The Iron Islands are one of the smallest kingdoms in Westeros, or at least they were, yet they had always been inhabited by fierce raiders, the Ironborn. Having always been a menace to the people of the mainland of Westeros, the Ironborn have only gotten worse in recent decades. Led by the infamous Harwyn Hoare, known as Hardhand, they invaded the Riverlands, driving away the Storm Kings of Durrandon to establish their own empire. Now, a hundred years later, the third generation of Hoare's rule over it, with an iron fist.

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House Hoare

"With Chains of Iron"

—Words of House Hoare

The ruling house of the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers. The Hoare's of Orkmont are an ancient and powerful house that have ruled the Iron Islands for thousands of years. A hundred years ago, they led the attack onto the fertile Riverlands, establishing a powerful kingdom in the heart of Westeros. They are infamous for their cruelty, so much that a popular saying about them is that they are "black of hair, black of eye and black of heart". Their current seat is the castle of Harrenhal, a gargantuan building that has been built with the goal of constructing the largest castle that ever existed. It is named after their current head, Harren Hoare, the King of the Isles and the Rivers.

In General

0% Approval Rating: In more recent years, the house has fallen on hard times, since their subjects absolutely loathe them. The Ironborn see them as weak for straying too far from the old ways, while the Riverlanders hate them for being foreign invaders.
Alliterative Family: All current members of House Hoare's names begin with the letter H.
Big, Screwed-Up Family: The Hoare's have always been a problematic family, filled with feuds. The current generation of Hoare's takes things even further, with Harren being a cruel tyrant who shows no respect for his sons, whom are (save for one) seriously messed up. His sons also hate each other, with the exception of Harndon and Harrick. Then there is Harrigon, Harren's younger brother, who outright abandoned the family and joined the Night's Watch.
Dark Is Evil: They are associated with dark colours, as the saying about them goes and most of them are truly nasty people.
Famous Ancestor: Harwyn Hoare, known as Harwyn Hardhand, the man who successfully invaded the Riverlands and founded the kingdom.
Jerkass: Even among the Ironborn, they typically stand out.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Hoare's have taken a liking to this trope for many centuries now. Examples in this story include Harren the Black, Harmund the Hunter and their ancestor, the mentioned-only Harwyn Hardhand.
People of Hair Colour: As the saying above implies, every Hoare is known for their black hair.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: A pillar of the Ironborn society. That said, more recent versions of Hoare kings have severely limited this practice, by denying their subject the chance to raid the fertile Riverlands.

King Harren Hoare

Harren the Black, The Iron King, King of the Isles and the Rivers, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Seawind and Lord Reaper of Orkmont

The King of the Isles and Rivers at the time of the story. Harren is a man in his sixties, the son of Halleck Hoare and grandson of Harwyn Hoare, the Founder of the Kingdom. He is regarded as a cruel, petty tyrant, who rules through fear and violence. This in turn means that his subjects largely despise him and it is said the only reason he still rules at all is because they despise each other almost as much, or even more in some cases.

Abusive Parents: Oh so very much. He pairs this trope with Parental Neglect and a very, very strange example of Even Evil Has Loved Ones. He seems to hold some fondness for his sons, but that doesn't stop him from putting them through heavy emotional and implied physical abuse, likely in the misguided attempt of making them stronger.
Adipose Rex: In recent years, Harren has gained a lot of weight and he is generally considered to be overweight, even though not outright fat.
Ambition Is Evil: It is Harren's ambition that drives him to his worst actions. Over the years, he has developed a severe case of megalomania, to the point where he wishes to become the greatest and most powerful king that ever lived. It inspired him to build his castle of Harrenhal, to the point where constructing it bled his kingdom dry and it constantly inspires him to wage war against his neighbours, to expand his kingdom.
Aristocrats Are Evil: Oh yes, he is. Harren is as evil as he is highborn.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Averted. The Ironborn as a whole have such a culture and openly encourage this trope in their rulers, but Harren is decidedly not having any of it. It is part of the reason he is so incredibly hated among his own people.
Bad Boss: His construction of Harrenhal shows just how bad he is. Generally, Riverlanders get it worse than Ironborn in his kingdom, as they have to supply the majority of builders for the castle and suffer the most losses as a result. He is also not above slaughtering his own bannermen if they disrespect him, to impose fear on them.
Bait the Dog: Cruel as he is, he is particularly fond of these tactics, as the wedding between his son and Elaena Mallister proves. He welcomes her into the family quite warmly, even giving her a trinket once belonging to his mother... only to go on by ordering the bedding ceremony, usually the part of the wedding the bride is most afraid of, to begin, pretty much crushing any chance that his previous kindness towards her was genuine.
Berserk Button: Harren has several, but his most prominent one is not being properly respected. Those who treat him with respect are usually spared the worst of his temper, but those who act in a manner that makes him believe they lack such respect are treated with utmost brutality. Generally suffering from a Hair-Trigger Temper, a lack of respect brings out the worst in him.
Big Bad: If there's any example of this in the entire story, it's Harren Hoare.
The Caligula: Cruel, petty, vain, with an ambition that is similar to outright madness. Harren is a perfect example of a cruel, hated tyrant. On top of that, he proves to be incompetent to rule his kingdom on his own and has to rely on his highly capable son Harrick.
Chewing the Scenery: During his speeches, Harren has a talent for this.
Cool Crown: A thick golden circlet with four long, pointy spikes on top, looking like daggers.
Dark Is Evil: The colour that is most primarily associated with him is black. He has black hair, black eyes, wears a black armour and his nickname is Harren the Black. Surely he's not a Nice Guy.
Despotism Justifies the Means: He justifies his tyrannic actions with the desire to make his rule more stable, knowing that he is surrounded by enemies. In fact, he has little to no choice but to rule through fear at this point.
Equal-Opportunity Evil: If Harren has one truly redeeming quality, it is the fact that he avoids the sexism that usually runs rampant among the Ironborn. Under his rule, his captain of the guard is a woman and if him appointing Alynne Hollard to the rank of a captain of the Iron Fleet proves anything, its that he doesn't mind having women among his most trusted council as well.
Even Evil Has Standards: Even Harren, despite him being The Caligula, openly and severely disapproves of Harmund's shameless display of cruelty. It might be more of a case of Pragmatic Villainy, but it shows that there are lines even he is not willing to cross.
- Best exemplified when he's forced to Mercy Kill Torvin's lover, who had been tortured by Harmund for over a month when he had ordered a quick death, showing genuine anger and dismay at this outcome.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In a weird zig-zagged and twisted example, Harren does have some tiny soft spot for his sons.
- It is mostly noticeable in the way he reacts when Harlan is wounded. It deserves special mention for being the first time Harren actually shows concern for someone who is not himself.
- A slightly more subtle example is the way he treats Harndon. Despite being worthless as an heir, unsuited to ever rule and mentally damaged, causing way more problems alive than dead, Harren keeps him around and treats him like a member of the royal family.
Evil Is Hammy: So much in fact that his hamminess is the only thing that manages to overshadow his evilness.
Evil Old Folks: At the time of the story, Harren is in his sixties and he is also one of the primary villains.
Evil Overlord: Probably the only true example of the trope in this story, as the king of a nation of brutal raiders that regularly threaten their neighboring kingdoms (which includes every kingdom save for Dorne), who has the personality of a bully and a massive temper.
Glasgow Grin: After Garthon's failed attempt on his life he sports a gruesome facial scar that leaves him with half of a Glasgow grin.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Harren's temper is legendary and he loses it for even the tiniest slights, both real and imagined.
I Have Many Names: King Harren Hoare of the Black Blood, the Iron King, King of the Isles and the Rivers, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind and Lord Reaper of Orkmont
Jerkass: Even when his evil actions are not taken into consideration, his behaviour is that of a thug and a bully, who belittles those around him and like to assert his dominance over them. There are few quotes and actions from him that don't qualify.
Kick the Dog: Most of his actions are this, being a main villain in the story, but what stands out even for his standards is his murder of Torvin's unborn son, merely for the sake of breaking the man as much as possible. Considering that an I Have Your Wife scenario on its own, the situation he already had, would have been more than enough to force Torvin into submission, this trope applies for sure.
Kneel Before Zod: As part of his vain streak, it is a safe way to please him by doing this. He is even willing to occasionally offer it as a way for defeated enemies to survive.
Might Makes Right: A firm believe in this. He enforces his rule over the Riverlands with brutal force, while using the same tactics to keep his Ironborn in line. He is partially justified with his believe, as the Ironborn culture enforces this trope and won't accept a ruler who does not act in this way.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name is Harren the Black.
Nepotism: Harren seems to be highly fond of this when it comes to giving positions at court. Loyal subjects are most likely to be rewarded even if they are not particularly suited for the job.
Orcus on His Throne: As the King of the Isles and Rivers, Harren is a major player in the political landscape of Westeros. For the utmost majority of Westerosi, he is a threat and an enemy, for his aggressively expansionistic policies. However, Harren himself rarely leaves his castle and lets his subordinates wage war in his name.
Parental Favoritism: It is clear that out of his sons, Harren favours the relatively sane Harmund and Harrick, the latter even above the former, even though Harmund is technically his firstborn son.
Parental Neglect: This trait is even worse in him than his Abusive Parents tendencies. Harren barely plays a part in his sons day to day live and actively ignores Harmund's actions. This played a severe part in the way Harlan and Harndon have grown up.
The Patriarch: A dark and villainous version, but he undeniably is the patriarch of House Hoare.
Pet the Dog: On top of being genuinely friendly to his old companion, Haragard Murphey, Harren makes a surprisingly reasonable offer to Haragard's caretaker, Darla Vega. If she manages to heal the old raider from his illness, he promises to free her and to make her a rich woman, something he is absolutely honest about.
Pragmatic Villainy: Mostly thanks to the influence of his son Harrick, Harren does have his moments in which he acts surprisingly clever and pragmatic. The way he deals with Torvin and Garthon after they betrayed him is the best example for this. He also heavily disapproves of the behaviour Harmund displays, not for any moral concerns, but for the fact that he gives in to his sadistic urges without reason and completely in the open.
Red Baron: Most commonly known as Harren the Black.
Red Right Hand: His facial scars are clearly marking him as a villain.
Royals Who Actually Do Something: Entirely averted. Unlike almost any Hoare king before him, Harren rarely does anything personally, leaves it to others to fight his war and is more of an example of an Orcus on His Throne.
Scars Are Forever: His more severe facial scars are this, with some of them having been inflicted on him decades ago.
Tin Tyrant: Harren deliberately invokes this trope. He knows that he will never be loved by the people of the Riverlands, so he makes sure that they fear him. Part of this means that he has to look fearsome, so he constantly wears heavy, black armor, which gives him the additional effect of protecting him from attempts on his live. He completes it with Spikes of Villainy.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: His full title is "King Harren Hoare of the Black Blood, the Iron King, King of the Isles and the Rivers, King of Salt and Rock, Son of the Sea Wind and Lord Reaper of Orkmont"
Uriah Gambit: It is implied that this is part of his reason for sending Torvin and Garthon to their hopeless raid towards Raylansfair. He knows their death is a likely possibility, which would also relieve him of the problem of how to deal with them after they betrayed him.
Villainous Friendship: Harren is friends with Simon Vessels and a few other men among his court. Usually, due to a serious case of Nepotism, they are the ones that get the best positions at court.
- He is genuinely friendly with his old friend Haragard Murphey, whom he considers more of a brother than his own brother, and truly hopes his failing health improves.
0% Approval Rating: Harren is loathed by his subjects, but for vastly different reasons. The Riverlanders hate him for being a cruel tyrant, while the Ironborn hate him for ruling over the Riverlanders instead of constantly raiding them like his ancestors did. No matter what, both of these options have such an irrevocably negative opinion on him that he is unlikely to ever get rid of this trope.

Prince Harmund Hoare

Harmund the Hunter

Harren's eldest son and heir to his kingdom. Harmund is commonly seen as even worse than his father, a dangerous and ruthless psychopath who is hated and feare by everyone around him.

