House Redwyne

**House Redwyne of The Arbor** is one of the principal noble houses of The Reach. Their wealth is only matched by the Lannisters who have their gold when the Redwynes have their Arbor Gold. The Redwynes claim descent from ‘Gilbert of the Vines’, a legendary son of ‘Garth Greenhand’. For years, House Redwyne ruled over the Arbor and its surrounding waters as ‘Kings of the Arbor’ until its King was lost at sea, allowing his cousin, Meryn III Gardener, to bring the Arbor into the fold of the Kingdom of the Reach.

The Redwyne sigil is a cluster of grapes on a field of azure. Their words are ‘Ripe For Victory’.

## History

### Years Before The Conquest

House Redwyne claims descent from ‘Gilbert of the Vines’, a legendary son of ‘Garth Greenhand’. House Redwyne ruled over the Arbor as Kings of the Arbor until its king was lost at sea, allowing his cousin, King Meryn III Gardener, to make the isle part of the Kingdom of the Reach. Since their integration, they have been the most wealthy and powerful vassal of the rulers of the Reach just behind House Hightower, although there are often disputes on whether or not the two are equal. Their claim to fame comes from both their vineyards and their fleet.

The vineyards of the Arbor are said to produce the finest wines, from dry fruity reds to a rich sweet golden vintage. Kings, Queens, and all sorts of people travel to the Arbor from around the world to simply taste their wines. The most famed wine to come from the Arbor is their Arbor Gold; a white wine with a sweet floral aroma and a rich fruity taste. Some variations of the Arbor Gold include peach infused, orange blossom infused and nectarine infused. While the regular flavour is the most purchased, the others are popular as well.

### Targaryen Era

In the Targaryen Era, the Redwynes involved themselves by declaring for the greens as their allies, the Hightowers, did. Not wanting to lose their support, Lord Redwyne came to the conclusion that having the two most powerful houses in the Reach allied would be more favourable than staying neutral with his Lord Paramount who was an infant at the time.

### Robert's Rebellion

In more recent times, during the War of the Usurper, Lord Paxter Redwyne joined his cousin-goodbrother, Mace Tyrell, in staying loyal to King Aerys II Targaryen. His main contribution to the war was the naval blockade of Storm’s End during Mace’s siege, ferrying men across the Blackwater Bay and blockading Shipbreaker Bay. After the defeat of King Aerys, the entirety of the Reach bent their knee to the newly crowned King Robert Baratheon.

### War of the Five Kings

During the War of the Five Kings, Lord Paxter Redwyne has his twin sons, Horas and Hobber, in King’s Landing where they are mocked as ‘Horror’ and ‘Slobber’. After the demise of King Robert I Baratheon and the self-coronation of Renly Baratheon, Horas and Hobber are kept as hostages in King’s Landing, preventing House Redwyne from joining with the Tyrells in declaring for King Renly.

Since Lord Paxter’s children are held hostage in Kings Landing, he has no choice but to remain netural, or so the Lannisters thought. On the eve before the [battle for Kings Landing], Lord Paxter and his fleet made their way up the Narrow Sea and to Kings Landing to blockade it. With the Blackwater Bay completely blockaded, no ships could enter or exit without Lord Redwyne’s permission which leads to a surefire victory for King Renly.

### Iron Islands Invasion

After King Renly takes Kings Landing and the blockade is no longer needed, Lord Paxter returns home to the Arbor only to find the Ironborn has invaded the Reach, taken the Shield Isles as well as parts of the Arbor. Paxter split his forces and sent a quarter of his fleet up the Mander to protect Highgarden and rid the Mander of any Ironborn forces, a quarter up to the Shield Islands and half to the Arbor to rid the Ironborn and protect his home.

The fleets of the Hightowers and Redwynes defeated King Euron outside the Whispering Sound, and forced him to retreat to the Shield Islands as the Ironborn holdings in the Arbor and on the coast are retaken.

