Lorimar Dondarrion

Davos Dondarrion

Jena Dondarrion

Alysanne Dondarrion

Jocelyn Dondarrion

**Lorimar Dondarrion** is the current Lord of Blackhaven. The second son of the gallant Lord Simon Dondarrion, had it not been for his older brother's premature death, Lorimar wouldn't have surmounted to much. However, throughout the Fourth Dornish War and Rosegold Rebellion, Lorimar proved to be both a capable commander and formidable warrior, often leading his vanguard personally into battle.

Known for his wrath and ambition, the Lord of Blackhaven is a feared and powerful member of the Stormlander nobility - oftentimes resorting to nefarious and cruel methods to achieve his ends. His attitudes regarding the Crown and his Liege Lord are widely known as near-damning, yet few would dare to venture into the Marches to alter his opinions.

## **Appearance and Character**

With a gaze as cool as ice but as piercing as a hawk, the lean and suave Lorimar yearns for battle, butchery, and vengeance. His well kept red hair flows freely and light stubble mark about his thin lips. His armor is pitch black, oily, and like an oven, but the heat never seems to bother him.

Steadfast in his convictions and of an unshakable nature, Lorimar truly believes that his actions are warranted by the losses of those fateful few that he still holds close to his heart.

## **Biography**

### **Youth**

Lorimar, known by his close friends and family as Lormy, was born inside the keep of Blackhaven during the sixtieth year since Aegon's Conquest. He was the second son of the gallant and handsome Lord Simon Dondarrion, a well-renowned jouster and musician. During his early years Lorimar was tutored by by many learned men: Maesters, Court Wisemen, and foreigners on tours, but it wasn't until his martial training under Ser Jason Cole that he truly began to excel. Proficient at swordplay from a young age, Lorimar seldom lost during sparring matches - tending to bask in victory each time he would win. Throughout his childhood he yearned to appease and impress his father, whom he regarded in the highest of esteems. That affection would never come however, always seeming to be showered on his older brother Davos instead. Regardless of this, Lorimar continued to prosper, forging a close bond with both of his brothers until he was inevitably sent to the Reach to squire for Lord Martyn Hightower.

### **Squiring**

In Oldtown Lorimar found some semblance of peace. Far away from his father and older brother, under the tutelage of Lord Hightower Lorimar was given the much needed attention he required. He became skilled at swordplay and an adept strategist, oft found playing war games with fellow squires and senior knights. When those games "became too dull" he started to accompany Lord Martyn on patrols and fight alongside him during any minor conflicts. It was during those minor brawls that Lorimar truly felt free. With a sword in his hand and armor weighing him down, woe to any that thought to face him.

Not all went well however, on a rainy night when Lorimar was meant to be studying history he sneaked out of the Hightower and ventured into the countryside by himself. Rumors of a deadly bandit had been consuming his thoughts for some weeks now - a Dornishman of ill-repute. He was said to be seven feet tall and near four hundred pounds, his hair red from all the blood that had stained him. He wasn't real, but to a thirteen year old Lorimar he most certainly was. As he road on horseback like a madman towards the Dornish Marches he slipped from his saddle, hitting his head hard against a rock. It was later said that his horse had panicked at the sight of lightning and bucked him clear free. Whatever the case, Lorimar was not expected to live. For three weeks he labored in pain in the Hightower. Lord Martyn sent news of the incidence to Lord Dondarrion, but no response ever came. It was during his most dire moment that the Lady Leyla entered his life. Lorimar had met her before in passing - exchanging words here and there as any might in casual conversation. Leyla pitied him, she would later tell him. "To see so powerful a man so wrongfully wrought and mangled most cruelly." For two fortnights she stayed by his bed. On the thirtieth day he awoke from the stupor the fall had forced him into, and on the following evening the pair were formally betrothed.

It would take Lorimar ten more years of training and squiring before he was knighted by Lord Hightower. Cold and long those days were. In the warm embrace of Leyla he found some happiness, but the lingering consequences of his absence from Blackhaven weighed heavily on him. His father sent no news to him nor did his brother. He felt estranged - lost even - "the lost dog of Dondarrion" he would call himself, yet despite it all he remained faithful to his family. When the news of the Fourth Dornish War reached his ears he was immediately knighted by Lord Hightower. With a small retinue of chosen men he rode hard for home, hellbent on proving his worth in bloody battle.

