Osric Arryn

Osric Arryn is the current head of House Arryn, whose titles include Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, and Warden of the East. He assumed these titles after the death of his father, Alaric Arryn, in the year 407 AC.

Appearance and Character
Osric inherited much of his father's looks, boasting black hair and blue eyes along with a certain degree of intensity. From his mother he recieved rather angular features, not quite so sturdy or built as either his father or some of his brothers.

While a trained swordsman, Osric's true ability lies largely in his skill as a lord, overseeing the Vale with a cautious and steady hand. Where Alaric was loud and brash, his eldest son is far more reserved: a trait exasperated since the defeat of the Vale in the ill-fated rebellion of 407AC.

Early Life
Born to Alaric Arryn and Theodosia Belmore during the early days of 382AC, the earliest moments of Osric's life were fraught with tension and uncertainty. His father yet planned his coup against the ruling lord Roland, and the Gates of the Moon were a hotbed of rebel activity - ostensibly under the guise of visiting the young newborn.

After the Crisis, life returned to normal - though Osric was now heir to the whole of the Vale. He was a quiet child, not prone to tears or crying, but fiercely close to his mother and rarely long departed from her side.

Youth
Much of Osric's youth was spent in the Eyrie, surrounded by family and kin. Like most of his siblings he was fascinated by the menagerie of exotic birds kept by Jonos the Finch, and would often sit and listen as Maester Corwyn tutored the older children on matters of import.

It wasn't until he was ten that he truly began to interact with his father, the Lord of the Vale returning home from battling in the hills and treating with those lords who did not yet accept him.

Alaric immediately set about training his son to the sword, tutoring the lad personally; or, when unavailable, having Alester Hersy or one of his other Winged Knights oversee.

Knighthood
During this period in Osric's youth, he and his father would often make trips through the mountains to the northern castles of the Vale, including their kin at Strongsong. Their journeys through the mountains were formative periods in Osric's life; hunting through the high hills for deer and other wildlife, spotting shadowcats on the prowl at dawn and dusk. Encounters with Mountain Clansmen were fairly rare, but not unheard of - for the most part they were but shadows on the periphery, though the Winged Knights would engage them when they were bold.

One such encounter in 399AC went south, swiftly turning from a slaughter into an ambush. Osric was seventeen, but still a boy in his father's eyes - and was told to stay back while the more experienced knights went to work. As the sounds of combat echoed through the mountains, the young falcon found himself unable to sit idle; he spurred his horse forward and joined the fray.

When the fighting was done, Alaric chided his son - but praised him for his skill nonetheless. At his father's command it was Alester Hersy who knighted him, granting him the title of Ser in a shadowy vale of the Mountains of the Moon.

Keeper of the Gates
It was not long after his knighthood that Osric was wed; the betrothal between the heir of the Eyrie and the woman of House Waynwood had been longstanding, and she was finally deemed ready to marry. They had a small ceremony in the Eyrie during the final days of 399AC, and by the next year welcomed their first child - a beautiful daughter named Arwen.

With a young family of his own and some small renown to his name, Osric was seen as ready to shoulder greater responsibility throughout the Vale. Through the centuries many Arryns did this through service in the field; bringing battle to the Clansmen or ensuring the High Road was safe. Alaric, however, decided it unnecessary for his son to prove himself against such foes - and instead named his son the Keeper of the Gates of the Moon.

The Mummer's War
The year 407AC began in peace and tranquility. Osric and his family - as of yet, only a wife and a daughter - made preparations to attend the grand tourney in Harrenhal with the rest of the Vale. The event in the Riverlands was largely uneventful; Osric was forced to sit out of the joust at his father's behest, and spent most of the feast with his wife. The return trip, however, was anything but quiet -- instead it was wrought with tragedy.

While leading the main forces of the Vale back along the High Road, they were ambushed by Mountain Clansmen descending from the hills. Rowena Waynwood, Osric’s then-wife, was slain in her carriage whilst defending their daughter. Alongside her fell Robin Arryn, a brother of the Winged Knights, and her handmaiden Mya Tollett. Arwen was saved and spirited away by Aianna Corbray, who returned the terrified young girl to her grieving father.

The brutal attack and the dreadful loss of Lady Rowena sparked renewed hatred in many, both for its unexpectedness and its toll on innocent lives. Rather than waiting for the return of his father, Osric sent out word to the Lords of the Vale, summoning them to the Gates of the Moon with their armies in hopes of making war upon the clans. When Alaric returned however, he bent these forces instead to the conflict in the Riverlands, alienating his son but securing the Vale for use in his ambitions to the west.

As the armies of the Vale marched into the Riverlands, Osric was sent to the North with his sister, Alys. There they were to secure an alliance with the Starks, drawing them into the war to the south. Osric met Lord Jon Stark, accompanying him back to Winterfell - where he met the Princess Saera Targaryen. The two would discuss their current predicament, locked on opposing sides in the war; but when word arrived of Maekar Targaryen's death, Osric realized his time was swiftly running out.

Leaving letters for Lord Jon Stark, telling him that whilst the Arryn alliance would live so long as Osric did, they were not to march south to aid Alaric - the young heir to the Eyrie departed along the Kingsroad to join his father's fight to the south. But it was already too late - by the time Osric reached the Riverlands, the war was all but over. Alaric was defeated and slain, and thousands of the Valemen along with him. Osric, bereaved by the loss of so many of his countrymen, saw no choice but to head on to King's Landing -- there, to bend the knee.

