Myrcella Codd

## Biography

### Childhood

Myrcella Codd was born in 257, to Harwin and Asha Codd as the heir to Codd Keep, the seat of the despised House Codd. Myrcella was born a product of incest, with Harwin and Asha being brother and sister, though the relationship was kept secret and officially her mother was Harwin’s rock wife, Helya. This could take place because nobody had visited Codd Keep and seen his sister for the months she was pregnant. Since all Harwin’s sons were from his salt wife, Myrcella became the heir to Codd Keep. ere returning to Runestone following a visit to their sworn house of Coldwater, in Coldwater Burn. Despite having been born a product of incest, Myrcella was considered a healthy child, and in time the only evidence of this was her longer and crooked nose. A few words here and there did escape from Codd Keep though about the true nature of her birth, and though it has never been proven, the rumor of Codds being incestuous has only been exaggerated and the stigma still surrounds Myrcella. In order to compensate for this misfortune, her father declared that she would be his heir, before his older son with his salt-wife.

As a young child Myrcella was taught not in the way of fighting and reaving as most Ironborn are, but rather in the way of tradecraft, as her father taught her that since their house was weak, small, and despised, they could not rely on strength to get them what they wanted. Instead they would have to be smart and form bonds of trade. Since the age of ten, she would spend a large majority of her time sneaking around and trying to get into places she shouldn’t, often to snatch and steal things that could be resold in a covert way to other children, under the nose of even her parents. This would later form the basis of her rise into the black market and Westeros’s underground world of crime and smuggling.

Duran’s Defiance

When she turned thirteen, Durran’s Defiance broke out and while her father went out to fight, Myrcella was left in charge of Codd Keep. Myrcella was frustrated with needing a regent while she had control of the Keep, and so she decided to try and get more power by interacting with her regent and advisor, trying to convince them to allow her more leeway. Although her ideas were of no use, her courtly behavior was able to convince them to tutor her some in the better ways of how to rule her land, which they realized would also become invaluable in the future.

During this time with her father away, Myrcella found new freedoms away from his ever-vigilant eyes. She knew about her cause of birth; the way her mother/aunt acted around her, the rumors that floated around, and the hints her father dropped had heightened her suspicion to the point of confirmation. Figuring out her incestuous creation fueled her curiosity though, and soon she snuck off with her salt-brother Theon to experiment in the idea while her father couldn’t find out about it. Also during this time, she took advantage of her newfound freedoms so that she could sneak off and find adventure. During one of these escapades she took a small raft out on her own to see how well she could row, but unfortunately a storm came, and she crashed on the hard-rocky shore. This incident served to make her lose both vision in her right eye due to a rock, and faith in any gods.

Involvement in the Black Market

When her father returned home from Duran’s Defiance and her family was stripped of their flagship, Harwin Codd went into depression and became withdrawn. He no longer seemed to care for his family, and much less Codd Keep. Seeking to support Codd Keep since her father wouldn’t, she left home in search of a way to form connections, making use of the lessons she had been taught. Her mothers, both the true one and the official one, were worried, but not knowing where she had gone off to, couldn’t do much about it. Her first stop was Oldtown, hoping this large city could provide some opportunities. While wandering around in the streets looking for something that could help, she happened upon a rather shady looking man with odd wares from far lands. She introduced herself and wondered where he got such things. He explained to the young Myrcella that he worked for the black market, and he explained how it worked. Intrigued Myrcella asked if she could help with it, in exchange for the ship she had taken from the docks of Codd Keep and its small crew. The black market dealer happily accepted.

As Myrcella was brought with the black market dealer around with him helping him make deals and keep track of finances, she proved herself to be a natural magnate, and soon he started teaching her how to get around the law and how to actually acquire such goods. In exchange for the help she gave, she was rewarded with plenty of coin, coin which she could bring back to Codd Keep.

After seven years working in the black market, Myrcella had gained a name for herself and had been working independently, finding a niche for herself in the procurement of illicit or exotic goods for sellers, though sometimes she took to selling directly. After these seven years she returned the Iron Islands with a chest full of coin only to find her father had died and the lordship of Codd Keep had passed on to her.

Recent History as Lady of Codd Keep

Following her father’s death, her true mother committed suicide out of grief. This double loss saddened Myrcella deeply, but her brother Theon was there to comfort her. They hadn’t forgotten about their experimentation, but at the moment their relationship remained platonic. She took her experience in the black market and made Codd Keep a free port of exchange for the black market as long as she would get payment and could oversee the deal directly. Soon she was the one directly purchasing stuff, only to sell to dealers across Westeros. She would only occasionally visit the other parts of the Iron Islands, preferring to focus on their own problems rather than the concerns of the people that despised them. Recently though, now that Codd Keep has become internally stable, she’s gained her people’s respect, and she has a firm position in the black market, she has decided the time is right to expand and get involved in the politics of the Iron Islands. She only hopes that her reputation won’t prevent her from making House Codd a great power that will eventually shed their reputation, even if she must first use atypical means.

## Timeline

* 257 Born to Harwin and Asha Codd, a product of a secret incestual relationship.
* 264 Begins studying tradecraft to further her house through means other than violence.
* 267 Begins stealing and sneaking around, selling things she shouldn’t to other children in private.
* 270 Durran’s Defiance breaks out and Myrcella Codd is placed in charge of Codd Keep underneath a regent.
* 270 Myrcella becomes curious about the circumstances of her birth and begins experimenting with her salt-brother.
* 270 Myrcella loses an eye in a boat crash and become atheistic.
* 271 Leaves Codd Keep trying to support the hold and ends up in the black market.
* 278 Learns that her father has died upon return to Codd Keep and becomes the head of her house.
* 281 Decides the time is right to expand House Codd’s power and influence.

## Household and Living Family

* Theon Pyke - Older Salt-Brother
	+ Gift: Berserker
* Sargon Pyke - Younger Salt-Brother
	+ Gift: Clever
* Helya Codd - “Mother”
	+ Gift: Bureaucrat
* Dagon Pyke - Dock Master
	+ Gift: Autodidactic
* Euron Pyke - Castellan of Codd Keep
	+ Gift: Towering