Roland Tully

Roslyn Tully

Ser Roland Tully is the fourth born child of Lord Tommard Tully. Not expected to amount to much as a third son, Roland built a reputation for himself during the Cobbler’s Revolt. A man feared for his cruelty and lack of aversion to violence Roland is the hammer of his family, unleashed to handle unsavory business with cold precision.

## Personality and Appearance

Roland is not a man that cares overly much for his appearance. He has the auburn hair of the Tullys that he keeps cropped atop his head, the sides of which are shaved down to stubble. He wears a stubbly beard that matches the hair atop his head. He has sharp features that make his face appear hawkish. His eyes are a dark emerald green, rich in dimension. He is tall and well built from a life of training for combat.

His personality is cold, nearly inhumanly so. He does not develop connections with people and those that have interacted with him often leave with a feeling of something akin to dread, as if they have just divulged something of deep import simply by being in the presence of the man. Some have even looked into his eyes and described the soul looking back at them as innately evil. Roland doesn’t care, he enjoys the fear that he instills in people.

Roland has never known sexual desire for anyone, neither man, woman, or other. When he couples with his wife, he uses a solution given to him by a maester that does not cause feelings of desire but merely biological arousal. He engages in sex in a very disinterested way, merely wishing the entire time that it was over rather than hoping it would last. He has only engaged sexually with his wife and, even then, has only done so out of a duty to procreate.

## History

Roland Tully was born to Lord Tommard Tully and Lady Harriet Bracken in 83 AC. The third son of the coupling, Roland’s birth was seen as little consequence to the family at large. Throughout his upbringing, he played second fiddle to his siblings. While in his mind the elder Tullys were not terribly unique, he felt that the attention of their family always fell on his older brothers leaving little for him. As such, he spent significant time on his own especially in the library of Riverrun.

As he grew older, Roland’s interests drug him ever more toward books on tactics and strategy. He was never destined to be a ruler, which allowed him to do what he really enjoyed rather than learn a skill that would help him in his eventual governance of a keep. It was in this fact that he truly began to embrace his status as a third son. It granted him invisibility.

The boy shot up like a weed, growing tall and thin. His height became the first tool he used in intimidation. The tall youth would find guards or other servants that appeared to have grown too relaxed on the job then slowly walk up to them without their noticing. With hands behind his back, he would await his prey’s attention. When they finally noticed him, the person would jump and stand at attention. Without saying a word, he would continue on his way. From a young age, Roland realized that fear was the most powerful human emotion. More than love, fear was a powerful motivator that could be twisted and manipulated into obedience. He would soon apply that understanding on a grand scale.

In 99 AC, the young Roland was thrust into a leadership position as his family scrambled to uphold his grandmother’s short lived rule as Queen of the Riverlands. Roland was given a small division of levies to command in battle. He drilled them day and night, forcing excellence into them. If a man faltered, he was beaten. Roland’s command was cut short by the end of the war. His men returned home having never seen combat, much to Roland’s discontent. The experience he built commanding men, however, would stay with him for a lifetime.

Roland was married to Amerei Penrose in 105 AC. Their marriage is not a loving one by any means though Roland treats Amerei far gentler than he treats others. He provides for and protects her but provides none of the compassion and love that a marriage needs. While she lives comfortably, Amerei is a woman latched to her lot in life devoting all of her life to their children rather than any greater ambition. While Roland goes to bed like a man marches to war, solely out of duty with none of the zeal or desire of a normal man, he has had three daughters. Unlike in all his other affairs, Roland is affectionate with his daughters in his own way. He brings small gifts back to them when he travels away from Riverrun and ensures that they are allowed to enjoy the things that they like without hindrance.

From that day, Roland knew his role within his family. He worked to hone his skill in the field and, in the process, acquired a network of loyal informants that assisted him in gathering and propagating information about those around him. He became a powerful figure within Riverrun which brought him into conflict with his half brother, Hugo Tully. In these years, the relationship between the brothers soured significantly as they grappled for control of Riverrun and eventual influence with the young Lord Aerys. While Hugo would manage to win the former, it was Roland that would become indispensable to Aerys.

The Cobbler’s Revolt came as a shock to all in the Riverlands and the slow response haunts Roland to this day. His deep belief in the divine right of the nobility caused him to froth with anger at the news of peasants rising up to demand greater rights. While he did everything he could to drive the muster faster, it still took many weeks for the troops to gather. The news of sacks at Fairmarket and the murder of the Vyprens sent Roland into a rage that ended in the beating of one of the commanders in charge of the muster nearly to death. When the troops were finally assembled, they marched that day.

Roland’s first engagement with the Cobbler’s men took place at the Battle of Blood Lake. Roland rarely talks about the battle aside from to say that it was like some cruel mass sacrifice to the Old Gods. Lord Roland would spend the next several moons hunting scattered groups of Cobblers that harassed villages and keeps throughout the Riverlands. He became famous for his cruelty during this time, hanging flayed corpses with words like ‘traitor’, ‘heretic’, and ‘murderer’ carved into the exposed muscle. Villages and noblemen found to be sympathetic to the Cobbler and his cause were burned and left for the dogs.

When the Hammer and Anvil campaign began in the West, Roland made up a significant segment of the Hammer. The legend among the smallfolk say he never slept, ate, or drank, he was nourished by the blood of disloyal commoners and nothing else. While a folktale, it was true that Roland drove his men seemingly without tire. His attacks took place day and night without regard for timing between assaults. His fighting style was varied and unpredictable, especially to smallfolk with no formal military education.

When the rebellion was finally suppressed, Roland was sent to round up the leaders of the rebellion which he did zealously. He hunted the men as a cat hunts mice with just a small band of five men, entering their homes silently in the night. When they left, the men were gone and whatever family he had was dismembered so thoroughly that not a part of their body could be identified. Houses coated in blood and viscera was all that was left in the wake of Roland Tully.

With the Cobblers suppressed, a tentative peace fell over the Riverlands. When Lord Aerys arrived, Roland made it a point to ingratiate himself with the Valyrian looking Lord of the Trident. The two had much in common having spent so long as outcasts in their own family. Roland became a confidant and enforcer for Lord Aerys, unafraid to do what needed to be done to ensure that the Riverlands stayed in order.

## META

**Mastery:** Field Commander

**Attribute:** Imperious

**Skills:** CHA - Intimidation

MAR - Formation, Skirmishing

INT - Counterfeit

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