Robin Lovegood

Introduction
Robin Lovegood is the sixth-born child of a family of well-to-do merchants and gentry folk from King's Landing. He serves as the castellan of Harrenhal, now, showing great aptitude for the management of resources, though only time will tell if he is content to merely manage the resources of others, or is his aim to a holding of his own?

Appearance and Character
Robin is a slender, willowy youth of a little above average height, standing about half a hand below six foot. Due to having little reason to exercise his physical qualities, he is rather soft in his build, albeit he has not taken to fat since his early teens, having been somewhat plump as a boy. He has fine, porcelain skin which he is fussy about taking good care of and a head of blonde, slightly curled hair through which he often weaves precious stones. His eyes are a piercing blue, which look purple in certain lighting, or when paired with clothing. He has a finely sculpted, friendly face that has more than a touch of androgyny. His mouth is small and round, his lips full and red, and often drawn up into a pleasant smile.

He prefers to dress in the styles of his mother’s people, being quite fond of the beautiful silks  and fine accessories of the Free Cities. His favoured clothes are loose silks, due to the freedom they offer, however the climate of the Riverlanders, as well as the damp coldness of the castle he inhabits, does not often permit him the luxury of wearing such. When at leisure, he prefers the comfort of the tavern he owns, and is often known to strut around in see-through lace, or even bare. In the absence of his favoured clothes, he is like to adopt more conservative, heavy clothing, especially furs - preferring long, soft coats of fox fur and fur headwear decorated with feathers from exotic eastern birds.. He wears a knight’s ransom in jewelry, with his most favoured item being a pair of sea green sapphire earrings.

Much like his dress, Robin himself is rather opulent, and has been, more than a few times, described as vain and superficial. Those statements have more than a touch of truth to them, of course, as anyone with a pair of eyes could see, yet he is capable of being quite astute, when he puts his mind to it, and has a good head for both politics and governance. Never a warrior, the man has always held much more of an interest in books, songs, the acts of mummers and the comfort of a warm fire and the feel of soft fabrics against his skin. He has an especial fondness for books, which he allegedly took to before he learned to walk. Kindhearted, courteous, well-spoken and capable of charm, yet not often prone to indecision nor being easily manipulated, the steward of Harrenhal has an ambitious streak and dreams of a future far grander than his birth.

Biography
Robin was born as the third-born son and sixth child of Abelar Lovegood and his lady wife, a courtesan he fell in love with in Lys and absconded with to Westeros. His father, a wealthy merchant captain, was descended from a family of minor landed knights in the Crownlands, but his own father’s father had taken up trade instead of the martia pursuits and had prospered greatly from such an action. The Lovegoods estate was a comfortable manse in King’s Landing, where the family would reside in when they were not off on expeditions, as the patriarch of the family was wont to take his family along on his more comfortable trips.

The young Robin was afforded a good education, and could be oft found in the manse library, small as it was, reading through the tomes, and when he ran out of those, he would beg his father to buy him more. Indeed, even at a young age, the boy was charming and quite determined to get his way, and as he was ever the apple of his parent’s eye, he got his wish more often than not. In addition to his charms, Robin was a pretty youth, appealing to the eye, having inherited his mother’s fine features and bearing the looks of Old Valyria.

While his elder siblings were of the more adventerous sort, Robin was always a more cautious, withdrawn youth, though few could call him timid as he was ever eager to exact his wants.

He showed an aptitude with numbers and a head for management, helping his mother with the family accounting book by no less an age than two-and-ten. Yet as he was the youngest child of six, his chances of inheriting anything substantial were slim, so it was needed of him to make his own way in the world. No small mind was given to sending him to the Citadel, as that seemed to be the wisest course, and the lad got so far as to forging two links in his chains before he discovered that it was, after all, not to his liking - complaining of the company.

With the option of being a Maester discarded, there were but a few options left. And it seemed opportunity was not long in presenting itself, as the Lord of Byrchwood, holding the lordship over the knightly Lovegoods, was in need of someone to increase his revenue, as his holdings had gone to rot and ruin from poor management. Within half a year, the youth managed to overhaul the management of the lands, building dams and draining wetlands, clearing brush land for new arable land.

By the time he was done, the Byrches of Byrchwood could boast of having as profitable a holding as any of it’s size. While handsomely rewarded, the youth was more than a little disdainful of the lord himself, an incompetent old letcher who, if the position of lord were given based on merit, would not have been allowed within a league of the keep. Still, he was paid and could live in peace for a while, albeit his money would run out faster than expected, owning to the expensive tastes he had acquired, and would be forced to turn once more to his parents, who, as ever, could not deny him.

Still, ever loathful of having to rely on his parents, Robin would eagerly pursue a new position, though this time hopefully more permanent and more richly rewarded, even if he had to put up with another drunk with wondering hands. Yet, at least initially, his search would not bear much fruit - to be sure, there were jobs here and there, but none of them were permanent and most of them were unpleasant. But finally, nearing the age of twenty, he would be taken into service at Harrenhal, a most unpleasant castle but the house he would serve would be powerful and rich, and as such, afford him the opportunity to indulge in his tastes. The old lord Perceon Vance would take him into service, though the man was ailing and soon gone, with Robin having little chance to get to know the man. Still, his successors would retain his services, seeing as the young man was more than able at his job and capable of increasing the estate’s revenues by a very handsome margin. In this positon Robin has now served for more than two years, and has done so more than ably, though time will tell if he has greater ambitions of his own.