Selwyn Storm

Ser Selwyn Storm is the mercenary captain of the Stormbringers; called 'Stormbow', he is a renowned archer and swordsman. He is a bastard of House Piper, and once served as Castellan of Pinkmaiden, until finally departing of his own volition. The years and circumstances of a difficult life have eroded most of Selwyn's morality, leaving a man who will do whatever it takes to climb the ladder of chaos.

Conception
Early in 379 AC, a tournament was held in the Weeping Town. Ser Osmund Piper, at the time a wandering hedge knight, had entered his name to compete in the upcoming joust. He made an impressive showing, but it came at considerable cost; his armor had been damaged so significantly that he required an entirely new suit of steel. It was in pursuing this goal that he met the blacksmith, Selyse. Flowing golden hair and eyes cut like emeralds captivated him, and under the dirt and sweat he could see fire, burning as brightly as the flames of her forge. The two were quick lovers, and from the heat of their passion did a bastard spring forth into the world.

Childhood
Selwyn spent his early life in the Weeping Town, apprenticing in his mother's smithy and learning the blade from his father, whose noble blood easily saw him promoted to captain of the guard. Selwyn also took to catching rats, conditioning him to be nimble and patient, awaiting the opportune moment to pounce. Peaceful life was a constant until the Great Famine struck.

Humble Beginnings
Food had become so expensive during the famine that Osmund was forced to find new work in order to survive. He did what he knew best and returned to his life as a hedge knight, but lived day to day on the payouts of bounties instead of prize money. He took Selwyn with him, and this was in many ways a new beginning for the boy.

When he was small, it was too dangerous for Selwyn to fight a man up close, so Osmund instead taught him to shoot a bow. Selwyn became a proficient archer, but wished for more; and his wish was granted as he grew. The Great Famine eventually came to an end, but the rugged pair had grown so accustomed to life on the road that they kept it up. Selyse was understandably upset by these events, but had little say in their occurrence.

Growing Ever Stronger
Selwyn gradually acquired a better grasp of swordsmanship, dedicating several hours every day to supplement what proficiency he already held. By his twentieth name day, Selwyn had surpassed his own father's skill with the blade and became well-known in the Stormlands for his skill, as well as earning a reputation in the Riverlands, where the duo attended numerous tournaments. During this time, he came to know his cousin, Podrick Piper. In them budded a natural friendship; a mutual respect grew between the two that would serve them well in the near future, though only shortly would it last.

The earliest of Selwyn's more impressive feats came about during the Scarlet Winter, when banditry thrived and bounty work boomed. A fine moment in Selwyn's life came about when his father was injured as they fought off a force of outlaws superior in number; despite having been surrounded by five men, Selwyn drove them back to save his father. He knighted Selwyn on the spot for his show of valiance and strength.

Tragedy Strikes
Heading back to the Weeping Town, Selwyn and Osmund were set upon outside Saltpans by the same bandits they had driven off prior. However, the outlaws came in greater force than they had last and murdered Osmund, leaving Selwyn for dead. His body scarred, mind consumed by anger and a lust for vengeance, he eventually put his father's murderers to death, one by one.

Selwyn sent word of what had occurred to his mother through an old friend of his father, but never returned. He tried to live as a bounty hunter once again but it brought too great a dread to roam without a father at his side. Seeing no option left, he considered taking the black, but then remembered his cousin. Selwyn rode in haste for Pinkmaiden, gaining a renewed sense of direction and purpose by serving his father's family.

The Tournament of the Red Comet
With the great omen of a Red Comet burning through the sky, in Harrenhal convened a tournament of epic proportions. Lord Podrick had taken with him the notables of Pinkmaiden, Selwyn among them. The tournament played out favorably for Selwyn; he won the archery competition with the favor of Lady Meredyth Brax, coming close to taking the horse race as well.

During the events in Harrenhal, Selwyn became acquainted with a number of influential individuals. He developed somewhat of a friendship with the Blue Dragon, Aegon Targaryen, comforting the man upon the death of his dear friend, Brus Wayn. He grew interested in a fling with Lady Meredyth Brax, but circumstance disallowed his unfortunate desire.

