Lucien Hightower

Lucien, 98 AC

The White Rose

Danelle Tyrell

Leyla Hightower

Luthor Hightower

Loras Hightower

**Ser Lucien Hightower** is the former Master of Laws for King Viserys I Targaryen, a knight of House Hightower, the husband of Alysanne Tyrell, the father of Dorian, Damon, and Danelle Tyrell. A tourney knight of great renown in his youth, he was hailed as a Champion of the Reach though his political mishaps have tarnished such a reputation. He is the uncle to the late Lord of Oldtown, Lucas Hightower.

Since his return to the Reach, he has been famously apolitical, preferring to keep his activities among the big family of grandchildren born over the years.

 **Appearance**

Lucien looks every bit the perfect example of chivalry he fancies himself. Between his short cut flaxen blonde hair and chiseled, cleanshaven chin and high cheekbones, alongside a pair of smiling honey-gold eyes and a winsome smile, with a slight scar cutting across his lips, he is the picture of knighthood in both appearance and action. Combined with his impressive height and size, none wonder where his natural skill at arms comes from, especially with the long lineage of impressive knights from House Hightower to precede him. In spite of his imposing appearance, however, he is very approachable, and always wears a light, friendly smile, rarely having any reason to frown in the first place.

Feeling most comfortable in his steel plate, he often will wear parts of his tourney suit in combination with his own finery, to cement his identity as one of the finest warriors in Westeros. Lucien dresses in dramatic whites and greys with gold and red accents, and owns a smoke grey cloak with the House Hightower sigil embroidered on the hem. He prefers to fight with sword and lance most, usually accompanied by an ornately embossed shield. When in battle, he wears an ornately embossed suit of shimmering steel plate armor that sparkles in the sunlight, with solid gold trimmings along the carved metal, and a plume of fire red feathers adorning the crest of his greathelm.

## **Personality and Character**

At is core, Lucien is the very heart heart of chivalry that he aspires to be. Between his endless courtesy and polite, winsome demeanor, his cool kindness and compassion, his endless generosity to those he views as less fortunate than himself, and his high esteem of justice, wanting that which is right above all else, alongside his strong traditionalist family ideals and his endless reverence of the Seven, Lucien Hightower is a paragon of virtue, constantly striving to better himself physically and mentally. Upbeat, cheerful, patient, and open handed, he finds it easy to walk through the world, inspiring his peers and the commonfolk alike.

He holds a strong hope in his heart, and firmly believes that justice will always win out in the end, predicated upon the assumption that at their core, all men are created good and virtuous. Lucien feels a strong obligation to the core tenants of knighthood, in particular, the duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, a virtue of chivalry so impactful to his desire to become a knight as a boy that he has it inscribed along the rim of his shield in careful lettering near the centerfold point. His whole goal in life has been to live well and make sure that others do to whenever possible, a philosophy he took to heart a very early age.

Growing up in Oldtown, in the heart of the south itself, the southron traditions of piety and reverence for tradition run strong in him, and he prays often and publicly to the Seven, careful to follow the path laid out for him at birth by the Seven Pointed Star.

His love for fellow man translates tenfold for those that share his name and share his blood. Lucien loves all those he considers his family, and his wife and children are his pride and joy in life, fulfilling him more than any sword or honorific could ever suffice. He relishes every opportunity to spend alongside them, and to share in his own joy with others, with admittedly prideful displays of his "fairy tale" like family, a long time dream made reality.

In spite of her quiet nature, he and Alysanne get on famously, and have since they were children, when she was fostered in Oldtown at the Starry Sept. He is incredibly affectionate with her, and Alysanne serves as his sole confidant, the one person who truly knows him better than anyone else alive.

In spite of his cheerful nature, he takes his duties as Master of Laws incredibly seriously, and takes care to be as fair in levying his judgement on the laws of the land in as he can be, although he often makes mistakes due to his relative lack of erudition and learning, instead preferring swordplay to books as a boy. This is exascerbated by his incredible naivete, and his lack of worldliness in general, having been sheltered in a gilded bubble of wealth and prestige for his whole adult life, as well as his childhood.

