Lancel Spicer

Lancel Spicer is Lord of Castamere, and the Head of House Spicer, a noble House of the Westerlands. Born in 367 AC as the second son to Lord Gerold Spicer, Lancel became heir in 386 AC after his brother Merrett's sudden death. Knighted the following year, Lancel became Lord in 389 AC, at the age of 22. Lancel is married to Janei Westerling, and they have three children; their eldest, a son called Lyle, and two daughters, Melesa and Sybell.

Appearance and Character
Far from the tallest man, Lancel stands at five foot, six inches tall, slightly overweight. Walking with a slight hunch, the man gives off a dimuntive poise, walking shoulders forward. Neither handsome or ugly, Lord Lancel has dark blonde hair that is starting to both bald and grey, with a goatee covering his lips, chin, and jaw. His eyes are brown, prone to being restless, analysing all in a room. He often wears a knowing or private smile.

Lancel lacks charisma or open confidence, having few in the way of friends, not being a man to stir loyalty into those around him. Despite this, he flaunts the wealth his House has access to due to Castamere's mines, wearing lavish clothing and jewellery, proud of House Spicer, despite its relative youth and lack of glories in the past. Though a trained combatant and having a good mind for strategy, Lancel looks down on martial pursuits, seeing them as grisly and unnecessary, placing him at odds with the martial society of feudal nobility, lacking bravery and chivalry alike, his knighthood very much an honouary title. What he lacks in charm and bravery, however, he makes up with his intelligence. Cunning, calculating, and ruthless, Lancel excels in matters of intrigue and numbers. Having been ruler of Castamere for near twenty years, he operates with a cold efficiency, having been training himself for rulership from a young age, envious of his older brother's position.

History
Lancel was born in Castamere, delivered by House Spicer's Maester in a rather typical birth. A small baby that grew into a small child, Lancel never excelled in martial pursuits, much to the disappointment of his father, Lord Gerold Spicer. Lord Gerold himself was a man of construction and state over warfare, as had many of the previous Lords of House Spicer had been, tasking themselves with reconstrucing Castamere. However, Lord Gerold believed in his ambitions he would be the Lord to finish this task, and wished for his sons to be mighty knights to lead his House into a glorious age. Lancel's older brother, Merrett, lived up to this dream. Strong and handsome, Merrett was skilled in affairs of the battlefield and court alike, popular and charming. However, he was headstrong, arguementative, and often causes drama for his family.

This left Merrett, unbeknowst to himself, as the subject of envy and bitterness for Lancel. By the age of two and ten, it was clear Lancel would not be the warrior his father hoped. Lord Gerold, himself a younger son (his elder brother died at the Blackwater Tourney), took pity on his son, leaving him to his own devices. From then on, Gerold dedicated himself to academic and mental studies, going over the accounts of the Lords of House Spicer, their diaries on the reconstruction of Harrenhal. However, younger squires in the castle, close to Gerold in age, began bullying him. Rather than tolerate or ignore them, Gerold started to fight back, using his knowledge of Castamere gained via studying to his advantage, learning to fight strategically and pragmatically. As he grew into a young man, Lancel's bitterness towards Merrett grew. Whenever attending events or visiting neighbouring castles, Merrett was the centre of attention, as popular as ever, Lancel shoved to the side, ignored.

It would be in the year 386 AC when Merrett met with an accident; while inspecting a mine on behalf of his father, the support beams gave in, bringing the tunnel he was in on top of him. With Merrett dead, Lancel became Heir to Castamere. Whispers spread through the castle that Lancel was behind the accident, but nothing was ever proved and no one dared speak openly of it to Lord Gerold. In 387 AC, Lancel was knighted by his father, though not for any particular act of valour, as well as getting married to Janei Westerling. Lord Gerold would die in 389 AC, Lancel becoming Lord at the age of 22. Lord Gerold died without completing his life's ambition; Castamere remained partially in its ruined form.

Now Lord, Lancel took to his new position quickly. Like his father, he too wished to see Castamere restored fully, but was aware his father had allowed himself to become focused on one task, leaving their lands around the castle worse for it, especially following The Hammer Uprising. His father's ambitious rush to finish the castle often caused delays and disaster; Lancel decided to practice a more cautious, balanced approach, giving time not to just the castle but the lands around it too. His greatest challenge and triumph as a Lord came with The Great Famine. On his decree, his men-at-arms and knights gathered all the food in his lands and brought it to Castamere. Following this, the smallfolk of his lands were brought to Castamere too. Not wanting to cease his efforts with Castamere, Lord Lancel decreed those who aided with the construction efforts would recieve rations of food. Many signed up and, even with limited resources, Lancel was able to guide the process with careful planning, though some smallfolk perished in this time.

Emerging out of the famine, Castamere was near complete. In the year 401 AC, Lancel announced to the Westerlands as a whole that Castamere had finally been recontructed to its former glory, the century long task started by his House's founder over. Since then, Lancel Spicer has ruled from Castamere, surveying and analysing, lying in wait.

Family
Janei Westerling - Wife, Lady of Castamere

Lyle Spicer - Son, Heir to Castamere. 18 years old.

Melara Spicer - Daughter. 15 Years old.

Sybell Spicer - Daughter. 10 Years old.

Ser Terrence Spicer - Cousin, 37 years old

Tywin Spicer - Cousin, Son of Terrence, 12 years old