House Bayle is a vassal house that holds fealty to House Harrigon. Their seat is the newly built Castle Bayle. They are one of the youngest houses of Westeros, being established during Robert's Rebellion .
House Bayle's sigil is a plain red and yellow banner. Their motto is "Live as many, Stand as One."
History[]
Background[]
Prior to Robert's Rebellion, the Bayles were an insignificant family of farmers. At the outbreak of war, the Bayle brothers rallied to the Baratheon cause. Throughout the conflict, the Bayles showcased their prowess both on and off the battlefield, and most famously diverted a company of Targaryean soldiers from battle through the cunning of the eldest brother Colton Bayle. Following Robert Baratheon's accension to the throne, the Bayles were granted lands of their own in their ancestral home of the Stormlands.
For the next five years, the family toiled away at the construction of Castle Bayle. Situated amongst four hills, Castle Bayle became famous for its impregnable location.
Over the next decade, the Bayles grew rapidly in power and influence, as many commoners saw the house as "one of their own" due to their humble beginnings. Lord Colton Bayle enjoyed immense loyalty amongst his subjects throughout his lands.
In 296 AL Colton's brothers, the twins Ruger and Ethan Bayle, departed from the Stormlands to travel the continent. His youngest brother, Samuel Bayle, remained with his family at Castle Bayle. That following year, Colton's second son Randar was sent to serve as a squire to Renly Baratheon.
Season 1[]
For the Tourney of the Hand, House Bayle sends Colton's eldest son Dorin to represent their family. Randar is also present, and reunites with his brother for the first time in little over a year. By then, he and Renly had become fast friends, the latter treating the young Bayle more as an equal than a squire.
Following Robert's sudden death, Colton is summoned by his liege lord Stannis Baratheon to Dragonstone. The Bayles are mentioned by King Joffrey among the nobles who must bend the knee to his reign.
Ruger and Ethan are among the nobles who declare for Robb Stark, as the two had found kindred spirits among the men of the North.
Season 2[]
At the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, House Bayle is one of the few mainland houses of the Stormlands to declare for Stannis' claim. Lord Colton rallies 2,000 men at arms, and around 500 Calvary, stationing his force at Castle Bayle. The majority of the Bayle clan isolate themselves within their seat with the exception of the twins Ruger and Ethan who were last heard traveling north, in addition to Ruger's bastard son Asher Storm.
Randar is detained by Renly once the latter declares his claim to the throne, as the young king does not want Randar revealing his military strength. However, Randar eagerly swears fealty to King Renly.
Lord Colton is eager to retrieve his secondborn son, but does not wish to risk Dorin's safety and as such sends Samuel to bring Randar home. Renly allows Randar and Samuel to meet once Randar's uncle and a company of knights appear at his camp, however, the meeting is soon cut short as Randar declares his allegiance to Renly.
In the chaos that followsRenly's assassination , Randar seemingly disappears. Colton sends out dozen of riders to inquire of his son's whereabouts but all return emptyhanded.
To the surprise of Colton, his half-nephew Asher suddenly reappeared at Castle Bayle. Sent by his father Ruger, Asher attempts to sway his kin to King Robb's cause. Colton, however, had always loathed Asher, and ordered him to be seize by Bayle guards. Like his father, Asher was a skilled swordsman, and managed to kill two men before being stabbed in the leg by Castellan Jon Faywell. The bastard is quickly imprisoned below Castle Bayle on the charge of treason against King Stannis.
Meanwhile in the North Ruger and Ethan both became high-ranking officers in Robb Stark's army, showing a tenacity on the battlefield only matched by their northern comrades. However, after Ethan is injured following the Battle of the Yellow Fork , he becomes increasingly sidelined in favor of Ruger, who had since become a close friend to Lord Roose Bolton .
The majority of Bayle forces participate in theBattle of the Blackwater under command of Dorin. The heir to Castle Bayle however, perishes during the battle, as does most of the Bayle army. Lord Colton, along with his wife Alis, their daughter Jasline, and Alis' brother Jon flee to Dragonstone along with Stannis' host. Samuel, now ruling over Castle Bayle, quickly surrenders the castle to Tyrell forces and declares fealty to King Joffrey.
Season 3[]
Now residing at Dragonstone, Colton becomes more and more wary of Stannis' behavior, and while he vocally supports the latter's intent to sacrifice the bastard Gendry , secretly Colton ponders if Stannis had gone insane.
