[PREMADE] Ser Hugo Vance

Name:
Ser Hugo Killian Vance

Nickname:
Sweet Hugo
Hugo the Jolly
Hugo of Atranta

Age:
26

Gender:
Male

Species:
Human

Allegiance to House:
House Tully
House Vance of Atranta
House Vance of Stoney Sept
House Vance of Wayfarer’s Rest

Role to House:
Lord of Atranta
River Knight

Personality:
Ser Hugo Vance is unlike his other brothers not a knight in the traditional sense by not favoring the glory of battle or the prestige of knightly tournaments; instead Hugo is to be considered more a lord than a knight, a man of leadership, a leader of the people rather than a symbol of military excellence. Since the beginning of his knighthood training he’d always showed an appetite towards the political aspect of his title rather than the attribute they represent in warfare yet don’t mistake ser Hugo for a coward. He’s politically savvy, highly educated and a man who has the commoners and lower circles of the Riverlands eating from the palm of his hand; years have been spent establishing a bond of confidence with people, sharing their woe and hearing their troubles under the homely comfort of a goblet of ale and a hardy meal in the dining halls of Atranta. The people love ser Hugo for he’s the one knight still alive who doesn’t raise his nose when commoners are around and who doesn’t look down of the lower class citizens beneath his family’s banners. Every day he goes around Atranta talking to the merchants and farmers, hearing their tales and troubles; Hugo remembers every name and their relations to one another in Atranta, he knows who has sons that are out on the frontiers fighting and who had to bury loved ones in the ongoing war with the Lannisters and the raiders of Ser Gregor Clegane…

In battle he’s the strategist who’s cunning plans and tactics have granted the Vance family many victories, though the soldiers do not consider him their leader; that responsibility falls in the hands of his older brother ser Ronald with whom ser Hugo has a love/hate relationship. They are family though not friends, simply having learnt to tolerate one another as they simply differ too much; Ronald is a soldier decorated in battle and feared by their enemies though the people don’t trust him enough to lead them; Hugo has the people on his side but does not have the respect of the army who demand an iron fist to lead their hand which Hugo lacks. Hugo knows the terms of mercy and forgiveness, of remorse and repentance and for that he’s known to be an honorable and kind lord who rules justly and fair. He wishes to rule always in the best interest of the people, having been known to lower taxes and neglect debts for those with already little to spare; he’s known to donate to the less fortunate than himself giving away bread and medicine to those in need and on many occasions has ser Hugo been spotted in local taverns singing and laughing with even the lowest of residents sworn to the Riverlands’ banners...

Physical Description:
Though six years younger than his older brother ser Ronald Vance, the testament of time has been far harden on the second son of Atranta as already the traces of age began to show; in the full of his statuesque beard the hints of grey have began to shape while the same wavy hair signature to their family still stands proudly on his head. His brow is heavy and his body plump from living the good noble life of dining and feasting in taverns and castle halls; his arms do however remain strong like those of a knight are supposed to be but his legs have began to hurt under the stress of his added weight. He has a broad figure with short limbs that seem slightly out of proportion to his weight though not all the muscle he once had still remains; his chest is wide but so is his gut where all can see the results of consistent drinking and eating at the noble banquets hosted in the Seven Kingdoms. Scars of battle are still fairly limited on his person though not in his heart where he continues to carry the weight of all fallen River Knights and soldiers with him; most say there’s sadness in his eyes though with one stout of ale in his belly, ser Hugo is known to become the jolly singing fellow who dances on table tops and sleeps with random women who’ve fallen for that natural and genuine Vance charisma and his radiant smile that returns hope to the people of Atranta…

Powers and Abilities:
Whereas the other knights of this generation in his House are afflicted with the bane known commonly as vampirism, Ser Hugo is without this affliction; because of this he’s without their signature strength and speed, without the added gifts like enhanced vision and a ferocious appetite for battle but then again he’s not as vulnerable as some might think. Ser Hugo is a man of wits and cunning, whose greatest strength lies within the possibilities of his mind. To him a battlefield was like a chessboard with everyone else simply being pawns and other pieces each simply serving their role in the wars; he can see weaknesses in the ranks that others can’t detect and spots vulnerable spots in walls that are deemed impregnable…

