Darrok Vass

## Appearance and Character

Darrok was born in 1,319 AC the third child and third son of Vanlan Vass, the Lord of House Vass and the keeper of the Hills. When he turned six he made the trek up the Giant’s Lance to the Highest Hill of the Stormcrown, where he became a ward for his uncle Oswell Vass, who was a ex knight of the Kingsguard under King Rhaelarys Vakerian II.

For the most part Darrok was raised in the Stormcrown, where he became very close with his uncle and mentor Oswell. As a child Darrok was raised to be very religious, often spending his time with the Septon of the Stormcrown discussing the mysteries of The Starry Rites rather than amongst his fellow wards. This inspired within Darrok a certain fanaticism and a wish to defend and expand the influence of the faith, something that he’s carried with him into his adult life. During his time as a ward in Aysgarth, Darrok was also constantly reminded of his role as a member of third in line of the House and his duty to the Vass to be their ward or advisor, a duty which he openly accepts and strives to keep to.

In 1,332 AC when Darrok was thirteen he was assigned to be the squire of a famed sea knight named Gerys Aryon, the future Lord of Vraeseon. During his time as a squire the pair grew very close, developing an almost brotherly affection for each other. Gerys became something of an idol for his young squire, who tried as much as he could to emulate his mentor and strived to be as much like Gerys as he possibly could.

In the War of Three Dragons in 1,334, Darrok served with his mentor and the rest of the Vass forces, gaining his first and last taste of true combat at the Battle of Gaerrenport, where he was crippled by Forest, a bastard son of Lord Wyllam Seronyth. The entirety of his right leg was completely shattered by the bastards mace and the lack of proper medical treatment following the battle left his leg a mangled mess of dead flesh and broken bones. Following the battle, Darrok was sent away from the army with a token force, returning to the city of Aysgarth to make a recovery and spending several moons in a state near death. And although he did eventually make it back from the brink, he would forever be a man changed. Now frail and unable to walk without the assistance of a cane, Darrok was left to wait out the rest of the war at the Gates, where he sat silently stewing. Knowing he would never again be able to take up a blade against the enemies of the Faith or Aysgarth, Darrok searched for a new way to serve his family, eventually starting to develop his skills as a spymaster rather than as a knight.

The first test of his new skill at espionage would come a year or so after the battle, when the Stormcrown was still recovering from their significant losses in the war. The clans had been growing in strength, prospering off of the weakness and lack of men amongst the Storm Lords and becoming more and more daring with their raids by the day. From his informants located around the Stormcrown, Darrok learned that they had called the clans together for a moot, with the intent to form a confederation and take back the Stormcrown from the Aryons. Knowing that attempting to smash the clans directly would take far too long and likely end in a stalemate anyway, Darrok instead planted informants amongst the clans, using them to investigate this supposed moot and learn it’s location. Once he knew the location of the moot, he used his network of spies to sabotage the proceedings with ruthless efficiency, sewing rumors and spreading false information until the clans turned on each other, with the moot ending in a bloodbath.