Ambrose Arryn

Formerly a sellsail, an incident in Lorassyon made Ambrose leave that life behind him and now is one of the more prominent merchants in the Vale; trading in anything from spice to wine to weaponry. Over the years his commerce has gained him valuable connections, eyes and ears in many places.

Ambrose Arryn comes from a cadet branch of House Arryn based in Gulltown. Generations back his ancestors married off to wealthy merchants in the city, gaining them considerable wealth but at the cost of being ostracised by the rest of their house...Something that galls to this day.

Appearance and Character
Roguish and proud are two words that oft sum up Ambrose Arryn, followed by ambitious. But his pride and snappish tongue mask an deep set insecurity to the man.

Ambrose's most distinguishing feature is his hair, half dyed red in the style of Lorath, it tells of his time spent in the free city along with the maze-coin around his neck.

His dress is usually a mixture of practicality and show of wealth, typically ornate sailing leathers with a gilded falchion sword at his side.

History
Ambrose was never truly content with his standing in life. His family was wealthy and he was raised in comfort receiving a full education in commerce and sailing. But it wasn't enough. Money could not buy respect.

It didn't take him long to inherit his families dissatisfaction at being looked down upon by their lordly cousins and at being nobility in purely name only. Ambrose grew into a proud and slightly embittered young man.

At the age of nine and one he signed up with a sell-sail company: The Sunken Swords, seeking adventure and renown. He was determined to prove himself and move out of the shadow of his family.

At first he found the life to be difficult, a sharp contrast to the luxury he had known in Gulltown. But gradually he adjusted and as travel broadens the mind he grew wiser and more martial.

Ambrose had it in mind that he had found his place in life, he envisioned himself rising through the ranks and hoped to one day own his own fleet and live like a king on the waves. But Lorath changed everything.

The island was the smallest and poorest of the Nine Free Cities and having little in the way of navy strength had hired The Sunken Swords to help ward off a band of pirates that had been targeting the islands. It was an easy enough task, with most prospective pirates turning tail at the sign of any real resistance and allowed the sell-sails to spend time settling in the city.

On one fateful day though Ambrose and his companions had chased a pirate crew ashore on Lorassyon, a smaller island near Lorath and set out to pursue them on land. Clearly outmatched in strength the pirates sought to hide in the ancient stone maze that made up most of the island. Scoffing at some of his crews superstitions Ambrose led a party in after the pirates. Days passed before Ambrose emerged from the maze, alone.

The crew said it was as if one man had walked into the maze but a different one came out. Ambrose was haggard and malnourished with a haunted look to his eyes. He babbled endlessly about dark stone passageways and impossible architecture, the experience clearly having taken a toll on his mind. Of his companions or the pirates he was unable to say, only that he wanted to leave immediately and never return.

In the weeks that followed Ambrose did return to himself somewhat, but the ordeal had changed him. It wasn't long before he decided to leave the life of a sell-sail behind him and returned to Gulltown unceremoniously, not willing to speak of his experience with his family.

Instead he threw himself into trade, this time with a renewed vigour he took a lead in his family business and even flourished at it. But it wasn't long before he found the same growing irritations he had before. Ambrose began to grow ambitious again.