The War in the Mountains
Main Article: The War in the Mountains

In mid-408AC, word arrived in the Eyrie from half a dozen villages describing brazen raids and assaults on settlements all along the border. The assailants were identified as clansmen, but far better armed and organized than most had ever seen - they did not waste time with wanton slaughter or arson, but seemed focused on the theft of tools, weapons, armour, and precious metals.

Similar attacks were soon reported near Ironoaks, Strongsong, Heart’s Home, and Longbow Hall, with all attempts to bring the perpetrators to battle failing. The raids were swift and organized, though to varying degrees of success, and it began to be whispered that they were only preparation for what was to come.

This would be proven true by dawn of the year 409, when all across the Vale attacks by clansmen increased tremendously. Heavy raids were reported all along the Mountains of the Moon, with many battles fought between clansmen and the knights of the Vale. The Skirmish of the Black Abyss, the Battle of Raven’s Ford, and Hardyng’s Harrowing were all famous conflicts that saw heroes and villains arise on both sides. As winter approached, the fighting began to ebb, and for a time it looked like there might be respite. But just after the first of the snows began to fall, a large band of wildlings descended into the lowlands of the Vale proper, sacking the town of Highbrood and taking it for their own. The advance of winter made ousting them all but impossible, the high passes of the Vale impassible by all save the bravest and most foolish.

The Siege of Highbrood
Rather than allowing the continued subjugation of the people of Highbrood, Osric Arryn heeded the advice of some councillors and gathered what forces he could. Thus began the long march through the snow; it was a gruesome slog, and the siege of Highbrood that followed was much worse. In the second moon of 412AC the Vale forces liberated the town, managing to slay the leader of the wildling clan and drive them back into the hills.

The rest of that winter was quiet and largely peaceful, though no less bitter thanks to the memories. With the slow return of summer a year later, the Vale waited with bated breath to see what would occur.

It took longer for the snows to melt in the high places of the Vale than the low, but by 414AC tentative raids were once more coming down from the Mountains. Frustrated, in 415AC Osric gave command to Alester Hersy, giving him five hundred knights and twice as many foot with the instruction to end the depredations of the clansmen. Their advance into the hills was successful at first, until they met horrific defeat in the Battle of Mirror Lake, where hundreds of Valemen were slain in the fighting and dozens disappeared into the mountains as captives or prisoners. The army returned to the lowlands in shame, but it seemed their purpose was served. There was relative peace for a time, just as before; though this time, it would last but a year.

Home Life
On the personal side of things, the past ten years have seen Osric grow into a steady-handed lord, and a doting father, siring six children with his second wife Saera Targaryen. With the youngest hardly six months old the halls of the Eyrie are filled with laughter and tears such as they have not seen in decades, with Osric's careful rule seeing the Arryn coffers refilled despite the depredations of the Clansmen.

Beyond the raising of his children Osric has also seen to the restoration of the Vale, with the WInged Knights being largely refurbished and some of the damage done to various houses repaired. House Redfort enjoyed closer ties to the Eyrie after Donnel Redfort, who served as ward and squire, married Arwen Arryn, Osric's eldest daughter.

The Eyrie hosted several tournaments during the years, with Osric presiding over some and fighting in others. Most of these can be found on the Tournaments and Feasts page.

Family and Household
Osric Arryn is the head of House Arryn, and counts all its memebers as his kin. His direct relations are as follows;
 * Alaric Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale, d. 407AC.
 * Theodosia Belmore, Lady of the Eyrie, d. 402AC
 * Osric Arryn, b. 382AC
 * m. Rowena Waynwood, his first wife, d. 407AC
 * Arwen Arryn b. 400AC
 * m. Saera Targaryen, his second wife
 * Arinna Arryn, First Moon of 409 AC
 * Godric Arryn, Seventh Moon of 410 AC
 * Sharra Arryn, Fourth Moon of 413 AC
 * Aemma Arryn, Seventh Moon of 415AC
 * Jon Arryn, Tenth Moon of 417AC
 * Jeyne Arryn, Tenth Moon of 417AC
 * Jasper Arryn, his brother, b. 385AC
 * Alesander Arryn, his brother, b 386AC
 * Artys Arryn, his brother, b. 387AC
 * Alys Arryn, his sister, b. 389AC

Household
The household of Osric Arryn consists of many figures, including;
 * Commander of the Brotherhood (of Winged Knights): Ser Alester Hersy
 * Master-at-Arms: Ser Ulric Templeton
 * Maester Corwyn, counselor, healer, tutor
 * Castellan: Ser Tytos Coldwater
 * Master of Horse: Ser Wayn Shett
 * Keeper of the Mews: Ser Wyn Shett
 * Knight Courtier: Ser Donnel Redfort
 * Knight Courtier: Ser Edmund Lynderly
 * Keeper of the Gates of the Moon: Artys Arryn
 * Knight of the Gate: Ser Lyn Corbray
 * Knight of the Sky: Ser Hugo Elesham
 * Knight of the Stone: Ser Robert Moore
 * Knight of the Snow: Ser Benjen Coldwater