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Warden in the West, Lord of Casterly Rock[M:0:]
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Jun 21, 2013 18:28:41 GMT -5
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Tytus was not best pleased with these latest developments. Granted he had not expected the wolf and stag to be so easily cowed by his suggestion, however he could not quite pin down their motives. Lord Stark at least seemed ready to take some precaution as he himself was in danger of massed attack from the ironborn just as much as the Westerlands were, but he knew far too little of Ian Baratheon to be able to properly ascertain his reasons for advising caution and diplomacy. It was quite possible that being young and not well versed in the game he genuinely believed that they would save lives and secure the peace by talking with the ironmen. On the other hand though it was equally likely that, as he had thought, Lord Baratheon had not attended because he wished to mass his banners in an attempt to place himself on the Iron Throne. In such a case any other military action would be viewed as wasteful and ultimately counterproductive.
Again before the Hand could speak, Tytus rose from his seat with his head hung low and a coy smile playing across his face. 'No,' was the first word to issue from his lips, flat and dismissive. Raising his head he locked his eyes with the young Baratheon, staring daggers at him as he spoke. 'There is only one form of diplomacy that these ironmen understand and that is conducted at the tip of a sword. Talk with them if you will, they will be neither intimidated nor deterred. I, for my part, will not sit idly by while the ironborn burn my hold and slaughter my people, all while you cower beneath Storm's End and call it justice!'
His flash of anger was quickly reigned in when the Hand raised his cane and struck it loudly against the floor. The noise hung in the silent still air of the court a brief moment before Tytus seated himself again. 'My apologies... to you all. You must understand though young Baratheon that the nature of politics is not so simplistic as the nature of good and evil. It will deceive you in to believing that you are saving lives even as you destroy them. My father taught you this, did he not? In any case, you might say that this is true of me, but it is no less the case for you and Lord Stark.'
He cleared his throat and gave a consenting nod. 'Very well, we shall send Lord Greyjoy an ultimatum, but should he not give up hostages and hand over a portion of his fleet then it must be war.'
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Warden in the West, Lord of Casterly Rock[M:0:]
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Jun 21, 2013 18:28:41 GMT -5
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In the corner of Riverrun's hall sat Tytus Lannister, who had stopped over on his way back to King's Landing from Casterly Rock. He had come unannounced and thankfully remained unnoticed and unheeded for the time being. Huddled away in his corner he was sitting and drinking, drinking and sitting... but mostly drinking. Gaudy and flamboyant as these people were in their sense of dress they were no doubt some of the most boring cretins that he had ever had the displeasure of clapping eyes upon. There were certain exceptions. Lord and Lady Tully who were currently at the epicentre of a maelstrom of nobles that he had neither the inclination nor the patience to navigate were two such people. As luck would have it the hall was graced by another such person in the form of Lady Valkyrie Tully, one of the few other nobles in the myriad of Westerosian Houses that Tytus found to be tolerable and indeed enjoyable company.
She had come with a small escort, but thankfully it seemed as though she was not the object of any particular notice. This was likely to change and so he decided to move quickly and quietly so as not to alert anyone to his own presence. 'M'lord?' The servant boy to whom he'd given a glistening gold dragon to that he might ferry him a steady supply of wine moved with him. 'Where are you going?'
'We're going to save the young Tully maid from drowning.' Sticking to the edge of the room, shadowed by the mezzanine above which also gave him pillars to move between. The lengths I go to for family.
'Another cup boy.' The servant obliged, quickly pouring a second cup which Tytus proceeded to hold out in the open as Valkyrie passed nearby, quickly sliding around the pillar in to her sight bearing a broad smile as he did.
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Warden in the West, Lord of Casterly Rock[M:0:]
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Jun 21, 2013 18:28:41 GMT -5
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As was always the case, the details of these grievances and petitions bored Tytus immensely. He was beginning to understand just why the King had a Hand in the first place, aside from the usually impeccable council, anyone who had to deal with this from day to day would quite easily lose the will to live. He had been pleasantly surprised when both Stark and Baratheon had acceded to his request, but he did not take that to mean that they would just as swiftly bow down to his encroaching hegemony over the capital. It could quite simply be that any order given in the name of the King carried just enough weight to sway the hearts of these noble men. He doubted that immensely. The letters to each of the Lords from the Hand had contained the selfsame preface and already, with Tommen barely cold in the sept, Lord Baratheon already felt that his kinsman's authority meant shit.
I will need to talk to Lord Stark afterwards about his choice of companions, but he will be difficult to coerce. Wolves are lonesome and stubborn creatures.
When at last each of the remaining Lords had seen fit to turn over in and finally slide out of their beds to join them, the Hand arrived to call them properly to the business of the day. 'I have already spoken at length with the Lord Hand concerning the King's funeral tourney. The purse currently stands at 20,000 gold dragons to the winner of the joust, 10,000 for the runner-up, to be provided at the expense of House Lannister. That aside there will be a further 10,000 set aside for the winner of the melee and 8,000 for the winner of the archery. Favours and victories will be dedicated to the enduring memory of King Tommen as this tourney is not one of personal glory, but a celebration of our patron's life and victories.' He then turned to the Hand who now sat in his former place at the head of the table, while Tytus now sat directly to his right. Sighing he lowered his head briefly and rose in place of the Hand to announce the next order of business.
