House Bolton

House Bolton of the Dreadfort trace their lineage back to the Age of Heroes and is descended directly from the line of First Men. Though they once ruled in the North as the Red Kings, they have served as bannermen for House Stark for thousands of years now. The Bolton sigil is a flayed man, red on pink, though the Lords of Bolton of old renounced the flaying of their enemies when they first bent knee to House Stark.

## The Magnar Beyond the Wall

The Bolton’s eagerly answer the call of House Stark for their bannerman to address the growing threat from Beyond the Wall could one day spill into their lands. Lord Roose Bolton attended the Council of 53 AC and was a strong voice advocating for the Lords of the North to ride forth and deal with the Wildlings without the aid of the Iron Throne. Roose and his brother Domeric rode at the head of the column of Bolton men when the host departed Winterfell.

Roose and Domeric could only watch in horror as Lord Osric fell to Harbinger. It’s said that when Rodrick Stark rallied the Northmen to attack the Wildlings it was Roose himself leading the Bolton charge. The Lord of the Dreadfort sought himself the greatest challenge on the battlefield - one of the immense giants that fought alongside the Wildlings. However, he underestimated the true strength of the beast and was felled by a blow that left little of him to be recognized. Domeric took up his fallen brother’s sword and slew the beast himself to avenge Roose.The Bolton forces would return south carrying the body of their dead Lord and with Domeric at their head.

## An Independent North

Once Osric Stark’s body was laid to rest in the crypts of Winterfell, Domeric Bolton returned to the Dreadfort with his brother’s corpse. Roose was laid to rest alongside his ancestors deep in the bowels of the Dreadfort and Domeric was declared Lord Regent until his nephew’s sixteenth nameday.

When Winterfell ordered the northern lords to return at Alarics behest it was Domeric who rode forth to answer the call. Just as Roose had been a strong voice in calling for the North to deal with the Wildlings without the Crown, Domeric supported the idea of Northern independence from the start. After all, where was the Iron Throne when Northern blood was spilled Beyond the Wall?

Domeric returned to the Dreadfort and rallied his troops after such a short respite and marched to White Harbor at House Stark’s order. There they would idle, waiting for the Iron Throne’s reaction. Domeric would make a small name for himself during this time, preferring to hunt spies and traitors in White Harbor to idling with the soldiers. By the time the North Rebellion was over and the North was truly independent he’d caught some dozen men accused of passing information to those loyal to the Iron Throne. He would return to Winterfell once more to pledge his House’s fealty to the new King of Winter.

## The Grasp of Winter

King Alaric Stark would go on to create the Council of Winter and turned to Domeric Bolton, still serving as his nephew’s regent, for the newly created position of Winter’s Grasp. Aleric charged Domeric with keeping the North's secrets along with discovering secrets of those around them. The position instilled both respect and revilement in Domeric as he worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the North from those who would seek to harm her inhabitants. He would serve the position even after resigning as Lord Regent of the Dreadfort until his death of old age in 93 AC.

## Plague and Death

When the Curse of Maegor returned to the North in 89 AC it devastated the Dreadfort and the surrounding area. House Bolton was not spared from the plague and death would visit them many times before the disease ran its course. Notable deaths include Arra Bolton, Raya Bolton, Ramsay Bolton, Rickard Bolton, and Alerie Bolton. The aftermath left Lord Belthasar Bolton a widower and Jon Bolton the new heir to the Dreadfort.

## Recent History

After the death of his heir and wife, Lord Belthasar Bolton became increasingly withdrawn and disinterested in both his duties and his remaining family. It is said that the Lord of the Dreadfort began to neglect his duties, preferring instead to ride into the countryside for extended hunting trips. Smallfolk began to speak of villagers going missing in the night and of the Lord of the Dreadfort reinstituting the First Night - though such rumors were always quickly quelled.

In 92 AC Lord Belthasar would catch wind of the Wolfswood Ravagers and joined Edric Stark in hunting down the fanatics. He as an odd fit for the small party, but it's said that he was eager to hunt down and kill the murderers. When he returned to the Dreadfort his hunting trips increased in frequency and the reports of missing smallfolk began to increase. During this time, Jon Bolton would begin to pick up the duties that his father neglected. It didn't take long for the smallfolk to begin praising the younger Bolton in the same breath that they cursed his father. This would carry on for many years and it's said that many around the Dreadfort viewed Jon, not Belthasar, as the true Lord of the Dreadfort.

As Jon approached his twentieth nameday the sounds of father and son arguing were heard more frequently in the Dreadfort and it was said that the two could scarcely be in the same room without bickering. Thus, it came as a surprise to all when it was announced that the two would be undertaking a hunting trip on the day of Jon’s nameday. Lord Belthasar claimed loudly for all to hear that it was an attempt to mend the divide that separated father and son and to celebrate an important day. A party of ten men set out from the Dreadfort on Jon’s nameday but two days later only Jon and two guards returned with the body of the deceased Lord Belthasar tied over the back of Jon’s horse. When asked what occurred, Jon and the two guards gave the same story - bandits had descended upon them more than a days ride away from the Dreadfort and killed most of the party before the survivors could fend them off.

Jon spent several months under intense scrutiny as his father's death was investigated. Rumors swirled around the Dreadfort; with some sayingJon had killed his father, others saying that Belthasar had attempted to take his son’s life as part of a blood magic ritual or out of jealousy, and others saying that Belthasar was killed not by bandits, but by smallfolk who blamed him for the disappearance of their wives and daughters. Through it all, his family stood firmly by his side proclaiming his innocence. Whatever the truth is, Jon Bolton was eventually cleared and assumed his father’s lordship.

## Members of House Bolton

http://www.familyecho.com/?p=START&c=cp3bb1058b&f=824388080442990773

Jon Bolton

Royce Bolton

Alyssa Bolton

Sara Bolton

Robert Bolton

Donella Bolton