Clifford Cafferen

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[[File:House Sigil Cafferen.png|thumb|Arms of House Cafferen. Words: 'For What is Just']] Clifford Cafferen was the Lord of the Garden Coast from 140 A.I. to 189 A.I. during which time many feudalistic reforms were enacted, tying the peasants to serfdom and weakening the power of the commoners. He also oversaw a major economic and military expansion.

[[File:House Sigil Cafferen.png|thumb|Arms of House Cafferen. Words: 'For What is Just']] Clifford [[House Cafferen|Cafferen]] was the Lord of the Garden Coast from 140 A.I. to 189 A.I. during which time many feudalistic reforms were enacted, tying the peasants to serfdom and weakening the power of the commoners. He also oversaw a major economic and military expansion.

== Appearance ==

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== Personality ==

Strict and harsh to the extreme, especially to those who lived in his Lordship. Clifford wanted the best out of everyone who worked under him, and he wasn't shy to tell them the truth of that. He held a deep hatred of the peasantry, borne of the events of the Horrific Night, which he experienced as a young man. There was a certain, in contrast to how he would be remembered, softer side to him, displayed in his many poems to his son, Sefton. His brutal reforms of the Lordship, aimed against the commoners, would earn him two views in the eyes of the people after his death. To the nobility, whom saw his reforms as necessary and wise, he would be known as "the Reformer", but to the peasantry his name would forever be scornfully mentioned alongside the nickname they gave him, that of "the Tyrant". In the centuries after his death only the peasants view of Clifford would be remembered, and thus in the Garden Coast his name would become synonymous with tyranny.

Strict and harsh to the extreme, especially to those who lived in his Lordship. Clifford wanted the best out of everyone who worked under him, and he wasn't shy to tell them the truth of that. He held a deep hatred of the peasantry, borne of the events of the [[The Horrific Night|Horrific Night]], which he experienced as a young man. There was a certain, in contrast to how he would be remembered, softer side to him, displayed in his many poems to his son, Sefton. His brutal reforms of the Lordship, aimed against the commoners, would earn him two views in the eyes of the people after his death. To the nobility, whom saw his reforms as necessary and wise, he would be known as "the Reformer", but to the peasantry his name would forever be scornfully mentioned alongside the nickname they gave him, that of "the Tyrant". In the centuries after his death only the peasants view of Clifford would be remembered, and thus in the Garden Coast his name would become synonymous with tyranny.

== History ==

Born on the Twenty-Eighth day of the Sixth Moon, 118 A.I. Clifford would be born in the midst of his Lord grandfather's reign, the Lord Theo Cafferen. It was a time of emerging crises in the Garden Coast. The Rapid Disintegration of the Cafferen Military had left the Lordship weak to both internal and external threats, and although Theo was setting the foundations for the road to recovery from this, it still was in a bad shape. Religious tensions too were spiraling under Theo's nose, and in 121 A.I. the death of Clifford's father, Meros Cafferen, meant that the three year old Clifford was now the heir to the Garden Coast.

Born on the Twenty-Eighth day of the Sixth Moon, 118 A.I. Clifford would be born in the midst of his Lord grandfather's reign, the Lord [[Theo Cafferen]]. It was a time of emerging crises in the Garden Coast. [[Disintegration of the Cafferen military|The Rapid Disintegration of the Cafferen Military]] had left the Lordship weak to both internal and external threats, and although Theo was setting the foundations for the road to recovery from this, it still was in a bad shape. Religious tensions too were spiraling under Theo's nose, and in 121 A.I. the death of Clifford's father, Meros Cafferen, meant that the three year old Clifford was now the heir to the Garden Coast.

Fortunately for Clifford, Theo continued to protect his right to the Lordship throughout the young boy's childhood, and Theo gave Clifford a very good education which well prepared the young man for the duties of being Lord. In 134 A.I. he would become a man grown, knighted by Ser Arros, one of Theo's noble advisors and secretly a member of the Zealot faction. Just a year after becoming a man grown, Clifford would be wed to the Lady Deana Qorgyle in a grand wedding ceremony held in the Garden Coast. Their marriage would prove a long and fruitful one, with the pair having six children, two boys and four girls, although tragically their second son, Allard, would be slain in battle at just seven and ten namedays.

