Tion Lannister

Tion Lannister, known as **The Golden Septon**, is the Septon of Casterly Rock and a spiritual leader for the Dominionist branch of The Faith of the Seven

## **Biography**

Born to King Gregor Lannister and Cerenna Clegene as the second child and second boy, Tion has looked to the crown as potentially his for a long time. From the moment he was an infant, he was the second in line for the crown.

As such, throughout his early life, he was educated similarly to his brother, Tyran, the Crown Prince. Taught the sword, shield, lance, and to ride, taught to govern, to legislate, to work with the people, he picked up on it all quickly but tended to prefer ink over steel. He became a page for one of his father's councilor's at age 6 and served the man dutifully.

Tion celebrated the birth of his sister, his only sister, very much, as he would dote on her more so than any of her milkmaids or her other brother. Little Margaery would cause Tion to take time away from his study of the steel until he would spend no more than an hour a day, sometimes less.

On the birth of his next sibling, King Gregor made a request of Tion. He was to become the protege of the new septon in the Golden Sept of Lannisport. He made it clear that he could choose later if he wanted to join the clergy, but that he should spend time with the holy man in order to better the image of the house with the people. Tion agreed and served Septon Kevan dutifully as he had as a page for his father's counselor.

Two years of serving in the Golden Sept and the realization that the line of House Lannister was secure was enough for Tion to choose his own path. He made his septon's vows on the first day of the year and donned his robes. It was apparent why his father had asked him to gain the confidence of Septon Kevan when the day after his vow Tion was brought into the Undersept. Here he first heard the words of what he would later expand to be the sect of Dominionism. The Golden Septon argued that it was Hugo of the Hill that was spoken to by God, and so it should be the king who should lead the Faith, not the High Septon. As far as he was aware, this was in direct opposition to what the Faith preached, and so he was cautious of immediately speaking it.

The next few days were very weird for Tion. From wrestling with the thoughts in his head to being asked to speak personally with his father about what he had experienced, Tion wasn't sure what to think. The thoughts finally settled down after the third chat with King Gregor, when it became clear that his father had intended for Tion to be exposed to these ideas.

As the year went on Tion learned to embrace the idea of Dominionism, as it seemed that it would be the best of the family. The Faith being united under the King seemed to be the doctrine of the Faith, as the story went that God spoke to King Hugo of the Hill, not a septon, much less a man who claimed to speak for God. It seemed to be hypocrisy to claim that someone sworn to serve the will of God would then claim to be the only one to be able to communicate with them.

At the end of the year, Alliser Tully traveled to Casterly Rock and Lannisport on behalf of King Brynden and during his stay, made lifelong friends with Tion. The boy had begun to climb the order of septons in the Kingdom of the Rock. Over the next few years, he would make it so that he was the next in line for the title of the Golden Septon with the help of the royal court and the Golden Septon himself. He slowly began to give sermons on the ideas of Dominionism as he grew to support the idea more and more.

His service in the Golden Sept was a lonely one, largely consisting of preaching and assisting the Golden Septon, often times going days only speaking commands and talking with the Septon Kevan, Tion did develop a very close bond with another septon, Septon Aegor, a bastard of House Qoherys who had been assigned to the Golden Sept. He served under Tion, often acting as Tion's own assistant, and was very persuasive when speaking face to face, less so when speaking in public.

The Golden Septon was elderly, and as such his time for passing was nearing. He made it clear to Tion that although he was his chosen successor, he would need assistance to gain power once he assumed the the position. Under this advice, Tion began to look for septons, septas, and others who could covertly serve as his spies to ensure the transition of power was smooth and total.

On the eve of the Smith's Day, the Golden Septon drew his last breath and immediately a new person carrying that title arose, Tion himself. Within the next few months, he would lead a number of investigations into others who either felt wronged by the rise of Tion to his new title or simply did not follow his direction. Several of these figures disappear, others tried to seek refuge in other kingdoms, but none were allowed to carry on their life of preaching against Tion. One way or another, all of them found their way into early graves.

Within a few years, Tion grew confident of his consolidation of power to change the direction of the preaching of the Golden Sept and bring that which had been hidden up until then in the Undersept. The power of the High Septon had been waning over the past few years as the sect of Divisionism had begun to take hold, namely throughout the Reach.

Tion began to educate the other septons working in the Golden Sept in order to ease with the spread of the ideals of Dominionism. He soon began to branch out and invite other septons from septs around the West and began to illuminate them on the virtues and truths of the Dominionist ideas. Many took to this quickly, others not so much, but they could be persuaded by the ideas that Septon Kevan had conjured. Those who did not take at all to the ideas left the Golden Sept, either going back to their septs or asking to be moved to another. None who left the teachings of Tion dared speak of them in ill terms within the West as the ideas were slowly becoming the norm amongst the clergy there. At the end of the education of the Western clergy, they all returned to their assigned septs and began to spread what they had learned in subtle messages during their sermons and to educate their septas and junior septons of the ideas that Tion had explained to them.

One of the septas who worked for Tion was particularly close to him. Septa Jeyne was very good at what she did, though her work was considered by some to be dirty, Tion valued it, deeply. Her ability to work a blade through a man's body showing what was underneath and that translating into words coming out of the man's mouth became particularly important to Tion when it became clear that inquiries into the state of affairs of the Western clergy were being made by the High Septon. Though they did not bear much fruit, they were a cause for concern. Upon the failure of one such inquiry, Tion's septons brought the inquisitor into the dungeons of the Golden Sept where Septa Jeyne was given free reign over him with the stipulation that information would have to sprout from this endeavor. And so it did, leaving Septa Jeyne and Tion satisfied with the result.