### **The Fourth Dornish War**

Lorimar's war was that of attrition, and all throughout the war he made the Dornishmen bleed. Spurred on by the news of his brother's execution at the hands of Lord Yronwood, Lorimar set a path of fire all through the Marches. Any whom assisted or were suspected of assisting the Dornish invaders were ruthlessly hounded and executed without mercy. Granted, there weren't many, but those that he did catch regretted their treason. He joined the force that eventually recovered the smoldering ruin of Blackhaven. So distraught he was upon seeing it that he locked himself away for days. Mutterings and curses could be heard through his door: vows of vengeance and specific names uttered loudly for all to hear. Whilst Yorick had ridden away teaming with Dondarrion gold, Lorimar had already begun planning his demise.

The war had taken a toll on Lorimar's father. Stricken by an unrelenting grief his father became reclusive, often foregoing sustenance in favor of crying for his lost son. It didn't take long for him to pass. Within a year Lorimar buried his father beside the mangled remains of his older brother.

### **Lord of Blackhaven**

The castle and state of affairs Lorimar inherited from his father were miserable. The sacking of Blackhaven and its countryside had bankrupted the Dondarrion family, and yet worse a rainy season followed by a drought ruined a year's worth of crops meant to feed the castle and its subjects. Through securing a sizable loan Lorimar was able to offset some of the suffering, but the majority of the funds that went to rebuild the castle and its outlying infrastructure was graciously provided by Storm's End. It was a favor that the half-Baratheon Lorimar would never forget. By the second year of his reign the status-quo had been achieved. For once there was peace and tranquility within the Marches, and as he laid amongst the stars with his four children, the vengeful Lorimar was, for a time, at peace.

That peace was not meant to last however, and far sooner than he had anticipated a squire was forced upon him; Lord Baratheon's very own son, Devan. It must be told that whilst Lorimar was a competent ruler, he was anything but a competent parent. His children hated him. He was neglectful, fostered rivalries, and preferring to patrol the Marches to raising a family. Over time his wife Leyla grew to distrust him, never knowing what he was truly doing on his more longer patrols. Whilst she suspected infidelity, a far worse truth was real. Lorimar's warmongering ways extended into peacetime. Indolence and boredom from years of lazing in the Hightower had beaten his childlike fantasy's of butchery and battle into him. Just as a child, only when he was wielding a blade did he truly feel alive. His raids across the border were often small and conducted largely in secret. Always dressed as bandits, he and his men would strike unsuspecting Dornish villages and raze them to the ground. The intention of these raids were not economic - simply personal. He yearned for the day that Lord Yronwood would lead a sortie of men personally to face him, and thus far such an opportunity had evaded him. When Devan Baratheon arrived at Blackhaven these activities were put almost to a complete halt. The last thing Lorimar needed was for the son of his liege to go blabbering about his excursions, so instead he focused his efforts elsewhere.

### **The Rosegold Rebellion**

Lorimar was reluctant to answer the call from Storm's End to muster for a campaign in the Reach. Despite being raised there, he cared little for their politics, and if anything hated their flowery way of life. Begrudgingly he rode with Devan into the reach with some two-thousand men, and time and time again he fought with distinction. Always the first into battle, and always the last to leave. His men would've followed him to the very ends of the world if he'd asked. However, it was in retreat that he earned his highest honor. At the Slaughter of Bitterbridge he had stood beside Lord Raymont as he had scaled the walls, dismaying greatly at the sight of his fall. Taking him upon his shoulders, it was Lorimar that removed his deceased liege from the field of battle. Braving arrows, spears, and trampling for near half a mile until he was safely back in camp. His squire had stayed beside him the entire time, holding high a shield and deflecting many bolts meant for them. Lorimar did not thank Devan for it in any way, but secretly was thankful for it.

