Hoster Tully

Lord Hoster Tully is a supporting character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series and a minor character in the TV adaption Game of Thrones. He was the Lord Paramount of the Trident, Lord of Riverrun, and the head of House Tully prior to the beginning of the Third Century. Hoster is the husband of Lady Minisa Whent and the father of Edmure Tully, three unnamed sons died as infants, and two daughters, Catelyn and Lysa. Edmure is his youngest living child. He is also the older brother of Ser Brynden Tully. 
Prior to and during the War of the Five Kings, Hoster Tully was struck with an illness that left him bedridden until his death in 299 AC. Though House Tully remembered him as a good man who cared for his family as in accordance with the family's motto, however, they were unaware that he is holding a dark secret.
He is portrayed by Christopher Newman but only as a corpse in the third season of the TV series.
== Appearance ==
In his youth, Hoster Tully was broad, tall, and strong, with blue eyes and brown hair. In his later years, as he got older, he became portly and his hair and beard were streaked grey. During his long illness, Hoster, in his old age, had lost weight and now appears to have shrunk, while his hair and beard is now white.
In battle, he wore mail and silver-plated armor while his cloak and surcoat are blue and red, the colors of House Tully. The crest on his greathelm is a trout made of silver and bronze.
== Personality ==
Hoster Tully is known for being always proud and for being a follower of the Faith of the Seven. When he was younger he likes to travel and could never stay still. In his old age, he likes to watch from his solar the Red Fork and the Tumblestone. Catelyn Stark doesn't believe that her father is willing to father bastards. 
Despite his love for his family, Hoster might often commit advantageous deeds for his other family members that can have a negative effect, which can lead to strained relationships, even though it is for the greater good or for his family's benefits in accordance with his duties; this is shown as ever since he forced his daughter Lysa to drink Moon Tea to abort the child she impregnated with Petyr Baelish, he already has a distant relationship with her, as Lysa has now turned a blind eye to her father, even though he regretted his deed and has tried to mend their relationship. 
Another notable example is when he tried to betroth his brother Brynden to Lady Bethany Redwyne, this only resulted in a many-years feud between the two brothers. However, unlike with Lysa, Hoster managed to reconcile with his brother.
==Trivia==
*He has the same eyes and expression as his grandson and last liege monarch, Robb Stark.
*Walder Frey's animosity toward Hoster was compared by Jaime to the enmity between Tywin Lannister and the Houses Reyne and Tarbeck, the historical rivalry between the houses Stark and Bolton, and the rivalry between the Houses Tyrell and Florent.
*He correctly criticized Brandon Stark's rash idea to ride to the Red Keep after Lyanna Stark's abduction to fight Rhaegar Targaryen, but failed to stop Brandon. It ended with Brandon and his small party shouting for Rhaegar to "come out and die", while surrounded by Targaryen vassals everywhere, causing Hoster to lose the betrothal between Catelyn and Brandon, when the latter ended up arrested and executed by the Mad King.
*He is only mentally lucid during the first novel and the beginning of the second novel. Afterward, his mind is only deteriorating until his death in the third novel, due to his fatal illness worsening and his constant high consumption of milk of the poppy to ease his pain.
*He is only a mentioned character in the television series, as he was cut from the first three seasons, and appears only as a corpse in one episode of the third season. While in the novels, he reunites with Catelyn and Robb, the show cut this.
*By the way he describes his illness, "the crabs in his belly", it is implied he suffered and died of stomach cancer. Cancer was the "disease of the crab" in classical medicine, and it is the Latin word for crab.
*He is as ruthless as the typical medieval lord, as put entire towns of civilians to the sword in wartime, burning his own lands in the Riverlands, because the riverlords of those lands were Targaryen loyalists. His victim settlements include Lord Goodbrook's Town, which still remains in ruins.
*Hoster is the person who sent the survivors of Sherrer, victims of the raids of Gregor Clegane and his band, with Ser Marq Piper and Ser Karyl Vance, whose fathers own the raided lands, to report the very first blows and massacres of the War of the Five Kings to the Iron Throne, to petition the King for retaliation and justice without appearing as the war's instigators (since Catelyn's choice to abduct Tyrion Lannister already made the Tullys look like the unruly villains).
**Hoster stopped Edmure from doing the same mistake of taking initiative like Cat did, and instead sent his vassals and their survivor villagers to denounce Gregor's crimes to King Robert and ask for leave to retaliate against House Lannister, prompting Eddard Stark to thank Hoster in his thoughts for not acting impulsively like Edmure and Catelyn, and to send a Iron Throne host in Robert's name, led by Beric Dondarrion to represent the King's justice.
**Tywin's initial plan was for House Tully to immediately retaliate against him by attacking towns in the Westerlands, and specifically commanded Gregor and his band not to wear any banners and ornaments, instead having them posing as unidentified brigands. Thanks to Hoster, this plan failed, and the survivor witnesses also identified the huge leader as the Mountain. Tywin reacted with anger when Ned Stark to the Tully side and sentenced Gregor to death, and unsuccessfully attempted to ask for a meeting with Ned. Unfortunately due to his bedridden state, Hoster could not lead much to defend the Riverlands, leaving most matters to his son Edmure.
***All of this led to the foundation of the Brotherhood without Banners, an outlaw band of broken men, smallfolk, and war deserters.
*He was stripped of his position of Lord Paramount of the Trident (ruler of the Riverlands) after the Battle of the Blackwater, and his former ward Petyr Baelish was granted this position as the new Lord of Harrenhal, succeeding House Slynt, who in turn previously supplanted House Whent, the family of Hoster's late wife, which had only one elderly female member left.
**Despite this, the dying Hoster remained the disputed Lord Paramount of the Trident until his passing, as the Iron Throne's edicts were no longer considered law for the Riverlands, which by then were independent and instead became part of the Kingdom of the North and the Trident, ruled by Hoster's grandson and final liege Robb Stark. Only after the Red Wedding, his son Edmure lost all rule over the Riverlands, and by then even lordship of Riverrun, which was granted to Lord Emmon Frey, whose family branch was always part of House Lannister and sworn to the Iron Throne since the beginning, and never became guilty of treason. 
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