Ruger and Ethan are present at the Red Wedding , though Ethan is kept in the camp outside due to his lingering wounds, while Ruger feasts alongside Roose Bolton. When Robb Stark's betrayal occurs, Ruger attempts to murder Roose but is shot in the eye by a crossbow bolt, killing him instantly. In the massacre that follows, Ethan desperately tries to find his twin, but eventually slips away in the chaos.
Samuel, meanwhile, has been declared the legitimate Lord of Castle Bayle by Joffrey. Unlike his elder brother, Samuel did not foster the same relations with the small folk as Colton had, and the people have little loyalty to him, seeing him as little more than a pawn for the Iron Throne.
Season 4[]
Lord Colton, Jon Faywell, and the remaining Bayle soldiers accompany Stannis to the North, but Colton insists Alis and their daughter Jasline remain behind in Dragonstone. Once Stannis' force departs, the Lannister forces quickly overrun the meager garrison left on the island. Alis is captured and taken back to King's landing, but Jasline manages to hide from the enemy, and escapes upon a fishing boat with a small company of Baratheon loyalists.
Across the Reach, Tyrell officials are bewildered by the mysterious saboteur who raided supply lines and burned crops. Lord Mace Tyrell dispatches a company of 50 riders under the command of his pompous cousin Kegan Tyrell to the village of Ashford, where the vigilante was last seen.
At Castle Bayle, Lord Samuel hangs his half-nephew Asher, in a desperate bid to earn the approval of the small folk. However, a riot breaks out at Asher's hanging, which Samuel brutality puts down, leading to the deaths of dozens of commoners. A guerrilla war breaks out across the lands surrounding Castle Bayle, and the recently crowned King Tommen dispatches a 500 strong Lannister force under his cousin Russal Lannister to deal with the unrest plaguing the Stormlands.
Following the Red Wedding, Ethan traveled across both the North and the Riverlands aimlessly. His leg wounds never fully healed, so his natural skills as a swordsman were practically useless. Also, he was labeled a traitor to the crown by House Bolton and had to avoid assassins and bounty hunters at every turn. Finally, the surviving Bayle twin took refuge on the Iron Islands. Specifically Ironport, seat of House Frosher, a vassal house of House Greyjoy. While there, Ethan receives a raven from his son Rickard of Samuel's usurpation of Castle Bayle, and also that his uncle Samuel had taken to having his way with his mother Fioyna on a nightly basis.
Enraged, Ethan snapped the neck of the raven that delivered the message, and swore that he would kill his younger brother, in the presence of Gannon Frosher. Son of the aged Lord Evin Frosher, he and Ethan had become close friends during the latter's months of exile at Ironport, and Ethan appealed to him for a ship to travel upon. Gannon's elder brother had perished during the Greyjoy Rebellion, and since then the Frosher's had habored a resentment to the Greyjoys and were hesitant to fully back Balon Greyjoy in his most recent bid for independence. Gannon also had always longed to leave the Iron Islands and see more of the world, and thus that night he and Ethan stole away upon his personal longship The Andal along with his crew and sailed south.
Season 5[]
In the dead of night, Samuel (in a drunken state) once again orders for his sister-in law Fioyna to come to his personal quarters. However, after months of abuse, Fioyna brings with her a knife to assassinate the Lord. However, Samuel overpowers her and in a fit of rage strangles her to death. He then summons her three children and demand that they swear fealty to him or face death. Before his sisters can respond, Rickard swears that he will never follow his treacherous uncle, and before either Samuel or his guards can react flees from Castle Bayle. Though the alarm is raised and the surrounding lands are searched, the young Rickard is nowhere to be found. His sisters are subsequently imprisoned in the dungeons, with Melian now Samuel's plaything.
Led by Ser Kristan Moss, Jasline and the rest of the Baratheon loyalists had made their way south and had hidden out in the Dornish marshes. Jasline herself had been taken in by Stanler Dondarrion: nephew of the disappeared Lord Beric Dondarrion, de facto head of House Dondarrion, and secret Baratheon sympathizer. In her months of refuge, the two had become close, much to the jealously of Moss.
Rickard meanwhile had become little more than a beggar, wandering about the Stormlands. Finally he makes his way to Ashford and spends most of his night scraping for food and sleeping out in a stable. As fate would have it, while dozing off in a pile of hay, Rickard awakes to find his cousin Randar hiding just feet from him. In a hasty reunion, Randar explains that since Renly's death he has been doing all he can to disrupt the Tyrell's war effort for their betrayal of his king. Kegan Tyrell's company had expanded to a hundred men, and they had tracked Randar to his regular haunt of Ashford. The cousins flee before the Tyrell riders can discover them.