Fortunately for Clifford, Theo continued to protect his right to the Lordship throughout the young boy's childhood, and Theo gave Clifford a very good education which well prepared the young man for the duties of being Lord. In 134 A.I. he would become a man grown, knighted by Ser Arros, one of Theo's noble advisors and secretly a member of the Zealot faction. Just a year after becoming a man grown, Clifford would be wed to the Lady Deana [[House Qorgyle|Qorgyle]] in a grand wedding ceremony held in the Garden Coast. Their marriage would prove a long and fruitful one, with the pair having six children, two boys and four girls, although tragically their second son, Allard, would be slain in battle at just seven and ten namedays.

If there was any suspicion of Clifford being involved in the Zealot movement like his father Meros was, those were dashed when the Horrific Night unleashed religious violence across the Lordship. In the middle of the night Clifford was awoken to news of the Zealots attack against the Beachcastle. Immediately Clifford went and fought to defend the walls which guarded the Heart Tree of the Beachcastle. It was a bloody, successful stand against the Zealots, and when they retreated from the walls out to the open plains, Clifford assembled several dozens of knights to mount up and ride them down.

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The Reforms of Clifford Cafferen began not long after, with Clifford enacting many Lordly decrees in an effort to ensure that nothing like the Horrific Night could occur again. As the decades passed, his reforms and building projects began to bear fruit, with the economy of the Garden Coast florishing under Cafferen rule like never before. This economic growth allowed for a rapid expansion of the Cafferen military, a feat not achieved in the history of the Cafferen Lordship, which put an end to military crisis. His reforms of the peasantry, and enforcing true feudalism on his Andal subjects also put an end to the religious crisis, and put the focus less on religious differences in the Lordship and more on the class differences in the Lordship instead. For these feats the nobility came to love Clifford, and the peasantry came to utterly despise him.

He also hollowed out the Meros Chateau, a great chateau built by the Lord Theo Cafferen for his and his guest's relaxation. Instead, Clifford turned it into a massive tax collection office, from whence the tax collectors could organize their craft and make collection more efficient and organized, another blow to the peasants fortune. Perhaps Clifford's most impressive architectural accomplishment, however, was the great rebuilding and improvement of the Beachcastle. The walls were greatly expanded, the keep rebuilt from scratch. Any remaining trace of the First Man architecture in the Beachcastle that had survived the past hundred years of Cafferen rule was now firmly gone, replaced by sturdy Andal engineering practices.

He also hollowed out the Meros Chateau, a great chateau built by the Lord Theo Cafferen for his and his guest's relaxation. Instead, Clifford turned it into a massive tax collection office, from whence the tax collectors could organize their craft and make collection more efficient and organized, another blow to the peasants fortune. Perhaps Clifford's most impressive architectural accomplishment, however, was the great rebuilding and improvement of the Beachcastle. The walls were greatly expanded, the keep rebuilt from scratch. Any remaining trace of the First Man architecture in the Beachcastle that had survived the past hundred years of Cafferen rule was now firmly gone, replaced by sturdy [[Andals|Andal]] engineering practices.

The new symbol of authority that the Beachcastle was firmly cemented the rule of the Cafferen Lords in the minds of those living in the Garden Coast. No attack could be made against it by any peasant force, that much was assured. It allowed Clifford to honor a deal he had made with the King Galayn IX Gardener in 148 A.I. where the King would provide aid in rebuilding the Beachcastle, and in exchange Clifford would settle some Children of the Forest in the Garden Coast. He sectioned off a particular forest outside the village of Fencefield, barring peasants from entering it, for them to have, on the condition that they keep their presence there a secret. This was agreed to, and many Singers would settle there. On the journey to confirm the deal with the King Gwayne Gardener, through the cold winter he traveled, during which his horse collapsed and Clifford was thrown to the ground. He was left with many long scars on his face from the ordeal.

The new symbol of authority that the Beachcastle was firmly cemented the rule of the Cafferen Lords in the minds of those living in the Garden Coast. No attack could be made against it by any peasant force, that much was assured. It allowed Clifford to honor a deal he had made with the King Galayn IX [[House Gardener|Gardener]] in 148 A.I. where the King would provide aid in rebuilding the Beachcastle, and in exchange Clifford would settle some Children of the Forest in the Garden Coast. He sectioned off a particular forest outside the village of Fencefield, barring peasants from entering it, for them to have, on the condition that they keep their presence there a secret. This was agreed to, and many Singers would settle there. On the journey to confirm the deal with the King Gwayne Gardener, through the cold winter he traveled, during which his horse collapsed and Clifford was thrown to the ground. He was left with many long scars on his face from the ordeal.

