Raymun Caswell

Raymun Caswell was born second to Lord Ormund Caswell and Lady Alys Florent in 75 AC. He is a carefree young man, perpetually with a glint of mischief in his eyes.

## Appearance and Character:

Raymun is a well built man, a life of jousting and melees turning his naturally larger form to muscle. He has a powerful laugh, his comely face oft breaking into a smile at the smallest thing. He has long curly brown hair framing a strong jaw, usually covered in stubble. His eyes are bright and lively, sparkling at some jape he or one of his friends had said.

He is jovial, carefree and perhaps even absentminded at times, preferring to think on the lighter things in life than more serious matters. Despite constant pressure from his father to focus more on his ruling, he remains interested in jousting, drinking and fighting, perhaps in rebellion. He is found more often than not with a smile on his face, delighting in making his companions laugh or, more often than not, simply himself.

## History:

### Son of the Lawman (75AC - 88 AC)

Raymun Caswell was born only one year later after his elder brother Lyman Florent, though they could not have been more different. His was a happy birth, a rare one in Ormund Caswell’s history. Their elder half-sister was already 14, and they had little contact, but Lyman, Raymun and Criston became fast friends, with Criston born but two years later. Their father was not an unkind man by any means, but as Master of Laws at the time was certainly a stern one.

While Lyman received the worst of Ormund’s attention, there was certainly a large amount of focus on Raymun as well. Each son was expected to spend a certain amount of time under tutelage in the histories of the seven kingdoms, in the mysteries of the faith, and fighting in the yard. They grew up in King’s Landing, at least for the first few years.

From the beginning, Raymun’s attention wandered quickly. While Lyman and Criston proved able students, Raymun was more likely to be found climbing the rooftops of their manor, tending to the horses, or simply scrambling his way around the city. The master of arms, septon and maester quickly despaired of him, setting guards on him to prevent him from running off. Worse still, at least from Ormund’s perspective, his dalliances were beginning to affect his other sons, who would occasionally join him in his explorations.

Bethany Caswell would visit them often as well, both in King’s landing and Bitterbridge itself, where they would spend half their time. She became a frequent part of Raymun and Lyman’s adventures, clamouring through holes in fences and gawking at horses down in the town proper.

At the age of eight, Ormund had almost entirely given up on Raymun, focussing on ensuring that Lyman was taught the skills that would be necessary for a proper lord to learn. Raymun was given the option to come along, which he did on occasion, though he more often spent the time fighting or forced to attend lessons by the grizzled warrior Ormund had placed in charge of him.

### A Harsh Tutor (88AC - 91 AC)

When he was thirteen, Raymun was sent off to ward with one of Ormund Caswell’s friends, the stern, no-nonsense Brus Tarly. Lyman had already left a year earlier to ward with Lord Hightower, and whether or not Ormund warned Lord Tarly of Raymun’s temperment is not known. It was certainly an unusual pairing; the fun loving, mischevious boy sent to live with the grim marcher lord, with no kids his own age. It was fully possible that Ormund sent his son with the hope that Brus would finally mature him, and that Raymun would return an obedient and serious boy.

It was unsuccessful in that manner, but Lord Brus and the young Raymun did have one thing that kept them together, which was their love of combat. Despite his fun-loving nature, Raymun had not ignored his sparring lessons, and that left him in a good place to receive Lord Tarly’s instruction. It was a hard tutoring, with Lord Brus accepting little room for failure, but under his guidance Raymun’s fighting, riding and jousting improved substantially.

He did not lose his mischievous side however, and through the years the young lad and his imperious lord fostered an affectionate relationship, with Raymun viewing him as another father, certainly one more in line with his own interests. One of his greatest achievements, the young knight would later boast, was making Lord Tarly smile.

Not only did he ward, but also squired under Lord Brus, learning the responsibilities and duties of a knight from him. It was a similarly harsh teaching, expecting to wake up early and perform every task required of a squire. While it took some sharp lessons, he eventually began to perform his skills up to Brus’ standards, just in time for war to break out.

Where Lord Tarly went, he went, helping the lord with his armour and warhorse as expected, even as his home was fought over. It was in several battles that he conducted himself admirably, managing to slay several foemen in the heat of combat. After the war was done, Lord Tarly knighted him himself, in a small ceremony at Horn Hill. And so his fostering had ended.

### Life of the Spare (91 AC - 95 AC)

Tarly’s attention had turned the young carefree boy into a young carefree man, albeit with a love of horseflesh and the art of the joust. He sought out tournaments and practiced regularly, shmoozing with the young nobility of the reach and making fast friends of many of them, typically after knocking them out of a saddle, or being knocked out himself, and then mending any injured feelings over ale and wine afterwards.

The first tournament he managed to place in as a knight was that of Lord Edmyn Tully’s, where he placed third.

Despite perhaps his best efforts, he did start to become a knight of some renown as he circled the tourney scene, returning home at times to a disappointed and unimpressed father. When not at tournaments, he accepted invitations to the friends of his lordling friends, notable names like Leo hightower, Arthur Florent, and Edmund Rowan. When he did visit home it was to meet with his brothers and reconnect with old friends.

### Fire Changes All (95 AC - 98 AC)

It was in the year of 95 AC that two notable events happened. The most tragic was that of the fire that overtook the Caswell Stable. injuring several of the horses. The real loss was found in the charred remains of the building however, where the scorched corpse of Lyman Caswell was found, burned beyond recognition. Absent was the young stableboy Lothar Flowers, as well as Lyman’s prize horse.

The funeral was a grand and tragic affair, with many lords and ladies of the reach in attendance. It was the catalyst that finally lead to the reconciliation of Ser Raymun and his father, now that he stood to inherit bitterbridge, he promised to learn the required skills of ruling, though he would do it alongside his jousting and carousing.

Later in the year Dorian Tyrell was sent to Bitterbridge, to squire for the young heir to bitterbridge. He would find his mentor perhaps a little more absentminded than he would have liked, though he promised to became an able ruler, he still spent most of his days drinking and laughing with his fellow lordlings, when he was not jousting, fighting or attending tourneys. While Dorian got his fair share of sparring and horseback riding, the more cerebral skils of knighthood often escaped Raymun, only for Dorian to explain to him what he should be learning.

97 AC was the date of another tournament, that of Roy Baratheon in honour of the late Aemon Targaryen. Raymun Caswell performed ably, placing second in the joust, falling to a knight of house Toyne. Even without succeeding in the joust, Raymun Caswell still managed to meet a great many lords and ladies, drinking in the late hours of the day with many of them.

## Family

Ormund Caswell b. 38 AC

m. Lady Olenna Peake d. 65 AC

* Lynesse Caswell b 61 AC

m. Lady Alys Florent born 45 AC d 88 AC

* Lyman Caswell b. 74 AC

* Raymun Caswell b. 75 AC

* Criston Caswell b. 77 AC