Aristocrats Are Evil: Harmund is not only one of the most complete villains in the story, he is also the heir to the kingdom of the Isles and Rivers, making him one of the most powerful aristocrats of the continent.
Ax-Crazy: It is one of his most notable traits. Harmund has very poor control over his evil nature, causing him to act uncontrollably at times, which usually results in his worst outbursts and actions.
Bad Boss: Harmund is not above punishing his own men for even minor failure. It is one of the reasons why even Rell Vessels, his supposed friend, lives in constant fear of him and his temper.
Beard of Evil: A short, well-kept one, which shows his evilness, while still keeping him in Tall, Dark, and Handsome-territory.
Big Brother Bully: One of the arguably worst things Harmund has done is the abuse he has put his younger brothers through. Harlan has suffered a lot under him, resulting in many of his problems, but the one who got it worst is Harndon, whom Harmund tormented together with his former victim Harlan. While Harlan has been spared the worst, Harmund's abuse of Harndon is implied to have even been of sexual nature.
Bullying a Dragon: Let's just say, raping the daughter of one of the most renowned warriors of his time has not been a wise idea. Harmund did it regardless, winning Bloody Brandon Frey as his arch-enemy.
Cold Sniper: Harmund is a cold and ruthless man, who also happens to be a skilled sharpshooter and hunter.
Co-Dragons: He is one of two for his father, together with his brother Harrick.
The Corrupter: One of his favourite past times is to urge others to commit the same acts he enjoys. Over the course of the story, he urges Hjalgar to shoot and essentially murder an innocent and unarmed man, as well as urging Rell to rape and murder at least one young woman.
Dark Is Evil: Harmund is a member of House Hoare, known as 'The Black Line', for their shared looks of dark hair and dark eyes. As seen with the rest of his tropes, he is also firmly and irredeemably evil.
The Dreaded: Harmund is so feared that he is almost a boogeyman for the Riverlanders.
Even Evil Has Standards: In a downplayed example, Harmund is shown to have one legitimate standard, namely the notable disgust he shows when Arrec Mallister offers his young daughter as a potential match for him. He is vocal about his displeasure, mentioning that he considers her too young and that even he considers men who rape children to be just sick. It might be not much, but coming from him, it's quite something.
Eviler than Thou: Initially, his brother Harlan is seen as bad by Torvin. Harmund's introduction quickly marks him as being worse in every single way, perhaps even worse than his father. Over the course of Chapter 4, he belittles and humiliates Harlan for little reason beyond proving that he is the true man in charge in their relationship.
The Evil Prince: He is the crown prince, a major villain in the story and has quite a bad opinion of his father. So far, he hasn't shown any signs of him being willing to go the extra mile though.
Expy: Harmund shares a good number of his traits with Euron Greyjoy, notably all that are not displayed by the other Euron-Expy Damon Greyjoy. He displays all of Euron's worst traits, being an evil member of the royal family, feared by his subjects and especially his family, whom he has cruelly bullied (and in one case potentially raped), resulting in life-long trauma for them. He is also an Ax-Crazy Sadist, though he is a lot worse at hiding it.
Freudian Excuse: It's not much, but considering that his father is Harren Hoare, how else could he have ended up?
For the Evulz: Harmund rarely needs more reason to do his actions. All of what he does aims at giving him pleasure and the things he gets the most pleasure from are needless destruction, rape and murder.
Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much to piss Harmund off, though his anger often manifests itself as a form of Tranquil Fury, so it is harder to notice. Whenever someone even slightly upsets him, he unleashes his most sadistic behaviour on them.
Hunting the Most Dangerous Game: Harmund is a gifted hunter, so gifted in fact that hunting mere animals has proven to be dissatisfying for him. Because of this, he has switched to humans, often random people who have the misfortune of stumbling upon him and his hunting party by accident.
Jerkass: One of the most major examples in the entire story, as evidenced by how much he enjoys being a dick. That is, if he doesn't cross the line between being merely a Jerkass and being a straight-out villain, which he does more often than not.
Like Father, Like Son: Harmund has ended up even worse than his father, who is already a good example of an Evil Overlord. Both, father and son, display blatant sadism, the urge to dominate others and poor impulse control. They are hated by their subjects, for valid reasons and are, in some capacity, incompetent to rule over their kingdom.
Hate Sink: Harmund is intentionally one of the most hateable characters in the story, whose redeeming traits are rare and very much downplayed.
Moral Myopia: While it might be a positive trait of his, his vocal disgust about child rapists is kinda ironic and hypocritical, given how he has zero problem with raping girls that are a bit older, outright stating that he'd only wait for Elaena Mallister to mature until taking her with or without her conscience.
Number Two: As his father's heir, he is the number two to the entire Kingdom of the Isls and Rivers.
Parental Favoritism: Being the eldest child, he has benefitted from this, as his father gave him more care than his younger brothers. Even now, his father is more likely to turn a blind eye on his atrocities, on account of him being the crown prince.
Pet the Dog: While it is still downplayed and has shades of him being a Domestic Abuser, he does prevent the bedding ceremony on his wedding night, a procedure that would have been humiliating and possibly traumatizing for his already panicking bride. Note that he is not the slightest bit nice or kind while doing this, but the fact that he bothers at all is surprisingly decent of him.
Psychopathic Manchild: A Type C example.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: In-Universe, what is generally treated as his worst crime is his status as a serial rapist. Him raping several young women on a farm is the final straw for his father to publicly humiliate him and him raping Brandon Frey's daughter is a major reason why the old lord becomes one of his fiercest enemies.
Red Baron: Harmund the Hunter. Overlaps as a case of Names to Run Away from Really Fast.
The Resenter: Harmund is the only Hoare child who averts being a "Well Done, Son" Guy. He shows his father the same smug arrogance he shows everyone else and has visibly no respect towards him. The fact that his father tries to control his most evil actions has driven a deep rift between the two.
Royal Brat: Being the crown prince, he had everything handed to him on a silver platter from his youth onwards. This clearly left him as a highly entitled and arrogant man.
Sadist: Oh yes, very much so.
Smug Snake: For all his dangerousness, he comes off as this on occasion. His smugness brings him into trouble, especially when he targets his mockery at his own father, who proceeds to publicly humiliate him.
The Sociopath: It is concerning how little care Harmund shows to those around him. He cares for few beyond himself, lives solely for his own subjective pleasure and shows no moral guidelines at all.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: As long as he is not pissed off (and sometimes even when he is), Harmund is a rather soft-spoken man, who gets his point across without having to raise his voice.
Stupid Evil: Harmund might be menacing and genuinely dangerous, but he is certainly not the brightest. His Smug Snake tendencies cause him to do a lot of mistakes and his sadism often makes things only worse. The best example would be his actions in the Riverlands. For no real reason besides For the Evulz, Harmund hunts down Riverlanders when he feels like it. This has made him absolutely loathed by the people he is supposed to rule over, making his situation even worse than his father's.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: For all his evilness, Harmund is noted to be a very handsome man, having inherited the good looks of House Hoare, which include tall growth and dark hair.
Ungrateful Bastard: Harmund was once invited to the Twins, to be a guest of Lord Brandon Frey. He accepted the offer, got a royal welcome and received great praise at his host's castle. Before he left again however, he repaid him by raping his daughter. Considering just whom he offended with this, it is also a case of Stupid Evil.
Unwanted Spouse: His father forces him to marry Elaena Mallister, almost twenty years younger than him and barely more than a child, which disgusts even him. In return, he himself is also the unwanted spouse for Elaena, who is even less thrilled about her husband.
Villainous Friendship: Harmund has a one-sided friendship with Rell Vessels. Whereas Rell is mostly terrified of him, Harmund seems to have a more genuine opinion on their relationship. It is notably the only redeeming trait about him.
Would Not Hurt A Child: Zig-Zagged, as Harmund is mentioned to having killed children before. However, he draws the line at raping them and is disgusted by those that do such a thing, which is particularly notable given his reputation as a serial rapist himself.
0% Approval Rating: Much like his father, Harmund is hated and reviled by the Riverlanders. Unlike his father, the Ironborn have a marginally better opinion on him, but even they are disgusted by some of his actions, which ultimately makes him just as reviled as Harren.

Prince Harlan Hoare

Harren's second son and Harmund's younger brother. Harlan has suffered greatly under his father and older brother, to the point where he has grown up with heavy emotional damage, which caused him to become just as psychotic as Harmund, but with none of his subtelty.

Affably Evil: Save for Harrick, Harlan is the only Hoare who shows genuinely affable and jovial behaviour. He cares for those he considers friends and, in his own twisted mind, tries to give them favours, by giving them special roles during his hunts or torture sessions. In his mind, he genuinely does them a favour with these actions, as he thinks that others enjoy these things as much as he does.
Anti-Villain: Though Harlan has plenty of nasty traits by himself, a major part of his villainy comes from the trauma he suffered in his childhood, when he was heavily abused by his older brother, Harmund.
Ax-Crazy: Harlan is an apprentice torturer, who suffers from serious mood swings and is a Psychopathic Manchild, which makes for a truly explosive combination. Being dim of wit is the icing on the cake, leaving him unable to properly do his duties as a Prince of the Isles and Rivers.
Being Tortured Makes You Evil: A major part of Harlan's childhood has been spent being tormented by his older brother, Harmund. It clearly left a mark on him and by the time of the story, he is almost as bad as Harmund, cruelly putting others through the pain he once suffered.
Berserk Button: Harlan has several, but the one that sticks out is everything revolving around Harmund. Even just implying that he suffered under his older brother and still does is enough to send him into a fit of rage, followed by a Villainous Breakdown.
Big Brother Bully: After spending his entire childhood being cruelly abused by his older brother, the birth of Harndon gave Harlan a bit of relief. Ever since, Harmund put his attention at the younger and weaker child. To gain Harmund's favour and to spare himself further abuse, he joined in on this abuse of his younger brother, putting him through worse than he ever had to suffer himself.
Big Brother Worship: Despite the abuse he suffered at his hands, Harlan is shown to idolize Harmund, constantly downplaying the role Harmund had in his messed-up life. He tries his utmost to please his big brother, even going as far as to put his younger brother Harndon through the same abuse he once suffered, in his attempt to win Harmund's approval.
Dark and Troubled Past: His childhood was marked by abuse and neglect, the former at the hands of his older brother, Harmund, the latter at the hands of his father, Harren. He grew up into an incredibly violent culture that values only strength, while being weak of body and of mind himself, making him even more vulnerable to the cruelty he had to suffer.
Dark Is Evil: Like every member of his family, he has dark hair and eyes and dresses predominantly in black. It only adds to make it visually clear that he is not one of the good guys.
Dude, Where's My Respect?: Harlan feels incredibly frustrated for being treated without any sort of respect by those around him. It drives him to his worst actions, in his futile attempt to impress his father and older brother, whom he both loves deeply.
The Evil Prince: Fits the trope to a T, save for the fact that he idolizes his father instead of hating him.
Freudian Excuse: His actions come from a trauma suffered in his early childhood, which left him feeling inadequate and weak towards others unless he can dominate them. The only way he can dominate others is if he can cause them pain, as he is too pitiable and pathetic to instill respect in anyone else.
Giggling Villain: Harlan has a very pushy giggle, which he shows at the worst and most unfitting occasions.
Hated by All: Like most of his family, Harlan is hated by those around him, though in his case, this extends even to every single member of his family, none of which show any fondness of him.
I Just Want to Have Friends: Several of his actions show that beneath all of his villainous traits, Harlan's deepest desire is to have people around him who like and respect him without being forced to do so. He is at his happiest when he believes that Gabin and Torvin are genuinely caring for him, even showing signs of clarity and disapproval of his families cruel habits whenever he doesn't feel the need to indulge in these habits himself to prove his worth.
Middle Child Syndrome: Being the secondborn, Harlan has been less cared for than his older brother, Harmund. Instead, his father barely paid any attention to him at all, even turning a blind eye on the abuse he had to suffer.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The one time Harlan stops being a cheerful, yet utterly messed up man is when he is pushed close to a Villainous Breakdown during the hunt he undergoes together with Harmund and Torvin. During this, he reveals himself to be a highly insecure and wounded young man, who is aware of the bad things he did, but feels that he had no other choice to survive his harsh childhood. It is unclear how much of his usual persona is truly his own and how much is merely a defense mechanism.
Pet the Dog: Harlan is capable of kindness and he shows it in his interaction with Gabin. He is one of the few people who take the young man seriously and with respect and he even promises to help him in getting his betrothed, Ribel, back, even if this means going against Reymand Orkwood, one of the most influential lords at court.
Psychopathic Manchild: It's not as prominent as with his younger brother, Harndon, but he surely fits as an example. Harlan's mood swings, childish enthusiasm and fondness for cruelty all make him incredibly dangerous, while still giving him decidedly child-like qualities.
Stupid Evil: Even not counting his mental issues, which prompt him to do stupid and rash actions, Harlan is not the brightest candle on the cake. He considers himself to be rather smart, but his dialogue makes it clear that he is anything but.
Torture Technician: A childhood of abuse, with him being both, victim and culprit, have left Harlan with a liking to cause pain in others. As such, he has become an apprentice torturer, learning the craft under the experienced Holt Torv, the chief torturer of Harrenhal. It might be the only thing Harlan shows serious talent with.
The Un-Favourite: Harlan is one of two Hoare sons who are less liked and respected, with the only reason he is not ''The'' Unfavourite being the existence of his mentally challenged younger brother Harndon.
Villainous Friendship: He thinks he has one with Gabin and Torvin, whom he has grown genuinely fond off and whom he treats well. The revelation that both merely used him to get a chance to assassinate his father crushes him severely.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Harlan yearns for his father's approval, like most of his siblings. Out of all the Hoare sons, he has by far the best opinion on Harren and he idolizes him almost as much as he idolizes Harmund.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: The only reason Harlan became the way he is during the time of the story is the constant abuse he had to suffer. Today, he might be truly gone beyond redemption, but he didn't start off as this.

