Tywin Lannister
Apr 3, 2014 5:19:29 GMT
Post by Admin on Apr 3, 2014 5:19:29 GMT
Name: Tywin Lannister
Alias/es: None
Title/s: Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West.
Age: 60s
Gender: Male
Martial Status: Widowed
Allegiance: House Lannister
Strengths: Tywin Lannister is a calculating, intelligent, politically astute, ruthless, and controlling man. Tywin dedicated his life and efforts into maintaining the Lannisters' prestige, ensuring House Lannister is respected or at least feared. He is a proven battle commander and politician and has a very powerful presence combined with an unflinching gaze that can make lesser men swiftly turn away.
Weaknesses: Tywin's devotion to the family legacy can cause him to sacrifice those around him if he believes it to be for the good of their name.
Paraphernalia: Regalia befitting the Lord of Casterly Rock. Actively seeking the return of lost house blade "Brightroar".
Other: To be added later, if needed.
History: History: ywin was born to Tytos Lannister. Not much is known of Tywin’s childhood, but his early years were formative ones, shaping his mind and resolve for the life that lay ahead of him. Tywin was forced to watch his mighty house nearly brought to ruin through his father's actions. His father while a gentle and amiable man was also weak willed and eager to please, loans went unpaid and his bannermen did what they pleased mocking him in their cups or openly defying him. Perhaps the most important moment for Tywin was the realization of what power meant, which was driven home when his father, tried to quell Lord Tarbeck, his most disloyal bannermen by having him imprisoned. Lord Tarbeck's wife responded by capturing three Lannisters and threatening to harm them if her husband was not returned. Tywin counseled his father to send Lord Tarbeck back to his Lady in three pieces, one for every Lannister captured, but Tytos was a gentler man than that, and he caved in to Lady Tarbecks demands further weakening the position of their house.
As a result of his father's follies Tywin Lannister never laughed as he mistrusted laughter, hearing too much of it directed at his father and House Lannister in his youth. Tywin also seldom smiled when he was young and never smiled again after his wife's death.
In his youth Tywin had been a friend and companion at court of Prince Aerys, whilst his cousin, Joanna Lannister, was a companion and lady-in-waiting to Princess Rhaella.
House Lannister's reputation was low because of Tywin's weak father, Tytos.[5] Tywin had to take ruthless steps to rectify the situation restoring the family honor and fortune from its near ruin. Tywin took upon himself the task of putting down his two most unruly houses, House Tarbeck and House Reyne, for their defiance. He did so with ruthless efficiency, destroying both houses entirely so that their lines were ended, leaving their ruined and shattered castles as a mute testimony to the fate that awaits those who scorn the power of Casterly Rock.[6] Such was the brutality of Tywin's destruction of House Reyne that a song called "The Rains of Castamere" was written as a tribute to the event. Indeed when Lord Farman of Faircastle grew truculent Tywin sent a messenger with a lute instead of a letter and once the "Rains of Castamere" was played Lord Farman caused no further trouble.
When Tywin's father Tytos finally keeled over of a burst heart while climbing a flight of steps to visit his mistress, Tywin became the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. Upon his father's death Tywin found his father's mistress trying on one of his late mother's gowns. A common-born woman and the daughter of a chandler, the mistress dominated Tytos utterly, ordering about the household knights and dismissing servants and helping herself to his late wife's jewelery.[5] Tywin had her stripped naked and forced the sobbing woman to walk the streets of Lannisport to confess to every man she met that she was a thief and a harlot before banishing her from the Westerlands.
Tywin married his cousin Joanna Lannister and from all reports the marriage was a happy one. Genna Lannister said that Tywin smiled on the day he wed Joanna. It was said that though Tywin ruled the Seven Kingdoms (as Hand) he was ruled at home by his lady wife. Joanna gave him twins, Cersei and Jaime that he hoped would one day be Queen of Westeros and Lord of Casterly Rock, but then disaster struck when his beloved wife died giving birth to Tyrion, considered a hideous monster. Tywin was devastated by Joanna's untimely death and took no further wife. Gerion Lannister once told his nephew Tyrion that the best part of Tywin died when Joanna did.