Once out of danger, Randar further explains his exploit's over the last two years. After months of traveling across the Reach he eventually made his way north into the Riverlands, where he came into contact with the Brotherhood without Banners. Randar's knowledge of the south proved to be indispensable to the Brotherhood, and now Randar led the southern wing of their forces. Rickard in turn explains the state of their family. Randar knows he should press his claim, but Samuel is far to dug in to be challenged now. Randar hopes that the Brotherhood will give him in the men to reclaim his birthright, and with his cousin in tow he departs for the Riverlands.
Colton and his brother-in law Jon take place in Stannis' march on Winterfell. Tragically, the Lord is slain by Bolton soldiers, as is Jon, and the remaining Bayle forces are wiped out. Alis was left behind at Castle Black, and when news of her husband's death reaches her Lord Commander Jon Snow allows he to take refuge among his men. Following the assassination of the Lord Commander, Alis steals away to Mole's town.
Season 6[]
Randar and Rickard make their case before the Brotherhood without Banners. To the former's surprise, the Brotherhood condemns his intentions and brands him a traitor to their cause. A fight breaks out, in which the Bayles manage to escape but not before killing several Brotherhood guards.
At Castle Bayle, Maester Wil receives a raven bearing news from Alis of her current whereabouts. Knowing that if Samuel received the news he'd probably send assassin's for his brother's wife, Wil manages to slip by the Lannister guards and rides north. The morning after, an enraged Samuel dispatches his son Grenn to bring the Maester back, dead or alive.
The Andal was forced to port in the Dornish capital of Sunspear. The land of Dorne however had recently experienced a coup by Ellaria Sand, who had closed her borders to all outsiders. Thus Ethan, Gannon, and the crew are round up by Dornish soldiers and brought before Ellaria. After hearing of his mission to recapture Castle Bayle and thus deal a blow to the Lannister war effort, Ellaria gives him her blessing and even provides two Dornish longships and a company of Dornish warriors.
Stanler openly annouces his love for Jasline, much to the anger of Ser Kristan. Jasline, on her part, tells Stanler secretly she will marry him when Castle Bayle is retaken. The young man is frustrated, as he cant in good faith risk war with the crown over love.
In the Riverlands, Maester Wil is overjoyed when his paths and those of Randar and Rickard cross. Wil quickly informs Randar of his mother whereabouts, but their reunion is cut short as their cousin Grenn appears. He taunts Randar and Rickard, who had always ignored him as children, and mocks them of their current status. Rickard attacks his cousin, and eventually cuts Grenn's sword hand clean off. Randar orders Grenn to return to his father and inform him of his intent to reclaim his birthright, and the bleeding Grenn departs. Randar convinces Rickard and Wil to ride north while he travels south.
In the Stormlands, Randar hopes to convince House Winch and House Faywell to join his cause against his uncle Samuel. House Winch, enraged at the murder of Fioyna Winch, promise to back Randar's claim. However, House Faywell blame the Bayles for the death and apparent death of Jon and Alis Faywell, respectively. They rebuke Randar's request, and even go so far as to betray him, turning him over to Kegan Tyrell. Kegan brings Randar to his uncle.
Words spread south of Randar's reappearance and capture. Jasline presses Stanler to march to Castle Bayle and rescue his brother, but Stanler is indecisive and is slow to aid the Bayles. However, his mind changes when one of his spys, a Yi Ti native known only by his moniker "The Weasel" returns from Essos. He informs Stanler that Daenary's Targaryen has secured a fleet of Greyjoy ships and is sailing for Westeros. Stanler realizes that if Castle Bayle is retaken, the southern Stormlands will provide a perfect launching point for a Targaryen invasion. Kristan, ever the Baretheon loyalist, refuses to fight for a Targaryen, but is eventually convinced by Jasline to commit House Moss' force.
Stanler is capable of raising an army of 600 men-at arms and 80 knights, in addition to a company of 60 archers. Kristan leads a company of 70 knights bound to him, while House Winch (which the Weasel had established communication with) could provide 200 foot soldiers. As the Dondarrion force marches north, Lannister scouts warn of their approach to Samuel, who recalls the Lannister force within Castle Bayle. The Castle's garrison numbers 135, while Samuel also has at his command 500 Lannisters and a hundred Tyrell riders. House Faywell commit 300 foot soldiers to Samuel.
Stanler draws him army about Castle Bayle, which is perched on a line of hills circled by a forest. Knowing they cannot conduct a drawn out siege, Stanler plans to take the Castle in fell swoop. Dondarrion archers advance and lay volley after volley on the defenders, pinning them down and allowing Winch footmen to rush forward with ladders to scale the walls. Before the Winches can reach the walls the Tyrell and Lannister Calvary ride out from opposite sides of the castle to cut them off. Ser Kristan leads a calvary charge into the Tyrell ranks, breaking off their attack. However, the Lannister's cut through the Winch men. Stanler orders his archers to fire on the Lannisters, allowing the garrison to regroup.
