Brightwater Keep

[Oznerol]

BRIGHTWATER KEEP

Florys the Fox married thrice, and her first husband was the forebear of House Florent. Legend stays Garth Greenhand blessed the Honeywine and granted the first of the Florents the magnificent Brightwater Keep as a dowry, with a tower as tall as a hill and a curtain wall. On the other hand, The maesters say thousands of years ago a keep of humble size and fabric, surrounded by a palisade once stood in the place, on the hill overlooking the river. Likely the keep of a petty lord or a robber baron who had taken profit of the well-watered lands and controlled the river. Florents themselves refuse to acknowledge such thing and proclaim their castle has been an enormous complex beffiting a princess as Florys the Fox. Whatever the truth might be the Florents have ruled for hundreds of years and during the many centuries of occupation the castle was extensively rebuilt and almost no traces can be seen of the original keep, however if might have looked like. Standing on a heavily fortified hill the castle itself long ago evolved from a mere fortress to a palatial building, with a whole new wing built in the latest fashion by Lady Leona's grandfather overlooking the well-kept gardens. The park itself is wide and organized, blossoming with flowers, bushes and willows and watered by channels of stone carrying the pristine waters of the Honeywine.

• The Light of the Honeywine: Brightwater Keep sits at the top of the Honeywine River, the agricultural capital of the Reach, and thus could easily stock its larders to near-bursting in times of a siege giving the fortress an additional 6 months holdout time.

LORD AND HOUSEHOLD

Lady Leona Florent Lady of Brightwater Keep Born 229 AC (38) Status: Unmarried. Children: None acknowledged. Traits (9): +3 Battles +2 Survival +3 Wealth +1 Charisma BIOGRAPHY: Lady Leona Florent wasn’t expected to rule over Brightwater, as being the third child and only daughter born of Lord Leyton Florent and his strangled wife, Lady Melara Fossoway. Her father died in the battle of Wendwater Bridge in 236 AC. His eldest son and heir died of consumption several years afterwards and the youngest found his end in a bout of plague. And thus Leona found herself as Lady of Brightwater, sole holder of the Florent’s large inheritance and wealth. However, not only was she fit to rule but truly good at it: all the debts her father had incurred to have been paid, her lands flourished and the villages and hamlets had soon grown in population and multiplied. She achieved all that and more. Stubborn, hot-headed but cautious at the same time, Leona is also utterly pragmatic and only believes in superior strength and wealth as keys for ruling over her lands and vassals. Proud and independent she hasn’t taken any men for husband and stubbornly refuses every suitor arriving to her gates seeking her hand. On the other hand she is known to have been infatuated with several handsome men in her retinue; certainly, only few at Brightwater actually believe she is still a virgin. Refusing to appoint any man to lead her host, Lady Leona actually rode at the head of the Florent army during the last Blackfyre rebellion, wearing her silvery armour and commanding them in battle; however she doesn’t wield a sword for he considers it unfitting and completely unnecessary, for Lady Leona has many to wield it for her. Commanding and imperious she prevented a complete rout of her soldiers and managed to save most her host from the debacle following the death of Maelys Blackfyre. But something shook her world soon afterwards: Aerys II decided to exterminate House Fossoway completely. Herself half a Fossoway, she had to witness as the Crown mercilessly executed her grandfather, uncles and cousins. Secretly she harboured and smuggled some of her kin, like the young Raymun, whom she trusted to her distant cousin Ser Derrick Fossoway, from the Band of Nine. Wrathfully, she has taken an oath to uproot the Targaryen from their twisted throne. Her heir is a second cousin, sixteen years her junior, Otto Florent, a bookish, timid, thin and rather insignificant young man who stands as the next Lord of Brightwater shall Lady Leona die childless. She despises him greatly and calls him ‘Ser Boldness’. The next in line is his brother, Ser Alester Florent, a most handsome, tall, gregarious and boastful young knight who has already two bastards and intends to father some more. In turn, Alester is called by Lady Leona as ‘my Sweet Fox’ and ‘my fair cousin’ alternatively; many are convinced that she has taken him to bed more than once.

MILITARY

LEVIES Large Levy – 5,500 Points 4,125 Light Infantry 1,475 Archers MILITIA 2,500 points 875 Heavy Infantry (1,750 points) 250 Heavy Cavalry (750 points) ---------------------------------------------- TOTAL=1,125 men. PROFESSIONAL SOLDIERS None, yet

EDICTS

None, yet

TRADE

1. 2. 3.

BUILDINGS

Tier I: Militia Armoury: +500 Militia Points Market Square: +10% income Wall Reinforcements: +1 Siege Defence rolls Tier II: Town Watch: +1,000 Militia Points, 5% cheaper professional troop hire. Merchant's Square: +10% province income Tier III: Barracks: +1,000 Militia Points, 10% cheaper professional troop hire. Tier IV:

VASSALS

Norcross - House Norcross of Norcross. Dunnsbridge - House Dunn of Dunnsbridge.

[Oznerol]

As Lady Florent left for Highgarden another kind of drama unfolded in some chambers in Brightwater Keep. A thin man, average of size, with a short beard was cornered by a larger man, who was kinda threatening him. The bully was clearly angered.

"I--I ca--an't. Do it for me"

Said the bearded one, literally his back against the wall.

"Do what?! It is very simple, Otto"

"But it disgusts me..."

The larger one slaps Otto, his lower lip starts bleeding.

"Brother! Don't hu--rt m--e, please"

"Whore!"

Otto's brother grabs his wrists.

"You let every man in this castle to play with your ass and you can't even your own wife?!"

He starts crying.

"It--is dif--f--f--erent, Alester"

"You made a fool of us both with Oakheart that day. I won't stand it anymore, be quiet about it... at least"

"I--wi--i--ill try, brother. But why can't you bed her?"

"If you need one of your boys to you while trying to give your wife a tumble, do it. I won't do the dirty job with that wife of yours. What if she complains to her relatives? Eh?"

"We--ll, I thought"

"Silence. You know what your duty is. If Leona aknowledges her bastard we are undone. Secure the succession, inverted fool"

Alester Florent walks towards the door while Otto falls to his knees, leaning against the wall...