Mara Vaith

Lady of Vaith

The Iron Throne

**Mara Vaith** is the Lady of the Red Dunes and the Mistress of Coin. After a decade of successfully expanding the economy of the town of Vaith, she earned the attention of King Viserys' Small Council, and was appointed Mistress of Coin in 129 AC.

## Appearance and Character

Tan skin, dark hair and brown, almond-shaped eyes plainly reveal Lady Vaith's Rhoynish heritage. She stands at an above average height with a slender frame, and always tailors her appearance to suit the occasion; at the Red Keep she tends toward decidedly Andal fashions.

Though naturally sociable and charismatic, the Mistress of Coin is more effective as a listener than as a speaker. A strong sense of empathy allows her to easily develop agreeable relationships with new acquaintances, even when irreconcilable differences linger. She has a good mind for mathematics and management, though her ambitions are often hampered by a lack of vision. In her work, Mara strives toward wealth and productivity for its own sake, and often fails to notice other opportunities.

## History

### Shifting Sands

Mara Vaith was born in the First Moon of 101 AC, amid the chaos of the War of the Setting Sun. That same year her grandfather, Lord Doran Vaith - long suffering of illness - finally passed, leaving Vaith to his eldest daughter, Ellaria. Under her leadership, House Vaith fought loyally and viciously for House Martell - first against the Stormlanders, and later against the insurrection led by houses Toland, Dalt and Santagar.

Mara's father, Selwyn Vaith, was among the conspirators, owing in part to his marital ties to the Santagars. With the help of his youngest brother, Edric, he successfully drove his elder sister out of Vaith and into exile. Ellaria, along with her surviving children, fled to the Free Cities, and Selwyn assumed the lordship of the Red Dunes with little opposition.

Though his greatest talent was in military organization, Lord Selwyn Vaith saw more potential in politics. He was keenly interested in cultivating ties beyond Dorne, and furthering his region's incorporation into the Seven Kingdoms. Believing that the favor of high lords and royalty could elevate his house's standing, Selwyn saw to it that his heir was thoroughly educated in the history and customs of the Andals. Mara's mother thus assumed the duty of instilling a sense of cultural pride into her children, ensuring that they remained Dornish even under foreign rule.

Conscious of her future, the young Mara briefly sought to emulate her father's talent for swordsmanship, riding and war - but in all of these regards she fell embarrassingly short. Nevertheless, she was easily embraced as a successor by Lord Selwyn Vaith; at an early age she proved a quick learner with a mathematical mind. Under the tutelage of her uncle Edric, Mara learned the fundamentals of commerce and finance, and by her adolescence she had begun regularly helping him with book-keeping. She further excelled at another overlooked aspect of lordship: speaking and listening. With growing confidence came growing charm; even as a child Mara endeared herself to courtiers and townsfolk alike.

### Sowing Seeds

Selwyn Vaith's diplomatic ambitions brought about an early betrothal between his heir and Ser Axell Merryweather, a nephew of the Lord of Longtable. Shortly after her seventeenth nameday the betrothal was fulfilled in a ceremony at Longtable, though her newlywed husband remained in the Reach for the better part of the next year. Their marriage was initially awkward, as Axell was a decade Mara's senior and decidedly foreign. It was their differences, however, that later brought them closer together; each partner's strengths seemed to compensate for the other's weaknesses.

A few years into their marriage, their partnership was put to the test: in 121 AC, Selwyn Vaith died of illness and left the Red Dunes to his daughter. With Mara already prepared for the administrative half of her lordly duties, it fell to her consort to fill the late Lord Vaith's shoes in all military matters. Though his foreign origins made it difficult for him to earn the loyalty of Vaith's men-at-arms, Axell Merryweather was more than adequate for the task. Less concerned with distant relations than her father, Mara shifted her focus to local affairs, and ultimately proved a better manager of the town than her predecessor. During the first few years of her rule, Vaith's economic prosperity dramatically improved.