As a boy, he looked up to legendary knights like Serwyn of the Mirror Shield and Aethan Velaryon, the Falcon Knight and Galladon of Morne, wishing to embody the exceptional skill and renown that they accrued over the course of their lives, mythical or otherwise, several of which he still views as inspirational in their own right to this day.

## **Background**

### **Early Life**

Born early in the year of 63 AC to Lord Martyn Hightower and his wife, Lucien was born the latest of four children, with two additional siblings later being born after him, placing him squarely in the center of his family tree. A second son and without any real direction in life as a result, Lucien was free to choose his own destiny, within reason, something he took to heart very young. As a babe and later a child, he was always cheerful, rarely crying or fussing, more likely to giggle and laugh with a wide, toothless grin, lasting well into his childhood as his middle teeth took an unusually lengthy amount of time to come in.

As a boy, Lucien was obsessed with his siblings, following them everywhere they went, copying and mimicking their every move, often to their chagrin, particularly close to his eldest siblings, Lyonel and Alerie, who were nearly ten years apart from him at the time of his birth. He oft wandered the Hightower in their wake, toddling behind them excitedly, never one to squeal or fuss when taking a tumble into the dirt or scraping himself on the cold, stone floors of their family home. Despite his scrappiness, his parents never worried for his safety as a boy; for any time he fell, he stood right back up, with a dumb, toothless grin on his face, as if the pain meant nothing to him.

### **Young In Oldtown**

The secluded bastion of Battle Isle in the middle of the bay wasn't the only stomping ground of Lucien's youth. As a young boy of ten, he wandered the streets of the city alongside his closest companions, his elder brother, and the young girl that would eventually become the love of his life and mother of his children, Alysanne Tyrell. Exploring the marketplaces of the trade district, practicing horseback riding on the fields outside the walls, running races through the streets of the upper levels of the city near the Citadel and the Starry Sept, Lucien still remembers fondly the days of his youth, and the friendships he forged as a boy.

It was there that he discovered his love of swordplay, as he watched the knights and men-at-arms of the city drilling day and knight in the military districts of the city, and the tourneys hosted all throughout the south when he toured with his family. The glamour, the pageantry, the prestige, the exquisite display of skill at arms, all of it served to draw him in more and more, until he was completely obsessed with the idea of it all, desperate, more than anything else, to become a knight. He found his calling young, and immediately began making strides toward it, with his father's blessing, who was more than happy his son had chosen a more conventional vocation for his future.

### **Squirehood**

Shortly after turning eleven, his father finally conceded to his wishes and allowed him to be squired, so long as the squiring was done under his own supervision. As such, he was allowed to serve under Mervyn Florent, the brother of the former Lady of Highgarden and sworn shield of Alysanne Tyrell, who was still living at Oldtown at the time.

A young, fierce knight, known for his volatile temper and particularly brutal opponent in combat, Ser Mervyn gave Lucien no concessions of failure or defeat, forcing him to continually push himself past what he thoughts his limits were. From physical training to knowledge of traditional combat techniques to horseback riding and other knightly skills, the two drilled day and sometimes knight, every day, for four, hard years. Meanwhile, when they weren't training, Lucien was spending the little free time he had bettering himself under his father's tutelage, learning the more virtuous aspects of knighthood, something that Ser Mervyn was either unable or unwilling to teach him, perhaps for the better.

As the years drug on, Lucien blossomed in the rough conditions he had laid out for him by his father and his mentor. He grew quickly, springing up several feet taller, and gained a noticeable amount of muscle mass over time. As difficult and intensive as his training was, Lucien still looks back on it fondly. Between the other boys that trained with him, the bonds he had strengthening even more so, and the willpower and character strengthened beneath it all, he considers it a necessary crucible he had to be forged in, a trial-by-fire of sorts that made him the man he is today.

