Robb Stone

Introduction:
Robb is the bold and charismatic bastard son of Lord Arnolf Redfort, who serves his lord father as the captain of Redfort's guard. Having grown up in Braavos, he walks with a rapier at his hip and still feels unsuited to this new pace of life.

Appearance and Character:
Robb is a tall, well-muscled man in his mid thirties. He inherited is mothers blond hair, but his father’s piercing grey eyes. At 6” 2’ he is of a height with his father but seems taller as Arnolf stands hunched over where Robb holds himself high. Robb walks with the swagger of a water dancer, an image reinforced by the rapier and parrying dagger on his belt.

Robb is an amiable and jovial man. He has a natural talent at making friends, with a roguish charm to him. He is always quick with a joke and rarely takes anything seriously.

Robb is also bold and adventurous. Wherever possible, he takes risks. This has been a mixed blessing, winning him many successes on the battlefield, but also getting him into a few scrapes. He also holds loyalty in high regard, although he has not always proven this in himself.

In the Shadow of the Hightower:
Robb was born in 403 AC in a small apartment in the shadow of the Hightower, in Old Town. He was born to Arnolf Redfort, a scion of House Redfort and recently stripped of his maester's chain, and Jeyne, a tavern girl. He was but a babe as his parents made a meteoric rise from living on the verge of poverty, to becoming some of the wealthiest denizens of the city.

Robb was always an excited and energetic child. He could be seen sprinting to and fro around the Long Night, his mother's new tavern, telling all the patrons about what he had done or learnt that day.

No-one could make Arnolf smile like his son, so Robb was never prevented from calling on him even while he was doing business. Soon Robb became a welcome sight to the regulars, with his wild laugh and wicked smile.

Robb was ever curious about what people did, and would ask them many questions about their profession. He was particularly impressed by the tall tales of Ser Olyvar Fossoway; a man who knows how to spin a yarn. Robb swore that when he grew up, he would become an adventurer, travelling across the known world with only his sword by his side.

For the present, he would need to content himself with Old Town. He began exploring the less travelled parts of the city; the wynds and alleys, and the rooftops. He soon befriended many of the orphans and beggar boys in the slums, and used to lead a great gang of them on traipses throughout the metropolis.

However, it was not all fun and games. At the age of 7, on one of his regular escapades, Robb was attacked. One of Arnolf's debtors, who hadn't the money to pay his dues, chanced upon him and saw an opportunity. The man drew his dagger and seized Robb. The boy was large for his age and was never meek so naturally he tried to fight off his attacker. He failed.

Robb was slashed across his left cheek, leaving a scar to this day, beaten and the grabbed up. However, the fighting had caused a commotion which draw attention from the patrons of a nearby brothel. Ser Olyvar Fossoway strode forward, half naked, and struck the man's head half off with a hew from his bastard sword.

Robb was brought before his father, who, for once, was furious with his son. Arnolf hadn't known the antics his son got himself into on a regular basis. He had learnt the error of his laissez-faire attitude, and so began to overcompensate. Robb was strictly grounded to the Long Night, with his mother and young brother Quenton. Furthermore, Arnolf had decided that is was long passed time that Robb begin his formal education.

And so, Luthor, the chainless maester who was ever a favourite of Arnolf, began teaching Robb and Quenton about the world. Robb did not take well to the lessons. It was not that the lad was stupid; he merely didn't apply himself. His head was away, fighting mythical creatures in far off realms, or rescuing princesses from tyrants. What confounded matters was that little Quenton was very much his father's son; a natural student with a head for mathematics.

The one lesson he did take well to was history. Robb instantly fell in love with the adventures of his namesake, the Young Wolf, just like Arnolf had at his age. Soon, he was studying the major wars and generals of Westerosi history in his free time, as he was denied other pass-times.

Heading East:
All this continued until 413 AC, when Lord Hightower's men rode forth to break Redfort and his supporters. Robb's mother Jeyne had been tipped off and the family had escaped to Braavos. Once there, Arnolf's family moved into a spacious manse and lived in luxury.

When he arrived at Braavos, Robb was soon taken by the queer fighting style of the Bravos. He was a tall and strong lad, but his most notable attribute was his speed. It seemed perfectly suited to him. Robb asked his father if he could learn. Arnolf, whose heart had softened since grounding his son, acquiesced and hired a water dancer, Uthero Tendyris.

Under him, Robb grew to be a skilled sword, although he would not be counted amongst the finest fighters in the world.

