Roland Westerling

## Lord Regent and Hand of the King

Knight of Seashells

Lord of the Crag

Borys Wendwater

Osgood Hawthorne

**Roland Westerling** is the third son of Elys Westerling and Bethany Wendwater and is the current Lord of the Crag and head of House Westerling. Roland served as the Hand of the King for Alesander I Baratheon and later as Lord Regent for Robert III Baratheon. He was the victor of the oust and Grand Champion during the Grand Tournament.

## Appearance

Roland has lighter brown hair that he keeps short, with eyes of the same color and a fair complexion. His face is lean like the rest of him, but he is sturdily built and relatively tall.

## History

Roland Westerling is the third and only surviving child of Lord Elys Westerling and Lady Bethany Wendwater. He resembles his father, carrying
 short brown hair, hazel eyes and a light, youthful looking face. He is
 taller than some but by no means a towering individual. Roland is well
 built and lean, but lacks the roughness of war that many of his fellow lords and councilmen own.

During his youth, Roland spent most of his time in King’s Landing as a squire for his uncle, Ser Borys Wendwater of the Kingsguard and later as a ward of King Alesander Baratheon himself. During his time as a squire, Roland developed into an outstanding **swordsman** and also developing his skills as a rider and jouster. Just as was his father’s intent, Roland picked up on various aspects of ruling during his time, especially when served under the tutelage of the king. Roland took a keen interest in aspects of military campaigning, surrounding himself with the wisdom of **logistics** and **navigation.** During his time serving the King, Roland would pick up on many secrets of the court in King’s Landing, even discovering something peculiar about the king himself by chance, a secret he has kept to this day.

Roland would return to the Crag after being knighted by his uncle Borys following a tournament at the Wendwater. Shortly following this
he would briefly return to rule the Crag with his dearest cousin, Jeyne Westerling, much to the displeasure of his uncles who would have claimed
 the castle in their own names. Roland would work to continue his
father’s work in the Crag during his tenure as Lord, and quickly gained
the support of the smallfolk, who were drawn to his **benevolent** nature. Roland’s time in the Crag would be cut short however, when he
returned to the capital to answer summons from King Alesander Baratheon.

Roland was named Hand of the King in the year 368 AC and relocated to King’s Landing to serve. He was joined by his cousin, Jeyne Westerling, by his own request. His appointment drew suspicion from
most who were shocked and surprised that someone so young and so green was given such an appointment. Roland ignored this criticism, instead deciding to focus on his duties.

## Important Events

* **350 AC**: Roland is born
* **353 AC**: Roland’s younger brother, Marek is born
* **359 AC**: Roland is sent to King’s Landing to squire for his uncle, Ser Borys Wendwater of the Kingsguard. His cousin Jeyne Westerling accompanies him, to serve as a handmaiden for the queen..

* **363 AC**: Roland meets King Alesander during a chance encounter during his time as ser Borys’ squire. Roland is given the opportunity to learn how to properly rule and becomes a ward of the king.

* **364 AC**: His younger brother, Marek Westerling passes from a bloody cough. Roland and Jeyne briefly return to the Crag during this time.

* **365 AC**: His older brother, and heir to the Crag is killed defending the family lands from bandits.
* **365 AC**: Lord Elys Westerling scours the villages around the Crag, slaughtering the criminals; many innocents die as well.
* **365 AC**: Lady Bethany Wendwater ends her own life out of grief, she jumps into one of the deep and empty mines of the Crag.
* **365 AC**: Lord Elys takes his own life shortly after being widowed, also out of grief. He leaves a letter for Roland which has never been read, but is kept on Roland’s person at all times

* **365 AC**: Roland continues to squire for Ser Borys and serve the king, refusing to return home until he is knighted. This is mostly out of fear for seeing his cursed home, the place where all his brothers and his parents perished.

* **365 AC**: His cousin and his uncle, Osgood Hawthorne and Ormund Westerling rule over the Crag in Roland’s leave, although disputes among the two of them are frequent.

* **366 AC**: Roland attends a feast in King’s Landing, where he learns a secret about his friend and mentor - the king, a secret he has kept to himself.

* **367 AC**: Roland is knighted by Ser Borys of the Kingsguard after excelling in a tourney at Wendwater.

* **368 AC**: Roland receives summons from King Alesander. He learns he is to be named Hand of the King, an offer he quickly accepts.