The Death of a Lord
Not all was so mild at Harrenhal, however, and in a fit of drunken rage did Podrick Piper assail Selwyn Storm. The lord had grown peculiarly paranoid during the events of the tourney, thinking for some unfathomable reason that his own sworn sword plotted against him. The two men, bound by blood, crossed swords in the night, fighting almost to a standstill. Podrick's anger kept him on the attack, and Selwyn at death's door. The newly named Stormbow, whose honour had been nearly clean until that moment, did what was required to survive. Just as soon as he'd gained a new moniker, he gained yet another: kinslayer.

Castellan
In the aftermath of Podrick's death, Selwyn surprisingly rose to new heights. Stannis, his close friend and nephew, succeeded the lordship and in no small terms brought Selwyn to power. Stannis was practically a puppet, making very few decisions beyond the absolute necessary.

Selwyn negotiated a marriage alliance with House Brax to secure their neutrality in the event of an attempted occupation by Westermen, using his influence with Meredyth to ensure things went smoothly. He spoke words of rebellion with Maegor Water, in the end deciding the man not worth his salt and instead heading for King's Landing. Along the way, he spoke with Lord Lyle Bracken, who sung much the same tune as Maegor had: a lust for power concealed beneath delusions of righteousness. Selwyn brought word of the treachery in the Riverlands to the hand of the queen, and awaited the call to arms. Curiously, no raven arrived to request the support of House Piper, and Selwyn spent the war in safety behind Pinkmaiden's walls.

Ambition
408-410 AC The titanic defeat of the rebels during the Mummer's War had a disappointment brewing in Selwyn's heart. If a man with tens of thousands at his back could not succeed in his ambitions, how could a bastard from nowhere? Selwyn decided then to strike out, pursuing heavy contracts from rich patrons in order to fill his coffers, chief among them Leyton Hightower. But he didn't stay in Westeros long.

Eastbound
411-413 AC Eventually making landing in Essos with his legitimate brother Edric and brother in arms Olyvar Sand in tow, Selwyn went about finding work for himself. An arrow here, an arrow there, a few tight throats in need of loosening for a few wealthy benefactors, handsome bounties put on ugly men. During a job in Elyria, Selwyn came across a man known as Saradhas the Small. A man on the run, the simple Saradhas had lead an ill-fated slave uprising on the island, and pleaded with Selwyn for help. Seeing good use for a towering man like Saradhas, Selwyn decided to keep him along. Smuggling Saradhas out of Elyria, Selwyn left Slaver's Bay to pursue more lucrative contracts in the northern free cities.

Stormcaller
Heading north, Selwyn left Olyvar and Edric in a small riverside settlement, hearing of work in Norvos. He and Saradhas protected an old man with but one cart, who had offered to pay them in great riches once they'd reached the city. Selwyn was skeptical of this claim, but needed to reach Norvos anyhow and didn't intend to take his courser through bare valleys without food enough to feed her.

When they'd arrived in Norvos, the old man's word proved not entirely true. Instead of great riches, he instead bequeathed upon Selwyn a valyrian steel blade, which he would later discover to be called Stormcaller, a fabled weapon of legend. It would prove all too sweet an omen for the days to come.

The Stormbringers
When Selwyn and Saradhas arrived in Norvos, they heard tell of a mercenary band in need of swords; a mercenary band called the Stormbringers. Fitting, thought Selwyn, for his ambition had been found, the storm called, brought forth by his rising success. He joined to the pleasure of the Westerosi captain, but pleasure soon turned to dismay as Selwyn put an arrow in the man's eye and took leadership of the company not a fortnight later. He dispatched a small party shortly thereafter to collect Edric and Olyvar from their village of rest, moving the company all about the east, completing lucrative contracts for powerful benefactors and earning a more fearsome reputation every step of the way.

