Orion West

Orion West, known later by the psudeonym Jasper Blackthorne and by the legitimized name Orion Blackthorne, was the Patriarch of House Blackthorne from the year 640AE until his death in 666AE. The circumstances that led to his ascent to Lordship was the subject of the long war known as the Century Spat that lasted for the entirety of his reign over the House and lasted decades after his death. 
Official documents state that "Jasper Blackthorne" was the sole trueborn son of Lord Edwin by his tenth and final wife, Faye Corbyjn. However, it is commonly thought (especially among the West's enemies) that "Jasper" never existed at all and that the name was an alias--that the boy was actually a bastard son of Faye's long-running affair with her husband's cousin, Deidrach Darkhand. 
Orion died in early 666AE , cut down in a skirmish by peasant Knox soldiers. He was succeeded by the elder of his twin sons, Gaheris.
== Appearance and Character ==
Orion was smaller and narrower at the shoulder than a common member of his Stormborn bloodline, perhaps owing to his mother's petiteness. Nevertheless he did possess the classic reddish hair and grey eyes of the Blackthornes. He had a round, boyish face that he kept throughout his life; he could not grow a beard and therefore usually went clean-shaven. As a youth, he kept his hair short and combed neatly to one side of his forehead; however, as he got older and the war progressed, he grew it to collar-length.
Orion was considered a brave and capable Lord by his followers; while not impressive either in terms of his physical or rheotrical leadership abilities, he was respected for his conviction and dedication to his House's cause, and for learning the warcraft that did not come to him naturally. He was obsequious as a younger man, folding in favour of Deidrach's orders, but over time began to resent the position he felt his parents had forced him into; he was known to fight with the Darkhand frequently, towards the end of both their lives. 
== Skills & Abilities ==
Orion's slight build made him a poor melee warrior, but through practice, he became an adept archer and was known to wield a customized hunting bow in battle.
== History ==
== Legacy ==