William

## Brother of the Night's Watch

William's portrait, commissioned by Lord Lyonel Lannister after William's actions in The Third Targaryen Rebellion.

## Player Information

### Alternate Characters

Lyonel Lannister, Olyvar Vaith

**William** is low-born from the streets of Lannisport who worked his way through the ranks of the Lannister Army to Second-in-Command, reaching the rank of General. After a conflict in King's Landing after the Great Council of 398 AC, he was stripped of his rank and sent to the Wall to live out his remaining days.

## History

William, once a lowborn, achieved what most only dream to. From a lowly beginning in the streets of Lannisport, William joined the Lannister army as a errand-boy and worked his way up the ladder to second-in-command of the Lannister Army, second to Lord Lyonel Lannister. Though he was practically nobility, his humility never left him. That would lead him to being one of the most loved Generals of the Lannister Army.

In the early days of his career in the army, he would often spar with his fellow errand-boys. After weeks of going undefeated, Ser Kevan Lannister, a nephew to the then Lord Gerion, took note of his prowess and took him on as a squire. Under Kevan’s tutelage, William would excell.

Often Kevan would take William on hunts. At first, it was as his squire, but after some months William would join them as a hunter. Through the use of spears and longbows, his kill count exceeded that of Lord Gerion. It often earned him applause, and after three consecutive *very* successful trips, William was invited to sit amongst the nobility of Casterly Rock in their weekly feast. As a squire, this was one of the highest honours he could receive. Soon after, it was clear that he was an expert at hunting. No stag, no boar, no mountain-lion could hide from William. They could run, but that would prove futile as William always managed to hunt them down.

At the beginning of the Great Schism, he was not worried too much. Whispers spread throughout the barracks that Lord Gerion planned to invade the Reach, but would he be that aggressive? William thought not.

He was wrong.

Later that year, William was sent to lead about fifty other men to the border of Serrett lands and Rowan lands. They were to push south and harass towns, settlements, and villages, picking off any Smith supporters. Or so that is what they were told to tell anyone if they were caught. In reality, they were slaughtering any fighting-age man they came across. They were, however, under orders to do no harm to women, children, or incapable elderly or face the punishment of death. Some, of course, ignored those orders. William was tasked with lynching those who broke these wartime rules.

During one raid, they were ambushed by a rather large group of Smith sympathisers. They were outnumbered three-to-one, and almost all were cut down. Only William and four others survived. They managed to escape their pursuers, but just barely. It took days to out maneuver the dogs, and almost a week to feel semi-comfortable to slow their pace down. Eventually they came across a river, likely the one that stemmed from the hills near Silverhill. Over the weeks it took them to navigate the wilderness, William learned a great deal about survivalism. He used what was available to them and was able to keep them alive, for the most part. Two of his fellow soldiers succumbed to festering wounds, and one was mauled by a mountain-lion that William was not able to kill before it slaughtered his friend. In the end, it was only him and an errand-boy that somehow managed to survive.

Upon their return, William told Kevan Lannister of everything. With the errand-boy to back his story, Kevan was impressed with how William handled it. The next day, William was promoted to Lieutenant of the Lannister Army. There he would serve for the next three years until Ser Kevan passed away. After, Lord Lyonel promoted him to General of the Lannister Army, setting him as Second-In-Command of the Lannister Army.

During the Third Targaryen Rebellion, William was sent to the Golden Tooth to lead the Lannister men stationed there. During the Defense of the Tooth, William led a small strike force out of the Tooth and attempted to hit the Targaryen encampment in the dark of night. However, upon nearing, they spotted the Dragon. The creature laid asleep and luckily did not stir. William retreated immediately back to the Tooth and reported what he saw. Once Aelyx was forced to call off his siege of the Tooth, William led men into the Riverlands with Lord Royce and assisted in routing what Targaryen forces were left. Eventually, William would meet Lord Lyonel back at Maidenpool where Aelyx's last stand occurred.

When the Great Council was called, it was William that recommended to bring a larger-than-usual amount of soldiers should things go south. Thankfully things did not go *too far* south, besides one rather unfortunate incident.

William received word from Lord Kevan Lannister of Castamere’s son Leo that a Stormlord, Lord Edwyn Tarth, was planning to assassinate and/or apprehend supporters of Beron Baratheon. He led two-hundred men into the gates of King’s Landing and attempted to apprehend Lord Tarth before he could implement his plan. Though it was a successful operation, King Orys Baratheon did not think so. The newly seated, legitimized-bastard, King stripped him of all titles and offered him a choice of a trial or to take the Black. Not wanting to face a trial and potentially a premature death, he instead decided to live out his days amongst the Black Brothers of the Night’s Watch.