Ethan Locke

## Lord of Oldcastle

**Lord Ethan Locke** is the current Lord of Oldcastle, and head of House Locke.

## Appearance

Ethan looks well for his age all things considered, his average-length hair is still mostly black though some clumps have now begun to fade to grey. The bags under his eyes thick set from a lifetime of sleep loss, and his eyes are dark and cold. He is tall, edging just over 6', and cuts a slim figure. His left leg almost always remains straight, and he often walks with a cane.

## History

Ethan Locke was born to Brandon Locke and his wife in 338 AC. Brandon was a veteran of the Second Targaryen Rebellion, and the lone survivor of a war that had claimed his other siblings. Brandon wasn't a legendary fighter, barely an adequate one actually, and had simply been lucky to make it. The guilt of being the lone survivor ate away at the poor Lord Locke, but his love for his children kept him strong for a time.

In 340, Eddard Locke was born. The two brothers were vastly different, right from the start, but they cared for each other as only brothers could. Along with their older sister, Lyarra, they enjoyed their youth. Eddard inherited Brandon's great love for his family, and oft dreamed of starting his own. Ethan instead focused more on his hobbies, as long as he could remember he was fascinated by majestic hawks and the sport of hawking. Ethan developed rather reclusive habits, tending to avoid people and stay away from court, however he adapted as he grew. Where he had once disliked conversing with the people, Ethan soon found himself enjoying them. Everyone was so quick to give up information to the young Locke, and this information-gathering became his fascination.

Jeor Locke was born at the dawn of 355, in doing so he claimed the life of Brandon's wife and pushed the broken man over the edge. Oldcastle descended into disrepair, whilst Brandon turned to drink and whores. The coffers began to run dry, so the Locke's borrowed. Brandon borrowed from anyone and everyone to manage his weaknesses, and soon became trapped in the idea that he had doomed his house. Ethan and Eddard raised the young Jeor whilst their father wasted away, and the three became very close whilst Lyarra moved away to White Harbour to be with her new husband.

Ethan met Meera Reed in 356, and they married shortly afterwards. It was not a marriage of passion, but the pair made it work. They had a boy, Harrion, in 357 and a second, Jon, in 363. Eddard became infatuated with Ursa Moss after meeting her at Ethan's wedding, and in a matter of months they too were married. Between 358 and 365, Eddard and Ursa had seven children. But tragedy would strike soon, and leave Ethan more detached from reality than ever before.

Following the birth of Eddard's seventh child, Rickard, a sickness spread through the Locke lands, claiming many. Both Ursa and Eddard tragically passed away from the illness, which tore House Locke apart. Ethan blamed his father for Eddard's death, believing that if they had had money for better medicine or Oldcastle was not closer to a ruin than a castle his beloved brother would have survived. In 367, Lord Brandon himself died after falling from one of Oldcastle's towers. The tower was not really fit to be inhabited so Brandon's death was put down as an accident, though noone saw the shadowy figure slipping away from the spire in the dead of night.

As the Lord of Oldcastle, Ethan began work on restoring the name of House Locke and managing the financial troubles his deceased father had inflicted upon them. All the while, he and Mira had to raise ten children. Sadly, there was only so much that could be done whilst money was so lacking. In the first ten years of Ethan's rule, six of Eddard's seven children either died or disappeared and never returned. The sole living child, named Bran, became bitter and confrontational but Ethan could do little to alleviate his woes.

In 370, Ethan and his little brother Jeor headed out into the wilds, for a day of hawking away from the joys of castle life. However Jeor's hawk was more of a wild beast than a noble bird, much like Jeor himself really. During the afternoon Jeor's hawk vicously attacked him, clawing out his eye and sending him reeling in pain. He was only fifteen but a strong lad and much bigger than Ethan so, when Ethan tried to help him with his hawk problem, he flailed and struck his brother with such force that he knocked Ethan's balance and caused him to tumble away down the hill that they were stood on. Ethan's leg was broken, and in such a way that it would never properly heal.

Knowing he would likely walk with a cane the rest of his life, Ethan set about finding agents to conduct matters that he no longer could. Coercion, bribery, and threats were his weapons of choice in the shadows. Many of the courtiers and merchants that Brandon had borrowed from had banded together to demand repayment of their loans. Weapons in hand, Ethan dealt with them all in one way or another. Those who proved too stupid or ignorant to back down often suffered unfortunate accidents, but the vast majority backed down from the fight after recieving a letter from Lord Locke or a visit from one of his men in the dead of night.

His land now clear of the leeches and sycophants that had watched or helped his father bring House Locke to it's knees, Ethan began to look outward to the rest of the North. He sought suitable matches for his children, and under this pretence established his information network across the region. Naturally Winterfell was the focus of these efforts, but his ears were everywhere over this period. Harrion took an interest to \_\_\_ \_\_\_ and, with Ethan's approval, they wed in 375. Together they had three children - Kyra, Artos, and Sansa. During a visit to Winterfell to check up on his agents, Ethan's son Jon met Jeyne Lake. After a short period of courting, they married and had two children - Rodrick and Zhoe - however Jeyne was a sickly woman and died in 384 only twenty years old. Jon did not take a new wife.