Other than this, Robb took to playing a new game he had learnt; Cyvasse. The ability to play out great battles and test himself against others appealed to Robb's sense of competition. He would play the game against all comers and grew to be very good. However, he found playing his fathers household staff grew tiresome; he would win without a great challenge. And so, at 16, he began sneaking out to the taverns and winesinks to play against the patrons there.

Bastards and Second Sons:
Here he met Mad Cleon Clegane, captain of the Second Sons. The man was a freed Ghiscari slave renowned for his size and cruelty, claiming descent from the false knight Gregor Clegane (although it is very sceptical that he was truly related). The man thought himself a master strategist, and prided himself on his ability at cyvasse. He was decent enough, but the truth was if he lost he would go into a murderous rage, so few dared to actually beat him even if they could.

Robb though did not know him, and as only a cocky 16 year old can, saw an opportunity to prove his prowess. Robb won the match easily enough... but the aftermath was not so simple. Cleon was furious, and called out to his men to bring him his long axe.

Robb moved quicker. His sword was drawn in an instant. Cleon's men followed suit. He was outnumbered five to one against battle hardened mercenaries but he stood his ground. Seeing the defiance of the boy, Cleon burst into a sudden laughter and complimented the boy on his courage. By the nights end, the two of them were fast friends... and blind drunk besides.

Over the coming months, Cleon would take Robb to a hundred taverns and his first time as a paying customer in a brothel. They would drink and jape and fight, across half the city. But as ever, a sellswords wealth is only finite. By mid 421 AC, Cleon and his men were spent up and lookign for new employment. As they left, Robb came to them, along with a bundle of his clothes and possessions. Cleon had a new squire.

Robb served with the company for five years; first as a squire and then a serjeant once Cleon thought the younger man was ready. He served well, easily making friends amongst his fellow soldiers and improving as a warrior. And as Cleon's squire, he was privy to the  decisions the captain was making. He saw what tricks and tactics experienced men employed in warfare, and how planning before a battle is adapted on the field.

He killed his first man at 18, in a small skirmish in the disputed lands. He would go on to kill many more. Once he reached the rank of serjeant, he even had a small group of men to command. He ensured that they were always well drilled and battle ready, but the men did not begrudge him because of his charm.

In 426 AC, the Second Sons took a contract from the Volantenes who were preparing to defent against a Dothraki khalasar. The men were not happy about this, but they were being paid thrice the normal rate so few openly complained.

Not daring to fight in the field, the men were deployed to defend Selhorys, a walled city on the east bank of the Rhoyne. It was clear that the Dothraki sought to sack it before moving on to other pastures. Once they disembarked, the men saw that all the river boats of the city were leaving and realised they were trapped.

The Dothraki came. A host 18 thousand strong against the 8 thousand sellswords and slave soldiers of Selhorys; a close match once the walls were taken into account. The khalasar did not send emissaries, not wait for a siege. They assailed the walls with grapples and ladders, and the gates were assaulted by a huge ram with a horse's head. The horde's leader, Khal Bhaqqo, was barbaric but not stupid. He had had his slaves prepare siege weapons before the attack.

The onslaught was fierce. At first the defender seemed to have the upper hand. Robb cut down three Screamers as the were scaling the walls, Cleon slew eight. However, once the ram began crushing the gate, the men started to worry. Dothraki horse archers rained death to all who were exposed on the ramparts, and more men surged forward to try themselves against the wall. Noro, bloodrider to the Khal, virtually leapt up the wall with his great two handed arakh. There he chanced upon Cleon.

The find was the stuff of legend. Two huge muscular fighting a brutal duel on the city walls before hundreds of onlookers. Any man who tried to intervene was swiftly dispatched by one combatant or the other. Ultimately, Noro had the upper hand and finished Cleon with a blow that hewed from shoulder to hip, before throwing the big man's body from the wall.

Robb charged him. Even though he caught the Dothraki by surprise, the older man's skill and experience showed. It took three strikes to trip and disarm Robb. He would have died there, had his men not intervened. They had grown to love their serjeant, and all of them had feared and respected the captain. Two kept the Dothraki at bay with shield and spear, another pulled Robb back, and the rest unloaded crossbow bolts into him until the savage horseman was dead.

The battle had turned sour. The gates had fallen and Dothraki surged into the city. Leaderless, it seemed the Second Sons were going to be slaughtered. Robb, now safe from the fight, reapplied himself. He rallied all the men he could and led them towards the north gate. The Dothraki were few here, only sent to keep the defenders occupied and out of the main fighting. Robb commanded the men to mount up and sally forth.

