Brynden Vance

## Biography

Brynden was born the second son of Lord Martyn Vance, the spare to a great and noble house. As a boy, he was quick where his brother was strong, slender where Florian was stocky. **His voice was his greatest asset, low and booming, Brynden's father commented that it was the voice of a commander.** Brynden proved himself capable of wielding both sword and lance, but was deemed unexceptional.

Martyn knighted Brynden at eighteen, and immediately the young Vance scion left Wayfarer's Rest. Unsuited for the Kingsguard, and having no ambition to join the Night’s Watch, Brynden headed east in search of gold and glory. Birth matters little in the free cities, and Brynden found work their suited for his abilities. He served as a bodyguard to Illiphos Maegaan of Tyrosh for a decade, and **during that time he refined his talents as a noble, learning to play the lute and to dance in five different styles, a useful tool for wooing women and impressing the court.**

Ten years is a long time, and the fact of the matter is that Brynden was lucky to only sire one bastard during his stay in Tyrosh. Martyn, a boy who Brynden gave the surname rivers. By this time, he had learned that his brother had become a father to a third son, cementing in Brynden’s mind the knowledge that he would never inherit Wayfarer's Rest. He set about making a life for him and his son, and became a confident of the Archon.

But this tranquil life was shattered when Illiphos Maegaan was murdered. Tyrosh flew the dragon of Targaryen on its’ walls, and Brynden was thrown out of the Archon’s manse, having failed in his duty to protect Illiphos Maegaan. Enraged, Brynden sailed for Lys with Martyn in tow, looking for whores and a new rich merchant to serve. Medraro Rogare took him into his service, and he served beside the Head of the Rogare Family in the War of Unification.

Brynden fought fiercely at The Battle at Canahs, winning the friendship of Medraro. He was soon accepted into the service of the Rogare family, and sailed by Medraro side during the following The Battle of Widows.

The Royal-Lyseni approach towards the Targaryen army was slow, but unyielding, and quickly overran the numerous small outposts that stood in between them and the Targaryen-Tyroshi-Myrish host, claiming provisions and weapons at each. Daena Blackfyre commands each be further fortified, in case the need for a retreat arises. Leaving a quarter of her strength to secure the encampments, the Warrior Queen continues her march north in pursuit of the Targaryen forces. Brynden was left at one of these outposts. It was here he learned how to properly fortify an area. **Hours of digging trenches and strengthening walls taught him much about defensive measures and tactics**.

But their defensive measures were for naught. Raiders in the night blew hidden wildfire stocks in the fort, and it was only because Brynden was sent out ahorse to chase them down by the commanding officer that he didn't die. The explosion was strong enough that even a hundred yard from the fort, Brynden was flung into the air. He crashed unconscious to the ground, breaking several bones and rendering him unable to fight and in monstrous pain. He would spend the rest of the war shadowing the Blackfyre army, little more than a scavenger. He would survive the war, but his contract with the Rogare family didn't. That died alongside Medraro.

Following the war Brynden decided to travel Essos. He sailed from Braavos to Meereen, working alongside caravans as a guard. He brought his son along with him, and the boy grew to have a wandering spirit, never truly able to settle in one place. During these years Brynden made friends with a great deal of people, including sellswords and merchants. Traveling to the various cities of Essos made him appreciate the different designs each was built by. As the years passed, he read up on what would knock those walls down, **growing a vast knowledge on siege warfare and castles in general**.But nothing lasts forever. Brynden was in Myr when he heard of his father's passing, and the news shocked him. By then, his father's face was a blur, his nephews were names and naught else, and his home of Wayfarer's Rest was a distant, fond memory. Brynden set sail for home, a handful of companions by his side. He arrived in Saltpans in late 259 AC, twenty five years since he last he stepped foot in Westeros.

Once home, he was quickly married off by his brother who wanted a married alliance with lord Piper. Falyse Piper was the sister of Lord Alyn Piper, making his marriage an advantageous one for house Vance. The match bore three children. Benedict Vance, Marissa Vance and Eleanor Vance all came into the world screaming, hale and hearty. For a time, he knew only peace, and he was content to watch his family grow. His brother gave him a holdfast near Mummer's Ford, making Brynden a landed knight. He was content with this, and was happy to see his family grow as he entered the twilight years of his life.

At the onset of Durran's Defiance, Brynden counseled his brother to remain at his castle without committing to either side. Lord Florian Vance laughed in his brother's face, and declared; *"We shall join with Bittersteel brother, and our house will grow strong once more."*

Lord Florian Vance would not survive the conflict, nor would any of his sons.

The Vance force under Florian's marched to Pinkmaiden, joining with the Piper army, before they marched north to deal with Aemond Blackfyre.

After a long and fast paced chase, battle was finally had at Fairmarket. The leader of their force, his goodbrother Lord Alyn Piper rushed in with his full force, hoping to overwhelm the Prince of Dragonstone with brute force. Aemond expected it, however, and had lined the moats with flammable pitch.

Both of Piper’s flanks erupted in flame while a wall of spears greeted his front. Brynden was plagued by flashbacks, remembering the deadly use of wildfire all those years age. A charging cavalry force, led by Aemond himself, was soon at his rear. Florian Vance and all his sons died fighting on that field, and it was only because Brynden called to the Vance men to throw down their arms that they did not all perish that day. Five hundred Vance levies, and four of Brynden’s own kin died that at Fairmarket.

Brynden bent the knee to Aemond, not that he could do anything else, and rose as the new lord of Wayfarer's Rest, joining the rebel cause.

At the battle of Hag’s Mire, Brynden proved his valor to the Blackfyre army, fighting in the front lines. Though older then nearly every other soldier, he fought hard, killing a dozen of the enemy. With the Ironborn dealt with, the rebels marched south to deal with Bittersteal.

The Battle of Harrenhal was a grueling one, even by Brynden's standards. Brynden Vance served under his sister’s son, Lord Axel Tully during the fight. The battle was hard fought, and Brynden was wounded when a spearman killed his horse from under him. His brother, Ser Patrek Vance took command of the few Vance men left on the field, while Brynden was dragged off to a maester’s tent, where he would find that his leg had been broken. Brynden was grateful that the wound would not result in a maiming, though it was a near thing.

The war was won soon after, and Brynden returned home to Wayfarer's Rest as soon as he was able. Once word reached him of the bastard Rhaegar Rivers' appointment to Lord Paramount of the Trident, he raged for a good day and night. A kinslaying bastard to rule the riverlands, a boy king to rule the realm, Brynden returned home to bury his dead, wishing he had stayed and died in Essos.

By the time the Duel of the Dragons began, Brynden was settled into his role as Lord Vance. Still reeling from the previous war, Brynden sent only a hundred men and his bastard son to support the war, officially giving the reason that his levies had been ravished by the previous conflict. In truth, he didn’t want to waste Vance lives fighting for Lys, a city that meant little to the men of the Trident.