The Reynes claim descent from Robert Reyne, a knight who invaded Westeros six thousand years ago alongside his fellow Andals and who distinguished himself sufficiently in battle against the Mountain Men, the Vale's original inhabitants, to be granted estates and titles in the Vale, in the vicinity of today's Strongsong. These original Vale Reynes never got further than the rank of knight, and lived the lives of middling Vale nobility for four thousand years until they were slaughtered at a feast by their host, a knightly rival of theirs whose name has been lost to history, and their lands invaded by said rival. The sole surviving Reyne, Ser Robb Reyne, avenged his family by slaying his hated rival while disguised as a traveling bard, but as the man he just killed had the ear of the Arryn King of Mountain & Vale at the time, he was soon forced to flee to the Westerlands.
There, he entered the service of the reigning Lannister King of the Rock, fighting by his side in many wars with the Gardener Kings of the Reach and the Ironborn. He eventually became known as the 'Red Lion', especially after killing a River Lord in Ironborn service with the family's ancestral Valyrian sword 'Red Rain', for which he received the lands around Castamere and the hand of a Lannister princess. Unfortunately, it was not to last - in a later battle with the Ironborn on Fair Isle, he was slain and his sword 'Red Rain' taken by the Ironborn warrior Hilmar Drumm, who (being lightly armored) outmaneuvered him and bashed his head in with a wooden cudgel. His son and successor, also named Robb, attempted to give chase but was slowed down by his own armor, and to this day the Reynes harbor a grudge against the Drumms.
For two thousand years the Reynes served as bannermen to the Lannisters, performing many heroic deeds even without Red Rain to prove their loyalty to the Kings of the Rock, while covertly ascending the power ladder of the Westerlands to become the second most powerful house in the land, coming only after the Lannisters themselves. By 1 AL, Lord Ronnel Reyne, Fourth of his Name, had already built up alliances with the Tarbecks, Leffords and Westerlings and was preparing to overthrow King Loren Lannister, when an unforeseen disaster struck in the form of the Targaryen invasion. Reyne and his allies agreed to answer their overlord's summons, intent on betraying the Lannisters on the battlefield, only to be roasted by Aegon's dragons before they could carry out their bloody deed. Following the deaths of so many Reyne troops and King Loren's submission, Ronnel's heirs largely forgot his plan, and the house alternated between ascents and declines throughout history like so many other houses.
A member of House Reyne, one Ser Robb Reyne, fought for the Blackfyres during the Blackfyre Rebellion and was promptly disowned by the rest of the family, which remained loyal to the Targaryens.
In 260 AL, Lord Raynald Reyne, an accomplished warrior nicknamed 'the Red Lion', revolted against the Lannisters with House Tarbeck. Despite his ally Lord Tarbeck's inexperience, Lord Reyne was a seasoned warrior bearing the scars of a thousand battles, and felt confident that he could succeed in realizing his ancestor Ronnel's plan. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as he was killed by an arrow to the throat in battle with the Lannisters and his host scattered. His ally, Lord Tarbeck, was captured and executed in a separate engagement. His son, the present Lord Raymun, bent the knee as part of a joint agreement with Lord Tarbeck's own successor, and the two houses were heavily fined for their audacity.
Since then, the Reynes have spent their time licking their wounds, and by the time of the War of the Usurper they had nearly recovered at least their pre-rebellion wealth, if not quite their influence and demographics. During the war the Reynes were content to sit back and continue rebuilding, only mobilizing when summoned out of fear that the Lannisters would 'finish the job' so to speak, and even then Lord Reyne was gladdened when news broke of the Tyrells' treachery and occupation of King's Landing.
Now, more than thirty years after the failed rebellion, the Reynes have fully rebuilt their strength. Lord Raymun, a slothful and war-weary man in his late forties, is in no mood to repeat his father's disastrous rebellion, and of his children, none really have their grandfather's ambition. Still, that does not mean the Red Lions will remain idle if the chance for greater glory presents itself... |