Doreah of Dosk

Myrcella Flowers

## Introduction

Doreah of Dosk is the mistress of Lord Rickard Rowan. A woman of immeasurable ambition and keen intellect, even in her early years Doreah manifested her intelligence through many successful ploys and plots; one of which may have been the seduction of the heir of Goldengrove.

Now a mother of three, Doreah has became far more concerned about her children's futures rather than her own, sometimes even going as far as to broach her beloved with the topic of legitimization.

## Appearance and Character

Doreah is an athletic and tanned beauty, with her body having a lean and hungry look to it, as if she has worked too long or ate too little. A life of hard work and childbirth have left visible marks on her body, yet she has retained a pretty enough appearance. She has a sharp face, tanned from years of sun exposure and jagged like a cliff, with a straight nose in the middle, framed by a waterfall of brown locks. The only feature about her that would lead one to discern her origin from among the smallfolk are her crooked teeth, which she goes to great lengths to hide, leading her to smile sparsely and with tightly closed lips.

## Biography

Born around Dosk in the countryside, Doreah was the third daughter and fifth child of Dorian of Dosk, a lowly hunter whom oft violated the law by scouring restricted portions of forest to find more valuable game to provide for his fledgling and growing family. On one such occasion the adept hunter was promptly caught and hung for his illegal transgressions. Doreah was four at the time, and as such her mother, Pricella, a woman of ill-repute due to her husband's actions, struggled to provide for her family. One by one most of Doreah's siblings succumbed to their poor state, both of her elder sisters dying of the Bloody Flux around her ninth name-day. Soon after both of her brothers abandoned Doreah and their mother in a vain attempt to find a better fortune elsewhere. Doreah never saw them again. Despite everything however, and to the surprise of all the people of Dosk, her mother endured and continued to provide for her sole daughter all the way through her youth.

Yet, the burden was not only Pricella's to bear. Throughout all the struggles and tribulations Doreah was far more than eager to lend her mother a helping hand, becoming famous for her silver-tongue and quick fingers, ever-preying on ignorant travelers and destitute vagabonds. Her sisters and brothers had always poked fun at her mischievous ways; "dubious Doreah -- one false touch away from the block." With them gone now their taunting was absent, and Doreah now had free reign to do as she pleased. With this talent she prospered, using her fair looks, pleasant tones, and youth to trick scores of men, women, and fellow children into folly after folly. By the age of fourteen she had garnered more stolen silver than her father would've likely seen in two decades of work. However, all the wealth amounted to nothing as the dubious youth spied on the horizon a man with more gold and influence than she had ever seen. She simply couldn't resist.

Sat atop a pale-white stallion, golden haired and proud, nobly bred and in every sense a nobleman, Doreah was smitten by Rickard Rowan the instant she laid her eyes upon him. In the beginning she justified this infatuation as her selfish desires. In this cruel world - the one that had taken her sisters and father - love could not exist. Suffice it to say, those ill intentions soon gave way to true love, and the sixteen year common girl of Dosk dressed as well as she could, batted her eyes, and flung subtle pleasantries at Rickard with all the sincerity and kindness she could muster. It didn't take long, and soon they were a merry couple, inseparable even as Doreah bid farewell to her mother and traveled with Rickard around the countryside.

It was during that time that Doreah was truly happy, gallivanting with her "brave Ser" never to, but always around Goldengrove. Their relationship was to be kept a secret so long as Rickard was married to his barren Oakheart wife, and even then the chances of them marrying were close to impossible. She was merely a common girl, the daughter of a criminal. It didn't take long for the ambition of marriage to die. As soon as Rickard left with Doreah to venture around the Reach however, he took her to bed. Within a few months she was pregnant, and within a year, at Starpike, her first child was born, Guyard. The birth wasn't pretty. Doreah's labor lasted for days, and the Maester of Starpike was alarmed that she lived through the terrible ordeal. This would be a trend for all of Doreah's pregnancies, each one exacting a cost upon her body.

When news of the death of Lord Rowan reached the couple they hastily returned to Goldengrove, Doreah staying outside of the castle in the countryside at a manor that would inevitably become her permanent residence, Deerhall.

For the next five years Doreah spent the most of her time in and around Deerhall, raising her two sons and entertaining Rickard whenever he would come to visit her (which was often). Whenever given the chance to advise him about matters of state she would without hesitation, firmly stating her position and beliefs without much emotion and always matter-of-factly. She was used to street tricks and ploys, not politics, but this new arena she attacked with all the ferocity she could, educating herself in history, the arts, economics, and politics to better prepare herself for her new role as Rickard's trusted confidant. If he was to rely on her she would prove her worth to him without question.

In 80 AC all of that preparation was well rewarded with Rickard's appointment to the position of Master of Coin. Pregnant with their third child, initially Doreah did not accompany Rickard to King's Landing, instead staying behind to ensure that the birth went as well as possible. It took her two years to fully recover from the birth and to deem herself fit to serve her paramour. With her children in tow, she arrived at King's Landing and assisted Rickard to the best of her ability. She was wholly invested in Rickard's career then. If he stayed awake to look over ledgers so would she; if he needed a task done she would always be more than willing to accomplish it without question. For ten years they stayed in the capital, laboring well for the kingdom's benefit, reaping the immense stress and sleepless nights as they did so.

The onset of Rickard's long bouts of illness was unexpected by most, but certainly not by Doreah. They needed fresh air, open fields, and the sun - the real unfiltered radiant sun of Goldengrove. When they returned to their respective homes Doreah set about an entirely new task: that of the complete renovation of Deerhall. When she had initially moved in it was barely a manor - more of a hunting lodge really, filled with those same tools that her father had collected and used with due diligence during his short life. It was not a place fit to raise a family, so Doreah had the entire stout structure demolished. In its place was a new, fine stone and marble manor, adorned with lavish rugs, plants, paintings, and with expansive fields of flowers abound for as far as the eye could see. Goldhall it was named, an improvement on its predecessor. It would be here that Doreah wouldn't mind being alone with her children for weeks on end.

With a home worthy of her esteem, two knighted sons, and a daughter as beautiful as the stars, Doreah now lives for the most part surrounded by peace and tranquility. Every now and then her love, Rickard, comes and visits her, indulging in those pleasures of old to much fanfare and to seek her advice on troublesome topics.