### **The Wedding of Black and White**

*Main Article: The Wedding of Black and White*

Though they saw each other less and less as they got older, Lucien began to notice he thought more and more of Alysanne, and missed the days in which they were able to spend whole weeks of seeing one another every day. He missed the strong, silent presence she provided, her levelheaded attitude and advice that kept them out of trouble. He began to pine over the time that they had lost, and the fact that he might not see her for any meaningful stretch of time until they were well into their adulthood, and maybe, not even then, depending on how their lives unfolded.

Consequently, when Gwayne Tyrell announced the betrothal of Lucien and Alysanne in the year 77 AC, first hearing the news from his father, Lucien was both shocked and elated. Few else were truly surprised, as Alysanne had grown exceptionally close to House Hightower and Lucien in particular during her various stays in Oldtown at the Starry Sept, and the course of her education had lead them naturally towards one another for certain periods of time that allowed them to bond at length in ways that few others had the luxury to.

But the realm was surprised once more at the wedding itself in 78 AC, the following year, when Gwayne announced that the marriage was to be matrilineal in nature, and that Lucien and Alysanne were named to heirship of Highgarden, with the understanding that their children would have the Tyrell name. Additionally, to make the already tense affair even more so, Lord Uther Peake was publicly and without warning stripped of his title as High Marshal of the Reach, Gwayne instead giving it to Lucien's elder brother, Lord Lyonel Hightower, in what was clearly a quiet political axis formed by the two. The broiling conflicts that the event created gave birth to the faction that would later see to prop up the claim of Lucien and Alysanne above her younger half brothers, the White Rose.

But to Lucien, it mattered little. The White Rose meant even less to him. All that he found himself concerned about was Alysanne, and the happiness he had felt when they met at the altar there, in front of all of the most powerful men of the realm, able to freely declare their love for one another. Coupled with Ser Mervyn seeing fit to knight him for his tremendous prowess displayed during the mock battle of the tourney that followed the wedding events, he was able to wholly devote himself to getting to know his wife better, to growing closer and closer to her, taking a short, blissful reprieve from his quest for excellence in order to delve into his new marriage, although that too would come to a painfully short end, just shy of a year after their first son, Dorian, was born.

For the first six months of their marriage, Lucien and Alysanne toured the Free Cities of Braavos, Qohor, Pentos, Lys and Myr, before returning to Highgarden four moons before their first son was born.

### **The Fourth Dornish War**

*Main Article: Fourth Dornish War*

When Gwayne called his banners to war against the Dornish, and commanded two hosts to the field, Lucien was ordered to Gwayne's side, as his father-by-law was unwilling to risk losing one of his legal heirs, and decided the best way to ensure his survival was to keep him closer, as well as to please the then High Marshal of the Reach, Lord Lyonel Hightower, Lucien's elder brother. Slightly disappointed at the prospect of leaving his newborn son and newlywed wife behind, but excited at that of truly proving himself as a freshly anointed knight in warfare, Lucien followed without question, and served as one of Gwayne's personal attendants and bodyguards during the Siege of Nightsong. During the battle, he rode beside Gwayne after the van had already been deployed, taking the cavalry forces around the flanks and smashing the Dornish Rear Guard alongside the castle walls, where the weary defenders of Nightsong were able to provide the necessary force to crush the Dornishman. In a last ditch attempt at victory, one of the commanding knights of the Dornish army, Ser Yoren Fowler, grandson of the Lord of Skyreach, made a charge for Gwayne and his other commanders. Though Lucien defended them valiantly, he took a glancing blow that caught from his upper lip to his hips, his upper body taking the brunt of the wild, uncoordinated strike, causing him to fall from his horse while Gwayne dispatched the assailant, and oversaw the slaughter of the remaining Dornishman. Altogether well, aside from several flesh wounds that would heal as scars, Lucien returned to Highgarden, to Alysanne and Dorian, shortly thereafter, not staying for the rest of the campaign.

