Maris Bulwer

Maris Bulwer is the current Lady of Blackcrown and head of House Bulwer. She has ascended to the position only recently, following the deaths of her lord father and brother in the Battle of Redgrass Field, and as someone who has never expected, nor wanted, to rule, she is yet to come to terms with the role fate has placed her in. Regardless, she aims to do her best with the aid of her mother and uncle.

Appearance
Standing taller than six feet, Maris boasts a height that is well above average for women and likewise dwarfs most men. Another thing her physique makes plainly clear is that she lacked no martial training, either; the Lady of Blackcrown is a warrior through and through, with strong arms and broad shoulders, her body toned and lean.

When clad in full plate, with her face hidden behind a bull-horned great-helm, Maris may easily impress anyone as a towering brute, but when she mingles among nobility, she is unmistakably feminine. She has long, golden blonde hair, doe-shaped eyes that had inherited her mother’s pale-blue hues under distinguishable, thick brows, which along with her small lips and dainty nose lend into her overall youthful looks; giving her an innocent visage in certain lights, and another reason to prefer armour over gown.

History
Maris was born to Mace Bulwer and Lynesse Tarly in 361 AC, the middle child in a marriage that had been arranged amongst many by her grandfather, Emmon. Though the old man had not lived long enough for her to get to know him, she and her brothers grew up knowing that it was his politicking that placed House Bulwer on par with the most prestigious bloodlines of the Reach, and it was instilled in them that they must uphold the family’s honour and prestige as he had.

The daughter of Bulwer had a lot to live up to, and in a family built on martial prowess, she was ever a diligent child. Mace demanded militaristic discipline from his children, and Maris wasn’t an exception on account of her gender. This, of course, didn’t mean that she had to engage in the same activities as her brothers, only that her education was just as rigorous. It wasn’t until later that her martial interests could sprout.

Under strict parental oversight, children misplace their repressed passion, and it wasn’t any different with Maris and her older brother, Gareth. The two of them quarrelled over the smallest, most meaningless things, usually out of fraternal jealousy and misunderstanding. Maris would regularly seek out the company of boys, to play with and fight, but as a girl, she was rarely welcome, and it often resulted in her being beaten up by Gareth, who didn’t want her around his friends. The only boy, who showed her more compassion than the rest, was her cousin, Robert Tarly. Though a few years her elder, Lord Tarly’s spare offered to teach Maris some manner of self-defence and swordplay while both families were attending a feast in Oldtown.

The lessons she took with Robert bolstered her confidence, and she even learned a few techniques that could help her position. At that point, having accepted her role as a lady-to-be, Maris only wished to enact vengeance on her brother and his lackeys, to throw a punch and own a win, so what came next she certainly did not expect. One day in the training yard of Blackcrown, in a fight she had provoked too, she overpowered her brother and her father’s squire with a wooden shaft and gave them a beating they would remember forever.

She was pulled away from the two boys by the master-at-arms, who gave her a smack and promptly brought her before her parents, whose reactions were not nice, to say the least. Her mother’s fury was directed at her; Lynesse slapped Maris on the face with such force that the skin on the girl’s cheek cracked. The behaviour was unbecoming of a lady, and she had to learn her place. Mace never hit his daughter, and he wouldn’t have hit her for this, but at the same time, he didn’t blame his wife for doing so. His own anger was placed somewhere else; first, he voiced his disappointment in the master-at-arms for training his heir so poorly that a girl could beat him up, and then he called for Gareth, whom he hit with the blunt of his blade, in front of everyone present, for the same reason.

As for Maris - her fate was sealed. Mace refused to bring up a daughter that acted more a beast than a lady, but recognizing the prowess of a Bulwer in her, he placed her in the care of his brother and castellan, Morgan. Maris’ uncle was among the knights that had squired at the side of Lord Gerold Oakheart, and known as the level-headed right hand of his brother - named the Knight of Blackcrown no less - he was a man of great merit and honour. It was punishment that her own father would not speak a word with her for years to come, but his fatherly duties being relegated to her uncle most certainly was not. Her days as a young lady were over.

Morgan Bulwer took Maris under his wings not to have her tutored by his wife and his daughters’ septa. Morgan would give his niece the exact same treatment he had received at Old Oak, and it didn’t take long for the girl to realize that she was a squire in everything but name. In-between scrubbing armor, tending to the horses, and handling other menial tasks expected from squires, Maris was educated in chivalry and combat, and she learned from the best.

By the time she was sixteen, she was versed in strategy and tactics and had the stamina and physique to wear armor and last in battle. She was familiar with most weapon types, and certainly knew how to fight with sword and shield, but standing true to her House’s history, she excelled on horseback as a cavalrywoman. Maris had been a talented rider as a child, and after her uncle put a lance in her hand, there was no removing her from horseback. She practiced target both still and moving, but it was the tilts where her aim did truly shine. At the Games of Goldengrove, she challenged half-a-dozen tourney knights to an unspectated joust, and unhorsed each of them in a single morning. Maris, of course, wanted to continue her triumphs in official competitions, but as women were prohibited from participation, in the next couple years, she would don the guise of a mystery knight and enlist in various tourneys across the Realm.

Her fault was her naivety; the expectation that she would continue to undertake trials until she would be recognized as a knight in her own right, despite knowing that it was a goal she would never accomplish. Maris was set on her path for the journey alone; driven by the thrill of combat and the freedom she had while holding the reins. Morgan taught her to always conduct herself with honour, compassion, and integrity, and she took his every teaching to heart. Her brother could have Blackcrown and all its glories; she had a code, and she would conquer life without ever compromising it.

