Already at 6 pages, but decided to go back and change some stuff, mainly regarding the origins of the protagonist. This, in turn, changes some fairly minor stuff such as the age difference between her and her half-siblings (before, Dan was described as the oldest. Now, he is one year younger than Josephine) and little esle. I also added a new, "optional" choice at the beginning which leads into a page with additional info about the characters, hosues and such that the player will be dealing with at this stage. It IS intended to be an info dump, but please let me know if I overdid it and basically any comments you may have. Here:
The War Council (Additional Info)
Before you and all standing around an improvised table made using a large log is your father's War Council, a collection of powerful and influential lords, knights, commanders and allies that over the years have earned your father's trust, gratitude, or at least haven't managed to completely piss him off. Most of them are vassals of House Purell such as the Bryants and the Hardwoods, though others are equal allies of your family, either through ancient treaty or through marriage as is the case of House Spearbright, the maiden house of your mother, now Nerissa Purell.
At the head of the Council is Lord Garret Purell of Highrise, head of House Purell and the man you call father even if he really isn't. Even now you don't know the full story, but apparently, when your mother was promised to him, she had already given birth to a child from a man who forced himself on her which through intelligence, wit and the right friendships she managed to keep hidden for a couple months. Fearing the dishonor such an act would bring her and her family she begged to her new husband to claim the infant girl was his own, conceived before their union was made official. This would not remove your bastard status as you were conceived outside of marriage, but it would split the blame evenly between both families, thus ensuring that neither would decide to call off the marriage. Your father must have really loved his bride, because not only did he promise to do so, he also swore that he would love you as if you were his own even if you did not share his blood. And now, almost twenty years later, he hasn't gone back on his promise.
At either sides of your father stand your brothers, Dan and Eddard, named after your father's friend and Warden of the North, Eddard Stark, with whom he fought during King Robert's rebellion against the Targaryen rule. Dan is the oldest of the Purell children and only one year younger than yourself, making him heir of Highrise and future head of House Purell. He is everything a lord would want as his heir; tall, handsome, charismatic, fearsome in battle, wise when making decisions and utterly devoted to his family. You and Dan have always been close and he probably sees you as another brother and treats you as such, as opposed to the attentions and cares he gives to your younger sister Nadria, for example. His strong relationship with you is only strengthened by the strained relationship you both have with your younger brother. Eddard, or Ned as he is often called is quite the contrary of Dan; He is reckless, rebellious, disappointing with both blade and bow and worst of all, he is always trying to "prove" himself which generally involves a lot of unpleasantness, particularly towards you. You've never quite understood why he hates you so much, but he does despite the fact that you've been nothing but loyal and helpful to him. One particular memory you always remember pretty much sums him up; You chased away some kids who gave him a hard time because of his small frame and never received a thank you. Instead, some days later he showed up with the same kids and tried to turn their aggressions towards you. The kids, of course, didn't respect him at all and simply went back to insulting him, prompting you to rescue him again without receiving one word of gratitude once more. One would think your father would have intervened on such issues, but he has always firmly believed that his children should fight and win their own battles.
Outside of his own children, the man your father trusts the most is probably Ser Ronwald Foster, Master at Arms of Highrise and a respected knight sworn to the Purells. A commoner, he was a childhood friend of your father and fought alongside him during Robert's Rebellion valiantly, to the point where the small numbers of Purell cavalry that he adeptly commanded came to be feared by the Targaryen soldiers. Due to his exemplary service, he was knighted by your grandfather, Casemir Purell who was lord of Highrise at the time. Shortly after the war was won and Robert Baratheon crowned King, Casemir died of Greyscale and the lordship fell to your father, to whom Ronwald wasted no time in swearing fealty to. Since then, he has been your father's advisor, confidant, and close friend to the point that your father has stated than in the unlikely yet very possible tragedy that none of his heirs would be available to receive his lordship when he passed away, Ser Ronwald would be his choice of heir. When you first began showing an interest for the arts of warfare, Ser Ronwald was all for teaching you and he was much of the reason your family finally allowed you to learn how to fight. There is no man more loyal to the Purells than him.
