Tywin Lannister
Tywin Lannister, born 242AC, is Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport, Warden of the West and The head of House Lannister. Tywin was born to Tytos Lannister and is the elder brother of Kevan, Tygett, Gerion and Genna. Tywin married Joanna Lannister. Together, the pair had three children. Cersei, Jamie and Tyrion. Tywin loves his children Jaime and Cersei, but despises Tyrion. This is partly because Tyrion is deformed, but also Tywin blames his son for causing his beloved wife Joanna's death during his birth. In 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. 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. 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. 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 says 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 appointed as Aerys II King's Hand 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. Aerys lusted after Tywin's wife when she was alive which caused further friction between the two. Tension increased at the Tourney for King Aerys II in Lannisport in 276AC when Aerys refused Tywin's offer to betroth Cersei to his heir, Prince Rhaegar. In 281AC 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' 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. |
Joanna Lannister
Lady Joanna Lannister, born 246AC - 275AC , was the Lady of Casterly Rock, the wife of Lord Tywin Lannister, and the mother of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion. She died giving birth to Tyrion. Joanna was born in to a cadet branch of House Lannister. She had at least one sibling, Stafford. Later she married her cousin Tywin. On their wedding day Tywin smiled, a very rare occurrence. At the wedding of Tywin to Joanna, Aerys drunkenly japed about how it was a pity the first night tradition was banned, and he took certain liberties in the bedding ritual when the men at the feast had to disrobe Joanna. King Aerys II lusted for Joanna Lannister, something that caused further friction between the King and his Hand. Their marriage was a very happy one; Joanna became Tywin's trusted counselor and companion.
Her influence on her husband was such that people would say Tywin ruled the Seven Kingdoms as Hand of the King "but was ruled at home by his lady wife." While Joanna and Tywin were still betrothed, Joanna's brother Stafford Lannister was captured by Lady Tarbeck together with two other Lannisters, in response to Lord Tytos imprisoning Lord Tarbeck. Her servant once caught Jaime and Cersei as children in flagrant delicto. When Joanna learned of this, she sent the maid away, moved Jaime's chamber to the other side of the castle, and put a guard outside of Cersei's chamber. Joanna then warned her twins that they must never do such a thing again, or else she would be forced to tell their father. Joanna died birthing Tyrion not long after this event. Joanna was a friend of the then-ruling Princess of Dorne, whom she knew from her time at court when they were companions to Princess Rhaella Targaryen. Her friend's two youngest children, Oberyn and Elia Martell, who were not yet promised in marriage, so they planned to have their children wed each other. Before this could happen, Joanna died giving birth to her third child, Tyrion, and the marriages did not take place. Recollections about Joanna Tywin seldom spoke of his wife but was much saddened by her death. He never remarried. According to his brother, Gerion Lannister, "The best part of Tywin died with her." |
Cersei Lannister
Cersei Lannister, born 266AC, is the eldest child of Tywin and Joanna Lannister. She is the sister of Jamie and Tyrion. Cersei is technically her parents' oldest child, although her twin Jaime was born mere moments later. were nine years old when their brother Tyrion was born, killing their mother and causing their father to become cold and bitter. Cersei has been haunted since childhood by a prophecy made by a wise woman, Maggy the Frog, who was reputed to have magical powers. The woman correctly predicted Cersei's marriage and mutual infidelity with a king. She went on to prophesy that Cersei would outlive all her children, who would die as kings and queens, and that after everything she had was taken away by a younger and more beautiful queen, the valonqar {High Valyrian for “little brother”} would come to end her life. Young Cersei was so terrified by this prophecy that she murdered her close friend Melara Hetherspoon, who had been present, shortly afterward to prevent her from speaking of it. She has always identified the valonqar as Tyrion. When Cersei was a girl, her father promised her that she would marry Prince Rhaegar and would one day become queen. She was
delighted by this news and became infatuated with Rhaegar upon their first meeting at the tourney for King Aerys II. However, King Aerys rebuffed Tywin's offer, later marrying Rhaegar to Elia Martell. Cersei and Jaime experimented sexually with one another during childhood. At one point they were discovered by a servant, and their mother moved their rooms to separate sides of the castle in an attempt to prevent such behavior. At the age of twelve, Cersei was taken to King's Landing with her father, then Hand of the King. In the following years, Lord Tywin refused every offer of marriage for Cersei he received, probably still hoping for a match with one of the Targaryen princes. She missed Jaime and was jealous when Lord Tywin eventually proposed to marry him to Lysa Tully. Jaime was knighted at the age of fifteen during the campaign against the Kingswood Brotherhood and, on his way home to Casterly Rock, he visited King's Landing, mainly to see his sister. Cersei seduced him during the visit and persuaded him to join the Kingsguard, which would require him to remain unmarried and live near her in King's Landing. She expected that Lord Tywin would be strictly opposed to the idea, but that he would not dare to openly object to it in order not to offend King Aerys. Cersei orchestrated the arrangements behind the scenes over the course of the next month, but, although she was successful in securing Jaime's place in the Kingsguard, her plan backfired. Unaware to Cersei, tensions had been growing in her father's relationship with the king, and Lord Tywin perceived Jaime's appointment to the Kingsguard as a slight intended to rob him of his heir. Furious, he used a pretext to resign as Hand and moved back to Casterly Rock with Cersei, separating the twins once more. |
Jaime Lannister
Ser Jaime Lannister, Born 266AC, is the eldest son of Lady Joanna and Lord Tywin Lannister. Jaime and his older twin sister Cersei were inseparable in their early childhood, even going so far as to experiment together in a sexual manner at a young age. During one of these encounters, they were caught by a servant who informed their mother. Jaime's bedchamber was immediately moved to the other side of the castle, and both twins were told never to do anything like that ever again.
