House Ackerman

"**We Stand Ready**! These are our words." – **Lord Petyr Ackerman**

### Heir

William Ackerman, Robb Ackerman, Katherine Ackerman, Jamie Ackerman, Fredd Ackerman

### Allegiance

House Fossoway, House of Hornvale, House Hoffman, Knights of Garth, House of Altmore

## Strength

### Military

180 men; 80 archers, 60 knights, 40 bannermen

### Navy

60 ships; 40 ketch, 20 brig

**House Ackerman** is a knightly house of **Cornwall**, the coastal region on the **West of the Eastern Watch**, bordering **Portlands** and **Hampshire**. They hold fealty to the **House of Normundy**, and are vassals to the **Crown**. Their lands are located in **Cornwall**, and consist of a patch of land known as the **Ackerwood Forrests Belt** with it's seat watching the **City of Valentine** from atop a hill, **Ackerman's Keep**, built over the ruins of a lighthouse garrison atop the hill. They are are landed knights and keep strong ties to the noble house, **House Fossoway**.

The Ackerman sigil is three bats on royal red background with black borders. The three bats signify the three bats Ser Petyr slayed protecting **Lord Olton Fossoway** in a bat attack during a royal hunt.

## History

### Origins

The founder of **House Ackerman** is **Ser Petyr Ackerman**, father of **Lord Randall Ackerman**, who protected and saved the life of **Lord Olton Fossoway**, his liege lord and a **Noble Lord of Portlands** during a bat attack between the royal hunt of the king and noble lords of **Portlands** and **East Watch**.

The **Bats of Cave Aroh** were rumored as guards of bat god in local myth, **Lord Aroh**, protecting the region from wilding attacks by knights and hunters of the sacred forest, bordering the **Cave of Aroh**. While **Lord Olton Fossoway** pleaded for mercy from the three bats attacking him, a young man jumped into action in defending the lord from death. As the larger group of fighters arrived, Lord Olton Fossoway stood bitten and scratched, with the young man's sword covered in black bat blood, with a nobleman as witness to his fearsome fighting skills. Lord Olton claimed to have been saved by the young man who bravely killed large bats, each half the size of a horse. And for his valor, the young man was knighted by the king, and took on the name, "**Ser Petyr of Ackerwood**".

Following the event, later in mid of 231 CE, during a royal travel to the northern coastal regions of Portlands, the region fell victim to a rebel ambush, and the company fell under attack and engaged in combat. During the attack, Ser Petyr slayed the rebel leader, ending in the rebel attack with the rebels becoming prisoners. To see the region guarded, Lord Olton Fossoway appointed Ser Petyr along with twenty men to guard the **Ackerwood Forests**. Following the **Wedding of Woodsville** in late 231 CE, the region was decorated as a wedding came to pass, which also became a rebel target, where Ser Petyr sprung into action, defending the newly wedded couple, Lord Olton's daughter and son-in-law.

Ser Petyr was rewarded with the patch of land, the ruins of **Bale's Town** in **Ackerwood Forrests**, and took on the formal name, "**Ser Petyr Ackerman**", and subsequently founded **House Ackerman** in 232 CE, taking on the three bats he slayed while defending Lord Olton Fossoway as his sigil.

Following the foundation of House Ackerman, Ser Petyr along with his men took charge of the former lighthouse garrison atop the cliff, watching over the ruins of Bale's Town, and reconstructed the garrison on its ruins with a towerhouse at its mount, renaming it **Castle Valentine**, while reconstructing the city of Bale's Town with the help of **House Hoffman** and its builders and stone masons, renaming the town as the **City of Valentine**.

### Rise to Power

#### Strong Alliances

Later in 232 CE, following the demise of Lord Olton Fossoway due to **spring flu**, he was succeeded by his younger brother, **Lord Elton Fossoway**, who kept strong ties to Lord Petyr Ackerman with the marriage between the two houses. Lord Petyr married **Lady Alice Fossoway**, sister of Lord Elton Fossoway, gaining strong ties to the noble house.

In 234 CE, during the **Battle of Hornvale**, Lord Petyr marched down east with forty strong men, and participated in the battle alongside his liege lord, Lord Elton Fossoway, where he slayed the rebel commander, **Captain Yarwyck** and fifty or so men, earning him the title, "**Ser Petyr the Knightslayer**". Following which, House Ackerman became allied with other knightly houses such as **House Merryweather** and **House of Hornvale**.

