Rolland Tarly

Introduction
Lord Rolland Tarly is the Lord of Horn Hill and a Marcher Lord of the Dornish Marches. Born in 384 AC. He is the firstborn son of Gareth Tarly and Lillianna Peake, who soon died after only a year of marriage during the birth of Rolland.

Now in his fifties, the Lord has grown old and fat, having sustained an injury during a joust. Despite not being the prodigous warrior that he was in his youth the Huntsman remains a belligerent and formidable opponent.

Appearance and Character
Lord Rolland has short brown hair, a wild grey-brown beard, and blue eyes. He stands tall at 6'4" with a strong muscular build, though he has grown fleshy and fat due to age and injury. He customarily has to walk with a cane.

The Lord of Horn Hill is a stern man, not prone to smiling, more prone to rages than bursts of joy. Despite his frequent wroth he has a low cunning and a ruthlessness that one would not expect at first glance. He mourns deeply for a son lost, and has a grudge against his second-born for the role that the lad played in his first-borns death.

History
After many years working in the shop, eventually Harlon was too old to continue training Rolland, his expertise was not enough, Rolland had already become stronger and faster than Harlon could ever be. It was time for Rolland to know the truth about his nobility, and for him to find a new master, someone much more skilled and wise to make this boy into a man he was meant to be.

Ser Harlon came to Ser Erron Hightower, begging him to take on this young strong boy. Rolland looked like nothing more than a blacksmiths apprentice, but five minutes in the courtyard proved his skills in swordfighting to be much better than others his age.

Ser Harlon had no choice but to tell Ser Erron the secret of Rolland's parentage, afterwards he took Rolland on as a squire. On Harlon's deathbed, he told Rolland of his parentage and the treachery of Lord Samwell Tarly. On that day Rolland promised to get revenge against Samwell for taking his home away from him.

After the death of Maekar's rebellion, Lord Samwell Tarly breaks his betrothal with the Hightowers, he thought they were weak and no longer suitable for the heir of House Tarly. Lord Leyton believed Lord Tarly was amassing forces to seize lands from Hightower vassals.

An opportunity revealed itself for Rolland. He pleaded with Ser Erron to join his cause in retaking Horn Hill. Ser Erron came to Leyton with the new information. Rolland presented Leyton with a letter from Lord Horras Peake, in the letter he promised to join Rolland Tarly's cause as he was the firstborn son of Lord Gareth Tarly and Lady Lillianna Peake, and the true heir of Horn Hill.

Many smallfolk, soldiers, and lords supported Rolland Tarly's cause but the odds were stacked against them. Rolland sent out letters to all the noble lords and ladies of the realm to join his cause and to put an end to Samwell's treachery. Rolland Tarly and Horras Peake brought their case to Highgarden, they presented their cause to Lord Tyrell, with his approval the armies began marching on Horn Hill. A Tarly vassal House Hunt joined Rolland Tarly's cause.

The Hightowers raised their banners to put an end to the would-be invaders, Lord Leyton Hightower and Lord Rolland Tarly marched to Horn Hill from the south, while House Peake's forces led by Gormon Peake marched to Horn Hill from the North West.

Samwell was arrogant enough to believe he could defeat any army from the Hightowers, they were no threat to him. Once Sam saw the sheer numbers of the combined forces of House Hightower, House Peake, and Rolland's Rebels, he fled to the safety of Horn Hill's strong walls. Samwell's forces were easily crushed, the remaining living soldiers were cornered, they laid down their weapons.

The men looked to their new lord, awaiting his command on what to do with the men. Rolland was angry and wanted revenge, he knew these men were only protecting their homes so he spared them. He stood tall over everyone and looked to the captives.

"I will not punish a man for protecting his home and family. Today, you will have a choice. Bend the knee and live to see your families, or die here in the mud as your 'Lord' cowers behind his thick walls!"

