Royce Bolton

## Heir to the Dreadfort

Royce Bolton is the Uncle of the ruling Lady of the Dreadfort, Lady Lythene Bolton, second son of Lord Ryger Bolton and heir to the Dreadfort.

## Appearance

Royce is of average height and size. He has a plain, pale face which he keeps clean-shaven along with two pale, grey eyes. He keeps his black hair at medium length.

## History

Royce was born in 333AC, the second son to Lord Ryger Bolton and Lady Gysella Bolton née Dustin. Despite being a second son, Royce was brought up the same way as his brother Walton.

As a boy Royce was exposed to a great many of things, being shown
what truly goes on behind the walls of the Dreadfort, and learning exactly how to make such things happen. However, he took a different approach to things, finding his grandfather's ways to be foolish, wild and dangerous. Royce instead found "A peaceful land, a quiet people" a more reliable way to rule.

Royce as he aged grew to become more cold, calculated, ambitious and ruthless. The screams of the Dreadfort were as familiar to him as birds chirping in the morning. Being quiet and subtle also became a formality for him, his grandfather's random lashing out and episodes of madness causing him to be careful with each word said, the paleness of his eyes normally able to display enough to most men.

Royce did grow somewhat close to his brother however, or at least as close as he could to another person, the two forming an understanding bond planning to rule the Dreadfort together one day, ending all those who stood in their way. The brothers would hunt together in Bolton lands, even practicing the First Night, being as discreet as possible while they did.

When war broke out in the North in 350AC Royce took it upon himself, despite his young age, to help lead the Bolton forces against the mad man and Kinslayer Cregan Stark. During these skirmishes and battles he saw the men under his command as nothing more than pawns to use up and dispose of towards an end goal.

As the war carried on and Royce's cousin and Walton's wife, Kyra, was captured and raped by Cregan Stark. This drove both brothers to develop a burning hatred for the man as well as the offspring that eventually came, Eddard Snow.

With the death of Brandon Stark's son, he conceded the North. Many of the Northern lords called for the bastard of Cregan and Kyra to be placed as Lord, Royce and Walton's father Ryger one of them despite their calls against it.

When the Dreadfort was put to the torch by Cregan, Royce wanted nothing more than to exterminate the Stark line and place a new lord as Lord of Winterfell. When Rickon Stark abdicated the North to Eddard, Royce was not pleased, urging the allies of house Bolton and his father to continue to war though was ignored.

Annoyed with his father after the war he would take it out on
captives and those unfortunate enough to be captured by the Boltons, showing himself that he was capable of great cruelty. In the years after his father, Ryger, would pass from natural causes.

Years after the war Royce would marry Lady Barbara Glover. From their
 marriage would result in several stillborns, with the last child, born
in 364AC, being a boy named Mors Bolton. The marriage of Royce and
Barbara is a loveless one, though they tolerate each others existence.

When his brother Walton and nephew passed, leaving his daughter
Lythene as the next in line to inherit the Dreadfort, Royce promised
himself he would attempt to guide the girl the best he could and destroy
 the Stark line.

He however failed this as his grandfather Ramsay took it upon himself
 to tutor the girl. When Ramsay passed, Royce tried his best to change
Lythene, though seeing her sadistic ways and unstable state, he knew it
was too late.

Instead he took it upon himself to rule the Dreadfort in her name for
 the following years. He plans each day and night his eventual vengeance
 against the Stark line, whether they were related to him or not.

## Timeline

**333AC** - Royce is born to Ryger and Gysella Bolton.

**343AC** - Royce is taught about the ways of the Boltons, finding himself devoid of almost all empathy.

**349AC** - Royce and his brother Walton enjoy many hunts and practice the First Night discreetly.

**350AC** - War breaks out in the North. Kyra Bolton is captured and raped by Cregan Stark, Royce's hatred for the Starks begins.

**352AC** - Cregan puts the Dreadfort to torch. Royce wishes for the Stark line to be exterminated.

**353AC** - Royce urges for war to continue though it
ends despite this, the bastard of Cregan and Kyra is placed as Lord of
Winterfell. Royce is not pleased.

**356AC** - Royce is married to Lady Barbara Glover.

**359AC** - Walton and his son pass, Royce pledges to himself he will take care of his surviving daughter.

**369AC** - Ramsay Bolton passes and Royce begins to rule the Dreadfort in all but name until Lythene comes of age.

## Family

http://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=75sxy09cp&f=511732698400424259

## NPCs

Ethan Overton (43) - A brute of a man, normally found clad in his
steel armour and long time servant of Royce. He serves him loyally and
even fought with him during The Pack Wars.

Osbert (26) - Born the son of a man-at-arms he quickly followed in
his father's footsteps, working his way up to become a high member of
the Dreadfort garrison through less than honourable means. He would
follow any of Royce's commands, whether that even be killing a babe,
though his loyalty is bought with coin, not earned.

Olyvar (32) - The sniveling greasy sort. He manages the castle well
enough, but every once in a while you might walk into a leaky part of
the roof and some people who he happens to not enjoy have a tendency to
slip off the walls.

Rupert Whitehill, Captain of the Bolton Household Guard. (37) - Sent
to be a ward at the Dreadfort as a boy. Being shy as a child the closest
 thing he came to a "friend" was Royce, even going so far as to admire
him. Though the friendship was always one sided, Royce seeing the boy as
 nothing more than another puppet. A competent fighter and loyal to
death, he makes a more than capable Captain of the Bolton Household
Guard.

Maester Paxter (62) - Paxter has served the Boltons loyally for the
most part of his life. At first scared and shocked at what he found in
the Dreadfort, and while still disapproving of such activities he has
come to accommodate it, even assisting at times when asked.