### **The Rosegold Rebellion**

*Main Article: The Rosegold Rebellion*

When Gwayne called upon him once more to command one of the Reach's armies in revolt against House Targaryen, declaring himself king in the process, Lucien followed his father-by-law once more without question. Given a small regiment of cavalry riding beneath the command of the legendary veteran general Alliser Crane, who assembled the largest of the Reachman forces converging to end King Viserys' advance into the Reach at Bitterbridge. There he oversaw the defense of the castle with half a dozen other commanding lords, and grew close to his distant relative and fellow commanding officer, Lord Brus Tarly.

After the Slaughter of Bitterbridge, and the eventual signing of the Golden Truce, Lucien was appointed to Master of Laws on King Viserys' Small Council. Ready and willing to serve as ably as he could, Lucien accepted the task eagerly, bringing about a new chapter of his life with it. Six moons after accepting the position Lucien moved Alysanne and their children to King's Landing, where they have lived ever since.

### **Big City, Small Council**

Despite the honor of being appointed to the Small Council, a small nugget of bitterness lingered within Lucien's heart. Between the whirlwind of events that transpired after the royal incursions into the Reach prevented Lucien from fully being able to mourn the loss of his greatest friend and brother, Lyonel. Partially assuaged by occasional visits to Lyonel's son, Lucas, Lucien still feels incredibly guilty about this, and as a result, it has soured his relationship with his father-by-law Gwayne partially, aside from his general distaste for Gwayne's domineering, inconsiderate, and hateful attitude to most. Nevertheless, he sees his duty to his king, his lord, and his family more important than his own resentment, and has chosen to move on, in the hopes that he might find reconciliation in his unresolved feelings over the death of Lyonel in the next life.

## **Timeline**

* **63 AC** - Lucien Hightower Born to Lord Martyn Hightower.
* **73 AC** - Nephew Lucas Hightower born to brother, Lyonel Hightower, and his lady wife, Lynesse Cuy.
* **78 AC** - Wedding of Black and White. Lucien knighted in the subsequent tourney. Brother, Lord Lyonel Hightower, named High Marshal of the Reach during the festivities.
* **82 AC** - Dorian Tyrell born to Alysanne Tyrell and Lucien Hightower.
* **83 AC** - Fourth Dornish War begins, Gwayne and Gareth lead hosts to Nightsong and the Prince’s Pass respectively, both resulting in disastrous losses. Lucien accompanies Gwayne, leaving Alysanne alone at the Hightower with their infant son.
* **84 AC** - Damon Tyrell born to Alysanne Tyrell and Lucien Hightower. Lucas Hightower, Lucien's nephew, begins squirehood underneath him.
* **89 AC** - Danelle Tyrell born to Alysanne Tyrell and Lucien Hightower. Thaddeus Tyrell, Lucien's half-brother by law joins his nephew in squirehood by order of Gwayne Tyrell.
* **90 AC** - Lucas knighted for impressive victory at the Tourney of Darkdell as a mystery knight. Thaddeus returns to Starpike shortly after at request of his mother and grandfather.
* **93 AC** - Rosegold Rebellion. House Tyrell and House Lannister rise in revolt together, resolved by the end of the in the Golden Peace. Lucien leads part of the Tyrell host at Bitterbridge. During the slaughter at Bitterbridge, his brother falls. After the war, Lucien is made Master of Laws on King Viserys' Small Council, and moves family to King's Landing for the time being.

## **Recent events**

5th Moon of the year 98 after Aegon's Conquest found Lucien seated on the King's Small Council as his Master of Laws. Yet, all that was to change when his wife received a letter from her father, urging her to make Lucien arrest Lord Peake on the charges of high treason.

Lucien offered some nominal resistance, stuck between two equally bad options - defy the Ironrose, or defy the King. In the end, loyalty to his goodfather won, despite the Master of Laws finding the order quite foolish, and he asked for Matarys Waters, Commander of the City Watch, to arrest the errant lord. When Matarys promptly refused, Lucien sacked him from his position.

