House Swann
| Status: | Major (Status 6) |
| Seat: | Stonehelm |
| Current Lord: | Gulian |
| Current Lady: | None |
| Realm: | Stormlands |
| Heir: | Donnel |
| Liege: | Renly Baratheon |
| Cadet Branch: | None |
| Vassals: | House Seraen, House Loraq |
| Founder: | Unknown |
| Founded: | Age of Heroes |
House Traits
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| Defense: | 50 |
| Influence: | 52 |
| Lands: | 54 |
| Law: | 41 |
| Population: | 32 |
| Power: | 55 |
| Wealth: | 32 |
Ancient of lineage and provenance, House Swann are a force to be reckoned with among the Stormlords. They trace their origins all the way back to the Age of Heroes, mighty lieutenants to the Storm Kings of now-extinct House Durrendon.
Domains
- House Fortunes: Law +0, Population +3, Port +5 (increase Wealth gains by +1d6)
Stonehelm
The domain of Stonehelm, named for the castle that dominates it, is a valuable tactical location. It controls access to the Marchwater River, and thus access to most of the Marchwater Vale. It also looks across the river at the main passage into the Stormlands from the Dornish Marches. The domain itself borders the Rainwood, and so is made up of quite good land for farming. There are four (4) estates in the Stonehelm domain besides the town of Helmport. (Lands: Plains; River, Large Town; 38 points)
- Stonehelm Castle: Stonehelm is the ancestral seat of House Swann, an old edifice built upon a tall hill overlooking the whole of Helmport. Part of it extends out into the water of the mouth of the Marchwater where it reaches Cape Wrath. (Defense: 40 pts)
- The Swancloaks: Green Garrison. In front of Stonehelm's lower gate, beside the drawbridge that extends out over the moat is the Garrison of the Swancloaks, the city watch for Helmport. Clad in simple chain, with swan feathers in their leathern caps, swancloaks wield halberds and short swords. (Power: 3 pts)
- Maester Grance: The maester for Stonehelm is a red-haired fellow in his fifties. He specializes in finances, military history and ravenscraft. (Wealth: 10 pts)
- Helmport: Large Town. Helmport is a sizeable town at the mouth of the Marchwater. People from all over the Marchwater Vale come to its markets, so it is a good place for those who are looking for information about the goings-on along the Marchwater. It is also a favorite location for bards and tinkers to ply their trades. (Population: 381 Households)
- Port & Market: The port and market of Helmport are always bustling. Located within easy sight of Stonehelm castle, they are surrounded by a handful of inns and taverns. During the day they bustle with workers and shoppers, while at night the abandoned spaces serve to attract musicians and street performers, whores and the occasional unsavory element. (Wealth: 20 pts)
- The Marchwarden's Fleet: Trained Warships. A small fleet of strong warships and their skilled crews, the Marchwarden's Fleet has a single obligation: the defense of the Marchwater's mouth. (Power: 10 pts)
- The Marchwater Sept: In the northern portion of the city is the Marchwater Sept, a fine, large temple with seven tall spires, one for each face of the Seven. It hosts a body of septons and septas, all of whom are there to lend their aid and advice to the faithful. Septon Kaemere is a well-known confidante of Lord Gulian Swann. (Wealth: 15 pts)
- Knights of House Swann: Trained Cavalry Crusaders. The knights of House Swann are some twenty in number or so, though they are rarely at the same place at the same time. Many of them act as masters of the estates scattered through Lord Swann's domains, while others help protect his lands by patrolling it on several-day circuits. There are always at least six knights at Stonehelm at any one time. (Power: 12 pts)
Marchwatch
X (Lands: Plains; River; 8 points)
- Marchwatch Tower: X (Defense: 10 pts)
Greenshire
X (Lands: Plains; 5 points)
Staidmarsh
X (Lands: Wetlands; 3 points)
Other
- House Seraen: Power: 20 pts.
- House Lohaq: Power: 10 pts.
Members of the House
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- Lord Gulian Swann: Lord of the House. A man in his early fifties, Lord Gulian was a warrior during Robert's Rebellion. He has seen the deaths of two wives already, although rumor claims he is about to take a third. He is the son of the famous beauty of her day, Jeyne Swann, who was rescued by Ser Barristan Selmy in his youth. (Age 56)
- Ser Donnel Swann: Heir of the House. Though not quite the warrior his younger brother is, Ser Donnel is an astute politician. He is thinly muscled and handsome, with the chestnut hair of his family, and a close-shorn beard. He splits his time between Stonehelm and Storm's End, where he is part of Renly Baratheon's court. (Age 31)
- Ser Balon Swann: The second son of Lord Gulian, Ser Balon is tall and broad-chested. Tremendously strong, he is good with the lance, better with the morningstar and exceptional with the bow. Balon is quiet, perceptive rather than sullen. (Age 27)
- Revella Swann: Lady of House Smallwood. Lord Gulian's younger sister, Ravella was married to Lord Theomar Smallwood, in the Riverlands. It has been many years since she has returned to Stonehelm. (Age 47)
Retainers of the House
- Maester Grance: A man equal of Lord Gulian's in years, he has the red hair and green eyes of so many Riverlands families. Though Grance is a maester, he also clearly knows his way around a fighting blade, and keeps in shape with morning drills with the Swancloaks, who all greatly respect him, giving him the nickname "Maester Bladeraven." (Age 52)
- Ser Dorun Seraen, the Hawk Knight: A cousin of the main branch of House Seraen, Ser Dorun has been in House Swann's court since he was a squire. He is known as the "Hawk Knight" to his fellows for his arms, which feature a hawk in flight over a tower, rather than his House's traditional arms. He is also an expert hawker, and usually travels with a fine Gyrfalcon that clings to his arm or to the perch he's had build into the front of his saddle (Age 29 years)
- Ser Sumner Storm: A bastard of a small Rainwood House, Ser Sumner has recently come into Lord Gulian's service after Lord Gulian saw him win a small tourney on Estermont. Ser Sumner has a squire of sixteen named Vayon, and he marks his arms with a dun chief with three seashells, above a field of sea-green. (Age 35)
- Ser Warryn: Young and competitive, Ser Warryn is a thin man but quite skilled at arms. He has long dark hair, and a Dornish cast to his features. His arms are a field of crimson, with three white lilies. (Age 24)
History
House Swann is an old noble house, regarded as proud, powerful and cautious. They have governed these lands for as long as any can remember. They rule from Stonehelm, overseeing a major river route inland to the Stormlands, gaining them much wealth and power. They are probably the second most powerful and influential family in the Stormlands, after the Baratheons.
Note: Though this is for a canonical setting element in the Song of Ice and Fire, some of the information here is totally created for my game, and should not be taken as an authoritative commentary on that setting element.
