Cordelia Massey

Lady Cordelia Massey is the current Lady of Massey’s Hook and the Head of House Massey. She is the only child of the late Lord Abelar Massey, who died during The Second Hammer Uprising.

Lady Massey has married a total of five times, however, all of her husbands have met their ends in violent “accidents”. She has never managed to birth a living child.

Appearance and Character
Cordelia Massey stands at just under 5’’10, and her deep brown hair is neatly tucked into two buns at the very top of her head, with a thin braid tumbling down the back. She primarily dresses in black and grey; embodying a permanent comportment of grief. Cordelia’s nearly black eyes rest upon an abnormally long face, and two black studs adorn her ears.

The Lady of Massey’s Hook is the embodiment of a black widow. She is solitary and and very antisocial. Cordelia would much rather prefer to spend her time communicating through carrier pigeon, than through face-to-face conversation. Once her outer shell has been broken, Cordelia is still withdrawn and distant, perhaps stemming from a life of abandonment and neglect.

Other than her black widow nature, Lady Massey is nothing more than a snake. She isn’t afraid to get her hands bloody, especially if it means increasing her own personal gain in a venture. Cordelia has no reservations about playing both sides of a conflict, and is always willing to ignite the spark with her vast network of spies when the fire itself isn’t catching.

History
Lady Cordelia Massey was born in the Fifth Moon of 398 AC. She was the only child between Lord Abelar Massey and his wife, Lady Beatrix Pyle to survive past infancy. From the beginning, there was something clearly wrong with the young Cordelia: she took joy in harming others, and laughed with glee when her parents fought. Lord Abelar took offense to the young girl’s personality and was resolved to fix such discrepancies through physical beatings.

Following her mother’s death, and also by the age of seven, Cordelia Massey had taken an involuntary vow of silence. Her voice box was so badly ruined by screaming and abuse, that even the Maester wasn’t quite sure if it would ever regain regular use. Fortunately, it did: but not for another eleven years.

When Cordelia reached the age of eighteen, there were a number of suitors who originally sought her hand, however, many were put off by the scars of abuse that laced the young lady’s body. In the end, the nobles who would go on to be her various husbands were Boros Brune, Denys Errol, Mern Gaunt, Tytos Myatt, and Edwyn of Aston. Of those various marriages, only the final one managed to produce a flicker of life.

During the 7th Moon of 428 AC, Cordelia gave birth to a stillborn baby boy. Immediately after delivering the babe, the numerous midwives fled the room, tears spilling from their eyes. Rumors were abound as to what occurred in the birthing room, and some say that the babe was born horribly deformed: its eyes were gouged out, and its skin was completely black. Shortly thereafter, Edwyn of Aston leaped from the highest tower of Stonedance to his death.

From then on, Cordelia never remarried, and had a majority of the midwives who participated in the birth of her stillborn babe permanently silenced.

When the Second Hammer Uprising ignited in 432 AC, Stonedance was stormed by zealots masquerading as local peasants who wished to plead their cases to the local Lord. After the guardsmen failed to protect Lord Abelar Massey, it is said that he, and many of his advisers, were pulled to pieces by the zealots. Since then, the event has been referred to as the Storming of Stonedance. To this day, no one has been able to locate the late lord’s right foot.

After the incident, Cordelia assumed her place as Lady of Stonedance and Head of House Massey. She would later lead a series of inquisitions in order to purge all support of the Warsmith's within the Hook. Aftwards, she was determined to assume a place of influence within the Royal Court and began to place spies within the capital city, attempting to subvert herself into many local proceedings.

In recent years, Cordelia has invested heavily within the city: growing allies and real estate investments.

Family

 * Lord Abelar Massey (373 AC - 432 AC)
 * (married) Beatrix Pyle (374 AC - 408 AC)
 * Lady Cordelia Massey (b. 398)
 * Ser Ryon Massey (375 AC - 432 AC)
 * (married) Alysanne Follard (386 - 430 AC)
 * Ser Justin Massey (b. 417 AC)
 * Maldon Massey (b. 390 AC)

Household
Insert Spies

Lord Jon Rosby
"Despite what many might think; what Cordelia and Jon have is not special. Make no mistake, the two are not close at all, in fact, they're business partners; not friends. Lady Massey has respect for Lord Rosby's abilities, and that is the end of it."