Rothbart Swann

Prince Rothbart Swann (a.k.a. Robert Swann)

Related Character Bio

Allegedly fearing for her son's safety during the War of the Six and the following Hazdahn Raids, Ellyria Mopatis sent 'Robert' to become a ward of the Iron Throne in 420 AC, as King Otho I had promised Stonehelm could remain House Swann's if its heir bent the knee. Privately however, returning to Westeros was solely Robert's prerogative, and an act that drew his mother's ire. As from the moment he arrived in King's Landing, Robert became a ward of Prince Alexander Bracken, and a political hostage for the Iron Throne's use, lest there still remained any rebellious stormlords loyal to Vaegon and House Swann, or if Pentos ever sought to aid House Bracken's enemies. Despite this premise, Prince Alexander came to treat Robert as his own squire, showing him a generous amount of freedom and favor. The boy came of age under the care of the 'Hero of Hasty' and his retinue, most notably Maester Yadel and Larkin 'the Lovely'. He saw much of the North due to Prince Alexander's proclivities for it, and upon his rare travels to Old Oak and Stonehelm, took great effort to see the rest of Westeros as well. In late 422 AC, Prince Alexander oversaw his brief return to Stonehelm. And in its aftermath, Alex acquiesced to Robert's wish to return north on foot, visiting Excelsior, Visenya's Wall, Acorn Hall, Stone Hedge, and even detouring to the Vale, so that Prince Alexander could inquire how his uncle fared in his new duties as Lord Paramount. In 423 AC, Lord Tyrus hosted Robert and Ser Larkin at Banefort, even going so far as to sail them around the Iron Isles. They progressed on to Old Oak shortly after where a month was spent, Robert taking additional time to visit his kinsmen of House Redswann at Red Lake. Upon coming of age in 426 AC, Alex graciously released the knighted Robert from his care, allowing him to formally resume lordship of the Stonehelm. Though opinions in the Stormlands are wildly divided about House Swann's return, his stately behavior and amicable disposition have won over those that have met him. The most notable friend made in his return being Jacob Baratheon, the young half-brother of Juspar, who was close friend to Robert's late father. Robert has wasted no time in listening to the smallfolk's grievances in Stonehelm, and though it has not been easy, he has done his best to restore House Swann's seat to a fragment of its former splendor. In his little spare time, he reads. And when especially wistful, he plays his harp deep in the plum tree orchards, to the joy of the smallfolk who hear, all of whom still vividly remember the many performances of his father. Though his appearance is said to take strongly after his grandfather Horro, the only thing he truly shares with him is perhaps a drop of his intellect. He has no haughty ambitions, nor the cunning or callousness to accompany it. He has inherited a strong work ethic from his mother, true. But he inherited most from his father, and perhaps most important of all: his love for peace. After hearing about the gruesome northern battlefields that haunted the Black Swan, and after seeing so many loved ones taken by the Stranger in Summer's End, and after hearing harrowing tales of the Moon Gate's destruction, and of soldiers describing the legions of dead valemen left for the crows, and upon personally witnessing the graphic nature of war's horrors himself in what transpired at Stonehelm 422 AC...he can no longer stomach the thought. Nor abide it. To a fault, Robert has vowed to protect the innocent from it. To do all he can to prevent it from ever rearing its ugly head again. The heartbreak and evil that come from war are too great for any to condone. And those that wage it...his foe. Since his voluntary departure from Pentos, Ellyria has stubbornly refused to indulge her son. His attempts to write her (along with the rest of his family) are met with silence. These efforts are made all the harder as he knows not where the rest are, save one. He has spoken with his youngest sibling in the North on multiple occasions, but after one particularly heated discussion on the nature of her wardship, his sister has refused to speak with him ever since. A fact that pains him dearly. Though he displays a friendly demeanor and noble gentility on the surface, deep down, from the many trials he faced at such a young age...a malaise grips him, just as it did his father, in the last hours of his life. Most interestingly, through fortune or fate, Robert's education is perhaps one of the greatest mankind has ever seen. Whether it was through simple observation or intense instruction, the sheer skill and number of his teachers are incalculable. He was taught how to strum by his father, the infamous Black Swan. How to sing and compose by his mother, the famed Night Bird. Songwriting by his 'nuncle', the Green Bard. Leadership by his uncle, the Prince of Peril. Cartography by his father in law, the Summer King. Nobless Oblige by his brother in law, the Prince of the Wind. Tactics by his guardian, the Bloodstone Prince. Academia by that man's mentor, the Kindly Maester. The Chivalric Code by a true ser, the Lovely Knight. Governance by a queen, the Bear of Winterfell. The Great Game by his grandfather, Pentos' Great Banker. And of course, countless other disciplines through others and more during his time as 'Storm Prince' and as a 'Prince of Pentos'. His pedigree is that of legends, his birth occurring under a rising star, his impact on the world preordained by multiple gods. A wiseman once told his parents he was destined for greatness, and that he would be a man above men. These many expectations and lessons weigh heavily upon him, and how exactly he'll meet them. Only those above know.