Corwyn Corbray

Lord Corwyn Corbray is the founder of a new Andal dominion in the Vale, a seasoned war leader who refused a crown but built a realm nonetheless. Once a knight of fading Andalos, he carved out a future in blood, determined to give his people a home before their past was lost to Valyria’s flame.

Lord Corwyn Corbray of the Fingers

Appearance

A tall, weathered man of nearly fifty with a swept back silver black mane and a stern face, Corwyn Corbray wears the bearing of one who has fought and bled for all he has claimed. His eyes are a sharp blue, and he carries a steel blade at his hip. Lady Forlorn, a sword he brought with him from Andalos.

Personality

Corwyn is bold and practical. He believes in fate, so long as it is the kind a man forges himself. Though some call him an opportunist, he sees himself as a builder of futures, not a breaker of oaths. To him, the First Men are trapped in the past, bound by blood feuds and savage gods, while the Andals offer order and progress. Ruthless when he must be, he is never without reason, and never without a goal. He has no time for petty sentiment, but he is not without honour, only that he has a tendency to redraw the lines of what honour means to suit his ambitions.

History

Thirty years ago, Corwyn Corbray led a host of Andals across the Narrow Sea, abandoning a fading homeland to carve out something new in Westeros. Valyria's shadow crept ever closer to Andalos, and Corwyn would not see his people ground into ash or chained to foreign wars. Landing in the Fingers, he and his fellow knights first fought for the petty kings of the Vale, then turned against them. He was no traitor to his cause, the cause had simply changed.

In the storm of war, the old lords were swept aside. Among the first to fall were Houses Brightstone and Shell, whose leaders were slain and whose lands were seized. Corwyn allowed their widowed wives to remain, taking one for his own wife, and the other for his bed.

And so his word became law from Midlor Point to the highlands beneath the Giant’s Lance. His victories were not just for himself, but for the entire Andal host who came in his wake.

Now seated at Heart's Home, he governs with the authority of a king, though he wears no crown. He sees himself as a civilizer in a land of clans and quarrels. His vision is one of stone keeps, knightly courts, and the Faith of the Seven triumphant.

Quotes by Corwyn

“If the First Men call me a tyrant for carving order from chaos, then let them remember me as such. So long as they remember me.” — In private, after putting down a raid from neighbouring First Men.

“I took their lands and spared their widows. That is more mercy than they would’ve shown me.” — When criticized by a Septon for his treatment of House Shell and House Brightstone.

Quotes about Corwyn

“He kissed my hand after taking my husband’s head. Would you believe he meant it?” — Emberlei Brightstone, Corwyn's wife.

“He gave us law, lands, and lords. My sons will ride in steel because of what he dared.” — Lord Qarl Marks, a converted First Man who now serves Corwyn.

“The man walks like he’s never doubted a step in his life. That’s a kind of power you can’t teach.” — Lord Luceon Templeton.