The High Septon, the Righteous One

His Holiness, the High Septon, the Righteous One of the Starry Sept, the Chapters of King's Landing, Lannisport, White Harbor, Duskendale, Fairmarket, Gulltown, Oxcross and Tumbleton.

## Appearance and Character

Strong of build and height, the martial stature of the High Septon only embellishes his authoritarian figure. Eyes of grey, saturnine glint, and hair greying and falling long, the man of the Faith commands respect both through words and through appearance. Stingy in speech he may be, but when he does speak, his expertise of the rhetorical crafts is astounding, drawing everyone in the vicinity to listen in awe. Great military commanders would envy his stentorian tone and innate leadership aura, and even more would crave after his mastery of an eclectic range of subjects, pertaining to statecraft, education and even skulduggery, not to mention the obvious grasp of theology.

## History

Born in 77 AC to Argrave and Jeyne Tarly, the man originally known as Rolland Tarly had a tranquil, uneventful childhood, even if he was conceived during the hardest winter recorded in recent history - Maegor's Breath. With his father being nowhere near the main succession line, he had grown into the realisation that he would never inherit any lordly titles. Having no other siblings (as his mother proved incapable of producing any more children), Argrave was completely free to solely focus on his only offspring. Rolland, like his peers, began to be educated in the knightly arts of combat, virtue and honour, from an early age. While the morning and the afternoon was spent in the clangour of sparring weapons and martial drills, the evening was dominated by the quiet sounds of prayer, the discussion of the Faith, and the history of Westeros (chiefly concerning the religion, still). The majority of his time was engrossed by these tasks, so it came as no surprise that he plunged into them with quite the fervour. Although perhaps not making for a prodigy in the ways of battle, Rolland demonstrated a higher capability for rhetoric, knowledge-absorption, and the application of said knowledge. At the age of eight, he was already on everyone's lips at the Starry Sept, his reputation as an obedient and devout child of the Faith well-permeated. Over the years, Argrave reconsidered his decision to squire him off to one of the prominent Reachlords, instead opting to allow the boy to excel at the path he had chosen. The young Tarly continued to hone his mind and tongue in the service of his religion, continuing to read and recite scriptures and drill them into his mind assiduously. He did not, however, neglect the physical aspect of things, resuming this part of training, albeit with a slower pace to accomodate for his rapid ascension into the more scholarly topics. From 89 AC, he served under a Knight of the Warrior's Sons, learning much from him, and later on attributing the majority of his virtues to his mentorship.

In 95 AC, he formalised all his efforts when he entered the Starry Sept officially, as a Warrior's Son, shedding his last name and parting with his family to pursue his destiny to serve the Gods, and as a corollary - the Realm. Well-spoken and bright-minded, yet utterly devoted, the clergy could not have asked for a better fledgling. Although he could have accumulated a hefty reputation very easily by creating connections with his peers, Rolland Tarly, now a Knight of the Faith, instead embarked on a far loftier goal. The next two years for him were spent in journey, often leading a band of Poor Fellows, helping the smallfolk, escorting a septon here and there, ensuring the safety of the innocent. Nothing remarkable was achieved, of course, but he made a name for himself as one of the noblest champions of the Seven, truly upholding their standards and ideals.

In 97 AC, the age during which the Stormlands were beleaguered by a rising tide of banditry, he was one of the few Warrior's Sons who volunteered to aid the region of ridding this sordid menace. This proved somewhat troublesome. The outlaws, well acquainted with the forestry, especially the Kingswood, having a far superior knowledge of the terrain and grounds, put up a bloody resistance against the Faithful, who had elected to fight alongside the Stormlanders opposing these criminals. It was during one of these brutal skirmishes that Rolland Tarly plunged too fiercely (and rashly) into battle, cutting deep into the enemy, and eventually being encircled by them. Before he could withdraw and await his companions to turn the odds, he was dealt a terrible blow that even his impressive armour could not withstand. Pain lanced through the entirety of him, and then blackness swirled. When he came to his senses, he discovered his inability to effectively use his limb - the sword hand. That, alongside a wound received to the leg from a stray arrow he hadn't even felt because of the adrenaline, destroyed his chances of continuing his service as a Warrior's Sons. Tarly put away the breastplate in favour of a septon's robes.