Euron regroups on the Shield Isles, sending word back to Pyke requesting more men. The Ironborn refuse, however, the machinations of Rodrik the Reader and Asha Greyjoy combining with his recent loss to undermine the rule of Euron Crow's Eye. Before he can abandon his conquests, however, the Redwyne fleet arrives to retake the Isles. In a battle known as the Battle of the Shields, the Ironfleet is broken, King Euron is slain, and the last of the Ironborn are thrown out of the Reach. During the Battle of the Shields, Hobber Redwyne's ship is destroyed and he was never found amongst the dead that washed up on the shores.

Lord Paxter Redwyne passed away half a year later in 301 AC, leaving his unwed son Horas to inherit the position of Lord at 19.

### Peacetime

After inheriting the lordship of the Arbor at 19, Horas Redwyne turned into somewhat of a hermit. Horas wed a thirdborn daughter from House Chester of Southshield; a woman who became Desmera Redwyne's handmaiden after the liberation of the Shield Islands. While they flirted and swooned over each other for years, they did not officially wed until 320 AC, after the War of Repayment.

### War of Repayment

House Redwyne's involvement in the war was short-lived. They received word that King of the Stepstones Aurane Waters pulled back from his mainland bombardment and headed towards the Stepstones. Worried that he would swing around the continent and assault the west coast to distract the Iron Throne, Horas Redwyne ordered his entire fleet of 200 assorted ships to the Stepstones to intercept the self-proclaimed King of the Stepstones.

In what would eventually be called The Battle in the Straits, one of the largest naval battles in recent history took place. Lord Horas and King Aurane met in between Grey Gallows and the Broken Arm of Dorne. The clash lasted almost an entire day of back and forth fighting, one side retreating and regrouping whilst the other side peruses. After the battle came to an end, the Redwyne fleet was almost all but destroyed. Over three quarters of the fleet was damaged or crippled and one quarter was completely destroyed.

But their defeat also led to a victory for the crown. King Aurane lost all eight of his dromonds and most of his fleet, leaving him limping back to the Stepstones and knocking him out of the war and leading to his death in The Final Push.

As for the Redwyne Fleet, Horas retreated back to the Arbor with what was left of his ships and issued a command to repair any vessel they could and salvage the rest to construct more ships.

### Horas the Hermit

In the years after the war, Horas would settle down in the Arbor with his wife, Daena Chester. In 328 AC, they gave birth to twins, Meryn and Mellara. In 330 AC, a boy named Gwayne entered the Redwyne family. Soon after in 331 AC, Gareth would join them as well. Yet again Daena became pregnant in the end of 331 AC and gave birth to a healthy girl named Helaena in 332 AC. After having three boys and two girls, Horas and Daena were satisfied and decided to have no more children. Of course, the Gods jape in odd ways. Four years later in 336 AC, Alayne Redwyne joined the family and would be their last child.

For the years that Horas stayed in the Arbor, he would earn the nickname Horas the Hermit which he decided was better than his previous nickname 'Horror'.

### War of the Exile

As it is Westeros, there rarely is ever prolonged peace. In 338 AC, rumor started to spread around the world that there was a Targaryen looking to press his claim to the throne. As the last known Targaryen settled in Slavers Bay, most Lords of Westeros were not worried as much as they should be. Horas was not one of them.

Horas called for a heightened state of awareness in his fleet due to the increased tensions across the Narrow Sea. There no doubt would be war coming soon. After a year of building tension, the lords knew war was imminent. Horas took half of his fleet and his eldest son Meryn (who at the time was warded in Highgarden) to Kings Landing to join with the Royal Fleet to prepare for an invasion. A year later in 341 AC, the bastard son of Aegon 'Targaryen' would invade.

Meryn was captain to the *Arbor Queen*, sister ship to the *Arbor King*, captained by Horas*.* Years of training and summers sailing with his father led up to this moment. A scout spotted the combined fleet of the Exile and Volantis approaching the waters of Dragonstone and immediately signaled the Royal Fleet to advance. In the **Battle of the Gullet**, also called **the Splinters**, the forces of Aurion and Volantis clashed with the navy of the Crown.

