Corwyn Corbray

Lord Corwyn Corbray was 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 with a swept back silver black mane and a stern face, Corwyn Corbray wore the bearing of one who had fought and bled for all he had claimed. His eyes were a sharp blue, and he carried a steel blade at his hip. Lady Forlorn, a sword he had forged in a time of strife for his house.

Personality

Corwyn was bold and practical. He believed in fate, so long as it is the kind a man forges himself. Though some called him an opportunist, he saw 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 was never without reason, and never without a goal. He had no time for petty sentiment, but he was not without honour, only that he had a tendency to redraw the lines of what honour means to suit his ambitions.

History

In 0 A.I. 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 took Brightstone's daughter for his wife, and Shell's widow for his bed. His word had became law from Midlor Point to the highlands beneath the Giant’s Lance. His victories were not just for himself, but for all Andals who came seeking the same glory.

Seated at Heart's Home, he governed with the authority of a king, though he wore no crown. He saw himself as a civilizer in a land of clans and quarrels. His vision was one of stone keeps, knightly courts, and the Faith of the Seven triumphant. During his life the power and influence of House Corbray only expanded in reach across the Vale. It was Corwyn that subjugated the northern mountains clans men that had stubbornly resisted him for 35 years putting its people to the sword. Just as it was Corwyn that gave House Arryn their crown and lands in return for their assistance in war, and brought House Hersy to heel when they thought to defy him. Though out his life he was a constant beacon of power for the andals, and a source of fear for the first men.

Yet it was this very ruthlessness and drive that saw a wedge driven between himself and his own son and heir. This would eventually lead to the two men fighting a duel, one Corwyn lost perhaps his fist ever loss since arriving to the Vale. This lead to his son Qyle abandoning his father and leaving Hearts home never to return while Corwyn lived. Despite this Corwyn continued on sword in hand believing that his way was the right way until the end.

Under his leadership House Corbray never lost a battle, successfully destroying the army of House Belmore in the north, and then with their Arryn allies smashing the coalition of House Royce to the south. It seemed that so long as he lived then House Corbray would be invincible and its victory over the first men all but assured.

Yet in the end it was not meant to be. During a particularly bad winter both Corwyn Corbray and Yorwyck Royce would die in their beds ending this era for both houses and wiping the slate clean. Their deaths would see their sons and heirs come to the throne, and a new struggle to begin. Corwyns legacy of cruelty and ruthlessness would live far beyond him, what once stood as a source of fear and power for House Corbray would in time become the very rallying cry used by their enemies.

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 father’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 House Corbray.

“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.