Grace Morrigen

Grace with the scar from the Battle of Ashford that has become a notorious characteristic of the young zealot.

### Titles

Knight of the Order of the Warrior's Sons

### Culture

Diverse. Born into a Stormlander House yet never had anything to do with his Stormlander family. Born in the Riverlands, grown up in the Vale, youth in the Reach.

### Status

Representative of the Chapter House of Oldtown

## META

### Alternative Characters

Edric Baratheon

Ser
Grace Morrigen, born 412 AC, is a devoted member of the Warrior’s Sons. The young knight
is one of the most notable fighters of the order and also known, despite not
being a Septon, as a highly-skilled preacher and representative of the order.
He has spent the last years at the chapter houses in Oldtown, Lannisport and
Gulltown and has now returned to Oldtown.

Among the order, Grace is very popular, known for his vigorous energy,
empathetic ear, encouraging words and high degree of will-power. To the outside
world, his faces are manifold. Often playing the role of a paragon of how a
Knight of the Warrior’s Sons should be, Grace most often radiates an aura of
sobriety and stoicism, yet can take on nearly any role, ranging from a patient listener to the worries of an old smallfolk woman, to a talented affable
recruiter, and from a spokesperson sent to negotiate costs and diplomacy - to a
heathen slaying fanatic.

## Character and Appearance

Grace
stands at 5’9” and is of a bit of a slender, sinewy build with fine
proportions. A massive scar crosses his face – a memory of the Battle of
Ashford. Beneath the scar, he has a pale, somewhat androgynous face and light
blonde hair.

Due
to his status as one of the order’s most outstanding fighters, Grace always is
assigned beautiful, solid horses and high-quality armour and weapons – though of
a style suitable for a knight of a religious order. Grace also wears his
order’s clothes, cloak, gowns and coat of arms.

To
the order, Grace is known as a valuable supporter and representative of the
chapter house of Oldtown. He is loved by many of those who surround him, known
for not only being a very obedient, devout and disciplined member of the order,
but also as a brother, an empathetic listener, patient teacher especially to
the squires, and as an eager helper of whoever needs his help. Yet at the same
time, the young cleric is also known to possess a keen understanding of how to
influence, control, supervise and be responsible for people: When to be strict,
whom to turn to, how to make himself heard.

Above
that, within the ranks of the Warrior’s Sons, Grace is known as a notorious
preacher, with a vast repertoire of ways of addressing his listeners: From
one-to-one conversations full of patience and understanding, to sarcastically
teasing the squires, from sensitively seeking out individuals who are in need
of help, to holding sermons like a Septon to dozens or hundreds of listeners,
and from efficiently recruiting individuals or masses, to yelling words of
fervour and devotion at several hundred paces long lines of cavalry and
infantry on huge fields of battle.

Grace
gets mocked sometimes for being vain. Sometimes he finds it difficult to deal
with the Septons of his order, for he preaches better than most of them, and is
asked to do so by others, while he knows that this is rather the task of the
Septons. Also, some people are not sure who he really is, considering his faces
shown to the public and to his “order family” are as different as the sun
from the moon. And those whom he is close and dear to often fear that he is, at his young
age, burning with too bright a flame.

While
Grace considers the order to be his family in which he acts like an older brother
would to his siblings, being a paragon to them and helping whenever he can, and
an obedient son to his Chapter-Captain and elders, (though clearly also a
foolish young man every now and then), Grace’s face to the outside world is far
from that. Acting often as a preacher, recruiter, representative, paragon
member of the Order, his faces are as manifold as the roles he plays to laymen.
Grace makes sure that he gives a coherent impression to the public, at least
where he is currently stationed, yet behind his most often stern and austere
face the young knight is often confused about how to behave towards laymen and
has not yet settled into a single role so far.

