Balian Blackwood

**Lord Balian Blackwood** is the Lord of Raventree Hall and the son of the late Lord Rodrick Blackwood and Jeyne of House Mallister. He was birthed in the year 111 AC in Raventree Hall; his mother, after a difficult birth, passed a week after and his father fell into despair. In his youth, he became a ward of Lord Mallister in Seagard until his father's death. Though being fostered within a foreign faith, Balian Blackwood has kept to the gods of his family - the Old Gods.

## Appearance and Character

Balian Blackwood is a thin and tall man, though not as tall as his late father; he has cropped black hair, dark eyes, and a growing stubble. Lord Blackwood is honorable, stern, proud, and learned; several note him to be a skilled tactician, a friend of the Mallisters of Seagard, and to have a deep hatred toward ironborn.

Balian possesses armor of ringmail and tanned sturdy leather inlaid with the dead weirwood of Raventree Hall and oft times wears a wolf pelt atop his shoulders and a long cloak of dark sable. Balian is known to brandish a longsword and has a novice understanding of bowmanship.

## History

### Early Life

Balian's youth was spent within the walls of Raventree Hall. His studies were administered by Maester Gowain and Master-at-Arms, Brynden 'Redmane'. Balian seldom spoke with his father; though a man of honorable charge, late Lord Rodrick held a silent animosity towards Balian for "killing" Lady Jeyne.

Therefore, Balian often rode with Brynden and his two sons east towards Fairmarket and House Darry and their holdings, eventually befriending the Tullys of Fairmarket and the Darrys, but in the year 121 AC, however, his father would send him north to Seagard to ward with Lord Mallister.

### Wardship

In Seagard, Balian prospered and grew frutiful as the squire of Lord Mallister. His studies were doubled and Lord Mallister would allow Balian into the Eagle Tower and its library where Balian would indulge himself within books of Iron Kings and salt thrones, House Mudd and "The Hammer of Justice", Aegon Targaryen and the Conquest, and of Seagard and its lords.

Balian, as Lord Mallister's squire, learned of statesmanship, stewardship, and leadership and found himself enamored by its craft. Lord Mallister would begin to call Balian "Little Lord Blackwood", a name that would persist within Seagard until his departure. When Balian would tire of the maester's musings, he would seek the comfort of Seagard's weirwood tree and sit and read and pray beneath its bleeding eyes.

At the eve of his fourteenth nameday, he was visited by Brynden 'Redmane' and taken to hunt. Balian would be prized with the pelt of a grey wolf in the woods, east of Seagard, which he had sought and slain. Brynden would also gift Balian a steel longsword - its grip and cross guard made of hardened weirwood and a polished gemstone of jet sitting in place of its pommel.

At their return, Brynden bade Seagard's Master-at-Arms to tutor Balian in the crafts of war, swordsmanship, and bowmanship. After Brynden's departure, Balian would center his attention and tutelage towards martial craft. Books on Aegon's Conquest, the Andal Invasion, and the Rosegold Rebellion were eagerly devoured, and sword lessons would be quenched by the squawk of screeching seagulls.

Nigh a year later, however, in the Eight Moon of 125 AC, a missive from Raventree Hall carried the news of Lord Rodrick's passing and bid Balian to assume himself as Lord of Raventree Hall.

### Lordship

Balian assumed his father's lordship in the twenty-seventh day of Ninth Moon of 125 AC. His father who had become wary within his last days allowed for Raventree Hall to fall into disrepair and negligence.

Balian at his ascension would rekindle relations with Aerys Tully of Riverrun and the Targaryens of Oldstones and begin the reconstruction of his family's ancient holdfast.

## Skills

Attribute: Bellicose

Skills: Leadership (CHA), Formation (Mart), Skirmishing (Mart)