What followed was bursting into the rooms of Uther Peake, scaring Uther's poor lady wife, something which would prove disasterous for not only Lucien, but his family, too. He let Lord Harry Darry, Lord Justiciar of the Iron Throne, know of what he had done, but Harry interpreted his actions as treason on Lucien's part, though before he could make such an accusations, the Reachman lost consciousness due to stress.

Once he had awoken, he was summoned to the King to explain the whole mess. At the end of it all, he lost his title, and since then, he and Alysanne had been under house arrest. His goodfather was eventually arrested, and put on trial, and a key witness to his guilt was precisely Lucien's testimony given to the King; yet, before anything could be finished, Gwayne asked for trial by combat. While the request was initially granted, the murder of Manfryd Rowan and the subsequent rebellion started by Gwayne's brothers Gyles and Gareth branded all three of them as traitors and the realm head off to war on the Reach soil once more.

TBA

## **Family Tree**

*Foreword: **Bolded**names indicate those that were lord of their respective house at some point or another. Italicized names indicate that the character is now deceased. (m.) denotes a marriage into the family.*

House Tyrell

* ***Leo Tyrell, the late Lord of Highgarden, b. 12 AC - d. 59 AC***

* *(m.)* *Barba Tarly, the late Lady of Highgarden, b. 9 AC - d. 59 AC*

* **Gwayne Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden, b. 44 AC**
* *(m.)* (*Rohanne Florent, the late Lady of Highgarden, b. 45 AC - d. 74 AC*
	+ Alysanne Tyrell, b. 62 AC
	+ (m.)Lucien Hightower, Knight of House Hightower, b. 63 AC
		- Dorian Tyrell, son of Alysanne, b. 82 AC
		- Damon Tyrell, son of Alysanne, b. 84 AC
		- Danelle Tyrell, daughter of Alysanne, b. 89 AC
	+ Florence Tyrell, daughter of Gwayne, b. 67 AC
	+ *(m.) Osbert Osgrey,*
	+ *(m.) Lucamore Crane,*
		- Alesander Crane, son of Lucamore, b.
		- Alys Crane, daughter of Lucamore, b.
	+ *(m.) Leo Oakheart,*
	+ Perenelle Tyrell, Lady of the Arbor, b. 71 AC
	+ **(m.)****Urrathon Redwyne, Lord of the Arbor, b. 72 AC**
		- Vanessa Redwyne, daughter of Urrathon, b. 95 AC
		- Victaria Redwyne, daughter of Urrathon, b. 97 AC
	+ Arwyn Tyrell, Lady of Horn Hill, b. 74 AC
	+ **(m.)****Brus Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill, b. 61 AC**
		- Robin Tarly, Heir to Horn Hill, b. 93 AC
		- Jon Tarly, son of Brus, b. 95 AC
		- Margaery Tarly, twin sister of Jon, b. 95 AC
* *(m.) Perianne Caswell, the late Lady of Highgarden, b. 50 AC - d. 75 AC*
	+ Bethany Tyrell, daughter of Gwayne, b. 75 AC
* *(m.)* Samantha Peake, Lady of Highgarden, b. 60 AC
	+ Theodore Tyrell, son of Gwayne, b. 78 AC
	+ Thaddeus Tyrell, son of Gwayne, b. 79 AC
	+ Meredyth Tyrell, daughter of Gwayne, b. 81 AC
	+ Margot Tyrell, twin sister of Meredyth, b. 81 AC
* Gyles Tyrell, son of Leo, b. 47 AC
* Gareth Tyrell, Master-at-Arms of Highgarden, b. 50 AC
* (m.) Ellyn Lannister, daughter of Tommen, b. 48 AC
	+ Gwynesse Tyrell, daughter of Gareth, b. 70 AC
	+ *Lyonel Tyrell, son of Gareth, b. 65 AC - d. 74 AC*
* *Galladon Tyrell, son of Leo, b. 54 AC - d. 76 AC*
* *Margaery Fossoway, daughter of Lord Fossoway, b. 52 - d. 76 AC*
	+ Harlen Tyrell, son of Galladon, b. 72 AC
	+ Alerie Tyrell, daughter of Galladon, b. 72 AC
	+ Lucius Tyrell, son of Galladon, b. 76 AC
* Gerold Tyrell, Lieutenant of the Stormbreakers, b. 57 AC
* *(m.) Josephine Mullendore, wife of Gerold, b. 57 AC - d. 76 AC*
	+ Osmund Tyrell, son of Gerold, b. 75 AC

