Pyper Sunderland

Pyper Sunderland (Born Taren Stone) is the Lady Lord of Sisterton and head of House Sunderland. She rose to power in 368AC after murdering her father, Lord Triston Sunderland, and switching places with her half-sister (the real Pyper Sunderland).

## Player Information

### Alternate Characters

Murdoch Goodbrother
Danyl Snow
Artos Dayne

## Appearance

Taren is a slim and slender woman with decent height. Her years of smuggling aboard a pirate ship taught her that she needed to be fit in order to survive, so she is lean yet muscular. He brown hair is long, but usually kept out of the way, unless she must act like a Lady.

## Biography

Lady Sunderland was born in the year 345 AC to the ancient Lord of Sunderland, Triston Sunderland and his young mistress, who he killed for giving him another girl. Initially, Taren was born a bastard, Taren Stone. Despite her low born status her half sister, Pyper Sunderland, accepted as her true born sister. They became best of friends and Pyper introduced Taren to one of her favorite sports, falconry. Taren lived on Sisteron with her Lord father and sister, learning to be a proper Lady and many Lordly things, albeit second hand from Pyper. She became a skilled archer under the guidance of Ser Preston. Of course, this was during the brief time they were allowed outside of their rooms.

Lord Triston kept Taren and Pyper under lock and key, rarely letting either girl venture from their Keep. Believing children, especially women, should be seen and not heard, starving them whenever they misbehaved.

Together Pyper and Taren shared everything with each other, including ambitions. Pyper revealed to Taren that she wanted nothing more than to leave Sisterton and become a smuggler, like the men their father hated. Taren wanted nothing more than to be legitimized, believing the abuse would stop if she did.

Despite this, Taren still struggled to overcome her bastard status with Lord Triston ignoring and disrespecting and even taking advantage of her. Lord Triston’s abuse did not stop with Taren, he would often force Pyper to become the High Born Lady she was always meant to be. Both Taren and Pyper suffered under their drunkard father in silence.

At age 19 Taren broke, striking out against her father and running away from home, along with Pyper. However, Lord Triston, elderly and dying, as well as furious his heir was leaving, sent all of his guards and vicious dogs after his two daughters. Taren escaped aboard a Smuggler’s ship, offering herself as the ship’s Cabin Boy in exchange for passage away from her Father. Pyper was left behind.

For years, Taren stayed aboard the crew, working her way up from Cabin Boy to an essential crew mate learning to become a master smuggler. However, the guilt of what she had done did not leave her. Over the years she heard rumors of the abuse that Pyper endured, which had amplified since Taren’s escape.

During her time sailing aboard the pirate ship Taren became very attuned to the Red God. She would often pray to him above all and found her prayers were sometimes answered. One night, she prayed on what to do about Pyper and her father, and she received her answer.

At age 23, Taren returned to Sisterton, smuggling herself into the Castle and finding her father, Lord Triston, drunk, and beating the heavily pregnant Pyper. Easily getting the upper hand against her father, she discovered the child Pyper carried was Triston’s. In a fit of rage, she killed her father. Taren told Pyper she was there to rescue her and Pyper revealed she was faking her pregnancy, having aborted the ‘monster’ as she dubbed it. Now older, the two girls barred great resemblance to each other, Taren, in an attempt to make up for the guilt she held for leaving her half sister behind, told Pyper to return to her Smuggler crew in her place. Taren would take over Pyper’s role as the Leader of House Sunderland. Pyper broke down crying, thanking Taren for all she had done and writing a letter to King Edderion, requesting that Taren be legitimized.

Taren, now pretending to Pyper, settled into her role as Leader of House Sunderland with some difficulty, longing for the days of her adventures at seas. She has yet to send the letter to King Edderion, waiting for her sister's return. She brought into her service a man named "Master" Kole, a Red Priest to guide her through her journey of being her sister.

## Timeline

345 AC: Taren is Born

350 AC: Pyper begins teaching Taren about Falconry

354 AC: Ser Preston trains Taren to be an archer

356 AC: Taren is assaulted by her father for the first time

364 AC: Taren & Pyper attempt to run away from their Father, Taren escapes, Pyper is left behind

365 AC: Taren becomes a fighter aboard the ship, leaving her life as Cabin Boy behind

367 AC: Taren begins hearing about Pyper’s hellish life while docked at Sisterton

368 AC: Taren returns to Sisterton to rescue her sister, kills his father, is legitimized, and begins the lie that she is Pyper Sunderland

## Household

Dake - Gift: Agility, Negative Trait: Mute

"Master" Kole - Gift: Zealot, Negative Trait: Eunuch

Ser Preston - Gift: Berserker, Negative Trait: Maimed (missing left hand)