#### Siege of Fossoway

In Late September 234 CE, following the Battle of Hornvale, Lord Elton Fossoway fell victim to the ***Black Lizard Poison***, falling into paralysis, with the leadership of **House Fossoway** victim to attack, Lord Elton's distant cousin and brother-in-law, **Captain Austin**, who leads a mutiny against the members of the house and imprisoned the Lord Elton Fossoway alongside the acting **Lord of Fossoway**, **Lord Patterson**. Captain Austin with his men and the **Knights of Garth** takes command of **Fossoway**. Word reached the land, and **House Ackerman** alongside House of Greystone, House Merryweather, House of Hornvale, House of Altmore, and House Blount of Eastshire marched for Fossoway.

In Late September of 234 CE, Lord Petyr with eighty men and **Lord Jon of Hornvale** with a hundred men arrive outside Fossoway, building a trench to surround the stronghold with only two entrance, keeping Fossoway at siege, while House Merryweather, and Houses of Greystone and Altmore arrived around Late October, a month passing the siege. While the siege lasted for two months, a group of resistance inside Fossoway freed Lord Elton, hiding away in his war camp, a towerhouse on the mount hill of Fossoway. Lord Petyr devised a plan to enter the mount hill through a secret passage with twenty of his elite cavalry men, leaving the rest of his men under the command of his nephew, **Ser Randall Ackerman**. Followingly in Early January 235 CE, Lord Petyr waged on the mount hill with his twenty cavalry riders, killing off the rebel soldiers, and saving Lord Elton Fossoway. Following the save of Lord Elton Fossoway, Lord Petyr sent message to Lord Albus of Greystone to arrive through a tunnel and enter the city with his closest men.

Lord Petyr along with half-healed Lord Elton and Lord Albus, alongside their numbering hundred men attacked the city from inside, while Lord Petyr's men opened the gates for the outer army to enter. In January 235 CE, the three month long Siege of Fossoway ended with the tactical planning of Lord Petyr, and subsequently, Captain Austin with his men were executed in the **City Square**. For his loyalty to House Fossoway and Lord Elton Fossoway, Lord Petyr was rewarded with **Lordship of Ackerwood Forrests**, and his surviving sixty men were rewarded with knighthood.

#### Allegiance of Garth

Following the **Siege of Fossoway**, Lord Petyr with his sixty knights alongside House of Hornvale marched on the **Stronghold of Garth**, placing it under siege. After cutting Garth of food and water supply, a ruthless plan orchestrated by Ser Randall Ackerman, the Knights of Garth surrendered after three weeks of deprivation of water, and the **Commander of the Order** alongside his lieutenants were executed and their heads piked on the walls of Garth's Stronghold.

With no leader, Lord Petyr Ackerman appointed his nephew in command of **Garth's Stronghold**, who took on the formal name, **Lord of Garth**, taking the allegiance of the **Knights of Garth**.

#### Nothing to Riches

Following the Siege of Fossoway and Garth, Lord Petyr with his anointed knights returned to Ackerwood Forrests, and subsequently with the assistance of **House Hoffman**, constructed a port town by the northern coast of Ackerwood Forrests, bordering the region known as **Portshire**, naming it **Collinsport**, after the man who died of spring flu while constructing it, past time his death cautions.

Collinsport connected the routes to Portshire and Valentine, becoming a route of trade for House Ackerman, following which, Valentine became a merchant city and a market of spice, herbs, wood, marble, cotton, white steel swords, and spring flu medicine. While, gaining the attention of merchants, Collinsport also became target to mercenary attacks, following which it became a harbor of naval ships, where House Ackerman stored its naval strength, for defense of the port and its seat. And by 237 CE, House Ackerman became a known house in the Portlands, Greenlands, East Hills, and South Vale, a rich knightly house.

To protect Collinsport, and claim a safer route, Lord Petyr Ackerman appointed his daughter, **Lady Katherine Ackerman** in command as **Lady of Collinsport**, and along send anointed knights of House Ackerman, with members of his household with her.

#### Vassals

Following the Sieges of Fossoway and Garth, the men who died saving the lives of Lord Elton Fossoway and later that of the twins, Ser Jamie and Ser Fredd Ackerman in battlefield, Lord Petyr Ackerman rewarded the men after knighthood by giving them a small patch of land in **Ackerwood Fields**, a towerhouse and farmstead, the family of dead were rewarded with honor, and the living head formed a vassal house, **House Goodbrother** in 235 CE.

To ensure safe command, Lady Katherine Ackerman with the permission of her father formed a vassal house in Collinsport, **House Bernard**, in honor of the man who wounded himself during a failed assassination attempt on Lady Katherine.

