Osric Templeton

Osric Templeton is the son of the late Knight of Ninestars, Uther Templeton, and his lady wife, Ysilla Waxely. Born the first of five children, only he and his youngest sister by blood, Mya Templeton remain, as well as his adoptive sister, Valla, a Mountain Clan girl who was taken as a prisoner and later ward of Uther Templeton. Osric has one daughter, Jessamyn Templeton, the result of his union with Alysanne Coldwater, who died in childbirth. Being the sole heir of Ninestars, the future of House Templeton is now in question.

Appearance and Character
Broad, tall, and barrel chested, Osric a warrior through and through, powerfully built with strong muscle and well equipped to face any physical challenge head on. His face is hard and angular, with long, sharp features, a large forehead and strong jawline kept cleanshaven at all times. The Blood of the Vale runs thick in his veins, and as a result, he has the standard bright blue eyes of most Andals in the Vale of Arryn, as well as a head of thin, wispy, slightly receding blonde hair he wears back and out of his eyes, cut short. Osric wears several skin-deep scars on his face, the most noticeable a small slash that crosses the his upper lip on the right of his nose. He dresses in austere whites and blacks, often accented with the yellow-gold stars of his house sigil.

Osric is a soldier, above all other things. Trained with a blade since he could hold one, he is a warrior without peer, and a devout follower of the Faith of the Seven, bordering on the zeal with which the Most Devout practice in both tongue and blade. A fierce proponent for Baelorian Obeisance, he is a staunch supporter of House Targaryen and House Arryn, holding the Crown in the highest esteem possible. Despite his prodigious skills as a knight, his largest failing lies in his lack of leadership on the battlefield, resulting in his complete and utter ineptitude as a military commander. In his youth he dreamed of serving as the Champion of the Faith, but being the eldest he was forced to stay in the Vale in order to take over rule of Ninestars after his father passed. The birth of his only child, Jessamyn, and her mother's subsequent death only furthered his protective nature, making him exceedingly cautious in all things and far more guarded when around strangers and familiar faces alike.

Recent Events
Osric accompanied Godric Arryn to King's Landing with his daughter, Jessamyn, albeit reluctantly, as it left only Valla and Mya to rule Ninestars until his return.

Background
Osric Templeton was born in 403 AC. The first son of Uther Templeton and Ysilla Waxely, he was raised from birth to rule Ninestars alongside his four younger siblings by blood as they came along; Gawain and Triston in 408 AC, Lysa in 412 AC, and finally, Mya Templeton in 424 AC.

Growing up the eldest, Osric was very protective of his younger siblings in their youth. Whether it be during playtime or lessons with blade or quill or any other activity in which they were all grouped together, he found it impossible to focus on the task at hand as he constantly busied himself with policing his younger siblings, and making sure they weren't in any immediate harm, from themselves, each other, or otherwise. While this only endeared him to his mother and father, his instructors were less pleased with his performance, and as a result, constantly complained to his father about his disobedience and tendencies towards stubborn willfulness.

Youth
That all changed as he began to pay more and more attention during his time in the little sept just next to the keep at Ninestars. With time and careful guidance from Septon Ecbert, the exceedingly aged and patient holy man who tended to the castle's needs in regards to the Seven, one of his truest passions was brought to light; his fixation and reverence for the Faith of the Seven, and as a result of his father's Baelorian Heritage, House Targaryen, believing them to be dragons who ruled by divine right itself of the highest order. All the while he found himself focusing more and more on honing his already natural talent with a blade. By the age of eleven, he had shut out his siblings and all others entirely; all he saw were swords and stars, a lethal combination that would come to shape his adult life as well as his childhood.

The Making of a Warrior
At the age of six and ten Osric was knighted by his father, Ser Uthor Templeton. Though barely a man, he had already proven his prowess at arms ten times over, able to best any man at Ninestars with mace, lance, and longsword without breaking a sweat. During the small mock tourney that was thrown for his seven and tenth nameday he knocked his own sire into the dust with the first strike of his lance, and in the following melee he nearly accidentally crippled the castle Master-At-Arms from the ferocity with which he fought.

Although he had all but forgotten his siblings at this stage in his life, the younger Templetons looked up to him greatly, Gawain and Triston in particular. Twins in mind and flesh both, they aspired to be as talented warriors as their elder brother was, to moderate success; they were both knighted by Osric himself for their nine and tenth nameday, and joined the Winged Knights but a year later, eager to prove themselves with blade in hand.

Meanwhile, Osric continued training his mind and body, with the hopes of being chosen and blessed by the Seven for his skill or his belief, if not both, as well as learning more and more about Lordship from his father, who, upon Osric's majority took a greater interest in educating him in the ways of statecraft and leadership, hoping to instill upon him the virtues that his own father had taught him, unfortunately, to little avail. Osric was disinterested in rule. He only cared about bettering himself as a knight and a follower of the Faith of the Seven. In an attempt to try and catch his attention, for half a year, Uthor and Osric left Ninestars, going on a pilgrimage to the Starry Sept in Oldtown, as well as visiting the Hightower and the Citadel while there, which left a strong, lasting impression on Osric, increasing his devotion to his beliefs tenfold, as well as his fervor; the precise opposite effect that Uthor had wished for.