Throughout his decades of rule, Clifford would also spread the connections of House Cafferen throughout the Reach, with three of his four daughters being wed to men who would eventually become Lords, whilst his son Sefton married a daughter of the Lord Middlebury. Thus, many Houses in the Reach could now claim to have Cafferen blood, which earned Clifford and his heirs many friends throughout the kingdom. Throughout his son Sefton's troubles with stress and paranoia, Clifford would write him soothing poems filled with kind words and loving remarks, which did help his heir somewhat.

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''"You see, cousin? These commoners, you can try and try to make them love you, respect you. My grandfather did nothing but good for these people...and look at them now..."'' - Clifford to his cousin Lothar the morning after the Horrific Night.

''"Ledgers are battles fought with ink."'' - Clifford Cafferen to a young Garland Manderly, a ward of many years.

''"Ledgers are battles fought with ink."'' - Clifford Cafferen to a young Garland [[House Manderly|Manderly]], a ward of many years.

''"And you will forgive me, but I know nothing of you, except that you come here and you claim my fealty. I pay my taxes to one man, I raise my banners for one man, and I swear my fealty to one man, my King. No crown has ever stretched as far as yours wants to, and I do not believe that you have any right to rule over me or mine."'' - Clifford to Queen Elenei Durrandon.

''"And you will forgive me, but I know nothing of you, except that you come here and you claim my fealty. I pay my taxes to one man, I raise my banners for one man, and I swear my fealty to one man, my King. No crown has ever stretched as far as yours wants to, and I do not believe that you have any right to rule over me or mine."'' - Clifford to Queen Elenei [[House Durrandon|Durrandon]].

