#crp: taken riverlands

[chaosrpg]

The fiery hue of his unkempt locks leading a fray of soldiers through the burning lands surrounding them, family sword thrust high in the air, a grudge holding loyalist bearing the sigil of the leaping trout of house Tully with pride; An unwavering figure of perseverance in the eyes of his people as the mantle of lord bears down heavily upon his shoulders.

THE STORY SO FAR

Born on the fourth day of the sixth moon in the year 266AC, Edmure Tully is the fifth born child and third born son of the late lord Hoster Tully, Lord Paramount of the Trident and ruling lord of Riverrun and his wife, the late Lady Minisa Tully neé Whent. of the six Tully children, only three ─ Catelyn, Lady of Winterfell; Lysa, Lady of the Vale and Edmure, Lord of Riverrun ─ survived infancy. In the years following his birth, lady Minisa Tully would go onto conceiving yet another son for House Tully though both mother and child were taken from the world in the birthing bed, widowing lord Hoster and leaving his children without a mother from a tender age. Edmure was then entrusted into the full care of a nursemaid and a septa who indulged in his every whim and fancy with little to no thought of keeping with his discipline. The deaths of the children prior and after his birth had resulted in an excessive amount of fussing over the young lord that had quickly built into the temperament of a rather spoiled, selfish, cruel little boy.

Though they had erred in his disciplinary upbringing, Edmure was given a first - rate education from leading tutors within the Riverlands and throughout Westeros. furthermore, he was instructed, personally, by the knights of the Riverlands on swordplay and archery and when time permitted, was even taught by his uncle in the matters of warfare and battlefield politics. It was a popular piece of gossip, during his childhood, that Edmure was sickly during his childhood due to a misunderstanding in a letter sent by Lord Hoster to a maester to query on methods of how to quell Edmure’s ‘tempers’. many had taken this piece of gossip as hard truths and Lord Hoster’s protectiveness of his son further fuelled such beliefs. Edmure grew up to be unusually tall for a Riverman and was considered a handsome young boy by those who came across him. With the fiery locks of house Tully and clever eyes, he resembled his father and his uncle both and though he was rather impulsive as a young child, the presence of his sisters soon aided in his temperament and he was said to have an “amicable and gentle” way to his words and was a “tender soul” in comparison to the other boys of his age despite his capable abilities with a sword. Edmure’s only note - worthy adversary had been in his father’s young ward, Petyr Baelish. a boy that was familiar with the unending attentions from his sisters, Edmure did not take to kindly to the slow but certain shift of interest from brother to the Baelish boy and had acted upon his dislikes by mocking the other boy cruelly and publicly, egged on by the cheers of others. While this is easily seen as the quarrels of children, further emphasized by how Edmure was quick to apologize if his words had gone too far, the mocking had all added up into the breaking point of their friendship, over the late Lord Brandon Stark. Eager to prove his worth to his future good - brother, Edmure did not stop to think of his friend’s feelings and thus lost the close bond they had once shared. Though things had appeared to be patched up with time, many knew that nothing between the two men have been same since.

Following the end of Robert’s rebellion, Edmure was fostered, briefly, in the Vale as he squired for his uncle, the Blackfish, who had followed his sister lysa to her new home upon marriage. Knighted at sixteen, Edmure returned to the Riverlands to accompany his father on an expedition through the land where he mingled with the nobles and smallfolk alike, learning of his people and making a few lasting friendships that have continued onto this day. Upon returning to Riverrun, Edmure brought the boys with him and was served by the sons of Riverland nobility, such as Lymond Goodbrook, Patrek Mallister, Marq Piper and the young Vances who all became a part of his household and his extended family. Beneath the tutelage of a warrior uncle and a scholarly father, Edmure soon grew into the very image of a proud Riverlands lord, content in his position and in the people that kept his company. The presence of the other boys also encouraged him to venture away from swordplay and books and he quickly found a love for drink and women, much to the chagrin of his guardians.