The Dothraki were stunned by this show of bravery, and their momentary confusion allowed Robb and the Second Sons to fight their way through and retreat north in good order. They rode until days end and took up a defensive position.

The fighting had been extraordinarily costly. Half their numbers were dead in Selhorys, including the captain and all but one of the lieutenants. The last lieutenant had been wounded in the fighting, which is why command fell to Robb. The men had survived however, and was making a quick recovery. He assumed command and the rank of captain. On hearing of Robb's decisive action in saving the company he rewarded him with the post he had recently vacated; lieutenant.

The men's stomach for fighting Dothraki was gone, and so they continued their trek north, before crossing the Rhoyne and heading west for Myr.

Robb continued with them for a time, enjoying the company of the man he served under, and the men who served under himself. However, the death of his friend Cleon had made him think of his own mortality. At first, he tried to drown is worries in wine and whores. Some say he even fathered a bastard on a Myrish prostitute. Ultimately, he realised that he desired to go home and see his family.

Parting ways with the Second Sons on good terms, he booked passage for Braavos.

Prodigal Son:
In early 427 AC, Robb came home. He was greeted warmly by his family, although little Ysilla didn't recognise as she had been a girl of 2 when he had left. Of course, when he had left, Arnolf was furious and Jeyne was distraught, but as ever when he came back they were soon reconciled. His parents loved him dearly, and were perhaps too lenient on their first born.

His father soon found him employment as one of his bailiffs, work that Robb took to well. His charisma, as well as his sword skill, meant he was well suited to scouting out debtors, and he was happy to be useful to his family in a way that he actually enjoyed.

Arnolf had begun to take note of his sons adventurous disposition, and sought to give him constructive outlets for it, rather than have him run off again. Whenever, a debtor fled Braavos, Robb was amongst those sent to bring him back. And Arnolf begun utilising Robb as a negotiator.

Robb was never one for mathematics so he had largely ignored family business. Fortunately for Arnolf, Quenton took to it extremely well, and so it became clear that he would serve as Arnolf's successor in running the firm. However, Robb was a charming man, and his years with whores and sellswords taught him how to haggle.

Robb enjoyed the time he spent back in Braavos, japing with his siblings and putting himself to work in ways productive to himself and his family. However, he still felt the callings of adventure. When he had left, he was grief stricken at the death of his friend, Cleon Clegane, but time had healed most of that wound.

Once again, he desired the life of a sellsword, but he did not wish to part with his family on the same terms he had last time. In 434 AC, he convinced his father to invest in him. He would form his own sellsword company; the Soldiers of Stone.

Stone and Steel:
Recruiting from the various mercenaries and adventurers in Braavos, and having his numbers bolstered from his father's debtors, who were allowed to work off what they owed in the company, Robb managed to form a company of 500 men.

Once formed up, and trained into a cohesive fighting force Robb took his men across Essos by land. They fought in various minor disputes netting a tidy profit, but the real goal was Slaver's Bay. He had heard that Astapor and Yunkai were on the verge of war, each sides looking for sellswords to bolster their ranks. Robb took a contract with the Astapori. Whilst Yunkai had more men but Astapor had the Unsullied, and Robb valued training and discipline over raw numbers. Booking passage from Volantis (although he had to arrange this covertly, as the Volantenes still felt bitter about Robb and the other Second Sons over the sack of Selhorys), he sailed to Astapor and prepared his men for a long war. He was mistaken.

When they marched out to battle, the Soldiers of Stone were in high spirits. They had with them renowned companies such as the Bright Banners, Iron Shields and the Company of the Cat. The Brave Companions rode before them to burn the enemies' fields and sow chaos in their ranks.

When the two armies met in the field, the Soldiers of Stone, Iron Shields and the Bright Banners had the left flank, the Company of the Cat the right, with the Unsullied forming a bulwark in the centre. Robb readied himself for his first major battle in command. At Selhorys he had taken the reins only after more senior men had fallen, and he had led his men to victory in half a dozen skirmishes on his way here. He relisher the chance to actually put the experience he had gained in command to the test.

Alas, the Astapori were betrayed. As it came out later, the Brave Companions had always been in the pay of Yunkai. They had joined Astapor only to seek out others who might wish to betray. They had convinced the Iron Shields and the Bright Banners to turn their cloaks. The Company of the Cat were more steadfast, but the Yunkish were clever. They had hired their great rivals, the Windblown and faced the two forces off against each other.