Even so, this occurance had somehow heightened his prestige and name, for although he could no longer protect the innocence through his physical prowess, his debilitating scars stood testament to his might, honour and piety. He benefited from a greater show of respect back at the Starry Sept, where he began to spend the majority of his time, preaching and furthering the power of the Faith. Sharp wits and a sharper tongue offset his dulled hand, and soon enough, he had a large portion of the Clergy in his pocket. In 99 AC, when Agnes Tully summoned the High Septon to join her war against the Northern heathens, it was Tarly who convinced the conflicted head of the Faith to show to the false worshippers their mettle, and bring to them the punishment of the Gods. Of course, it proved fruitless in the end, for before they could arrive, Lady Tully had surrender, her rank and position stripped from her by the King's orders. Although heavily dissatisfied by the policy of the Targaryen monarch, Rolland could do little. Returning to the Starry Sept, he saw fit to resume developing alliances and bonds while the War of the Setting Sun raged on, and even after the Ironborn had been brought to heel once they had concluded their squabbles and civil war.

Tarly's rise through the ranks is unprecedented, as he joins the seats of the Most Devout in 105 AC, at the age of twenty-eight. After the passing of the Kind One in 107 AC, the majority select him as the best canidate to lead the Faith. It is then that Rolland finally makes off with his name, donning a new one, on behalf of the zealot era that he forges - the Righteous One. Just a short while later, in 110 AC, he begins to propagate the rumours that Lord Roy Baratheon's eldest child is illegitimate; having learned of the brief affair Raya Blackwood had with Viserys I Targaryen, he fervently insists on the truth of the matter, creating friction between many of the Stormlords, some of whom believe the tale as a fact.

As the Trout and the Lion extend an alliance in 112 AC, united in their displeasure from the slights they've been inflicted from the King, the Righteous One's attention turns to them, encouraging the developing bond. When The Cobbler Rebellion eventually booms in 114 AC, the High Septon's involvement in it is skillfull concealed. Having spent the prior months fomenting the population through the Poor Fellows and sowing general unrest, the sparks catch, and not a speck of soot besmirches his name. Throughout the duration of the conflict, he subtly persuades many of the Riverlander nobility to aid their rightful cause, as well as covertly funding many of the rebels, providing them with arms and supplies. When Marq the Cobbler is eventually put down, the Righteous One is mildly disappointed, although chiefly satisfied with the ramifications of the raging warfare.

In 118 AC, radical missionaries travel to the Isles to convert the Ironborn there, yet are butchered with impunity instead. Despite the chaos and uproar it causes, the Crown allows the murderers to return to their homes, with no punishment delivered. The Righteous One vows during a mass at the Starry Sept that he'll strike his own justice.

From the year of 121 AC, the High Septon embarks on a campaign to gather funds from many of the prominent lords and ladies of Westeros, appealing to their pious nature and blatantly succeeding at his tries to muster financial support. The new found wealth is used for the strengthening and reformation of the Poor Fellows, whom the Righteous One deems inadequate for the purpose of upholding the Seven's duties in their current state. Their numbers are bolstered, their presence is grown, and most noticably, their equipment - chiefly, the weapons and meagre armour - are bolstered. During this rapid expanse, many new chapters are established in the Realm, the one at Stoney Sept being the most outstanding. Following 123 AC, the fearmongering from the many new groups of the Poor Fellows amplifies, in accordance with their zeal. Two years later, Ser Jasper Arryn arrests and beheads the leader of the Gulltown chapter after a heated argument. Several months later, he and his company are ambushed on the road and viciously slaughtered in retaliation. The incident causes the Crown Prince, Baelor Targaryen, with the assistance of the Valemen, to purge the region from the Poor Fellows - at least briefly.

In 128 AC, the Righteous One immortalises the names of the fallen Devout, slain at the Isles and in the Vale, and reminds the public of their service during a mass at the Starry Sept. The rhetoric and message used during the process proves unpleasant to the Crown, who send a message of disapproval to the High Septon. The letter is promptly ignored.

Now, in 130 AC, the King has breathed his last, and it is the High Septon's duty to crown the next ruler of the Iron Throne - if so is the will of the Gods.

## Family

Argrave Tarly (deceased) - father.

Jeyne Tarly (deceased) - mother.

## NPCs

Jon Leygood - a renowned knight of the Warrior's Sons, who also serves as steward of the High Septon for assistance in the matters of economy.

Alaric - a prominent member of the Poor Fellows, an experienced, aged man, who's scoured the majority of the kingdom.

## Meta

Skills: Silver Tongue (CHA #1), Leadership (CHA #2), Propagation (INT), Commerce (STA), Theology (EDU)

Mastery: Orator

 10

Username: u/Mister\_Deathborne

Discord Username: Nightmare#6703