Ashara Blackmont

Ashara Blackmont is the Lady of Blackmont, a position she has held since the Vulture King’s deposition in 435 AC. Initially unprepared for the demands of ladyship, Ashara has spent the past four years ruling and learning in equal measure. She has proven herself capable despite her inexperience, but her intentions for Blackmont’s future remain unclear.

Appearance and Character
Tall, thin and fair of skin, Ashara primarily descends from the same Andal stock that has inhabited the Red Mountains for centuries. Her unusual height and unique features, however, distinguish her among the exceptionally diverse populace of Dorne. Her fashion sense boldly defies the economic stagnation of House Blackmont’s holdings; her rich fabrics and ornate jewelry are no less impressive than those adorned by the ladies of the peninsula’s eastern tip.

Owing to an imposing height, regional customs, and the memory of her long-ruling grandmother, Ashara’s authoritative stature is exceptional even among other Dornish ladies regnant. However, the wounds opened by the War of Stone and Sky - as well as the disputable nature of her succession - continue to curb the young Lady Blackmont’s confidence in her still tenuous position. In her own lands, she makes a conscious effort to project an image of strength.

There is more to her than posturing, however; she continues to refine the half-honed talents of her youth. A long-held fondness for sport and sparring has morphed into martial finesse, and keen social senses have allowed her to keep an unstable court in order. Ashara’s natural candor is tempered by a deliberate aloofness; an artificial aura of mystery gives cover to indecisiveness.

Early Life
The lands of House Blackmont entered the fifth century under the prosperous rule of Lady Alysanne Blackmont, with the loyal support of her cousin Ryon as her lord consort. The region's stability, however, was only illusory; missionaries had begun to preach the Red Faith within the Red Mountains, giving rise to religious and social tensions.

Ashara was born at the tail end of her grandmother's long reign to her youngest son, Ser Andrew, and his wife, Myranda Ladybright. The Blackmonts were a small and tight-knit family, and as a child, Ashara was slow to recognize the distinction between siblings and cousins. During her earliest years she was an awkward and quiet child, but she seldom had trouble forging friendships; her family was largely indifferent to her quirks.

Though she was never very far down the line of succession, Ashara was never expected to amount to anything more than a nobleman's consort. Nevertheless, she was encouraged to entertain her own interests. A thorough noble education was complimented by flirtations with art, poetry, music, swordplay, cyvasse and a number of other pursuits, most of which she easily grasped but failed to master.

Her education was further supplanted by her father's service as Blackmont's castellan following Ser Ryon's retirement. Ashara was often permitted to observe him in his duties, and later she began assisting with the most menial aspects of his work. She quickly came to understand the finer points of the defense and management of a castle - much to the delight of her grandfather, who openly flirted with the idea of grooming her to succeed his son as castellan.

As she entered adolescence, Ashara's hobbies began to extend far beyond the confines of Blackmont. With the protection and guidance of her cousin Quentyn, she embarked on regular hikes throughout the Red Mountains. Ashara developed a familiarity with her homeland's terrain that maps alone could not teach, and became acquainted with many of the small folk living on the outskirts of her uncle's lands. The announcement of the Silver Wedding compelled Ser Andrew to take his immediate family to King's Landing for the occasion, much to the chagrin of his eldest living brother. Though the Blackmonts had always been indifferent toward royalty, the pious Ser Tommen (who had served as regent prior to his nephew's majority) was offended by the revival of polygamy, and at his insistence, the young Lord Owen discouraged the rest of his household from attending.

Ashara was not oblivious to the political significance of the wedding, but in the capital she found more comfort than controversy. She was immediately enamored with the splendor and scope of the city, and with much of the realm in attendance, Ashara learned much and more of the world beyond the Red Mountains. She returned to Blackmont with her father after only a few moons, though her younger sister remained in King's Landing under the care of their grandfather, who lingered around the royal court to advocate on behalf of western Dorne.

Stone and Sky
Ashara returned to Blackmont emboldened by her recent cosmopolitan experience. Shyness gave way to confidence, and she became more attentive to her own blossoming beauty. She discreetly pursued the affections of Deziel, the humble son of a household knight, initiating an affair that would last for well over a year.

