Discord Name: Lake#9538

Name and House: Lyonel Baratheon

Age: 36

Cultural Group: Stormlander/Andal

Appearance: Clean shaven, unlike many of his kin, with incisive blue eyes and black hair cut shorter.

Gift(s): Subversive

Skill(s): Swords (M), Armored, Sabotage

Talent(s): Hunting, Falconry, Discretion

Negative Trait: N/A

Starting Title(s): Lord of Storm’s End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands

Starting Location: King’s Landing Alternate Characters: N/A

Bio:

Early on the eve of the twenty-second day of the second moon of the 273rd year after Aegon’s Conquest, rain lashed the walls of Storm’s End as Florence Tyrell bore an heir to her husband and the Lord of Storm’s End, Boremund Baratheon. The squalling babe would be called Lyonel. His eyes were piercing blue and a tuft of straight black hair crowned his head.

The atmosphere in Storm’s End in 273 AC was electric. Not even a decade before had King Aemon I Targaryen stripped from Storm’s End the western half of the Stormlands, from the Slayne to the ruin of Nightsong. They would be ruled from Summerhall, by the descendents of Aegon Targaryen-- the King’s late brother. Lord Boremund watched with mounting anger as the taxes of the Dondarrions and Swanns and Selmys paid for a castle to be built on the lands of Summerhall. Utterance of their family name was tantamount to the blackest curse, sure to send the Lord into a fierce rage.

It would be from Lord Boremund that Lyonel learned of anger and how useful it could be. He learned his father’s hatred of the Targaryens, but another lesson as well from his mother: subtlety. Florence Tyrell was a beautiful and quiet woman, but fierce in her own right. She maintained an orderly household, and solved disputes between her children decisively. When she got angry she grew quiet, where her husband was prone to explosive anger. Each had its own benefits, and each its own drawbacks. Lyonel internalized these lessons, even from a young age.

His keen insight gave him a gift where it came to dealing with people. At times he had great intuition, oftentimes he characterized them as bad feelings or good feelings. Vagaries that he attributed to luck. All the same, it gave him confidence. He began to exert himself as both a competent fighter and a clever, subversive opponent.

His father Lord Boremund negotiated after his twelfth name day to send him to the Eyrie to squire under Lord Robert Arryn, a prestigious arrangement as Lord Robert was much admired in the Vale at the time. His skill at-arms was well-known, and it was that that attracted Lord Boremund’s attention. Upon his departure via ship Lord Boremund instructed his son to learn well, for one day they would reclaim the Marches and like as not it would not be a peaceful reclamation.

With that weighing on young Lyonel’s mind, he arrived in Gulltown sobered. An honor guard of knights of the Eyrie escorted him to the most improbable castle he had ever seen-- the Eyrie. He set to work learning how to be a knight from its lord, and the following few years passed. He attended Lord Arryn wherever he might, learning from the Master-at-Arms of the Eyrie and from Lord Arryn himself how to hold a sword and how to don armor. His skills grew, and he was a good pupil of Lord Robert.

In 289 AC he achieved his knighthood from Lord Arryn, one of the high points of his life thus far. At that time, however, Lord Arryn was only dimly aware of a growing courtship between Lyonel and his daughter Melissa Arryn. The two were close enough that the newly-knighted Ser Lyonel felt emboldened enough to make the request of Lord Arryn to marry his daughter. Lord Arryn wrote to Lord Boremund, and his father assented to the match. They were then betrothed, and Ser Lyonel returned to Storm’s End late in 289 AC not only with knighthood but with a betrothal to a lady of one of Westeros’ most powerful and prestigious noble houses. Lord Boremund was overjoyed at his son’s stellar performance and threw a great feast in celebration of Ser Lyonel’s return.

It would only be a year before conflict returned to the Stormlands for the first time since Ser Lyonel reached adulthood. Lord Boremund dispatched his heir and two hundred swords to Griffin’s Roost, though both lord and heir remained cagey on their purpose-- it is left a mystery whether they were to join with Lord Connington or play the role of peacemakers. The Conningtons had moved on, however, and Ser Lyonel arrived from behind in time to see the last of the fighting between the Targaryen Princes and his countrymen of Connington, the field of battle strewn with bodies including those of Prince Rhaegar, the loathsome man who had begun the whole illicit affair, and Lord Jon Connington, the aggrieved party. Lord Boremund offered the hand of his second son, Davos, to the new Lord Connington’s sister. They wed shortly thereafter in a more somber ceremony.

