Justin |
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Background
Pre-Grid Background |
As a boy, the third trueborn Eagle child tended to be quiet and watchful, or bold by turns. As his father's youngest son, Justin knew he wanted to become a knight. Jerold decided that an old acquaintance, Ser Haffrey Tully (NPC), would make a suitably steadfast, levelheaded and pious example for his younger son. Justin was sent as page and then squired to Ser Haffrey Tully and thus was gone from Terrick lands for about 8 years.
During the Ironborn Invasion Justin was in the southeast with Haffrey when news reached them of the invasion. They hurried to lend their aid where upon they were met by Ironborn raiders. Ser Haffrey, who was no longer a young man, was cut down in the fighting. Justin defended his fallen knight taking serious wounds himself. The group was outnumbered. Forced to withdraw, Ser Haffrey Tully succumbed to his wounds in the days after. Justin made it to Seagard to heal. Some would say he'd earned his spurs with such fighting, yet Ser Haffrey never regained consciousness and died of his wounds before it might be decided. Justin gained a saddle horse but no proper war mount, partial maile, and an old, repaired sword. Money or opportunity had been scarce.
When he was fit to travel, Justin departed Seagard for home. News of many things had reached him in those grim months. He returned to Terrick's Roost to see the destruction with his own eyes. With half of his family gone, the Roost partly in ruins, and Stonebridge vassalage lost, hunger and poverty were sinking their ugly claws into his family's holdings. Justin did his part to find solutions to their problems.
Of Bandits and Rescued Women: |
Bandits had become a problem and Justin had been scouting the land between Terrick's Roost and Stonebridge with Hunter Kain. Together they found a woodcutters' camp with suspicious activity. Justin had also worked out a plan to lure bandits out by using supply wagons as bait. Before they might do that, a group of picnicking noblewomen with their servants were attacked on Justin's 20th nameday and taken for ransom. Whether these were the /same/ bandits or not wasn't known. The following morning the search began!
Justin played a key part with other trackers to hunt down the missing women. One group of bandits were found guarding a cave that turned out to house wild pigs. Leading their archers to attack the bandit sentries, Justin dropped one with an arrow to the throat while Ser Kamron lead the frontal assault. Afterwards a captured bandit gave them a new lead to a second camp with another cave to the west.
Ser Kittridge gathered the knights and lords to set an ambush to attack the second cave to rescue the women. Justin wounded and subdued one bandit with his half brother Jarod who bound him, then Justin took off to track a wounded man that got away. Alas, the escaped man got away with the coming of dark. All of the women were recovered.
Later Justin interrogats the man they took prisoner, Rolf. Once Jensen's name and whereabouts are learned, Justin sends Ser Hardwicke and several knights to capture the last bandit. Justin puts him into the dungeon with their first bandit captive to await trial for their crimes of murder, abduction, and ransom. Jensen's three children are sent to the Sept until fostered.
Vigil and Knighting: |
On June 14th, exactly two weeks after his 20th nameday, Justin was knighted by Ser Kamron Mallister after taking his vigil at the Sept. He earned his spurs for his efforts against the bandits and his part in rescuing the abducted women. Following his accolade, Justin oversaw the official re-opening of the Sept in Terrick's Roost.
Tournament at Seagard: |
Newly knighted, Justin rode in his first joust at tournament! He didn't expect to do well but unhorsed Ser Frederyck Tarly, Ser Kittridge Groves, and Ser Calvan Mallister! In the final round Justin rode against his half brother, Ser Jarod, who unhorsed Justin, making the Half Eagle the new Champion of the Joust. Justin asked for and rode with lady Roslyn Nayland's favour. The following day's jousting Lord Patrek asked Justin to return as one of the champions. He was unhorsed by Ser Frederyk after three passes. Justin was then laid up several days with bruises and cracked ribs.
Returned home, Lord Jerold granted Jarod's armour with breastplate to Justin. It was much better than Justin's set of dinged up partial maile. He kept back enough of his savings and tournament winnings to have Jarod's armour refitted to himself as Jarod had urged. The majority of Justin's tournament money was given over to his Anais and his father for the dwindled Terrick treasury.
Sheriff of Terrick's Roost: |
Justin sought out the acting Sheriff Mortimer to discuss appointing the man formally to the position. Mortimer declined and suggests Justin was better suited. After discussing it with Jacsen, Justin was appointed Sheriff of Terrick's Roost with Mortimer to assist him while Justin begins to studies law.
Shortly afterwards Justin scheduled the sentencing of the two bandits, Jensen and Rolf. A gallows was erected and a hanging clearly intended, but at the last both men were offered the Black, which they opted to take. The outcome mostly pleased the Roost's smallfolk but was far less popular among the gathered nobility. The smallfolk took up the chant, "Vigilant and Just!" The Terrick House family motto.
Murder & Head Butting: |
During Lord Ser Aleister Charlton's visit to the Roost to negotiate the Accord, lady Alys's former guards and handmaiden were murdered upon the road on the edge of Terrick lands. As Sheriff, Justin investigated including questioning of lady Alys which annoyed Lord Aleister. The Charltons abruptly departed the Roost but not before the Accord had been signed. Ser Justin declared the murder to have been 'bandits' and increased patrols for a little while.
