Alester Fossoway

Scholar

Alester Fossoway is the current Lord of Cider Hall, although also possesses the title of High Justiciar for the Reach.

## Biography

Alester Fossoway was, in a way, less of an heir to his father than either of his two older sisters. He came into the world kicking and screaming harder than any other child the maester of Cider Hall had seen in his lifetime, as if the very idea of the world was too intimidating for the boy. The maesters did not expect little Alester to live to see his third nameday, but their best efforts proved fruitful: the tiny, underweight runt of the litter caught up to the other boys squiring at Cider Hall for the first time. While they were bashing each other upside the head with their wooden swords in the name of "practice," Alester could hardly swing the sharpened sticks; not for lack of trying, as Alester had heard the stories of the great Forley Fossoway, the White Apple, and sought to be his equivalent. His family name was proud, of course, and Cider Hall needed to be more than their cadet branch! Despite these high aspirations, Alester was not cut out for the life he dreamed of. The knack for fluttering blades and clanging ripostes never came, and Lord Jon Fossoway believed that his son would end up dead in the first battle he fought in if he carried on as he was doing. The boy was given the finest yew longbow from the armory of Cider Hall, and told to practice. Failure had made him bitter, and Alester saw this as a slight upon him by his father.

Beating one's head against a wall does not make it any more likely to give way, and neither did the frenetic training regimens Alester attempted to become a swordsman. His fanaticism for the art of swordplay began to die, and archery became an increasingly common pastime for the young boy. While his older sisters dedicated their lives to the fickle nature of courtly life, Alester found himself easily making friends with the boys who had once mocked him for being unable to fight as they did. He shot a bow as if it were an art, they said, and his bitterness gave way to warmth as a tourney at Cider Hall was declared.

Music and friends surrounded Alester at Cider Hall on the day of the archery portion of the tourney, and despite intense competition, Alester would come out on top. This pleased Lord Jon greatly, and the coldness between father and son began to dissipate as Jon began to explain his plan to have Alester fostered at Highgarden for his last few formative years. Although it was difficult to say goodbye to the dear friends Alester made at Cider Hall, his silver tongue and the kind nature he had developed after casting aside his anger at his own shortcomings ensured that Alester would be quite at home at the centre of the Tyrell rose.

Highgarden was an altogether different experience, especially when compared to the relatively small castle of Cider Hall. The Fossoways were by no means poor, but the sheer impressiveness of the former seat of the Gardener kings bolstered the Alester's confidence greatly. How could he not accomplish great things in such a beautiful place? Alester found himself getting to know many of the lads and lasses who were being brought up in the castle effortlessly, even becoming fast friends with Leo Tyrell, son of Lord Loras, the head of House Tyrell that Alester took great care to avoid angering during his fostering. Whispers of his wroth nature when under the influence of alcohol kept Alester from becoming more than acquainted with Loras, though he maintained a steady friendship with his son, and caught glimpses of the Stark boy who was present. Despite his gregarious nature, he would not risk angering his father by meeting the boy in person, for Lord Jon was a superstitious man who believed all northmen to be skinchangers. Such accusations were ridiculous, but there was no point in arguing with his father on the supernatural. Never a superstitious man, Alester's mind was more honed than that of his father. He thought critically, and continues to do so, a quality that greatly improved his ability to achieve what he set his mind to. The maesters praised his curiosity, despite some rough encounters with the Septons who had overheard his conversations with the tutors. He was a man for literature, and spent countless hours in the archives, reading stories of his family amongst others. Reading legends of Duncan the Tall caused his heart to ache for the life of a warrior once more, but Alester had become wiser than to drop everything for that pursuit once more. His time at Highgarden, before the outbreak of Brynden's Rebellion, would be recognized by Alester as one of the more fulfilling periods of his life.

Having departed Highgarden on his nineteenth nameday, Alester returned to Cider Hall after uttering countless promises to send ravens to his acquaintances at Highgarden, especially the young Leo. The sky would be painted black with their feathers on a regular basis if he kept his word, but the letters did make it to Highgarden, and Alester would keep in touch with his close friends over the next few years, up until the outbreak of Brynden's Rebellion in 381 AC.

When the Reach erupted into chaos during Brynden's Rebellion, House Fossoway was among the first houses to declare their unwavering allegiance to Lord Loras Tyrell. Hosts were raised from Cider Hall, Appleton, New Barrel and The Gates, and rushed for Highgarden to ride with the Tyrell host. The Fossoways would accompany the Tyrells in all of their battles, including the devastating Battle of Bitterbridge, where the household guard of Cider Hall, filled with men that Alester had known since his childhood, were among the first to perish in the melee. This horrific loss shook Alester significantly, though rather than becoming embittered at the loss of many of his childhood friends, he vowed to remain the kind, good-hearted man he was known as, to honor their memory and to mend the deep cracks that had split the Reach since the outbreak of the Rebellion. Mere weeks before the execution of Lord Brynden Baelish, Lord Jon Fossoway passed away due to complications regarding gout that he had developed while campaigning. He requested that he not be buried until the death of the treacherous Mockingbird, and he remained in wake at Cider Hall until the day Brynden was cast down, and the old Lord Fossoway was entombed. In the aftermath of the battle, Lord Alester was anointed as a knight and is now counted among the Knights of the Thorn, sworn protectors of the Reach.

Since the end of Brynden's Rebellion, Lord Alester Fossoway has accomplished much to solidify the position of his house, as well as to support the Tyrell regime in Highgarden. Due to his good nature and strong friendship with Lord Leo Tyrell, he has been appointed High Justiciar for the Reach, and is thus a member of the Rose Council. Alester tries his best to maintain cordial relations with the other lords of the Reach, especially those which his family has married into. Alester wishes to serve his Lord Paramount well, though his desire for conflict to achieve that end has been severely tempered since Bitterbridge.

## Timeline

* 361 AC: Alester is born.
* 372 AC: Alester begins archery training at his father's insistence, due to repeated failures to learn basic swordplay.
* 377 AC: Alester wins the archery portion of a tourney held at Cider Hall, where he finally accepts that he is not a swordsman.
* 380 AC: Alester departs from Highgarden, having been fostered there for some time at his father's behest, and having become good friends with Leo Tyrell.
* 381 AC: Notable Reach nobles pledge allegiance to Lord Brynden Baelish. Alester's father, Jon, remains loyal to the Tyrells, and mobilizes.
* 383 AC: Lord Jon and Alester Fossoway fight together at the Battle of Bitterbridge, riding with the main force from Highgarden. The Fossoway contingent suffers devastating losses.
* 384 AC: Weeks before the execution of Brynden Baelish, Lord Jon dies, and Alester becomes Lord of Cider Hall.

## Supporting Characters

* Maester Alyn, Maester of Cider Hall for the past several decades. Tutored both Alester and Garth during their early years, and was responsible for keeping Alester healthy through his troubled birth, a fact that Lord Fossoway has not forgotten. Archetype: Scholar
* Marq Fossoway, father of Garth Fossoway and uncle to Alester. Superstitious and zealous like his late brother Jon, but a kind man at heart. He and Garth rule in Alester's absence while he journeys to King's Landing to experience the long-awaited tourney. Archetype: Zealot