The political ramifications of the rebellion were profound for Lorimar. For all his life he had assumed that the Crown was capable of holding onto power. However, the uneasy stalemate had planted the seeds of doubt into his mind - furthered along by the sentiments of many of his fellow Stormlanders.

### **The Death of Yorick**

Returned from campaigning a hero, Lorimar began to trust his squire far more than before. He knew of his late night meetings with his daughter Jena, but did not speak of it to anyone. In truth he hoped that it would inevitably result in a betrothal between the two.

For three more years Lorimar labored as lord, continuing his trend of absolute diligence and savagery. The rift between his children and himself continued to grow. His late night arguments with his wife becoming ever-louder and more spoken of. As the frustration within built, the yearning to return to the Marches grew. By the ninety-sixth year after Aegon's Conquest he could hold himself back no more. With a small force of thirty men and with Devan beside him, Lorimar rode hard into Yronwood territory. Clad in his black armor without a sigil to identity himself he butchered a score of caravans, burned villages, poisoned wells, and hung local noblemen. His men raped and pillaged to their hearts content. All throughout Lorimar kept his eyes closely fixed on Devan, watching for his reactions. As before it was all a ploy to draw out the Lord Yronwood, and unlike all the previous attempts, this time the aging lord obliged him.

Lorimar and his men hid high in the foothills along a narrow stream, laying in wait for Yorick and his men. On the third day of waiting they came. Clad proudly in exotic cloths and scaled steel, at the head rode Lord Yorick, but beside him was his son and heir - an unexpected, but certainly not unwanted surprise. At the point of the spear Lorimar rode headlong into battle. They were outnumbered, but the surprise and favorable terrain had been enough to carry the battle. Within twenty minutes it was over, and as Lorimar dismounted Lord Yorick and his son were presented to him on their knees.

He said little to the old Lord Yronwood, preferring his actions to speak for him. With a cruelly curved dagger the Lord Dondarrion slit Yorick's son's throat from ear to ear, kicking the boy into the stream to be carried downriver towards Yronwood. With the bloody deed done he revealed himself to Yorick. Before the Dornish lord could respond he had already taken his ear, and with three stabs and a slice Yorick was slain and sent to join his son.

It was a cruel and grizzly scene. The ride back to Blackhaven was of complete silence. Those that had partaken in it knew of its validity and truly believed in the righteousness of it. However, Lorimar's eyes continued to stray to watch Devan closely.

### **Recent Events**

Two years since the death of Yorick and little else has changed. In an attempt to secure Devan's silence Lorimar knighted the Baratheon boy prematurely. In the high peaks of the Marches he spoke of honor and virtue, but also of those distasteful tasks which one must undertake for the greater good of the realm.

After years of quiet deliberation Lorimar has become a staunch supporter of the independence faction within the Stormlands. Simply put, those old foolish notions of a Targaryen Hegemony are entirely gone. In its place is the belief that the former Dragonlords are no longer worthy of rule. Their legitimacy was founded upon their willingness to wage war. Therefore a legitimate cause should be found in those capable of besting them on the field of battle.

As his opinions of the Targaryens worsen, so too does the esteem of his children and wife. As Lorimar continues to fight for what he believes in, he must truly be wary of his own self-destructive nature. For high in the Marches little is unknown to those who listen.

**5th Moon, 98 AC -** After sending his son and heir to Stonehelm to court the Lady Marya Swann, Lord Dondarrion has yet to hear back from him. Although, the garrison of Blackhaven claims that his son returned during a rainy night, only to depart with all haste into the south.

**7th Moon, 98 AC -** A falling star lands near Blackhaven, prompting a thorough investigation which leads to the discovery of a rare metal akin to the makings of the sword *Dawn.* Suffice it to say, Lorimar immediately begins the necessary preparations to forge a piece of armament out of the metal for himself.

**1st Moon, 99 AC -** Whilst on the road from King's Landing to Blackhaven, Lorimar sustains a fall from his horse, causing him terrible personal injury. Regardless, he still plans to attend the wedding of Serra Baratheon and Daeron Targaryen, an event which he knows will be paramount for the future of the Stormlands.