* **370 AC**: Roland resides in King’s Landing, and as of yet, remains unwed.
* **370 AC:** Roland attends the Grand Tournament and is victorious in the Joust. He names his cousin, Jeyne Westerling as his Queen of Love and Beauty.
* **370 AC:** Roland heads the arrest and trial of Leyton Hightower and later finds himself in a betrothal with Larra Martell.
* **370 AC:** Upon the death of Alesander Baratheon, Roland is named Lord Regent and successfully quells a treasonous attempt by Dragonstone to secure the Throne.
* **370 AC:** Roland is wed to Larra Martell in a quiet wedding at the Grand Sept of Baelor.
* **370 AC:** The Lord Regent works to quell the distress of the Realm, successfully managing the affairs of the Realm and quelling banditry to the East and West. He begins consturction on two new fleets for the Iron Throne and makes several political reforms to manage the safety of King Robert's Realm. It is in this time he grows more paranoid, distrustful and depressed when learning of his cousin, Jeyne Westerling's death.

## Recent Events

Roland resides in King's Landing where he serves as Hand of the King for Alesander Baratheon. He shares a very close relationship with his cousin, Jeyne Westerling whom some even consider the Hand to the Hand.

Roland has served well as Hand, quickly gaining the love and respect of the smallfolk as he leads the Kingdom of the Iron Throne into its seventieth year of peace. While he is on very close terms with the King, some of the older members of the Small Council feel as he is unfit for his position. Roland usually deflects this criticism, instead electing to let his actions as Hand serve as his defense.

As Hand, Roland is one of the chief individuals in arranging the Grand Tournament. As many of the Lords from the Kingdom of the North and the Iron Throne arrive in King's Landing for the festivities, he is among the first to greet them. It is during this time in which Roland conducts a deal with the Iron Bank to forgive any debts that the Iron Throne has accrued, Roland would later give the credit for this accomplishment to Allyria Martell, in an attempt to protect her honor upon her initial appointment to the Small Council.

Roland would attend a Lannister feast in King's Landing just prior to the Grand Tournament. His attendance was secretly just to create an alibi, so he and the King could head to the country side to visit with the presumed bastards of Alesander Baratheon. Before his departure, Roland speaks with many lords and ladies, and diffuses a near brawl between a Northern and Southern party, initiated by Gareth Tyrell. Roland would later learn that Ser Tyrell also dishonoured his cousin, Jeyne Westerling by forcing himself upon her, an event which enraged him more than anything in recent memory.

Throughout the celebrations in King's Landing, Roland struggles with his duties and more notably his emotions. The stress of his position leaves many of those close to him wondering if he truly is alright. Roland would lie to them all, refusing to reveal his true state of mind, and these lies just lead him into further distress and eventually a careful encounter with sweetsleep. It is during this time in which Roland becomes even more fascinated with his house words, which he considers an enigma, *Honor Before Honors.*

Roland would find success in the Grand Tournament, claiming victory during the Joust and naming his cousin as the Queen of Love and Beauty. During these events Roland's relationship with the King would be tested due to perceived slights and Roland's relationship with his cousin. Things would reach their peak when Roland learns from Lord Rosby that Leyton Hightower was involved in the murder of his son, Gerold Hightower and when Lord Hightower attempts to recruit Jeyne to his scheming.

Roland would be the figure head in the arrest and Trial of Leyton Hightower on behalf of the King. He would serve as the head judge for the trial and gathered convincing evidence, but on the eve of a conviction, Leyton demanded a trial by combat. The stresses of the job would start to reach Roland yet he was offered some consolidation as he developed a relationship betorthal with Larra Martell. Things would reach their tipping point for the Lord Hand when he enters and argument with his cousin after learning of her manipulations and deceit regarding her relationship with the King. The pair would have their relationship with each other tested, as Jeyne shunned her cousin and all contact with him after the fact.

On the eve of Leyton Hightower's trial, Roland was summoned by Alesander Baratheon in the dead of the night after his encounter with Steffon Baratheon. Roland would comfort the King, but grow uneasy at Alesander's mention of refusing Leyton Hightower's right of trial by combat. It was in this meeting that Roland and Alesander were poisoned through a glass of wine, with the Lord Hand barley escaping with this life.

Upon awaking, Roland would be named Lord Regent to King Robert III Baratheon and would work to secure the loyalty of the other Kingdoms in preparation for young Robert's rule. He successfully quells a treasonous attempt to claim the regency by Cassana Baratheon and makes several reforms to help quell the banditry in the East and West and to secure the Realm for King Robert. He orders the construction of two grand fleets for the Crown and prepares to take action against the Targaryens following the Conflagration of Sunspear. He is quickly wed to Larra Martell and works diligently to secure the allegiances of the Reach, Dorne, Stormlands, Westerlands and Crownlands.

