Jarin Ayers

Jarin Ayers is the current Lord Protector of the Riverlands. He is a major POV in A Death at Dawn.

Appearance and Personality
Jarin Ayers is a small man with short, curly dark brown hair and brown eyes. In A Death at Dawn, he suffers from a crippling disease that makes his joints swell.

After the end of the Single King's War, Jarin sinks into depression. His depression became worse when he realized that his wife, Dimia, was cheating on him. At the beginning of A Death at Dawn, Jarin tries his best to change his ways to help the Riverlands.

History
Jarin was born in Waterbrook, the Riverlands, on the seventeenth day of the Sugar Moon during the four-hundred and sixty-sixth year after the Secession of Man. A member of House Ayers, Jarin is the youngest child of Alen Ayers and Jassi Chetti. He had two siblings; an older brother named Domeric and an older sister named Brea.

In 480 SM, Alen Ayers loses his sanity and declares himself King of the Riverlands, stipping all of the Riverland highborns of their rights to govern. In 481 SM, House Ayers traveled to Kingment to discuss an alliance with House Osmont. During this period, House Osmont had House Thoren murdered in what is known as the Massacre at Goldspire. This angers King Alen because his beloved late wife, Jassi Chetti, was Popeaila Thoren's cousin. Feeling betrayed, House Ayers declares war on House Osmont. During the first attack on Kingment known as the Burning of Kingment, Dimia Osmont comforted a distraught Jarin. After seeing this, King Alen abducts Dimia and leaves for Waterbrook. In 484 SM, Jarin and Dimia were married to end the war but House Osmont, now gaining an upperhand, continued the war. In 486 SM during the Sack of Waterbrook, Domeric and Brea Ayers were murdered while Jarin was rescued by Hamlin. The Single King's War ended after the Sack of Waterbrook when King Alen Ayers was beheaded by the Citadel for his crimes against Mystos.

On the first day of the Wolf Moon in 487 SM, at twenty years old, Jarin became the Lord Protector of the Riverlands.

He is the father of Terryn and Dain Ayers.

A Death at Dawn
Suffering from depression, Jarin had no motivation to govern the Riverlands. Instead, he blamed his father, for his misfortune and the cause of the Drought of Obum. When Jarin noticed that Hamlin was dying, he decided that he needed to do something for the Riverlands, so he informed Hamlin to find a protege and proposed a feast to reamp the Riverlands economy. He excitedly informed Dimia of his plan, but instead of praising him, she tells him how much of a failure he was. Feeling defeated Jarin naps, and dreams about the past. When he awakes, it is raining. Believing that the rain is a sign, Jarin beings to plan the revival of the Riverlands.

One night, Jarin couldn't fall asleep because he could hear Dimia being pleased. Ready for confrontation, Jarin marched to her room but pauses. When Dimia beings throwing up, Jarin panics and runs back to his room. The next day he meets Lysane Withers and knows that she should be the next "Hamlin". As he dismisses Hamlin and Lysane, and sea of knights enter the throne room. Jossa, Dimia's handmaiden, explained that Dimia had deathskin; a skin disease where few survive. Jarin demands that Dimia is placed in the Black Tower.

Jarin soon begins to feel pain throughout his body limiting his mobility. While eating alone, a letter from the Summerlands arrives, proposing that Lady Kaylien Thoren of the Blackhills marries his eldest son, Terryn Ayers. He calls for his sons to eat with him for dinner and broke the news to Terryn. Terryn refuses the marriage worrying Jarin about the future of the Riverlands. Jarin explains to his sons that he could possibly be dying and needed Terryn to do this. Terryn agrees to marry Kaylien. He goes to see Dimia and is frightened by her appearance. While there, Dimia finally awakens.

Cured, alive, and more confident than ever, Dimia shows herself to the Riverlands courts. She attempted to apologize to Jarin for what she had done but Jarin didn't want to hear it. Upset that Jarin refused to forgive her, she planned to kill him. Dain overhears DImia's plan and tells his father. Jarin, Hamlin, Lysane, Dain, and Ser Bronston Hedge create the Council of the Riverlands to plan a way to make Dimia's assassination plan backfire. At the dinner he had planned earlier, he gives his poisoned meal to Jossa, who dies at the dining table. Seeing a dead Jossa, Dimia screams and threats to kill Jarin in front of everyone. Nervous about any repercussions, he sends Lysane to Griffon's Den in exchange for a young girl named Lady Mere Watwood.

Hamlin dies of natural causes, and Jarin decides that he needs to leave Waterbrook. Although Terryn is named protector while Jarin is gone, Jarin gives all responsibilities to Dain. He leaves in the middle of the night with Ser Bronston Hedge and Daya to go to Widow's Dale. He arrives in Widow's Dale and meets Lady Vera Withers and her adopted children. Jarin realizes that Lady Vera was the "silver salmon" his older brother Domeric had spoken about when Jarin was younger. Vera confesses to Jarin that her real name is Cleophilia. While in Widow's Dale, Jarin and Vera become close and start an affair.

After learning of Dimia's sudden death, Jarin plans to leave Widow's Dale without Vera. However Vera begs to come with him and he agrees.