When battle was joined, the Iron Shields and Bright Banners revealed their true allegiance. The Bright Banners charged the Unsullied from the flank and rear. Remarkably, they didn't break even as their foes swept around them. However, they were encircled and, ultimately, slaughtered to a man. Meanwhile, on the right, the Company of the Cat did not come to the Unsullied's aid. Instead, they rushed forward to give battle to the WIndblown, forsaking victory for vengeance.

The Iron Shields sought out the Soldiers of Stone. The two forces were of a size. The Iron Shields had far more experience, but Robb had trained and disciplined his men into an effective fighting force. The element of surprise gave the Brave Companions an edge, but Robb held his men together and repulsed the initial assault. However, slave soldiers from Yunkai rushed up to give battle and Robb saw this was a fight they couldn't win. Robb sounded the retreated and began marching back towards Astapor.

It was then that the final betrayal was laid bare. The Brave Companions, who were supposedly ravaging Yunkish lands emerged across the road, cutting off retreat. Robb's men were massacred. Trapped between traitors at all sides. They formed a shield wall and tried to hold out, but it was over in a short bloody spell. Of the 500 men of the company, two score had survived, and they were prisoners of the Brave Companions or the Iron Shields. Those taken by the Brave Companions were mutilated. Every man had a different punishment, each crueller than the last.

Fortunately for Robb, he had been captured by the Iron Shields. Whilst treacherous to the core, these men were not driven by malice and sadism, like the Brave Companions. All they did, they did for profit. Robb was taken to be ransomed to his father, and after he promised he would pay for the ransoms of his men, they were spared.

This chafed Robb. He had been back-stabbed by these men, and now he had to grovel before them for his men's lives. The Yunkish went on to sack Astapor, and then the Iron Shields prepared to take Robb back to Braavos for ransom. However, the Gods are sometimes kind. The ships carrying the company were hit by a sudden squall.

The storm broke up the party, and many of his foemen drowned. The ship carrying Robb and the prisoners was forced to dock on an uncharted island to make repairs. Robb saw his opportunity. The brigg had been damaged, so the prisoners were kept down with the oarsmen. These were slaves forced to row the galley, but Robb incited the men to revolt, promising freedom to any man who joined him. With Robb and his sellswords combat prowess and the numbers of the galley slaves, they were able to overcome the crew and mercenaries of the vessel.

After making the necessary repairs, they set sail to Braavos, were all men are free.

Robb did not linger once who got home. He took the ransom that his father had been gathering, and went out to contact his friends in the Second Sons. He would not let treachery go unpunished. With the Iron Shields dead or scattered, and as the Bright Banners were too large and struck no blow against him or his men directly, it was the Brave Companions whom Robb meant to take his anger out on.

After the war, they had found work in the disputed land. They were taking it easy, living off the wealth earned from the Slavers Bay campaign. Robb led the Second Sons in hot pursuit of them. They were not under oath for any of the free cities. They were here for revenge.

After half a year of marching and tracking, they cornered them in a ruined hamlet. This time Robb took personal command, and led his men to a bloody victory against the Brave Companions. He slew a dozen men in the fighting, and came out red from head to toe from his enemies blood. This earned him the nickname, the 'Bloody Bastard' from the men of the Second Sons.

The Brave Companions were not totally broken, some had been away foraging, some had deserted when they had heard he was coming for them. The company ultimately survived, though they are a much depleted force. And Robb, like his father, took back his debts ... in blood and gold. He had captured the company's treasury, regaining the wealth stolen from at Slaver's Bay and more than compensating the money owed the Second Sons.

By the close of 436 AC, Robb returned with his allies to Braavos to startling news. Arnolf's nephew was dead, and the crippled old man meant to push his claim for the orphaned daughters regency. Robb was quick to suggest that Arnolf hire the Second Sons to give himself leverage. Arnolf obliged and they set sail for Westeros.

Homecoming?
To cut a long story short, Arnolf came for the regency of Redfort and ended up with its lordship. Arnolf, to secure his hold on his new domain, needed loyal men in positions of power around him. Robb was chosen to serve as Redfort's captain of guard. His battlefield experience and skill in command made him well suited, as well as his ability to inspire loyalty in men.

Robb took to this position well. After his savage campaign against the Brave Companions, he found the slower pace of life relaxing, whilst still presenting enough of a challenge to keep him stimulated. As before, Arnolf made sure to employ his son's talents to full effect.

Arnolf and his lady wife, Selyse, have had no children. Lord Arnolf has made it clear that he wishes his son Robb will inherit Redfort after him, although this has not yet been confirmed.