Prince Harndon Hoare

Harren's thirdborn son, the younger brother of Harmund and Harlan and the older brother of Harrick. Harndon suffered the most from two abusive older brothers and a neglectful father, which broke him many years ago and caused him to grow up into the most screwed-up member of the entire family, unable to control his urges. These urges have grown so bad that his father has been forced to publicly disinherit him.

Anti-Villain: Though capable of committing acts of evil, Harndon is a pitiable person who acts the way he did because of how much he had to suffer under his two older brothers as a child.
Ax-Crazy: Even when compared to the other Hoare's, Harndon is a violent madman, who can't control his urges and acts more like an animal than a human being.
Dark and Troubled Past: Harndon has suffered more than any other member of House Hoare. He had to grow up as the younger and weaker brother to both, Harmund and Harlan, who put him under a lot of abuse. In case of Harmund, it's even implied to have been of sexual nature. Both have left a serious toll on his emotional growth, turning him into a Psychopathic Manchild.
Dark Is Evil: Like most of his brothers, Harndon is evil, as well as wearing dark clothes, having dark hair and dark eyes.
Freudian Excuse: Harndon's evil behaviour is mostly the result of a trauma he has suffered in his early childhood. As a result, he is not exactly evil and more of a Tragic Monster.
Giggling Villain: Whenever he is about to do something that brings him joy (mostly things that cause pain in others), Harndon is completely unable to keep himself from giggling like the madman he is.
I Am a Humanitarian: One of his most disturbing habits is that he is rumoured to have a fondness for the taste of human flesh. It is heavily hinted to be true in one of his comments towards Harrick in his introductory scene.
I Just Want to Have Friends: The darkest possible version of this, given what a psychopath he is otherwise, but Harndon is shown to latch onto anyone who treats him with kindness, from his younger brother Harrick to Velmont Redloon, who himself is a ruthless social climber.
Middle Child Syndrome: Harndon suffered from this even more than Harlan.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In his backstory, he suffered one at the hands of Damon Greyjoy. The story behind it is that he forced Damon's sister, Kyra to teach him how to climb, by forcing her to climb up a wet tower on her families castle of Pyke. Damon prevented this and, noting that Kyra got nearly killed, beat Harndon to near death and instilled a deep-seated fear of Greyjoy's in him.
Out of Focus: Compared to the other Hoare princes, Harndon barely appears, merely being featured in two scenes over the course of two chapters, which makes him by far the least developed member of House Hoare.
Psychopathic Manchild: His most defining and obvious trait.
Stupid Evil: A justified example, since Harndon is implied to suffer from a mental disorder. He is indeed not properly developed in terms of intelligence and has problems with controlling his urges, leading to him making all kinds of mistakes that could be avoided by a rationally thinking person.
The Un-Favourite: Harren is obvious about how bad his opinion on Harndon is. He has publically disinherited him and at the very least tolerates the abuse his son has to suffer at the hands of Harmund and Harlan. Whereas he has shown some degree of fondness for his other sons, he treats Harndon with exactly as little respect as everyone else.
Villainous Breakdown: Harndon suffers one whenever he is confronted with a difficult decision. Most notably when he is trapped between
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Like all of the Hoare princes, Harndon yearns for the approval of his father. He is arguably the one that is the furthest away from actually getting this approval.
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Harndon might be a destructive, unstable monster of a man, but it is heavily implied to be the result of severe abuse his older brothers have put him through and the neglect from his father. Between all this, he can only be pitied despite his actions.
0% Approval Rating: Due to his mental instability, Harndon is even more hated than the other members of his house. He is so disliked that his own father declared him unfit to rule, in an unprecedented move.

Prince Harrick Hoare

Harren's youngest son, as well as by far the most competent and affable of the family. Harrick serves as his father's advisor and right-hand man, which means he is basically in charge of the day-to-day business of the kingdom.

Almighty Janitor: Harrick is the fourthborn son and so far removed from the line of succession that it is almost impossible that he could ever become king himself. As such, his position in the royal family is shockingly low. At the same time, he is by far the most competent of the family and able to single-handedly keep the kingdom somewhat stable.
Affably Evil: It's debatable if he is evil, though he is at the very least a villain, on account of his work for his family. Nonetheless, Harrick is a friendly man, who cracks jokes, openly disapproves of his brothers' cruelty and cares for the well-being of his kingdom.
Ambiguously Evil: It's not entirely clear how much about Harrick's affable behaviour is truly genuine, as he leaves just enough doubt about it to leave the possibility that it is just an act, that he deliberately portrays himself as a White Sheep to gain the love and support of the Riverlanders, who generally see him as the Lesser of Two Evils.
Anti-Villain: As his father's right hand, he is a villain, opposing the morally lighter rebels, including Torvin and Garthon Breaker, two of the main Point of Views in the story. However, Harrick doesn't really display any villainous trait himself and shows himself to be a well-spoken, educated and friendly man, who genuinely cares for his kingdom. If it wouldn't be for the family he is loyal to, he wouldn't even qualify as a villain at all.
Co-Dragons: Together with his older brother Harmund, who is the heir to the throne, Harrick serves as this to their father, Harren.
Dark Is Not Evil: He is the only Hoare son to avert Dark Is Evil. Though he has the same dark hair and dark eyes as his brothers, all of whom are clearly evil, Harrick is actually a rather affable and mild-mannered guy, who shows no truly evil trait himself.
Dating Catwoman: At the beginning of Book 2, Harrick gets into a physical relationship with Kyra Greyjoy, who, unbeknownst to him, supports her brother in his quest to bring down House Hoare.
Dragon-in-Chief: While his father is the king, Harrick is the one who cares for the kingdoms day-to-day business, making him something of an actual ruler, a fact his father outright encourages.
Friends with Benefits: Kyra insists that this is the full extent of their relationship, though there are indicators that Harrick himself genuinely begins to fall for her.
The Good Chancellor: Harrick serves as this in an evil kingdom, using his talents to help the smallfolk in living through the repressions they have to face on a daily basis. It can be said that he is the only person among Harren's inner circle that displays care for the Riverlanders they rule over.
Guile Hero: Being the de-facto ruler of the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers, Harrick is required to be this. He has to face two quarreling groups of people whom he has to govern over, facing resentment towards his family from both sides and having to deal with an incompetent ruling family. He doesn't have it easy, though through use of his wits, he often manages to succeed at his goals.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: It's no secret that Harrick is far more competent at ruling than his father or the other advisers Harren surrounds himself with. He is satisfied with having such a role and shows few ambition to actually take the crown, even though he would be capable of pulling it off.
My Father, Right or Wrong: No matter how much he personally disapproves of his father's actions, he remains loyal to the very end. This means that he carries out his father's orders, even if he has moral objections, at least as long as it is a direct order.
Noble Top Enforcer: Though serving an Evil Overlord, Harrick shows no truly villainous traits, as he displays a firm sense of honour and duty, care for the smallfolk and his subordinates and love for his family. His plenty of redeeming traits make him by far the most sympathetic Hoare.
Number Two: Harrick is his father's true right hand, serving as the main administrator of the kingdom.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Harrick only loses his cool once in the story, which is when he witnesses his beloved brother Harndon suffering a breakdown while being tormented by his brother Harmund and by Kyra Greyjoy. He chews them out on this and it is noticeably the only time he actually shouts in the story.
Parental Favoritism: Harrick has grown to a formidable man under this, being encouraged and supported by his father, showing how much potential has been wasted with his brothers.
Pet the Dog: Being The Good Chancellor, he regularly pulls these off, though the one that deserves special mention is the absolute love and care he shows towards his brother Harndon. He is the only person that treats Harndon with any sort of respect.
Pragmatic Villainy: Likable or not, Harrick still serves one of the stories primary candidates for being the Big Bad. This makes many of his actions motivated by pragmatism, as he has to ensure his kingdom's survival in the face of inner and outer turmoil. He is occasionally forced to commit villainous acts, which he justifies with choosing the most logical and pragmatic option.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Harrick and Harmund are almost complete opposites. Whereas Harrick is calm, affable and pragmatic, Harmund is barely able to remain calm in most situations, shows no kindness towards anyone and is frequently guilty of being Stupid Evil. Harrick shows no sadistic traits or joy in any evil he might be forced to commit, actively trying to avoid needless bloodshed, whereas Harmund embraces his monstrous side and commits countless atrocities For the Evulz.
The Smart Guy: He is not a warrior, though he makes up for it with the strength of his mind.
The Strategist: His main role as the kingdom's administrator is to be an economical strategist.
The Quiet One: Harrick rarely raises his voice, or says more than necessary, which doesn't mean that the few things he says aren't important.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Many Hoare's have this trait, being dark-haired by nature. Harrick is also described as a very handsome young man.
What the Hell, Hero?: Harrick wastes no time in chewing Kyra Greyjoy, who is usually protrayed sympathetically, out for her unnecessary torment of his brother Harndon. She is visibly affected by his rant at her, especially as she hasn't expected it from him.
The Wise Prince: A perfect example of the trope, being a politically savvy, calm and well-mannered young prince, who uses his wisdom to better the lives of his people.
White Sheep: Harrick is one of the few Hoare's who show positive traits. In his case, he takes things further, by being the most likable and kind member of his family, as well as the only one who barely qualifies as evil.
You Monster!: He says this word for word to Harmund when he catches the latter tormenting Harndon.

Lord Commander Harrigon Hoare

Harren's younger brother and the 971th Commander of the Night's Watch. He left his kingdom and family many decades ago, to join the Night's Watch and never had contact with his brother, whom he despises, ever since.

See The Night's Watch

Hoare Bannermen and Retainers

House Greyjoy

"We Do Not Sow"

— Words of House Greyjoy

The most powerful of the Hoare bannermen, House Greyjoy of Pyke descends from the legendary Grey King, like almost all of the noble houses of the Iron Islands. In the age of the Kingsmoot, many of them have became kings in their own rights, a tradition that stopped when House Hoare ended the Kingsmoot ceremony by establishing a hereditary monarchy on the Iron Islands. Ever since, the Greyjoy's have been mere bannermen, though their importance for the Hoare rule means they still hold more power than a majority of the other houses. Their current head is Vickon Greyjoy.

Lord Vickon Greyjoy

The Lord of Pyke

The Lord of Pyke and older brother of Damon and Kyra Greyjoy. He is a loyal supporter of House Hoare and for this, he was chosen as the new Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet. However, a terrible accident that nearly claimed his life forced him to give up on his title and to return to Pyke, mere days before his younger brother, Damon Greyjoy, returned from the exile that was imposed upon him.

The Ghost: So far, Vickon is not seen in the story, only mentioned as residing on Pyke while his wounds heal.
Handicapped Badass: His wounds, though expected to heal in time, leave this once proud and respected raider unable to even think about doing his duty as the Lord Captain of th Iron Fleet. At the time of the story, he is still not fully recovered.

Lord Captain Damon Greyjoy

The Ghost of Pyke

The younger brother of Lord Vickon Greyjoy and older brother of Kyra Greyjoy. Damon was banished for nearly killing Harndon Hoare over a decade ago, but recently returned and was forgiven. For his cunning and knowledge in naval warfare, he was even promoted to the rank of Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet in short time, taking a position that was originally intended for his older brother, who got dangerously wounded shortly before Damon's return and had to recover ever since.

