#vale.

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OH.

♛   ROWAN ARRYN

↳ details; male, thirty-two. ↳ date of birth; thirty-first day, tenth month, 474 AC.

↳ status; straight, widowed, one legitimate daughter. ↳ faceclaim; matteo martari. ↳ hails from; the eyrie, the vale. ↳ loyalty; house arryn and kingdom of the eyrie.

↳ position; prince of the vale; heir to the vale throne, knight of the vale. ↳ religion; faith of the seven. ↳ spoken languages; the common tongue. ↳ reason for being in sunspear; although he did not initially plan to attend the peace summit, rowan has arrived after hearing news of the midsummer ball and the injuries that his younger sister has sustained as he does not feel that his little brother is doing enough to ensure that she is protected. with his arrival, rowan is to assist his siblings in getting the best possible outcome for the Vale in regards to trade and power during the summit, and to ensure that his little brother remains in check.

♛   PERSONALITY

↳ type; ESTP, the doer. ↳ alignment; chaotic good. ↳ star sign; scorpio. ↳ positives; intelligent, driven, charming, and courageous. ↳ negatives; reckless, rebellious, blunt, and manipulative.

♛  BIOGRAPHY

↳ family lineage.

born on the thirty-first of the tenth month in 474 AC, rowan arryn was the first born child of king alfred and queen charice of house arryn of the vale. being the eldest child of five, as well as heir to house arryn, rowan endured an isolated yet busy childhood. most of his childhood was spent with many tutors and at his father’s side; given his title of heir apparent, this warranted in his father’s eyes for rowan to spend countless hours in the study to ensure that he was a well-rounded pupil in all subjects. although rowan did not particularly flourish or develop a fondness for one of his many subjects, rowan was able to perform above average in all his studies. unknown to others, rowan spent many hours late into the night studying for his weekly exams with his tutors for he feared what his father’s reaction would be should it be reported to him that his son was anything but extraordinary. additionally, with his sister rosa’s unexpected loss of most of her hearing, rowan secretly begged one of his oldest tutors to teach him sign language (something which was kept a secret from his father for many months until his father found out and immediately dismissed this tutor - his father thought it was a waste of time for rowan to be acknowledging their family’s ‘embarrassing’ secret given that his sister was able to conceal her ‘disability’ and read lips).

however, rowan’s favourite activity of the day was spent learning sword-fighting, horse-riding, hunting, archery, hand-to-hand combat and studying battle combat. given the opportunity to train with the greatest warriors that the vale had to offer, rowan quickly became skilled at utilizing various different weapons. by his twenty-first birthday, and quite the opposite to his little brother, rowan remained undefeated when it came to sword fighting; defeating many of his old trainers in the process and earning himself a fabled nickname by the knights of the vale. it was around this time when Rowan found himself becoming close to the knights of the vale; earning their respect for his swordsmanship and support of the military. by his eighteenth birthday, rowan was knighted. now in his early thirties, rowan has full support of the knights of the vale; remaining in close contact with them in event that a war does break out if the peace summit in sunspear fails.

on the eve of his nineteenth birthday, rowan was ordered by his father to complete a tour of the vale; giving him the opportunity to not only be free from his father and his cruel ways for a few months time, but allowed rowan to interact with his people and explore his land. rowan spent time getting to know the local people, even taking time to learn the basics of harvesting wheat and barley, something in which the vale was well known for. when rowan returned home from the expedition, rowan was greeted by his mother and siblings, but his father no where to be found. it was not until later that night when his father summoned him, did rowan come face to face with his father again; his father vexed at him for breaking protocol. it was during this conversation that made rowan feel as if his relationship with his father changed forever. although he grew up feeling as if he could never live up to his father’s expectations given his often cold and cruel demeanour towards rowan; it was on this night when rowan’s father uttered the words: “sometimes i wonder if you share my blood.” rowan, only an adolescent at the time, felt his stomach tie in tight knots, his throat tightening up and his eyes growing wet. little did his father know that his words were true. it was on this night that rowan found himself become more rebellious in nature; no longer yearning for his father’s respect, but instead yearning to break free from his father and his demands; finally coming to the realization that he will never be good enough for his father.

