The Kingdom of the Reach lies in the southwest of Westeros, spanning from the Shield Islands to the western Red Mountains. It is blessed with incredibly fertile ground, which make it one of the richest and most advanced kingdoms in Westeros. It is ruled by House Gardener, which is tracing back its lineage to the legendary Garth Greenhand, a mythical hero of the First Men. The Reach has a prominent chivalrous culture to it and its knights are famed to be the best in the known world.

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House Gardener

"Spring Forth"

— Words of House Gardener

The royal house of the Reach and one of the oldest houses in Westeros, directly descending from the legendary hero Garth Greenhand. From their seat at Highgarden, they rule over a mostly peaceful and prosperous land, though threats from the south and an unstable peace with the Stormlands still are a cause of great worry for them. The Gardener kings are known to be cunning and scheming, yet polite and chivalrous at the same time, holding their kingdom together through diplomacy instead of brute force. Their current head and King of the Reach is Mern IX Gardener.

In General

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: As said above, behind their polite facade, the Gardeners are noted schemers, which is absolutely necessary in a kingdom like the Reach.
Body Motifs: Their sigil depicts a green hand on a field of silver.
Cool Crown: The crown of the Gardener kings is a circlet of flowers and vines in times of peace, but is switched to a crown of iron thorns in times of war.
Famous Ancestor: They have several such as John I the Tall, Gyles III, Garth VII Goldenhand, the Three Sage Kings and Greydon Gardener, who tried to invade Dorne.
The Good King: Many Gardeners are noted to be this, which is the main reason for why the Reach is in such a comparably good position.

King Mern IX Gardener

King Mern of House Gardener, ninth of his name, King of the Reach, Lord of Highgarden, Defender of the Marches, Protector of the Mander and Stalwart Hand of the South

The current King of the Reach at the time of the story. He became king about one and a half decades ago, when his father, Garse, was killed in battle with the Storm King, Argilac. His first action was to negotiate for peace with the Stormlands and he has maintained a stable, largely peaceful kingdom ever since.

Broken Pedestal: Mern quickly saw that he has no choice but to kneel to the Storm King to end a war that would have destroyed his kingdom. Unfortunately, this makes him seen as weak and a disappointment by his followers, who start to become disillusioned by him.
Frontline General: While old now, he continues to lead his men personally, best shown when he took command during the war against the Storm King, after his equally old father has died at Argilac's hands.
The Ghost: In Book 1, until he makes his first appearance in the Interlude between the books.
Horrible Judge of Character: Zig-Zagged. He is shown to have a lot of distrust to the scheming Petyr Vyrwel and Maron Mullendore, even if the true extent of their schemes is unknown to him. However, he also trusts Devrin Oakheart, which is a bad mistake on his end.
The Good King: Many people view him fondly, seeing him as a just, peace-loving king.
Know When to Fold 'Em: After his father was slain by the Storm King, Mern successfully negotiated for peace. Unfortunately this surrender left some of his vassals resentful of the humiliation and now conspire against him, like Maron Mullendore.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He's quite reasonable and willing to listen to advice and unlike Harren or Argilac, he doesn't underestimate Aegon's threat.

Prince Edmund Gardener

The eldest son of King Mern and heir of Highgarden and the Kingdom of the Reach.

Action Dad: Edmund has grown sons of his own and is a warrior like his father.
Number Two: As the heir to Highgarden and the Kingom of the Reach, Edmund is his father's right-hand man and most trusted supporter.
Warrior Prince: Like his father he leads his men personally, being one of the best knights

Prince Garlan Gardener

Youngest nephew of King Mern, who serves as squire for his cousin Edmund.

Alliterative Name: Garlan Gardener
The Squire: To his cousin Edmund.

Ser Kasyn Luck

A young knight at the service of House Gardener. He's assigned by king Mern to supervise the rebuilding of Raylansfair and determine if the rule of Petyr Vyrwel is just.

Spanner in the Works: For Petyr and Maron's plans for Raylansfair, Kasyn is an absolute disaster. His presence in Raylansfair means that their previously relatively confident scheming becomes a lot more dangerous, with him around to report back to his king.
You Are in Command Now: Kasyn surprisingly is sent to lead the Gardener garrison in Raylansfair, despite being young and new at court, due to Mern trusting his skills and judgement.

Gardener Bannermen and Retainers

House Tyrell

"Growing Strong"

— Words of House Tyrell

An ancient noble house of the Reach, but one of lesser status, as they hold no lands of their own. Descending from the legendary Garth Greenhand through the female line, they are distant kin to the ruling House Gardener and serve as the Gardener kings castellans at Highgarden, which gave them a lot of prestige and importance in the Kingdom of the Reach. Their current head is Harlen Tyrell.

Lord Harlen Tyrell

The Castellan of Highgarden

The head of House Tyrell and castellan of Highgarden, Harlen comes from an influential family with strong ties to House Gardener. He is a diplomat, skilled with words, but a stranger to any kind of combat.