Call of the Pure
In 412 AC, Selwyn and his Stormbringers had been travelling by ship to Yi Ti, seeking to assist in putting down a widespread rebellion for the god emperor, whose pockets were notoriously loose for those in his favour. As they sailed, however, it reached the Stormbow's ears that the rebels had been driven out, moving southwest by ship to occupy Great Moraq, a bid most likely made in order to gain control the Jade Sea and promote later insurgency. The ruling Pureborn of Qarth, at the behest of the magisters of Great Moraq and worried themselves that commerce would be crippled, sent messengers to the seven winds in the hopes that they would gather enough mercenaries to end a siege before it began; the Yi Tish rebels had with them ample elephants and weapons to seize the island, but the Qartheen martial preferred not to directly intervene in matters of foreign conflict, avoiding any precedent for future matters. Selwyn would later learn the Pureborn used their 'assistance' to gain more sway over the island.

By the time Selwyn arrived in Great Moraq, a substantial host of sellswords had already assembled; a large retinue of hardy men, allied forces outnumbered the Yi Tish rebels by a quarter. Selwyn's reputation had evidently reached far, as the Great Moraqi marshal himself named the Stormbow to leadership of the rugged bunch. Selwyn saw little distinction in the task; the marshal clearly preferred mercenaries and dreaded Yi Tish out of sight of Faros, and thus their camp was set miles away. Selwyn had advised the marshal to allow him to stay within reach of the walls of Faros, but was met with a resounding 'fuck off'. Seeing no path ahead but the burning of nearby settlements if he did not act, Selwyn moved to directly intercept the Yi Tish rebel force.

Battle of the Northern Foothills
In order to make a preemptive strike, yet not leave his men entirely vulnerable, Selwyn had them move a day's march northeast; his scouts reported that the Yi Tish host was moving hard, leaving perhaps three days to prepare. He'd also heard interesting news; the warlord whose claim had failed to overthrow the empire was none other than Chai Gong--a distant descendant of the Yellow Emperor Chai Duq, who had been Stormcaller's due in millennia long past. Selwyn suddenly felt a surge of desire, unexplainable to anyone, but every moment he waited for the warlord he gripped Stormcaller more tightly.

With a strange impulse piercing his heart, Selwyn decided that, instead of setting men to dig trenches down the lines of battle and keep casualties low, his Stormbringers would act as archers while the rest boldly charged. Half of them, laying in wait and concealed by the low hills of the northern coast, would fire on the enemy's rear with a guard of more mercenaries to keep them from being overrun should a counterattack have been mounted. Selwyn would charge into battle personally with the rest of the men, consumed by an insatiable desire to kill the Chai warlord himself. Unbeknownst to the rest of the men, he'd ordered his Stormbringers to fire upon the masses--no matter whose banner they held.

The rushed rebel forces easily fell victim to disorder as Selwyn's archers hit their rear, unable to organize as their vanguard fell to another hail of arrows raining down upon them. Most of the sellswords charged behind Selwyn as he rushed headlong into the chaotic enemy lines; though it was a dangerous battle indeed, Selwyn's bravery invigorated his motley men.

The lines of battle quickly devolved into madness, elephants wild from the clamour of battle and men fighting tooth and nail for their lives. The arrows raining down from both directions wreaked havoc as soldiers both courageous and truant, both friend and foe, fell in droves. Piles of bodies rose high, elephants trapped and trampling any warrior whose misfortune had been overwhelming enough to put them within stomping range of the titanic creatures.

Selwyn, hungering for the crimson bath of Chai Gong's blood upon Stormcaller's gleaming yellow blade, searched the battlefield for the man. Taking precedence would be a rampaging pachyderm; Selwyn ascended the flank of the great beast, sword in hand, easily cutting down the small crew atop its vast back. High above it all, he he could see the battle unfold--devastation. But past a mound of bodies, shouting desperate orders and maneuvering upon a terrified red warhorse was his mark. Selwyn drove his blade into the top of the elephant's skull, causing it to buck tremendously; he kept a firm grip on Stormcaller's hilt as he slid from head to trunk, expelling an explosive tide of gore from what could once have been called the thing's dome.

