Arys Caswell

## Lord of Bitterbridge and Defender of the Fords

Arys Caswell is the Lord of Bitterbridge and the Defender of the Fords. He is twenty-four years old and currently the head of House Caswell.

## History

### Childhood

Much of Arys' youth was spent in Bitterbridge, serving as a page to his father and the knights of the court. House Caswell has always been different from the other major lords of the Reach - their wealth comes less from the farms they rule and protect, and more from the tolls received from people using the Bitterbridge, and the traders who sell their wares upon the road.

Because of this, Arys met many different people as a boy, from great knights and noble lords to rich merchants and poor farmers. His exposure to all walks of life led to a humility that is ingrained deeply within him, a humility that was nurtured by his father, Uric, in an effort to mold the second son into a better tool for the first.

The two boys never got along - where Arys was quiet and unassuming, Ulfred was bold, brash, and proud. As boys Ulfred took special delight in treating Arys cruelly, though he rarely did so in public. Arys was not often believed when he spoke of his elder brother's abuse - and so he became all the quieter, only further fueling the situation.

Arys had always been a quick lad, both physically and mentally. Where his brothers struggled with horsemanship, much to the chagrin of their father, he took to riding with natural aptitude, feeling at ease upon a horse more than anywhere else. At eleven he was sent to foster with the family of his mother, Marianne Tarly, in Horn Hill. Though he was loathe to leave his home he had little choice - and in the year 357AC he arrived in the southern Reach.

Beneath the tutelage of House Tarly Arys swiftly grew in prowess as a swordsman, practicing for hours each day in the hills and meadows of the region. His love for the Faith deepened as well beneath the careful tutelage of one Septon Raymund, who taught him the value of all life, and that good dwelt in everyone.

### Knighthood

At sixteen Arys Caswell returned to his father's house, a man fully grown but not yet a knight. He spent the next few years serving within the household, riding on patrols with the other men to guard the roads leading into and from the Bridge. In 363AC he was knighted by his elder brother Ulfred, at the request of their father - an act that sat poorly with him ever since. He felt he had not earned his knighthood, and indeed abhorred the fact that his brother Ulfred had been the one to bestow it upon him. Because of this he refused to participate in any tourneys, despite their popularity in the Reach.

### As Lord of Bitterbridge

Lord Uric died in 369AC - some say from grief over the loss of his favoured son. Upon his passing Arys was named as Defender of the Fords, as per tradition and the laws of succession, and immediately whisked south to swear fealty to the Tyrells. Upon his return home he had little idea of what to do with himself - and thus left most of the administrative work to his mother, Marianne, whilst he continued to serve upon the roads as a knight errant.

## Family

* Lord Uric Caswell [Deceased]
	+ Lady Marianne Tarly
		- Ulfred Caswell [Deceased]
			* Lady Roslin Redwyne
				+ Owen Caswell
		- ***Arys Caswell,*** Lord of Bitterbridge and Defender of the Fords (24)
		- Tarah Caswell (22)
		- Rohanne Caswell (20)
		- Lucias Caswell (19)
		- Josian Caswell [Deceased]
* Megga Caswell
* Janna Caswell