Ambadassador: Completely subverted. Harlen knows nothing about combat, something he completely admits to.
Beware the Nice Ones: A nice, calm and affable man, but nonetheless an effective diplomat if he wants to. Harlen is also ambitious and knows his way around on the political stage of Westeros.
Big Fun: Whenever he is in a good mood, he embodies this trope, being a heavy-weight, likable man who is fun to be around.
Dirty Coward: Not only does he allow Argella to boss him around, he also hides the moment he has to face any sort of danger. What puts him into the dirty part of this trope is his refusal to allow his knights to fight, instead forcing them to protect him alone.
Extreme Doormat: Some of his actions give off such a vibe, until he reveals that he has a spine after all. However, this only applies to non-combat situations, where he has a surprising amount of bite, whereas in dangerous situations, he completely shuts down.
Guile Hero: As the chief diplomat of House Gardener and a Non-Action Guy, he is more or less guaranteed to be this.
It's All About Me: Harlen is a selfish man, who cares only about his own safety in times of danger. This is best demonstrated during the Raid on Raylansfair, where he is willing to leave the smallfolk to die to give himself better chances of survival.
Non-Action Guy: And he admits to it. He is a talker, not a warrior and he sees no problem with it. However, he crosses further into Dirty Coward territory to enforce his status as this trope.

Ser Elias Tyrell

Harlen's nephew and one of the best knights in the Reach.

The Ace: One of the finest knights in all of the kingdom, Elias is a force to be reckoned with. Having won many tourneys, Elias is considered a prodigy with a bright future
Ambiguously Gay: At the very least Argella interprets his refusal of her advances as this. In her opinion, no man would refuse to dance with her if he is interested in women. The lack of any lover in Elias' life, despite his handsome appearance and skill, does give her some reason for sure.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: Elias certainly takes a little bit too much pride in his skills as a fighter. It is the main argument that tarnishes his image as a perfect true knight, since this arrogance often makes him look like a jerk.
Beleaguered Assistant: To his uncle, Harlen, whom he dislikes having to work for. In fact, he even expresses outright frustration at his uncle's cowardice during the Raid on Raylansfair, as it prevents him from fighting as well.
Expy: Elias shows more than just a few similarities to Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers and distant relative of his during the time of the War of the Five Kings. Like Loras, Elias is a prodigy as a knight, though his temper and arrogance tarnish this somewhat, even if the public is willing to look past it. Whereas Loras is confirmed to be gay and in a relationship with Renly Baratheon, Elias is at the least Ambiguously Gay.
Hot-Blooded: He has a severe temper, which shines through whenever he is provoked.
Hypercompetent Sidekick: Compared to his uncle, Elias might be the less capable administrator, but he has instincts that go far beyond what the often clueless Harlen shows, which ultimately makes him even more suited to lead such negotiations. He is, for example, instantly wary of Sherryl, whom Harlen grows to trust.
Jerkass: As a mixture of beign Hot-Blooded and an Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy, he becomes a bona fide jerk.
Jumped at the Call: For all his arrogance and jerkish traits, Elias still is a knight and therefore very eager to prove himself in battle against the Ironborn during the Raid on Raylansfair. Unfortunately, his uncle thwarts these ambitions through his Refusal of the Call.
Knight in Shining Armor: He likes to maintain such an image, though his temper and jerkish qualities often prevent anyone from truly buying it. Still, he acts like a true knight, if only to maintain his image as one.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He has long, curly hair and is noted to be boyishly handsome.

House Vyrwel

"No Ties May Bind"

— Words of House Vyrwel

One of the primary noble houses from the southern Reach, House Vyrel can trace their ancestors back to a bastard of House Manderly, centuries before the families exile from the Reach. House Vyrwel remained, though due to their ancient ties to the exiled house, they never managed to gain the importance many Lords Vyrwel thought they deserve, leaving them as uncomfortable bannermen to House Gardener, with closer ties to the nearby House Hightower of Oldtown. After the recent death of Lord Leo Vyrwel, his son Petyr became head of the house.

Lord Leo Vyrwel

The Lord of Darkdell at the beginning of the story. Leo is an older man with several children, among them Lucas Flowers, whom he banished after a seeming attempt on his life years ago.

The Ghost: Mentioned at several points of Book 1, he is also an important background character for Lucas' backstory, but he hasn't received an appearance.
Posthumous Character: He is killed (probably by his own son) before we ever get to see him in the story proper.
Unwitting Pawn: He completely fell for Petyr's act and believed him over his bastard son, which resulted in Lucas getting banished from Darkdell and Petyr being in a better position than ever before to further his goals.

Lord Petyr Vyrwel

Leo's eldest son, which makes him Lucas' half-brother. Petyr is an ambitious man and a schemer. After the death of his father, he follows him as the head of House Vyrwel and Lord of Darkdell.