At age nine, he lost his mother, who died giving birth to Tyrion. Even though Tyrion is a malformed dwarf, Jaime seems to have treated him with kindness and respect unlike Cersei and Tywin. At the age of eleven, Jaime was sent to Crakehall to squire for old Lord Sumner Crakehall alongside Merrett Frey. Two years later, while still a squire, he won his first tourney melee. At the age of fifteen, Jaime participated in the campaign against the Kingswood Brotherhood, during which he saved Lord Crakehall from Big Belly Ben and crossed swords with the psychotic Smiling Knight. He was knighted on the battlefield by Ser Arthur Dayne. On his return to Casterly Rock, he stopped in King's Landing to visit his sister, from whom he had been separated for years. It was there that Cersei told him that Lord Tywin intended to marry him to Lysa Tully, second daughter of Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun. Cersei suggested that Jaime become a member of the Kingsguard instead, replacing the recently deceased Ser Harlan Grandison, to be close to her and free himself of the unwanted marriage to Lysa. After a night of passionate sex, he gave his consent to Cersei's plan, although they both expected that their father would be opposed to it. She made the necessary arrangements over the next month and Jaime received news in Casterly Rock that he had been chosen for the Kingsguard. A moon's turn later, Jaime was raised to the Kingsguard by Lord Commander Ser Gerold Hightower in a ceremony during the Tourney at Harrenhal, making him the youngest knight ever to be raised to the order. That night, however, King Aerys soured the honor by sending him back to King's Landing to guard Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys, depriving him of the chance to participate in Lord Whent's tourney. Jaime realized then that the King had only chosen him for the Kingsguard as a slight against Lord Tywin, of whom Aerys was insanely jealous, to rob him of his heir. Furthermore, the plan failed to bring Jaime and Cersei closer together, as they had intended. Lord Tywin, furious at the turn of events, used a pretext to resign as Hand and returned with Cersei to Casterly Rock. Jaime remained at court, guarding the King. During Jaime's time in the Kingsguard, Aerys's growing insanity and attendant cruelty became more and more apparent, and Jaime found himself conflicted and troubled by many of the King's actions. One night, he and Ser Jon Darry stood guard outside Queen Rhaella's bedchamber while Aerys raped and ravaged her. Jaime commented to Darry that they were sworn to protect the Queen as well, to which Darry replied "We are, but not from him." He had a similar reaction to the execution of Brandon and Lord Rickard Stark, and was reminded by Ser Gerold Hightower that he swore a vow to guard the king, not to judge him. Jaime coped with much of Aerys's cruelty by "going away inside", He genuinely believes this advice, as a way to deal with a harsh reality and making an appalling task tolerable. When the War of the Usurper began, Aerys refused to let Jaime join the royal army, instead keeping him in King's Landing to be used as a potential hostage against Lord Tywin, who had yet to choose a side in the conflict. Aerys appointed several Hands throughout the war, but never invited Tywin to take up his old office. Eventually Jaime was the only White Cloak in the capital. |
Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion Lannister, Born 275AC, is the third child of Tywin and Joanna Lannister. His mother died giving birth to him, and as a result his father blamed him for her death and hates him for that and for his deformity. Tyrion finds himself excluded from regular family life, especially by his father and by his sister, who abused him during his childhood. After his brother’s proposed marriage to Lysa Tully fell through when Aerys named Jaime to the Kingsguard, Tywin offered Tyrion as a replacement, only to be told by Hoster Tully that his daughter required a “whole man”. Tyrion has quite the acquired taste for wine, most likely learned from his bonding moments with Aunt Genna.
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Genna Lannister
Lady Genna Lannister-Frey, born 252AC, is the daughter of Tytos Lannister. She is the youngest sibling to Tywin, Kevan, Tygett and Gerion. Tytos made her to marry Emmon Frey and later they had four children together. Genna is the aunt of Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion and took on a maternal role to them after Joanna Lannister's death. She is also one of the few Lannisters who recognizes Tyrion's talent for political maneuvering. Genna recalls to Jaime Lannister that her father accepted Walder Frey's proposal that she marry Walder's second son, Emmon Frey, out of weakness. Her brother Tywin spoke out against the marriage because he did not think it a good match. Genna tells Jaime she loved Tywin because he had spoken out on her behalf. Although Genna was not satisfied with the match, she had four sons with her husband - though some doubt of who fathered them but don't dare to question Genna. She is a domineering wife and frequently snaps at her husband in public. When the War of the Usurper began, Genna was agreeable with Tywin to remain idle during the rebellion.
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