It may have lasted longer if not for the outbreak of the War of Stone and Sky. The Red Mountains had once insulated Blackmont from the Bleeding, but after Ser Tommen deposed his nephew and proclaimed himself "the Vulture King" they instead served to contain Dorne's internal animosities. Following her father's cue, Ashara abided her uncle's coup, even as she grieved the loss of a beloved cousin. Father and daughter alike were convinced of the charges leveled against Lord Owen, and trusted in Tommen's proven leadership.

The progression of battles and skirmishes throughout the region largely eluded Ashara; she spent the duration of the conflict confined to the relative safety of her home. With most of House Blackmont's men mobilized for war, Ashara's father was tasked with maintaining an undermanned and undersupplied castle. At this time he relied on his daughter's assistance more than ever before; castle guardsmen quickly learned that an order from Ashara was as good as one from Ser Andrew himself.

The insurrection's winning streak was reversed within a year of the war's outbreak, and after a decisive defeat at Godsgrace, Tommen Blackmont had little choice but to flee Dorne. Ser Andrew hastily left Blackmont with what few men he could spare, intent on aiding his brother's escape - but he was slain in the same ambush that ended the Vulture King's reign.

The rebellion had been crushed, and Ashara's late uncle had accomplished little more than the deaths of his own supporters. The body count was high - and personal. Along with her father, uncle, and cousin, Ashara endured the loss of her lover, Deziel. The castle of Blackmont felt emptier than ever before, and under the occupation of Martell loyalists, Ashara felt a prisoner in her own home.

Succession
After the capture and execution of Quentyn Blackmont, the castle's vacant lordship was finally addressed by its occupiers. Quentyn's widow was pregnant, and though his posthumous child arguably had the strongest claim, the victorious lords of Dorne were loathe to reward Tommen's descendants for his usurpation - and more importantly, they knew that Blackmont was not ready to endure a sixteen year regency.

Ashara's last surviving cousin, Barristan Sand, was briefly considered, but his reputation gave pause to any who would consider legitimizing him - much less installing him as a lord. Instead they turned to Ashara herself, who was not known to have any significant complicity in the insurrection. Confident in her administrative capability, the Martells installed her as the Lady of Blackmont following an oath of unconditional loyalty.

Despite the potential that the Martells saw in her, Ashara found herself only half-prepared for the demands of rule - further exacerbated by the aftermath of war and the arrival of winter. During her first year she relied heavily on the help of her mother and grandfather, who suspended his retirement to serve as Blackmont's castellan once more. With peace restored, her sister Valena was at last at liberty to return from King's Landing, and she too proved an invaluable assistant in Ashara's rule.

Though initially reliant on outside aid to keep her people fed through the winter, Ashara emerged as a confident ruler by the beginning of 437 AC. Her holdings became self-sufficient, and as the small folks' suffering came to an end, she earned the respect of commoner and courtier alike.

Recent Events
With concern for her mother's worsening health, Ashara refrained from attending the royal wedding at Oldtown, sending her sister Valena in her stead. This arrangement was repeated when the lords of the realm were called to a Great Council; Valena was ordered to vote for Viserys on her behalf.

Family

 * Alysanne Blackmont, Lady of Blackmont b. 371 AC d. 425 AC
 * m. Ryon Blackmont b. 373 AC
 * Bryce Blackmont b. 392 AC d. 423 AC
 * Barristan Sand b. 414 AC
 * m. Leyla Graves b. 392 AC
 * Owen Blackmont, Lord of Blackmont b. 415 AC d. 433 AC
 * m. Alyse Uller b. 414 AC d. 433 AC
 * Tommen Blackmont, "the Vulture King" b. 394 AC d. 435 AC
 * m. Genna Drinkwater b. 395 AC d. 415 AC
 * Quentyn Blackmont b. 412 AC d. 435 AC
 * m. Nymella Wells b. 416 AC
 * Simon Blackmont b. 435 AC
 * Galladon Blackmont b. 415 AC d. 418 AC
 * Andrew Blackmont b. 396 AC d. 435 AC
 * m. Myranda Ladybright b. 398 AC d. 439 AC
 * Ashara Blackmont, Lady of Blackmont b. 418 AC
 * Valena Blackmont, Heir to Blackmont b. 420 AC

Household

 * Ryon Blackmont, castellan
 * Merle Flowers, steward
 * Gulian, master-at-arms
 * Maester Florian
 * Septon Domeric
 * Septa Ravella