Affably Evil: Petyr is definitely an evil man, not above murdering his own father in cold blood if required for his own gain, but he manages to come across as charming and pleasant while doing so and at least some of his affability seems downright genuine, such as him consoling Jenna in Book 2.
Beard of Evil: As one of the main villains of the story, Petyr sports a notable goatee.
Big Bad Duumvirate: As it turns out, he is in league with Maron Mullendore, previously thought to be the sole Big Bad of the Reach arc, with whom he conspires to take over the city of Raylansfair. He also works with Devrin Oakheart, the third member of their triumvirate.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Lucas once considered him a kind-hearted brother. He couldn't have been more wrong. In the end, Petyr is one of the worst people in the entire story, a ruthless schemer and Manipulative Bastard, who tried to kill his own father, framed his brother for it and later even succeeded in overthrowing Leo.
Cain and Abel: He is the Cain to Lucas' Abel. While not outright trying to kill his half-brother (yet), he nonetheless is directly responsible for ruining his life. He has also tried to kill his father and managed to blame Lucas for it.
The Cavalry: He and his ally, Maron Mullendore, serve as this in the final stages of the raid on Raylansfair.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being an awful person, he truly loves his daughter.
Karma Houdini: At least for now, he hasn't received any punishment for his actions, which led to the death of his father and the banishment of Lucas. Instead, he even got rewarded by saving Raylansfair and winning the trust of the people there, making him a strong contender for the title of the future Lord Raylan.
A Lighter Shade of Black: While he has done some unspeakably ruthless things throughout the story, he still has some consciousness left, unlike Maron Mullendore who lost it long ago.
Manipulative Bastard: He manipulated his father into banishing Lucas and used Lucas' own brotherly feelings against him. This caused Lucas to see his true nature too late to stop him from framing him for his attempted murder of Leo Vyrwel.
Papa Wolf: Threatening his daughter Edith is a very bad idea, as the Sphynx quickly finds out.
Pet the Dog: Surprisingly, Petyr is among the first people to outright console Jenna over the loss of her father, something he had no reason to do beyond simple kindness. In general, he is very respectful towards her over the course of their talk.
Self-Made Orphan: It is heavily implied that he managed to kill his father after all. Chapter 9 reveals he did.
Social Climber: Over the course of the story, this is Petyr's driving motivation. He manages to fare quite well, becoming Lord of Darkdell first and then, Lord of Raylansfair.
Small Role, Big Impact: He initially only appears in Lucas' backstory and for a cameo role in Chapter 6, where it is established that his father passed away, but he is undoubtedly the most important person in Lucas' life, having sent him down the path that led to his current position. Therefore, Petyr has influenced the entire story with his actions, via Disaster Dominoes. This is later subverted when he becomes the main villain of the Raylansfair arc alongside Maron Mullendore, appearing in a much more prominent role in Book 2.
Villain with Good Publicity: Despite his actions, he is regarded as a nobleman of the Reach and therefore treated with a lot of respect. He is also well-loved by the smallfolk for his charisma.

Ser Lucas Flowers

See Forum Of Thrones - Raylansfair

Edith Flowers

The young bastard daughter of Petyr Vyrwel and a common servicemaid. Edith is her father's most precious family member and the one he keeps as close as possible, even taking her with him to Raylansfair.

Children Are Innocent: Unlike her father, Edith doesn't seem to have a bad bone in her. Mostly due to her young age, she does not even fully understand why her uncle is imprisoned and cannot believe that he truly did anything wrong.
Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Though visually a Girly Girl and proper noble lady, with a fine dress and a nice hairdo, she gets tomboy points for sneaking into the dungeons of Raylansfair against her father's orders, to meet her imprisoned uncle.
Last Episode, New Character: She is introduced in the final chapter of Book 1.
Morality Pet: Edith is this to her father in spades. She is the only person he has expressed open fondness for so far and when the Sphynx threatens her Petyr quickly reminds him of his place.

Ser Hugo Farnham

One of the knights in service of House Vyrwel of Darkdell, Hugo is a loyal man, as well as dedicated to his service to the lord of his house, yet nonetheless a firmly honourable person.

Friendly Enemy: Hugo and Leonard Constantine have met each other years ago and gotten along well, becoming friends quickly. Later on, Hugo is ordered to take Leonard into custody, putting them at opposing sides, though they are still shown to be friendly and respectful with each other.
Last Episode, New Character: He is introduced in the final chapter of Book 1.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Hugo outright states to disagree with the orders he was given and that he believes in Leonard's innocence. However, his loyalty to House Vyrwel trumps these doubts, so he goes along with the order regardless.
Noble Top Enforcer: Technically, Hugo is a villain, being in service of House Vyrwel of Darkdell, whose lord is one of the stories Big Bad. However, beyond that, he holds no villainous trait, as he is a friendly, respectful man and actually gets along well with Leonard, the man he is supposed to capture for his lord.

House Lowther

"A Friend in Need"

— Words of House Lowther

An old and proud noble house from the western Reach, close neighbours of House Raylan of Raylansfair, the Lowther's have a long family history and have proudly served their kingdom for centuries, but haver never held much importance or power compared to the other lords, many of which look down upon them, being considered one of the lesser powerful bannermen of House Gardener. Their current head is Hobert Lowther.