Affably Evil: His evilness is not entirely proven, yet he is at the very least a morally shady and suspicious man. Nonetheless, he is a polite and friendly man as long as one stays on his good side and his manners are impeccable.
Ambiguously Evil: Damon's morality is questionable at the very best. His status as a high-ranking member of the Ironborn military alone is not a good way to start for someone who is not evil. His generally shady personality, the implied actions he has taken to win the position as Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet and his lack of conventional morals only further push him onto the side of evil, yet the fact that he plans to dispose of the tyrant Harren Hoare make him a more ambiguous and diverse character in terms of goals.
Bastard Understudy: He poses as a loyal servant of House Hoare, whereas he is anything but. Behind the scenes, he is aware of or involved into any scheme that is going on against the king, with his ultimate goal being the death of Harren, his sons and the downfall of the entirery of House Hoare.
Berserk Button: Damon is usually a calm and collected man, but his most severe Berserk Button is harming his sister in any way.
Big Brother Instinct: His most redeeming trait is his unconditional love of his younger sister, Kyra. He always keeps an eye out for her and tries to keep her save, even if it occasionally puts him into Knight Templar Big Brother territory.
The Captain: The Lord Captain to be precise, which makes him the captain of the entire Iron Fleet.
The Chessmaster: Part of his manipulation relies on carefully planned schemes, which have been implied to have gone on since the moment he was exiled over a decade ago. He has slowly reached the phase where he can finalize these plans, to cause the destruction of one of the oldest noble houses in Westeros.
Cool Sword: The hilt of his sword is shaped like a Kraken, to symbolize the sigil of his house.
The Dreaded: Those that have to interact with him on a regular basis do so only reluctantly, as a result of his absolutely fearsome reputation. He is widely respected for his skills, but even more widely feared for the myths that surround him. The Ironborn, naturally prejudiced against magic, are especially wary because of the rumour that he is capable of casting dark spells.
Easily Forgiven: In a move that was surprising for everyone around him, Harren Hoare has forgiven Damon the moment he returned from his exile. It should be noted that just returning from exile could have gotten him executed. Instead, he was forgiven and on top of that took the position of Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, which was originally meant for his brother (who suffered a heavy accident just days bfore, leaving him unable to do take this position). And the crime he was exiled for? Beating Harren Hoare's son Harndon to near death, leaving him with a permanent emotional trauma.
Empowered Badass Normal: If the stories about him are true, then he has received some sort of magical power during his many years abroad, turning him from a simple Badass Normal into one of these, with the seeming ability to conjure banks of fog at will.
Even Ambiguously Evil Has Loved Ones: As morally shady as he is, there is not the slightest doubt that Damon loves his sister unconditionally. If he is behind his brother's accident, he also cared for him enough to keep him alive despite Vickon standing in his way to achieve the position as Lord Captain.
The Exile: For nearly killing Harndon Hoare to protect his younger sister, Damon was exiled for life. The only reason that saved his life back then was his good name. However, he returned a decade later, to assume the position of the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, after his brother suffered an accident that left him unable to take this spot.
Expy: Damon has more than just a fleeting similarity to Euron Greyjoy, his distant descendant. Both are cunning, ambitious schemers who have spent many years as The Exile, before returning on the same day their older brother has an accident, leaving them as the next in line to get a highly prestigious position, all the while they make it clear that this is not all they are after. However, there are stark differences between the two at the same time. Whereas Euron is seen as a monster by his own family, who despise him, Damon has a genuinely loving relationship with his little sister and while it is implied that he had a hand in his brother's accident, he nonethelss spared his life, content with just removing him as a threat to his position. Since his goals are aimed at the destruction of House Hoare, he is also generally portrayed more sympathetically than them, whereas Euron is the clear main villain of his storyline.
False Friend: He claims to be a loyal servant and friend to House Hoare, when he is anything but.
Manipulative Bastard: Despite caring for her, he is not above using Kyra's feelings for him to keep her loyal. He is also an expert of using emotions in general, such as the hatred Torvin and Garthon have towards the king.
Morality Pet: Kyra serves as one to him, as she is the one person he truly cares for, single-handedly keeping him on the more sympathetic sie of his conflict with House Hoare.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His name almost sounds like demon, only further proving that he is not one to mess with.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: In his backstory, he gave one to Harndon Hoare, nearly killing him in the process, to protect his younger sister, whom Harndon has threatened. It gained him the neverending hatred of Harndon and almost got him exiled for life.
Pirate: Among the Ironborn, he is the most classical pirate, having spent years as a pirate captain in the southern sea.
Red Baron: For his unorthodox battle tactics, he received the nickname 'Ghost of Pyke'.
Shrouded in Myth: It is largely unknown just what Damon did during his time as The Exile, but there are plenty of myths surrounding him as a result. He doesn't comment on any, even if several claims have been made that he has acquired downright supernatural powers during his travels.
Slut-Shaming: Overlapping with What the Hell, Hero?, Damon is quite angered at the thought that his sister had sex with Harrick Hoare, whom he considers to be one of his most dangerous enemies.
Soft-Spoken Sadist: Despite his Ambiguously Evil trait, he is undeniably a sadist, who enjoys putting others through mental pain, especially if they wronged him first. He does all of this with a calm, eerily soothing voice.
The Strategist: As the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, his main role is to plan on how to use the fleet in the wars his kingdom is involved with. It is a quite demanding task which he takes care of seemingly without effort.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Like most of the Greyjoy's, he has dark hair and is considered to be a very handsome man.
Walking the Earth: During his many years of exile, Damon has travelled across the entire known world and beyond, claiming to have seen ancient cities that haven't been visited in hundreds of years, having met all sorts of illustrous people and acquired a vast set of skills.

Lady Kyra Greyjoy*

Lady Kyra Greyjoy

The Laughing Kraken

Younger sister to Damon and Vickon Greyjoy, Kyra is a remarkable character in her own right. Despite her youth and her gender, she has made it far in the Ironborn hierarchy already, being a highly respected raider and having recently been promoted to the position of Captain of the Guard of Harrenhal. She becomes a POV character during Book 2.

A Child Shall Lead Them: During her first raid, she was merely fifteen years old, yet the raiders followed her to the shores of Bear Island, where she personally battled the fearsome Lord Worland Mormont to a tie.
Action Girl: Kyra is one of the few Ironborn women who actually fight and she is incredibly good at it, better than most of the men around her and so good that she receives respect even in an infamously sexist culture.
Ascended Extra: She only appears in two chapters in Book 1, yet becomes a major Point-of-View character in Book 2.
Authority Equals Asskicking: Kyra's high position is solidified by her status as a major badass and Action Girl, who has received countless of praise for her ability. It is also one of the reasons why Harren chose her as his captain of the guard.
Blood Knight: Kyra absolutely loves to fight and she is very, very good at it. Her skill in battle is something she is very proud about and she rarely shows hesitation before throwing herself into a fight. Her most famous exploit involved her duelling a Memetic Badass to a draw at the age of fifteen, proving that she has been this way for almost a decade by the time of the story.
The Captain: Unlike the other members of the council of captains, she does not command a ship of her own anymore, yet has risen to the position of the Captain of the Guard of Harrenhal.
Conflicting Loyalty: Being the captain of the guard, Kyra is sworn to House Hoare and to King Harren, whom she even somewhat appreciates. However, he beloved brother is actively plotting the downfall of her liege and she loves him too much not to help him, which causes her quite some distress.
Cordon Bleugh Chef: If Gravven's reaction to a stew she made for him is any indication, Kyra is an absolutely atrocious cook.
Dating Catwoman: Kyra, the sister and reluctant ally of a man who plots the fall of House Hoare, gets into a purely physical relationship with Harrick Hoare, youngest son of the man her brother wants to kill.
Deadpan Snarker: Part of her status as the Laughing Kraken is a very sly, teasing sort of humour that often manifests itself in her deadpan comments about the situations around her.
Expy: Kyra shows quite a bit of similarities to her distant descendant Asha Greyjoy.
Fantasy Contraception: Being sexually active, Kyra knows of the importance of moon tea and since she fears pregnancy, she regularly takes it whenever having intercourse.
Friends with Benefits: The beginning of Book 2 shows that she and Harrick have started a purely physical relationship. She insist on not bringing feelings into the mix, but is concerned that Harrick himself might begin to feel more for her. Over the course of the first few chapters of Book 2, she shows signs of slowly beginning to reciprocate his affection.
The Lad-ette: Between her love for battle and her manly attire, Kyra effortlessly blends in among her men, with the only thing about her that truly sticks out being her feminine good looks. Other than that, she is acting every bit as the Ironborn raiders under her command.
Lady of War: If she wants to, Kyra can be any bit as feminine and graceful as a true noble lady. However, she is also a major Action Girl and generally fierce fighter, who rarely pulls this trope off on purpose.
The Magnificent: Her nickname, received for her jovial nature, Blood Knight tendencies and the sigil of her house is The Laughing Kraken.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: In her teased relationship with Garthon, she is the masculine girl, being a fierce, badass Action Girl, whereas he is a mild-mannered and soft Non-Action Guy.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Zig-Zagged. Kyra is introduced as being steadfastly loyal to Harren Hoare, but later parts establish that she is part of her brother's conspiracy to overthrow her liege. Later parts however show that she is deeply conflicted about this, as she holds no small degree of loyalty to her king, but loves her brother too much not to help him out. Furthermore, she does not condone the more brutal actions of Harren or Damon, yet still remains loyal to both of them.
Noble Top Enforcer: Despite being a part of Harren Hoare's inner council and his primary defender at court, Kyra is a moral and decent person, with noble principles.
Pet the Dog: When she comes to visit the Breaker brothers in their cells, Kyra brings them water after the warden of the dungeon, Holt Torv, starved them for days. She adamantly defends it against him and gives the brothers at least some sort of relief.
Pirate Girl: Being a female Ironborn raider, this trope is mandatory.
Punch-Clock Villain: In her role as the captain of the guard of Harrenhal, Kyra's main duty is to protect her king, who is one of the stories Big Bad's. However, she is by far not a bad person, with no signs of active villainy, even when on duty.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Kyra is noted to have black hair and pale skin. She is also seen as very beautiful by the men around her.
Really Gets Around: She is shown to be in a physical relationship with Harrick Hoare and the implication is that he is far from the first man she has slept with. Given how proficient she is with the use of moon tea, it has definitely not been the first time she took it.
Reasonable Authority Figure: In her position as the Captain of the Guard, Kyra is one of the most approachable and open-minded people at the court of Harrenhal.
Secret-Keeper: She is one of the few people that know about the true plans of her brother.
Sherlock Scan: During the Breaker brothers' attempted assassination of Harren Hoare, she quickly finds out that they are up to nothing good, despite not having any idea about it before. She silently pleads to them not to go through with it.
Ship Tease: From the moment they first share a scene, there seems to be something between her and Garthon.
Thicker Than Water: She is exceptionally close to both of her brothers, Vickon and Damon and supports the latter in his schemes despite any personal doubts she might have.
Token Good Teammate: Kyra is the only member of Harren Hoare's inner circle, save for arguably Harrick to show positive qualities. In fact, she is one of the most positively portrayed Ironborn.
Tomboyish Ponytail: Her typical hairstyle consists of one, to put special emphasis on her status as an Action Girl and The Lad-ette.
Took a Level in Badass: In her childhood, she was a weak young girl, pushed around by the boys she wished to play with. Her brother Damon protected her fiercely, a move that got him banished from the Iron Islands. Losing him prompted her to become stronger, to the point where she became the youngest woman and one of the youngest captains ever to command a raiding party of their own.
Uptown Girl: Her Ship Tease with Garthon paints her as the rich girl that is way out of his league. She at least doesn't seem to be particularly bothered by their different social standings.
What the Hell, Hero?: Harrick chews her out after she prompts Harndon Hoare's Villainous Breakdown by putting him under a lot of emotional stress, when she played his fear of her against his fear of his older brother Harmund.
When She Smiles: Her smile, which part of the reason she received her nickname, is noted to be one of the most beautiful features about her. Considering that she is generally seen as very beautiful, this means a lot.

House Blacktyde

"On Rising Tides"

— Words of House Blacktyde

A noble house from the island of Blacktyde, they are one of the principal bannermen of House Hoare, as well as among the most loyal. Having delivered plenty of troops for Harren Hoare's war against the men of the Rock, the Blacktyde's are considered to breed some of the most ferocious raiders of the entire Iron Islands. Their current head is Lord Harlik Blacktyde.

Dorran Blacktyde

The younger brother of Lord Harlik Blacktyde and one of the captains of the Iron Fleet. He arrived at Harrenhal during the course of Book 1, togther with his younger sister and first mate, Alerah.

Bit Character: So far, he only appeares in two short parts in Chapter 6 as a minor character.
Brother–Sister Team: He raids and sails together with his sister, Alerah.
The Captain: He is one of the Iron Fleet captains and commands the galleon Midnight.
Pirate: Like most of the Ironborn, he is a raider.

Alerah Blacktyde

The younger sister of Harlik and Dorran Blacktyde. She is a raider and serves as the first mate aboard Dorran's ship, the Midnight.

Action Girl: While she hasn't gotten a chance to show it off in the story proper, it is absolutely required for her to be this as an Ironborn raider of some renown.
Bit Character: So far, she only appeared in two short parts in Chapter 6 as a minor character.
Brother–Sister Team: She sails and raids together with her brother, Dorran.
Gold Digger: Book 2 shows that she has shades of this, as she dances and possibly tries to seduce the older and way less attractive Whalen Wynch, Lord of Iron Holt, who has neither a wife nor children of his own despite nearing fifty years of age.
Pirate Girl: It comes natural with her being an Action Girl and an Ironborn.

House Drumm

"The Fate of our Foes"

—Words of House Drumm

House Drumm of Old Wyk is one of the principal bannermen of House Hoare. Their seat is considered a holy place by the Ironborn, something that gave them a lot of status among the other Ironborn. They are noted for their wildness in battle, to almost psychotic degrees, which made them feared even among their allies. Their current head is Roran Drumm

Gravven Drumm

The Butcher of Old Wyk

The secondborn son of Lord Roran Drumm. Gravven is a young raider of note, who has been chosen to wield the family's ancestral sword, Red Rain, even above his older brother. He serves in Harrenhal's castle guard, as the second-in-command of Kyra Greyjoy.