Engorged in blood and viscera, Selwyn pressed on, climbing madly over the mound separating him from Chai Dong. He carved through the warlord's honour guard with impunity, and in a single cleaving motion cut the leg of his warhorse clean off. Chai Dong put up a valiant effort, but he was no true warrior relative to his military mind; Stormcaller cut the man's weapon to pieces. With the rebellious claimant's back to the ground, Selwyn drove Stormcaller into his heart, down to the crossguard, blade thrust into the dirt as he felt a release unlike any other, the battlefield a blur. It is unclear how long Selwyn remained atop the warlord Chai Gong, but when the Storm Prince arose, the foothills were still, nothing but the stench of death in the air and weary men picking at bloodied corpses.

In the aftermath of the battle, Selwyn stumbled upon several men of another mercenary company attempting to have their way with a Yi Tish girl; they found little success. By the time he'd stumbled upon them, three men lay dead at her feet. Selwyn put an arrow in the last of the rapers, and inquired as to her connection to the rebel host.

The girl was in fact Chai Meilin, later known as Mei Chai, daughter of Chai Gong. She thanked Selwyn for vanquishing the man, whom she had grown to hate for his ambitious fervor and lack of regard for her over her brother. Seeing that she had nowhere else to go, Selwyn offered Meilin a place in his retinue. It was difficult for the company to adapt to a woman, particularly one of authority, but they would nonetheless.

Heavy Pockets
Returning after looting and a day's rest, Selwyn felt triumphant; not only had the share of the reward been significantly concentrated, but he'd eliminated the livelihood of several competing companies. His Stormbringers suffered few casualties, whereas the rest of the sellsword had been devastated; they kept their distance from him, fear shining radiantly in their eyes.

The Moraqi martial had been rather surprised to see Selwyn back so soon; the Stormbow suspected the man hadn't anticipated seeing him at all. A heavy reward had been split the survivors of the battle, the Stormbringers exacting the heaviest toll and Selwyn taking yet more for his leadership.

It was around this time and over the next few years that some began to call him the 'Storm Prince'; many recognized Stormcaller and took Selwyn's ruthless nature for proof of the identity. His Stormbringers would move west, where Selwyn met another prince, not simply by name but by stature as well...

Princes of Storm and Flame
414 AC It was in Pentos that Selwyn met the crown prince; Rhaegar Targaryen, heir to the Iron Throne, apparently adventuring carefree in Essos. He reminded Selwyn of the man's cousin, Aegon--but something about him broken. The prince challenged him to a duel, which Selwyn obliged; though it was hard fought by both men, the Storm Prince would be the one to prevail in the end. Rhaegar appeared to respect Selwyn's skill, and the Stormbow offered the Crown Prince a temporary spot in his Stormbringers, which he accepted.

Before long, word reached Selwyn's ears of an impending Dothraki raid on Norvos; a significant invading Khalasar, he knew, would create considerable payment for sellswords brave enough to fight against them. Along the way, word reached Selwyn's ears that the rival of his company, the Stormbreakers, would be marching to defend Norvos; he decided to end the troublesome band once and for all. Rhaegar appeared glad to be a part of the bloodshed, and aided Selwyn in constructing a strategy.

Shattering of the Stormbreakers
As the Stormbreakers marched through a very narrow, dry valley to reach the hills of Norvos, arrows raining down from the adjacent peaks sent them running north. However, the northern exit had been blockaded by Stormbringers, and when the Stormbreakers turned south they met yet more fierce men with weapons in their hands.

The captain of the Stormbreakers, Otho Bromm, knew there would be no survival should his men fight, so he ordered them to lay down their weapons. Selwyn ordered his men to cease fire, for a moment, but he simply commanded they unleash arrows on the Stormbreakers the next. Selwyn's laughter haunted his rivals as they fell, and even despite taking up their weapons to charge again, only Otho made it to the Storm Prince alive. He slit the man's throat then, his men looted what gold and equipment remained and they pressed on to Norvos.