Lord Hobert Lowther

The Lord of Mander's Mouth

The Lord of Mander's Mouth and head of House Lowther. Hobert is seemingly distantly related to House Raylan, which makes him believe that he is the rightful heir to Robert Raylan.

Affably Evil: Not a clear villain, Hobert's ambition nonetheless makes him an opponent to the more heroic characters of the story. Despite that, he is undeniably affable, most of the times.
Ambition Is Evil: His only truly villainous trait is his extreme ambition, which is enough to make him consider extreme methods to secure his power in Raylansfair.
Appeal to Force: This is the abovementioned extreme method he is implied to plan. His soldiers are inside the city walls and he was perfectly willing to use them to overpower the guard and just claim the lordship for himself. That was until Argella arrived with an equally large host of better trained soldiers.
Camp Straight: Despite his effeminate behaviour, Hobert is confirmed to be straight and one of his first scenes shows him in the company of a prostitue.
Casanova Wannabe: Hobert is a flirt, but thanks to his blatantly obvious Smug Snake qualities, he comes across as too confrontational, if not outright creepy in his interactions with women, rarely making any sort of positive impression on them unless he pays them.
The Dandy: He puts quite a lot of pride and care in his appearance, avoiding any sort of physical confrontation if possible, rather letting his men do it for him.
Handsome Lech: Hobert has a certain handsomeness about him, on top of being a Casanova Wannabe.
It's All About Me: One of Hobert's most obvious traits is his selfishness. Even though he knows his claim for Raylansfair is shaky at the very best, he tries his best to stir up trouble, so that he can take the city in the end.
Miles Gloriosus: Part of his Small Name, Big Ego persona. Hobert sees himself as a capable and badass Guile Hero, when he is actually the complete opposite.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After losing the power struggle for Raylansfair, he and his men leave instantly. This becomes a problem for the people of Raylansfair, when the Ironborn attack shortly afterwards.
Sharp-Dressed Man: He desperately tries to pull this trope off.
Sissy Villain: Hobert's behaviour shows many effeminate qualities and he is also a minor antagonist in Book 1.
Small Name, Big Ego: Hobert is the head of House Lowther, one of the smallest and most insignificant houses in the Reach. During the Succession Crisis in Raylansfair, he sees himself as an equal to Harlen Tyrell, the castellan of Highgarden and personal ambassador of King Mern Gardener, as well as Argella Durrandon, daughter and heiress of the most powerful man in Westeros.
Smug Snake: His ego is highly inflated, yet ultimately part of his downfall. And his refusal to accept defeat after it becomes clear that he won't win even makes him lose his dignity.
Sore Loser: Once it becomes clear that he won't win in Raylansfair, Hobert gets increasingly more angry and insulting in his behaviour, up to the point where he loses all hints of dignity.
Too Dumb to Live: Surely, insulting Argella Durrandon to her face is a good idea, right? Luckily for him, it didn't cost him anything, but considering what her father recently did to someone who accidentally insulted his daughter, it was an incredibly stupid and reckless thing to do.

Malkolm Sternhelm

A high-ranking soldier under Hobert's command, serving as his personal bodyguard and second-in-command of his soldiers.

Dirty Old Man: He isn't that old, but he still has a thing for women about half his age. Ilish and Daisy, both about twenty years old, have surely noticed this.
The Dragon: Malkolm is constantly seen on Hobert's side and seems to be his most trusted soldier, which would make him this.
Punch-Clock Villain: Though not exactly a nice guy, Malkolm doesn't show any signs of villainous behaviour when he isn't on duty in his work for Hobert.
The Quiet One: Especially when he is on duty, but even when not, Malkolm rarely says more than necessary.

House Oakheart

"Our Roots Go Deep"

— Words of House Oakheart

With a history almost as old as that of House Gardener and a power that rivalled them for thousands of years, House Oakheart is one of the three strongest Gardener bannermen, together with House Hightower and House Redwyne. They claim to descend from Garth Greenhand's younger son, Jon the Oak. From their seat at Old Oak, they have often warred with the dornish, whom they view as their arch enemies. Their current head is Devrin Oakheart.

Lord Devrin Oakheart

The Lord of Old Oak

Lord of Old Oak and head of House Oakheart. He has recently betrothed his son Edwin to Petyr Vyrwel's younger sister. He also happens to be working alongside Petyr Vyrwel and Maron Mullendore in conspiring with betraying the Reach to Harren Hoare.

