Aleric Locke

Heir to Oldcastle

Lady Anya Locke

Lady Arya Locke

Jorah Locke

Aleric Locke is the firstborn son and heir of Lord Jonos Locke of Oldcastle and his wife, Lady Ysilla. He was born in the year 73 AC, and has lived his whole life at Oldcastle, only travelling occasionally to other parts of the North, and seldom beyond White Harbor. Aleric is unremarkable in word, deed, and appearance, but possesses a warm heart and sage mind - neither of which he seems capable of adequately sharing with the world.

## Appearance and Character

Aleric is average in height and build, though recently he has begun to soften, losing some of his youthful vigor and knightly poise. These changes are not lost on the Heir to Oldcastle, in fact he has become greatly troubled by them and has begun working to reverse his own slothfulness. Though not especially handsome, Aleric faces the word with a friendly face, his eyes kind and somber - or perhaps simply weary. In any case, the young man tends to prove a welcome sight, but one that is easy to miss.

Though courteous, and attentive when he needs to be, Al has never possessed much confidence when in the presence of others - especially strangers. He is particularly plagued by hesitance, doubt, and self-loathing when it comes to his interactions with women, even though he craves such company, and a part of him has yearns constantly for the intimacy that such companionship might offer. Emotionally and bodily. Indeed, Al's desire for companionship of both sexes only makes his awkward and quiet nature all the more infuriating, as he knows full-well when he is sabotaging himself and yet seems incapable of stopping his own foolishness.

Aleric is honest and kind at heart, affectionate with those he is capable of being affectionate towards. Chief among such people is his baseborn daughter, Sarra Snow. The girl was mothered by the only real lover Aleric has ever known, a chambermaid called Mara who had died not long after birthing their daughter. The loss broke Aleric's heart a long while, but he has thrown himself entirely into fatherhood without limit or restraint. Much to the disapproval of his parents, and many retainers even, Aleric dotes constantly upon his daughter, hardly concerned by her bastard status. He adores the girl, and possesses a confidence as a father that he has never known as a knight, a friend, a brother, a son, or a lover - at least, not since losing Mara.

His solitary inclinations - some intentional and some the result of failures to find companionship - have given Aleric some skills that he has tried to utilize as much as he can. Gifted at reading the land and finding his way, Al fancies himself a fine scout and perhaps even a spy of sorts, content to wander alone without the anxiety of having to entertain or impress others. In the rugged lands of his father's, he is able to find a tranquility impossible to gain in a crowded hall or upon a training ground. Otherwise, he is an unimpressive soldier and a knight only in name - the decision to take vows to the New Gods being at his mother's pleading, and his use of the title 'Ser' being a matter of personal preference rather than pride.

## History

Aleric was born in the 2nd Moon of the 73rd year since Aegon's conquest. His mother, Lady Ysilla, had recently wed the heir to Oldcastle, ten years her senior, as part of a reconciliation between their fathers; the Lord of Oldcastle and a wealthy but common merchant of White Harbor. Young and bewildered by the life she had been thrust suddenly into, Ysilla doted upon her infant son, finding in him the strength and comfort she needed as she slowly grew more accustomed to her husband, his family, and the lands she knew little about. Aleric, as such, would always be closer to his mother than to his father, who was a more distant figure in those early formative years. Not until the boy was nine, and had lost a brother and gained three sisters, did his father become a far more significant part of his life. He served as cup-bearer, and then page, and then squire to his lordly father. At the age of sixteen, he was deemed a man grown and an adequate warrior. Adequate was about as generous as one could be, for Al possessed enough courage to stand firm before a foe, but his skill at arms could be adept on a good day and barely the level of a novice on a bad one. His mother, who has always worshiped the Seven, implored Aleric to take the vows of a knight, which he did with his father's added approval, though to Al it was more of a gesture for the sake of the mother who loved him than any great affection towards the Seven-in-One who had never inspired anything in him the way the voices in the trees could.

A year after being knighted, and freed from many of the undignified duties of his youthful service to his father, Aleric found himself in what had seemed a terribly unlikely circumstance - romantic love. In those days there was a chambermaid at Oldcastle called Mara. She had been a younger daughter to the castle smith, who had been tasked to serve the Lady Ysilla, and who had a young age had come frequently into contact with the Lady's eldest son. Where the highborn Aleric was quiet - often coming across as somber to those who knew him but a little - this common maid was full of vim and vigor. Perhaps endeared to his calm and courteous nature, perhaps intrigued by the glimmers of wit and mischief that showed themselves on occasion in him, Mara at once took to Aleric when the both were nearing the end of childhood, and Aleric took to her. When he was seventeen, and she was fifteen, the pair found themselves in Al's bed together after taking a fair quantity of wine at a modest feast. Both proved to be one another's firsts, and swiftly declared themselves to one another as lovers. Not long thereafter, Mara was begotten with child, and Aleric acknowledged to his mother and father that the babe was to be his. Neither showed a great deal of concern, though both were confused by their son's apparent devotion to this common girl and the bastard she carried, and wondered whether such devotion would last once the babe was born and the girl did not regain all of her bodily charms or youthful spirit.

The answer to such questions would never be known, as Mara fell ill and swiftly passed only a few weeks after birthing a daughter. Rather than finding a place for the infant girl, both Lord Jonos and Lady Ysilla were surprised to find their son channeling his immense grief into devotion for the newborn babe. Al poured all of the love in his heart into the girl. He adored her from the start, doting upon her as though she were heiress to a great kingdom in his possession. Such behavior would only alienate Aleric further from his peers - the few he had that were truly *his* peers - his family, and the retainers who one day shall be sworn to him. Since then, his solitary nature has only seemed to be amplified, breeding self-loathing and slothfulness, loneliness and irritability. The Heir to Oldcastle feels in moment that he despises people, only in the next to dream of a fair and gentle woman in his arms, or a half-dozen comrades on a hunt with him. Since coming into manhood the Heir to Oldcastle as done little with himself worthy of record, and feelings of inadequacy have begun to pile into a burden on his shoulders.

## Recent Events

Attending the White Harbor Tourney early in the year 98, Aleric surprised many (and certainly himself) by placing first in the archery contest, earning a wierwood bow he has taken to calling *Small Odds*. In addition to his prize bow, he would leave the tourney betrothed to the lady Sara Bolton, a match which was arranged by his father and Lord Jon Bolton at the closing feast.

## Family

* Lord Robar Locke (Deceased)
	+ m. Lysandra Locke nee Ormollen
		- Lord Jonos Locke
			* m. Ysilla Locke
				+ **Ser** **Aleric Locke**
					- m. Sara Bolton
					- p. Mara (Deceased)
						* Sarra Snow
				+ Robert Locke (Deceased)
				+ Lady Lysa Highcrest nee Locke
					- m. Belmore Highcrest
						* Robert Highcrest
						* Unborn 2nd Child
				+ Anya Locke
				+ Arya Locke
				+ Jorah Locke
		- Lady Arra Manderly nee Locke (Deceased)
			* m. Medrick Manderly
				+ Wylla Manderly
				+ Warrick Manderly
				+ Shyra Manderly
				+ Domeric Manderly
		- Morton Locke
		- Senelle Locke

## Character Stats

**Attributes:** Honest, Clever

**Allotted Points:** 18

**Social Status:** Bannerman

**Skills:** Ranged Weapons, Reconnaissance, Geography