''"Gwayne...hm? Never met him. With any luck, he'll be like his late brother, then. If you really can ensure there's no civil war on his ascension, that is wonderful news. The Gods know well what I lost in the last war between Gardeners..."'' - Clifford upon hearing news that Gwayne Gardener would probably seize the Reach throne after Garth IX died.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:House Sigil Cafferen.png|thumb|Arms of House Cafferen. Words: 'For What is Just']] Clifford Cafferen was the Lord of the Garden Coast from 140 A.I.  to 189 A.I.  during which time many feudalistic reforms were enacted, tying the peasants to serfdom and weakening the power of the commoners. He also oversaw a major economic and military expansion.
+[[File:House Sigil Cafferen.png|thumb|Arms of House Cafferen. Words: 'For What is Just']] Clifford [[House Cafferen|Cafferen]] was the Lord of the Garden Coast from 140 A.I.  to 189 A.I.  during which time many feudalistic reforms were enacted, tying the peasants to serfdom and weakening the power of the commoners. He also oversaw a major economic and military expansion.
 == Appearance ==
@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 == Personality ==
-Strict and harsh to the extreme, especially to those who lived in his Lordship. Clifford wanted the best out of everyone who worked under him, and he wasn't shy to tell them the truth of that. He held a deep hatred of the peasantry, borne of the events of the Horrific Night, which he experienced as a young man. There was a certain, in contrast to how he would be remembered, softer side to him, displayed in his many poems to his son, Sefton. His brutal reforms of the Lordship, aimed against the commoners, would earn him two views in the eyes of the people after his death. To the nobility, whom saw his reforms as necessary and wise, he would be known as "the Reformer", but to the peasantry his name would forever be scornfully mentioned alongside the nickname they gave him, that of "the Tyrant". In the centuries after his death only the peasants view of Clifford would be remembered, and thus in the Garden Coast his name would become synonymous with tyranny.
+Strict and harsh to the extreme, especially to those who lived in his Lordship. Clifford wanted the best out of everyone who worked under him, and he wasn't shy to tell them the truth of that. He held a deep hatred of the peasantry, borne of the events of the [[The Horrific Night|Horrific Night]], which he experienced as a young man. There was a certain, in contrast to how he would be remembered, softer side to him, displayed in his many poems to his son, Sefton. His brutal reforms of the Lordship, aimed against the commoners, would earn him two views in the eyes of the people after his death. To the nobility, whom saw his reforms as necessary and wise, he would be known as "the Reformer", but to the peasantry his name would forever be scornfully mentioned alongside the nickname they gave him, that of "the Tyrant". In the centuries after his death only the peasants view of Clifford would be remembered, and thus in the Garden Coast his name would become synonymous with tyranny.
 == History ==
-Born on the Twenty-Eighth day of the Sixth Moon, 118 A.I.  Clifford would be born in the midst of his Lord grandfather's reign, the Lord Theo Cafferen. It was a time of emerging crises in the Garden Coast. The Rapid Disintegration of the Cafferen Military had left the Lordship weak to both internal and external threats, and although Theo was setting the foundations for the road to recovery from this, it still was in a bad shape. Religious tensions too were spiraling under Theo's nose, and in 121 A.I.  the death of Clifford's father, Meros Cafferen, meant that the three year old Clifford was now the heir to the Garden Coast.
+Born on the Twenty-Eighth day of the Sixth Moon, 118 A.I.  Clifford would be born in the midst of his Lord grandfather's reign, the Lord [[Theo Cafferen]]. It was a time of emerging crises in the Garden Coast. [[Disintegration of the Cafferen military|The Rapid Disintegration of the Cafferen Military]] had left the Lordship weak to both internal and external threats, and although Theo was setting the foundations for the road to recovery from this, it still was in a bad shape. Religious tensions too were spiraling under Theo's nose, and in 121 A.I.  the death of Clifford's father, Meros Cafferen, meant that the three year old Clifford was now the heir to the Garden Coast.
-Fortunately for Clifford, Theo continued to protect his right to the Lordship throughout the young boy's childhood, and Theo gave Clifford a very good education which well prepared the young man for the duties of being Lord. In 134 A.I.  he would become a man grown, knighted by Ser Arros, one of Theo's noble advisors and secretly a member of the Zealot faction. Just a year after becoming a man grown, Clifford would be wed to the Lady Deana Qorgyle in a grand wedding ceremony held in the Garden Coast. Their marriage would prove a long and fruitful one, with the pair having six children, two boys and four girls, although tragically their second son, Allard, would be slain in battle at just seven and ten namedays.
+Fortunately for Clifford, Theo continued to protect his right to the Lordship throughout the young boy's childhood, and Theo gave Clifford a very good education which well prepared the young man for the duties of being Lord. In 134 A.I.  he would become a man grown, knighted by Ser Arros, one of Theo's noble advisors and secretly a member of the Zealot faction. Just a year after becoming a man grown, Clifford would be wed to the Lady Deana [[House Qorgyle|Qorgyle]] in a grand wedding ceremony held in the Garden Coast. Their marriage would prove a long and fruitful one, with the pair having six children, two boys and four girls, although tragically their second son, Allard, would be slain in battle at just seven and ten namedays.
 If there was any suspicion of Clifford being involved in the Zealot movement like his father Meros was, those were dashed when the Horrific Night unleashed religious violence across the Lordship. In the middle of the night Clifford was awoken to news of the Zealots attack against the Beachcastle. Immediately Clifford went and fought to defend the walls which guarded the Heart Tree of the Beachcastle. It was a bloody, successful stand against the Zealots, and when they retreated from the walls out to the open plains, Clifford assembled several dozens of knights to mount up and ride them down.
