varys & baelish )
realizing she could utilize this on a larger scale , she began to expand her influence by buying up establishments in other parts of the realm & employing her most trusted girls to help run them. ( honestly? an icon )
then !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the crown got a lil tired of just paying for the information whenever myriam thought to give it , especially because she was incredibly expensive, and offered her an honorific title and a position as the mistress of whispers. so , she’s known frequently as lady myriam and is an extremely effective member of the small council. i love her so much.
MORE TIDBITS
people still refer to her as the starling
she’s incredibly accomplished ( and often jokes that in another life she would have passed for a very convincing noblewoman – much like what she’s actually doing. )
worst resting bitch face you’ll ever see in your LIFE
( my queen tbh ) she’s actually very kind but masks it behind all of this persona and i’m just so ?? she’s super passionate. i love her.
when she gets angry it’s that kind of quiet anger that is so scary.
incredibly good under pressure.
biting wit and incredible overuse of sarcasm
loves animals??
dresses like the most Extra woman in the realm but looks good doing it
she has loved one (1) man in her life, and he occupies so much space in her heart. in my mind it’s a nobleman from westeros and it’s just very clear that them ever being together isn’t going to work. but he brings out the softer side of her, and that’s terrifying. get me with that star-crossed nonsense. ( i might or might not turn this into more of a connection later, but i’m not completely sure yet ).
extreme fear of vulnerability & a lot of repressed trauma that she struggles to deal with and is emphasized by the fact that she very much exists alone.
she’s become rather disillusioned with westeros and how petty and foolish it can seem at times, but she’s bound by her duty to the crown ( and values her head more than she wants to go home )
she still offers up her personal services occasionally, if she thinks that there is an opportunity available in doing so.
if you think of the best parts of varys and the ,,,,,,,,, not shitty parts of petyr baelish, you might get an idea of how she conducts business.
pretty damn bi
CONNECTION IDEAS
SKINNY LOVE - i mean? if you’re interested in this kinda connection that i mentioned earlier, hmu?
EMPLOYEES - be it the girls she employs in her brothels ( she never calls them whores or anything that men would use to demean them , merely her ‘girls’ ), other people she has in her pocket to gather information from, or one of the madames of her brothels away from king’s landing - - i’m all for these sneaky connections.
FORMER AFFAIRS - myriam has done a ton of traveling so it’s very likely that she’s seen quite a few westerosi lords ( and ladies ) in her day. the seriousness of these affairs is entirely up for plotting.
