Rowyn Bolton

## Masteries

**House Mastery*** Flayed Men Hold No Secrets

**Masteries**

* Eye of Judgement
* Voice of the North
* War Tactician

## Inventory

**Currency*** 42 Copper Stars
* 8 Silver Stags

**Weapons**

* Castle-forged Steel, Serrated Dirk

**Lord Rowyn Bolton**, **Lord of the Dreadfort**, and son of the late **Raine Bolton**. Not much was known about him when he was young, his father, Raine, was always the center of attention. Rowyn learned everything he could from him, but there was never enough. So, Rowyn took steps to make sure that he would be the strongest leader of the Boltons since the Red Kings of old. Before his father could give his last wisdoms to Rowyn, he tragically died in recent years from an assassin that killed Raine and scarred Rowyn greatly. Since then, Lord Rowyn has brought a fierce reign into the Bolton line and has carried it with the utmost pride, invoking fear in all those under him as well as the rest of the North.

## History

Some would say Rowyn's life didn't begin until he became Lord of the Dreadfort. Lord Rowyn himself would say the same, never looking fondly upon the past. His father's death is what really drove him, propelled him into his current life as a lord. In his first year as lord, he took to the Bolton's history and went to the Citadel to learn what he could of the human body. He studied for a year, until ultimately he was expelled from the Order of the Maesters for reasons unknown to most, but horrified by the few who knew of his deeds.

In his absence, his castellan ruled the Dreadfort in a very relaxed manner. Coin was lost. So were goods. A year's worth of what was being prepared for the coming Winter was almost all lost due to this man's misjudgement. So when Lord Rowyn came back and learned of this, his castellan was hanged from the gate of the Dreadfort for all to see what criminal negligence would be punished for. Just this sent out the word, but Lord Rowyn was never finished. He never would stop.

In the following years, Lord Rowyn became infamously known for his harsh, and unusual punishments. And because of the Lord Stark's absence from the North, it was partially tolerated as those he punished were within the bounds of the law and justified. The most famous of these was when a village of smallfolk rose against him for his apparent lack of drive to handle the bandits that were terrorizing his part of the North. In response, he promptly crushed the little rebellion while also ravaging the local bandits for their indirect hand in raising this rebellion. He took the leaders of both groups, and punished them in the eyes of the Old Gods. First, their mouths were forcefully filled with shrapnel of sharp bits of iron and steel, shaving and other bits from the work of the local blacksmiths. Afterward, their mouths were sown together to make a kiss. Following this, he took the most noxious herbs he could find, using knowledge of what he learned from the Citadel, and had soldiers force them into the noses of the leaders. From this, the fumes of the herbs forced them to gag and eventually puke. With no way to release it, they had to each fight to shove their own puke down the other's throat. As this was done, the metal shrapnel scraped along their mouths. Down their throats, into their lungs, and into their stomach. So blood swelled up into their bodies as well as the puke, until eventually one of them won the struggle. But not without permanently scarring their insides. The remaining one, Lord Rowyn granted a new lease on life and let him leave the Dreadfort alive. The surviving person died weeks later due to mysterious circumstances. This was done, and it was heard across the North and even into the rest of Westeros. Yet nothing could be done about it, he was only punishing the wicked for what they were. It was from this particular incident that Lord Rowyn began to be known as **Lord Bloodletter**.

Such punishments, as bizarre and inhuman as they were, were common in Lord Rowyn's reign. His province became stronger because of it, crimes dramatically dropped. They remained, but they weren't quite the same as they were before. They were easier to manage, less consquential, as no one dared raise a hand to the man. Anyone who did, either died for crimes they were revealed to have done, or they died naturally. And they were always replaced by someone Lord Rowyn could trust, or rather someone who was completely loyal to him and would trust him with their lives.

Now, the Gods themselves fear to tread upon the Dreadfort. There are no kind souls in this province, Lord Rowyn made sure of that. His people are hardy, but guest right is still respected. Vigilantes are common in this part of the North, as many would sooner bring their own justice before Lord Bloodletter has their hand in any crimes permitted. Particularly if it means sparing the criminals, intentional or not, of fates worse than death.

