Aladore Crane

Ser Aladore Crane is the younger brother of Lord Ellard Crane, Lord of Red Lake, and Castellan of Red Watch. He is an avid jouster of great renown and loved by both the smallfolk and nobility.

## Appearance and Character

Aladore is blonde of hair, taking after his mother, a Rowan of Goldengrove. His skin is unembellished safe for a small scar on his right cheek, courtesy of some bandit. He keeps his face clean shaven so as to accentuate his sharp jawline and angular facial features. His eyes are of a bright blue that light up whenever he smiles or laughs - which he is prone to do, for he is a gregarious man, eager and willing to drink and be merry with whoever seeks his company.

Aladore is a tourney knight through and through, and as such he is mindful of his appearance, for what are tourneys if not an opportunity to impress fair ladies and fellow knights with intricately fashioned suits of plate and mail? His armour is polished to a blinding sheen and the sigil of House Crane -- a vee of cranes -- is inlaid into his breastplate with gold. His greathelm is crested with silken white and blue plumes. He spends much of his money on the newest fashion from King’s Landing and Highgarden, prancing around in doublets and surcoats of differing colours, from light greys to warm blues and yellows. His hair is curly and he lets it flow freely, making him look a few years younger. He owns a cloak of light blue wool, with the sigil of Red Lake stitched into the cloth.

Aladore is a gregarious man, liked by men and women, smallfolk and nobility alike. One moment he can trade bawdy jokes with his armsmen and servants, and the next he is found strolling the gardens, a pretty lady holding onto his arm, and talking about the pretty flower arrangements and the art of playing the woodharp. Under his amiable exterior, however, hides an envious and wroth man, jealous of his older brother, and prone to fits of anger when in the privacy of his chambers or his dungeons.

The castellan of Red Watch fits in perfectly with the courts of Highgarden and King’s Landing, as he has a natural talent in hiding his true intent behind flowery words and compliments, often succeeding in dispersing any suspicions about his person and ambitions.

## History

Aladore was born the second son and fourth child of Ser Alyn Crane and his wife, Lady Rosamund Rowan. He had many siblings -- some legitimate and some bastards -- but among them are Ellard Crane (b. 104), Melara and Meredyth Crane (b. 106) and lastly, Leonette Crane (b. 112), his closest confidant and friend. A happy and carefree lad in his youth, Aladore soon grew envious and jealous of his cousins, which was no surprise as tensions between Lord Lyman’s and Ser Alyn’s line had always been high.

At the tender age of eight, he was sent to ward with House Beesbury as part of a trade deal struck between the two Houses. As was commonplace amongst young nobles he would first serve as a page to his knight, and it was at Honeyholt that he learned to play the woodharp and the lute, how to compose songs and the intricacies of courtly manner. Aladore was also taught how to fight and hunt, how to hawk and ride. It soon became apparent that he was a natural prodigy in riding and while it wouldn’t be until he turned ten and four that he would be learned how to properly use a lance on horseback, he spent much of his time in Honeyholt further polishing his skill in the saddle.

In 122 AC he was named squire to Ser Anders Dayne, lord consort of Honeyholt, and it was only now that Aladore truly had an opportunity to impress others with his skills, both in the yard and the ballroom. Whereas before he had barely made an impact on any of the castle’s inhabitants or its goings-on, he soon had a close circle of friends and dazzled many a young lady with his charms. Among them was Lady Beony Beesbury -- his knight’s granddaughter -- for whom he would write many poems and songs, whose favour he would wear in tourneys and with whom he could oftentimes be seen, arm in arm, strolling the gardens of Honeyholt. It was even said that the two shared a few kisses, but there was never proof for these rumours.

He was known for his quick tongue and his wit, throwing out backhanded insults one moment and compliments the next. As mentioned before, riding had come naturally to Aladore, and he only further honed his talent by frequently riding out to hawk or hunt for small game. Falconry is still among his many hobbies and he keeps two peregrine falcons at Red Watch. Aladore had always been a natural leader -- courtesy of his confidence and charms -- inspiring and drawing in the people around him; and as such, it should not come as a surprise that it was he who would generally be in charge of his companions and the mischief they got up to. He was knighted in a grand ceremony, not a fortnight before his first and twentieth birthday and soon after he made his way up north towards Red Lake, a place he had once called his home, but that he had not seen in over a decade.

## Recent Events

### Castellan of Red Watch

Back at House Crane’s ancestral seat, a stout castle nestled against the gentle slope of a hill overlooking the Red Lake, he was awarded the title of a “Castellan of Red Watch” by his cousin, and he took up the title gladly. He was joined there by his sister Leonette, a young and gentle maiden of ten and seven years who he had written to regularly during his many years spent at Honeyholt, and even though they had scarcely seen each other during their time apart, she was still as close a friend to him as she had been before he had left, and their bond grew only stronger over the course of the many moons they spent in each others company at Red Watch.

It was also at Red Watch that the anger and cruelty bubbling within Aladore began to truly take shape. He would oftentimes need to ride out to do battle -- or rather skirmish -- with the highwaymen and bandits roaming his fief, and while initially, he did so gladly, hungry for a chance to prove himself as young men his age are want to, he would soon grow to despise his duty more and more. As a consequence he began to take his anger out on any unfortunate souls that got captured by him or his men. And while his methods of interrogation were quite effective, it was said that even some of the more experience armsmen stationed at Red Watch wretched at the sight of the poor souls that had fallen into Aladore’s clutches.

### The Fire of Red Lake

The Great Fire of Red Lake, however, was the event that changed Aladore’s life the most - which was no surprise, for it took only one night and a terrible fire to not only kill Lord Gaemon but also Lady Rhaena, the heiress to the Crane lands. Not three days after the terrible event, Aladore was summoned to Red Lake by his father, the new Lord Crane. Lord Alyn had assembled most of Red Lake’s bannermen, knights and minor lords sworn to the family, and even the most distant branches of House Crane -- such as Ser Alesander and his many sons -- had followed his call. In a move unseen and unprecedented, he gave up the title and castle in favour of his eldest son, Ellard Crane. Furious over his father’s decision Aladore returned to his holdings and fiefs, to stew and ponder over his next moves, all the while preparing for his impending departure for Oldtown.

## Family

https://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=ioywu6y3uw&f=301458729197646772

## Meta

Aladore has 10 in CHA, 5 in COM, 4 in INT and 1 in STA. he has a rep of 4. his skills are Silver Tongue, Leadership, Riding, Interrogation. Aladore‘s attribute is Gregarious and his Mastery is Champion.