The year following, 291 AC, Ser Lyonel and Lady Melissa Arryn wed in the sept at Storm’s End. Lord Boremund held a grand tourney, though he conspicuously did not invite any of the dragon’s blood into his halls.

Their wedding soon proved fruitful. Lady Melissa bore a son to Lyonel, which he named Robert in honor of her father who had taught him how to be a man. Robert was a strong boy from the beginning. His two brothers Edric and Raymont would follow in 293 and 295, respectively. The boys got along well, and it seemed things were happy and healthy in Storm’s End until just prior to the end of the century.

In 296 AC his mother’s family, the Tyrells of Highgarden, arranged with Lord Boremund to squire a son of their house with his own heir, and so Ser Lyonel was introduced to Gwayne Tyrell. Gwayne proved exceptionally talented as time progressed.

The Dornish once again called for aid with regards to an increasing problem with pirates in the Stepstones in 299 AC. House Baratheon had before answered this call, and Lord Boremund called his banners to help again. The Baratheon host sailed out to assist, but infighting between the Dornish broke the cohesion of the allied fleet and the pirates sailed through the gaps and shattered it. Lord Boremund would be claimed by arrows, and the pirates boarded his ship until Gwayne Tyrell, Ser Lyonel’s squire, lead Baratheon men to reclaim it and the body of Lord Baratheon. In recognition of his heroism, Lyonel knighted Ser Gwayne in the field of battle before ordering the ships of Tarth and Estermont to return to their harbors. He sent word south-- the Stormlands would not bleed if the Dornish would fight each other more than the pirates. The Dornish continued their infighting, and Lord Lyonel withdrew all aid.

He set about ruling the Stormlands by plotting to follow his father’s course. Lord Boremund lived to see the Stormlands reunited, and it became Lord Lyonel’s goal as well. His mother was a Tyrell, and his cousin the Lady of Highgarden. His brother-by-marriage was the Lord of the Eyrie. If ever a time existed that he might achieve that ends, it would be now. He sealed a deal with the Lord of Castamere to ward his heir in Storm’s End, an opening maneuver in his silent war with Summerhall.

Timeline:

273 AC: Lyonel Baratheon is born.

285 AC: Lyonel is sent to ward with Lord Robert Arryn of the Eyrie.

289 AC: Ser Lyonel returns to Storm’s End a knight and betrothed to Melissa Arryn.

290 AC: Ser Lyonel rides out to Griffin’s Roost with 200 swords to see what’s the matter with Connington, his brother is wed to Lord Connington’s sister in the aftermath of the Griffin’s Quarrel.

291 AC: Ser Lyonel weds Lady Melissa Arryn. Their first son, Robert, is born afterwards.

293 AC: Edric Baratheon is born.

295 AC: Raymont Baratheon is born.

296 AC: Ser Lyonel takes Gwayne Tyrell on as a squire.

299 AC: Lord Boremund Baratheon is slain by pirates in a battle botched by Dornish infighting. Lyonel knights Gwayne Tyrell for recovering his body, and withdraws Stormlander backing in the war against the pirates.

300 AC: Takes on the heir to Castamere as a ward.

309 AC: Heads to King’s Landing.

Family Tree:

https://familyecho.com/?p=START&c=187ucua0zuv&f=676963988223467385

Supporting Characters:

Ser Robert Baratheon (Warrior - Swords)

The heir to Storm’s End, Ser Robert is a brute of a man-- he is strong, he has his grandfather’s temper, and he is dangerous in a fight.

Ser Raymont Baratheon (Tourney Knight)

Raymont, Lyonel’s eldest son and the newest-made knight in the family, has a love for tourneys. Perhaps, some say, it is his mother’s blood that causes this. In any case, he can often be found on the lists.

Ser Alyn Buckler (Master-at-Arms)

Ser Alyn hails from Bronzegate, a relation to the lord of the castle and a skilled swordsman in his own right. Lord Boremund retained his services as Master-at-Arms, and he trained many of the Baratheon children.

Ser Royce Baratheon (General)

The most noteworthy of the Baratheon cousins, Ser Royce displayed a keen mind for warfare in the short time that the Stormlands supported the Dornish against the pirates in 299 AC. Recognizing that, Lyonel put his uncle in charge of Storm’s End’s levies, should they be called.

Maester Branston (Scholar)

Branston is the maester of Storm’s End, a leal servant to the Baratheons for decades, nearly since the beginning of Lord Boremund’s reign.