Or at least that was what she’d thought. The Realm’s foundations were fickle, and the Vile King’s jealousy eventually shattered them. When Harlen Tyrell called the banners of the Reach to stand with King Vaegon against the rebels led by Prince Daeron, House Bulwer answered. Lord Mace called every able man from his lands and assembled his best knights; the Bulwers had always been known for their brutally skilled cavalrymen, and Maris’ father saw the war as an opportunity to once again remind his neighbours of the fact.

Her brother and uncle both marched with her father, and the same way she had enlisted in tourneys before, Maris donned armor, saddled her horse, and joined their host. She wished to get a taste of real combat, although she had no idea what she endeavoured for. Following the muster at Highgarden, the Bulwers joined together with Lord Jon Tarly, whose battle-section their trained cavalry would complement. The Reach had no shortage of talented commanders, and that combined with their superior numbers gave their early campaign a strong momentum. The forces led by Tyrell and Tarly cut into the Stormlands like a hot knife, and the Bulwer cavalry would always charge at the forefront of the vanguard like a maddened bull. At first, the mixture of fear and thrill made Maris’ insides burn with anxiety, and the smell of blood and vision of gore shocked her to her core. War was a lesson in life she did not ask for but signed up for heartily, and though her lances took the lives of many, she admitted to no joy from killing.

From Nightsong to Skull Valley, the victories of the Reach were momentous with only a few setbacks, but the cause of the bloodshed was always distant from Maris. She cared not for the feud of royals, nor the games of great lords. She knew not Prince Daeron and had no opinion on the King her people had chosen to fight for. The realization of just how aimless their war was, was revealed to her in the Battle of Redgrass Field.

Maris rode close with her family that day, and when the horns signalled the charge, she held her lance firmer and with more purpose than ever before. Prince Daeron was fighting in the enemy lines, and a victory right then and there could have ended the war for good. In circumstances most dire, however, does tragedy emerge, and Redgrass Field was once again tainted with the blood of heroes. Following a successful charge, the Bulwer cavalry pushed forward with unrelenting ferocity, and they were ready to regroup for another one. Unfortunately for them, the Baratheon host wasn’t short of skilled horsemen either.

The lines commanded by Stannis Penrose and Robert Baratheon flanked Lord Bulwer’s section broken off from Lord Tarly’s main, and what ensued was a bloody mess. The knights under the banner of the stag forced the bull into a skirmish, and dozens of men fell within seconds before Maris’ eyes. It wasn’t long until she was unhorsed as well, and forced to evade charging horsemen while deflecting swords and hammers. Due to a nasty hit that dented her helmet, she had to remove her most important layer of defense, but had she not done that, she wouldn't have survived.

Morgan, who managed to regroup his line, spotted Maris in the field and promptly rode in to rescue her. Being picked up and thrown over the horse was the last thing Maris remembered from the battle. She woke up a day later, her head bandaged and a bad concussion, only to learn that both armies had retreated, Lord Harlen Tyrell died, and her brother and father had lost their lives as well. Her uncle informed her in a bitter voice that the war was over for her, for she was the Lady of Blackcrown, and the only family Lady Lynesse had.

The outcome of the war mattered little to Maris in the aftermath; she ended up in a role that she never wished to have. Only out of compassion and a strong sense of duty instilled in her by her uncle did she choose to accept it, yet to this day, she struggles to embrace it.

Family

 * {Alysanne Bulwer}, Lady of Blackcrown b. 291 AC d. 334
 * m. {Edgar Blackbar}, Lord Consort of Blackcrown b. 289 d. 334
 * {Emmon Bulwer}, Lord of Blackcrown b. 311 AC d. 362 AC
 * m. {Moyra Cuy}, Lady of Blackcrown b. 311 d. 374 AC
 * Ellyn Bulwer b. 333 AC
 * m. Owen Oakheart, Castellan of Old Oak b. 333 AC
 * House Oakheart
 * {Rohanne Bulwer}, Lady of Oldtown b. 335 AC d. 370 AC
 * m. Manfred Hightower, Lord of Oldtown b. 334 AC
 * House Hightower
 * {Mace Bulwer}, Lord of Blackcrown b. 338 AC d. 379 AC
 * m. Lynesse Tarly, Dowager Lady of Blackcrown b. 341 AC
 * {Gareth Bulwer}, Heir to Blackcrown b. 359 AC d. 379 AC
 * Maris Bulwer, Lady of Blackcrown b. 361 AC
 * {Horas Bulwer} b. 364 AC d. 373 AC
 * {Denyse Bulwer} b. 340 AC d.
 * m. Steffon Tyrell, High Steward of Highgarden b.
 * House Tyrell
 * Morgan Bulwer, Knight of Blackcrown b. 342 AC
 * m. Bethany Kyndall b. 343 AC
 * Jeyne Bulwer b. 362 AC
 * Joffrey Bulwer b. 363 AC
 * Theo Bulwer b. 366 AC
 * Meredyth Bulwer b. 368 AC
 * {Parmen Bulwer} b. 313 AC d. 352 AC
 * m. {Briony Hill} b. 320 AC d. 356 AC
 * Ferris Bulwer b. 340 AC
 * {Victaria Bulwer}, Lady of Goldengrove b. 315 AC d. 336 AC
 * m. Alyn Rowan, Lord of Goldengrove b.
 * House Rowan

Household

 * Ser Morgan Bulwer - Castellan of Blackcrown
 * Igon of Cuy - Steward
 * Yerome - Maester of Blackcrown
 * Mors Kidwell - Captain of the Guard
 * Jon Sixfingers - Master-at-Arms
 * Ricasso - Sworn Sword
 * Rogin Flowers - Sworn Sword