Next to him is Ronwald's son, James. A formidable fighter in his own right, he has always been a close friend of yours and of Dan, and is one of the few people who are cordial towards Ned. Appointed as Captain of the Guards by your father, he has always served your house loyally and has always been extremely devoted to you. In truth, he has harbored feelings for you, and even if you can't return them, you have always called him your closest friend.
Nearest to you is Lord Desmond Bryant. The Bryants are loyal vassals of your house and have been so for centuries since Lord Lars Bryant bent the knee to your grandfather's grandfather. They seat on the walled town of Saltcrest, and used to command a fairly good sized fleet of ships until two days ago, when it was all but destroyed by the ironborn that now lay siege to their home. Lord Desmond was known as a fierce fighter back in his day, but old age has caught up to him and he now commands his small forces from safety. You have often heard your father praise his honor and wisdom, though you know the man very little.
Next to him is Lord Silas "Tree Bark" Hardwood. Living up to both his nickname and his family's name, he has a reputation for being tough as wood and having sustained injuries that would have killed lesser men. None of these have held him back, though, and he leads his men from the front like every Lord Hardwood has done before him. In fact, for Hardwoods, a man who is still of proper age and doesn't fight among his men or at least is present to lead them from behind is considered a coward and dishonorable. The Hardwoods were ancient enemies of the Purells, and a long, bloody war was fought between your houses for some reason no one even remembers anymore, shortly before the crowning of the Mad King. A young Casemir Purell valiantly led the Purell men to victory, defeating the Hardwoods who, respecting honor and strength above all, were gracious in their defeat and bent the knee to your grandfather, becoming the most recent of your vassals. They respect your father since he used to lead his men from the front, like them, and understand that he can no longer do so because of his injuries. The same is true for Lord Desmond. The Tree Bark has a special admiration for both you and Dan, and has already sworn that when Dan becomes lord, he would follow him down through the Seven Hells and back. He, however, hasn't a shred of respect for Ned, whom he has openly called a coward for refusing to keep on learning how to fight and hiding behind his men despite being in his prime. Despite your brother's complaints, your father has always told him that if he is unwilling to fight, he must deal with the consequences that brings, the Tree Bark's disrespect included.
Your mother's twin brother, Lord Francis Spearbright stands with his eldest son and heir, Jowell. The late Lord Howard, your mother's father, was always cold towards you and rarely spoke to your mother after she gave birth to you. However, he was killed when defending his lands from ironborn, and thus his sons and grandsons bear a deeper hatred for them than any other house in the Riverlands. Fortunately, both Lord Francis and Jowell have always been friendly towards you, and Francis is extremely close to his twin sister, and thus to your House as a whole.
Also present is Lord Jaan Rüdiger, head of the feared Rüdigers and vassal to your house. The Rüdigers swore fealty to your house in order to drive out the invading Hardwoods, who also bent the knee to your house later. Jaan is a fearsome, calculating man who commands the hardened, ruthless Rüdiger troops, the only ones not to fall to the violent Hardwood expansion, a testament to their strength. As a side effect of said events, the Rüdigers have a very shaky relationship with the Hardwoods, although both Jaan and the Tree Bark at least respect each other. This ancient feud can sometimes turn simple word exchanges into messy altercations, though thankfully it's been a while since Rüdiger and Hardwood forces have come to blows with each other.
Last but not least, are the Buckshorns, the Purell's oldest allies led by the young but intelligent Lord Ebbert Buckshorn. Ebbert is only a kid, but is already shaping up to be a fine lord. His mother, Jemima Buckshorn, rules as Lady Regent until he comes of age, though for these kind of situations, the young lord's cousin Dylan Buckshorn represents his kin and leads the Buckshorn men into battle. With the pass of the centuries, the exact terms and circumstances of the original pact of friendship between your houses have been lost to time, yet it is commonly known that your houses banded together to defeat a common enemy, remaining close allies ever since.
Each Lord brings with him some trusted advisors who you don't know, and don't really want to know. What you know of each of these men you learned more out of necessity than curiosity. Still, your father always told you that after a sharp blade always came the sharpness of the mind, though you still don't know how storing all this stuff in your brain helps you fight or such.
Maybe you'll find out some day.
