Roose Ryswell

Roose Ryswell is the Lord of The Rills and the head of House Ryswell. He is a widower and has four children.

Appearance and Character
A man standing a couple of inches taller than six feet, Roose Ryswell is a man with long and loose, wavy black hair and a closely trimmed beard of the same color. He usually dresses in black. Rodrik has a leaner build, being neither fat or well muscled.

History
Born in the second moon of 401AC at The Rills, Roose Ryswell was treated by his father as an heir to a Lord should be, though the father was a hard man. From his earliest days his father instilled a loyalty to House Stark. Roose was tutored by the castle maester in a wide variety of subjects as befitted a great lord’s son but he had a great thirst for war and fighting from a young age. He loved and devoured writings on warfare and accounts of battles in northern history. He eventually graduated from studying about tactics and battles to actually having mock battles with carved wooden figures with his maester and his father. He showed to have a natural ability to command and lead men and to have a natural grasp of warfare.

But he did not just dedicate himself to learning warcraft and learning how to command men but spent much time in the training yard as well, training in a variety of weapons, but he particularly took to the sword.

His mother died of a fever when he was twelve and soon after his father sent him to foster at the Hornwood. He continued his studies and training there though and eventually befriended the heir to the Hornwood, Brandon, though he was a few years older than Roose. His years at the Hornwood were by and large good ones. But they soon turned sour.

When he was the age of seven and ten, Brandon Hornwood became betrothed to the Lady Alyssa of House Glover. Roose was smitten with her and Brandon Hornwood soon noticed the young Ryswell's feelings. Due to jealousy the two quarrelled and the former friends were friendly no longer. Roose then returned to The Rills.

When Roose was the age of eight and ten his father betrothed him to the lady Bethany of House Wull and they were married soon after. Within the year in 419AC his firstborn son Rodrik was born, followed two years later in 421AC by the twins Torrhen and Alysanne. However, his wife Betheny did not survive their birth.

His father's health took a turn for the worse later that year and Roose assumed his duties but refused to remarry. His father succumbed to an illness five years later in 426AC and Roose assumed the Lordship of his house.

In the years that followed he mostly carried on his duties as Lord and raised his children. In 434 AC he fathered a bastard, Edric Snow, with a serving wench. In 437 AC Lord Perceon Karstark seized Lyanna Stark of the Dreadfort from The Rills by force in an action that almost brought the two houses to open war. Roose let the Karstark take the girl without incident, deciding that open warfare at that time would not be tactically advantageous.

Family

 * Lord Ryswell (Father d. 426)
 * Lady Ryswell nee Locke (Mother d. 413)
 * Lord Roose Ryswell (b. 401)
 * Lady Bethany Ryswell nee Wull (Wife b. 401 d. 421)
 * Rodrik Ryswell (Son b. 419)
 * Torrhen Ryswell (Son b.421)
 * Alysanne Ryswell (Daughter b. 421)
 * Edric Snow (Bastard Son b. 434)
 * Jon Ryswell (Brother b. 402)
 * Arta Poole (Brother's wife b. 402)
 * Artos Ryswell ( Nephew b. 421)
 * Roger Ryswell (Nephew b. 423)

Household

 * Jon Ryswell, Castellan/Sworn Sword
 * Theon Snow, Sworn Sword
 * Ser Chester, Sworn Sword
 * Maester Kyle, Maester
 * Alyn, Sworn Sword
 * Harrold, Sworn Sword