House Raylan

**House Raylan of Raylansfair** was a noble house from the Reach. Their seat was Raylansfair, a medium-sized town with an adjacent castle of the same name. The house died out shortly before the beginning of Aegon's Conquest. Their sigil was a crowned, golden book on a field of green and white and their words were **"We Write History"**

## History

House Raylan was an old and proud house that had served the Gardener kings of the Reach faithfully for thousands of years. They originated from Andal knights that allied with House Gardener during the decades of the Andal Invasion. As reward for their loyalty, King Gwayne Gardener rewarded them with land at the western coast of the kingdom, where the first Lord Raylan, Henrik, built a small, wooden keep.

For centuries, House Raylan thrived slowly, but steadily. The wooden keep was replaced by a stone keep that was continously expanded, while a small settlement formed near the keep, eventually growing into the town of Raylansfair.

House Raylan's finest hour came when they successfully supported King Perceon Gardener and Lord Lorimar Peake when they sought to exile House Manderly from the Reach. Together with Lord Peake, Lord Adrack Raylan provided false evidence about House Manderly attempting a coup against the king, which was enough for Perceon to exile them. Each lord gained a reward for their service. Lord Peake, who was allowed to choose first, chose the former possessions of House Manderly, including their ancestral seat of Dunstonbury. Instead of demanding an equal reward, the cunning Lord Raylan simply asked for the right to write history in the name of King Gardener, even above the Citadel.

What seemed like a small favour at first soon gave House Raylan a great deal of power, when they started to tweak history into their favour. House Raylan built a large archive in the middle of the town, containing ancient tomes of history and rumoured magic. Reviled by the Citadel for taking away their privilege, a fierce rivalry between House Raylan and the vastly more powerful House Hightower of Oldtown broke out.

Another, more bloody rivalry broke out with their neighbours, House Bennick of Bennicksford, who were once equal in power, but soon started to decline. Three hundred years before Aegon's Landing, House Bennick died out and few people even noticed it. House Raylan meanwhile continued to thrive. Only their unquestionable loyalty to House Gardener kept them save from other houses, who always had a grudge against House Raylan for their privilege.

## Recent History

In the recent century, House Raylan started to fall upon hard times. During these years, the house consisted of Lord Esrick Raylan, his wife Lady Falia and their three children, Robert, Trystane and Morna. On the day of her wedding to Lord Buckley, Morna Raylan died, being crushed by her horse. The young, inexperienced Maester of House Raylan, Eaton, was unable to save her. In grief, Lady Falia died, followed shortly afterwards by the heartbroken Lord Esrick. This left his eldest son Robert as the new Lord Raylan. The family was soon narrowed down even more, when Trystane Raylan got captured by Ironborn raiders and tortured to death by King Halleck Hoare.

These events, happening over the course of just over a single year, would ultimately doom House Raylan. Robert, once a proud and ambitious young man, was changed by the loss of his family, into a brooding, reclusive loner. He developed a particularly vicious hatred against the Ironborn, against whom he plotted his vengeance, without ever going through with his plans. Despite his advisors urging him to seek a wife, he remained unmarried and without children.

Eventually, in the year 1 BC, Robert Raylan grew severely ill. Officially, his old age was made responsible for this, but unbeknownst to most, the assassin Clayton Teryl was behind Lord Raylan's deteriorating health, as he constantly poisoned him over several weeks. Maester Eaton was powerless to stop the slow death of his friend. Eventually, on his deathbed, Robert decided to name Manfred Hightower, his old rival, as his successor. He died shortly afterwards, ending the line of House Raylan and leaving the town without a clear ruler.

## Known Members

* Lord {Henrik Raylan}, an Andal knight who founded the house after being rewarded with land by House Gardener
* Lord {Adrack Raylan}, who acquired the House's right to write history
* Lord {Esrick Raylan}
	+ His wife, Lady {Falia Raylan}, formerly of House Hunt
		- Their firstborn son, Lord {Robert Raylan}, last of his line, poisoned by Clayton Teryl
		- Their youngest son, Ser {Trystane Raylan}, tortured to death by the Ironborn
		- Their only daughter, {Morna Raylan}, who died on her wedding day when she fell off a horse

## Retainers

* Maester {Eaton}, Maester of House Raylan, thrown to his death by Clayton Teryl
* Ser {Harris Flowers}, castellan and acting lord of Raylansfair. Killed during the Raid of Raylansfair.
* Ser {Ilhan Lagoon}, master-at-arms, murdered by Harris Flowers
* Ser Darren Tallwood, master-at-arms after the death of Ilhan Lagoon.
* Ser Leonard Constantine
* {Ser Lucas Flowers}, formerly in service of House Raylan, now sworn to House Durrandon. Killed in trial-by-combat by The Tom.
* {Hackor Nathamer}, commander of the City Guard. Died fighting during the Raid of Raylansfair.
	+ his son, Arthur Nathamer, member of the City Guard
* Daemion Stratford, captain of the City Guard
* Valarr Roux, member of the City Guard
* Aldus Ermo, member of the City Guard
* Nora Recton, captain of the Castle Guard
* {Federico Snow}, member of the Castle Guard. Killed during the Raid of Raylansfair.
* {Halla Peddle}, housekeeper of House Raylan, murdered by Wolfius Woodbark and Kersea Catelins
* {Corbin}, Septon of Raylansfair, murdered by Clayton Teryl and Kersea Catelins
* Jenna Harking, servicemaid
* Carma Strad, servicemaid
* Saerya Waters, servicemaid, actually a spy in service to House Targaryen