Beric Trant

Beric Trant is the current First Stewart of the Night's Watch.

## Appearance

Beric is tall and thin from his time on the Wall, but he is all muscle and no wasted space. The wear of the ice and the work has showed its age on a face that should look ten years younger, and his normally dark hair is sprinkled with white to make it seem grey. For a man with as serious a job as his, Beric tends to smile a lot, though he insists that the cold has merely frozen his expression like that.

## Backstory

In 254 AA, Beric was born the second son to Lord Boremund and Cassana Trant, with ambitions as tall as him. Not much for scholarly pursuits, all he learned he learned by observation: swordplay, tactics, the reactions of human nature. Always a friendly and handsome boy, he was popular amongst the other nobles and with his family, recruiting the children to play war games and charming the adults at the dinner table with his smile and honest words.

But there are two sides to every story, and in the case of Beric Trant it was his pride — and his temper.

Though he was known for his polite demeanor in public, he was often quite the bully in the shadows, aggressive on a whim to those who opposed his ideas. Being rather intelligent was one thing, but Beric knew he was clever and used that as reason enough in all he did. He did not appreciate being challenged, and the few who did were found with a few more bruises in the days following. None suspected Beric, however, and his victims feared the backlash that might occur should they tell. The second son of Lord Trant thus grew into a proud, aggressively confident young man when his true nature made itself publicly known.

A second son could rise high in the world if he proved himself useful, but Beric had his sights set on his family’s Lordship… the dream blocked only by none other than Gerion Trant, his older brother and Boremund’s heir. Being only four years apart, the brothers had emerged into adulthood side-by-side as uneasy friends, the undercurrent of jealousy between them being the only thing that kept the relationship from being truly meaningful. Gerion hated his younger brother’s charm and wit, and Beric longed to replace an older brother he believed was not worthy of his inheritance. Their arguments increased in frequency and finally come to a head in 271 AA; Gerion was one-and-twenty at the time, Beric seven-and-ten, when the younger challenged the older to what was advertised as a friendly spar. Onlookers would say that the two lunged at each other with death in their eyes — Gerion with his practice blade and shield and Beric with a rebated greatsword — but Gerion was hardly the swordsman his brother was, and fell far too quickly. The heir fell to the floor, dropping his weapon to hold a hand up and signal yield.

But Beric did not yield.

He continued to swing his greatsword, gaze burning, until his brother’s helm had caved in. Until the small, horrified audience that had surrounded them finally came to their senses and pulled him away. Until he’d been restrained, and what was left of Gerion’s face separated from the plate. [Gift: Berserker]

It was clean-cut, after that. Unwilling to execute yet another son, Lord Trant opted to send Beric to the Wall instead. The journey north was a blurry one for the now-eldest Trant son, who arrived towards the end of the twelfth moon of the year to blistering cold and a new, unwanted life.

The first year on the Wall was a dreary one, the monotony broken only by constant squabbling with another recruit a few years older than him: one Domeric Thorne. What first began as indifference soon grew into resentment, then jealousy when Domeric was chosen to join the coveted Rangers and Beric was passed on to the Stewards — but as their initial few years dragged on and the two got to know each other, it turned into a tentative friendship that would only grow stronger through the long decades.

In 275 AA, a certain Damon Kenning arrived at Castle Black. Though a year Beric’s senior, he was but a recruit — a recruit with an attitude, harkening back to Beric’s own beginnings at the Wall. One afternoon in 276 AA, Beric found himself instructing new recruits in simple sword drills and Damon, who had since been selected as a Ranger, scoffed at the thought of a Steward teaching swordplay. Fortunately for Damon, Beric had since learned to cool his temper long enough to not start a fight right then and there; while he did not mind his place as a Steward any longer, Beric still believed himself quite a capable swordsman and instead challenged the Ranger to a spar to prove his worth as a fighter. It ended with Beric beating Damon solidly into the ground… and, to everyone’s surprise including his own, *stopping.* [Skill: Two-Handed]

