Elric Bolton

## Lord of the Dreadfort

Military commander

**Elric Bolton** is the Lord of the Dreadfort and head of House Bolton. An impressively large man, standing at over seven feet and three hundred pounds, he is easily one of the biggest men in the Seven Kingdoms. Additionally he is deadly with a bastard sword and a hardened leader on the field of battle.

## Appearance and Character

Elric is massive. He is a giant. A monster. His eyes are pale blue, appearing almost white in the right lighting, and dark brown, greasy and thick, unkempt hair falls to his shoulders.

If it's not the Lord of the Dreadfort's sheer strength and size that scares his peers into submission, it's his soulless eyes, dreary demeanor and tendency for violence. Elric never was a smart, reasonable or kind man, because he never had to be. Almost entirely controlled by his instincts, not unlike a wild beast, he dominates those who submit to him and destroys the ones who resist his will. Not by meticulous plans and carefully constructed plots, but with his raw strength.

## Background

He was born in the Dreadfort one night, the third child and only son of Lord Torrhen Bolton and Lady Lyanne Bolton. His birth was a difficult one, and later tragic as well, as his mother passed away from loss of blood and soon departed this world. Lord Bolton had long hoped for a son to carry on his ancient legacy, but the loss of Lyanne, a woman he had grown very fond of during their marriage, seemed to overshadow this blessing he had received. The father went on to recall his son as no more than a bloody mess that slew his beloved even when the boy entered adolescence. This picture only strengthened in his mind as his son, whom he later called Elric, after the nickname given by a wet nurse, grew to a monstrous size. Lord Bolton's suspicions were confirmed. His wife had been claimed by a gargantuan demon from the deepest layers of the Seven Hells.

His deeply rooted antagonism towards a child clashed with another priority. Torrhen Bolton could not bring himself to marry again and sire another heir, and by the laws of gods and men, his lands and titles would have to pass to Elric. Always a stern and just man, he also wouldn't stoop to fabricating some plot to replace his heir with another, and thus he bitterly settled for his black hellspawn. Needless to say, these contrasting ideas, loathing and duty, did not mix well, and the boy's upbringing was turbulent to say the least. Mostly Lord Torrhen willfully ignored his son and left his early education to the servants. When his son came to him for guidance, he was refused or punished for interrupting the father's lordly business. Sometimes the often so gentle lord lashed at him, called him names, threatened to have him exiled. By adolescence, it was clear to Elric that he would never know his own father like other boys knew theirs.

Lord Torrhen's healthy relationship with Elric's older daughters didn't help at all. Envy and confusion filled his heart, and though his sisters loved him as a brother like a sibling should, he became jealous of the girls and had a hard time returning their love. He was possessed by the guilt placed on him by his father, despite not having any memory of his birth. By his teenage years he had learned to confront these negative feelings through hatred, malice and rage. As if the mental abuse wasn't enough, many people at the Dreadfort secretly sneered at his ridiculous body. Elric replied to this by bashing their skulls in with his fists. Of course, whenever he did so, his father punished him and called him a wild beast, monster, animal or some variation thereof. A deformed creature that should have died with Lady Lyanne. Little did Lord Bolton know, in his blind anger, that this harsh treatment would turn an otherwise innocent child into the monster that he thought him to be.

Violence became an easy outlet for Elric's pent up frustration, and so he had no trouble learning the ways of the sword. His stunning physique also gave him an advantage in the sparring yard, so much so that most of the warriors at the Dreadfort hesitated to meet him in single combat. Lucky for him, the wilderness surrounding the castle usually suffered from stray wildlings and other undesirables. They made ideal prey to Elric's self-destructive lust for blood. Brought up to hate himself and just about everyone else, he hoped to meet his end at one of these patrols while taking as many lives with him as he could. Unfortunately his death did not come to pass, but Elric did learn a thing or two about scouting out enemy forces and defeating them in the field of battle. How to deal as well as receive damage, how men roared and screamed during a full infantry charge, how captured foes were flayed, impaled or otherwise made into gruesome examples of Elric Bolton's cruelty. All this he learned and more.