It
is a phenomenon observed with many especially young brothers of the Order who
have joined at young an age during the war. At a time when the order was still
very new and the rules not yet firmly set. No principles of comportment nor
common doctrine yet established. No paragons whom to follow yet brought forth –
apart from some berserks on the battlefield and especially devoted members
often notorious for either being extremely harsh to others or for anything from
self-sacrifice to self-castigation. As to Grace in particular, in addition to
that, also the stark contrasts his childhood and youth had seen might have added
to this partial inner conflict. As well as his recently somewhat unclear position within the order, with him being more talented and devoted to the Order's cause than many of his elders and superiors.

## Short Summary

Grace Morrigen was born in 412 AC to Ser Harbert Morrigen and his Lady wife, a member
of a lowly cadet branch, originally as “Alyn Morrigen”. His father often worked at
garrisons or in household guards, so the family moved houses several times
during Grace’s childhood. Most of the time he spent in the Vale near
Strongsong, especially after his father had died when Grace was 9 years of age,
and his mother became physically and mentally sick during the following years.
His later childhood and youth was predominated by never-ending hardships that
saw Grace nearly hanged aged 14 for his crimes as a member of teenager and
children’s gangs during the Blue Winter. He was adopted by Septas from Oldtown
afterwards, and received both care, education and love in his new home. And his
new name. Grace.  It turned out that Grace was impressively naturally
talented at fighting with whatever weapon he was given. He also became literate
under the wise and patient hands of the Septas, studying the Faith. It was there,
the once weak, mentally sick and stuttering child gained confidence, physical
strength and an eloquent, courageous character. Not yet clear, what should
become of such a multi-talented youth, Septha Ertha of the Most Devout kept him
near. The reformation of the Faith Militant became Grace’s calling, and,
despite not joining the order for two years at first, he became a strong
supporter, helpful affiliate member, renowned fighter and inspiring preacher
among their ranks. He participated in relieving the city of Oldtown, as well as
in the general war efforts, especially in the battles of Bitterbridge and
Ashford. After the war, he assisted in establishing the young order and became
a representative to the Oldtown chapter house in Lannisport and later in
Gulltown. In 435 AC, Grace finally is anointed a Knight of the Warrior’s Sons.

## Detailed Biography

### Early Years (0 - 9)

Grace
was born in 412 AC as the first and only child to Ser Harbert Morrigen and his
lady wife. Ser Harbert came from a lowly cadet branch of the small Stormlander
House, his grandfather having been Lord Morrigen, with Harbert being the
second-surviving son of the Lord’s third-born son. Family disputes that had
been started when Harbert was still a toddler, however, led to this small part
of House Morrigen being alienated from the main branch. Along with other cadet
branch members. The Morrigens Grace was born into did not even live in the
Stormlands, and Grace was not even born there. Instead he was born and spent
his first three years in the Riverlands where his father was an officer in the
local garrison. When this contract ended in 416 AC, the family moved to the
Westerlander border. And then again moved to Sarsfield in 417 AC, and to a keep
near Strongsong in 419 AC.

His
early years see Grace suffering from nearly every single children’s disease,
the family often worrying for his life. He seems to be an overly sensitive
child that reacts in psychosomatic ways to his surroundings and the situation
in his family. Living under changing financial conditions, his father often
stressed from duty and his son’s and also wife’s diseases, it is not before the
age of 5 that Grace’s health becomes stable. After that, he becomes an
open-minded child, sweet-tempered and thoughtful from these early years of suffering.
He is kind and most of the time quite obedient, though lacks in physical
strength and size due to his past health record. Seeing the only career option
for his son in the hedge knight occupation, Ser Harbert Morrigen starts
training his son in his arts. Grace takes to it with shy enthusiasm, and while
learning fast, he still lacks most of the strength even at age 9.

