Jon Leygood

Jon Leygood is a follower of the Faith, in service to The High Septon of the Starry Sept of Oldtown.

## Appearance and Character

A man of modest build, taut lips and hard brown eyes. Jon's hair is raven-black in colour, short and well-kempt. A stubby nose is the first thing that draws attention when one observes his creased face. More often than not, he is resplendent in chainmail and his traditional cloak, emblazoned with the heraldry of the Faith. Like his master, he is stingy with words, but this is moreso because of his deficiency in the art of rhetoric. Although no hulking behemoth or fabled hero in the use of arms, Leygood is a man of honour, integrity and piety, as befits a knight of his station, deviating from absolutely none of the standards imposed upon him by the doctrines of the Faith.

## History

Born in 96 AC to Axell and Roslyn Leygood, Jon was consistently overshadowed by his elder brother from a young age. Born a sickly child to begin with, his ebbing health was greatly concerning to both the maesters tending to him and the parents themselves. Whatever form of mental debilitation had burdened him, it turned every day of his life into a battle for survival. Through the medicinal arts of the caretakers, or perhaps the sheer willpower of the child, he pulled through, with some difficulty. Yet the scars of these challenges permanently marked his person. At the training yard, he was a feeble thing, arms loose and weak, posture floundering, footwork slow and lazy, strikes predictable and languid. During the lessons with the scholars, his mind proved unable to grasp even the most rudimentary of subjects, frustrating the teachers to no end. In court, he was prone to flushing and falling to bouts of stammering. All these and more, Damon, his brother, helped mitigate through constant, unwavering practise and a guiding hand. While he still turned out no martial prodigy, he held his own in combat to a barely competent level. Even if he couldn't delve into advanced scholarly matters, he quickly began to understand the basics. He wasn't the charming noble everyone looked up to, but he learned to keep his mouth shut and only loosen his tongue when necessary and without trouble. The two siblings forged an unbreakable bond with one another, even if the majority of the attention was always on Damon - a true prodigy, a fiery storm during the training of arms, blessed with sharp wits and a silver tongue. All his tutors showered him with praise, in awe of the young man's talent and affinity for greatness.

As the years passed, so did the latter's reputation grow, while Jon sat in the shadow - all content, actually. He never desired publicity, and he was content with pursuing the sole, true thing he loved doing: reciting prayers and reading the scriptures of the Seven. In the vastness of the religious books he found solace, companionship and peace. It would become obviously apparent that he planned to dedicate his life to the Faith. Prior to that, in 108 AC, he was torn away from the amenities of his family when the latter sent him away to squire under Ser Edmund Rowan. The work proved arduous, and it would not take a skilled master to realise that the boy was reaching the bare minimum needed to be a knight, in the aspect of martiality itself. Even so, he was knighted in 113 AC, a few months short of when Ser Rowan passed away himself.

He did not immediately return to his home, however. A group of roaming Warrior's Sons found him along the road, and Leygood fell in love with their purpose at once. To have heard of them was one thing, and to see and listen to their speech was another. Utterly devoted and filled with burning fervour, he was swayed by the promises of divine glory and honour, and opted to follow the group instead. Recruited by the warriors, the reason soon came clear. After a few weeks of wandering the countryside, helping the poor, protecting the septons of the Reach from ruffians and bandits, they reached Oldtown. It was the beginning of 114 AC. The High Septon, a man he had only known great things about, uncovered to them his plan to bring righteousness on the lands of the Westerlands and Riverlands. The Targaryens had rotten the Realm for far too long, and it was time for some of these kingdoms to rise up in rightful fury. Blinded, as most young ones are, and clinging to every word of this deceitful orator, Jon Leygood gave his sword to the cause right away.

The rebellion sparked, and he was there in every prominent battle, on the side of Marq the Cobbler, clashing against the authority of Westeros. Although he was of fairly limited use in direct conflict, he developed a skill for medicine and was considered one of the head healers of the cobblers throughout the revolt. That, alongside the fact that he possessed steel plate armour (which most of his comrades didn't) impenetrable by most forms of arrow fire and bladed weapons, went a long way to ensure his survival and the demise of his adversaries. During one such clash near the end of the war, he was met by his brother, Damon, on the opposite side… although neither men knew. Jon's shield had torn into splinters during a skirmish a few moments prior, and now he carried with him one without heraldry that'd identify him as a member of House Leyton. His sibling, covered in the gore of his opponents, always one to favour a greatsword over a burdening protection, as he called it, was just as unrecognisable. The two struck into a duel while the cacophony of steel rang all around them. No matter all the experience he'd accrued and all the zeal in his heart, Damon was godly with his weapon. In two minutes, he'd managed to disarm the knight and fling him to the ground with a swift kick. Before he could raise the blade for the finishing blow… a crossbow bolt pierced his back, and Damon fell. Not a lethal blow, for he began to get up again. Not swiftly enough, it seemed - for his rival drew his dagger and shoved it in his neck, dealing the killing strike.

The ramifications of this went unknown, chiefly. Even as the war ended, Jon was unaware of his brother's death, or even participation. Only when he went back home did he discover that Damon had been slain on the battlefield, and on the opposite side. Even so, he never got to know that it was he who ended the life of his kinsman. He mourned with a broken heart, having lost a part of his soul and his only true friend. Knowing only of one path to deal with his grief, he joined the Warrior's Sons, in the service of the High Septon.

Years passed, and Leygood drowned his sorrow in apathy and a phlegmatic spirit. In 121 AC, he assisted the High Septon in gathering funds for the campaign, and progressively became a trusted advisor to the latter, until he was appointed as steward of the Oldtown Chapter in 125 AC.

Now, with the coronation approaching, he's made his way to King's Landing with his master.

## Family

* Axell Leygood - father (born 75 AC)

* Roslyn Leygood - mother (born 72 AC, deceased)
	+ Damon Leygood - brother (born 92 AC, deceased)

## META

Attribute: Sly

Social Status: Bannerman

Skill Points: 14

Skills: Finances (EDU #1), Medicine (EDU #2), Espionage (INT #1),  Counterfeit (INT #2)