## Personality

> "*A child that is not embraced by the village, will burn it down to feel its warmth.*"
> ― Ancient proverb
>
>

Lord Rowyn is a volatile force to be reckoned with. On the outside, he is calm, collected. Much so that it can be intimidating to others, even in the face of the worst things that could happen, especially when committed by his own hand. He shows no mercy to those who go against him, or question his rule. No matter what, he will do his best to win. To those that show him true loyalty however, as well as some form of obedience, he often shows some forms of leniency. Never quite attached to the world and its peoples, but certainly merciful enough in this aspect that he would not seem a merciless killer or anything of the like. In the light of day, he follows the rules of the lands and only punishes those who are deserving of it. All of this is done in the name of balance and order, without it, he, as well as the rest of the world are lost.

The young Lord Bolton is cold, like ice in the wintery heart of the North. He has no compassion for anyone but those that fall into his mind-set, the rest are worthless. This shows not only in how he interacts with others, but also with his actions towards others; even towards those that he supports. This coldness, this ruthlessness, makes him a fearsome person to behold. His cantor is a dark dirge that only calls for absolution, from all who suffer from the sin of birth; and he is their judge. The way he walks, never turning back to face even his allies, always looking ahead. Those cursed eyes, always piercing. No person can rest easy in his presence.There isn't such a thing as mercy in his black heart, if he ever showed even a shred of it then he would be dragged down to the same level as the rest of the people around him, or worse. No matter what, he will always continue climbing, Chaos Is a Ladder. And if he is among the ones that should fall, he will go down screaming and dragging every person with him.

The only leniency that Lord Rowyn offers in this world is towards others he can control, people who can follow orders. They're much easier to deal with, and are less likely to question one's rule. He likes to be surrounded by these kinds of people, being greater than them all gives him a deal of pomposity. Even if he'd rather suffer hours of torture than be in their presence, so long as they are always looking up to him then he can at least stomach it.
What some may call "Mercy" in their limited perspective, is what Lord Rowyn would call weakness. Instead, for those who remain loyal to him, he offers what kindness remains in his heart. The lap of luxury given to those who would call you king is certainly a way to entice further comradery in one's people, but for Rowyn this is only a temporary measure to sedate his would-be claimants. To further appease the fickle tendencies of his people, Rowyn only performs his most cruel acts in the form of justice. Some may call him a hero, others a pretender. But no matter what he does publicly, no one can wrong him for his deeds; only the actions leading up to them. But to Rowyn, this is all that matters. The results. The results are all that matters in history, not the means taken to get to that point. For this, he helps maintain the order of the realm no matter what the cost, so that the tips of the scales for the kingdoms are always equal. Even if he may, whether unintentionally or not, tips them in his own favor.

Lord Rowyn hates darkness, he has something of an aversion towards it. Unless absolutely necessary, he will avoid it at all times possible. Even if it may seem unreasonable to do so at times. The darkness is where the demons lurk and the souls of the damned roam, and the last thing Lord Rowyn would ever want is to be surrounded by those he has damned.

## Appearance

For someone to inspire fear in others, Lord Rowyn has the mark of being rather indiscernable, if it weren't for his face. He is of perfectly average height, with a perfectly normal build. His muscles are slightly contoured, but not enough that anyone would pick him as a warrior perchance. His skin is pale-white, like alabaster. Strangely on his face, his chest, arms, legs; none of it has hair on it. His body is as smooth and without texture like sculpted marble. But perhaps it is because of this strangely undefining features that causes some to fear him, an uncanny factor that would lead many to believe he is no human at all. Just a pretender, in disguise.

It's his facial features, his eyes, that really seal the deal with people. Just above it all he has short, black hair that looks like an overgrown Caesar cut. With this he has bushy, black brows that have been neatly plucked to remain perfectly aligned and in shape. Just below this are a set of, snow-white eyes that stare deep into anyone who would dare look into them. Lord Rowyn has an affliction of the eyes, to where his pupils' are constantly constrained, forced to be permanently in a fixed state. Just beady, black dots in a field of snow. This unnatural state, when viewed upon, can render most uncomfortable. On the left side of Lord Rowyn's face is a scar that reaches down from near the side of his eye, and all the way down to his lips. A permanent reminder for when his father was assassinated just before him.

### Skills

 Acrobatics (Dex.)
 Sleight of Hand (Dex.)
 Stealth (Dex.)
 History (Int.)
 Investigation (Int.)
 Medicine (Int.)
 Nature (Int.)
 Tactics (Int.)
 Animal Handling (Wis.)
 Insight (Wis.)
 Perception (Wis.)
 Religion (Wis.)
 Survival (Wis.)
 Deception (Cha.)
 Intimidation (Cha.)
 Persuasion (Cha.)