Many of the men knelt in the mud, they knew it was over. Rolland walked through the crowd of kneeling men and looked around at any man still standing with a fierce look. Those that didn't bend the knee were cut down by Rolland himself. The last man standing was Alan Tarly, the false heir of Horn Hill. Rolland stared him down. Alan stood tall staring ahead without looking at Rolland. He kept silent as Rolland circled him like a predator who has found its prey.

"Do you not recognize the line of succession, Lord Alan?" Rolland said mockingly. "You either bend the knee now, or your life will end here" Alan looked up at Rolland with shock "You would kill your own family?" Rolland tilted his head and got uncomfortably close to Alan and whispered "If that's what it takes..." Alan recomposed himself and looked to the ground in shock. "Do your duty, my lord." In that moment he recognized Rolland's right to Horn Hill but he refused to bend the knee to Rolland. Laying on the ground in front of Alan was the ancestral valyrian steel sword of House Tarly, Heartsbane.

Rolland bent down and picked the sword out from the mud, he wiped the blood from the blade with a cloth and slid his fingers over the blades edge, it sliced through his skin like nothing he had ever seen before as a blacksmiths apprentice. This was valyrian steel. "What a beautiful blade, nothing like anything I could forge. Thank you for holding it for me." Rolland raised up the blade high and with an immense force slammed it down decapitating Alan. His head fell from his shoulders and slammed into the mud. His body fell to his knees and Rolland kicked it over.

By the time Rolland marched into the castle, Lord Leyton Hightower had already broken the back of Lord Samwell's host, and slain the man himself in single-combat. Gormon Peake had captured all the councillors and knights who were loyal to Samwell and executed them. Their bodies hanged outside the gate of Horn Hill. Lord Rolland Tarly had taken his rightful place and imprisoned the rest of Samwell's family. Eventually they were put into house arrest and released once they had swore to obey & serve Rolland. Now that the war had ended and Rolland became Lord Tarly.

It was a tough road for the Lord to tread now, as the old wounds would need to be mended. Yet he would be quite successful at it, though it certainly helped that all the former lord's loyalists were dead or fled. However, Rolland's position would always be uncertain as long as he did not sire heirs of his own body, and as such he took to wife Lady Catelyn Vyrwell, however the marriage would prove fruitless as no living children would be borne of the match and the lady herself expiring after a cold. Not one to mourn for overly long the Lord of Horn Hill would look towards the Hightower for a bride and there he would find a fertile young wife in the form of Lady Cissa Hightower. The marriage would prove quite fruitful indeed, with six children born from the match. However his favourite, his firstborn, would be lost when the lad dived after his brother when the two went for a swim in the Torrentine. The secondborn would be found alive, but no sign of the firstborn would be found and he would be presumed drowned. Tensions between lord and heir would grow as Rolland blamed the boy for his brother's death.

The lad would soon, however, be dispatched as a page and squire to Oldtown. With the Second Hammer Uprising tearing the Reach asunder, House Tarly would remain surprisingly silent. Having gathered his banners, the Lord of Horn Hill would, eventually, rally to the cause of the loyalists and join forces against Duncan Hammer. In the aftermath of the rebellion the good relations that House Tarly had with House Peake and House Hightower would be soured signifigantly when the Heir of the Hightower would break his bethroal with Rolland's eldest daughter, Viola, in favour of a maiden of House Peake.

Recently Lord Rolland attended the council in King's Landing and voiced his support for Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen's son, Viserys. With the council concluded the old lord would return to the Reach and attend the war council to discuss the threat posed by the Westermen.

Family Tree
The primary branch of House Tarly is as followed: Lord Rolland Tarly (384-), married first to Lady Catelyn Vyrwell, marriage produced no issue, then re-married to Cissa Tarly, neé Hightower, marriage produced issue:

Josmyn Tarly (419-229), presumed drowned

Viola Tarly (422), formerly bethroed to Ser Leyton Hightower, now married to _____

Talbert Tarly (423), squire to Ser Addam Hightower

Tyana Tarly (423), twin to Talbert

Triston Tarly (425)

Tom Tarly (429)

There are more distant relations, uncles, aunts and such, but they do not bear mentioning here.