Alannys Harlaw

Alannys Harlaw is the youngest child and only daughter born to Harmund Harlaw, late Master of the Tower of Glimmering, and his rock wife, Larra Stonetree. As the closest living relative of the recently deceased Lord Qhorwyn Harlaw, she inherited the titles to the Ten Towers and the Island of Harlaw.

The vassal lords sworn to her House yet question her ability as Lady Regnant, but she enjoys popularity with the common folk of the island, and likewise with the captains and crewmen of her fleet, who regard her as a talented seafarer and warrior.

Alannys is the captain of the longship Winter Reaper, and she is the current wielder of her family's Valyrian Steel longsword, Nightfall.

Appearance and Character
Pale of complexion and dark of hair, with nearly pitch-black eyes adorning her elegantly sharp visage, Alannys stands out as a rare beauty amongst the Ironborn. She doesn't appear intimidating, nor is she particularly tall and imposing, but her short stature and lithe frame shadow a martially trained, athletic body, and her meticulous, pragmatic nature, which lies hidden behind a pleasant façade, lends the Lady Harlaw a charismatic presence that instils both respect and fear in those that know and follow her.

Whether she's clad in her armour on the field, or an elegant gown at a feast, Alannys' appearance remains one of controversy, yet which only serves to emphasize the grace and nobility she naturally possesses.

Early Life
Alannys was born in the early summer year of 388 AC at the Tower of Glimmering, a mere ten Moons after her mother had delivered a stillborn. Despite Maester Gevin's predictions of possible ailments due to the lady's frail condition, Larra gave birth to a healthy and strong daughter without difficulties during the process, and both of them were ready to leave bed following a few weeks of rest.

The first four years of her life were quiet and uneventful, and her parents planned to raise her by the standards of a true Westerosi lady in hopes of finding her a match from the mainland when she'd come of age. At the time, the Iron Islands had been enjoying peace for two decades past the Half-Blood Incursion, and the Harlaws were among the houses that sought to better relationships with the other kingdoms of the Realm. Soon, however, everything changed.

Westeros was a troubled enough place on its own, and when the Great Famine struck in the wake of a series of peasant revolts and failing crops, the Iron Islands felt the suffering it brought second-to-none. Alannys was no older than five then, and whilst she could barely understand the weight of the events happening around her, she remembers how the rations became thinner with each passing day at the Ten Towers, seeing the children of servants fell ill and die from starvation, and watching dozens of longships sail out from the harbour when the hunger grew unbearable.

Hundreds of sailors rallied under Greyjoy banners to raid the western shores and southern vessels for grain, and tens of thousands were saved from starvation as a result, but the breaking of the King's peace was followed by swift and brutal retaliation. A longship for each tower, they said, was put to the torch, with all of their captains and crews subsequently executed. Lord Harmund, father of Alannys and two sons, and Captain of the Harlaw flagship Silent Storm was amongst them.

Lessons
Alannys was never particularly close with her older brothers, and the hardships they had to endure together did little to remedy that. They were several years between them in the first place, and with their father dead and Lord Qhorwyn having no children of his own, the latter took Harron under his wing to groom the boy into the next Lord of Harlaw, sent Goren to be fostered by another Ironborn lord, and left Alannys in the care of their grieving mother, whose company was alienating at best.

The girl longed for attention, but above all, connections, - and as sad as it was, her mother was the last person to provide either. Despite living there for years, she didn't feel welcome in the Ten Towers, so she either retreated to the library to bury herself in books for hours, or sneaked out to roam the island and befriend the locals to remedy her loneliness. She found herself easily getting along with the common folk, but the first she considered a true friend was Maester Gevin, the youngest brother of her late grandfather, who helped her with her studies and was always happy to talk about the various subjects she'd read about.

It became evident where did the girl's interests lie, and although she allowed her mother to mould her behaviour through lessons in etiquette and the feminine activities a lady was expected to excel at, it were Maester Gevin's lectures in history, strategy, and seafaring that offered her the knowledge she desired. Alannys couldn't defy her own nature, however, and she didn't excel at anything ladylike beyond the superficial, nor did she want to. Inspired by historical figures such as Nymeria of the Rhoynar and Asha Greyjoy, she aspired to become a leader and warrior, to see the world and fight for her people.

Her mistake was announcing her plans to her mother during a frustrating fight that resulted from her refusal to do embroidery. Infuriated, Lady Larra told Alannys that she'd rather see her married off to a Codd than let her meet the same fate Harmund and most Harlaw men did, and she outright forbade her daughter to take lessons in combat, - making sure to inform the master-at-arms about her decision as well.

