Abelar Prester

Abelar Prester is the Lord of Feastfires.

Appearance and Character
Some men were born to be knights, others to be lords, and few could ever dispute that Abelar Prester is a member of the latter group. Quiet and bookish as a boy, he might have ended up in the Citadel had it not been for the untimely deaths of his two older brothers. Despite the doubts of many, Abelar proved a fine knight and has excelled as the Lord of Feastfires. A builder, or more accurately a planner at heart, Abelar has a skill and passion for looking upon a place and figuring a way to make the most of it. Many of the smallfolk in Feastfires Hold jest that Lord Abelar was conceived in a pasture amongst goats, born under a bridge and swaddled in a map of his father's lands. Additionally, he is deeply interested in the many intricacies of farming, and the study of botany.

Though he is certainly of a learned mindset, Abelar seldom comes across as sage or pretentious the way some scholars might when dealing with laymen and colleagues alike. This is for the simple reason that Abelar, with his honest nature and diligent behaviors, has never been one for being dour and enigmatic, even if he may come across as reserved. He views all things that intrigue him - from arms and armor to bridges and canals, sheep and cows to remedies and poisons - with a boy's awestruck fascination rather than a man's solemn reverence. His lordly demeanor may be easily broken by his admiration for a new poleaxe, or a bridge he desires built.

For most, Abelar's occasional eccentricities are a small price to pay for his effective administrating of Feastfires. The smallfolk have come to admire and respect their lord, quiet as he seems and peculiar as he can be, for the manner in which he addresses all difficulties large and small with his full attention. It would seem that Abelar possesses a natural gift for organizing and leading men in whatever endeavors are deemed necessary, whether digging a waterway or building a wall. It is this meticulous planning, rather than any boisterous inspiration, that is characteristic of Abelar's approach to lording over Feastfires.

Abelar stands fairly tall, though not tremendously so for a man of his breeding, and is of an average build, his daily rides and infrequent sparring keeping him fit enough to not be thought too soft even as he departs from the life and livelihood of a knight-at-arms. His eyes are blue, but so dark that they are hardly noticeable unless close, and his features are not especially defined. His hair seems his best feature - soft and lustrous, colored a rich chestnut and of modest length. But otherwise, though not hard to look upon, the Lord of Feastfires strikes a rather unremarkable figure.

History
Abelar was born upon the 3rd Day of the 2nd Moon in the year 407 AC, the third son and fourth child of Lord Jon Prester and his wife, Lady Tanselle Westmark. His childhood was not especially noteworthy until 417, when both of his elder brothers - Jorah and Boros - were taken within months of each other. The former by flu, the second by a kick to the head by a mule. Until then, the Lord and Lady Prester had been considering the citadel as a place for their bookish son, but by the age of eleven the boy instead found himself the heir to Feastfires, and was placed on the path of a lord. In his grief, Lord Jon had remarked that his unassuming son would be wholly useless carrying anything heavier than a quill or riding any beast larger than a pony. But the Lord of Feastfires would later be pleasantly surprised by the manner in which Abelar quickly adjusted himself to the life and duties of a page and then a squire, eventually earning his spurs in 424 AC at the age of 17. The open-minded Abelar saw martial pursuits as a new adventure, relishing the opportunity to learn new and unexpected skills that had never been offered to him as a child. While certainly not a great knight, Abe had truly earned his title and could hold his own with most of his fellow men-at-arms in many a tourney.

After being knighted, Abelar was a frequent attendant at tourneys, balls and festivals throughout the Westerlands, and occasionally went beyond the Lion's lands, going as far as Maidenpool in the Riverlands and Oldtown in the Reach. Despite his growing fascination with built works, he found that he did not care for cities, preferring the open air and opportune lands of the countryside. He saw far more importance in the irrigation ditches or tolled bridges of a greener, cleaner land than in the grandiose towers and septs of a festering, crowded landscape of endless stone.

In 429, at the urging of his parents, Abelar agreed that it was time for him to be wed. Although he had always been drawn to women, more so than men, the heir to Feastfires was hesitant and clumsy when it came to choosing a bride. It was not until the first weeks of 431 that he was finally married to Emberlei Russart, the daughter of Ser Robar Russart, a vassal of the Presters. Emberlei had been rather plain compared to a number of the other potential matches, but Abelar had been taken by her wit and charm and declared that he would marry none but her. The marriage was a happy one from the start, with a daughter, Sansa, being born within the year. Their happiness was to be short-lived, however, as the whole word fell to madness and The Bleeding began.

It was inevitable that the Synod of Lannisport, that which ought to have been a time of pious unity, would lead to conflict. The Firestorm that followed it turned the resentment and discontent into outright division, which would simmer for two years before turning to open war in 432. In this first year of what would come to be known as The War of Three Banners, which at that time was merely a war of two, Abelar rode with Lord Kenning's host with a small retinue of men-at-arms under his command.