Gerrald Bolling

Gerrald Bolling is the only son of the deceased Lord Alaric Bolling and current lord of Oldwood and Head of house Bolling. He was largely neglected and mistreated by his father in his youth, who favoured his cunning sister Laena. He married his teenage lover Marelyn Meadows with whom he had a daughter, Jocelyn Bolling, and one son, Rufus Bolling, before she died of issues relating to pregnancy.

## Appearance and Character

While once his hair was brown as common to people of the Stormlands, now it has whitened as he aged, leaving his brown eyes as the last remnant of his appearance in his youth. His body is large and trained by years of military training, although the aged lord has abandoned such pursuits in favour of his true passion for statecraft and governance.

Despite being a direct descendant of the Durrandon Storm Kings, Gerrald is content and humble man, believing those who follow ambition are brave though foolish. He prizes personal happiness and contentment over selfish gain, and despite his military passion in his youth he is a capable and passionate steward and applies logic, skill, and wisdom to issues. Similarity he commonly takes things at face value and has a habit of misunderstanding the greater meaning of people’s words. Since the death of his wife he has been prone to depressive outbursts and has been more or less emotionally fragile.

## History

Gerrald Bolling was born in 41 AC to Lord Alaric Bolling and Jeyne Morrigen. His sister, Laena, was born 2 years later.

In his childhood, Gerrald was a very timid boy. He spent much of his free time, of which he had much of due to his father’s lack of interest in him, reading and listening to the rants of maesters. This gave way to Gerrald‘s burgeoning passion for statecraft and histories that only served to push him and his father further apart.

The wroth Lord Alaric Bolling favoured Laena’s contentious ambition to Gerrald‘s good-hearted contentment. A strong rivalry burgeoned between them, climaxing in Alaric’s choice to send Gerrald to serve Lord Meadows as his squire in the Reach when he turned 10 to get him as far away as possible.

Gerrald’s experiences in Grassy vale were the most formal education he would ever receive. It was here he learned his swordsmanship and martial leadership that served him later in his life. As well, Gerrald‘s squireship forced him to learn to interact with others around him, teaching him diplomatic charisma that would help him in his lordship.

Another way Gerrald’s squireship affected him was by allowing him to befriend his fellow squire and future fellow lord Armond Caron, as well as his future wife, Marelyn Meadows, whom he fell in love with after several years of him quietly admiring her until the two officially met and finally eloped in 57, after some friendly pressure from Armond. This enraged Lord Alaric, who disinherited Gerrald in favour of Laena. Lord Alaric died suddenly a few days later, and Gerrald became lord of Oldwood as the nominal heir as the sudden death of his father left the succession unclear.

Gerrald returned to Oldwood, following his knighting some months later, alongside his wife Merelyn and his friend Armond Caron. While Armond had to return to Nightsong, Gerrald organized a more formal and proper marriage to Merelyn.

In his early years as Lord, Gerrald was a tool for many an ambitious courtier, a boy, barely a man, that had never been raised to assume the position of lordship, was now alone in a sea of advisors and courtiers. He had his sister, a woman even less of one than him a man, who was more prepared and educated in these matters, but he also had his advisors, men whom he could surely trust, right?

In truth, one of Gerrald‘s greatest help was his wife, who gave Gerrald much consolation In his hardest times, even as he grew to grasp the concepts of lordship. It was from one of these consolations that his first child, Jocelyn, was conceived.

Eventually, the young man who ruled Oldwood learned that the solution to his problem was the same one that he had used many years before: Education. Gerrald soon found enjoyment in his once stressful position, though his sister and courtiers remained a thorn in his side for many years.

Gerrald’s life continued not too eventful and happy until in 73, he received both his future liege, Edric Connington, and the son of his old friend now lord Armond, Clyve Caron, as squires. Gerrald taught them of warcraft and the histories he had studied in his youth, and grew attached to the boys as they grew into men. He did his best to teach them as well as they could, and answer any questions, usually Edric’s, that they asked him. Though this time was not the best for Gerrald, while it gave him his son, Rufus, it also took his beloved, dying to the complications of her final pregnancy. Gerrald withdrew from those around him for this time, mourning the death of the woman that had comprised his every want or desire for the last 30 years of his life. Even after returning from his solitary mourning, Gerrald was barely the same man. Commonly visited by episodes of depressive gloom, he would trap himself in his solar with few other than his daughter, and later his son, allowed entrance, and would take long and quiet walks around Oldwood, a habit he continues to this day

Gerrald did his best to teach his son, and where he couldn’t help, his daughter could substitute for him. Rufus grew up taught by Gerrald personally, who grew a special bond to his son, though the reminder of his beloved’s death that Rufus was forever placed a wedge between them. Many times Gerrald would have to rein in his son’s rampant eagerness and ambition, and he has made sure to mould Rufus into a great young man to follow his example, though making sure he keeps the mould has not gotten easier over the years.

Gerrald loyally fought alongside his Connington liege in both the Year of Skulls and Daggers and the Rosegold Rebellion, though he was quite withdrawn with the latter, seeing it as a cursed turn of events that he would have to turn on the people of his beloved, not to mention those he had once lived among and fought alongside.

Gerrald has since grown a distaste for warfare, and prefers neutrality in issues so as to not endanger his family or his lands, and instead finds his thrill in his ridership, a thrill he tries to share with his uninterested wayward son to little avail.

## Family

Alaric Bolling (deceased) - Father

Jeyne Bolling née Morrigan (deceased) - Mother

Laena Bolling (Born 43 - 55 years old) - Sister

Merelyn Bolling née Meadows (deceased) - Spouse

Jocelyn Bolling (Born 65 - 33 years old) - 1st and only Daughter

Rufus Bolling (Born 76 - 22 years old)