Years passed and Beric rose in the ranks of the Stewards of Castle Black, specializing in wartime logistics and defenses. A warrior himself, he took particular care of the armory, ensuring that the blades of the Watch were always sharp and their arrow stores always full. But beyond the Wall, the Wildling Clans had begun to coalesce and as their raids grew more frequent, Lord Commander Bryce Webber sent more rangings further and further out — the men at Castle Black grew scarce. In 287 AA, Domeric came to Beric to ask him to help him beyond the Wall in an attempt to halt a possible Wildling assault on nearby Oakenshield. They were led on a hunt that would send them deep into enemy territory and reveal a terrible ambush. Trapped in the middle of the forest on the hope of reinforcements sent for by messenger, the small group buckled down to defend their makeshift garrison for almost a week (though the number of days change with each telling of the story), with Domeric’s leadership keeping their men focused and Beric’s knowledge of siege defense keeping them alive. [Skill: Fortifier]

Following their return to Castle Black the First Steward, Harrion Hill, saw Beric’s potential as a replacement and took him on as his second officer — using him shamelessly to perform responsibilities that Harrion himself did not wish to concern himself with. Come Hadrin’s Fall in 296 AA, Beric had become a well-respected officer at Castle Black whose famed temperament only rose in rare instances of anger, mostly towards those who did not take their place at the Wall seriously. He himself had found unexpected purpose in his sentence there, and pushed for others to take advantage of the chance they were given or take light in an otherwise unfortunate circumstance. He remained behind while so many others went to fight, instead providing supplies and weapons to the battle and helping tend to the hundreds of wounded that returned after. [Skill: Medic]

Though never a strong supporter of Lord Commander Webber, Beric felt his passing in 298 AA in the form of a guilt as rumors of murder fluttered through the ranks of the Watch. He became increasingly wary of his fellow Brothers, especially when his long-standing friend Domeric Thorne was chosen as the next Lord Commander; his fear for his friend’s life pushed him to listen for whispers of who might have committed such an act… and for the possibility of it occurring again.

Eager to secure loyalties in the wake of the declaration of the King on the Wall, Domeric departed for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, leaving the First Steward in charge of Castle Black in his absence. Seeking clarification for a confusing set of orders on Harrion’s part, Beric entered his private quarters and — to his shock — found communique between the Steward and a number of others throughout Castle Black, calling for mutiny. Beric immediately sought Harrion out and confronted him, slaying the man in one-on-one combat. He then went to Damon Kenning, First Ranger and his long-time rival, for help in securing the other traitors in Castle Black. A small battle broke out, with most of the ninety-five traitors slain and twelve of them captured. Beric ordered them imprisoned and sent word for Lord Commander Thorne to return as soon as he was able, to pass judgment on those that remain. Upon his arrival, Domeric named Beric his new First Steward. Now all that is left is the sentencing of the twelve traitors…

## Timeline

* 254 AA - Beric Trant is born to Lord Boremund Trant and Lady Cassana Trant.
* 271 AA - Beric beats his older brother Gerion to death during a spar challenge, and instead of executing him his father sends him to the Wall.
* 276 AA - Beric is challenged by Damon Kenning (who would later become First Ranger of the Night’s Watch, to a spar and wins. The two form a rivalry based on begrudging respect.
* 287 AA - Domeric approaches Beric to join him on a ranging to try and subvert a Wildling raid on Oakenshield. The two are pinned down for a week until help arrives. Upon returning to Castle Black, Beric is named second to the current First Steward, Harrion Hill.
* 296 AA - Battle of Hadrin’s Fall. Beric remains behind at Castle Black to coordinate supplies and medical attention.
* 298 AA - Lord Commander Webber is found dead, and Domeric Thorne instated as his replacement. Gyles Blackmont declares himself King on the Wall. While Domeric is away at Eastwatch, Beric uncovers a plot by the First Steward to mutiny and, with the help of First Ranger Damon Kenning, finds the traitors and brings them to justice.