Absurdly Sharp Blade: His Valyrian Steel sword Red Rain.
Ax-Crazy: The very first trait that is learned about Gravven is that he is supposed to be a violent man and his nickname, The Butcher of Old Wyk, is even more proof. In general, his methods seem to lean towards the violent, as he suggests draconic and unfair retaliation agains the Riverlanders to deal with the Sons of the Trident.
Big Brother Instinct: When Drevyn Pyke insults his younger brother Dallin, he flies in a rage.
Blood Knight: Gravven loves to fight and it doesn't even primarily matter whom he fights against. While he has some objections to fighting side by side with the Riverlanders, he assures Kyra that he would not care if he has to fight against his fellow Ironborn if she decides to side against her king.
Cool Sword: Red Rain, the ancestral sword of his family.
Disproportionate Retribution: His method of dealing with the Sons of the Trident is to suggest blindly killing ten Riverlanders for each Ironborn that was murdered by them. Kyra rightfully shuts the idea down.
Even Evil Has Standards: A brutal, bloodthirsty raider he might be, but Gravven is noted to be a loyal and very reliable man, who has earned Kyra's trust. He also seems to be a direct man, who harbors a dislike for the manipulative Damon Greyjoy and some of the more barbaric traditions of mainland Westeros, such as the bedding ceremony.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Gravven's face is covered in scars, indicating that he, as a brutal raider, is definitely not one of the good guys among the Ironborn.
Moral Myopia: Sure, Gravven is right when he considers the bedding ceremony distasteful, yet the fact that he is disgusted by this falls a bit flat when considering that he is Ironborn and therefore proudly practices a number of traditions most would consider much worse than anything mainland Westeros could ever come up with.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The Butcher of Old Wyk is surely not quite the name to earn someone's trust. How Gravven got it in particular is not known yet, though given what else we know of him, it is likely to be a well-deserved title.
Number Two: He serves as the second-in-command of Kyra Greyjoy at Harrenhal's castle guard.
The Reliable One: Kyra considers him to be as reliable as he is violent. Given what else we know of his methods and his less than pleasant nickname, this indicates that he is at least a very loyal man.
Undying Loyalty: To Kyra, whom he swears his loyalty to regardless of which side she shall pick in the power struggle between her brother and Harren Hoare.

House Harlaw

"Reap the Storm"

—Words of House Harlaw

A principal house of the Iron Islands, House Harlaw rules over the entirety of the eponymous island of Harlaw, making them one of the houses with the largest territory on the islands. They have also been kings in their own right once, first over the island of Harlaw, then over the entirety of the Iron Islands during the time of the Kingsmoot. Their current head is Harrion Harlaw

Gregor Harlaw

The eldest son of Lord Harrion Harlaw, albeit not his heir, due to them having a falling out years ago. He's also an old acquaintance of Edward Anturion. He's a member of the pirate alliance of Merman's Rest.

Abusive Parents: While we only have his word for it, he claims his father Harrion Harlaw is a terrible man and an even worse father. One of his reasons to join Aegon is so he can watch his father burn.
Affably Evil: While Gregor's attempts at getting along with Edward Anturion are less than genuine, he is perfectly polite towards Alys, warning her of the dangerous company she's in and he also makes the effort to remember Alisa's name.
Badass Longcoat: Gregor certainly has one of these.
The Captain: Of The Nagga.
Cool Ship: Not only his ship is nearly as long as Meraxes, it has the design of a dragon's head and it's named after the most famous ancient dragon.
Covered in Scars: His face and chest sport several scars.
Even Evil Has Standards: As an Ironborn raider and member of the pirate court of the Stepstone Islands, Gregor qualifies as some shade of evil for sure. However, his disgust at Edward's lying, scheming ways is genuine and he also seems to be quite respectful towards women, if his interaction with Alys and Alisa is any indication.
The Gadfly: Gregor's entire introduction scene consists of him trying to annoy and provoke Edward Anturion and to a lesser degree Carvin Granver, simply due to not liking them. He seems to be visibly amused when Edward falls for his provocations and raises his voice a bit.
Hates Their Parent: He has a pretty big grudge towards his father Harrion, which is one of the main reasons he's siding with the Targaryens.
Malicious Misnaming: When meeting Edward's bodyguards, Carvin and Alisa for the first time in what is implied to be months to years, he gets her name right at the first attempt, yet names Carvin 'Gonzo'. While he is immediately corrected, he reveals that it has always been his intention to simply annoy Carvin on purpose.
- He also deliberately calls Daemon Velaryon 'Dickon' in front of his nephew and nieces to annoy him.
No Shirt, Long Jacket: Gregor's wardrobe of choice consists of one of these, also qualifying as a Badass Longcoat.
Pirate: While for an ironborn this is normal, he's also a member of the alliance of Aeron Blacksails.
Sleeves Are for Wimps: His Badass Longcoat does not include sleeves, showing off scars and tattoos.

House Codd

"Though All Men Do Despise Us"

—Words of House Codd

One of the lowest houses sworn to House Hoare, House Codd is looked down upon due to their origins, being formed by the descendants of salt wives and thralls, the lowest members of Ironborn society. They hold little power, though in recent years, they have been granted a small castle in the northern Riverlands, which previously belonged to a family that was wiped out by Harren Hoare. Their current lord is Quellon Codd.

Viveka Codd

An experienced raider and member of House Codd of Faronhall. The niece of the current lord, Quellon Codd, she was left in charge of the house's lands while he serves at Harrenhall.

Action Girl: Being an experienced raider, Viveka has earned the respect of her men through countless of battles fought, defying the traditional Ironborn gender roles and becoming a captain and steward in her own right through sheer badassery.
Affably Evil: Viveka is an Ironborn raider and therefore certainly as far away from a hero as possible. However, she is also quite polite towards prisoners, disapproves of mistreating them and seems largely reasonable.
An Offer You Can't Refuse: She makes one to Edrick after capturing him, giving him the choice to either work for her in ratting out her enemies against his own morals, or to become her thrall for a decade, potentially being worked to death in the process.
Berserk Button: Though usually level-headed, she has an intense hatred for being disrespected, which includes not following her orders exactly as she gave them. This is likely a result of the harsh environment she had to grow up in, where a woman in a position of power is seen with suspicion or contempt, meaning she had to react like this to get any sort of respect and authority.
Big Sister Instinct: When Gawayne accidentally strikes Sylvi, he gets understandably pissed off, and gives him a very stern warning if he hits her cousin again, even by accident, there will be consequences.
- She's downright murderous when Harmund Hoare not so subtly threatens her cousin.
Even Evil Has Standards: As a raider, Viveka qualifies at least as some sort of evil, even if she has her redeeming traits. One of them is her genuine disgust at the callous way Gawayne treats the prisoners. She is also less than pleased about the presence of Leo York, whom she considers a useless traitor.
Fantastic Racism: Like most Ironborn, she has a notable disliking towards the Riverlanders. In her case, it is not even entirely unjustified, as the Riverlanders around the Faronhall region do what they can to assist her sworn enemy, the Riverborn.
Pet the Dog: Even though Edrick eventually betrays her trust, she still lets him and the other lowborn hostages go, simply because they involuntarily helped her capture the Riverborn and she feels that they don't deserve to be potentially killed by Harmund Hoare.
Pragmatic Villainy: As soon as she has Reymond Mormont in her dungeon, her dragon advises her to send the woman to the barracks, to have revenge on her father for the times he repelled their invasions. Viveka refuses, on account of a ransom being much more useful for her house. She also realizes that Edrick's worth as a thrall is significantly less than the worth he'd have for her if he'd gather intel on the Riverborn, one of her enemies.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Surprisingly so, Viveka is not a brutal, reckless leader, but actually cunning enough to think about the long game. She knows how to play her cards right, is reasonable enough to use her prisoners in the right way and even willing to negotiate with them on relatively fair terms, for a mutual benefit.
Statuesque Stunner: She is mentioned to be tall for a woman, even if she is still a bit shorter than men like Edrick. While not a particular beauty, Gawayne Schaffrot also seems to be captivated by her.
Villain Respect: She actually respects Reymond Mormont and her father Worland Mormont, whom Ironborn see as a Worthy Opponent.

Sylvi Codd

The daughter of Lord Quellon Codd, who remained with her cousin Viveka at Faronhall. Being a woman just barely in her adulthood, she is inexperienced and maybe a bit naive, though also with a friendliness neither of the people around her seem to possess.

Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Sylvi has blonde hair and is probably the most unambiguously nice and kind Ironborn encountered in the story.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Together with Garthon and Hjalgar, Sylvi represents a younger generation of Ironborn who have slowly assimilated into the customs and worldviews of mainland Westeros. As such, she feels no connection to her Ironborn kin, finds many of their views barbaric and has never even been to the Iron Islands. She outright states that she considers the Riverlands to be her home, as she has been born and raised at Faronhall.
- And she even downright rebels against her supposed king as the Riverborn.
Nice Girl: In contrast to her stern cousin and the outright jerkish Gawayne Schaffrot, Sylvi's niceness comes off as genuine even to the naturally untrusting Edrick. She even offers to treat Edrick's wound.
The Quiet One: All in all, Sylvi is not a great talker, leaving most of the negotiation in her introductory scene to her more outspoken sister. It is a justified example though, as Viveka is the steward and technically in charge of her and the negotiations.
The Reveal: She's the true Riverborn and she proves it when she saves Edrick from Gawayne.
Silk Hiding Steel: She may be generally kind and a bit naive, but she's a true Ironborn deep down. This is best shown when Gawayne is whipping Edrick, she gets in the way without flinching, even when the whip scratches her cheek.
What Beautiful Eyes!: Though she herself is not a great beauty, Gawayne mentions that her eyes stand out as being very pretty. They have a vibrant, captivating green that even Edrick has to focus on.

Gawayne Schaffrot

An Ironborn soldier in service of House Codd of the Green Fork. He is loyal to his employers, especially to the current caretaker of the Codd lands, Viveka Codd.

Asshole Victim: Even if Sylvi didn't want him dead, neither she nor Edrick are going to mourn him.
The Dragon: He seems to be this to Viveka Codd, who governs the lands of House Codd in the absence of her uncle. In this function, Gawayne seems to be a loyal and devoted servant, who also holds quite a bit of authority, ordering two dozen soldiers around with ease.
Jerkass: As Book 2 shows, Gawayne is quite a jerk once he has power over someone, enjoying to tease and belittle them, be they prisoner or humble servant.
Kick the Dog: He quite literally kicks one of his prisoners, Jorid, for speaking out against him and the other Ironborn. He also suggests putting Reymond Mormont into the barracks, with the implication he wants her raped by the other Ironborn.
Last Episode, New Character: He is introuced in the final chapter of Book 1.
Scars Are Forever: One of Gawayne's most notable facial features is a deep, disfiguring scar on his cheek. He gained it in combat, when he fought Worland Mormont, Lord of Bear Island, during Kyra Greyjoy's raid.
Villainous Friendship: Gawayne has a lot of respect and admiration for Viveka Codd, steward of Faronhall. It is a one-sides example of the trope though, as she herself is shown to be more annoyed by him than anything else.

House Orkwood

Lord Reymand Orkwood

Reymand the Drunk

The Lord of Orkwood and a personal friend to Harren Hoare. A pathetic weakling for the most part, especially compared to the rest of the Ironborn, Reymand's high standing at court comes solely due to his friendship with Harren.

And Now You Must Marry Me: One of his salt wives is Ribel, formerly the fiancee of Gabin Strad. He was smitten by her beauty so much that he invoked this trope and took her by force.
Bit Character: So far, he only appeared in two parts in Chapter 6, as well as several mentions in Gabin Strad's backstory, but he has failed to make any major contribution to the storyline so far.
Depraved Dwarf: Reymand is a very short man, as well as known for being depraved.
Dirty Coward: Being physically runtish, Reymand is no match for literally anyone in the kingdom. As a result, he has taken to such a mindset and perfected it to the point where he manages to stay away from any sort of danger.
Nepotism: His relatively high position among the Ironborn is a direct result of his Villainous Friendship with Harren Hoare.
Smug Snake: In his single appearance, he gave such an impression.
Unknown Rival: It can be assumed that he has absolutely no idea about Gabin's hatred of him, as he even gave him a position in his household, not knowing of their shared history.
Villainous Friendship: He and Harren are apparently friends, or at least something resembling friends.

Alvarus Orkwood

The nephew of Reymand Orkwood and, due to the lord's high chances of being unable to father a child, he's considered his heir.

My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Being born on the Riverlands instead of the Iron Islands has made him far more reasonable and less jerkish than his uncle.
Nice Guy: In comparison to his creep of an uncle, Alvarus is a pretty reasonable and even friendly person, if considered a bit naive by Gavin.
Odd Friendship: Despite being the nephew of a man he utterly hates, Gabin can't help but befriend the young Orkwood.
Wise Beyond His Years: He might be only sixteen years old, but Gabin can see he's pretty observant and concerned about the future of his house.