Family Issues
Along the way to Norvos, Selwyn and Rhaegar drank together in the Stormbow's tent. They spoke of their lives, Rhaegar contemplating on his early inadequacy and Selwyn the difficult things circumstances required that he do during the Great Famine. As they drank more, both men flapped their tongues more freely; Rhaegar spoke of his mother, their closeness, mumbled something of the fire beneath her skin. The Stormbow had raised a brow but said nothing; a scandal, for sure, but not on Selwyn's tongue to spread. He spoke of his own mother, of an uncle, of two arrows to buy a boy. They grew more close as they shared the road, and Selwyn valued his connection to the future king. Perhaps it would serve him well, one day.

Shadow over Norvos
As per the usual, preparations had already been made by the time the Stormbringers reached Norvos. Selwyn had not been assigned any command over the mercenaries encamped there, but it was simply his upon arrival; few balked at the Storm Prince, and fewer yet when he was accompanied by the Prince of Fire and Blood upon his dark dragon. Selwyn couldn't blame them for fear of the latter, though he did wonder at whether he could sever Nightwing's head with a decisive swing of the sword.

A Cloudless Sky
Despite warnings of death and destruction, no Khal Boyaro and no deadly horde did show. Perhaps it was all a jest, the Norvosi magisters simply the brunt of a long drawn joke. The mercenary captains were all but a portrait of disappointment and rage; little more than the vague hope for gold kept them from rioting. They refused to move but did not get their gold, left only to look on in disappointment for what could have been.

The sellsword companies, refusing to give up the gold they'd travelled from far and wide to obtain, were thrilled when word came of a series of moderate raids on the northern coast by Ibbenese pirates; excitement died when the Norvosi marshal made clear it was work for a single band of mercenaries, an opportunity Selwyn quickly seized. A brief standoff by the Unsullied, Norvosi soldiers and the Stormbringers against the unpaid sellswords led by Ambrose Blackwood, Captain of the Raven Company bore witness to the opposing companies' departure, without their treasured gold. And good thing, it was; for the following evening, Nightwing flew mysteriously east and did not return until the business on the coast had been done.

Rhaegar accompanied the Stormbringers back south until they reached Volantis, where they learned that Khal Boyaro had used the gathering of mercenaries to prey on less defended settlements southeast of Norvos. A savage with some sense was Boyaro, and though Stormcaller beckoned Selwyn to find the Khal, he feared such a man; no doubt unbeatable in even the most favourable of circumstances.

Tales Yet to be Told
Selwyn is but one man, and one man can remember only so much. He and his Stormbringers have done much in the past years, and perhaps more will come forth to his mind once he's engaged in more adventures in 418 AC.

Appearance and Character
A man guided by ambition, there is little room in Selwyn's heart for petty morality. He lives by what he can gain, and what he can do to take it. Still living by some principle, he does not permit his men to rape or rob. They are as much an extension of him as they are of his company, he knows, so they must act the part.

Standing at an inch over six feet, Selwyn is taller than the average man and lean enough to fight him, too. He is exceedingly quick, nimbly getting himself both in and out of situations of danger and opportunity. Short, brown hair and a trimmed beard reflect the Stormbow's wealth, and Selwyn's caring cobalt eyes conceal his true nature.

Recent Events
Hearing word of a tournament taking place in Summerhall, Selwyn moved with best two-hundred men of his company to take part in the special occasion. He sent word for Leyton Hightower, requesting a warship to ferry his men, and the request was granted; they would have business to discuss in the days to come.

Stormbringers
-Mei Chai: Right hand of the Stormbringers.

-Saradhas the Small: Left hand of the Stormbringers and Selwyn's muscle.

-Olyvar Sand: Selwyn's friend from his bounty hunting days, Olyvar acts as a quartermaster and paymaster, as well as being a father figure for Edric.

-Ser Gideon Estermont, former serjeant of the Golden Company. After the death of Aeron Goldfyre, he struck out to Essos to find a new band of mercenaries. He settled on the Stormbringers, quickly earning his position as lieutenant.

-Edric Piper: Squire and legitimate brother of Selwyn, Edric may well succeed him. Failing that, the boy may prove only to be a pawn to Selwyn's greater ambitions.