As Westeros was rocked by the Third Targaryen Rebellion, Ethan's liege and brother-in-law Wyllam Manderly called his banners and prepared to march south. Ethan sent much of his levy - under command of his brother Jeor, both his sons, and his nephew Bran. As the Frostborn departed, Ethan sent a group of his agents south with them. Under his direction, they did their best to sabotage Targaryen supply lines and weaken their hold on the Riverlands.

At the end of the war, the Frostborn returned. But not all who had left were with them. Bran Locke had lost his life, and so it was thought the line of Eddard had ended with him. However, following Corin Stark's victory at the Wall, Ethan learned his nephew Rickard - Eddard's seventh and youngest child, who had disappeared some fifteen years previous - had risen high within the Night's Watch and been given command of Eastwatch.

Ethan's wife, Meera, was the victim of a horrific accident at the turn of 398. She was unlikely to recover, and all of House Locke gathered around it's matriarch. Meera and Ethan had a pleasant relationship; but it was the motherly love and care that she had shared with her children, grandchildren, and brother-in-law Jeor that defined her. She died happy, surrounded by her family and her legacy.

Ethan now rides for Winterfell, accompanied by his grandson Artos, to distract himself from the loss of his wife with the twin *thrills* of politics and feasting.

## Timeline

* 338 - Ethan is born to Brandon Locke.
* 357 - Ethan marries Meera Reed.
* 357 - Ethan's son Harrion is born.
* 363 - Ethan's son Jon is born.
* 365 - Eddard's wife dies, Eddard himself dies shortly afterwards.
* 367 - Lord Brandon dies, Ethan becomes Lord of Oldcastle.
* 370 - Jeor and Ethan go hawking, Jeor loses an eye and Ethan's leg is injured beyond recovery.
* 390 - Harrion, Jon, Brandon (Eddard's son), and Jeor lead the Locke men in the third Targaryen rebellion. Brandon dies, and Jon is severly burned.
* 392 - Ethan's granddaughter, Kyra Tallhart, dies after a brief period of illness.
* 398 - Ethan's wife has an accident and is bedbound for many weeks before succumbing to her injuries.
* 398 - Jeor leads the Locke men to war, but returns quickly after war is evaded.

## Quotes

* "Is it better to be trapped in a small cage but never know there is an outside, or walk outside the cage only to be captured and forced to live in it?" - Ethan, to Jon Barrowstark.
* Frail, certainly, but there was a solid quality to him. A ruthlessness, perhaps. - Jon Barrowstark, regarding Ethan.

## Family

http://www.familyecho.com/?p=V3E26&c=ghdo1ozrla&f=296039798561637931

## Supporting Characters

* **Harrion Locke** - Gift: Agent - Ethan's firstborn son and the heir to Oldcastle. He takes after his father in many ways, and is a key component in many of Ethan's networks. He is the designated regent of Oldcastle, and will rule in Ethan's stead if he is ever absent.
* **Artos Locke** - Gift: Berserker - Harrion's son, a wild lad without an ounce of the subtlety of his father and grandfather. He is kept distanced from espionage matters, but cares only for a good fight. He has expressed interest in travelling to the disputed lands and signing on with a sellsword company.
* **Sansa Locke** - Gift: Benevolence - Harrion's daughter, the polar opposite to her brother Artos. Her quiet voice, and gentle features, exude an aura of kindness that win over the hearts of many.
* **Jon Locke** - Gift: Duelist, Negative: Deformity - Ethan's second son, Jon is a skilled warrior and veteran of the Third Rebellion. He often accompanies his father and acts like a stalwart bodyguard. In his time at war he suffered a facial burn that defines his sharp face.
* **Jeor Locke** - Gift: Strong - Ethan's younger brother and the Master-at-Arms of Oldcastle. Jeor leads the men of House Locke in battle, and handles most military matters of the House. He lost his eye in a hawking accident in his youth.
* **Rickard Snow** - Gift: Fertility - Ethan's deceased nephew Brandon's bastard. Thought to be the last of his brother Eddard's line until the resurfacing of the bastard's namesake - Rickard Locke - in the Night's Watch. He is a minor player in Ethan's schemes, and a good dogsbody.
* **Maester Kyle** - Gift: Autodidactic, Negative: Old Age - The maester of Oldcastle, a well learned old man with many links on his chain. It is a strong possibility he could be summoned to the Citadel if a vacancy opens on the council of archmaesters.
* **Vayon** - Gift: Agility - Ethan's spymaster, Vayon is a twisted man with a penchant for violence and torture. He runs Ethan's spy ring at Winterfell