The Iron Fleet

Lord Clint Volmark

Cleaver Clint

The Lord of Volmark. Clint is a seasoned raider, feared for his brutal actions in and out of combat. His weapon of choice, an oversized meat cleaver, gave him his unique nickname, Cleaver Clint.

Acrofatic: Clint is heavily overweight, yet it doesn't seem to slow him down. During the raid on Raylansfair, he is shown to be of ordinary speed, despite his mass.
Bald of Evil: Save for his beard, he is completely bald, as well as one of the most evil characters in the story.
Big Brother Bully: It has been revealed that he was this to his brother. His brother, despite being the younger one, was favoured by their father as the new Lord Volmark. After his death, Clint refused to back down from his claim, so he and his followers captures his brother and he started to slowly cut off the man's fingers, until he rejected his claim to be spared further torture.
Blood Knight: The act of shedding blood in battle is one of Clint's favourite things to do. He seems to get downright aroused by violence going on around him and by the violent acts he himself commits.
The Brute: His main characteristic is that he is a loud, violent raider who loves killing and raping. There's not much depth to him beyond that and he seems content with his positon as a minion of Harren Hoare, despite hating the man himself.
The Captain: His ship, the Rogue Wave, is one of the main ships among the Iron Fleet.
Cluster F-Bomb: Being one of the most foul-mouthed individuals in the story, Clint drops plenty of these whenever he appears. It is most notable when he grows angry which happens a lot.
Death of a Thousand Cuts: Due to his nearly superhuman endurance, this is the only way of taking him down for good. During his fight with Garthon he gets stabbed in the abdomen and in the back without being slowed down and it takes Hjalgar three more arrows to finally kill him.
Even Evil Has Standards: It's not much of a standard, but he is disgusted by treason and seems to be a strangely loyal man himself, who is content with serving House Hoare. He has a serious grudge against Torvin and Garthon Breaker for their act of treason and is antagonistic towards them from the very beginning for this. Even when Garthon turns against him in the end, he seems more disgusted by the fact that he once again betrayed someone than the fact that he was stabbed near-fatally.
Fat Bastard: One of the most grossly obese characters in the entire story, as well as one of the most evil. Clint fully admits that he is a major bastard and makes no attempt to hide his cruel nature.
Fingore: Not he himself, but it is a favoured method of his to punish others. He slowly cuts of their fingers, one inch at a time. His brother Qhorin had to suffer this until stepping down from the title of Lord Volmark and during the raid on Raylansfair, he does it to a girl that resisted him.
Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much for him to fall into a full-blown fit of rage. He can take anything for an insult or a threat, which prompts him to react with absolute brutality against this and he does not tolerate even the slightest bit of a threat around him.
Jerkass: One of the most serious examples in the story.
The Juggernaut: During the raid on Raylansfair, he tears through his opponents without being slowed down. Garthon makes the terrifying experience of being pitted against him and no matter how heavily he wounds him, Clint just keeps charging at him.
Made of Iron: Partially due to his layers of fat, Clint can receive far more punishment than others. The ungodly amount of beating he takes during the raid on Raylansfair proves this. Even without his fat, Clint is extremely durable and just keeps as long as he is not outright mortally wounded.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: His nickname, Cleaver, is almost treated as his first name, only putting more and more emphasis on the fact that he is not to be taken lightly.
Obviously Evil: Well, his nickname is Cleaver Clint, he is a dirty, foul-mouthed brute of a man that openly brags about his many atrocities and doesn't have an ounce of subtlety. From the very beginning, it is clear that he is a bad guy.
Pirate: As the quintessential Ironborn raider, this trope is necessary for him.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Clint embraces his Ironborn heritage by taking a lot of pride at his status as a warrior.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: One he gladly embraces, to be clear. Clint takes the rapist part of the Ironborn culture to the next level.
Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Clint lives for the Old Way of the Ironborn, which is the embodiment of this trope.
A Real Man Is a Killer: A firm believer in this trope, with the only thing he sees as more desirable than killing men being the raping of their women.
The Resenter: He hates House Hoare and the Breaker Brothers. In fact, he hates about any person that is not he himself, but the previously mentioned ones with a particularly severe grudge.
Stupid Evil: Clint is not exactly the brightest person and absolutely incapable of resisting his urges, which leads to him doing some heavy tactical mistakes during the raid on Raylansfair, which cause the death of almost all of those who follow him. His personal grudge against Torvin makes him only less willing to listen.
Villainous Valour: Perhaps the only truly admirable thing about Clint is his determination to keep fighting even when being outnumbered or outmatched. During his final fight with Garthon, he is taken by surprise and starts the fight as an underdog, before managing to fight himself into a better position and ending up nearly winning.
We Hardly Knew Ye: He is only present for two chapters, as a minor antagonist in Garthon's role. Not that anyone would actually mourn his death.

Torvin Breaker*

Torvin Breaker

One of the captains of the Iron Fleet. Torvin is a stern, stubborn man, unforgiving, but staunchly loyal to friends and family. Due to his weak father, his family has lost a lot of their former glory, something Torvin seeks to reclaim. He is one of the first Point-of-View characters in the story.

A Lighter Shade of Black: Torvin is an Ironborn, which makes him, as seen below, an Anti-Hero at the best. However, most of the Ironborn in the story are clear villains, which makes Torvin stand out in his fight against Harren Hoare.
Anti-Hero: All things considered, Torvin acts in a very heroic fashion, but he still is an Ironborn raider, which means he is far from a classical hero. He loves fighting, raiding and shows no sign of remorse for the lives he took, seeing it as yet one aspect of his culture he has to live by.
Anti-Villain: Even when his villainous traits are inspected, he is a lot less bad than other Ironborn raiders and a Noble Demon at worst. His code of honour prevents him from becoming a full villain and even drives him to his more heroic acts.
Beware the Quiet Ones: Torvin is a calm, quiet man but this does not mean that he is harmless. He is a huge man and skilled warrior, an experienced raider and ruthless in a fight. His determination to succeed at whatever goal he sets for himself makes him even more dangerous.
Big Brother Instinct: Out of his family, his younger brother Garthon is especially important to him.
Blood Knight: There are few things Torvin likes as much as fighting. He is an experienced raider and puts his skills to good use in a fight, which is where he shows a worrying fascination with the act of fighting and killing.
Book Dumb: Torvin is not a particularly educated man, having put more value into developing his skills as a fighter than as a scholar. However, he is far from stupid and very knowledgeable about many things that are important in his everyday life.
Brutal Honesty: He uses this trope as a weapon, using honesty to provoke others into making mistakes, or even to outright attack him, which is a move that rarely ends well. He hates lying and doesn't even try to hide the truth all that much, even when it comes to things like his attempt to murder the king.
Conflicting Loyalty: A major conflict for Torvin early on in the story is if he should follow his morals, or if he should stay loyal to his king. It doesn't take him long to decide in favour of his morals.
Defector from Decadence: After witnessing Harren Hoare's cruelty one too many times, Torvin decides that he can no longer be a part of this system. He allies with the influential Riverlord Edmyn Tully and joins a conspiracy set to take down the king.
Death Seeker: Several of his thoughts in Chapter 8 hint at this, after he crossed his Despair Event Horizon. He becomes even more reckless and unable to accept defeat, throwing himself into the most brutal fights without a hint of care for his own live.
Demoted to Extra: After the failed assassination in Chapter 5, Torvin receives significantly less screentime than before and no parts of his own in Chapter 6 and 7. He finally returns in Chapter 8.
Despair Event Horizon: He crosses this in Chapter 6, after Harren Hoare presents him the dead body of his unborn child.
Determinator: Once Torvin has made a decision, he intends to go through with it regardless of what happens. He carries on no matter how much punishment he receives, he never yields and doesn't even compromise. The only thing that can change his mind is the good of his family, which he values above all other things.
Disappeared Dad: His father, a useless drunkard, has disappeared at sea many years ago, leaving Torvin in charge of the remaining family. He struggles with the bad reputation his father left him with and is clearly resentful of him.
Family Man: Torvin cares greatly for his family and would do everything for them, for his brother Garthon and his girlfriend Clarisse, as well as their unborn child.
Fatal Flaw: His stubbornness and unwillingness to accept defeat are his most prominent flaw. They are a result of his Determinator traits dialed up and cause him great suffering over the course of the story.
The Fettered: Torvin rigidly sticks to his code of honour, drawing strength from it and turning the supposed weaknessness from this code into even more strength.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: In an interesting version of the trope, he seems to be the responsible sibling at first, since he is willing to take action against the king and to stand up for his morals, whereas Garthon is portrayed as being foolish for remaining idle in the face of such a threat. However, it is gradually revealed that Torvin's actions have caused the king to target him in the first place and his unwillingness to back down causes him and those around him great suffering.
The Hero Dies: Torvin is one of the first and most central Point of View characters, a driving force in the Harrenhal storyline of Book 1 and together with Edmyn Tully the closest thing this storyline has to a Big Good. He dies at the end of Book 1, in the final stages of the Raid on Raylansfair, when his supposed ally Edward Anturion stabs him in the chest for his refusal to sound the retreat despite the losing battle they are fighting.
Hero with Bad Publicity: For trying to assassinate Harren Hoare, Torvin is despised by the other Ironborn. However, he is seen much more favourably by the Riverlanders, who hate the king as much as he does. They in turn show distrust towards him for his Ironborn heritage.
Honor Before Reason: One of Torvin's major flaws is his inability to put reason first. His honour means a lot to him and pushes him to almost self-destructive actions. The realization that he is forced to put his honour aside is part of what triggers his Despair Event Horizon.
I Have Your Wife: What finally forces him into submission and quite likely breaks him is the revelation that Harren Hoare has taken his girlfriend prisoner and killed his unborn son.
Know When to Fold 'Em: Averted. It is the fact that he does not know when to fold em that ends up being a major problem for him and for his family, when Harren Hoare shows him exactly what happens in such a case.
Mirror Character: He and Edmyn Tully come to this realization during their talks, which ends up with them forming a strong, if unusual friendship. Both value their family and their honour above everything else, they are willing to take risks for what they believe is right and they are almost unwilling to stand down once they have started something.
My God, What Have I Done?: He realizes how much he screwed up when Harren Hoare presents him the dead body of his unborn son, whom he didn't even know about until then. It puts him into a Despair Event Horizon.
Outliving One's Offspring: To make an example of him, Harren Hoare murders his unborn son and presents the corpse to him. It is enough to break Torvin for good, turning him into an obedient servant of House Hoare in order to protect his girlfriend.
Peaceful in Death: Though stabbed in the chest and bleeding out, Torvin considers his death to be a very peaceful and dignified one. The irony that he, of all people, has such a death is not lost on him.
Pet the Dog:
- In Chapter 4, he, Gabin and Harlan are hunting down a young girl, Alys Boleyn, whom Harlen intends to rape and murder, to impress his older brother. Torvin finds her first, but he does not alert Harlan to her presence, even though such an action would have benefitted him by making the prince trust him a bit better. It is one of the most selflessly noble acts Torvin has done over the course of the story.
- Perhaps the best example would be his behaviour during the late stage of the raid on Raylansfair. Looting a house, he comes across a child, trying to hide in a corner. He cleverly distracts his own people, before hiding the child under a blanket and making sure that nobody finds it until they leave the house again, an act that may very well have saved this child's live.
Pirate: Despite all of his sympathetic traits, he still is an Ironborn raider.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Torvin might be the most heroic of his kind but he is still very much an Ironborn who loves fighting and has a strict, if slightly strange code of honour.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: From an Ironborn perspective, he betrayed them by turning against their king. The suffering he has to endure in the following is well-deserved in their eyes.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Eventually, the constant witnessing of Harren Hoare's cruelty enrages him so much that he decides to turn against him, planning to assassinate him out of the deep-seated wish to do the right thing.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He is the manly man to Garthon's sensitive guy.
Sibling Team: He forms a very effective one together with Garthon.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Torvin is a proud, noble and straightforward man, who has little love for trickery, follows the old Ironborn ways and is a fearsome warrior, well-respected for these qualities. His brother Garthon is a gentle man, who has spend so much time among the Riverlanders that he has started to adopt their customs, he avoids violence if not necessary and is an outgoing and charming man, whose friendliness is often mistaken for weakness.
Sunk Cost Fallacy: He encounters this problem during his mission to assassinate Harren Hoare. When confronted with the likely failure of their mission, he decides to go through with it regardless, feeling as if he already invested too much in it to turn back then. It costs him dearly.
Sympathetic P.O.V.: A major profiteer of one. With how sympathetic he seems to be in his fight against House Hoare, it is easy to forget that he is a proud Ironborn raider, which basically makes him an unrepentant murderer and rapist.
The Quiet One: He rarely speaks when it is not necessary and even if it is necessary, he only speaks the lowest amount of words he can still get away with. He prefers to listen. However, when he speaks, his sentences are carefully thought out.
Token Heroic Ironborn: Torvin is among the few Ironborn that are portrayed positively, as he is a proud and noble man with a firm set of morals which he is unwilling to back down from.
Who Needs Enemies?: Torvin comes to this conclusion during the raid on Raylansfair, where he notices that his supposed allies end up causing greater harm to his cause than his enemies, by abandoning him when he needs them the most.