Tywin's ability came to the attention of King Aerys II Targaryen, who, impressed with the young and capable heir to Casterly Rock, appointed Tywin, who was twenty at that time, to be his Hand of the King. Tywin proved himself a brilliant administrator and held the post for twenty years of peace and plenty. Some people joked it was he and not the king who really ruled the land. It ended when Aerys' increasing paranoia and jealousy drove the two into several bitter disagreements. According to Ser Barristan Selmy, Aerys lusted after Tywin's wife when she was alive[9] which caused further friction between the two. Tension increased at the Tourney for King Aerys II in Lannisport in 276AL when Aerys refused Tywin's offer to betroth Cersei to his heir, Prince Rhaegar. In 281AL Aerys raised Jaime, Tywin's fifteen-year old son, to the Kingsguard, robbing Tywin of his prized heir; Tywin understood that the king’s motivations were to make Jaime a hostage to use against his father. Upset at Aerys's treatment of Jaime at the Tourney of Harrenhal, Tywin resigned his position on some thin pretext and returned to Casterly Rock.
When Robert's Rebellion began, Lord Tywin sat at Casterly Rock and waited, ignoring King Aerys's orders to arm, taking no side until after Robert Baratheon's decisive victory at the Battle of the Trident. After the battle, Tywin mustered his forces and rode for the capital of King's Landing. After Aerys was convinced by Grand Maester Pycelle that Tywin had come to aid him, he ordered the gates of the city opened for Tywin. The Westerlanders proceeded to sack the city. Aerys was killed by Jaime before Tywin's forces arrived at the Red Keep, but Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch, knights sworn to Tywin and under Tywin's orders, slew Rhaegar's wife Elia of Dorne and her two young children, Rhaenys and Aegon. Tywin wrapped the bodies in crimson Lannister cloaks to better conceal the blood and presented them to Robert Baratheon as a token of fealty. When asked by his son Tyrion years later why Tywin did not let Robert bloody his own hands, Tywin's replied:
“ We had come late to Robert's cause. It was necessary to demonstrate our loyalty. When I laid those bodies before the throne, no man could doubt that we had forsaken House Targaryen forever. And Robert's relief was palpable. As stupid as he was, even he knew that Rhaegar's children had to die if his throne was ever to be secure. Yet he saw himself as a hero, and heroes do not kill children. ”
While earning House Lannister the hatred of both House Martell of Dorne and the population of King's Landing, this act also secured the marriage of the new king, Robert Baratheon, to Tywin's daughter Cersei, whose proposed betrothal to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen had been rejected by Aerys much to Tywin's bitter disappointment. Cersei's marriage to the new, young, and popular king did much to make up for Tywin's earlier disappointment.
After the rebellion, Tywin returned to Casterly Rock, where he continued to serve as Lord and Warden of the West. In 289AL Lord Balon Greyjoy began the Greyjoy Rebellion against King Robert by burning the Lannister fleet anchored at Lannisport. After the defeat of the Greyjoys, Tywin rebuilt his fleet[11] and hosted another tourney at Lannisport. Due to King Robert's financial mismanagement of the realm, as well as his own new connection to the throne by marriage, Lord Tywin frequently lent money to the crown, placing the court in King's Landing in debt of over three million gold dragons to House Lannister.
Though ruthless, Tywin Lannister is an able and shrewd ruler who brought great prosperity during his tenures as the King's Hand. He is especially talented at the raising of funds, leading to a persistent jest that he must "shit gold."[12] The common folk of Lannisport cheered twice as loud for Tywin at the Tourney for King Aerys II as they did for their actual king. Even so, Tywin is more respected than loved in the Westerlands and he became despised in King's Landing after his house treacherously sacked the city.
Children
When Tywin discovered his son Tyrion wed a common girl, Tysha, which in Tywin's eyes would make the house a laughingstock again, Tywin taught him a sharp lesson. He commanded Tyrion's brother Jaime to name her a prostitute and made Tyrion watch as Tywin gave Tysha over to his garrison of guards, having each man pay the girl a silver coin after raping her. He forced Tyrion to do the same but pay the girl a gold coin.[13] He earned the enmity of his son forever for that act, but Tywin did not care, for it was on his other children that he placed all his hopes.
Tywin later refused to allow Tyrion to travel and see the world as Tywin's brothers had in their youth, fearing he would bring further shame on House Lannister and as a "gift" for Tyrion's sixteenth nameday he put his son in charge of cleaning all the drains of Casterly Rock.
When Tyrion became 16-years-old, the official age of adulthood, he believed he would be free to do as he wished. Tywin disillusioned him, replying:
“No man is free. Only children and fools think elsewise.”
Though Tywin's children also greatly respect him, none of them have been able to conform to the paths he had laid out for them, which causes many difficulties.
