Ashlynn Toland is the Lady of Ghost Hill, and the Princess of Dorne. She orchestrated the betrayal of Sunspear, which brought the War of the Setting Sun to an end, and the Principality of Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms. Although she reigned with an iron fist against the backlash that followed, she has recently removed herself from politics, and devotes her time to the study and worship of R'hllor.

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Appearance and Character Edit

Ashlynn is a short and slender young woman. She has fiery red hair that has lost some luster over the years, but she still wears it freely past her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes reflects a great fatigue brought on by decades of paranoid rule. In her youth, following the tragic loss of her parents, she did not always carry herself as a lady, and tried to avoid being the center of attention.

As Princess of Dorne, she found herself at the very center of attention, as well as the constant target of threats and attempts on her life. She spent over a decade living in fear, and her rule reflected that terror. As she nears age fifty, she has seen the error of her ways, and leaves the ruling of Dorne to her children.

History Edit

Early Life Edit

Ashlynn was born in 80 AC, and from an early age she showed a keen interest in the many people that her father’s endeavors brought to the keep. Eager to speak with them she attempted to learn their tongue and customs, and whenever her father sailed somewhere, she tried to join him.

In 90 AC, during one of those journeys, a storm sank the ship she and her family were travelling in, and only Ashlynn was lucky enough to be rescued alive. That incident left her scarred, and since that day she has yet to embark on a boat again. However, her interest for the Essossi customs did not fade away, and many people from across the Narrow Sea found their way to Ghost Hill, to instruct the young Lady in matters as diverse as the faith of R’hllor or the braavosi Water Dancing. Among them was the red priest Qhorys, who, while not the most devout expert of the faith, took up service as her spiritual adviser.

Lady of Ghost Hill Edit

In 98 AC, Ashlynn was still adjusting to life as the ruling Lady of Ghost Hill. As one of her fist acts, she had House Toland begin an expansion of their vineyards. This endeavor attracted attention from investors, and Ashlynn received a group of Velaryon nobles that were interested in trading wine, resulting in the joining of their trading league. What began as a modest expansion of Toland’s vineyards soon turned into a prosperous one, through the investment of House Yronwood, and the trade connections of the Velaryons. By the end of 100 AC, their enterprise had greatly enriched their coffers, and the future looked bright.

As news of House Toland’s success spread across the Narrow Sea, Qhorys took it upon himself to reach out to the temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis and ask for aid in spreading the faith. Hoping to leverage this newfound power in Dorne, the Volantis temple sent a more experienced priest, Sylvaria of the Basilisks, and a cadre of the Fiery Hand. Such a deployment knew their way around establishing new temples of R’hllor in hostile lands.

For the first couple years of the war, battles were confined to the Red Mountains. Ashlynn had mobilized the men of Toland to fight and likely die for the kingdom. She disagreed with the motives for war, finding it to be wasteful and born only out of paranoia. Indeed, her cousin and spymaster, Clarisse, gathered tales of dubious intentions on both sides of the battlefield. Her attitudes only worsened as the Red Priests whispered that this was but a plot from the pagan Martells to destroy the faith of R'hllor. Regardless, her uncle and heir, Maron Toland declared that it is their duty to Dorne to march.

Ashlynn personally joined her army along with Maron. The war was little more than a bloody stalemate that saw hundreds die for no gain. As Ashlynn looked upon field after field of the carnage, her support for the Martells wavered as the dead grew. As the war bled into the Sea of Dorne, House Toland found themselves facing the brunt of the combined forces of the Stormland and Royal Navy. Increasingly she felt sick of it all, and her health took a turn for the worse. Her only source of strength was Maron, who constantly argued in favor of the Martells, proclaiming that the cost in blood was worth the protection of Dorne. This illusion would break during what should have been a simple return to her lands. What appeared to be an empty pass quickly turned into a murderous fray as Stormlander raiders struck from all sides. Ashlynn and her men would manage to escape the ambush, but to her horror, Maron would be struck down from his horse by a rogue arrow.