Garthon Breaker*

Garthon Breaker

Torvin's younger brother and like him, an Ironborn raider. Garthon serves as the first mate on his brother's ship. Atypically for an Ironborn though, he is drawn more towards the lifestyle of the people from the Westerosi mainland. He is one of the story's primary Point-of-View characters.

Anti-Hero: Garthon is a pragmatic, unheroic man, who avoids needless bravery and other traits typically associated with a heroic character. Nonetheless, he is generally trying to do what is right and his association with more classical heroes makes him one of them as well.
Ascended Extra: In a certain way. He started off as a secondary character, back in the first act of the story, where he served as little more than Torvin's brother, whom he morally opposed. During the same time as Torvin became Demoted to Extra, Garthon rose to prominence, eventually becoming one of the most central Point-of-View characters,
Badass Bookworm: Though not as much of a badass as his brother or other raiders, Garthon has still seen his fair share of fighting. However, he prefers the finer pleasures in life, to which he counts education and he is a very well-read man.
Brainy Brunette: Garthon has dark-brown hair and he is among the smartest and most analytical of the Point of View characters, able to correctly and realistically estimate many situations, noting things many others would have overlooked.
Combat Pragmatist: While not a weakling, Garthon is not the most naturally gifted fighter and he lacks his brothers strength and instincts. He makes more than up for it with his intelligence and pragmatism, which he combines to get an avantage over his enemy. This is best shown by the way he fights against Cleaver Clint Volmark in Chapter 8. Knowing that he has no chance against the man in single combat, he simply stabs him in the back. It's too bad for him that Clint doesn't really drop dead instantly.
Deadpan Snarker: His snarkiness gets drier and rarer as the story progresses, but still helps him through some bad times.
Defector from Decadence: Long disgusted with the cruel Ironborn society and wishing to remain loyal to his brother, Garthon doesn't waste a chance to declare his support for Torvin, even if this means turning against his own people.
Disappeared Dad: Garthon's father has died many years ago, getting lost at sea. He was a useless alcoholic and according to Torvin's opinion on the topic, not a good father, so Garthon isn't shown to miss him in any way.
Faking The Death: With a little help from Rell Vessels, Garthon kicks off his storyline in Book 2 with this, by having Rell go back to Harrenhal to proclaim him as having died. This gives him an opportunity to find out the truth behind Torvin's death without having to fear being hunted down by Hoare's assassins.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Originally, he was built up as the foolish one, since he remained idle in the face of the threat Harren Hoare posed to his family. However, by the time we get to see his viewpoint, it has been established that he islearly the responsible one to Torvin's foolish, being a calm, level-headed and rational man, who is willing to do what he believes is right, but not approving of Torvin's loud and unsubtle ways.
Glasgow Grin: During the failed assassination on Harren Hoare's life, Garthon gives one to the king. Being Harren, he later returns the favour, by violently cutting Garthon's left cheek, leaving him with one of these.
Going Native: After spending many years among the Riverlanders, Garthon stands for a new generation of Ironborn that embraces the more civilized culture of mainland Westeros over the harsh, barbaric ways of his Ironborn.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Subverted. Even after being left with a nasty half-Glasgow Grin, typically a clearly evil scar, he is still one of the good guys and central protagonists of the story.
Guile Hero: More often than not, Garthon has to rely on his wits instead of his strength, something he exceeds at.
Hero Antagonist: During the raid on Raylansfair, he still is the sympathetic man the readers have gotten to know over the course of the past chapters. However, this time he is forced to fight alongside a couple of true villains against the other main characters in the story, among them a great deal of good people, which firmly puts him into this territory.
Hero with Bad Publicity: Even before his failed assassination attempt on Harren Hoare's life, Garthon was this among his own people. Despite being among the most kind-hearted and caring Ironborn, he was shunned by his people, for being seen as weak and soft. After the assassination attempt, he is outright loathed, despite the fact that he tried to save his kingdom from a brutal and unhinged tyrant.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Intially, he is seen as a jerk by the way he is portrayed in the story. However, his kinder traits ar revealed gradually, such as his loyalty and his good sense of humour even in the face of danger. He never quite loses a slightly jerkish feel, but overplays it with his more positive attributes.
Knight in Sour Armour: Garthon's snarkiness and general pessimism hide it a bit, but he is not a bad guy and actually has strong morals h is willing to stand for, as long as he has a chance at succeeding at it. He is very much capable of acting in a heroic way, but it takes a lot for him to do it and he usually heavily complains about it before going through with it regardless.
Know When to Fold 'Em: This trope notably saves his life. Garthon knows when a fight is chanceless and he has no problem with compromising his honour if it means staying alive. When Harren Hoare offers him a chance out of his miserable situation after his attempt on the king's life failed, he accepts without a second thought.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Together with Kyra he forms such a duo. He holds views that are generally seen as soft and unmanly in his culture, whereas Kyra is an Ironborn through and through. While not a slouch, he can't compete with her when it comes to physical prowess, considering that she has led raids during her teenage years already, which gives her about a dozen years of fighting experience.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Garthon is one of the very few Ironborn that disapprove of their culture's Old Ways. He has spent so much time among the Riverlanders that he sees them as his people as well, which leads to him fully adopting several of their customs and in return leads to his outright refusal to go through with some of the stuff that is seen as normal for an Ironborn raider.
Pirate: Though not to the extent of his brother or other Ironborn, Garthon still serves as the first mate aboard Torvin's ship and therefore regularly participates in raids along the coast of Westeros.
Pragmatic Hero: Garthon values his survival and that of his loved ones higher than any other goal he might set for himself. As such, he is willing to put his honour aside to achieve success and he is fully willing to accept defeat if it means he can live for another day.
Sadistic Choice: Garthon is put through a particularly sadistic one at the end of Chapter 5. When Torvin's and Edmyn's assassination attempt goes badly, resulting in the latter's retreat, Garthon is left with a crossbow and a single bolt. He has to decide wether he should surrender, shoot Torvin or his companion George nonfatally to force them to surrender, or if he should try to succeed at their objective by shooting Edward Anturion, Harlan Hoare or Harren himself. He decides for the latter, though he fails to kills the king.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: His reason for joining Torvin is his underlying desire to do this. He is still angry at him for putting himself and others into danger, but reveals that he shares the same views deep down, therefore joining the conspiracy as well. However, a major part of his reasoning also boils down to him wanting to remain loyal to his brother.
Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: He is the sensitive guy to Torvin's manly man.
Ship Tease: From the moment they first shared screentime, in the late chapter 5, something has been building up between him and Kyra. They both knew each other before that point and obviously have at least some feelings. In Garthon's case they are outright confirmed, whereas Kyra's feelings are slightly more unclear. She did give him a brief peck on the cheek though, when he was about to leave for Raylansfair.
Sibling Team: He forms one with his older brother, Torvin.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Despite how close they are, the Breaker brothers couldn't be any more different. Torvin is the warrior of the two, a stern, humourless man, honourable to a fault and determined to the point of being stubborn. In contrast, Garthon is an easy-going and sarcastic man, who avoids unnecessary fighting and has a highly pragmatic worldview, valuing his life far above his honour.
The Smart Guy: Garthon's strongest trait is his intelligence. He is a lot smarter than the ordinary Ironborn, as well as a lot more well-read which leads to him finding solutions in situations where most other of his people would be unable to proceed.
Sour Supporter: Though having joined Edmyn Tully's conspiracy, he remains highly sceptical to their methods and even to their goals.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Garthon is described as such, being a tall and dark-haired man who is seen as handsome.
Tall, Dark, and Snarky: On top of being the above trope, Garthon is also a well-known Deadpan Snarker.
Token Heroic Ironborn: Due to their culture, which is at its prime during the time of the story, a majority of the Ironborn is portrayed as negatively, being a threat to the entirety of Westeros. Garthon is among the few who are portrayed positively, especially due to his reluctantce to actually follow the brutal ideals of his society.
Undying Loyalty: Whatever else can be said about him, Garthon is always going to remain loyal to his older brother, Torvin.
What the Hell, Hero?: When Torvin joins Edmyn Tully's conspiracy against Harren Hoare, Garthon chews him out over putting himself and all of his loved ones into danger without a second thought. It turns out to be a case of Cassandra Truth.

Simon Vessels

An older captain of the Iron Fleet, whose raiding days are slowly ending due to his advanced age. He is known for his temper more than for his meager achievements, yet his friendship with Harren Hoare ensures him a continuing voice among the Ironborn.

The Captain: He is still nominally the captain of a ship, the Red Iron, which gives him a seat at the council of captains.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: In his own way, he seems relatively fond of his son, Rell, even if he sees him as an Inadequate Inheritor.
Evil Old Folks: He is in his sixties, with his advanced age slowly affecting his health.
He-Man Woman Hater: It appears that, for all his flaws, a special grudge is reserved towards women in general and women in positions of power in particular. His Establishing Character Moment even involves him insulting Kyra Greyjoy for being a woman.
Jerkass: Even for Ironborn standards, Simon is a very unpleasant person. He is crude, bitter and has a truly nasty vocabulary, with no qualms of insutling and belittling people for the merest of slights.
Nepotism: His current, comfortable position among the court of Harrenhal is a result of his personal friendship with Harren Hoare.
Non-Action Guy: One of the drawbacks of living to his age. Simon is physically incapable of fighting anymore.
Offing the Offspring: It has been heavily implied that he had other sons than Rell, but that they have met his high standards even less than his sole surviving son. It seems to be a bit of a Berserk Button for him to hear this mentioned.
Politically Incorrect Villain: See He-Man Woman Hater. Simon really hates women in positions of power, something he is not afraid to show, as evidenced by his open disdain towards Kyra.
Retired Monster: In his prime, he was one of the most feared raiders of his time and a true monster, burning cities to the ground, raping and murdering, with no atrocity too much. His age prevents him from doing such things anymore. The only regret he has is that he hasn't done more of these things in his youth.
Smug Snake: For all his big talk, Simon is merely a smug, old man. It comes to bite him when he insults Kyra to her face, not knowing that her brother is listening and the grudge Damon grows from this ends up putting his son into mortal danger.
Too Dumb to Live: Sure, Simon, it's a great idea to insult Kyra, knowing that her brother, the Lord Captain of the Iron Fleet, is about to enter the room.
Villainous Friendship: He and Harren go way back.
What the Hell, Hero?: For a given value of hero, but at least from his perspective, he had to witness his supposed friend Harren, certainly a hero in his book, sending his only son to almost certain eath during the raid on Raylansfair.
Wild Card: Simon is both, a close friend of Harren Hoare and secretly involved in the plot against his king. His allegiance to Damon Greyjoy is similarly shaky though and solely tied to what he perceives is best for his only living son, Rell. As such, he has stopped supporting the conspiracy between Book 1 and 2, but hasn't revealed its existence to the king, leaving him free to rejoin them in early Book 2, when Rell's life is once more in danger.
Your Days Are Numbered: In Book 2, he reveals to Kyra that he is suffering from a growth in his gut, implied to be cancer, and that the maester has given him but a few more months until this affliction will take his life.

Durren Stallhart

One of the captains of the Iron Fleet and a veteran raider. Durren is highly respected for his skill in battle and famed for his daring raids, which have made him one of the favourite captains of Harren Hoare.

