Stannis Waxley

Ser Stannis Waxley is the current Head of House Waxley and the Knight of Wickenden. He was born in 398 as the first son of Walter Waxley, and took over his father's lands when his father died of illness in 413. A brilliant commander, renowned knight and able fighter, he is renowned for his martial abilities.

Appearance and Character
Ser Stannis is large, grim man. Towering over most others at six foot six inches and of a powerful build, he often is seen wearing his armor. His face is grim and serious most of the time, with a scare above his left eye. His eyes are often fierce and determinate. He has brown hair and a brown beard.

Stannis is a melancholic, maintaining a personality of gravity and solemnity, speaking little. His eyes are always active, so although he may not be speaking he pays attention and makes careful note of a situation. He is known for being cautious and reserved, keeping most of his thoughts in his head.

He is regarded as loyal, dutiful and pious. On the field of command, he is very stern, commanding and authoritative, but is well respected by his men because he leads them well. Despite his reserved nature to many, Stannis loves his wife and children dearly, although he does not like displays of affection.

Despite being generally cautious, he always yearns for a fight. He is not a man of peace or idleness- he is a man born to lead in command and fight in times of war. For this reason he joins in conflicts which he may have no obligation to or a limited one. He has a bellicose nature, always yearning for a chance to prove himself and improve his abilities.

Early Years (398-406)
Stannis was born in 398 the first son of Walter Waxley, the Knight of Wickenden. The common story that Walter named his son after seeing a mummer's show about the War of Five Kings and taking a particular liking to Stannis Baratheon's character. Some detractors say that he did it to spite the Targaryens and that naming his son after the Stag of Dragonstone was a little act of rebellion. Regardless of reason why, the boy was named Stannis, and it would grow to have an affect on him.

In the year 400, when Stannis was only 2 years old, Walter's brother and Stannis's uncle Harlan Waxley was named to the Kingsguard, bringing great prestige to House Waxley. He would later become the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Stannis never really knew his uncle; Harlan had defied the orders of his grandfather to go pursue the life of the Knight and had severed ties to the family.

Despite the whisperings behind the reasons for his naming, Stannis asked the Maester about his namesake when he was very young. He was told about Stannis's actions and character during the War of Five Kings, and immediately took a liking to him. On his fifth nameday he was presented with a historical tome about the life of the Stag of Dragonstone, which as soon as he was able to read he devoured eagerly. He resolved to follow in his footsteps, to be like his hero. And so he studied eagerly. He poured over books of military conquests and battles, studying strategy and tactics whenever he could. He was a bright child, although to their dismay his teachers could not get him to study many things outside of the art of command. However, he showed great martial promise.

Squire (406-412)
When Stannis was eight years old, he was given a great honor when he became the Squire of Alaric Arryn, the Lord of the Vale. As a squire for his Lord at the Tournament of Harrenhal in 407, he met Lord Lyndon Vance and his beautiful daughter Catelyn Vance. He took an immediate liking to Catelyn, and impressed Lord Lyndon with his abilities, his diligence, and his quiet courtesy. However, he could not allow the match, because Catelyn was his heir at the time. Stannis was upset, but understood.

However, this proved to short lived, as the Mummer's War began the next year. Attending his Lord during the war, he got first hand experience to warfare and running an army. He kept silent, and diligently observed all that he could, as well as getting martial training in the process. He fought in the Battle of the Ruby Ford, and stayed by Alaric's side the entire time until Alaric was slain in the fighting. Stannis took the loss difficultly, and grew to despise the arrogant Lucerys Velaryon because of it.

For his participation in the war, he was taken as a hostage to Lord Gareth Tyrell, for whom he served as a squire for the next four years. Gareth took a liking to young Stannis, and help to instill in him the importance of honor and chivalry, lessons Stannis would take to heart, although he would never have the public face that Gareth had. He also learned a great deal about military tactics and command from Gareth based on his experiences in the War of the Three Thieves and the Mummer's War. Stannis served him as faithfully and as well as he could. Gareth himself anointed him a Knight at the young age of 14, and was released to do as his wished.

Young Knight and Marriage (412-413)
After being anointed a Knight, the first thing Ser Stannis did was to ride up to the Riverlands, all the way to Wayfarer's Rest. There, he asked Lord Lyndon for the hand of his daughter Catelyn, now being a Knight, and with Lyndon finally having a male heir, Edmund. Lord Lyndon agreed, and the two were married before the Gods at Wayfarer's Rest. Happy and triumphant, the two made their journey back to Wickenden. Having not seen his father for over four years, he was welcomed home with much celebration and fanfare. Catelyn was welcomed warmly into Wickenden, as the match had been quite a fortunate one, a match to the prestigious House Vance.

The two were happy to spend time together, and Ser Stannis for this year to seen to be smiling all while carrying out his duties. However, towards the end of the year, his father fell ill. He quickly grew concerned, and did what he could, but his father's condition grew worse. At the beginning of the year 413, his father finally passed away, and with it the young Ser Stannis became the Knight of Wickenden at the mere age of 15.

Knight of Wickenden and War in the Vale (413-422)
After his father's death, Ser Stannis took over the responsibilities of running Wickenden. His wife Catelyn, with her sharp wit, proved a wise and competent administrator, and was able to do a lot of the actual management. He continued his study of military tactics and commanding when he could, wishing for a chance to put it into practice. During this time of peace his oldest son Yohn and his daughter Catelyn were born.

His chance to fight would come with Osric's Arryn's war against Royce Redfeather, beginning in 418. He supported Osric's hunt for Redfeather. Although he did not join Osric's men directly, he hunted down the Mountain Clans and fought them when he could. He and his men were never able to do any lasting damage to the Mountain Clans, as although he never lost a battle and was able to defeat their raids and win little victories, they never committed enough forces to ever make the fighting decisive. So the on and off campaign continued until 422, when Stannis joined his forces with Lord Osric's at the Battles of the Dales. Lord Stannis proved himself there, with his men preforming admirably on the right flank; however, the left flank nearly collapsed until a last charge by Sir Osric slew Redfeather and won the day. With it Ser Stannis and his battle-hardened but weary men were able to return after four years on campaign.