Rickard Croft

Rickard Croft is a man of the Night's Watch and a former member of the Brotherhood Without Banners. He has a high distrust for religion.

Appearance and Character
Stitch is a wiry, rough looking peasant type, with greying hair, and a face that would be handsome, if it wasn't for the blinded eye, and all of the other scars, and missing teeth. He looks like he's been in a melee with the best knights in the Seven Kingdoms - and lost. He isn't particularly tall or broad, but it's obvious, simply from the hard look about him, that he's seen plenty of hardship, and would be plenty capable of handling more.

He wears the black, of course, and his uniform is covered in almost as many stitches as he is. His eyes occasionally dart around, or he stops to look over his shoulder, as if worried that someone might surprise him.

Stitch is largely positive when interacting with those of a similar background to himself - he's happy to shoot the breeze with other smallfolk, or even the bastard nobles that often end up in the Watch. He doesn't make much time for knights and nobles, though. They have nothing in common with him, and often find him surly and uncooperative.

Some say that, although generally quite a positive individual, they've seen him get mad, and, apparently, that's an entirely different kettle of fish from his typical peasant chat. A couple of guys said that he, before taking the black, chased a man, on foot, for three hours, and beat him to death with a shovel, for murdering someone close to him. Some even say that he did this after being stabbed.

History
Stitch was a bandit. More specifically, he was a bandit in the Brotherhood Without Banners, under Ser Beric Dondarrion. Apparently he joined up when the Mountain was ravaging the Riverlands the first time round. He joined for noble, romantic reasons, 'stealing from the rich, giving to the poor', that sort of thing.

He was known for being as tough as boot leather. His brothers in arms often joked, saying that the only reason that he got good at swordfighting was because he had learned from lots of other swordsmen who had beaten him, but couldn't kill him. He gained plenty of scars, and was even blinded in one eye.

After a while, the constant injuries and bloodloss, and, more importantly, the feeling that he had achieved very little, caused him to give up. He became a drifter, doing unskilled labour for years. He'd work on farms, he'd chop wood, he'd pour beer, he'd fish, whatever. He never stayed in one place too long, though, as, inevitably, someone from his past would recognise him (he just  had  to hang a half-dozen Freys and anger the rest of them, didn't he?), and he'd need to slip off into the night.

Recently though, some of them caught him. Well, they found where he was staying, on his lover's, Marla's, farm. The two of them murdered her, and tried to do the same to the bandit-turned-farmer. He slew the first with his shovel, then chased the other down, in spite of an injury, and killed him with his comrade's sword.

At that point, he realised that he could run no longer.

The Search for Gregor Clegane
Rickard was one of the Brothers selected to follow Sandor Clegane in the attempt to find Gregor Clegane and report on his whereabouts. After being given the gift from R'hllor, a ruby presented by Lady Melisandre, Rickard threw his into the Blackwater Rush. Rickard participated in the skirmish with the Faith Militant, killing many himself. Their attack saved a group of Red Priests from execution, including Riler, who would aid the Night's Watch afterward. From the castle of Northmarch, was sent, south along the Boneway searching for clues to Ser Gregor's location.

Blackhaven
Rickard and his brothers took refuge in Blackhaven, but found the castle and town abandoned. In searching the keep they found many stonemen locked in the great hall. Rickard and his allies fought against the stonemen long enough to bar the door shut and flee the keep. On the road, Rickard and the others found survivors from Blackhaven, mostly murdered by Faith Militant.

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