House Lannister

House Lannister is one of the Great Houses of the Seven Kingdoms, ruling the Westerlands, either as Kings of the Rock or Lords Paramount, for centuries. They have been the Lords of Casterly Rock since the Age of Heroes, where their forebear, Lann the Clever, obtained it from House Casterly, allegedly using only his wits. Their sigil is a golden lion on red and their words are "Hear Me Roar", though they are also known by the old adage "A Lannister always pays his debts".

## History

*History before 233 AC and its Great Council can be found at the canon wiki.*

**238 AC -** Tion Lannister, heir of Casterly Rock, participates in the Battle of Wendwater Bridge, fighting against the Blackfyre Pretenders, even as King Aemon refuses to lead his own troops. The royalists are defeated, but leave the Blackfyres unable to continue on the march to King's Landing, leading to their eventual defeat. Ser Tion wins glory for his victory.

**239 AC -** Shortly after the death of Bloodraven, King Aemon I imposed new taxes, especially on the wealthy lords of the west, in order to fund excavations of ancient sites and expeditions to the far-off parts of the Known World. Lord Gerold Lannister, old and weak, was unable to challenge the king's power, leaving his second son Tion forced to take up the cause. The young Lannister, urged on by his new wife Ellyn and having won glory at the Battle of Wendwater Bridge, begins a quiet opposition to the "King of the Royal Library", as banditry begins to rise on the Goldroad. The Westerlands and the crown grow distant after the Lannisters refuse to attend the feast celebrating the birth of Aerys Targaryen.

**244 AC -** After the death of Lord Gerold Lannister and the accession of Lord Tion, the lords of the Westerlands begin to worry that Tion is ruled more by his wife Ellyn and her House Reyne than he rules them. This perceived favoritism leads to a skirmish between Ser Denys Marbrand and Lord Roger Reyne. Though urged to execute Ser Denys by his counselors and his wife, Tion keeps a cooler head and sends the man to the Wall. However, to the fury of House Marbrand's allies and to the dislike of his brother, Tytos, Tion refuses to punish the Red Lion for his actions.

**258 AC -** After reigning for fourteen years, Lord Tion Lannister dies of a sudden illness, worried by some more suspicious vassals to have been done by House Reyne. There is little evidence and little sense to these accusations, but they persist for a while afterward, even as the half-Reyne Lord Lannister sits in Casterly Rock.

**260 AC -** The crown and West's conflict eventually comes to a head, as the bulk of the paid taxes of the Westerlands are allegedly stolen by a group of bandits on the Goldroad. The Lannisters refuse to pay the sum that is lost, leading to a stand-off with the crown. Aemon, distracted by the sudden outbreak of the Marcher Rising, eventually forgives the losses, driving the Iron Throne into debt and leading to them lending from the Iron Bank. The Lannisters grow popular among their subjects for their bold defiance and victory, but nary a Westerman is seen at court for the remainder of King Aemon's reign.

**273 AC -** House Lannister and Reyne's relationship, once so close in the reign of Lord Tion Lannister and with his wife Ellyn Reyne, evaporated with the Great Tourney of Lannisport. The finest of its time, the tourney featured knights from all around the realm, among them Ser Ronnel Reyne, as fine a jouster the west had ever seen, and the Knight of Cats, a mystery knight who bore the sigil of three differently-colored tomcats. These two men jousted their way up the ranks, before finally meeting in the finals of the joust. The two rode their horses toward one another with all speed, each breaking lances fourteen times, to the raucous cheers of the crowd. The final and fifteenth turn would lead to Ser Reyne breaking his lance, first, but the Knight of Cats would knock his opponent to the ground with a well-placed blow. The crowd cheered loudly, but they quickly silenced upon the realization that Ser Reyne did not rise.

The knight died upon that field. The Knight of Cats removed his helm and lords assembled gasped, for they recognized him as a squire of House Marbrand. Lord Reyne demanded justice for what he saw as another Marbrand assault. He demanded the trial and execution of young Marbrand for murder. However, the two lions had grown farther than Reyne had thought. Lord Lannister would not budge. He could not believe that the honorable Marbrand squire, who had fought so nobly in the joust, would have murdered Reyne intentionally.

This death, known to the realm as the Last Turn, would be the breaking point in House Reyne and Lannister's cordial relationship. Now, rumors abound that House Reyne is defiant to their liege lord's orders and vengeful for the untimely loss of Ronnel Reyne, a promising young knight and, in the legend's eyes, one of the finest to ever wear spurs.