House Swann
House Swann of Stonehelm is one of the oldest and wealthiest houses of the Stormlands, with an ancient history of ruling over the Slayne and Red Watch for as long as any can remember. Their ancestral seat, Stonehelm, was constructed to oversee the Slayne river, and defend the Eastern Marches from the Dornish, giving them the right to claim the moniker of marcher lord. Stonehelm castle is most notable for its regal watchtowers constructed of black and white stone, and possessing one of the stormlands' major ports, connecting Cape Wrath inland to the Sea of Dorne.
In the War of the Five Kings period, Donnel Swann became well-known for mockingly being dubbed the Constant, having pledged fealty to three of said five kings (Renly, Stannis, Joffrey I). His brother, Balon, notably served as Kingsguard for the reign of three kings himself (Joffrey I, Tommen I, and Aegon VI).
In the Century of Blood, House Swann notably engaged in a major naval war with House Yronwood for dominance of the Dornish Sea. With the aid of several marcher lords, and the other Dornish distracted by pirates and Reachmen, House Swann prevailed. Albeit at the cost of its navy. During this however, the one marcher lord that had not aided them, House Dondarrion, had instead led a campaign to claim the Stormlands entirely. By the time Yronwood was defeated, Yeric Dondarrion had been proclaimed Storm King.
During Yeric's reign, Sigurd 'the Old' Swann became a figurehead for the resentful cape lords and marcher lords of the south, who chafed under the Slaver's cruel rule. His clandestine support of the Stag's Fury, with his own son and grandson even joining Kevin Baratheon's group, saw House Baratheon and Swann grow close. And when Aegor Targaryen arrived during the Reconquest, House Swann was one of the first to declare for him.
Despite his extraordinary age, the Old Swan came to the Siege of Storm's End personally to see Yeric defeated. And after Yeric's defeat, the Old Swan pledged House Swann's men to Aegor, leading them abroad himself while his son, Siegmund 'the White', ruled at home. The Old Swan met his end in the Battle of Gulltown, the final battle that saw Charles Royce defeated and Aegor win the Vale.
After Aegor's Reconquest, the White Swan quietly ruled Stonehelm, with help from his brother Siegholt as castellan. When the White Swan's firstborn son, Siegward, and daughter, Sieglinde, died at sea during a tour in 403 AC, the chivalric demeanor he was known for disappeared. He became a dark and brooding man, which only worsened when his wife died in childbirth a year later. The White Swan would pass months later himself from 'Cape Fever', though some say it was simply due to his broken heart.
The exploits of the White Swan's surviving heir, Siegfried 'the Black', would catapult the House's name into almost every home, both in Westeros and abroad. For better and for worse. Additionally noted in 414 AC, the cadet branch House Swann of Red Lake (the Redswanns) was born, through the line of Siegholt Swann.
House Swann of Stonehelm declared against Aegor's daughter, Visenya, in the Great Awakening, announcing itself as ruler of the new Storm Kingdom following Juspar Baratheon's 'death'. Shortly after, House Swann tied itself to the Summer Kingdom through betrothal of the Siegfried' son, Robert Swann, to Maegan Targaryen.
During Summer's End, House Swann was betrayed by loyalists to Visenya's daughter, Jaehaera. After House Swann fled Westeros in turn, the Storm Kingdom was destroyed, and every stormlord pledged their fealty to King Otho Bracken and the new Lady Paramount, Jaehaera Targaryen.
Robert Swann was allowed to keep his family's title by becoming a ward of House Bracken, and due to the cape lords pledging their aid in defeating the Dornish forces still loyal to Vaegon Targaryen. Robert Swann returned to Westeros from Pentos after Vaegon's death, where he then became a ward of Alexander Bracken, Otho Bracken's heir.
Type
Manuscript, Historical
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