### The Red God Riot

One pressing issue, however, had gone unresolved during Selwyn Vaith's two decades of rule. Worship of R'hllor had grown rapidly; by the time of Mara's succession, two-fifths of the townsfolk had embraced the Red God. Small skirmishes between worshipers of R'hllor and worshipers of the Seven had become a regular occurrence, though these were always suppressed by guardsmen under Ser Axell before they became too bloody. Both the lady and lord of Vaith pinned the blame squarely on the spread of the Red Faith, which they regarded as a dangerous, destabilizing element.

In 125 AC, Mara Vaith decreed that red priests could no longer publicly preach in the town of Vaith, and likewise banned all other open practice of their religion outside of the town's red temple. The next day a priest disobeyed this order, and his arrest prompted the town's most zealous R'hllor worshipers to amass a mob. When Ser Axell Merryweather attempted to suppress the riot, he was slain in the subsequent skirmish. Overnight the rioters seized and occupied the entirety of the town, much of which they razed, looted, or otherwise desecrated. Only the castle remained out of their control, and when reinforcements from the countryside arrived two days later, they joined forces with the castle garrison to retake the town.

### Recovery

Even as she grieved, Lady Vaith spared no time in restoring her town. But construction did not begin until one last building was demolished: the red temple. In the aftermath of the uprising, the Vaiths only furthered their suppression of the Red Faith. Worshipers of R'hllor were forbidden from any practice of their religion beyond private homes, and known followers faced both legal and economic discrimination. Though this policy initially hindered the town's recovery, it was counterbalanced with the arrival of new blood. Seven worshipers from settlements where R'hllor prevailed found refuge at Vaith, and the Orphans of the Greenblood were permitted to trade extensively within the town's walls.

Within a year, Vaith's economy had fully recovered from the damage of the riot - and within two, it had surpassed its previous heights. Lady Vaith's success earned her the attention of King Viserys' Hand, Aegon Targaryen, who recommended her as a replacement for the outgoing Master of Coin. In 129 AC, Mara Vaith arrived in King's Landing to assume her position on the Small Council.

## Recent Events

For her first few moons of service on the Small Council, Lady Vaith had kept a low profile as she learned to perform her duties. With the succession of Viserys' son Baelor, however, she now prepares to take on a more active role.

## Family

* Doran Vaith, Lord of the Red Dunes b. 44 AC d. 101 AC
* m. Danella Jordayne b. 45 AC d. 129 AC
	+ Ellaria Vaith b. 65 AC d. 116 AC
	+ m. Olyvar Vaith b. 66 AC d. 95 AC
		- Sarella Vaith\* b. 89 AC
		- Nymor Vaith\* b. 93 AC
		- Reyanna Vaith b. 94 AC d. 99 AC
	+ Trystane Vaith b. 70 AC d.
	+ m. Cassella Allyrion b. 66 AC d.
		- House Allyrion
	+ Selwyn Vaith, Lord of the Red Dunes b. 71 AC d. 121 AC
	+ m. Lia Santagar b. 83 AC
		- **Mara Vaith, Lady of the Red Dunes** b. 101 AC
		- m. Axell Merryweather b. 89 AC d. 125 AC
			* Deziel Vaith b. 120 AC
			* Elyana Vaith b. 122 AC
		- Joffrey Vaith b. 104 AC
		- Alysanne Vaith b. 109 AC
	+ Edric Vaith b. 78 AC
	+ w. Willow of Weeping Town b. 84 AC
		- Nate Sand b. 103 AC
		- Victaria Sand b. 105 AC
	+ m. Cedra Wells b. 89 AC
		- Dyanna Vaith b. 111 AC

*\*Exiled in the Free Cities; current status unknown*

## Skills

* **Attribute:**
	+ Diligent
* **Social Status:**
	+ Principal Bannerman
	+ Head of House
	+ Small Council
* **Skills:**
	+ Silver Tongue
	+ Networking
	+ Commerce
	+ Finances
* **Mastery:**
	+ Steward