However, Septa Jeyne did not last long in the clergy, as she threw down her vows within the year. This did not lose her Tion's friendship, quite the contrary, as he enjoyed her company much more than he had before, Jeyne now being much more free to be herself not bound by her vows. To the surprise of many, Septon Aegor, or Aeg as Tion was often to refer to him, threw down his frock just months later and many thought that this might be the downfall of the mighty hold that he possessed over the Golden Septon. Again, to their chagrin, quite the opposite happened as they did not lose their friendship with Tion and enjoyed his company freely.

A few years later, Prince Tyran, Tion's brother had his first son, Tyrion, who from his earliest years was to be a giant man. Tion personally handled the boy's education until he was sent off to be fostered at Crakehall.

Aegor and Jeyne remained within the vicinity, both settling in Lannisport, Jeyne operating a fine clothing materials business, Aegor working the security and transaction management end of the business, and being the official owner, though Jeyne was the practical owner. Tion did not abandon his friend Jeyne even when she gave birth to a bastard daughter who she named Joy. Tion asked King Tyran to legitimize the girl and he complied with her request, granting her the ability to choose a name. As the girl was an infant, Jeyne chose the name Lanness and from then on used her daughter's name as her own, making her Jeyne Lanness. Two years later, she gave birth to a son who she named Alliser. Tion also asked that Alliser is legitimized, but King Tyran made a condition, that Jeyne marry someone in order to prevent incidents as such from occurring. She agreed that it would be prudent and married Aegor just a few months later, Tion officiating the ceremony. The legitimization was granted and Alliser took up the same name as his sister.

Seeing that the Westerlands were all but proclaimed a Dominionist kingdom, Tion thought it prudent to reach out to other regions where the ideas he preached might be able to take hold. He invited several septons from the Stormlands to the Golden Sept where they were exposed to and educated on the ideas that Tion sought so much to spread. They seemed to take hold with some, less so with others, and when the septons returned to the Stormlands, a very slow creep of the spreading of Dominionist ideas began. He soon sent septons to the Greenbelt and Claw as well.

The next years were very tame, as nearly all Tion had wanted had been achieved, and so he focused on educating Joy and Alliser. Joy took to the Faith very much and ended up taking septas vows, while Alliser enjoyed the blade much more than books.

As a result of a mutual agreement that it would be for the best, Tion takes on Tristifer Tully, a boy of 12, to be a septon so that if he so chooses, take his vows and be a source for Dominionist doctrine in the Riverlands. Tion adores the boy, as he his quick of wit and intelligent teaching him all he knows.

With a heavy heart, Tion buries his father and coronates his brother. The time is a hard one for Tion as his father was the reason he was in the position to bury him in the first place and so he very much laments his loss. He endorses his brother's rule very much, instructing all the other septons in the West to do so, to keep the people loyal to their new king.

The High Septon officially announced the existence of the schism of the Faith, and Tion used this opportunity fully, sending well-trusted septons to advise the Faith of Kings Durrandon, Yronwood, and Celtigar. He began to openly denounce the High Septon for the fraud he was, the orthodox teaching of the Faith for the lies that they were, for the blatant disregard for their holy writings that the Unionists showed. He did not endorse or denounce the Divisionists, as he saw them as a much lesser problem that could be dealt with in later years.

During the War of the Trident, Tion used the ills of battle to spread Dominionism, sending preaching septons into camps of all sides of the conflict, trying to convert those who were faced with the horrors of war.

Tion arranged with his dear friend Alliser Tully so that Gwyn Tully would marry Prince Tyrion, creating an alliance between the Tullys of Riverrun and the West.

Nearing the end of the war, Tion was stricken with grief once more having to bury his brother and coronate his nephew.

With the nearing of the Great Council of Harrenhal, Tion remains in the Golden Sept, waiting for whatever may come.

## **Timeline**

* 233 AA: Tion is born.
* 239 AA: Tion becomes a page.
* 240 AA: Margaery is born.
* 242 AA: Steffon is born and Tion becomes the protege of Septon Kevan, The Golden Septon.
* 244 AA: Tion is first introduced to the idea of Dominionism.
* 245 AA: Tion meets Alliser Tully and makes a lifelong friend.
* 250 AA: Tion meets and befriends Septon Aegor.
* 251 AA: The Golden Septon passes and Tion assumes the title.
* 254 AA: Tion begins to openly preach Dominionism.
* 256 AA: Re-education of the Western clergy begins.
* 258 AA: Tion befriends one of his spies, Septa Jeyne.
* 259 AA: Septon Aegor and Septa Jeyne leave the clergy.
* 262 AA: Prince Tyrion is born, Tion handles his education personally.
* 273 AA: Jeyne gives birth to Joy Hill. She is legitimized and takes the name Lanness.
* 275 AA: Alliser Hill is born and then legitimized taking the same name as his sister.
* 278 AA: Tion reaches out to the septons of the Stormlands, Claw, and Greenbelt to spur the spread of Dominionist ideas.
* 286 AA: Tristifer Tully comes to the Golden Septon to train under Tion directly.
* 290 AA: Tion performs his father's burial and his brother's coronation.
* 291 AA: The High Septon proclaims a Schism in the Faith.
* 292 AA: Using the war as a catalyst, Tion spreads Dominionism. He and Alliser Tully arrange a marriage between Prince Tyrion and Gwyn Tully. King Tyran is killed by Andrik Greyjoy, Tion buries his brother and coronates his nephew Tyrion.
* 298 AA: Hearing of the Great Council of Harrenhal, Tion makes plans for the spread of Dominionism, though he will be remaining in the Golden Sept.

## **Supporting Characters**

* Aegor Waters, 63, Negotiator
* Jeyne Lanness, 60, Executioner
* Joy Lanness, 25
* Alliser Lanness, 23, Warrior: Swords
* and numerous others!