The battle raged for hours, more action packed and fast-paced than the Battle in the Straits that Horas was a part of. Meryn, following his fathers lead, led a contingent of twelve ships in a flanking maneuver in an attempt to strike at Aurion. Their attempt was foiled when three Volanteen war galleys and six dromonds outflanked their flank and surrounded them. While Meryn was able to quickly maneuver the *Arbor Queen* away and back to safety but Horas was no as lucky.

From what Meryn was able to see, the *Arbor King* was boarded by the Volanteen. From then on, he considered his father dead. If not, enslaved or humiliated but he preferred to believe his father was put out of his misery quickly.

The battle proved to be a loss, but not before Meryn was able to retreat to King's Landing. Not wanting to stay in the capitol too long and wanting to avoid any further casualties, the now Lord of the Arbor Meryn Redwyne, ordered the remainder of his fleet back to the Arbor. Due to reports of armies landing in Rosby, he would stay as close as he dared to the northern coast of Massey's Hook.

Their trip back was uneventful besides the occasional Volanteen or mercenary patrol. All in all they returned with a quarter of what they left with, leaving the Redwyne fleet at three-quarter strength. They would remain neutral for the remainder of the war.

### The Arbor under Meryn

Upon returning to the Arbor, Meryn wed his childhood friend's sister, Lyanna Hightower. Two years later, his son and heir Perceon Redwyne was born. They would end up having four more children together, although only four would live to adulthood.

Meryn and his brother Gwayne decided together that the Arbor should up their production of Arbor Red and Arbor Gold, their two most popular wines. Therefore, the position of Master of Vines was created and given to Gwayne. Under his oversight, the vineyards have never been more plentiful and bountiful.

In 344 AC, the son of Meryn and heir Perceon was born. Five years later, the second son Gyles was born. Only two years later, a set of twins entered House Redwyne; Roslin and Runceford. That same year, Meryn's sister Helaena wed Harlen Tyrell, then heir of The Reach. In 353 AC, Gyles passed away in an unfortunate boating accident. The woman that dropped him off the boat disappeared that day, but no one questioned it. Later that year in a time of grief, a ray of sunlight entered House Redwyne named Alicent Redwyne.

In these years of peace, Meryn and his brother Gwayne learned the ways of **administration** in their wineries and vineyards. Keeping everything in order was very tough, but having each other to bounce off of helped. Along with that, assisting with the vineyards and their shipping and production, Meryn learned the ways of **logistics** and quickly took a massive interest in the vinification process. As he grew older and drank more, he fashioned himself a **drinkmaster** and a connoisseur of all types of wine.

Around 358 AC, Meryn began spending more time in King’s Landing attempting to push out other wine competitors. During negotiations with the Small Council and Master of Coin, he would often notice that King Beric was not present half the time. As years went on, Meryn noticed Beric’s condition deteriorating. Fearful that their next King, Alesander, would end up in the same position Beric ended up in, he decided to step in.

Meryn took Alesander under his wing and attempted to guide him in the right direction, and guide him to the right brand of wine; Arbor. Meryn would sit with Alesander and talk with him into the late hours of the night listening to what the Prince had to say. He learned many things about the King, things he would never want to repeat. One day in 361 AC, Beric took his own life. Alesander would take over, setting Meryn as the Master of Ships; a position previously unheld due to the previous Master of Ships resigning due to ‘ageing’. But to anyone with half a brain, they knew it was because King Beric relied heavily on his council.

The rule under King Alesander would be far different. Before the King’s wedding, Meryn set out to build a grand war galley for a wedding gift. \*The Gallant Stag\* was a three-hundred oar war galley made of ironwood. Due to the massive amount of ironwood that was needed for the ship, a deal would need to be brokered for more. He and Selwyn Tarth, then Master of Coin, headed to White Harbor to broker a deal with the Lord of Ironrath. After a successful negotiation, Meryn returned to King’s Landing and immediately takes a leave and returns to the Arbor for a handful of months.

After his son’s wife’s funeral and visits to Highgarden to see his sister and Oldtown to visit his old friend and brother-by-law Leyton, and tending to his lands and wineries, he returns to King’s Landing with his son Runceford and his brother’s son Gregor, his daughter Roslin instead opting to stay in Highgarden with Dorian Tyrell and Ulfred Caswell. He spends the next few years being the Master of Ships and a guiding figure in King Alesander’s life.