## Household

* Lord {**Petyr Ackerman**}, the Founder of **House Ackerman**. **Lord of Valentine** and **Lord of Ackerwood Forrests**.
	+ Lady {**Lily of Seville**}, his first wife. **Lady of Valentine** and **Lady of Ackerwood Forrests**.
		- Lord {**William Ackerman**}, their first born. Lord of Valentine.
			* Lady {**Ola of Hornvale**}, his wife.
				+ {**Jon Ackerman**}, his twin son.
				+ {**Jorah Ackerman**}, his twin son.
				+ {**Corlys Ackerman**}, his son.
		- Lord {**Robb Ackerman**}, their second born. Lord of Valentine.
			* Lady {**Annalise of Hornvale**}, his wife.
				+ {**Kevan Ackerman**}, his son.
				+ {**Susan Ackerman**}, his twin daughter.
				+ {**Quentyn Ackerman**}, his twin son.
		- Lady {**Katherine Ackerman**}, their third born. Lady of Valentine and **Lady of Collinsport**.
		- Ser {**Jamie Ackerman**}, their twin fourth born. **Knight of Valentine** and **City Guard Captain of Garth**.
		- Ser {**Fredd Ackerman**}, their twin fourth born. Knight of Valentine and **City Guard of Collinsport**.
			* {**Penny Belmore**}, his fiancé.
		- Lady {**Joanna Ackerman**}, their fifth born. Lady of Valentine.
	+ Lady {**Alice Fossoway**}, his second wife. Lady of Ackerwood Forrests.
		- Mistress {**Mary Ackerman**}, their twin first born.
		- Master {**Elton Ackerman**}, their twin first born.
		- Mistress {**Lysa Ackerman**}, their second born.
		- {**Ramsay Ackerman**}, their third born.
	+ Lord {**Randall Ackerman**}, his nephew. **Castellan of Valentine** and **Lord of Garth**.
		- Ser {**Oliver Ackerman**}, his son. Knight of Valentine.
		- Lady {**Jeyne Ackerman**}, his daughter. Lady of Valentine.
		- {**Boyd Ackerman**}, his stillborn son.
	+ Ser {**Lorys Ackerman**}, his nephew. Knight and City Guard of Valentine.
	+ Maiden {**Roslyn Ackerman**}, his niece.

## Retainers

* Ser {**Benjen**}, Master-At-Arms at **Castle Valentine**.
* Maester {**Otto of Garth**}, Tutor and Counselor at **Castle Valentine**.
* Lady {**Dorothy**}, Handmaiden of **Lady Alice Fossoway**.
* Ser {**Hansel of Newtown**}, Guard of Lady Alice Fossoway.
* Ser {**Hansel of Newtown**}, Guard of **Lord Petyr Ackerman**.
* Ser {**Roderick Seaborn**}, Guard Captain of Lord Petyr Ackerman.
* Ser {**Elton Goodbrother**}, Guard of Lord Petyr Ackerman.
* Ser {**Anthony of Newtown**}, Guard of **Lord Randall Ackerman**.
* Ser {**Jeremy**}, Guard of Lord Randall Ackerman.
* {**Jen**}, Cupbearer of Lord Randall Ackerman.
* {**Bella**}, Bedwarmer of Lord Randall Ackerman.
* {Bella}, Bedwarmer of **Ser Jamie Ackerman**.
* Ser {**Albus of Portshire**}, Cupbearer and Guard of **Lord Robb Ackerman**.
* Ser {**Donnel**}, Guard of **Lord William Ackerman**.
* Ser {**Osfryd of Altmore**}, Guard of **Lady Katherine Ackerman**.
* {**Olly**}, Cupbearer of Lady Katherine Ackerman.
* Ser {**Tom Page**}, Cupbearer of Lord Petyr Ackerman.
* Ser {**Oliver Goodbrother**}, **City Guard of Valentine**.
* Ser {**Jacob Hoffman**}, **City Guard Captain of Valentine**.
* Ser {**Kevan Stockwell**}, **City Guard Commander of Valentine**.
* Ser {**Anthony Hoffman**}, City Guard of Collinsport.
* Ser {**Bernard of Portshire**}, **City Guard Captain of Collinsport**.

## Vassals

* **House Bernard** of **Collinsport**.
* **House Goodbrother** of **Ackerwood Forrests**.

## Prominent Allies

* **House Fossoway** of **Portlands**.
* **House of Hornvale**.
* **House Hoffman** of **Portshire**.
* **Knights of Garth**.
* **House of Altmore**.