House Royce of Runestone

**House Royce of Runestone** is an old and powerful noble house of the Vale, sworn to House Arryn. Their seat is the ancestral castle Runestone, located on the coast of the narrow sea north of Gulltown.

The Royce's of Runestone in recent times have been considered cowardly for turning their backs on the rest of the realm and eventually the Vale itself.

## Seat

***Runestone***  The seat of House Royce of Runestone in the Vale of Arryn. It lies on a peninsula north of the Bay of Crabs, east of Redfort and south of Old Anchor. Runestone is on the northern shore of the peninsula, the nearby city of Gulltown is on the southern shore.

Runestone was the ancient seat of the Bronze Kings of old from House Royce. After defeating seven Andal longships during the Andal invasion, King Yorwyck VI Royce placed the heads of his slain foes along the walls of his castle. The Royces eventually submitted to House Arryn after the death of King Robar II Royce in the Battle of the Seven Stars.

## History

### 300-320 AC.

Yohn Royce passes before he gets the chance to face the Others, leaving his son Andar Royce as Lord of Runestone. Andar does as his father wished and raised the Royce Army, to fight against the undead. Andar spent the better of ten years fighting a war, his wife would spend those years living in the bloody gate where he'd return for only weeks every few years.

### 320-330 AC.

Andar returns home after hearing of the Vale's independence, which he strongly disagrees with. Andar heads home to Runestone for the first time in years, only to leave a month later, this time with his son Brynden. They are attacked by the undead days after they reach the Riverlands, forcing them to attempt to retreat towards the Vale. Unfortunately, neither of them survive leaving House Royce under Brynden two-year-old child, Edmyn Royce.

### 330-350 AC.

The remaining Royce army return home, where they are allowed to disband by Lady Ryella Royce, the daughter of the late lord Andar. She takes over as regent for Runestone, where she made sure House Royce stayed out of the remainder of the War for the Dawn. As Regent, she and her advisors tried to rebuild the Royce Army in case the dead broke past the Gate. She also ordered the construction of countless forts and holds near the entrance of their peninsula, She also ordered the construction of a small port near Runestone along with a few ships in case they needed to flee towards Essos. In 346, Edmyn Royce became sixteen allowing for him to take his rightful position as lord of House Royce along with marrying one of his distant cousins, where they have their first child, Tywin Royce.

### 350-380 AC.

Edmyn Royce visits the Eyrie, marking himself down as the first Royce to do so since the death of Lord Andar Royce. Edmyn spends the better part of a decade attempting to mend the relationship between his house and his fellow Valemen. Edmyn dies in his sleep shortly after his son, Tywin is married. Tywin, unlike his father, cares not for his fellow Valemen, seeing as how hard his father worked to please then to little avail. He tries his best to instill the same values into his three children, Theo, Cassana, and Halys. He dies on a hunting trip leaving his son, Theo in power.

### 380-399 AC.

Theo and his wife welcome his first son into the world just days after his father's death, Jasper Royce. While this was not their first child, it was their first son. Theo finds himself at odds with his brother over how he's raising his children and how he's interacting or lack thereof with his fellow Valemen. This causes the two brothers to no longer speak with one another for years, even after Theo grows ill and bed-ridden. Mya Royce, his eldest daughter, and regent attempts to bring the two together only causing Theo's only son Jasper to despise his uncle for not trying to make amends with his dying brother. Shortly before 400 AC Lord Theo Royce dies, leaving his son as Lord of Runestone.

## Recent Events

### 400 AC.

House Arryn and its bannermen are invited to the tournament at Seagard as a gesture of goodwill, something Jasper doesn't believe seeing this as a possible attempt at pushing the Vale back into the Iron Thrones fold or something far worse.