Affably Evil: Though a villain, Devrin manages to appear genuinely charming and affable to those he speaks with. Some of it seems to be genuine and he is nothing if not respectful, polite and wholly unassuming.
Beard of Evil: Quite an impressive one at that.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Seemingly harmless and a good friend to Mern Gardener, Devrin is really one of the driving forces behind the conspiracy against the crown.
Big Bad: Together with Maron and Petyr, he conspires against his king and out of the three, he is by far the most powerful, as the head of a principal noble house.
Broken Pedestal: Mern Gardener is this to him, after his decision of kneeling to the Storm King after the ill-fated war that claimed the lives of the previous King of the Reach.
Chekhov's Gunman: First mentioned by Sherryl after she got captured by Arthur Nathamer, he makes his debut after Book 1, in Mern Gardener's interlude.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Devrin might be of less than stellar morality, but he has a wife and two children whom he seems to care for quite a lot. His wife, Lydia, is notably of a lesser house and from the Stormlands on top, whom his kingdom used to be at war with by the time they first met. Still, he loves her dearly and he even turned down a more favourable alliance with House Reyne of Castamere in her favour.
False Friend: Devrin poses to be a friend to Mern Gardener and has his full trust. However, he lies to his king that he can trust Vyrwel and Mullendore, when he's really conspiring with them to betray him to Harren Hoare.
Manipulative Bastard: He is well aware of his unassuming and trustworthy appearance and uses it in his favour. Being a master manipulator, his true villainy is suspected by absolutely no one and he always styles himself as a friendly supporter of those he talks to. This is best shown in the way he manipulates Willfred.
Older Than They Look: According to Mern, he has aged well despite being only a few years younger than he is.

House Mullendore

"All Will Be Well"

— Words of House Mullendore

One of the newer noble houses from the Reach, House Mullendore has their seat at Uplands in the southern dornish marches. They are bannermen of House Hightower of Oldtown and a fledgling cadet branch is forming in the city itself, due to the friendship of Lord Manfred Hightower and the father of Ser Maron Mullendore. Their current head is Cregan Mullendore.

Lord Cregan Mullendore

The Lord of Uplands and cousin of Maron Mullendore. He doesn't speak highly of his cousin and considers him untrustworthy.

Cain and Abel: The Abel to Maron's Cain.
The Ghost: So far, Cregan is only mentioned in Mern's interlude.
Token Good Teammate: Up until now, he is the only decent member of House Mullendore shown or mentioned in the story and given the generally bad reputaiton of his family, he might be the only one at all, especially when compared to Maron and Yoreen

Ser Maron Mullendore

See Forum Of Thrones - Oldtown

Ser Yoreen Flowers

One of Maron Mullendore's numerous bastard children, Yoreen stands out from the rest by virtue of being the only one of them to ever be recognized by their father. He was even raised by him for some time. Now a knight in his own regards, his career has quickly surpassed Maron's, who remained stuck in Oldtown, while Yoreen became the leader of the Gardener forces in the Red Mountains and the dornish marches.

0% Approval Rating: Among his own men at least, though he is popular among the nobility of the Reach and among any who don't actually have to serve beneath him. His reputation as a whole is that of a strictly lawful and upstanding knight, but his men know him as a violent and spiteful man, who dishes out draconic punishment for any crime. As a result, he is deeply unpopular by his own soldiers and they are mostly shown to follow him out of fear.
Affably Evil: In his first appearance, Yoreen is polite and seemingly respectful towards his new captives, Ysilla, Allar and Jenelyne, even though he makes it perfectly clear that he is willing to harm them to get the answers he wants.
Bald of Evil: Yoreen is bald and lacks any sort of facial hair, including eyebrows. He is also shaping up to be a notable villain within the story.
Fantastic Racism: Towards Dorne and its people, to be precise. It is mildly justified, as he is fighting a war against the Dornish and has to deal with their often underhanded tactics, but still pronounced. It notably does not mean he treats those from Dorne particularly worse, but he clearly seems to think a lot less of them.
Freudian Excuse: Of course, Yoreen's rape of Saerya Yronwood is inexcusable, but as a child, he was personally raised by Maron Mullendore, which had to leave some marks on him.
The Ghost: While he was mentioned several times and is confirmed to appear eventually at some point in Book 2, he has not been introduced so far.
Groin Attack: A favoured form of punishment for him, one he personally and mercilessly inflicts upon every rapist among his men.
Hypocrite: Yoreen seems to be utterly dedicated to upholding the law, punishing rapists among his men terribly harsh. However, it seems he does not hold himself to the same standards he expects in others, as he is known for his rape of Saerya Yronwood.
Knight Templar: Quite similar to his father, Yoreen is utterly devoted to the law and unwilling to compromise even a tiny bit. This is best shown in the Chapter 3 finale, where he first executes one of the men who assaulted Ysilla and her group, before mercilessly doing the same to Allar, who accidentally killed an innocent guard while trying to defend himself. He even refrains from killing Theodan after Ysilla reveals his identity, not because he does not believe his high birth absolves him of his role in the death of Dylar Harking, but because he admits that a highborn knight is protected from the same punishment as a lowborn criminal, showing that him sparing Theodan is not an act of mercy, but merely the logical consequence of his utmost devotion to law and order.
Like Father, Like Son: As little as there are confirmed facts on Yoreen, he seems to come after his father in terms of character traits, sharing his draconic and strict interpretation of the law, while also being a massive hypocrite about it by virtue of being a known rapist.
Morality Pet: While he treats his soldiers harshly and has no tolerance for failure or those who break his strict rules, he seems particularly fond of Dylar Harking, whose death he genuinely mourns.
Pet the Dog: An unexpected contrast to his past as a rapist, he seems to be utterly unwilling to tolerate the same behaviour in his soldiers. He even goes as far as to inform the leaders of the Stormlander forces in the dornish marches of the punishments he has decided upon in case any of his men dares to rape a dornish woman, which results in Argilac and his men in the marches following his example. It does make him a massive hypocrite, given his past, but it likely genuinely benefits any dornish woman who happens to be captured by the Gardener forces. This is later proven to be true by his own men, when it turns out that after catching one of his men who allegedly forced himself upon a local woman, he personally castrated the rapist and gave the woman some coin for her pain. Since the woman in question was apparently from Dorne, it also contrasts his confirmed bias against people from that region.
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: The act he is most infamous for is personally raping Saerya Yronwood, granddaughter of Yuris Yronwood during a raid several years ago. It is this event that plays heavily into his bad reputation in Dorne. Ironically, he singles out rape when describing what he outlawed among his men, showing that he believes in this trope as well.
Villain with Good Publicity: While it might be too early to say if he ends up a villain in the narrative itself, he has a terrible reputation in Dorne and is a known rapist. This stands in stark contrast to his reputation in the Reach, where he is admired as the leader of the forces against the Dornish, as well as the respect the Stormlanders have for him.
Villainous Rescue: In a somewhat zigzagged version, Yoreen personally saves Ysilla, Jenelyne and Allar from being executed by one of his more trigger-happy underlings. He then promptly takes them prisoner, arguing that surrendered enemies should not be just executed, but merely imprisoned.
Would Hit a Girl: After realizing that Ysilla kept her highborn identity a secret from him until he almost killed Theodan, a lord's son and therefore a valuable hostage, he slaps her without holding back.

