Robert Vance

Introduction
Robert Vance is eldest the son of Lord Olyvar Vance, and the current Lord of Atranta. He is Husband to Lysara Goodbrook and Father to three children. (Work in Progress)

Appearance and Character
Of average height and stocky build, Robert is a man who's been made strong by his martial lifestyle, tempered in the flames of war. He keeps his head near shaved, sporting an unkempt face. His eyes are the colour of steel, fixed in a hard stare. He is not a man like to be the centre of attention, lest on the field.

Described as 'cold' by his peers and 'harsh' by those on the receiving end of his ire, Robert Vance boasts a peppered history mired in violence.

Life
When he was born, they'd said, he'd not made so much as a peep for some time, but when he had begun to cry it had been loud enough to rouse the household entire.He'd had to fight for life, the Maester had remarked.

Growing up, Robert's only real love came from hounds and horses, and a baker's boy called Tomas. Olyvar Vance was a man carved from bedrock; stern to a fault, not a man to make his affections known, and so Robert's only interactions with his Father consisted mainly of short, cold lessons. Lectures more than anything.

His Mother cared little; though this wasn't entirely her own fault. Frailty of body had stolen the woman he'd known as his mother away and left instead a pair of darting, lifeless eyes. She'd been bed-bound, spoon-fed, and mute, but she'd birthed him, and so he visited each day.

Atranta offered him little in the way of excitement, and so Robert took to the brooks and woods beyond. He roved along-side the baker's boy, Tomas. Robert's own sibling had just been born, and a six year old has little in common with a newborn, so Tomas became like a brother. The two would do everything together, from dawn until dusk, and then some beyond. They would play pretend, taking on the roles of the great knights of old as they went at one another with wooden sticks.

Robert turned seven, and life changed. Olyvar was sending him from Atranta to be fostered, and though he relished the opportunity to see somewhere new, he felt regret for leaving Tomas alone. He didn't get the chance to give a proper goodbye to his friend before he was sent off.

In 388AC, at two-and-one and with Olyvar's passing, Robert now rules Atranta in its entirety. The Hammer Uprising saw Robert take to the field in true, and he'd prove himself a capable commander upon a score of engagements with rebel forces; including a presence during the Fording of the Rush and the retaking of Fairmarket's market-place. He led men again at the battle of Kingsbridge, successfully out-flanking a contingent of Warsmiths.

He returned to Atranta soon after, his wife having brought his first child into the world. He'd name him Axel, and Robert wrote that he came to know raw emotion when he looked into the boy's eyes.

The year 392AC brought with it the Great Famine, and many starved in their beds. Robert did his best to look out for his people, but yet there was only so much he could do. He vowed, if he could not feed them, then at least he'd protect them from the roving bands of bandits. For two years he scarce returned to Atranta, his mind firmly set on ridding the Riverlands of this sudden plague of chaos. He proved merciless, and where he found bandits, he left them swinging from branches behind him. He would encounter Tomas, the baker's boy, heading one of these groups, and though the man plead that he'd had no choice, that he'd only ever stolen and never taken a life, Robert hung him along with the rest.

In this time he'd welcome two newborns; the twins Roland and Lysa.

Again, after the Great Famine came to a close, Robert enjoyed a short break from violence, but 396AC brought with it the War of the Three Thieves, in which Robert took part. He found himself attached to Crown forces throughout the duration, from 396AC right through to 402AC, with a short break of a year between 397AC and 398AC due to a nasty wound received. This is what would cement him as a commander not to be underestimated.

Recent Events
Robert has bothered not with the affairs of the Realm for a time, spending his time in Atranta tending to his garden and taking life at a more measured pace. More recently, Robert elects to follow his cousin, Perceon, and Damion Tully in marching for Riverrun.

Spouse
Melissa Smallwood - Wife

Children
Axel Vance - Son

Roland Vance - Son

Lysa Vance - Daughter

Willem Rivers - Bastard Son

Siblings
Tytos Vance - Brother

Senelle Vance - Sister

Extended
Perceon Vance - Cousin

Household
Brynden Blackheart - Castellen of Atranta, Captain of the Guard

Edmund 'Two Copper' - Treasurer

Hoster 'Healer' - Maester