'My Lords, Ladies, my Lord Hand... it is well known to you no doubt that House Greyjoy has a storied past of disquiet and rebellion. In times of crisis and need it has always been the way of the ironborn to return to their Old Way and attempt secession from the Seven Kingdoms. It is therefore the view of the Hand and of myself that a punitive expedition should be fielded by all the Great Houses and their bannermen, to strike pre-emptively against the Iron Islands, to subdue the Lords, make hostages of their Heirs and burn their fleets at harbour.' He paused to clear his throat amongst the shocked gasps and stunned looks of silence.
'This proposal amounts to a declaration of war and we therefore seek your counsel on the matter.' He spoke as though it had been the Hand's idea, but it was he who had first proposed the plan as a part of his own personal game. That was his first move just assuredly as the Hand had made his, cursh rebellion with rebellion.
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Warden in the West, Lord of Casterly Rock[M:0:]
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Jun 21, 2013 18:28:41 GMT -5
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Tytus had been up early to watch the sun rising over Blackwater Bay, since coming back to King's Landing only a few weeks ago it had become something of a daily ritual for him and had reaffirmed the feeling that as much as Casterly Rock was the seat of his power it was only in the Crownlands that he really felt at all at home. That was to be expected, though he had won the hearts of the West it was King's Landing which had won his many, many long years before. After some time stood upon the battlements he supposed that ought to be going, he was expected at court as soon as the sun had risen after all. As he understood it was not a meeting of the Small Council, rather the Hand had called all the Lords of the Great Houses from across the Seven Kingdoms to manage the ailing capital in its time of need and where necessary to mete out the King's justice while the Iron Throne lay empty. Or maybe, just maybe, he's called us here to stop us declaring Kingships of our own. Perhaps he's either hoping that we'll all kill one another so he can place the nearest Baratheon to the late King on the throne, or at the very least thin out the pack to one incontestable ruler. Sounds about right, certainly the prudent thing to do.
When the sun had finally risen free of the horizon and banished the last vestiges of the night, Tytus pushed himself up from where he had been leaning and headed for the Great Hall. He expected that one or two over zealous Lords or Ladies would have found their way there already, not realising that they would largely be dealing with petty matters unrelated to the succession. On the other hand though, it afforded each of them the opportunity to size up the competition and by that dint any of them would be total fools not to turn up at all.
Standing outside the large wooden doors which led in to the Hall, Tytus removed the sword belt he had donned that morning, wrapping it around the sheath and placing it in his left hand. As two of his entourage heaved the doors open he strode forward, his eyes fixed ahead upon the opposing image of the Iron Throne. I may have bitten off more than I can chew this time. His steps were confident and his head held high as another of his attendants sounded his introduction. 'The Lord Tytus Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.'
As if they had no idea. Just from looking he knew one of them for Bryen Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and judging by his age and the hue of his hair the other was Ian Baratheon. The both of them had been fostered by his father and they'd seldom met due to him being raised largely in King's Landing.
With almost no regard for the other two Lords... well, the other Lord in attendance at least, he walked straight past them stopping at the foot of the Throne where he knelt, placing his sword and sheath tip down as he bowed his head briefly. He stayed thus for only a moment before placing the weapon at the base of the colossal iron construct, for the time being it still belonged to Tommen after all. He turned and stood at the head of the table opposite the door and finally spoke.
'In the name of King Tommen Baratheon, the fourth of his name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. I, Tytus the House Lannister, do call this gathering of Lords to convene.' Seating himself he quickly leaned back and settled with one arm upon the rest of his chair. A poor showing it seemed and because of that he expected that one of these two, perhaps both would dissent and insist they not begin until all were in attendance. Still, it was only proper to ask the question. 'Have you any objections?'
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Warden in the West, Lord of Casterly Rock[M:0:]
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Jun 21, 2013 18:28:41 GMT -5
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[No image as yet.]
name; Tytus Lannister house; House Lannister of Casterly Rock rank; Lord gender; Male age; Four and Twenty height; 5'11” weight; 156 pounds
hair; Golden Blonde, worn loose reaching down to his neck. eyes; Blue clothing;
Tytus is most often seen wearing rich silks and crushed velvet befitting his high birthed status, he generally opts for a darker spectrum of colours such as deep wine like reds accented by bright gold. It is not uncommon to see him in martial dress consisting of a mail coat, bracers and greaves while also wearing a dark red cloak. In either case it is rare indeed to find Tytus without his longsword or in places where wearing such would be unacceptable a dagger at the very least concealed in his left sleeve.
