Normund Torchblade

Normund "Torchblade" Lonmouth is the Commander of the Shadow Tower at the Wall. He is best known as a fanatical follower of R'hllor, and his wielding of a flaming greatsword has earned him the nickname Torchblade. Though Normund is a close friend of Lord Commander Cley Blackmyre, he currently plans to betray the Lord Commander's plans and kill the Three-Eyed Crow.

## Early Life

Normund Lonmouth was born as the second son to the Lord Lonmouth in 354 AC. Since he was never truly considered to be a possible heir, he was allowed to pursue his interests. He never wanted to rule anyways, being scared of too much responsibility. Instead the young Normund wanted to pursue fighting. The rush of adrenaline he felt in the training yard felt better than anything else to the boy. He would spend hours practicing, and became quite capable with two-handedswords.

His parents saw that he could grow up to be a capable warrior, and so his father made sure he became a squire, so that he could easily become a knight later in life. He was lucky enough to be accepted as a squire for Rhogar Velaryon in 249. Normund showed an aptitude for fighting, but it was Rhogar that truly helped him hone his ability as a fighter. He also taught him what it meant to be a true knight, and a noble warrior. Lessons that would stick with him for years to come.

## Knighthood and Fanaticism

Once Normund reached the age of six-and-ten, he left Rhogar’s squireship and returned home to the Stormlands. In order to truly prove himself as a warrior, Normund joined the army of Lord Baratheon, and due to his noble blood was able to quickly become a minor commander. His skill was enough to back up his position though, and it wasn’t long before he earned a knighthood.

Things seemed to be on the up and up for Normund, but that all changed when the Dornish Rebellion began. Seeking honor and glory, Ser Normund joined the Stormlanders marching to put down the rebellious Dornish lords. Unfortunately he found himself joining the March of Bones, with the army heading down the Boneway. He saw men falling left and right beside him as arrows flew down into the pass. One of his friends died in his arms, after taking an arrow to save Normund. He pressed on and survived, and managed to do well for himself in the war, but the experience of the March of Bones scarred him.

With the war over, Normund left serving in armies to try to recover from what he had seen. He questioned his faith, and how the Seven could permit such a loss of life. Looking for answers he went to a red temple to see if the Red Priests could give him any solace. He found community, purpose, and a new outlook on the world in the red temple. Normund converted to R’hllorism, and spent a year praying at, serving, and learning from the temple. He learned values of discipline and justice, and skills such as arson. Once he felt his soul had been healed and saved, Normund left the temple and wandered around the Stormlands as a hedge knight.

While before he wanted honor and glory, now Normund wanted justice and purity. He helped out the smallfolk whenever he could, and fought for what he deemed was right, instead of what brought fame and fortune. One day when stopping to rest a tavern, he witnessed a woman being forced to come home with a drunk man. Not being able to stand by and watch, Normund tried to get the man to back off. When he pulled a dagger, Normund pulled a greatsword. The man lost a head, and Normund gained a purpose.

Normund wandered about, protecting innocents by slaying murderers, rapists, and other people that he felt deserved nothing more than death. Some of the smallfolk came to respect and love him, others came to fear him as a crazed berserker. Eventually word got around about his activities, however, and the Lord Paramount didn’t appreciate a hedge knight taking such matters into his own hands. A warrant was put out for Normund’s arrest, and so he turned himself in. His punishment was to be sent to the Wall, where he could dole out justice to wildlings and be with other followers of the Red God.

## The Night’s Watch

When Normund arrived at the Wall and joined the Night’s Watch, he didn’t feel exiled or punished. Instead, in the presence of so many other followers of the Lord of Light, he felt at home and content with where he was. Due to his experience as a soldier and a knight, he did well in training, and was considered good enough to fend for himself in the frozen wastelands beyond the Wall, should the need arise. Therefore he was made a ranger, and sent to the Shadow Tower. A couple years later a young boy named Cley Blackmyre also arrived at the Shadow Tower as a ranger. Normund taught Cley what he had learned and acted as a sort of mentor.

One day when out ranging in 363, Cley and Normund went off with three other brothers to track down a band of wildlings. They were lead straight into an ambush, and the other three were massacred. Surprised and outnumbered, Cley and Normund managed to work together and save each other’s lives. The moment was harrowing and nearly killed them, but they came out of it having developed a strong friendship that would last for years to come.

In 368, the Commander of the Shadow Tower died due to sickness. Normund had made a name for himself at the castle, and was chosen to be his successor. During this time he gained a reputation for being harsh and cold, yet effective and honorable. He began to hone his skills and became an expert in arson, being able to light his sword on fire - a powerful symbol to the other followers of R’hllor. A few years passed, and the Lord Commander died. Normund travelled to Castle Black to help decide who would replace him, and nominated Cley, who had remained his friend even while he was the Commander of the Shadow Tower.

With his friend gone, Normund became a bit more reclusive. He started to spend more time reading old texts, and delving into the mythical. He read accounts of the War for the Dawn, and learned about a being known as the Three-Eyed Crow. While it seemed clear he was considered a great figure to those that followed the Old Gods, Normund saw something else in him - a servant of the Great Other. He confided his belief in this truth to only a few people close to him, who were also devout followers of R’hllor. He also confided that he meant to kill the Three-Eyed Crow, to ensure that the Great Other has no more servants left in Westeros. To finish what Beric Dondarrion, Azor Ahai, had started.