Brynden Tully

Ser **Brynden Tully**, also known as *'**Brynden Blackfish***', or simply '***The Blackfish***', is a knight from House Tully. He is the younger brother of Hoster Tully, Lord Paramount of The Trident, and the uncle of Lady Catelyn Stark, Lady Lysa Arryn, and Ser Edmure Tully.

## **Appearance and Character:**

Brynden is tall and lean, with a hoarse, smoky voice. He is clean-shaven, and his face is craggy and windburn, his features lined and weathered. His once-black hair has gone to grey.

Brynden Tully is an extremely blunt and cynical man. He was well loved by most of the family who knew him, with the only exception being his older brother Hoster, with whom he shared a rather complicated relationship. As a young man, he had no interest in ruling as a lord, and no interest in marrying, and thus his relationship with his older brother was marred.

Brynden's refusal to rule or marry, or to be courteous to the ruling lord, does not prevent him from having Tully pride.

Brynden had no qualms whatsoever about sharing his opinion with, and of, others. Brynden is almost impossible to intimidate.

## **History:**

Brynden is the brother of Hoster Tully, younger than him by five years. The brothers were close through their childhood. Together with Norbert Vance, Brynden squired for Lord Darry and was eventually knighted.

Brynden fought in The War of the Ninepenny Kings against The Band of Nine on The Stepstones. There, he proved himself a great and worthy knight, and gained fame and renown throughout The Seven Kingdoms.

After their father died, Brynden's older brother Hoster inherited the rule of Riverrun. Hoster sought to betroth Brynden to Bethany Redwyne, but Brynden refused, straining their relationship. While other lords like Jonos Bracken and Walder Frey made offers as well, Brynden remained unwed.

Hoster called Brynden the "black goat of the Tully flock" during an argument. Brynden pointed out that their sigil was a fish, which made him a black fish instead of a black goat. Brynden took for his personal sigil the Tully emblem, but with a black trout jumping, instead of a silver trout, and he became known as the "*The Blackfish*".

While Brynden's relationship with Hoster was strained, he had a good relationship with Hoster's children, Catelyn, Lysa and Edmure, as well as Hoster's young ward, Petyr Baelish. When Hoster was too busy and Lady Minisa Tully too ill, the children ran to Brynden with their problems and stories. On the night when Catelyn's betrothal to Brandon Stark was announced, Petyr, who had been in love with Catelyn, passed out drunk on a table after Catelyn rejected a kiss from him. In order to prevent Hoster from seeing his young ward like this, Brynden carried Petyr away.

Hoster and Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, considered betrothing Hoster's younger daughter, Lysa, to Tywin's heir, Jaime. As such, Lord Sumner Crakehall sent Jaime, his squire, with a message to Riverrun. Hoster took a fortnight to write his reply, during which he sat Jaime next to Lysa with every meal. Jaime ignored the shy Lysa, however, instead pressing Brynden for stories about The War of the Ninepenny Kings.

Brynden continued to fight in Robert's Rebellion, further increasing his fame.