a few years back from current time, when the sun’s ray had set and the night’s moon rose high in the sky, rowan’s mother summoned him to her chambers to play a game a chess (something that him and his mother did most nights). except this night was the night his life changed forever. it was on this night that his mother revealed to him her secret that she had kept from him since she first learned that she was expecting him. he was a bastard. when his mother first arrived to the vale from the riverlands and married her husband, she grew close with her personal guard which resulted in them having an affair, which resulted in her carrying their love child. throughout her pregnancy, many began questioning the legitimacy of the bairn that grew in her womb, which resulted in his father quickly silencing these rumours by banishing those who believed the rumours from the vale. after learning of these news, rowan felt as if his upbringing and relationship with his father made more sense. he understood why his father looked at him with such disappointment, like he hated him. for his entire life, rowan questioned himself and wondered what he was doing wrong to be looked at with such disdain from his father, but now, at the news of his parentage, it made sense to rowan. it did not matter what he did — his father would always look at him out of suspicion for what he may be — a bastard. rowan knew that he would keep this secret to his death for if anyone learned the truth about him and his mother, not only would he lose all that he has ever known, but his mother’s reputation would be ruined as well. and knowing how cruel his father could be, rowan feared for what would become of his mother if he learned of her infidelity. on that night, rowan and his mother both swore to the sevenths that this conversation would remain between the two of them.      

as time went on, rowan’s father remained cold and distant with him, but never brings up their conversation of when he questioned his legitimacy. instead, business resumed as usual in the vale. when rowan was twenty-four years old, an alliance was secure between his family and the manderly through the marriage of him and lady maddalena of house manderly. rowan and maddalena were married for two and half years until she finally fell pregnant with child. rowan’s relationship with his wife was a pleasant one that eventually turned in a romantic one. however, with maddalena’s labour being a difficult one, lasting three long full days, she fell severely ill. breaking protocol once more, rowan remained with his wife throughout the entire duration of her labour, not leaving her side until she took her last breathe. maddalena died shortly after the  birth to their daughter. in an effort to pursue his wife’s legacy, rowan named the child after maddalena. now five years old, rowan tries to provide his daughter with a father’s unconditional love, the same love he did not receive when he was a child. rowan remembered the disappointment in his father’s eyes when he learned that rowan’s late wife had given birth to a girl; much preferring a boy to continue their family line. but for rowan, it did not matter for he would love his daughter until the end of time. approximately a year after his wife’s death, rowan was pressured by his father to remarry - though rowan forbid it. he would not take a new wife until he saw fit.

although rowan got on well with all his siblings while growing up, rowan found that there was always a tension growing between him and his little brother, robin. with their father on his deathbed, rowan has become suspicious of what his brother plans to do when their father finally does die. now with the vale declaring it’s independence and his father growing sicker by the day, it is rowan who has been acting king, fulfilling his father’s duties knowing that it is his little brother who should be wearing the falcon crown. rowan felt as if he was wearing a mask, putting on a facade each day he sits on his father’s throne. who would of thought that a bastard would be lord of the vale, let alone one day king of the vale…

↳ personality.

growing up as a child and throughout his early adolescence, rowan was desperate to please his father. though upon the discovery of his legitimacy, rowan no longer feels this burning need for his father’s approval. instead, rowan has actively started to rebel against his father; purposely not following his father’s orders and using his relationship with the knights of the vale to his advantage to ensure that peace and prosperity is maintained for his kingdom. due to his education stemming around what a future ruling lord should be, rowan can be described as charming, diplomatic and determined. rowan is ready to fight for what he feels is right. this often results in rowan manipulating situations to ensure his needs are met; however, his needs usually revolve around the well-being of his loved ones and kingdom. to his family, rowan is known for being sullen, broody and a pessimistic, but is also known as being a caring and loyal brother. rowan is able to remain focused and calm in any situation as it is very rare to see him become short-tempered. rowan is both a military and family man, if you cannot find him spending time teaching his daughter how to handle a sword or bow, you can find him in his studies with his father’s advisors discussing military tactics and ensuring the smooth operations of the guards of the vale. however, now with his father laying on his deathbed, rowan is in the process of learning how to be a fair and just ruler to his kingdom.

↳ the splitting of the kingdoms.

rowan is indifferent to the splitting of the kingdoms, but remains pessimistic to the notion of a successful peace summit as he firmly believes that this separation will result in war. despite his love for military strategics and battle combat, rowan does not wish for war, and therefore, has sent his siblings, rosa and robin to ensure that a peace treaty can be accomplished. however, this belief has fallen short due to the midsummer ball, and therefore, rowan feels more and more like war will be inevitable.