House Hightower

* ***Lyonel Hightower, the late Lord of the Hightower, b. 54 AC - d. 93 AC***

* *(m.)* *Lynesse Cuy the late Lady of the Hightower, b. 54 AC - d. 97 AC*
	+ Lucas Hightower, Lord of the Hightower, b. 73 AC
	+ Leo Hightower, son of Lyonel, b. 75 AC
	+ Leona Hightower, daughter of Lyonel b. 76 AC
* Alerie Hightower, Wife of Donnel Rowan, b. 56 AC
* Leyla Hightower, Wife of Lorimar Dondarrion, b. 60 AC
* Lucien Hightower, Brother of Lyonel, b. 63 AC

* (m.) Alysanne Tyrell, b. 62 AC
	+ Dorian Tyrell, son of Alysanne, b. 82 AC
	+ Damon Tyrell, son of Alysanne, b. 84 AC
	+ Danelle Tyrell, daughter of Alysanne, b. 89 AC
* Luthor Hightower, Brother of Lyonel, Castellan of the Hightower, b. 64 AC
* *(m.)* *Talla Costayne, b. 64 AC - d. 83 AC*
	+ Hugh Hightower, Son of Luthor, b. 82 AC
	+ *Horas Hightower, Son of Luthor, b. 83 AC*
* Loras Hightower, Brother of Lyonel, b. 65 AC
* Rhea Merryweather, Wife of Loras, b. 65 AC
	+ Ethan Hightower, Son of Loras, b. 83
	+ Elyn Hightower, Daughter of Loras, b. 84 AC
	+ Ella Hightower, Daughter of Loras, b. 84 AC

## **Additional Notes**

* Lucien is incredibly close friends with Lord Brus Tarly. The two served under Lord Crane during the Slaughter of Bitterbridge in the Rosegold Rebellion, and saved one another's lives numerous times, forging a bond as close as any Lucien has with his brothers and sisters.
* A prolific tourney knight, his combat experience has given him a unique edge in his preferred sport.
* Despite his first-hand experiences of the horrors of war, Lucien still holds true to the predominantly southron notion that war is more of a game rather than a life-or-death situation, and views it as a tool for forging knights above all else.
* To this day, he still covets Vigilance, the ancestral Valyrian Steel Blade of House Hightower. After his brother's death, however, he has lost any ambitions to obtaining the weapon.
* A natural storyteller, he enjoys public speaking and oral tradition, and is fond of war songs, common poems and spoken word artistry alike, though he is best at relaying his own experiences.
* Sweet foods make him gag, as does most wine. He caries a flask of strong black beer, brewed in the northern fashion, at all times, though he seldom drinks in public, seeing it as amoral in most cases.
* Lucien is known to occasionally talk out loud to himself, although in actuality it is usually him having a one sided conversation with one of the Seven Gods. He prays in a private sept every morning before leaving his chambers.
* His favorite passtime is hunting, viewing it as the best way to prepare for warfare, while also providing a tangible, product that can be useful. He has a large collection of animal hides, pelts, and trophies in Oldtown, Highgarden, and King's Landing as a result. He has a particular passion for hunting exotic prey, and keeps their trophies in a place of higher esteem, his favorite being the Little Valyrian he slew during his time in the Free City of Qohor.

## **Meta**

### **Character Build (AC)**

Attribute: Gregarious

Skills: Champion, Diplomacy, Mounted Combat, Polearms