Of course, her mother's words, clear as they were, wouldn't stop the young reaver-wannabe. If she couldn't train with the master-at-arms, she observed him train her brother and the soldiers of the garrison, then picked up a wooden stick and did her best to imitate the techniques and moves she had memorized. Other than hitting makeshift targets on her own, Alannys also invited a couple boys and girls of her age from nearby villages to practice swordsmanship with, and eventually, she had built a small fellowship for herself over the course of a few moons.

A Girl's First Crew
Her most notable companions were Triston, a salt son of House Volmark with a few years of martial training of his own, Sigrid, a thrall's daughter with considerable physical strength, and the siblings Cotter and Robin from a fisherman's family. Perhaps they differed in their motivations and long-term goals, but they all shared Alannys' ambition of adopting a true Ironborn reaver's life. She called them her first crew, and they meant the foundation of her power.

They trained rigorously and sparred each other daily, experimenting with various arms and finding their own preferences over time as well. The stronger ones like Triston and Sigrid excelled at melee, while others picked up bows to fire at their targets from a distance. Alannys improved a lot with the sword too, but she ultimately honed her intelligence and guile as her chief weapons. She was a guiding force that pushed everyone towards betterment, settled disputes when needed be, and forged the purpose that would drive them.

She quickly proved to be a natural leader, and even the boys had no difficulty accepting her as the head of their small group. Her assertiveness was matched with the ability to sympathize, her determination with an openness to the ideas of others, and the balance of these traits inspired loyalty and trust in those that came to know and follow her. What seemed to be children's play at the beginning, was really a case of hitting two birds with one stone for Alannys. She learned how to fight and she began to grasp the responsibilities of leadership, and upon entering adolescence, the biggest challenge ahead was finally putting her skills to test. It was only a ship her crew still lacked.

In the latter half of 399 AC, a lone vessel returned to Harlaw from the battles raging at the Stepstones, and the news it brought left many devastated. Harron Harlaw, who left three years prior to command Lord Harlaw's fleet against the Pirate Kings, died into the wounds he had suffered in a skirmish aboard his own vessel and lost the sword Nightfall to the man who bested him; the infamous commander of the Lost Legion, Kaelon Rogare. The young heir was liked by his soldiers, his talent for strategy and stewardship made his uncle proud, and even the vassal lords thought he'd make a great ruler one day.

His death was felt, yet no one was struck by it as much as his mother. In a hysteric fit, Lady Larra called Lord Qhorwyn the murderer of her husband and son, and subsequently retreated to the Widow's Tower, refusing to see anyone but her daughter while she mourned. It was her wish to confine Alannys to the same wing of the holdfast to keep her close and away from harm's way, but little did she know that the girl was already several steps ahead of her, and she had no intentions of staying.

As the war in the East raged on, the Crown had requested another fifty longships from the Iron Islands in lieu of the ones lost, and Alannys, who saw this as her chance to get a taste of reaving, was determined to get herself and her crew aboard one of those vessels. She sold a number of her gowns and pieces of silver jewellery to be able to afford an average soldier's equipment for herself and four others, and she had her friends ask around in the docks if any of the longships could use more crewman. Within a few days, they had everything they needed from helmets and hauberks to axes and swords, and Triston had managed to secure oars for all of them on the longship of Gyles Burntbrow, a captain loyal to House Volmark.

The day of the departure was simple. Dressed up as a servant boy with her hair cut short, Alannys sneaked out of the Ten Towers early at dawn to join up with the crew. She would look thin in chainmail and her head was a bit small for the helmet too, but she demonstrated the strength of her arms when it came to rowing. Although this was her first time sailing a longship, the waves beneath were not alien to her; she had been racing rowboats since she was six, - often from Harlaw to Orkmont and back, - so she had managed at sea as well. Ability did not erase doubt, however, and the young Harlaw yet had many. Knowing that she wasn't alone gave her strength for the journey ahead.

Recent Events
N/A

Family
Family Tree
 * Lord Erich Harlaw, Lord of Harlaw d. 390 AC
 * m. Lady Rheya Drumm d. 365 AC
 * Lord Qhorwyn Harlaw, Lord of Harlaw d. 407 AC
 * m. Lady Hylda Blacktyde d. 403 AC
 * No Issues
 * Lord Harmund Harlaw d. 394 AC
 * m. Lady Larra Stonetree b. 367 AC
 * Harron Harlaw d. 396 AC
 * Goren Harlaw d. 406
 * m. Rona Kenning b. 387 AC
 * No Issues
 * Lady Alannys Harlaw, Lady of Harlaw b. 388 AC
 * Theon Pyke b. 406 AC

Household

 * Ronel Kenning - Castellan of the Ten Towers
 * Maester Gevin - Maester of the Ten Towers
 * Genna - Steward
 * Gunthor - Master-at-Arms
 * Othgar - Drowned Priest of Harlaw
 * Triston Volmark - Captain of the Guard