Bastian Briar (Briar-Thorn)
Bastian Briar, known as Bastian Briar-Thorn or Bastian Thorn-Crowned, was the head of House Briar from 85 A.I. until his death in 120 A.I. He was also the last in the ancient line of Green Kings (97-120 A.I.), the First Man rulers of the Greenblood, and claimants to the High Kingdom of Dorne, before the kingdom was destroyed by the Andals.
Appearance edit
Bastian had coarse black hair, that turned iron-gray in his final years. He sported a fierce black beard that often gave him a leonine appearance. He was known for dressing in his bronze scale armour in almost every public appearance, ever-determined to present his image as a war-leader first and foremost. Bastian even echewed the tradition of donning the Green Cloak, the traditional raiment of authority for the Green King, instead donning a deadly sharp crown of briar-thorns, representing both his origins, and the suffering state of a kingdom under attack from both the Bloodroyal, and the Andals.
Personality edit
Bastian was first and foremost a man of conviction, a man who would never turn from his course once he had decided on it. He could be reckless and headstrong, especially in war - and never believed in delay or wasting opportunities, having observed the disaster of the previous king Gavyn Brownhill's negotiation with Vorian Roxton, which resulted in the loss of the Tor and its hinterlands. His impetuosity also applied to his passion for women, which was infamous throughout his life, fathering many illegitimate children in addition to a cohort of heirs born in wedlock. His greatest flaw was that of recklessness, being untrusting of patience or delay in any situation. On occasions during his many wars, this impulse led to losses that the Greenblood could not afford when combating opponents with either superior numbers or arms.
History edit
Bastian Briar was born the eldest son of Rustyn Briar, Magnar of the Bramble and the Tor. His father's nature had a strong impact on Bastian as a boy, emphasising the dangers that lay beyond the boundaries of the kingdom, and the need to tirelessly work against complacency. As a young man of not yet twenty years, Bastian put himself forward at the Choosing of 86 A.I., his claim being contested by the more venerable Dylan Brook, and the more learned Gavyn Brownhill. Whilst he gained the support of Houses Brine and Santon, Gavyn Brownhill won the majority, and was wrapped in the Green Cloak.
Gavyn Brownhill aimed to create new accord in the kingdom by naming Bastian Briar the commander of the Greenblood forces, and commanded him to prepare a host whilst Dylan Brook and Samuel Santagar negotiated with the invader Vorian Roxton, who at that time had suddenly landed and laid siege to the Tor. Bastian won considerable renown during the first war for the Tor that followed, in which his vanguard won the only major victory of the campaign, badly bloodying the Rylthorne host from the Red Mountains, such that they could not significantly aid their Yronwood overlords for the remainder of the war. Bastian's particular hatred of Andals dates from these events - both from the Roxton invaders, and the Santagars Bastian blamed for betraying the kingdom, and sending the Roxtons into the waiting arms of Yronwood.
Bastian was the driving force behind the Briar March in 97 A.I., when a host of disgruntled leaders from the noble families of the Greenblood partook in a pilgrimage of protest, marching from Old Glory in the headwaters of the Greenblood River, all the way to the river delta, before turning to march on the Greenseat itself. Following the abdication and self-imposed exile of Gavyn Brownhill, Bastian was near-unanimously elected as Green King. Despite success in significantly bolstering the martial readiness of the Greenblood, Bastian was unable to sufficiently turn the tide of conflict with the enemies of the Greenblood, however. Whilst he had initially held onto his seat at the Bramble after the Tor was seized by House Roxton, in a following conflict the Bloodroyal seized this castle, rendering the Greenseat the only remaining holdfast in the possession of House Briar.
Bastian Briar's final war would be the greatest and bloodiest of his life, suitable referred to by the smallfolk simply as the Bloody End, or the War of Blood in more formal accounts. The early phase of this war was fought along the banks of the Greenblood itself, as Symeon Santagar and his Vyrwel and Daelwell allies marched out of the Spottswood to try and seize Greentide. Bastian's hosts were driven back across the river by the Andals however, until King Dagos Dayne marched downriver to join him. With their combined strength, Briar and Dayne managed to drive the Andals back into the Spottwood. Nonetheless, the Andals proved intractable and immovable from their hidden keeps in the Jungle, and after a campaign of guerilla strikes, they would emerge from the jungle to wreak bloody constraint. After a series of conflicts fought in the desert, in the Brown Hills and finally on the riverbanks once more, it became clear the war was lost. King Bastian bid Dagos Dayne march his soldiers home, declaring he need not die here when he still had a realm to defend. He asked that the women and children of House Briar be taken with him however, for once the Greenseat fell, they would find no shelter.
Bastian was killed in defence of the Greenseat in 120 A.I., holding the gate with his men. His body was discovered after the fighting was done. Symeon Santagar draped him in the Green Cloak, and transported his body to Brownhill. He was laid to rest beneath a cairn, accompanied by a runestone laid by Santagar himself, promising that the dead be continued to be attended to by House Brownhill, unimpeded by the new Andal Kingdom.
Quotes by Bastian edit
"I am not a man to sit at rest. I was born to walk the long march, to camp in the shadow of red hills - and to outfight the foes who would rob us of our birthright. I will be as tireless as the river, and restless as the waves. I will light the beacons in the high places - and if needs be, die on the Russet Heights." - Bastian making his case at the Choosing of 86 A.I.
"We march downriver. Let all those who see our cause is just join us, until we reach the place where freshwater meets salt. From there, we present ourselves at the Greenseat. Some actions say more than words ever could.” - Bastian, before the Briar March.
"Tell the world of our deeds - and bid them learn from the fate of the First Kingdom, and the last Green King." - Bastian Briar, to Dagos Dayne.
Quotes about Bastian edit
"The tides ebb and flow. Now the tides rise further than before and we need a man capable of holding it back. That man is Bastian Briar." - Oberyn Brine, at the Choosing of 86 A.I.
"I loved him not - he was a usurper, and for all his posturing he could not deliver the victories he promised, but I will bury him all the same." - Regnold Brownhill, after the fall of the Kingdom of the Greenblood.
"The last Green King, Bastian Briar, was a man of unshakable conviction and uncommon bravery. It was an honor to fight by his side." - King Dagos Dayne to those who asked of the last of the Green Kings.