## Family

(Family Echo)

* His aunt, Alyssa Westerling (312 AC - 345 AC)
* His uncle, {Merrett Hawthorne} (311 AC - 353 AC)
	+ His cousin, Osgood Hawthorne (336 AC)
	+ His cousin, Raymund Hawthorne (340 AC)
* His father, Ser Elys Westerling (b. 318 A, d. 365 AC)

* His mother, {Bethany Wendwater} (b. 324 AC d. 365 AC)
	+ His brother, Maren Westerling (b. 344 AC, d. 351 AC)
	+ His brother, Gawen Westerling (b. 348 AC,d. 365 AC)
	+ **Ser Roland Westerling** (350 AC)
	+ His brother, Marek Westerling (b. 353 AC, d. 364 AC)

* His uncle, {Ser Borys Wendwater}

* His uncle, Ormund Westerling (319 AC)
	+ His cousin, Ser Rollam Westerling (347 AC)
	+ His cousin, Jeyne Westerling (350 AC)

## Household Members

* Osgood Hawthorne (336 AC) - Castellan of the Crag
* Ormund Westerling (319 AC) - Roland’s Uncle
* Jeyne Westerling (350 AC) - Roland’s Cousin and confident.

## References

1. First Impressions
2. The Calm
3. Hand in Hand
4. The Hell Known as King's Landing
5. The Small Council
6. Nephew...Or should I say his grace?
7. Come Unto Glory
8. Feast for Lions
9. Summons
10. Running Through the Capital with my Woes
11. In Which a Stroll is Taken
12. The Hand is as the Hand Does
13. Arrivals to the Capital
14. Taking a Trip
15. Seashells
16. Never Reveal Your Hand
17. The Melee
18. Games Played and Hands Dealt
19. King's Landing: An Exotic Story...
20. In The Tyrell's Tent
21. Dinner for Two
22. A Handful of Sleep
23. Sleight of Hand
24. The Archery Competition
25. In My Darkest Hour
26. What Little I have Left
27. The Hand that Feeds
28. The Joust
29. Queen of Love and Beauty
30. Practice Makes Perfect
31. The Old Gods and the New
32. Paenitet Mors
33. Empty Vials
34. An Assault on a Lord
35. Lock Them Up and Throw Away the Key
36. Unease
37. Nate's Place
38. Dorian's Feast for Roland Westerling
39. Deadling with the Dornish...Again
40. In Which a Man Negotiates
41. The Master-Hand
42. The Grand Feast
43. Hands Upon Hands
44. A Little Help From Our Friends
45. Accepting an Offer
46. Curse at the Wind
47. The Master of Whisperers
48. Office Hours
49. Holding Onto Hope
50. Waters and the Seashell Hand
51. Talk to the Hand
52. Another Princess in the Capital
53. Carelessness
54. We Do Not Sow Discontent
55. Hands at the Ready
56. Smells Like Dragon
57. Hands Up
58. Show of Hands
59. Tower of the Hand
60. Two Can Play this Game
61. The Ransom
62. Fret Not...
63. What it Means to Bee Loyal
64. A 'Fair' Trial
65. There is So Much You Don't Understand
66. Regret
67. Hand of the King, Uncle of the Hand
68. A Nice Place for a Bad Man
69. Remembrance
70. Lamenation
71. Another Piece of the Puzzle
72. If I Had a Voice
73. Pushing Papers
74. A Game Begins
75. Gratitude
76. To Sunspear
77. Hands on Fire
78. Morning Rendevouz
79. Morning Rendevouz II
80. Acts of Desperation
81. Brotherly Love
82. Discovering the Truth
83. Asking for a Favour
84. Passover
85. Throne Room
86. Three Hundred Swords in Hand
87. I'll Be the One if you Want me To
88. The Gods are always Watching
89. Reassurance
90. Insurance
91. Paying Respects
92. I'll Be The One If You Want Me To
93. Three Hundred Swords in Hand
94. Starting Anew
95. The Lord Begger
96. Throne Room
97. Words to be Said
98. Drinks to be Had
99. Promises to Keep
100. A Protecting Hand
101. The Things We Do For Glory
102. Turtle Knight
103. Not So Small Council
104. He Who Walks in the Light of the Seven
105. Letters and Calling Cards
106. A Waiting Man
107. Swords and Seashells
108. Wandering the Capital
109. A Grand Affair
110. Of Faiths and Fires
111. Orders
112. Howdie Neighbor!
113. Father's Justice
114. My Favourite Nephew
115. Death Brings us Together
116. Everything is Burning
117. Exodus
118. A Thorn in My Side
119. Lets Have a Ball!
120. Men of the West
121. The First Holy Council of King's Landing
122. Order
123. Family and Duty