When the King appoints a boy named Roland Westerling as Hand of the King, Meryn questions his decision but decides to let it slide and keep a close eye on this Westerman.

In 369 AC, Meryn takes another leave to see his daughter Roslin give birth to her son, Owen. Upon his arrival, he sees Ulfred treating his daughter less than favourably which greatly upsets the Lord Redwyne. A few days later, in the dark of night he and two of his guards, the same guards who assisted him with Jeyne, entered the room with a cask of Arbor Red and a skin of saltwater. The next day, Ulfred was found drowned in his bed and one of his servants were blamed for his death. The day after, a cask of Arbor Red with the Caswell bow-wielding centaur burned into the side of the cask was delivered to the Lord Caswell and his wife. Meryn offered his condolences and gifted them the cask.

After the previous Master of Whispers suddenly dies, the Small Council convenes to appoint a new one and Meryn suggests his childhood friend Leyton citing his eerie ability to learn information. The King agrees and immediately appoints Leyton Hightower as Master of Whispers. During the same meeting, King Alesander suggests a tournament for the seventieth anniversary of the Treaty of Crowns. After a sweeping yes from the council, arrangements began.

## Members of House Redwyne

### Family Members

* Lord Meryn Redwyne, b. 328 AC
* Lyanna Hightower, b. 328 AC
	+ Perceon Redwyne, b. 344 AC, widower, unwed
	+ {Gyles Redwyne}, d. 353 AC, died in an accident
	+ Roslin Redwyne, b. 351 AC unwed
	+ Runceford Redwyne, b. 351 AC unwed
	+ Alicent Redwyne, b. 353 AC unbetrothed

### Extended Family

* {Lord Paxter Redwyne} d.301 AC

* {Mina Tyrell} d. 309 AC
	+ {Ser Hobber Redwyne}, d. 300 AC during the Ironborn Invasion.
	+ {Lord Horas Redwyne}, d. 342 AC during the War of the Exile.
	+ {Daena Chester}, d. 364 AC
		- Lord Meryn Redwyne, b. 328 AC
		- Lyanna Hightower, b. 328 AC
			* Perceon Redwyne, b. 344 AC
			* {Myra Beesbury}, d. 365
				+ {Gared Redwyne}, d. 363
				+ Alerie Redwyne, b. 365
			* {Gyles Redwyne}, d. 353 AC (4)
			* Roslin Redwyne, b. 351 AC
			* Runceford Redwyne, b. 351 AC
			* Alicent Redwyne, b. 353 AC
		- Mellara Redwyne, b. 328 AC
		- Leyton Hightower, b. 328 AC
			* Gerold Hightower, b. 344 AC
			* Leyla Hightower, b. 345 AC
			* Baelor Hightower, b. 347 AC
			* Alerie Hightower, b. 351 AC
			* Steffon Baratheon, b. 347 AC
				+ Cedric Baratheon, b. 369 AC
			* Denyse Hightower, b. 352 AC
			* Uthor Hightower, b. 354 AC
			* Meryn Hightower, b. 356 AC
			* Alicent Hightower, b. 358 AC
		- Gwayne Redwyne b. 330 AC - Master of Vines for the Arbor
		- Serra Redwyne *nee Baratheon*
			* Gregor Redwyne, b. 358 AC
			* Margaery Redwyne, b. 360 AC
			* Daena Redwyne, b. 362 AC
		- Gareth Redwyne b. 331 AC - Maester of the Arbor
		- Helaena Redwyne, b. 332 AC
		- Lord Paramount Harlen Tyrell, Husband, b. 330 AC
			* Gareth Tyrell, b. 351 AC
			* Dorian Tyrell, b. 353 AC
			* Victor Tyrell, b. 355 AC
			* Jana Tyrell, b. 357 AC
			* Alys Tyrell, b. 359 AC
		- Alayne Redwyne b. 336 AC - Lady of Tumbleton
		- Lord \_\_\_ Footly
			* \_\_\_ Footly

## The Redwyne Fleet

Information about the Redwyne Fleet can be found on it's page.