Ever ready to defend his lands and his people yet knowledgeable enough to know when to pick up a quill instead of a sword, the young lord Tully was highly regarded by the lords of the Riverlands, who all tried in vain to send their daughters to seduce his interest. Though he was permitted freedom with the common girls, lord Hoster had guarded Edmure against the nobly born women, careful that no accidents took place under his watch. Edmure’s loyalty to the Riverlands continues to hold fast and true though he never reached full maturity till the death of his father. The newly minted Lord Paramount of the Trident and ruling lord of Riverrun had consumed enough wine to fill the rivers surrounding the castle and, after a several failed attempts to send his father’s body off in the proper manner true to house Tully, Edmure was quick to renounce his love for the drink and women, ashamed by his actions.

Honouring his father’s last wish to remain neutral in the face of a brewing war, Edmure struggled to maintain control of the Trident as the lands and his people suffered beneath the tireless assault from the Lannister forces under the command of Ser Gregor Clegane. though the Brotherhood Without Banners does much to quell the heavy arm of the attacks, his people still suffered and as he did nothing beyond form a defensive response, his lords were in arms at his inaction, threatening revolt if House Tully did not move soon. Tired from the continuous assault by the Lannister forces and emboldened by the actions of his northern kin, Edmure chose to align house Tully with Jon Targaryen and lends a bulk of his forces to the northern cause, sparing the bare minimum to ensure the peace around his lands. There is some pride taken in the fact that house Tully is the first to declare for the returning Targaryens and his decision is received with no small measure of respect from his naysaying noblemen, most of whom are quick to comply with their liege lord’s orders.

The second marriage of his sister, Catelyn, to one of lord Walder Frey’s sons had sickened him to his core and though he would have liked nothing more than to storm through the twins and demand the obedience of the Lord Frey, his temper is quickly doused with his sister’s firm resolve to do whatever necessary for her son’s success. He could not turn his back against the woman who had raised him for a good portion of his childhood and thus grudgingly permits Lord Walder to maintain a guise of control even as it slights him. With the continuous victory of the northern forces, the Riverlands are slowly returning to it’s former glory and Edmure has vowed to do everything in his power to protect his people, even going so far as to lend aid to the Brotherhood Without Banners, encouraging the people to turn on the false kings of the South and await the return of their Targaryen liberators.

HEADCANONS

Indulgent to the point of excess, the heir of Riverrun had relied heavily on the guidance of his father in the finer aspects of ruling. Many could and would say that as a young man, Edmure Tully had treated his role as future Lord Paramount of the Trident with no small measure of derisiveness, preferring to spend his waking moments with a flagon of the richest wines and with a girl upon his lap. The reassurance he received from the presence of his father and the sound advice from his uncle both served to bolster his cocksure belief that nothing could shake house Tully or the Riverlands. The death of lord Hoster and the subsequent razing of the lands surround his home by the mountain that rides quickly ended such childish beliefs and behaviours though Edmure does struggle with the heavy mantle of lord upon his shoulders from time to time.

The act to remain neutral had been his father’s dying wish and Edmure had tried, in vain, to uphold such a stand within the war despite the wishes of his advisers. He had concentrated on his own people, inviting the smallfolk to find shelter in the great keeps of their lords when the mountain rode out to terrorise their lands and would have gladly emptied his grain stores to keep everyone safe and alive had it not been for the advice of his uncle, the Blackfish. Knowing that house Tully needed to take a stand before they were uprooted by the more ambitious houses of the Riverlands, Edmure had placed his cards with Jon Targaryen, remembering the sombre boy from his infrequent visits to Winterfell. in turn, he had also fulfilled his duty as brother to Catelyn Tully, promising a bulk of his forces to the northern march beneath the instruction of his uncle. Though he had not followed the advice given by his dying father, Edmure can only hope that he has made wise decisions thus far, both for his house and for his people.

In many ways, his quick declaration for Jon Targaryen ( and also, by extension, the Targaryen claim on the throne ) was to ease the strain between his sister and the assumed bastard of Eddard Stark. Though Edmure had never been intentionally cruel to the former bastard of Winterfell, he had followed the examples set out by his sister and had ignored the boy entirely, bearing gifts for the rest of the family but conveniently forgetting of the baseborn boy. Many could argue that it was never his duty to provide or even acknowledge Jon snow but with a soft heart, Edmure had never felt comfortable with his actions though he persisted out of fear of insulting his sister. Knowing that Catelyn would not have been kind to the boy as he grew, Edmure’s allegiance to house Targaryen is based on the hope that his sister would be forgiven for his actions when the Targaryens do take the throne.