Maldon Storm

Maldon has the typical dark hair of the Stormlanders. With much of his activity being of the mental sort, his stature is slim, while his time outdoors has made his appearance somewhat rugged.

## Biography

Maldon Storm was born in 280 AA after a tryst between a Scion of House Mertyns and a merchant’s daughter named Bethany in Mistwood Town, while said nobleman was conducting business for his house, at least nominally. While he acknowledged his fatherhood, Maldon grew up with his mother’s family in Mistwood Town, near the harbour.

As he grew older, taking his first steps and speaking his first words, he was all surrounded by the trading business his grandfather ran, and so, over the course of the years, the act of writing and reading that the clerks and merchants did became a normal occurrence for him. By the time he was five years old, he had seen enough letters written and corresponding words spoken, often assisted by friendly clerks that would explain them to him when he played in the offices, that he could be considered literate, while his skill would develop further over the years.

During his childhood, Maldon would play in the streets of Mistwood Town, with children of other merchants and craftsmen. He valued the time he would be alone and read the few books that were available at the merchant’s house, but when he played with the other children, he was kind and altruistic to them, often not even telling them of his bastard name that would set him apart in birth from the ones whose parents both were lowborn.

Little was noticed of the War of the Trident in Mistwood Town, but after it had ended, Maldon’s father remembered his son, likely due to the bond of camaraderie he had developed with his squire during the campaign, and invited Maldon to come live at Mistwood Castle. Ever humble and curious, he followed him to Mistwood, where he tried himself at the duties of a squire, but soon found that he was better fit for assisting the Maester and the administrators than for the training yard. While the Maester was so kind to allow him entrance to the library, where far more tomes were to be found than in the merchant’s house, Maldon also explored the surroundings of Mistwood, including the castle town and the eponymous forests. Often, he would ride in the woods, or walk along the paths, but his true attention was to the words written in books.

Reading about many matters, reaching from studies of nature to the calculations in service of administration with that he already was acquainted, Maldon became a scholar of sorts, not requiring much time to concern himself with a new field and to memorise details. However, beyond those details, he felt the duty to put them to use, and develop new ideas for their practical application. As he learned more and more over the years, he appeared to have a talent for administration, as both mathematics and the proceedings of economics had come to him easily early on. However, due to his common birth and upbringing, it soon turned out that he was not likely to hold a higher office in administration, but would likely remain an assistant for the remainder of his life.

An opportunity to make good use of his skills, however, came in the Seventh Moon of 298 AA, shortly after Maldon had turned eight-and-ten, when Mistwood was visited by a Wandering Crow, a Recruiter of the Night’s Watch. He told Maldon that at the Wall, good stewards were needed, and skill alone would determine the scope of one’s duties, regardless of birth. Maldon decided to join the group of recruits and bade farewell to his family and the retainers of Mistwood, before travelling north towards the Wall along the Eastern Coast of Westeros, as the recruiter had come through the Reach and now was taking the other route back.

When they passed Griffin’s Roost, Maldon was further away from home than he had ever been before, his longest trip having been when he accompanied the Maester as he purchased wares from a merchant who had taken up residence near the Connington lands to provide items of academic value. However, this journey proved to be much longer, and also faster after they had left the Rainwood. They travelled through Duskendale and all of the Riverlands, eventually entering the Neck.

Through the swamps, Maldon’s riding skills were challenged, but having ridden on horseback through the Rainwood before, after a few days, he could cope with the rough terrain while keeping his mount under control at all times. Finally, at Moat Cailin, the train of recruits returned to better roads, and early in the Twelfth Moon of 298 AA, Maldon arrived at the gates of Castle Black and began to prepare to take his vows.

## Timeline

* 280 AA: Born to a Scion of House Mertyns and a merchant’s daughter.
* 286 AA: Maldon learns to read from the merchants in Mistwood Town.
* 292 AA: After the war, Maldon’s father takes him to Mistwood Castle.
* 293 AA: Maldon spends most of his time reading in the library.
* 297 AA: After much studying, Maldon thinks of himself as a capable steward.
* 298 AA: Maldon travels to the Wall with a Wandering Crow.