Justin and his sister the lady Lucienne had an argument about her traveling to Stonebridge and the Mire while troops were amassing elsewhere to march through the Twins. Justin ordered her to be guarded and detained at the tower rather than risk her falling into Nayland hands as a hostage for leverage over the Stonebridge matter. Lord Jerold himself overturned the order and instead sent Lucienne to live at Kingsgrove, signing her betrothal to Young Lord Stafford Groves.
Accord Hunt and Festival: |
After supporting the Lady Anais to see the Charlton Accord negotiated and signed by Lord Jerold and Lord Aleister, Justin then oversees setting up the first hunt into the former Camden lands as permitted in the Accord. Justin also sets up a celebratory festival for the people of Terrick's Roost to begin after the hunt.
Erenford Oxen: |
Justin rode forth to Heronhurst after the Seagard wedding of Ser Kamron Mallister to the lady Saffron Banefort, with funds scraped together by Lady Anais - donations of several combined ransoms from two tournaments, Ser Kell's restitution paid by Lord Aleister for the slaying of an Ironborn prisoner, as well as other donations. Justin purchased a number of oxen, a large single flock of sheep and a mixed herd of meat and milk goats. With Men-at-arms and knights, as well as a few hired Erenford, the livestock were successfully brought back to the Roost. They passed back through Stonebridge on the morning of Lord Aleister's deadline ere Nayland and Charlton forces clashed.
Nayland Gifts? |
Lady Anathema Nayland and her sons arrived with wagons full of seed grain to offer as a token of friendship. Wary of their intentions Justin rode out to escort them in from the border. Finally there is seed enough to begin replanting in earnest - and then they yet have to wait about 5 months until their first harvest since the Ironborn laid waste to the Roost.
More Deadly Bandits? |
Word came that the Young Lord Marvish Erenford was slayn by bandits on the road. Justin surmised these were likely sell sword mercenaries cut loose after the Stonebridge conflict - men who got little pay and less booty. Veteran fighting men, not disgruntled smallfolk. Very quietly, Justin realized it could also have been Highfield or Charlton men exacting revenge on the Erenfords for attacking their war camp over Stonebridge - bandits can be a very handy excuse. Lady Katrin was likewise attacked, her face slashed and she was lucky to get away with her life.
Ser Symeon (a Frey knight) rides in bearing a sack with two dead men's heads and a cryptic note from someone calling himself the Raven - a message about bandits for Ser Justin. The newly arrived lady Rebecca takes exception and attacks the Frey knight with her bare hands, scratching up his face. Strangely Ser Symeon nearly bleeds to death.
Kingsgrove & MiddleMarch |
Shortly after Jacsen himself goes missing, presumed to go out and meet his sister Lucienne on her return from Kingsgrove after being sent home for slapping Young Lord Stafford's mother! The lord Sheriff gathered up a large patrol of knights, men-at-arms and a few bowman scouts to check the road between the Roost and Kingsgove. At the border they met with Young Lord Ser Stafford Groves who joined his men in the search but returned home when no sign is found.
Justin led his own men onto MiddleMarch. There they found Jacsen's horse and a ransom note demanding 400 gold dragons be paid for Jacsen's life. Further on at the manor house the lady Lucienne is found - and discovered to be showing pregnancy. Many sinister secrets seem to come out but neither Young Lord Jacsen nor the missing Terrick Seal are found. Ser Justin puts his sister under house arrest and brings her back to Four Eagles tower.
Disinherited? |
Lord Jerold agrees to Justin's request to meet, including Ser Bolland, Ser Ozric and the Lady Anais. Justin fills them in on recent events but the meeting falls apart as his father steadfastly refuses to hear ill of his daughter Lucienne no matter the evidence. Bolland mocks him and Jerold goes after his brother, Justin intervening to keep them from fighting. In the end, Jerold admits ill handling of the Roost and rather than trust his youngest son to have a chance as heir after Jacsen, Jerold all but disinherits Justin - giving the Lordship over to his brother Bolland and making Bolland's son Ozric heir. Nevermind Justin is the only one of Jerold's children who had NOT screwed up.
Needless to say, Justin is pissed. Ozric breaks the news to him saying that Justin will remain Sheriff so long as he conducts himself as pleases Bolland.
Physical Features
The same height as his father, this young man stands 6'1" tall and around 200 lbs. He is atheletic with good muscle tone but not stocky in build, tending to the leaner side of a man used to covering much ground either on foot or in the saddle. With brown-black hair that is untrimmed, his slightly angular tanned face has either grey eyes, or hazel that look more grey than anything else in good light. His hands are calloused and long fingered. Dark stubble is often presant over his jaw. Recent events have certainly been tempering, making him leaner and harder of feature than one might expect for his age.
Allies and Foes
- The Cover
- House Terrick (Active)
- House Terrick (Inactive)
- House Mallister
- House Nayland (Inactive)
- House Frey
- House Groves
- House Haigh
- House Erenford
- House Charlton
- House Flint