His greatest talent however doesn’t lie in war but in peace for since the day he could walk, Ser Hugo became a man of the people; as a boy he played with the peasant children learning to understand their pains and worries so that in answer he began to feel sympathy for their pleas. As a squire he’d often dine with the guards and soldiers to listen to their tales of battle, sorrow and victory while as he grew up he began to learn the ways of the Riverlands people. He knows the people and the people know him and for that he’s respected and loved; one cannot enter the Riverlands without ser Hugo knowing off it for the commoners and peasants all brief him of changes. If you drink in a Riverlands tavern, he’ll know how much, with whom and where you ended up spending the night; if you buy something, he knows how much you paid for it, where you got it and where your coin came from for in the Riverlands ser Hugo is better informed than the Spider from King’s Landing…

What most don’t know of ser Hugo is that of all Vance sons, none can match this River Knight once he settled in the saddle of his horse; in war there’s yet to be a man to unhorse him and in swiftness not even the Dothraki can match the ability of this knight on a horse. He can shoot an arrow in full gallop through a single piece of coin from one hundred yards away or maneuver through the densest barrier of spears with great ease. When the reins fall in his hands and his feet kick the horse into a stagger, ser Hugo becomes an unstoppable force whose sword cleaves through enemy ranks and speeds off towards the aid of his beloved home in Atranta and Riverrun…

Strengths:
• Diplomacy
• Sociability
• Plotting
• Politics

Weaknesses:
• Sword Duels (hates them)
• Women (loves them too much)
• Hunting (hates the pointless violence)

Weapons of Choice:
Ser Hugo wields an extraordinary example of swordsman craftsmanship at his belt for he’s been blessed with the comfort of Hywelbane; forged in fires so warm the flames turned blue like the heavens above this sword of Damascus steel was brought into this world for solely his hand to wield it. The surface of the sword isn’t smooth but rough with waves apparently engulfed within the steel blade that curves into a single edged cut in the end. One side partially blunted by intend, the other side sharper than the devil’s teeth turn Hywelbane in a sword worthy of kings and fatal against all enemies of the Riverlands. It’s a sword of ceremonial value to interlude new men into the world of knighthood beneath the banners of Vance of Atranta; it’s a sword of a knight sword to defend and protect the weak and elderly; it’s a sword for Hugo only, the grip molded for his hand, the blade leveled to his wrist and the sheathe shaped to move with his steps…

Armor of Choice:
Lately Ser Hugo has to wear his armor more than he is comfortable with for in these grievous days of war on the Riverlands his presence on the frontiers is demanded; his suit of armor is more an assembly of layers of protective gear upon the next creating a dense shielding barricade against enemy attacks. First comes a heavy brigandine with subtle scales sown inside the fabric to ward off penetrating blows, second some of the finest chainmail known in the Riverlands with rings packed so dense together it almost turns solid as plate armor. On top of his chainmail goes a thick gambeson of blackened steel scales that will stop most common arrows from breaking skin whereas both shoulders and neck are protected by nearly half inch thick steel plating; this complex assemble of armor makes his heavy and slow in battle but it also grants a fortified protective wall around his body that keeps him from harm…

Background History:
Ser Hugo sat in the Riverrun brothels, getting acquainted with some of the most luscious and beautiful maidens the Riverlands had to offer when a raven pitch black landed in the window. At its tiny claw, the silver ring bearing his father’s seal with the green wyvern and the white keep couriered the message from Atranta that came with such urgency. The seal was still sticky at some places where the wax had yet to fully dry but nonetheless did his fingers break that noble sigil to reveal the content of this message. The handwriting he recognized as his brother’s, the signature closely related though bearing the distinct defect of his father’s hand as those words began to sink in. The girl’s head was pushed from his lap where her rosy lips had left glossy stains all in the regions below his belt and paid for her services for these matters were to be addressed solely by a son of Atranta. His finger followed the tiny lettering the raven had carried across the leagues between those two cities but with each word read his mood and heart grew a little heavier. All his life he’d been the jolly fellow in the family, a jester amongst the knights and a partner in crime to Lord Edmure Tully during their many visits to these establishments but what stood here now in ink of paper was grave news:

