Riderch
Character Details
Gustaf Skarsgård
Gustaf Skarsgård as Riderch Blackwood
Name: Riderch Blackwood
Aliases: (None)
Faction: The Riverlands
Organization: House Blackwood
Occupation: Knight
Rank: Noble Lord
Age: 24 (Jul 24 96)
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Ravens do not mourn. They feast.

Description

A little on the pallid side and of slightly above-average height, this lean man appears to be in his late twenties. Despite the lines on his long face and large, he has a certain energetic, animated presence. A face covered in a perpetual half-growth of beard, his hairline appears to be practically shorn with a razor and of a reddish blond hue. Under certain conditions, his blue eye ares lined with a dark paint in times of war or festivity. He carries himself in a way that appears slightly regal, slightly feral, slightly — strange.

Currently he is clad in in a servicable red-and-black tunic, more black than red with black-and-red coat of arms depicting a white weirwood tree surrounded by a dozen ravens facing looking away from it. A dark cloak adorned with a few raven feathers is slung across his shoulders. Dark breeches, boots, and various accessories complete the ensemble. A plain-looking longsword with a black-taped hilt and matching dagger are buckled at his side.

Background

Ser Riderch Blackwood is now auspiciously the heir apparent of House Blackwood, of Raventree Hall. He was the second son until his elder brother Tewdric unwisely led an expedition putting down some Raiders that 'may have' (this was never proven, mind you) been financed by their hated neighbors, the Bracken, while his younger brother was elsewhere. Truth be told, this feud has been going on for so long this is both entirely plausible and possibly a ridiculous excuse. Tewdric was wounded in battle and died of a slow and horrible infection.

It bears mentioning that Tewdric was never much for the martial pursuits and was better as an administrator and steward, leaving Riderch to be a more carefree and lazy younger brother, dedicating himself to many things including a young minor Lord's eduction and martial pursuits. His study of the sword and spear led him to become a decently accomplished duelist and even an ordained knight.

The latter part is interesting — as a proud descendant of House Blackwood he is keenly aware they are descendants of the First Men, and it shows in their blood and facial features. They venerate the Old Gods and keep to the Old Ways. Riderch, though, has adopted a rather fatalistic bent as he observes his religion — he believes that the Old Gods are gone from this world. They have abandoned the world as the First Men have been subjugated, and it is only a ritual of obligation and even mourning. But there is a hope that they will one day return. And thusly, he had accepted being ordained as a Knight after a particularly foolish deed that could have cost him his head but won him the gratitude of Ser Lukas Mallister. He did, later, re-swear his oaths privately, to a tree. He is not hostile to this new faith but does not seek out the Seven in times of need, that's for damn sure.

Riderch is boisterous, headstrong, and loyal to a fault but has a habit of wearing his heart on his sleeve. This does not make him gullible or naive, but does get him noticed. He also has had the good fortune of being well-liked by the men he leads into battle as he makes a point of joining them in their midst and generally treats them well, which probably makes him a better future ruler than he would care to admit. He sort of loathes the inevitability of him taking over House Blackwood after his father Derfel dies, and while he is cordial with his father he is not extremely close with the man, prefering the company of his mother Onnen, who doted on him as a child and probably spoiled him a little too much. He is also close with his little sister Aine. He has a tiny tot of a brother, Benjicot, who at this point is barely able to walk. His birth nearly did their mother in but considering Riderch would be the sole surviving male child otherwise, it was probably a good thing for the family.

Riderch is cautiously invested in the seemingly endless feud with the Blackwoods' neighbors, the Bracken but never really cared that much for it until his brother died and he became semi-convinced that they had a hand in it. Although he liked his brother, probably the biggest beef he has with the whole situation was that he never wanted to be in charge in the first place. And now, well, he's the heir. Plenty of people in Westeros would kill to have these sorts of First Men Problems.

In any case, Riderch has longed to see more of the world for a long time. As heir, he was sent to Oldtown to negotiate a trade agreement with the Reach. He may get his wish, after all.

RP Hooks

  • Lordling - Riderch is really kind of junior at this whole "I'm going to have to run a House" thing. While not a dunce, it will become quickly obvious that he has yet to develop his knack for running household affairs. This could turn out badly for him.
  • Mallister mother - Riderch's beloved mother was born a minor member of House Mallister. The Mallister and Blackwood families have had friendly relations for generations, so this isn't much of a stretch. If you have ties to that house, you might have heard of his mother at least. Or know some people in common.
  • Sparring - He is, after all, a Knight, and enjoys martial pursuits. He's also not the biggest guy on the block, and probably relies on speed and agility more than raw power. He has yet to be really seriously hit by a really big combatant, but that could be bad for his health.
  • Faith - Riderch is actually a follower of the Old Gods, but has a strange sort of ideology when it comes to them and other religions. He's not exactly 'faithless' but believes the Old Gods are dead and gone from this world, but could be made to return. In the meantime, he is not disdainful towards the Faith of the Seven and displays a surprising amount of tolerance for them, and other minor faiths he might encounter (Red Priests, etc etc). Until they do something unconscionable, that is. Note that this doesn't apply to the Drowned God but that may have more to do with a pronounced distrust of all things Ironborn.
  • Heresy - see above. While he may not seem particularly "devout" (he sort of is, but that's another story) his take on religion would probably anger certain ultra-orthodox adherents to both the Old Gods and the Faith of the Seven. Both because he dared take on the title of "Ser."
  • Feud with House Bracken - Despite being in Oldtown, he brought a bit of trouble from back home with him. If he encounters anyone from this faction of eternal frenemies, he will be on-guard (and probably snooping). Deep down, he wants to get to the bottom of the situation with his brother's death. A good description of the Blackwood/Bracken feud can be found within the books, a quote attributed to Hoster Blackwood - "We've had a hundred peaces with the Brackens, many sealed with marriages. There's Blackwood blood in every Bracken, and Bracken blood in every Blackwood. The Old King's Peace lasted half a century. But then some fresh quarrel broke out, and the old wounds opened and began to bleed again. That's how it always happens, my father says. So long as men remember the wrongs done to their forebears, no peace will ever last. So we go on century after century, with us hating the Brackens and them hating us. My father says there will never be an end to it."

Quirks

  • Wealth: Comfortable
  • Easily Bored - Rid has a tendency to hop from subject to subject, he is a curious sort but his focus tends to wander from one thing to the next.
  • Leads from the front - Riderch is trained in the arts of warfare and is generally well-regarded by the men who follow him for his demeanor and willingness to charge into the fray alongside them. This is great for morale but may one day be hazardous to his health.
  • Pragmatic - Not afraid to cut corners to achieve a goal. While this generally doesn't involve eating babies, he might end up doing something to stain his honor if he makes a hasty decision.
  • Mourns the Old Gods - while not faithless, he believes he follows a dead religion. That gives him some strange perspectives on things.
  • Mama's boy - He's always been quite a bit closer with his mother than his father. It didn't help that she sort of coddled him when he was very young. She also has sort of taken his side at the various objections he's had to potential marriages, and it may well be that one of the reasons Riderch's father sent him off would involve setting him up with a suitable wife.

IC Events

Riderch Logs

Related Logs

Logs featuring Riderch.

Logs that refer to Riderch.

Relationships

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Soundtrack — Because some of us are vain that way

Gallery

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