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Katla Serry was born in the 138th year after Aegon’s Landing, the sole daughter of Vickon Greyjoy and his first wife, Lady Shera Wynch.
A tall and lissome woman, her figure a gentle hourglass as the swell of bosom tapers to a narrow waist, flaring again at her hips and ending with long, coltish legs. Alabaster skin is touched faintly by the sun on her hands, neck and face; it complements a mass of inky black tresses that pour razor-straight down to her waist. When the sun catches it, there are glitters of rich indigo highlights in those locks. Her face is oval with high, sharp cheekbones and a determined chin, lending a strength to her expression; a long, slightly aquiline nose complements it, and full lips tinted a cool pink are often tilted in a polite smile. Dark eyebrows arch gracefully over deep blue eyes flecked with gold, peering out with grave curiosity at the world.
A gown of oxblood lambswool clings tight to her wrists, fastened with small shell buttons. A squared neckline reveals little, curving around her neck to end in a high collar of Myrish lace. The gown’s bodice is tightly laced, embroidered sparingly with cream thread and a scattering of seed pearls. Tapering to her waist, the gown falls in generous folds to the floor and a bit beyond, the skirts embroidered with increasingly complex designs until the hem is an intricate white-on-red. Her hair is pulled back, secured with shell combs and culminating in a long, intricate braid. Around her wrists, bangles of shell, gold, bone and iron clink quietly. A long gold chain wraps around her neck and drops out of sight beneath her bodice; a pair of earrings wrought of ruby, gold and pearl complete the ensemble.
Katla was raised in the Iron Islands, and it is bred into her, heart and soul, bone and blood. The side of her seen by Iron Islanders is spirited, well-spoken, and determined, a steel core wrapped by the fine appearance and manners of her upbringing. She is educated, able to sing, dance and play harp passably; her greatest skill is weaving, and whether a lap loom, large standing loom, or simple finger weaving.
She is temperamental, moods changing as easily and as often as the sea, and tends to be significantly more reserved in the presence of those she does not know - but still waters, as they say, run deep. She seems reserved around those who are neither Iron Islanders, nor kin; something about her implies that perhaps one of those hard life lessons taught by the Isles cut her deeply and did little healing.
She grew up on cold and windy Pyke, one of the fairly rough-and-tumble lot that were the children of Vickon and Shera; her childhood experienced a sharp and abrupt end with the death of her mother, who drowned whilst crossing a rope bridge in a storm. It took her nearly three months to cross the rope bridges to the other Keeps of Pyke again. The remarriage of her father not very long after gave her life another sense of stability, and the birth of her sister Dacey gave her something to think of, outside her own private childhood misery.
The children of the Greyjoy house received the education appropriate to their heritage, their letters, history of the Iron Isles - and Westeros. The children were raised with the Drowned God and the old ways impressed in their minds, the bias against those in the soft lands. Katla learned to play the high harp and carry a fair tune, seamanship and geography, how to reckon by the stars. What was surprising - or perhaps not? - to most was her deftness with the loom, and many of the draughty walls of the Great Keep and the Sea Tower had been lightened by weavings small and large that she has done.
It was death that haunted her and turned her from an boisterous young woman to a more reserved one: her mother died while crossing a bridge at the Keep, her sister Dacey and brother Dagon died within weeks of each other; her uncle Garmon Blacktyde was lost at sea, her stepmother dead in childbed. The steady pounding of death at her door, as ever-present as waves against Pyke, slowly drained her.
She spent a season at Feastfires with the Presters, kin by marriage, and learned a bit of the green lands, attending tourneys and a handful of marriages. It brought some cheer back to her, and the past two years at Pyke have been a bit more cheerful, a bit more exuberant, harkening back to her early teenage years. Later, a season with the Redwynes at the Arbor followed, and she began to get suspicious: few women spent one season out if the Islands; two seasons was unheard of. Recent months had negotiations beginning for the next necessary phase of her life - marriage. In order to facilitate trade and develop alliances, the marriage of a daughter is one of the most common methods, and is for such a purpose that Katla is being delivered to King’s Landing.Since her arrival, Katla has been kidnapped by Lysene pirates (and subsequently rescued), been married, and who knows what else will happen?
On 18-11-162, Katla, Doryssa Massey, Reyna Saltcliffe and a young Fossoway maid are captured while travelling to Massey’s Point. They spend a week on the ship of Sullehman Saan, until their rescue on the 25th.
Katla was wed to Lord Justyn Serry, Lord of Southshield, on 14-01-163.
Katla miscarried of her first child on 19-04-163.
After attending a sermon at Visenya’s Sept under the pressure of others, Katla is caught in the group of courtiers sandwiched between wildfire from the pyromancers and a normal fire. She spends much of her evening and the very early morning helping in a bucket line, as well as assisting with moving ships in the harbor to safety.
Most notably, Katla was born a Greyjoy of the Iron Islands; she is, and always will be, ironborn. Regardless of her marriage, she still serves as the Greyjoy representative at King’s Landing until her father otherwise sends word.
A follower of the Drowned God, Katla has gained the questionable virtue of extra attention from His Grace King Baelor, who is - gently! - trying to convert her to the Faith of the Seven.
Katla is the wife of Lord Justyn Serry, the Lord of Southshield. They have had a rocky relationship, and their new marriage continues to be thus.
While once starting out at each other’s throats, Katla and Alyce Bar Emmon have become curiously good friends - the Bar Emmon maid has been seen in consultation with the ironborn woman.
Somehow Reyna Saltcliffe and Katla Serry have become close acquaintances or perhaps even friends - they have been seen sharing each other’s company on more than one occasion.
Ser Alyard Corbray, friend to the Lord Serry, is also a friend of Katla’s. They have held several conversations, and exchanged polite threats in equal measure. It is notable Alyard, along with Ammon Massey and Dagur Saltcliffe, was one of the three to rescue Reyna and Katla from Sullehman Saan’s pirate ship; it was with his dagger that she killed a man.
Words at Dawn - Katla Greyjoy and Alyard Corbray have a discussion at dawn.
In The Belly of the Black Wind - The rescue of Katla, Doryssa Massey and Reyna Saltcliffe from Sullehman Saan’s ship.
Wedding Feast - The nuptial feast of Katla Greyjoy and Justyn Serry.
Category://King’s Landing -> People