Father had come to pass and wishes you to return home. Atranta needs your leadership, brother for that was his final wish before the Seven summoned his spirit to their circle…

Even though it stood there so obviously, ink on paper speaking the words he’d often wished to hear spoken, Ser Hugo failed to grasp the bitter reality of this face; his father had died, the Lord of Atranta was no more yet his title would not be passed down to his oldest son ser Ronald. No his brother had made it so that Hugo could become the heir to the Vance name and take upon the seat of Atranta as lord of the White Keep. Ronald had told him of these ideas, many arguments and debates having taken them days and nights to be settled yet never had he imagined that the rightful heir would part with his birthright; Hugo was to become Lord so that Ronald could continue to lead the men into battle against the recent invaders. Atranta was his now yet no matter how often his eyes skimmed across that raven’s note, the message still had not sunken in. Lord Norbert Vance had been a just and respected man in the Riverlands who’d brought peace and security to his people and victory and glory to his army. He’d fathered five sons, three knights already another well on his way and the last had chosen the pursuit knowledge over the honor knighthood; he’d founded castles and fought in wars all loyally following the commands of his overlord Lord Edmure Tully who’d always respected his council and now Hugo was to fill those shoes; the whoring, drinking, filibustering knight would come to gain lands and people to command and a city to govern as his father had done before him and his father had done before him since the day this House was founded…

Ser Hugo thought back at the days of his childhood, trying to find out why these responsibilities were handed to him and not to ser Ronald but memories offered little answers to his questions. As a boy Hugo had been an odd bird in the noble circles, constantly found outside the castle walls, playing with the common boys and the peasant girls in the fields where children showed no distinction between noble or common backgrounds. He often ate in the kitchen with the servants loving to listen to their tales of hard labor and woe, not because he liked to hear their misery but because he wanted to understand them better. When he grew up that trend continued even when his father had set him out on the road to knighthood; Hugo had squired for some lower nobles, never truly excelling in the ways of war whereas politics, well let’s just say Hugo presented an excellent fondness for the affairs of court. He listened to the people and understood where they came from, which led him to better understand their actions; he’d learnt from them, spoken to them and never from his high horse or elevated place as a son of Vance but as an equal and for that the people respected him. Every day he’d walked the streets and greeted the folks his father called subjects, with a smile and a friendly word, never shying away of offering a helping hand or extending a generous donation to aid those less fortunate. Every child he knew by name and ambitions, by who their father and their mother were; every guard and soldier he knew by title and rank and in which battles they’ve fought; every peasant he knew their lands and what was grown on them and for that Atranta came to love the jolly knight that never meant much in his own circles of the noble courts…

When the memories came to pass ser Hugo Vance now understood why his brother had abandoned his heritage in his hands and though he’d never admit it, it was the best decision a nobleman had ever made. Hugo and Ronald never got along, not since father had asked his older brother to train him in the ways of the sword. With Ronald’s words, Hugo was a lazy, good-for-nothing, drunken slob who’s greatest strength lurked in his pursuit of women and the singing of old tales in local taverns but then again Hugo never wanted to be anything else. All his life had been devoted to better understanding the people of Atranta and they respected him for that decision whereas ser Ronald knew nothing about the city he came from. With no disrespect, Hugo said to himself, his older brother was a behemoth, a hero on the battlefield but a cold island in everyday life for all that man had done was fight. Ronald had trained squires to become some of the finest knights in the Riverlands, he’d fought battles and claimed countless victories on behalf of Atranta but that was simply where his passion lies. Hugo never sought after the glory of war; never did he raise his sword to strike down a man without questioning if diplomacy could not offer a better answer. He was a man of the people, not of soldiers while Ronald was a leader of warriors but not of citizens and to continue life according to their greatest strengths would interlude a new golden era to their House. With that in mind, ser Hugo rolled up the message again and sent it to the flames; a kiss on his ring in memory of his father was all it took for him to get dressed and ride out that very night to begin the life his brother had offered him…

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