Gwayne Templeton

## Knight of Ninestars

**Gwayne Templeton** is the Knight of Ninestars and wielder of the Valyrian steel sword Devotion. A pious man and a skilled warrior, he experienced a strong religious awakening following the Bleeding of the Realm, taking a holy vow of celibacy and devoting his life to serving the Seven.

## Biography

He was born as the middle one of three children and the only son of Ser Lymond Templeton and his wife, Lady Alayne. Expected to inherit swathes of lands and incomes as well as the noble legacy of Ser Luceon Templeton, the knight of legend who slew the heathen King Robar in the tales, Gwayne was brought up to be a warrior. As he came to adolescence he began showing signs of a scholarly disposition, growing curious of less mundane things and becoming burdened with strange and heavy thoughts. His father and master-at-arms congratulated his tendency towards wisdom, but made sure that he never gave up his studies in the martial arts.

As a part of his courtly upbringing he and his family attended a tourney at Ironoaks, in order to show the young heir one of the cornerstones of knightly sport. What later became known as a "tumble" rather than a tourney somewhat upset the boy, as his uncle, Gerold Templeton, a paragon of virtue in many Valemen's eyes, was slain in the tilts by a knight of House Royce. Gwayne developed a mistrust of the Royces and most other Houses that claimed descent from the First Men, which was later reaffirmed by his experiences in the Bleeding of the Realm.

He learned to wear **heavy armor** from a young age, and he heeded his master-at-arms and the septons who taught him the code of **chivalry**. By the time he was nearing manhood, Gwayne had become apt with many forms of combat both on the saddle and off of it, but above all he preferred to swing **two-handed swords** with furious might. Gwayne dreamt of becoming a true knight, and ever since he'd been a child he had known that it took more than swordsmanship to be one. That is why he never abandoned his intellectual pursuits, dedicating time for reading the Seven-Pointed Star and caring for the horses at Ninestars personally.

Gwayne was conveniently at the height of his young life when the time came to test him. He had just become a man but still squired for one of his father's household knights, a sign of the virtues of humility and patience, according to Gwayne's teachers, but he could ride his own horse, swing his own sword and catch the ladies' eyes well on his own. A knight in all but name. Thus he saw Lord Arryn's call to arms as a chance to prove himself as a champion, and to ride to war and return home as a true knight of the Vale.

The war had a promising start for the young man as he joined the Vale host that secured the northern banks of the Trident. Gwayne learned much about both offensive and defensive **tactics** in the battles of Darry, first arranging the **engineering** of rafts that would carry the Valemen across the river, and then seeing to **fortifying** their defensive positions when they had to retreat after the first unsuccessful assault. After the second one succeeded thanks to the reinforcements led by Lords Waynwood and Belmore, Gwayne joined forces with the two lords in chasing a host of northmen up the Kingsroad. This chase ended in a disaster, however. Both lords were slain, their host was scattered and Gwayne was taken hostage.

The Boltons weren't known for their hospitality towards prisoners of war, and Gwayne learned this the hard way. He was escorted back to Moat Cailin and put in a dingy old cell, and if this wasn't enough, the men-at-arms made a habit of degrading and insulting him for sport. The foulest blow was when they let him know that his father, Ser Lymond, had fallen on the battlefield, which riled Gwayne's temper so that he became violent towards his captors whenever he had the chance and refused to eat or drink in protest. Knowing that Gwayne would fetch a hefty ransom if returned alive and unharmed, his gaolers fed him by force, and failing to do so, they turned to more vehement means to make the prisoner comply.

It went to the point that a group of particularly unpleasant men-at-arms seized him one night and forced themselves upon him. Whether out of personal frustration or in an attempt to torture him without leaving any marks, Gwayne was held down and humiliated in the worst way that an aspiring knight could be. Thoroughly shaken and traumatised by the experience for the rest of his life, Gwayne's temper eased and was replaced by a deeply rooted fear which he tried to counter with extreme piety.

Gwayne spent the rest of the war in the darkness of Moat Cailin's dungeons, praying for release. It eventually came as peace was made and he was ransomed back to Ninestars. He returned as something lesser than a man, but to hide this fact and to find comfort amidst his miserable existence, he swore a vow of celibacy and dedicated his life to serving the Faith.

After he had returned home and assumed his position as the Knight of Ninestars following his father's death, Gwayne spent most of his time in prayer and rumination, leaving many of the more mundane tasks of his fiefdom to others. If anything, many of his subjects found their new master's martial prowess and newfound piety **inspiring**, and Gwayne's interpretations of the Seven-Pointed Star were often more convincing than those of the septons that had taught him all about it when he had been a boy.

## Timeline

374 AC: Birth

380 AC: Begins his education in knighthood

381 AC: Witnesses the death of his uncle, Gerold Templeton at the Tumble at Ironoaks

383 AC: Begins showing signs of scholarly aspirations

390 AC: Squires for a knight of the Eyrie and masters his martial skills

393 AC: Answers Lord Arryn's call to arms and follows his knight to the battlefield; fights in the battles of Darry

394 AC: Taken captive by northmen after losing a battle at the Kingsroad; experiences horrible torture at Moat Cailin while being held for ransom; father is slain by Lord Manderly

395 AC: Religious awakening and subsequent ransom back to Ninestars; returns and assumes his position as the new Knight of Ninestars

400 AC: Although he spends much of his time in prayer and meditation, his people still respect him as a pious inspiration

405 AC: Accompanies Lord Vardis Arryn to Casterly Rock for the council

## NPCs

* Ser Anson of Coldwater - Master-at-Arms
* Ser Ryles of Stonyhead - Warrior (Blunt Weapons)
* Emmett the Feltmaker - Warrior (Polearms)
* Ser Denys Dutton - General
* Ser Hugh of the Haftwood - General
* Septa Melicent - Medic
* Septon Walgram - Castellan