House Selwyn

Lord Donnel Selwyn

Lord of Selwyn Tower, the Stone Wall, Lord Admiral of the Misty Islands, the Sea Tamer, the Feeder of Sharks

The head of House Selwyn, an ancient house from the Reach. He's invited to Raylansfair by Petyr Vyrwel in order to discuss an alliance. He's married to Selyse Oakheart, younger sister of Lord Devrin Oakheart.

Berserk Button: The mere mention of Leonard Constantine makes him really upset. Even after several years have passed since their last meeting he displays a vocal dislike towards the man.
The Friend Nobody Likes: Petyr Vyrwel seeks his support and as such, he has to put up with him. However, it is made clear that neither he, nor Maron Mullendore actually like Donnel and consider him to be difficult and bothersome. His brother-in-law Devrin has a slightly better opinion on him, but even he freely admits that Donnel can be hard to deal with.
Jerkass: Though not without redeeming features, Donnel is a rude, arrogant and condescending towards those he sees beneath him. He also has a bit of a temper and knows how to carry a grudge.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: In terms of looks, Donnel is heavily based on U.S. President Donald Trump and he also displays some of Trump's personality traits.
Noodle Incident: Something happened between his daughter Vanesha and Leonard when he worked under them, but he refuses to elaborate. It is apparently the source of his intense dislike towards the man.
Papa Wolf: One of Donnel's redeeming traits is the fondness he has for his children. As seen in the Noodle Incident above, whatever happened between Leonard and Vanesha makes him hate the man even many years later.
Pet the Dog: For a man with some heavily classist views, for whom lineage is everything, it says quite a lot that he employs the bastard Dunaver Flowers as his master-at-arms.
Pride: He's noted to be a very prideful man, with a dislike for people without lineage. His pride is a driving factor behind his actions.
Small Name, Big Ego: Though Donnel is not entirely powerless, his house is nowhere nearly as strong as it used to be. However, he surrounds himself with grand titles and expects to be treated like high nobility.
Try to Fit That on a Business Card: His list of titles (or nicknames) is nearly as long as those of house Hightower or Manderly, even though he comes form a comparably minor house.

Ser Dustran Selwyn

The eldest child and heir of House Selwyn. Unlike he's prideful father, he's more reasonable and even gets along with the bastard knight Dunaver Flowers.

Like Father, Unlike Son: Where his father is rude and quite harsh towards others, Dustran is actually friendly, even towards lowborn such as Jenna, whom Donnel would likely not even speak to.
Nice Guy: So far, Dustran comes off as a friendly and understanding guy, who readily comes to Jenna's aid when he believes her to be in danger.
Odd Friendship: Despite the latter being a bastard, Dustran gets along splendidly with Dunaver Flowers, the master-at-arms of House Selwyn.

House Raylan

See Forum Of Thrones - Raylansfair

House Hightower

See Forum Of Thrones - Oldtown

House Beesbury

"Beware Our Sting"

— Words of House Beesbury

Sworn to House Hightower of Hightower, House Beesbury of Honeyholt can trace its lineage all the way to Ellyn Ever Sweet, one of the many children of Garth Greenhand. House Beesbury suffered a great loss in the war with the Stormlands, which took the life of its lord and his three eldest sons, leaving his fourth and only surviving son as heir. Its current head is Qyllon Beesbury.

