Ormund Swann was born in 324 AC, he is the current Lord of Stonehelm and head of House Swann an ancient and powerful House from the Stormlands; many say his house is the strongest after House Baratheon to which they are completly loyal.
Appearance & Character[]
Ormund is an old knight with a wrinkeld face, white hair and a grey goatee; in his youth he was considered a formidable warrior but due to his old age he has become more of a strategist than a man-at-arms.
History[]
Ormund was born to his father, the venerable Lord Galladon Swann and his lady wife Megga Swann in the year 324 AC. His delivery was long and arduous for his mother, though she persevered through it with as much grace as a woman can manage in such circumstances. Ormund was the oldest of three brothers and two sisters, though sadly not all of them would live as long as he. As the eldest son and heir to his father, the young Ormund was schooled in all manner of lordly endeavors, from sums to warfare and anything in between.
When he reached his eighth name day Ormund began to serve under his father as a page, a role he served for several years while continuing his learning and tutelage alongside his brothers. Once old enough to squire, he was sent off to be warded under Lord Morrigen. By the time Ormund returned he was a man grown, having been anointed and knighted before the Seven. Returning to his family in Stonehelm, the next several years proved largely uneventful for Ormund. He squired his youngest brother and plied his time breeding hounds from the castle kennels.
Not long after his twentieth name day, Ormund was wed to Melicent Tarth, cementing in marriage a long standing betrothal between the two Stormlord houses. Melicent proved of ill stock for a wife, having great difficulty conceiving a child. Ormund began to suspect trickery at play, until finally his wife gave to him his firstborn son. Stannis Swann, a name surely fit to fill the annals of history. Several stillborns came in the wake of Stannis, and Ormund prayed many nights to the Seven to bless him with more sons. His prayers were answered only with further disappointment.
Ormund hadn’t much time to lament his wife’s seeming fertility problems, as soon the realm was called to war. Rebellious marcher lords sheared off from the realm under the banner of the black dragon. As armies gathered under the shadow of Drogon’s wrath, Ormund and his father were among those in the loyalist storm lords. Twenty and five, the lordling saw battle commanding a company of archers, felling thrice their ranks in foes and filling the Black Dread reborn with volleys upon the King’s command. Ormund likes to belief it were his arrows that landed the killing blow, though in truth it was the efforts of thousands of men working in unison.
After the war the Swanns returned to Stonehelm, where Ormund enjoyed over a decade of peace, spending his days in the company of his loving wife. Another stillborn child followed, this time a girl, filled the man with renewed sorrow. The death of Ormund’s father Galladon late into the year 358 brought ever more sorrow upon the lord, though at least he passed in his bed. The now Lord of Stonehelm began what would be a long and prosperous rule. During this time of prosperity Ormund oversaw plans to further improve the fortifications of Stonehelm. Though a large and proud keep, the marcher lord had seen firsthand the destruction a dragon could wreak upon the land. He thought Stonehelm not sufficient should such a beast ever rise from the fires anew. As such Ormund had several new drum towers added to the Swann's ancestral keep, armed with an obscene amount of ballistae and scorpions to ward against any foe. Several years later Ormund was at last blessed by another son, Garrick Swann. A large babe that would grow into a fine warrior, finally a fitting second son. Once more the birth of a son seemed to usher in an era of war.
Not long after the birth of Garrick, the realm was once more called to war. Ormund was forced to leave his young sons and command the armies of Stonehelm as they sailed to war alongside their Baratheon liege. The War of the Seven Banners was an unusually long and bloody conflict, with an inordinate amount dying on either side. Among them was his young heir Stannis, who was but a squire at the time. He died defending his knight, though both were slain in the end. Ormund returned from war with great sorrow in his heart, though his son’s memory was one of honor and bravery.
Ormund returned home to a realm once more at peace, though he was short a son. He set himself about rekindling romance with his wife, and over the next decade the two were blessed by two more children. Young Arrec and Gwyneth joined their elder brother, finally giving the Swanns a fair number of children. Little of note has transpired since then, and Ormund’s rule has been both long and fair. Ormund is no longer the young spry lord he was in his youth, and the marcher lord became more insular and reserved. He turned to other pursuits to make up for his diminished strength. Keeping his mind sharp, Ormund took to cyvasse to hone his wits and avoid the duldrum of his senior years. Sadly his age continues to catch up to him, and Ormund's health continues to decline. He is addled by a persistent cough, sometimes coughing up blood during particularly aggressive fits. Despite the ravages of time, Ormund remains an old war horse, always ready to serve once called upon. Now with the flames of war stirring again, the men of Stonehelm have once more rallied behind their Baratheon liege.
Timeline[]
• 324 AC - Ormund Swann is born to Galladon and Megga Swann.
• 332 AC - Ormund served as a page under his father.
• 338 AC - Ormund leaves to Crow’s Nest to squire under Lord Morrigen.
• 344 AC - Ormund is wed to Melicent Tarth, taking her as his wife.
• 347 AC - Ormund’s wife bears him a son, young Stannis Swann.
• 349 AC - Ormund leaves to fight in the War of the Shadow.
• 358 AC - Ormund’s father Galladon passes quietly in his sleep.
• 361 AC - Ormund’s wife bears him another son, Garrick Swann.
• 364 AC - Ormund leaves to fight in the War of the Seven Banners.
• 365 AC - Ormund’s wife gives birth to his third son, Arrec Swann.
• 366 AC - Ormund’s wife gives birth to his daughter, Gwyneth Swann.
• 380 AC - Ormund has ruled for twenty two years, now into present day.
Family / Household[]
• Galladon Swann, Father - (d. 358)
• Megga Swann, Mother – 72
• Melicent Swann, Wife – 53
• Stannis Swann, Son - (d. 364)
• Garrick Swann, Heir - 19
• Arrec Swann, Son - 15
• Gwyneth Swann, Daughter - 14
• Balon Swann. Brother - 45 (Castellan)
• Robert Swann, Nephew - 25 (Guard)
• Orys Swann, Brother - 38 (Master-at-Arms)
• Oswell Swann, Brother - (d. 349)