The Tyrell's scatter, and Kristan leads his men agaisnt the Lannisters, not knowing the Dondarrion's are firing upon friend and foe alike. Kristan himself is shot in the shoulder and thrown from his horse, only just escaping death as he tears himself out of the carnage. The Winch footmen break and scatter, and Russel Lannister retreats his company back into the keep.
Kristan manages to make it back to Stanler's camp, where the two nearly come to blows over how the siege should proceed. Weasel enters their counsel and informs them of the incoming Faywell army. Stanler rallies the Dondarrion knights to defend their flank. However, the Faywell men never emerge from the forest, and upon investigation they happen upon the Dornish spearmen slaughtering the peasant soldiers. The remmants of the Faywell men flee, and Gannon Fosher approaches Jasline to inform her of her uncle Ethan's actions.
Concurrent with the Dornish ambush, Ethan and the Fosher reavers scale the undermanned flank of Castle Bayle. They fight their way through the garrison, reaching the gate and opening it for the force outside. Ethan is confronted by his brother Samuel and a company of Lannister guards. Samuel taunts his estranged brother for Ruger's death and reveals the murder of Ethan's wife Fioyna at his own hands. Blinded by fury, Ethan rushes the Lannisters and is cut down.
By then, however, the Dondarrion-Dornish force had stormed the gates and broken through. Kegan Tyrell himself is skewered on a Dornish spear whilst trying to flee. Samuel rallies the remnants of the garrison and they withdraw into the central keep. Russal Lannister emerges from the keep and without a word presents a large sack to the attackers. Upon cutting it open, the Bayle loyalists are horrified to discover the naked corpse of Cersei Bayle, having been strangeled by her uncle.
Inside the keep, Septon Clara releases Randar from his cell, and sacrfices herself to by time for him to flee the keep and reunite with his sister. Leaving Kristan is charge of the main force Randar, Stanler, Gannon, and several revears inflitrate the keep. They rush the main hall, and manage to slay Samuel's personal guard before confronting the treacherous Bayle brother. Samuel begs his nephew for mercy, as the latter lists off his uncle's many crimes. Finally, Samuel is seized and Rander beheads him at the table where once the Bayle family ate happily together.
In the aftermath of the siege, Russal and a company of Lannister knights flee Castle Bayle enroute to King's landing, Grenn Bayle in tow. Ethan and Cersei are given a funeral, and the remains of Fioyna are found so she may properly be buried next to her husband and daughter. The Winches and the other loyal Bayle bannerman gather as Randar is proclaimed Lord of Castle Bayle. The Dornishmen remain to hold the castle, while Gannon sails for the Iron Islands, vowing to return with more men and ships. Stanler and Jasline are wed, and House Bayle swears fealty to House Harrington, all the while awaiting the Targaryen invasion.
Members of House Bayle at the end of the Third Century[]
- {Colton Bayle}, Lord of Castle Bayle. Killed at the March on Winterfell.
- His wife, Alis Faywell
- {Dorin Bayle}, his eldest son. Killed at the Battle of Blackwater.
- Randar Bayle, his secondborn son. Current Lord of Castle Bayle
- Jasline Bayle, his only daughter. Wed to Stanler Dondarrion.
- {Ruger Bayle}, his brother and twin to Ethan Bayle. Murdered at the Red Wedding.
- {Asher Storm}, his bastard son; executed by his uncle Samuel.
- His brother, {Ethan Bayle}, twin to Ruger. Slain by Lannisters.
- His wife, {Fioyna Winch}. Strangled by Samuel Bayle.
- His son, Rickard Bayle.
- His eldest daughter, Melian Bayle
- His younger daughter, {Cersei Bayle}. Murdered by Samuel Bayle.
- His wife, {Fioyna Winch}. Strangled by Samuel Bayle.
- His youngest brother, {Samuel Bayle}. Executed by his nephew Randar.
- His wife, Kaylee Winch
- His son, Grenn Bayle
- His infant daughter, Eyla Bayle
- His wife, Kaylee Winch
- His wife, Alis Faywell
Lord Colton's court and retainers[]
- Maester Wil, an excitable young man.
- {Jon Faywell}, Alis' brother and Lord Colton's Castellan. Killed at the March on Winterfell
- {Septon Clara}, charged with the Bayle girl's upbringings. Killed by Lannister guards.