Edmund Vance

Edmund Vance, born on the Eighth Moon in 409, Lord of Wayfarer’s Rest, son of the late Lyndon Vance and his Lady wife, Lelina Lannister of Casterly Rock

Appearance and Personality
A highly energetic, sociable, and lighthearted man, Edmund holds a nearly unrivaled talent for people. Wanting nothing more than to be seen as a diligent and caring Lord, Edmund is kind and benevolent to both Lord and commoner alike. These traits should not be confused for cowardliness however, while personally having little taste in the arts of war and blade he has a strong respect for the warriors and generals who give life and limb defending the Kingdom.

Neither standing tall nor short Edmund makes up for his lack of stature with his other features. Edmund has a highly attractive figure, possessing bright blue eyes and loose dark brown hair. Not having a taste for excessive extravagance he dresses smartly, perfectly fitting his class.

Youth
Born in 409 as the last and only surviving son of Lord Lyndon Vance and his lady wife Lady Lelina Lannister. Being the only surviving son to ageing parents young Edmund was kept close to home often being cooped up in and around the family seat and was encouraged not to take up fencing out of fear of the young heirs safety. Despite this isolation Edmund learned to make friends quickly, not discriminating between low or highborns to play with. One of his favorite activities was talking to pilgrims staying in Wayfarer’s Rest, learning about all the outside world had to offer. Seeing his son increasingly gravitate away from his lordly duties, Lyndon decided to use his sons natural diplomacy to his advantage. While Maesters tried to instill an interest in Court life into Edmund their attempts were unilaterally rebuffed by the uninterested Edmund, seeing this Lyndon showed Edmund court diplomacy in action,having Edmund frequently engage with petitioners, lesser lords, and other court diplomatic functions, in all this Edmund would excel. Edmund’s life would remain easy and tranquil, while he was still cooped up in Wayfarer’s Rest and dreamed of exploring the world he had little to want, this would all change with the arrival of the Blue Winter.

Winter Comes
What started as flurries quickly became a blinding snow. First the pilgrims than the traders that had been such a familiar sight at the Rest disappeared as the roads became covered under feet of snow. Starvation spread its way from peasant to lord, for the first time in his life Edmund would go hungry. Plagued by loneliness, beset by starvation, it seemed as if life couldn't reach a lower point, but the Gods were not so merciful. Tragedy struck as Lord Lyndon Vance, already weakened by hunger and age fell ill with many fearing this would be his end. It was at this crucial moment that the thought of being lord slammed down on Edmund. As his father lay incapacitated in bed Edmund took to learning all that he had missed over the years. Rapidly learning about all their ways to know about administering his lands while simultaneously juggling the responsibilities of acting as regent, with the help of his mother of course. It wasn't just in matters of governance that Edmund changed during his father’s sickness. While, like his father, he was an adherent of the Starry Rites, Edmund had never been a close adherent, something that would change over those hard times. Whether it was the stress of Lordship or hope for divine intervention for his father, Edmund would spend much of the winter in a Sept, a trend that would continue up until today. By the time his bedridden father was again healthy enough to rule in his own right nearly a year later he emerged to see that his son wasn't quite the same boy he remembered. What had been an easy going and uninterested teenager, someone more fit for the life of a bard than lord, emerged a mature and respectable Lord in waiting.

Days of Spring
With the end of the Winter in 428, Edmund would finally embark on what he had wanted to do since he was a child, explore Westeros. While his father was against the idea Edmund was more than old enough to go out on his own and with a bit of convincing Lyndon relented. Throughout his trip he would venture across Westeros and more than once used his wit to escape a dangerous situation. As he traveled he found that he preferred the cold snow of the North and to the baked sands of Dorne. Never missing an opportunity to learn something new about people, Edmund would absorb much of the local cultures he visited. Nearly a year later Edmund would return to his home not more learned but instead much wiser. After his return things would run smoothly in Wayfarer’s rest, while Edmund still harbored many of his old desires he put on the image of being a responsible lordling and would often be essentially co ruling with his father. His one sticking point would be his lack of a Lady Wife, rumors, though little more than gossip for bored house maids circulated of why this was. Some theorized that over his journey Edmund found the bachelor's life much more interesting than the drab life of marriage, some innocently thought that the old Lyndon Vance couldn't find a woman that would be worthy of his son, and some thought that Edmund simply had greater taste for those with something between their legs.

The Bleeding
With the chaos of the Second Hammer revolt the Vances mobilized their forces in support of their liege lord while sending a token force the assist the Lannisters, never being skilled in combat or in the art of the war Edmund spent much of the conflict guarding and managing the Rest. Despite his limited involvement the conflicts would leave a strong impression on Edmund. While his father was firmly against the Silver Queen and he polygamous ways Edmund held more sympathy for her, seeing her as the diplomat the realm needed to remain peaceful. This sentiment was shattered with the by the series of avoidable conflicts that arose from her soft-handed methods. As Edmund saw it, the Silver Princess would have let the kingdom burn before mobilizing to confront the enemy before her, in contrast Rhaeyna achieved decisive results in ending the rebellion. Diplomacy and statecraft do have their place, but when it comes to defending the Kingdoms a Iron Fist can be less bloody than a silk glove. While not openly associating himself with them it can be safely said that Edmund would favor the Talons.

The World Freezes Over
With the start of the Four Year Winter the Riverlands entered another crisis, despite the best efforts of the Vance’s to prepare after the horrors of the Blue Winter it was simply too little. The ravages of the constant wars combined with the legacy of the Blue Winter made the task of preparing near impossible for even the most skilled of administrators. Some Chroniclers would later say that it was only thanks how depopulated the lands were already that the Riverlands survived at all. As the snows piled up and the Vance’s found themselves virtually isolated from the world yet again starvation and disease would once again take shape. Again the now nearly 70 year old Lyndon Vance would fall deathly ill again. It was a remarkable display of his endurance that he held out for most of the winter, but by the end, a mere few weeks away from the thaw Lyndon Vance would pass in his sleep, his passing would devastate both Edmund and Lelina, it was little recompense that at least the transition of power would be smooth as Edmund had been virtually running the Rest for years. Edmund would spend the next years rebuilding the tattered Wayfarer’s Rest.

Recent Times:
Edmund has continued to rule Wayfarer's Rest. After a long and happy life his mother Lelina died peacefully a year after her husband devastating Edmund, despite the pain of loosing both his parents in sort secession he has remained a positive and upbeat individual.