Ormund Hightower

## Hand of the King

Defender of the Citadel

Greydon Hightower

Alesandra Hightower

**Ormund Hightower** is the Lord of the Hightower in the Reach and the second Hand of King Maelor I Targaryen. He was appointed to his station after the resignation of Aemond Targaryen upon the commencement of the War of the Four Daughters.

## Appearance

The fertile countryside of the Reach has begotten the most famous heroes of Westeros for thousands of years, and from those green fields and shining citadels have come the finest knights in all the world. One could expect nothing less of the Lord of the Hightower, that ancient family who has existed since the dawn of days and who built their monumental home atop a foundation of mysterious black stone.

The Hand of the King is everything one could expect to find in a capable knight, lord and advisor; fair and firm, just, and hard when it counts. He is a man marked by age but not by time, strong as a bull and skilled with steel despite the lines on his brow and the grey in his beard. His voice is low and melodious - the very sound of enchantment - while russet eyes have softened over the passing of years, fawn-colored and filled with wisdom.

Ormund is a true knight through and through, one whose distinguished character is matched only by his prowess on the battlefield and in matters of court.

## History

**368 AC:** Ormund Hightower is born beneath the watchful eye of the Warrior, the son and heir of Lord Desmond Hightower and his lady wife. His birth is a long and laborious affair but the recovery of both mother and child is quick.

**373 AC:** For his fifth nameday, Ormund is gifted his first horse, a gelding dubbed Champion on whom he learns riding proper. Much of his free time is spent sneaking down to the lists, where he plays at tourney knights with the other boys.

**378 AC:** Sent to the Citadel as a boy, the young heir to the Hightower is tutored in the laws and history of Westeros as well as reading and numbers, all things necessary to lordship and the governance of people.

**380 AC:** Having believed she could bear no more children, it comes as a great surprise and relief to Lady Hightower when she falls pregnant. Her second son is born at the turn of the year, a healthy child called Owen.

**381 AC:** A daughter is born to Lord and Lady Hightower the year that Ormund is sent to squire with Lord Tyrell at Highgarden. He is found to be naturally proficient in melee combat, the longsword (arms) his preferred weapon.

**382 AC:** His first job at that storied keep is tending the kennels. Through many long days and nights of feeding hounds and mucking pens he learns the principle of stewardship and how to care for beasts and men alike.

**385 AC:** The importance of physical strength is not the only valued lesson learned in his time away, but strength of the mind as well. Ormund quickly rises to a position of leadership amongst his peers at Highgarden.

**386 AC:** Once a boy, he returns to Oldtown a man grown with several tournaments under his belt, bearing the title “Ser.” He is knighted by the Lord of Highgarden after his last tourney for exemplary showing in the lists and the melee.

**387 AC:** A wife is found for Ormund in Alerie Tyrell, his mentor’s niece. The pair had grown quite close during his squirehood and are wed in the Starry Sept. A son named Gwayne is born later in the year, the first of three.

**391 AC:** Harlen Tyrell is born, the second son of the heir to the Hightower and his beloved wife. The boy’s father rides in the lists at the ensuing tourney and unseats all of his opponents (rival), the undefeated champion of Oldtown.

**395 AC:** The last of three healthy sons is born to Ormund and his lady wife, a bright-eyed babe named Greydon who takes after his mother more than his father.

**398 AC:** After an unintended pregnancy, Alerie Hightower gives birth to her fourth child, a healthy little girl who is named Alesandra. She is the light of her father’s life and doted upon by all who happen to meet her.

**403 AC:** Lord Desmond Hightower finally succumbs to the strange illness that had been plaguing his mind and body for several years. His death takes a heavy toll on Ormund, who had been very close to his father.

**409 AC:** The armies of the Seven Kingdoms are called to war in the land across the Narrow Sea, and House Hightower sends several thousands of knights led by their lord, a cavalry commander of the Reachmen.

**411 AC:** Following the departure of the Hand of the King in light of the outbreak of war, King Maelor extends an invitation to the Lord of the Hightower while he is overseas to return and take up the badge of that esteemed office.

**414 AC:** By the time the War of the Four Daughters has drawn to a close, The Lord Hand has become renowned at home and afar as a veteran strategist and politician, holding the realm together with a steady hand.

**417 AC:** With the turn of the year drawing close, Ormund has made it his priority to see the Seven Kingdoms rebuilt to their former strength and to ensure the continuity of the Targaryen dynasty in a time of uncertain succession.

## Possessions

### Animal Companions

* An enormous destrier called Miramis. The stallion is as white as the new-fallen snows of winter, with golden mane, tail and hooves.

### Weapons

* The Valyrian steel longsword Vigilance.

### Trinkets

* A ring with a flawless emerald in a gold settee on a silver chain worn ‘round his neck that belonged to his late wife, Alerie Tyrell.

### Other

* The Badge of the Hand, a pin worn on his breast to denote his status as Hand of the King.

## Connections

* Rhaella Targaryen - The granddaughter of the king, who grew up in Oldtown and is as close as a daughter.
* Lord Rowan Tyrell - Brother-in-law and the son of Ormund’s mentor when he was a squire.

## Recent Events

1. In the Hall of the Dragon King
2. The King's Justice