Lord Qyllon Beesbury

The lord of Honeyholt. As the fourth son of the previous lord Beesbury, he wasn't expected to inherit, but when his father and older brothers all died in battle, he became lord. In other to have a match worthy of his new station, he bribed a Septon and annulled his marriage to lady Ellyn Ball and declaring his son Robert a bastard.

Corrupt Politician: Bribing a Septon in order to annul his marriage is a pretty corrupt thing to do.
The Ghost: Mentioned by his son but hasn't appeared yet.
Unexpected Successor: As a fourth son, he was never expected to inherit, but when his father and older brothers all died fighting the Stormlands, he became the new lord of Honeyholt.

Ser Robert Beesbury

Robert Flowers

Eldest child, although not heir, of Lord Qyllon Beesbury, sent by Lord Devrin Oakheart to liberate Southshield from Ironborn occupation and liberate lady Heleri Hewett.

Berserk Button: Don't call him a bastard, he was born a true Beesbury and he still considers himself one.
Good Is Not Soft: He may want to free lady Heleri, but that doesn't mean he won't remorselessly kill Ironborn for invading and partaking in the raiding of Southshield.
Hates Their Parent: He understandably hates his father Qyllon for slandering his mother in order to annul their marriage and disinheriting him and labeling him a bastard.
Heroic Bastard: He may no longer be considered a true Beesbury by his father, but he at least tries to save a Damsel in Distress. That said, he is working for Devrin Oakheart, who is part of the conspiracy to betray the Reach to Harren Hoare, and is trusted enough to manage one of his vassals lands, so whether or not he is truly this is still somewhat up in the air.

Other inhabitants of the Reach

Dimitri the Wise

A... strange man who lives alone in the forests around Raylansfair. He claims to be a philosopher and his only companion is his dove, Hildemara.

Cloud Cuckoolander: Dimitri is the stories prime example.
The Hermit: He has become one by choice, never seeking out others, though he offers advice to anyone who manages to find him.
Ice-Cream Koan: Unfortunately, his advice is almost exclusively some sort of this trope.
Unusual Pets for Unusual People: His loyal pet companion is a dove whom he has named Hildemara.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He is left in the forest after Maya flees from the Band of Claws. It is unknown if they found him or what they did to him, though the character list in the main post of the story keeps him under the "Deceased or Unknown" category.

The Hammered Harp Inn

Aylard Kawl

The founder and owner of the Hammered Harp Inn. Formerly a soldier, he settled down with his wife and their numerous children to fully dedicate himself to managing the tavern on the busy road between Raylansfair and Highgarden

Carry a Big Stick: His weapon of choice in the army of the Reach has been a warhammer, which he took with him when he was honourably discharged.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: After Lunett's death, his stare becomes as dull and sorrowful as his entire existence.
Hair-Trigger Temper: While Aylard has never been a calm man, his temper grows worse over the course of Book 1, to the point where he attacks people without thinking twice about the consequences.
Heartbroken Badass: He gets badass points for being an old, experienced soldier. The heartbroken part comes into action when one considers that his wife and six children have died before the story started. Later on, he becomes even more heartbroken when his daughter Lunett dies.
Jerkass: It's not hard to admit, Aylard is kind of a jerk. He is rude, with a bit of a temper and prone to act irrational. In fact, these traits make it hard to like him even after all he has lost. However, it has been implied that exactly these losses have triggered his jerkish qualities, making it more of a case of Took a Level in Jerkass.
Old Soldier: Aylard used to be a soldier in his youth, who retired after he got honourably discharged.
Outliving One's Offspring: He had eight children together with his wife. At the beginning of the story, only Lunett and Sawyer are still alive. It comes up again when Lunett dies, meaning that he outlived seven of his children.
Papa Wolf: One of Aylard's few positive traits is his absolute love and care for his children. He occasionally crossed into overprotective territory, but most of the time, his worry for them is justified.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After Lunett's death, he goes on one, fully intending to kill Lucas and being completely unable to be reasoned with, until he finally gets taken down, nonlethaly.
Trauma Conga Line: His recent life after retiring can be summed up as this in general. First, a terrible sickness hits his inn, claiming the life of his wife and six of their children. Then, a bandit clan hits his inn, claiming the life of one of his barmaids and forcing him to leave his home behind. Then, his eldest daughter runs away and is promptly murdered, leaving him with only one living child.

Lunett Kawl

Aylard's eldest child and only living daughter. Lunett is a dreamer, sick of her life at the inn and wishing for adventure to happen and take her away, to faraway lands.