The death of Maron broke her resolve once and for all, along with whatever loyalty remained to the Martells. It was not long after that Clarisse came up to her with a plan to both end the war, and secure the future for House Toland. The scheme would require a letter to the Iron Throne, a meeting with the Jordaynes, Santagars, and Dalts, and one last decisive battle. Already bitter from the war, and angry at the Martells for allowing the Stormlanders to nearly kill her, a stressed and sickly Ashlynn agreed.

In early 103 AC, Ashlynn welcomed the clandestine arrival of the Crown's army at Ghost Hill. A plan was quickly formulated and the surprise attack swiftly launched. The men of Crownlands and the turncloak Dornish attacked Sunspear, and bent the knee of House Martell, whose rulership of the region was brutally ceased, with House Toland put in their place. Ashlynn Toland would be made the first Lady Paramount of Dorne and seal the pact with the Crown, she would marry Aenys Velaryon, her longtime trading partner.

Princess of Dorne Edit

The reign of Princess Ashlynn Toland in 104 AC began well enough, all things considered. Though she had sold her kinsmen to the dragon, the peace could have been far worse. The first years of the Toland lordship would prove to be peaceful and prosperous. However this would soon change. A group of Dornish smallfolk wanted revenge on the people who sold their kingdom, and ambushed Ashlynn, who was nearly killed if not for the intervention of the High Justicar. Though the attempt failed, Clarisse was not so fortunate, and her beloved cousin and spymaster died in her arms. Several more attempts followed, and Ashlynn quickly fell into a spiral of fear and paranoia, prompting her to begin a reign that was about as cruel as it was short-sighted.

Clarisse's network of carefully placed informants and runners swiftly degraded into little more than groups of hired swords, ready to strike at any perceived enemy. Furthermore she requested additional Justicars to be deployed across the country, to ruthlessly enforce fealty to House Toland. They became known as the Sand Judges. The Crown agreed to such a measure in hopes of keeping the Dornish fighting amongst themselves, instead of coming together to fight to regain their independence.

Ashlynn’s cabal of thugs and ruthless judges grew to vast proportions, leading to disappearances and abuse across the once peaceful lands. The pressure of controlling such a volatile security measure across the domain reached a tipping point, and the juggling act eventually proved too much to maintain. Dorne became plagued by bandits and small scale rebellions, which crippled Ashlynn’s authority, and destroyed her credibility with the Iron Throne. In response, in 118 AC, the Crown appointed a new High Justiciar, Lord Martyn Tarbeck, to oversee Ashlynn’s own actions, along with that of the rest of Dorne.

Secluded Princess Edit

Finally realizing the horrors of her reign, Ashlynn turned to the Lord of Light for guidance. She gradually removed herself from the ruling of Dorne, and allowed her children to salvage the deep rifts she had caused. Secluding herself in study and prayer, she would become obsessed with apocalyptic prophecy, and the mysteries of dragons, becoming devout in the teachings of R'hllor.

Recent History Edit

Ashlynn's eldest sons have not fared well. Quentyn produced a bastard child with the Martell heir, and was slain in a duel by Lord Martell. Andrey himself slew the High Justiciar Tarbeck in a duel, and now faces trial in King's Landing. But since her self imposed seclusion, she maintains trust that all events are a part of the Lord of Light's plan. So she represses her worry for her sons by diving into her faith.

While her family travels to King's Landing for the coronation of the new King, and the Andrey's trial, Ashlynn remains at Ghost Hill.

Family Edit

Full family tree

Princess Ashlynn Toland, b.80

m. Aenys Velaryon, b.80

Household Edit

Arthur Sand, Castellan b. 85

Gulian Dalt, Steward b. 100

Maester Toman b. 65

Ser Trystane of the Torrentine, Captain of the Guard b. 101

Armen Shells, Master of Horse b. 85

Old Bess, Cook b. 50

Attribute: Sly

Mastery: Architect

Skills: Espionage, Propagation, Commerce, Networking, Finance