Hoster Tully

**Hoster Tully** is the head of House Tully, lord of Riverrun, and Lord Paramount of the Trident. He has fathered three children, his eldest, Catelyn Stark, his youngest daughter, Lysa Arryn, and his sole son and heir, Edmure Tully.

## Family

Lord Hoster married Minisa Whent and fathered 6 children by her, 4 sons and 2 daughters, although three of those sons did not survive infancy. His wife died in childbirth with his final son, who also died shortly after that. This is likely a trend in women of House Whent, as they are often shown having troubles related to childbirth, a fact that may have passed on to Hoster's daughter, Lysa.

Hoster would secure several important marriages for his daughters. Initially he arranged a betrothal between Catelyn and Brandon Stark, heir to the Lordship of Winterfell. When he is executed by King Aerys II Targaryen he instead marries Catelyn to Lord Eddard Stark, the new Warden of the North and Brandon's younger brother. He refuses a request from Lysa that she be allowed to marry Petyr Baelish, and instead weds her to the elderly Lord of the Vale of Arryn, Jon Arryn, but only after Lord Tywin Lannister rejects marrying her to Jaime Lannister and Hoster rejects marrying her to Tyrion Lannister. He also proposes that Edmure marry Arianne Martell, but Prince Doran Martell refuses as she is already betrothed to Prince Viserys III Targaryen.

Hoster is also the brother of renowned knight Ser Brynden Tully, although the two have a feud because Brynden turned down the marriage that Hoster proposed for him to a girl of House Redwyne. Brynden would leave Riverrun with Lysa when she went to the Vale, where he would serve as the knight of the Bloody Gate.

## Appearance and Personality

Lord Hoster was tall and broad in his youth, but got portly as he aged. For the last two years of his life he was perpetually ill and this caused him to grey with age, as well as lose weight and strength. His eyes, however remain the same blue as they were in his youth. His armour is described as silver plate, with a blue and red cloak and surcloak. He wears a helmet that is adorned with a crest shaped like a fish.

Hoster was a fiercely proud man, totally devoted to the advancement of his house - he expressed rage and contempt when his brother Brynden refused to marry, stilled Lysa's child by Petyr Baelish when he found out of her being impregnated outside of marriage, and arranging a marriage for both of his daughters with two great houses of Westeros to empower their forces against Aerys Targaryen and raising Edmure to rule after him. He loved his children dearly, telling Catelyn to wait for him at the end of every campaign. However, he could be ruthless when it suited him, banishing Petyr Baelish from Riverrun after a disastrous duel with Brandon Stark. He also labelled his vassal Walder Frey as 'the Late Lord Frey' for not arriving in time for the Battle of the Trident, and not attending any of the man's weddings afterwards.

Hoster Tully was an honourable man, and never fostered any bastard children outside of his marriage to Minisa.

## History

Hoster would head south to Dorne where he would fight in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, where he would meet and befriend a minor lord of the Vale. This minor lord was the father of Petyr Baelish, who would send his son to Riverrun to be fostered by House Tully. Whilst at Riverrun Petyr would meet Catelyn, who he would fall in love with, and Lysa, who would, in turn, fall in love with him.

During Robert's Rebellion Hoster would side with Robert Baratheon, though not all of his vassals would follow him. House Darry and House Mooton would be amongst those who would stay loyal to the Targaryen dynasty. Hoster would fight at the Battle of the Bells, where he would be personally wounded by Lord Jon Connington, the current King's Hand. After this he would put a village of House Goodbrook to the sword for staying loyal to House Targaryen.

Lord Walder Frey has a long held hatred for Hoster, having begun when the Lord of Riverrun dubbed him the Late Lord Frey, after Walder's levies arrived late for the Battle of the Trident. This resentment was increased when Hoster didn't attend the wedding of Walder and his seventh wife, Annara Farring.

## Books

### A Game of Thrones

Lord Hoster hides his illness from his vassals after Lannister forces, under the command of Ser Gregor Clegane, start reaving through the Riverlands. He insists that a plea for aid should be made in front of the king, so it cannot be said that a counter attack was unprovoked. He starts to delegate many of his tasks to Edmure, although Lord Tytos Blackwood briefly takes over when Edmure is captured after the Battle of Riverrun.

The siege of Riverrun is lifted when Hoster's grandson, Robb Stark, leads his army south and defeats Jaime at the Battle of the Whispering Wood and then the Battle of the Camps, aided by the levies of some of Hoster's vassals, notably House Frey and House Mallister, as well as Lord Tytos. Upon Catelyn's arrival he asks for her to visit him in his chambers.

### A Storm of Swords

Hoster's health gets even worse and Riverrun is now run, in all but name, by Edmure, Utherydes Wayn and Ser Desmond Grell. During Hoster's last few weeks he frequently mentions the word Tansy, which Catelyn thinks must be the name of an old lover. Catelyn and Edmure both urge Lysa to come see their father before he dies, but she neither visits or responds.

After Lord Hoster dies his funeral boat is pushed off into the river, as is traditional with members of House Tully. 7 people push the boat off: King Robb Stark, Lord Jonos Bracken, Lord Tytos Blackwood, Lord Karyl Vance, Lord Jason Mallister, Ser Marq Piper and Lothar Frey. Edmure is tasked with setting the boat aflame with fire arrows but, in his grief, misses three times, so Brynden Tully takes the boat and succeeds.