An Arm and a Leg: Before murdering her, Mullendore severs both of her feet. He notably does it only For the Evulz, since Lucas isn't even there to answer any questions.
Be Careful What You Wish For: Lunett yearns to go on an adventure and even manipulates Lucas and Leonard to take her with them to the city of Oldtown. Unfortunately for her, she lives in a Crapsack World and slowly has to realize the harsh reality of all this.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Maron Mullendore takes her hostage, mutilates, rapes and blind her before killing her, all just to prove a point to her lover.
Eye Scream: Her Cruel and Unusual Death prominently involves her getting brutally blinded by Mullendore.
Hallucinations: While he is Maron Mullendore's prisoner, Lucas sees her, among others, as a hallucination, brought up by his subconsciousness due to the intense pain he suffered. She is far more mean-spirited than she used to be in life and bitterly blames Lucas for her death, which shows just how much Lucas is blaming himself.
Heroic Sacrifice: Admittedly, she had no idea that it would end as one of these, but she knew that staying behind to block the door would be dangerous. She did it regardless, to prevent the Solvers from catching Dairon.
The Ingenue: Sweet, but highly naive and with a behaviour so overly trusting that it easily causes problems for her and others.
Interclass Romance: Even though he is a bastard, she is far below Lucas' social standing. They both plan to make it work regardless.
Kill the Cutie: One of the most innocent characters in the story, as well as one of the first to die.
The Lost Lenore: Her death has an incredible impact on Lucas, with whom she had a Relationship Upgrade not long before her death.
Massively Numbered Siblings: Lunett is the oldest of eight siblings.
Nice Girl: Lunett is among the nicest characters in the story, with genuine innocence and more optimism than most other characters combined.
Plucky Girl: Despite everything around her, Lunett remains brave and optimistic.
Sacrificial Lion: Lunett is the first big character to die in the story, after being a major part of Lucas' storyline and his love interest, to cement Maron Mullendore's status as the Big Bad.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: This is the reason she is so attracted to Lucas. Since he seeks for a kind-hearted Nice Girl, they make a good match as well and receive plenty of Ship Tease, as well as a quick Relationship Upgrade.
Wide-Eyed Idealist: Lunett always tries to see the best in others, even if they are likely bad guys. She is overly trusting and naive, which proves to be a fatal flaw in Westeros.
Wrong Genre Savvy: She thinks the world of Westeros is a standard High Fantasy world, with noble Knights In Shining Armour that always defeat the Obviously Evil villains, a world in which she is the heroes good-hearted love interest that will get to live with him happily ever after. Naturally, she couldn't be more wrong.

Sawyer Kawl

The youngest and only living son of Aylard Kawl, as well as the younger brother of Lunett. Sawyer is a young child, living at the inn with the rest of the Hammered Harp cast.

Children Are Innocent: One of his most visible traits is his wide-eyed innocence. He is also only seven years old, so this is to be expected.
Massively Numbered Siblings: Sawyer is the youngest of eight siblings.
Morality Pet: He serves as this for Aylard, who keeps his temper in check when around his son. In a certain way, he is one for the entire Hammered Harp group, as they show their best behaviour when they are around him.
Sole Survivor: He is the only one of eight Kawl children who is still alive in the story.

Cass

The youngest of the three barmaids at the Hammered Harp Inn. Formerly a septa-in-training, she ran away after realizing that she didn't want to waste her life at a sept.

Age-Gap Romance: She is roughly twenty years younger than her lover, John.
Kill the Cutie: She is killed at the end of Chapter 3, when Bear takes her hostage.
Sacrificial Lion: As John Gutten's love interest, she has a profound impact on his life and is built up to be a major character. Only two chapters later, she dies a truly horrible death.
Slashed Throat: How Bear kills her.
Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in two chapters, yet she leaves a great impact on John for a long time.
Taking the Veil: This was supposed to be her fate, though she realized quickly enough what a mistake this would have been. Because of this, she ran away from the sept she trained in and ended up as a barmaid.
Token Religious Teammate: She is the only truly religious character out of the Hammered Harp group.

Kyette

Once a thief from the city of Oldtown, Kyette had to leave when a heist went bad. During her escape, she stumbled upon the Hammered Harp Inn. The wife of the innkeeper, Barbeth, took her in and allowed her to stay despite her past.

Cool Big Sis: This is her role in the odd family that lives at the Hammered Harp Inn. She is a sort-of sister for Lunett, Cass and Sawyer and they definitely regard her as cool.
Damsel in Distress: In Chapter 3, she is temporarily held hostage by the Band of Claws. Fortunately for her, John Gutten comes to the rescue.
Kleptomaniac Hero: She once was a thief and old habits tend to die hard.
Out of Focus: Compared to the rest of the Hammered Harp crew, she receives far less screentime.

Gunel

A former whore, who left her home in Oldtown when her looks faded. She found a new home at the Hammered Harp Inn, where she worked as the head barmaid.

Dirty Old Woman: Back in the day, she was a whore. Her slightly dirty mannerisms haven't entirely faded.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: She used to be this in her youth.
I Was Quite a Looker: Before she grew older (and way uglier), Gunel used to be a very beautiful woman.
Like an Old Married Couple: This is what her relationship with Aylard boils down to. It is absolutely platonic though.
Miss Kitty: Her career could have ended up as this and even now that she is a barmaid, she still basically serves as one, encouraging Cass and Kyette to get together with the patrons.
Parental Substitute: After the death of their mother, she has taken on this role for Lunett and Sawyer. Additionally, she is also a mother-figure for Cass and Kyette.

Characters / Forum of Thrones - The Reach

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