Love and Duty
Upon his return to the Vale, Osric immediately asked to be wed to his childhood friend, Alysanne Coldwater. The daughter of Uthor's own childhood friend, she was a regular sight at Ninestars, while Osric often visited Coldwater Burn when he could find the time. Somewhat taken aback by the suddenness of the request, Uthor made the necessary arrangements, and the two were wed within the moon's turn at Gulltown. They spent the first year of their marriage there in a small manse by the port before news was sent back to Ninestars; Alysanne had grown with child, and Osric planned to return to Ninestars with her and the babe once they were strong enough to travel safely.

Trouble in Paradise
The joy of fatherhood soon soured in Osric's mouth, however. Though the child, a girl, was born safely and without incident, Alysanne caught a fever the day after, and lay comatose in bed for another week before finally succumbing to the illness. Heartbroken by his turn of fortune, Osric spent a fortnight in mourning in the most dramatic sense possible, with his clothes torn and ashes spilled on his head, and not a single thing to eat, with sparing amounts of water, to top it off. The only thing that tore him away from his commiseration was when the household informed him that the child showed no signs of dying, and would need someone to care for her, a real parent to raise her. Setting aside his grief, Osric named the girl Jessamyn, and the two returned to Ninestars after a couple moons, Osric unwilling to risk travel until she was absolutely old enough to survive the journey, however short.

Strange Bedfellows
Ninestars had changed dramatically since Osric had last been home. The most drastic changes were in the form of a new mouth to feed; a young wildling girl, Valla. Born to the Mountain Clans of the Vale, after a recent raid on one of their encampments, Uther had taken pity on the child, and decided to raise her as his own, warding her at Ninestars, and giving her the bastard surname "Stone", despite her protests. Little is known about his thought process behind such an outlandish and foolhardy decision, but Ser Uther wold not be gainsaid; his word was final, and Valla became a permanent fixture at Ninestars, and later, an adoptive sister of Osric, as she began to integrate closer and closer to the Templeton family.

Joy to Ashes
The dawn of the next few years proved some of the most trying times in recent memory for House Templeton. First, came the untimely and unceremonious demise of both Uther Templeton and his lady wife from the same fever that had taken Osric's wife but a year prior. The next took the form of the resurgence of the War in the Mountains, when a Clansman hoard began sweeping through the Vale on rampage, decimating keeps, and melting back into the mountains from whence they came. Both Gawain and Triston lost their lives in service of the Vale during the strife, and though, remembered as heroes they still are today, the loss of life without any real return of force from House Arryn left a sour taste in his mouth for quite some time, as the newly ascended Knight of Ninestars. In order to smooth over relations with their increasingly unhappy vassal, Osric accepted a marriage proposal for the hand of his sister, Lysa, in marriage to Godric Arryn. In the winter of 336 AC, however, things once again took a turn towards misfortune, and Lysa died in childbirth, as well as the babe she and the Lord of the Eyrie had made.

The tragedies of the previous decade hadn't hardened Osric in any way, however; the opposite, even. He sought solace in both his remaining family members, his little sister Mya, his father's ward Valla, and his own budding daughter, Jessamyn, a clever, happy girl who had grown into a beautiful young lady, as well as in the Seven Themselves, praying constantly for the safety of his remaining kin. And aside from Jessamyn catching a cold that left the whole household on tenterhooks for half the winter, the Bleeding left Ninestars untouched, and as winter gave way to summer once more, Osric counted himself blessed by the gods.

Family
''Foreword: Bolded names indicate those that were head of their respective house at some point or another. Italicized names indicate that the character is now deceased. (m.) denotes a marriage into the family.''
 * Ser Uther Templeton, the late Knight of Ninestars, b.382 AC
 * (m.) Ysilla Waxely, late wife of Uther Templeton, b.383 AC
 *  Ser Osric Templeton, Knight of Ninestars, b. 403 AC 
 * (m.) Alysanne Coldwater, late wife of Osric Templeton, b. 403 AC
 * Jessamyn Templeton, heiress of Ninestars, b. 423 AC
 * Ser Gawain Templeton, Winged Knight, b.408 AC
 * Ser Triston Templeton, Winged Knight, b.408 AC
 * Lady Lysa Templeton, late wife of Godric Arryn, Lady of the Vale, b.412 AC
 * Mya Templeton, daughter of Uther Templeton, b.424 AC
 * Valla Stone, Wildling Ward of Uther Templeton, unknown date of birth, presumed 400-405 AC