### Hardships Arising (9 - 13)

In 422 AC, Ser Harbert Morrigen is injured in a small local peasants’ revolt
during a trial. What seemed not like an extraordinary wound at first becomes an
inflammation not to be mitigated easily. After three weeks, his health seems
stable again and he returns to his duty. On the second day he faints and falls
sick again. Insecure states and phases of improvement and getting worse again
strain the family and darken their future, with alternating states of hope and
desperation, until Ser Harbert Morrigen dies after eight months of suffering.
Grace and his mother are left in a social environment where his mother had
always had problems to integrate, and after the initial readiness to help of
friends, neighbours, and superiors has faded after two months and what savings
had been there have been used, his lady mother has not yet found a solution for
her and her son’s future. Being overstrained between the situation’s pressure,
grief and own continuing diseases, her mental and physical condition
deteriorates. 10 year old Grace tries to help, and can earn a little money as
errand boy, though not able to deal with finances at that age, he often loses
it again or gets cheated. Also, with a still noble name, and of delicate build
and health, it is difficult for him to even find work. Nor is he used to
working to the degree commoner’s children around him are. Other officers and
hedge knights refuse to take him on, knowing about his own instable physical
and mental position. Other children start bullying him. Becoming a confused and
strange child, he gets alienated from his friends, and soon finds his mother
mentally too instable to care for him, raise him, teach him, or even control
his emotional, stress-induced outbursts and beginning depression.

This
state drags on, with the family being supported by funds from the local sept
and the former garrison. But financially, with a sick mother who finds it
difficult to earn money as a Lady herself, and due to weak nerves and starting
mental diseases, faces more and more problems to keep her home, her varying
occupations, her son, herself, their income and their social relations under
control, the situation looks dire. For more than a year she considers turning
to her own family or the Morrigen family for help, but somehow cannot deal
anymore with their responses, help offerings and what money they send. The situation
drags on for two years, with an atmosphere of “too much to die, yet too little
to live” in nearly all aspects of life. Grace has the impression that his
relatives would take is mother and him back to help them, but somehow his
mother seems to refuse this. In 424 AC, it finally becomes clear that his
mother is suffering from depression, compulsive acts, paranoia and social
phobia. She is incapacitated and it turns out that over the years she has
refused several offers of other people who would have wanted to take Grace or
her on. It is now a Septon in Strongsong to whom Grace is sent who is known for
often taking in orphans. Though Grace is grateful as could be, the 12 year old
is difficult to handle. Having reacted with psychosomatic symptoms to the pressure
of the years, he stutters, has started bed-wetting again, falls sick from the
cold and flu regularly, suffers bellyache whenever he cannot deal with a
situation anymore, and is prone to compulsive acts when nervous. In the
sheltering environment of the Sept and with the nearly endless patience of
Septon Sarryn and Sisters Eulalie and Zea, Grace’s state starts to recover.

### The Onset of Winter (13 - 14)

Then winter hits the continent in 425 AC. With several of his fosterlings falling
sick very soon, Septon Sarryn soon sees his own finances and what the Faith can
offer him overstrained to a high degree. He makes the tough decision to send
away some of the children, choosing the older ones in hope that they might find
occupation someplace else. Despite with both Grace and the Septon knowing,
Grace is not fit yet to look after himself, the Septon advises Grace to turn to
the Faith’s mother house in Gulltown, hoping the young noble might get
recommended to somebody as a squire. Or at least find shelter or work under the
roof of the Faith. And it is in winter that the 13 year old boy has to cross
several mountain passes covered with snow and treacherous growing glaciers.

It
is a miracle he arrives there alive, and in relatively good health. It is the
leader of the motherhouse himself who interrogates the gaunt boy, who claims to
have travelled all the way from north of Strongsong, across several mountain
passes, all completely covered in ice, and being very impressed by this
accomplishment, reads through the recommendation letter that Septon Sarryn has
written for the boy. Despite of a strained situation of the Faith themselves,
the local leading Septon takes in the strange boy of Stormlander noble descent
and he is assigned as Ser Lester Creighton’s squire.