Affably Evil: When he is not splitting skulls on the battlefield or raping women, which he considers to be his good right as an Ironborn, he is a strangely pleasant guy, with a jovial and likable attitude, who is generous and supportive towards his friends and seemingly a great person to hang out with.
Animal Motifs: From his moustache, to his size, to the sealskin cloak he is wearing, he gives away the impression of a walrus. To add this, he is sworn to House Farwynd of the Lonely Light, a family equally connected to seals and walrusses.
Anti-Villain: Despite being an Ironborn raider, he is portrayed as an affable Punch-Clock Villain with plenty of sympathetic traits.
Badass Boast: During the battle of Maybros, he drops one in his brief talk with Baelor Bloodbane.
Baelor: "You're Durren Stallhart. I've heard from you"
Durren: "From widows and orphans. Whereas I've never heard your name before. [...] I wish to see your worth, Greenlander. May you leave another widow, another orphan"
Blood Knight: It has been noted that Durren lives for the battle. He loves to fight, to kill and to conquer, with few other true passions.
The Captain: His ship is named Death's Grasp and it is among the primary vessels of the Iron Fleet.
Dual Wielding: As said above, he fights with two axes simultaneously, most likely for additional badass points.
Even Evil Has Standards: Durren might be a brutal Ironborn raider, seasoned through countless battles and a living embodiement of the Old Way, yet he draws the line at treason and is fiercely loyal towards Harren Hoare.
Hero Killer: He personally kills Dan and Baelor during the raid on Maybros.
The Juggernaut: During the raid on Maybros, Durren is pretty much unstoppable, tearing through his enemies and even given the similarly badass fighter Baelor Bloodbane a very good fight.
Meaningful Name: It overlaps with Bilingual Bonus. Stallhart is a bastardized form of the german word "stahlhart", which means "hard as steel". Fittingly, Durren is one of the most badass fighters among the Ironborn, as well as one of the toughest.
My Master, Right or Wrong: He is relatively open about not getting along with his king, for being a bit of a Non-Action Guy, yet he accepts him as his king regardless, which leads to him following his orders despite not really liking the man.
Old Soldier: Played with. While not exactly old by our standards, he is in his late forties, which is nearly ancient for an active Ironborn raider. Most of the other Ironborn have either retired or died in battle at that point.
Pirate: Like most Ironborn.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: Again, a standard for Ironborn raiders. He is the quintessential Ironborn raider in many ways
Punch-Clock Villain: For the most part, Durren seems to be a friendly and likable guy, whenever he is not out raiding, in the name of his king. During a raid, he becomes a downright Blood Knight, but his appearance during the war council, far away from any battle, portrays him far more sympathetically.
Small Role, Big Impact: He only has a very small role in Book 1, appearing in only two chapters and being mentioned more often than he actually appears in person. However, at the leader of the raid on Maybros, he is responsible for everything that happens there. This includes him personally killing Baelor Bloodbane and Dan Ornon, as well as crippling Sadie.
Villainous Friendship: His friendship towards Torvin seems to be genuine, at least until the failed assassination of Harren Hoare. Afterwards, Durren sees Torvin as more of a Broken Pedestal.
Villainous Valor: Though outnumbered by all means, due to the surprising coalition of the city guard of Maybros and the sellsword group The Forgotten, Durren stands his ground during his raid on Maybros, refusing to retreat and fighting like a berserker.

Holgar the Red

A Captain of the Iron Fleet who captures Southshield on the Shield Islands, taking lady Heleri Hewett hostage. He also happens to be the father of Hjalgar Holgarsson.

The Alcoholic: He apparently never rejects his wine.
Beard of Evil: Has an incredibly long beard that reaches all the way to his belly, and he's a good representation of Ironborn brutality.
Braids of Barbarism: His hair is arranged in long braids with iron rings woven into it, and he's an utter beast of an Ironborn.
The Dreaded: Even though his own men respect him, they also fear angering him in any way.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: His body is Covered in Scars, including a nasty one on his right cheek to the left side of his chin, nearly splitting his lips in half.
Icy Blue Eyes: Has some intense blue eyes that represent his ruthlessness.
Like Father, Unlike Son: He's a good representation of the Old Way Ironborn try to live by, while his son Hjalgar is Ironborn in-name only.
Names to Run Away from Really Fast: You don't get a moniker like the Red without some serious credentials.

Other Ironborn

Hjalgar Holgarsson

An Ironborn in name only, Hjalgar is not a raider, but a hunter, who avoids fighting human beings. He is drawn into the affairs that surround the Breaker brothers, initially against his will, before becoming one of their most loyal and trusted allies.

Alliterative Name: Hjalgar Holgarsson
Because You Were Nice to Me: The main reason for his Undying Loyalty towards Torvin is that h gained his friendship during their journey through the Riverlands. Out of the Ironborn, Torvin has been the only one that treated Hjalgar with respect, which he surely
Beware the Nice Ones: Oh yes, he is a Nice Guy, one of the most gentle and friendly people in the story and genuinely against hurting another human being. However, if pushed too far, he displays serious skill with his bow and no hesitation to use it. He is also the one to kill the nearly unstoppable Cleaver Clint Volmark after Garthon struggled with the very same task despite having severe advantages.
Big Damn Heroes: Just when Garthon is overpowered and about to be killed by Cleaver Clint Volmark, Hjalgar arrives. He manages to dispatch of the previously unstoppable Cleaver Clint with three well-aimed arrows, saving Garthon's life in the process.
Friendly Sniper: His frienliness is his most obvious trait, yet he also displays amazing aim with his bow.
Grew a Spine: His arc over the course of Book 1 consists of him slowly growing out of his cowardly ways, to become a fighter for what he believes to be good. In the process, he becomes notably more dangerous as well.
Jumped at the Call: He does this twice. The first time, he jumps at the chance to join Torvin's assassination attempt towards Harren Hoare, where he is notably the only one who actually succeeds at his respective objective in this plot. Later on, he jumps at the chance to be a part of the Breaker brothers' raid group, despite the danger it poses.
My Species Doth Protest Too Much: Hjalgar is abhorred and disgusted by the Old Way of the Ironborn and avoids fighting, bloodshed or rape. Instead, he lives the life of a simple hunter
Naïve Newcomer: Initially, he is oblivious to the brutal reality of the Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers. As such, he is easily taken advantage of by the more ruthless Ironborn.
Nice Guy: It is especially noticabl since he is an Ironborn, a culture not exactly known for their abundance of nice guys. In fact, he is the only true example of this trope among the Ironborn.
Non-Action Guy: Initially.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Like the other members of the plot against Harren Hoare, he decides to kill the king because he can't ignore his growing cruelty.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: He gives a glorious one to Cleaver Clint right before he killes him.
Token Heroic Ironborn: Together with Torvin, Garthon and arguably Kyra, Hjalgar is one of only few Ironborn who show positive qualities over the course of the story.
Took a Level in Badass: It slightly overlaps with the Grew a Spine trope, as Hjalgar becomes more and more confident in his abilities and therefore more dangerous. In the end, he is not afraid to use his skills with a bow, previously solely reserved for his prey as a hunter, against humans who threaten him or his friends.
Took a Level in Cynic: As the story progressed, Hjalgar grows increasingly more jaded and cynical, as he becomes aware of the dangers the world poses. He does not quite take a level in Jerkass, as it often happens and he still tries to do the right thing, but he nonetheless seems disillusioned about all of it.

Rell Vessels

The only living son of Simon Vessels and an Ironborn raider in his own right. He is the best friend of Harmund Hoare, even though this is mostly a result of him being a natural sycophant than having a genuine liking to the prince.

Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When heavily wounded during the raid on Raylansfair, he drops his smug attitude and begs Garthon to save his life. It works, as Garthon carries him back to the ship, allowing him to treat his wounds.
Because You Were Nice to Me: The abovementioned incident actually comes back to help Garthon during the first chapter of Book 2, where Rell kills Tedyn Bullister to prevent the man from executing Garthon.
Butt-Monkey: Over the course of two books, nothing ever seems to go right for Rell. His friendship with Harmund leads to him being forced to take the fall for crimes mostly commited by the crown prince (though to be fair, Rell hasn't been completely innocent either), forced to accompany Torvin and Garthon to their suicidal raid on Raylansfair, where he is badly wounded and saved by a man he despises, before making his return to Harrenhal at last. Even though he is pardoned when he returns, things don't get much better for him, as Damon Greyjoy plans to kill or at least permanently ruin his reputation as part of his plans.
Even Evil Has Standards: Though Rell is by no means a good person, he does seem to have one standard. Namely, he refuses to leave a debt unpaid, resulting in him actually saving the live of Garthon Breaker.
Fall Guy: Publicly, he is mostly blamed for the mass rape Harmund's followers have committed at Woody Lincoln's farm. However, almost nobody is actually fooled by this, as the king did this solely to protect his son.
Freudian Excuse: The constant pressure from his father has encouraged his worst traits, bringing out his villainy and jerkish traits. He never felt worthy of being the heir of the famous Simon Vessels, much like how Harmund constantly tries to prove himself as a worthy heir to House Hoare. This trope is likely the source of their friendship.
Inadequate Inheritor: His father openly considers him this and Rell's actions in the story haven't exactly done much to change this opinion. The only thing that keeps him from bing disowned is the fact that his elderly father is unable to sire any more sons and he is the only living one.
Jerkass: This is perhaps the only thing in which he is fully like his father. He says few things that are not in some way smug, or demeaning towards others. That being said, he has a bit of a code of honour that paints him in a somewhat more positive light.
Kick the Dog: Aside from the rape part detailed below, he also cruelly mocks Tedyn Bullister, for his disfigured face. Given that Tedyn is Harrenhal's executioner, it overlaps with Bullying a Dragon. He even manages to make an otherwise Pet the Dog moment give shades of this, when he taunts a dying Tedyn after saving Garthon Breaker from certain death.
Professional Buttkisser: He has made a living out of being this towards Harmund Hoare, his supposed best friend, whom he supports on every single occasion. Unfortunately for him, it also means he is caught in the fray whenever Harmund needs a Fall Guy.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: It remains unclear just how much he was actually involved in the events, but he has participated in several group rapes of young women, alongside the rest of Harmund's group. It is one of the things the Riverlanders see as particularly heinous about him.
Sherlock Scan: Rell is able to sense relatively quickly that something is off about Torvin, noticing several uncharacteristic actions about him. It doesn't get anywhere, but he comes the closest to actually see through him.
Villainous Friendship: It's relatively one-sided, but Harmund seems to have some fondness of him. Not that this is a good thing of course, as Rell definitely suffers a lot under his supposed friend.
Villainous Rescue: During the first chapter of Book 2, he leaves Garthon Breaker behind, but returns when he realizes that Tedyn Bullister means to kill him. He is still very much a villain, but in this particular scene, he actually ends up saving Garthon's life to repay an earlier life debt.
Yes-Man: Over their shared time in the story, Rell never disagrees with Harmund, knowing that this could cost him his head.

Wilbur

A young raider from Alynne Hollard's crew. He is relatively inexperienced, yet glosses over this fact with a massive ego and an abrasive attitude, which hasn't made him very popular among the other raiders.

Boisterous Weakling: Wilbur likes to appear tough, way tougher than he truly is. This includes him picking fights with men who are way stronger than him. As expected, he gets his ass handed on a regular basis.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While appearing rather rude and hungry for a fight initially, Wilbur reveals that there's more to him when he honestly seems to grow fond of Alys, whom he protects during the raid on Raylansfair.
Miles Gloriosus: For all his talk, Wilbur has little to back himself up. His tale about receiving a terrible battle scar turns out to be a dog bite and he is by far not the impressive fighter he likes to appear as.
Only Sane Man: Wilbur is among the few Ironborn who dare to criticize Edward Anturion as his plans grow increasingly more unhinged. This trope makes him one of Edward's least favourite underlings, but it likely also saves his life when he decides to just leave the group when things start to get messy.
Properly Paranoid: Wilbur has a high distrust of Edward Anturion and his plans. As it turns out, this distrust is completly justified, when Edward intends to send his group of Ironborn to die.
Scars Are Forever: A scar on his forehead. He claims it is a battle scar to look more badass than he truly is, though it's actually only a dog bite he received at some point in the past.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: During the mission in the archive, powerful spells start to kill off the Ironborn. Wilbur is among the few that decide to leave instantly the moment this happens, a move that likely saves his life.

Haragard Murphey

An old Ironborn raider and an old friend of King Harren Hoare. He has been struggling with an illness for a long time, and the end of his struggle seems to be near.

Morality Pet: Haragard is the only person Harren is shown to have open fondness to. While he himself is very similar to his friend in many ways, his illness also seems to have mellowed him down a bit, to the point where he's giving Harren advice to treat his caretaker, Darla, with kindness, something the king actually seems to consider.
Prophet Eyes: As a result of his illness, Haragard has been rendered nearly blind, which is shown by his eyes having a mily white look to them, with severe cataracts forming over them.
Retired Monster: Though Haragard is by no means reformed from his days as a brutal raider and does look back to them fondly, he was forced to retire due to his illness, which has made him too weak to even stand.
Villainous Friendship: He's Harren's oldest and likely only true friend. The King of the Isles and the Rivers considers him more of a brother than his own.
Younger Than They Look: Actually, Haragard only a few years older than Harren, yet his illness have made him look 2 decades older. Given that he is still very much in his seventies, this causes him to look downright ancient.

Harden Murphey

An Ironborn raider and Haragard's son. According to Harren, he has never taken a salt wife, so Darla Vega's presence attracts Harren's curiosity.

Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being a cruel and ruthless Ironborn raider, Harden seems to truly care about his ailing father.
Generation Xerox: According to Harren, he looks very similar to his father in his youth. He also seems to follow into his footsteps as a raider, albeit he is known for taking no salt wives.
Noble Demon: As an Ironborn raider, Harden surely is a brutal man and can be quite ruthless. However, his refusal to take salt wives is a redeeming trait the majority of his companions does not share.

Characters / Forum of Thrones - Ironborn

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