Loren Lannister

Lord Loren Lannister is the Lord of Casterly Rock, Shield of Lannisport and Warden of the West. The head of House Lannister, Loren is one of the most powerful lords in Westeros,

## Personality

### Personality Description

"A smart man knows what to say. A wise man knows whether or not to say it." The Lord's personality could be described very well by this very simple quote, pointing to a very simple thing. The thing it points to is the taciturn, silent and calculating nature the man has, spiced up with the very amusedly, even mockingly firmed lips he usually has written on his face, and the almost unreadable - unless the one knows him well enough - coldness in his sea-dark eyes. The sharpest of daggers are often hidden behind the sweetest of smiled, his smile isn't anywhere near the sweet warm gesture a smile itself should be, and neither is it an usual sight for the world, but it's not a dagger it hides, but a sword. The man never liked using these smaller weapons in battle, and swings sword better than most, thanks to his notorious speed, and natural stamina, but he doesn't like using those small weapons like smiles and slimy words in conversation either. The man is a hammer hitting the anvil, and so are his words. A smart man knows what to say, but Loren knows how to reply to that smart man with in the most savage way the one might hope for. He doesn't waste too much words out loud, but he is always armed with a reply that could well shut the mouth of anyone around him. But even despite these traits that might make him look and sound like a brute, the Lord of Casterly Rock has a strange sense for authenticity, and accuracy. He's a very good goldsmith, and a player of chess, both of which are hobbies that only expand the authentical and tactical thinking of the man even further. In chess, he prefers closed games over opened ones, which is yet again a way to even further confirm his conversation skills, and that even though he doesn't talk a lot, he speaks a lot.

### Goals and Motivations

Loren would give his left hand for the restoration of his house’s strong position, and respect for its name, while he would hold a hammer in his right, forging the new future for the Lannister house, and showing that even if crippled by one Lion’s poor investments on both, financial and political field, there always is one more lion with teeth as sharp as valyrian steel, and claws ready for a hunt.

### Reputation

While Lord Tyland was reputed to be a feeble lord of feeble mind and dull witt, like a sleeping lion he was, Loren became known as a roaring one. Having a sharp wit, and never being slow, or dull with responds to those he is talking with, wielding two swords instead of one, and being an absolute savage when it comes to trashtalk and conversations in general only gave him one kind of a reputation among the lords of Westeros. The one of a man to be wary of. The one of a man to be feared.

## Backstory

Lord Loren Lannister was born in year 220 AC, in the night when a thunderbolt licked the roof of Casterly Rock's highest tower (later giving him the nickname of 'the Thunderbolt', given the storm during which he was born, and his speed with a sword in his hands) to Lord Tyland Lannister and Lady Cersei Lannister Née Marbrand. Since the very first years of his life, he thought his mother and Marbrand uncle, Alfie, a lot better leader than his own father, Lord Tyland lacked everything a father, or a Lord should have. Effectivity, authority, cunning… Loren’s mother, however, Lady Cersei, did possess all of these things. While Tyland was poor with his investments, Cersei taught Loren how to read. While Tyland was failing to get the gold back, Cersei was playing chess with her son. And while Tyland was loaning tons of gold to every house that asked for it, no matter whether it was, or was not able to pay that gold back when the time comes, Cersei sent Loren to his uncle at Ashermark. By the time Loren would reach the age of fifteen, he would meet Ser Barristan Lorch at the castle of Ashemark, on the courtyard where he was sparring with his cousins, training the swordplay among the members of his family he truly respected. But there was something more about Loren, than about those cousins. While they were taking on each other, in the fights with a sword and a shield, Loren was able to take two, often even three opponents at once, wielding his two longswords. The Lorch knight has noticed this, and after a brief talk with Loren, and then with his uncle, he took the Lannister boy as his squire. For five years, he’s been teaching Loren how to fight with the various weapons, to ride various types of horses, sail and swim, fight in the close combat with swords and daggers, or even the art of archery. The knight shaped Loren’s character into what it is. A deceitful, witty and cunning warrior, with almost no sense for honour. But he didn’t shape Loren through speaking fairy tales about how honourable knights saving pretty ladies and stuff, but by simply fighting. Using everything and everyone around, attacking from the side, or even the back while they fought, was not honourable. But Loren learned how to withstand, and repel such attacks, and before long, he himself put them to his repertoire. Honour never was an option. Opportunity was. And opportunity he never refused.

An opportunity offered itself when Lord Tyland passed away at a hunt. But his father's decision to betrothe his youngest child - Lyonel Lannister - to the Targaryen King’s youngest daughter wasn't anyhow popular in the Westerlands that time, given the Crown's debt to the Rock, and in Loren's head even less. Luckily, the old Lord of Casterly Rock died before his brother could be married to the Targaryens, and Loren broke the betrothal. This might've been treated as an insult, or it might not have, but who cares? Some of the Westerland unruly bannermen definitely did. But the unruly vassals and displeased Lords are something Loren is used to. He used the fact of many of those same Houses owing a lot of gold to the Lions of the Rock, sending them many ravens, and demanding repayment of those debts. Being a half Marbrand, he didn't have to worry much about the support of the powerful Andal Lords.

Sooner or later, the Houses started repaying their debts, and as the Gold was back at Casterly Rock. Before long, gold started arriving back at Casterly Rock, and flowing down the Lion’s mouth yet again, and so started heirs, sons, and daughters of some lords that couldn’t pay, as hostages. From each and every house he informed, but the Reynes. The Reynes and the Tarbecks, in their eternal pride, and maybe ego, remained deaf to Loren’s orders, and sent not a single coin of cold, and not a single hostage to Casterly Rock. We would be liars if we stated that Loren didn’t expect some houses to do that. This all only gave him a pretext to stop playing with words around his Reyne vassals, and start playing with steel. Steel, blood, and fire will rule Westeros once again, and Loren already ignited his. The fire that shall clean the West, and restore the Lions to their place.