Used
to hardships and deprivation, Grace follows his new master on a journey to
Lannisport. On the journey, they fall victim to an ambuscade of starving
locals, and able to escape, Grace gets separated from Ser Creighton. For days,
he tries to find the knight, but is unable to do so. With him, Grace has lost
not only the knight who had started training the confused young boy, but is
also alone again, without future prospects and without money. The Faith’s
motherhouse in Gulltown is too far away by now to return, so that Grace is
bound to remain in the Riverlands, trying to earn money along the road to get
to Lannisport to arrive at Ser Creighton’s planned destination and maybe find
the knight again.

After
one week, Grace has gone so hungry that he is forced to turn to stealing.
Without the cognitive ability to even overthink it, he joins a gang of
youngsters trying to get by whatever way is necessary. It is a myriad of
experiences he makes there, living under a constantly precarious condition, in
a volatile environment, with the rising misery asking for ever more dangerous
and criminal acts. For the 14 year old, it is not a matter of conscience. Adult
Grace’s memory nowadays is very blurred regarding the events of this time. Or
his feelings back then. For 15 year old Grace, however, it is a mere matter of
survival. And he does what is needed to get himself fed, a warm place to sleep
and stay in contact with his new comrades. Grace generally acts as a follower,
being known as a shocked and traumatized child, too weak and too instable for
his age. But he gets by because of swiftness of movement and a certain
intuition that seems to guide him where his blurry mind fails. Soon, he has
become so immersed in his new situation that he simply forgets about his plan
to go to Lannisport. Or return to Gulltown. Or turn to the Faith for help.

It
is not until mid-426 AC that he awakes from this distorted state when he gets
away from being hanged in the virtually last minute. Suddenly, hiding in the
woods, with the local garrison soldiers searching for him, he has the first
“clear moment” for… what might be since his father died. His journey has
brought him near Old Oak by then. Though he remembers having shared the gang’s
dream of sailing to Essos. Lost in that even weirder for unfamiliar state of
clarity, he is caught by the soldiers a few days later. And he would have
nearly been killed had on the way back to the arrest cell and the gallows not a
Septa per mere coincidence shared the road with the soldiers for a while and
learned about the fate of the pale boy. It is Septa Constantia who convinces
the judge to show mercy, being touched and fascinated by the boy, and asks the
youth after his release to accompany her to Oldtown where she has business to
do.

It
is because of her that Grace receives his name. For unwilling to tell her his
real name – a name he had not used for ages in the social environment of
peasants and criminals – or to tell her \*any\* name at all, she decides to call
him “Grace”. For the Gods’ grace that had seemed to have been shone upon him
many times already in his life. He is too weak to repel a girls’ name.

### Back in the Care of the Faith (15 - 20)

Grace stays with the caring Septa who soon treats him as if he were rather her own son
than just another soul in need of saving. Holding a superior position in the
Faith of Oldtown, as the personal assistant of Septa Ertha of the Most Devout,
often also working in the financial department, Grace’s survival during the
winter is secured. Under the loving hands of the Septas and those around them,
he finally takes to the care and love offered, and becomes stronger. Both
physically and mentally. Grace finds a home there, and soon starts learning as
many things as possible in order to prove thankful and give back what he
plentifully receives.

It
is a decision that did not go easy for most of the Septas, but it is Ertha
herself who finally pushes the suggestion through that, suiting his Stormlander
heritage, Grace should receive training in weaponry as well. And it seems like
one of the brightest miracles in those harsh and darkened days when the three
knights of the Faith assigned to train him, soon reveal to the Septas that
Grace seems to posses a natural talent in nearly any weapon they hand him over.
The hypothesis is tested thoroughly during the next months, and Grace proves an
eager, ambitious and patient student. His self-confidence rises, and over time,
his mental problems, especially his compulsive acts and stuttering decrease
significantly.

