Lord Guirmund Mountblack

About Lord Guirmund Mountblack

Geirmund Mountblack was already an established nobleman and warrior, though his reputation had been forged more through warfare than courtly refinement. In his younger years, Geirmund was deeply involved in the rebellions that troubled the kingdom. He fought personally rather than merely sending men beneath his banner, gaining a reputation for physical courage, severity and effectiveness in battle. He was accustomed to danger and to the difficult decisions expected of a lord during wartime. House Mountblack had longstanding ties with the northern nobility, despite Blackmere formally belonging to the South. Geirmund therefore understood northern customs, blood-feuds and old loyalties better than many southern lords did. His relationship with House Aurelwyn had once been one of alliance and personal familiarity. The two houses were not strangers to one another; their connection had been built upon neighbouring territories, mutual interests and the expectations of the old nobility. When the rebellion divided the kingdom, however, Geirmund chose the king’s side. That decision placed him against former allies. Goals Geirmund’s original ambitions were comparatively straightforward: preserve House Mountblack, strengthen its position around Blackmere and ensure that his family would remain powerful after the rebellion ended. He wanted Mountblack to survive whatever happened to the kingdom. He was also determined that Blackmere should never become politically insignificant. Its position near the northern frontier made the fortress strategically valuable, and Geirmund understood that military reputation was one of the surest ways to protect his house. During the rebellion, loyalty to the crown therefore became intertwined with the survival of Mountblack. His actions against Aurelwyn were not born from some elaborate personal scheme. They were part of a brutal political decision made during a period when former alliances were being broken and noble houses were being forced to choose sides. By the time the rebellion ended, Geirmund had accomplished much of what he had once wanted. House Mountblack remained standing. Blackmere remained in his hands. His name was feared. His position was secure. And, having spent much of his youth proving himself through war, Geirmund eventually reached a point where he had little appetite for proving anything further. The man who had once been intensely involved in warfare gradually became careless with the privileges peace had given him. Drink, women, hunting and the comforts of lordship increasingly occupied his attention. He still possesses the authority and reputation of the man he once was. He simply does not always behave like a man who needs to use them. L

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