Royce of the Redsmiths

Royce of the Redsmiths is the rumoured son of Roland Arryn by way of Valla of the Redsmiths. Having spent his life with the Mountain Clans of the Vale he considers himself one of them, and leads them now in battle against the Andal lords of the lowlands.

Birth
The birth of Royce Redsmith is shrouded in mystery, tainted by the legends and myths that shroud every aspect of this figure. What is known is this; his mother Valla fled the wedding where she was to marry Roland Arryn, after Alaric Arryn and his Lords Declarant turned the ceremony into a slaughter. She fled through the mountains with the aid of Uric of the Redsmiths, returning to their ancestral home at Rusthollow.

There, Valla took over her clan, and in time gave birth to a son. She immediately declared him the son of Roland Arryn, and christened him Royce; a legendary name that still remains with the Mountain Clans from the days of the Battle of Sevenstars.

Childhood
Royce was raised in the high hills of the Mountains of the Moon, one of many young children in the clan. He lived freely, roaming the forests and the streams, hunting deer and running along the cliff-sides. He was a strong youth, taking to the sword and bow with natural skill, his inborn aptitude tempered by training and the close tutelage of Uric.

The older the youth grew, the more he came to resemble Roland Arryn - definitive proof for many of his heritage, especially with the dark hair of Uric, who some believed might be his true father. He excelled in martial matters and grew to be a charming, charismatic man. Some time in the early days of the fourth century since Aegon, he was named the Chieftain of the Redsmiths.

The King in the Mountains
After being named the leader of his clan, Royce first turned his eyes towards their neighbours. The Redsmiths waged war upon nearby clans, absorbing the smaller ones and making alliances with those whom they were able. Royce took for himself a wife from the Black Ears clan, securing their warriors for his cause. Fierce enmity was won with the Burned Men, who lost several red hands to the tactics of the young chief.

In time the domains of the Redsmiths had so expanded that they were one of the most powerful clans in generations, commanding several thousand warriors through blood or alliance.

Recent Events
In the past few months large-scale attacks on the Vale have ceased, though it is no surprise to most with winter on its way. Since the Battle of Mirror Lake rumours of Royce have increased exponentially, to the point where his existence is all but impossible to deny.

Artifacts and Items
The Redfeather is rumoured to possess many fantastical items - some magical, some historical, and others drawing their legends from his own deeds themselves.

Some items include;
 * The First Blade - A shattered sword passed through the centuries of Redsmiths chieftains, always bearing a piece of the sword to come before it. The original blade was said to have slain a dozen rival kings when the First Men were driven from their hills, though it has since been remade more than a dozen times.
 * The Sundered Crown - Much like the First Blade, the Sundered Crown is said to be made from the remains of an ancient circlet rescued from the Battle of Sevenstars. The gold is ancient and browned, marred with scratches and gouges; but the iron it has been set in gleams silver bright.
 * The Weirwood Eye - A worn gem that hangs around the throat of the Redfeather, that some say possesses a strange, pulsing light.
 * The Seed of the Mountain - one of the rarest rumours to circulate through the Vale; some say that the Redfeather possesses a magical stone, that not only spits forth golden coins upon every full moon - but if planted will raise a mountain taller even than the Giant's Lance, granting the First Men the high ground once more.

Family
It is known that the Redfeather has a family, though the specifics of it are not often contained in the rumours that circulate the Vale. Some say he has a half hundred sons, though this is likely hyperbole - the warriors of the Redsmiths oft declare themselves sons of the Redhawk, as a form of loyalty to their mythic king. His wife is a rumoured witch-queen, capable of seeing through the eyes of crows and ravens, and able to charm men with but a glance. Its rumoured the necklace around Royce's neck enables her to speak directly into his mind, telling him the secrets her birds whisper on the winds.