Surrounded
by scholars and educated people, Grace even develops an elegant way of
speaking, and soon is taught in the rhetoric arts and the art of reasoning.
Everybody, no matter of simple or elevated ranking, is impressed by the progress
the initially shy and half-starved boy who had been sentenced to death already
is making. And soon, the Septas come to realize that the extremely rare
combination of increasing eloquence, humbleness and obedience, and an
incredible talent in fighting has to be meant for something. And could be used
for a very outstanding position. Just with the ongoing prohibition of the Faith
Militant, it is not yet clear which one, for the Septas are reluctant to see a
future for Grace in the Holy Hundred both because of his lowly background and
Ertha’s personal aversion against the ever changing position of the High
Septon.

### War Arising. Grace's Calling. (20 - 23)

In 432 AC, when the Warsmiths take over the city of Oldtown, they try to win Grace
over, yet Grace remains true to his confession and confines himself to praying
and more pragmatic work useful for the Septas around him.

In 433 AC, Grace accompanies Septa Ertha of the Most Devout to the capital
to elect a new High Septon. While not a knight yet, he has offered his services
to her to protect her on her journey and during her stay amid the chaos of
disorder, upheaval and war that Ertha tries to stay away from. During the days
of the mob’s rise and the raiding of the Red Temple, along with her other bodyguards,
Grace has to defend her and her entourage several times.

They are still in the capital when the Faith Militant is reformed. And
Grace sees it as a calling.

The Septa allows him to serve in the Order, yet proves unwilling to give
her consent to Grace joining the order. Despite being already 20 years of age,
he is taken on as a squire to a knight he gets on very well with, and
accompanies him and the Warrior’s Sons first to the Stormlands and then to the
Reach. His knowledge of the region and connection to local authorities prove
very helpful to free Oldtown from the Warrior’s Sons. Afterwards, Grace
accompanies the Warrior’s Sons to the battle of Bitterbridge. He distinguishes
himself in the battle as a field preacher and remarkable fighter. His eloquence
and religious fervour inspire many they meet along the roads to join their
cause. During marches, encampments and even on the battle field, Grace’s words
find eager listeners. And all of them keep reporting on how inspiring and
encouraging his presence has been during the war. Grace is knightened by the
Chapter-Captain of Oldtown after the battle. Yet he is still undecided whether
to join the order for Septa Ertha adviced him to rather wait and observe the
long-term development of the order’s internal climate, outer reputation and the
political status.

A few weeks later, Grace accompanies the army to Ashford, where they join
with the Tyrell forces. And he distinguishes himself in yet another battle.
Slightly wounded, he has to retire from the war efforts for several weeks, then
recovers and returns to the duties he has been assigned.

### Joining the Warrior’s Sons (23 – 26)

With the war ended in the Reach, Grace becomes very active in assisting the
establishment of the young order. He is passionate about it, and everyone can
see that – and is inspired by it. He becomes a representative of the order in
an affiliate member status, getting to talk to local authorities, doing
recruitment, assisting in setting up local facilities and structures. Among the
order, he becomes very popular, known for his vigorous energy, empathetic ear,
encouraging words and high degree of will-power.

In
435 AC, Grace finally joins the order, having lived among his brethren that,
together with the Septas that supported him during his youth, have become his
family.

He
is sent to Lannisport in 435 AC to assist the establishment and support of the
local Chapter-House, sharing his knowledge from Oldtown with the local
Warrior’s Sons there.

In
436 AC he is sent to Gulltown as a representative of both the Chapter-Houses of
Oldtown and Lannisport, ensuring support during winter. He is reunited there
with the Septon who once took him in as a child, but makes no effort to go and
search for his mother. Though he had started sending letters to her during the
last years when Grace, after his youth full of hardships, had finally settled
down in Oldtown.

### Nowaydays (26)

In 438 AC, Ser Grace Morrigen has finally returned to Oldtown, right in time for
the wedding feast.