When heading in to battle Tytus wears full plate armour coloured a dark crimson and adorned with golden decoration including golden lion heads on his pauldrons and gauntlets, over this he wears a wine red surcoat sporting a rampant golden lion to signify House Lannister.
oddities; Though Tytus has received several battle scars throughout his life the most prominent is one he received during a joust at age seventeen where he was pierced through the shoulder by his opponent's lance.
Tytus has also been known to suffer from brief albeit intense seizures which have plagued him since his early adulthood as well as involuntary tremors of his hand and arm all of which manifest most often in times of heightened emotional stress, but which require no specific triggers, they are simply more likely to occur in such times. He goes to great lengths to conceal this from other people, so much that only his closest servants and most trusted Bannermen know he has such a condition.
family;
Tyren Lannister – Father (Deceased) Jeyne Lannister (Formerly Tully) Lanzo Lannister (Elder brother, Deceased) {Siblings and others to be added as and when apped}
History; The second born son of Tyren Lannister, Tytus was raised for his first few years in his ancestral home of Casterly Rock but upon reaching his sixth year was fostered in King's Landing by House Baratheon as a sign of House Lannister's enduring fealty. While there he met and grew progressively closer to King Tommen IV, while at the same time being so far away from his family birthed a considerable degree of resentment between himself and his father. The upside of his being fostered in King's Landing was that he received only the finest care and education as one of many young charges of the King. Growing up alongside the intrigues of court gave him a sense for as well as a particular talent for manipulating the motions of what many call the 'game of thrones,' but the manner in which his family was spoken of and regarded in the capital gave him a certain disdain for court life that manifests as a certain irreverence for it to this very day. Needless to say as he grew older it was more often than not that those who spoke against the Lannisters soon met with scandal or disfavour and soon excused themselves from King's Landing, because as everyone knows: a Lannister always pays his debts.
Upon reaching the age of eight Tytus became a Page and later a Squire at thirteen. All through his apprenticeship he continued to be a regular figure at court despite holding little actual power outside of what duties were assigned him, he became something of an ear to the ground for Tommen and The Hand to be able to hear what the nobles were rumbling about from one week to the next.
At the age of 17 he was formally knighted, being anointed with the seven oils at the Great Sept before walking barefoot to the King's hall where he was knighted by the King himself. If nothing else were to signify that House Lannister had gained the favour and trust of the crown then that would be it. It was at that years joust to mark the King's name day which Tytus received the rather distinctive cavernous scar on his left shoulder when his opponent's lance head was rigged to shatter, impaling the young Lannister before unhorsing him. Thanks to the Maester's timely and skilful intervention the arm was saved and maintained much of its functionality even if it would cause Tytus a great deal of pain by putting him at the mercy of the weather. The perpetrators were rounded up by The Hand and were sent to The Wall before the sun had set that day. Though his ability to ride and fight remained largely unimpaired, Tytus has yet to tilt again even to this day.
In Tytus' eighteenth year he received news that his elder brother Lanzo had been taken from the land around Deep Den by brigands. The men, lead by a bastard son of Lord Lydden had intended to amass coin by ransoming hostages before raising an army to overthrow a hold and elevate their leader to nobility. Now with a Lannister in their power they knew that retribution would be forthcoming, but feared to release Lanzo even as a gesture of goodwill for fear that he was the only thing which would keep them alive. Begging leave to go and recover him, Tytus returned to Casterly Rock to find his father deliberating on whether to treat with the brigands or to march on them and risk his son's life. Seeing that to do nothing was an act which would be viewed as weak Tytus rode out with nothing but a personal bodyguard and hounded the rebels out of Deep Den, in the mountainous Western countryside the bandits were able to avoid the riders on foot for the longest time.
When Tytus finally caught up to the marauders and faced them over the Red Fork they threatened Lanzo's life again in an attempt to secure their safe passage into the Riverlands where the Lannisters influence would not be able to find them. In response Lanzo, as Heir of Casterly Rock, ordered his brother to cross the river and kill every man whom they found there. Reluctantly Tytus did so and Lanzo was indeed killed in the confusion of the charge and after recovering his beloved elder brother's body from the murky waters Tytus flew in to a rage, ordering that any prisoners be executed on the spot. Afterwards as he took Lanzo's remains back to Casterly Rock he displayed the bodies of the vanquished rebels along the River Road, hanging placards about their necks with the words “Hear Me Roar” written upon them.
From there he then marched to Deep Den, making hostages of the Lord's children to prevent further upstarts in future. Though he blamed Lord Lydden indirectly for his brother's death he was not unkind to his charges eventually making the boy his Squire before raising him to Knighthood and marrying both him and his sister Lord Lydden's daughter off to two of the Lannisters of Lannisport. Though the move was calculated to keep both of them within easy reach even in their adulthood it did quite a bit to enhance the prestige and wealth of House Lydden. As a direct result the hold was returned to its former glory and its allegiance now lay firmly with Tytus Lannister.
Seeing that his son had won over the trust of not only House Lydden, but the other Western Houses as well and being still in mourning for his eldest, Lord Tyren abdicated his rule of Casterly Rock to Tytus upon his nineteenth year and died the following Winter.
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