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 The Reforms of Clifford Cafferen began not long after, with Clifford enacting many Lordly decrees in an effort to ensure that nothing like the Horrific Night could occur again. As the decades passed, his reforms and building projects began to bear fruit, with the economy of the Garden Coast florishing under Cafferen rule like never before. This economic growth allowed for a rapid expansion of the Cafferen military, a feat not achieved in the history of the Cafferen Lordship, which put an end to military crisis. His reforms of the peasantry, and enforcing true feudalism on his Andal subjects also put an end to the religious crisis, and put the focus less on religious differences in the Lordship and more on the class differences in the Lordship instead. For these feats the nobility came to love Clifford, and the peasantry came to utterly despise him.
-He also hollowed out the Meros Chateau, a great chateau built by the Lord Theo Cafferen for his and his guest's relaxation. Instead, Clifford turned it into a massive tax collection office, from whence the tax collectors could organize their craft and make collection more efficient and organized, another blow to the peasants fortune. Perhaps Clifford's most impressive architectural accomplishment, however, was the great rebuilding and improvement of the Beachcastle. The walls were greatly expanded, the keep rebuilt from scratch. Any remaining trace of the First Man architecture in the Beachcastle that had survived the past hundred years of Cafferen rule was now firmly gone, replaced by sturdy Andal engineering practices.
+He also hollowed out the Meros Chateau, a great chateau built by the Lord Theo Cafferen for his and his guest's relaxation. Instead, Clifford turned it into a massive tax collection office, from whence the tax collectors could organize their craft and make collection more efficient and organized, another blow to the peasants fortune. Perhaps Clifford's most impressive architectural accomplishment, however, was the great rebuilding and improvement of the Beachcastle. The walls were greatly expanded, the keep rebuilt from scratch. Any remaining trace of the First Man architecture in the Beachcastle that had survived the past hundred years of Cafferen rule was now firmly gone, replaced by sturdy [[Andals|Andal]] engineering practices.
-The new symbol of authority that the Beachcastle was firmly cemented the rule of the Cafferen Lords in the minds of those living in the Garden Coast. No attack could be made against it by any peasant force, that much was assured. It allowed Clifford to honor a deal he had made with the King Galayn IX Gardener in 148 A.I.  where the King would provide aid in rebuilding the Beachcastle, and in exchange Clifford would settle some Children of the Forest in the Garden Coast. He sectioned off a particular forest outside the village of Fencefield, barring peasants from entering it, for them to have, on the condition that they keep their presence there a secret. This was agreed to, and many Singers would settle there. On the journey to confirm the deal with the King Gwayne Gardener, through the cold winter he traveled, during which his horse collapsed and Clifford was thrown to the ground. He was left with many long scars on his face from the ordeal.
+The new symbol of authority that the Beachcastle was firmly cemented the rule of the Cafferen Lords in the minds of those living in the Garden Coast. No attack could be made against it by any peasant force, that much was assured. It allowed Clifford to honor a deal he had made with the King Galayn IX [[House Gardener|Gardener]] in 148 A.I.  where the King would provide aid in rebuilding the Beachcastle, and in exchange Clifford would settle some Children of the Forest in the Garden Coast. He sectioned off a particular forest outside the village of Fencefield, barring peasants from entering it, for them to have, on the condition that they keep their presence there a secret. This was agreed to, and many Singers would settle there. On the journey to confirm the deal with the King Gwayne Gardener, through the cold winter he traveled, during which his horse collapsed and Clifford was thrown to the ground. He was left with many long scars on his face from the ordeal.
 Throughout his decades of rule, Clifford would also spread the connections of House Cafferen throughout the Reach, with three of his four daughters being wed to men who would eventually become Lords, whilst his son Sefton married a daughter of the Lord Middlebury. Thus, many Houses in the Reach could now claim to have Cafferen blood, which earned Clifford and his heirs many friends throughout the kingdom. Throughout his son Sefton's troubles with stress and paranoia, Clifford would write him soothing poems filled with kind words and loving remarks, which did help his heir somewhat.
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 ''"You see, cousin? These commoners, you can try and try to make them love you, respect you. My grandfather did nothing but good for these people...and look at them now..."'' - Clifford to his cousin Lothar the morning after the Horrific Night.
-''"Ledgers are battles fought with ink."'' - Clifford Cafferen to a young Garland Manderly, a ward of many years.
+''"Ledgers are battles fought with ink."'' - Clifford Cafferen to a young Garland [[House Manderly|Manderly]], a ward of many years.
-''"And you will forgive me, but I know nothing of you, except that you come here and you claim my fealty. I pay my taxes to one man, I raise my banners for one man, and I swear my fealty to one man, my King. No crown has ever stretched as far as yours wants to, and I do not believe that you have any right to rule over me or mine."'' - Clifford to Queen Elenei Durrandon.
+''"And you will forgive me, but I know nothing of you, except that you come here and you claim my fealty. I pay my taxes to one man, I raise my banners for one man, and I swear my fealty to one man, my King. No crown has ever stretched as far as yours wants to, and I do not believe that you have any right to rule over me or mine."'' - Clifford to Queen Elenei [[House Durrandon|Durrandon]].
 ''"Gwayne...hm? Never met him. With any luck, he'll be like his late brother, then. If you really can ensure there's no civil war on his ascension, that is wonderful news. The Gods know well what I lost in the last war between Gardeners..."'' - Clifford upon hearing news that Gwayne Gardener would probably seize the Reach throne after Garth IX died.

Clifford Cafferen: Difference between revisions