Renly Dondarrion

Lord Renly Dondarrion, also known as the Lightning Lord, is the Lord of Blackhaven, Head of House Dondarrion, and Lord Inquisitor of the Stormlands. He is perhaps best known for his flaming greatsword and honorable disposition.

Biography
Renly Dondarrion was born the first son of Selwyn Dondarrion and Joy Baratheon in 342 AC; from a young age, Renly was indoctrinated into the religion of R’hllor by virtue of his grandfather, Beric Dondarrion, who renounced the Seven and declared faith for the Red God. Since then, House Dondarrion has remained through shrewd political marriages with Baratheons and fellow Stormlords. As much as he was taught the teachings of the R’hllor religion, Renly was also taught that not everyone would respect his reverence of the R’hllor, that he would be treated with suspicion or contempt. Renly’s father taught him to be patient and controlled with those that didn’t understand his choice of reverence, as much as the mercurial temper from his Baratheon blood would have him behave differently.

Blood be damned, the teachings of his father and tutors cultivated Renly into a quiet, patient, and observant youth growing up. While Blackhaven was accepting of his views, Renly was taught that every visit to the rest of Westeros would be a test to his views. Whenever young Renly visited his relatives in Storms End, he would sometimes be mocked or ridiculed for what he believed. However, Renly’s patience didn’t surrender to his Baratheon rage when he was repeatedly rejected by his peers. Instead, his hereditary anger manifested itself into a quiet inner strength and an unbreakable resolve for the Lord of Light. No swarm of swords, arrows, or words would cower him into believing that his god wasn’t at least true.

These inner tests were subsequent to the times he served as a squire for Ser Mace Fossoway of the Kingsguard, starting in 352 AC. Renly’s first few years of squiring for Ser Mace were relatively normal. He trained in arms, ran errands for his master, tended his horse, cleaned equipment, typical tasks most squires did. Things didn’t start getting complicated until one evening, where Renly walked into Ser Mace’s quarters to find him naked in sexual intercourse with another man. However, Renly didn’t judge the Kingsguard for breaking his oath of celibacy with another man – he empathized with him, because both of them were outcasts in Westerosi society. This event strengthened the bond between the knight and squire, as they developed a mutual understanding for each other’s unfortunate circumstances. One particular member of the Kingsguard, Ser Joffrey Buckwell, to a particular disliking to Renly while he was squiring for Ser Mace. On more than one occasion, Ser Joffrey told Renly that he as an affront to the knighthood and a stain on the Kingsguard because of the god he worshipped. Ser Mace would confront Ser Joffrey on these matters to protect Renly, but that didn’t stop Ser Joffrey from organizing his squires to try and bully Renly indirectly. Their attempts against Renly’s steely temperament were ineffectual, but it was a nuance of living in King’s Landing that he was forced to endure for some number of years.

After several years of showing excellence in knightly duties and martial duties, especially with a greatsword, Renly was knighted at the age of seventeen by Ser Mace before fully returning to his home of Blackhaven in 359 AC. A year later, Renly married Jocelyn Baratheon, as per an arrangement from his father and Lord Baratheon at the time, further strengthening the relationship between their houses. Renly tried his best to get to know Jocelyn, but certain things made it hard; she needed everything organized in a certain way, and Renly didn’t understand. Similarly to what he did with Ser Mace, Renly didn’t judge Jocelyn for her compulsions. Although he still doesn’t understand the full extent of her issues, Renly tries his best to accommodate Jocelyn’s peculiarities by assigning servants that arrange things to her liking.

A year later, Renly and Jocelyn give birth to their first child: Beric. Beric, in many ways, resembled his father in terms of his personality growing up, who possessed a quiet, reserved demeanor, that belied a raging interior. In the subsequent years, Renly and Jocelyn would also give birth to Shyra, Selyse, and Addam. Renly’s life was relatively prosperous for a decade or so. Renly served amicably in various jousts and melees as they propped up throughout the realm, all the while raising four children with his wife and extended family. Renly wanted to provide his family with the same compassionate, supportive upbringing he had received growing up. In similar fashion, after returning home, Renly had also decided to take on Boremund Baratheon as his squire, the legitimized bastard-heir of Storm’s End, since both of them were able to relate being on the wrong side of fence in Westerosi society. The two bonded in similar fashion as Renly had with Ser Mace, with Renly effectively repaying the favor Ser Mace had done for him.

When King Vaegon declared for the Second Lysene Spring, both Renly and his father had reservations about the war; they thought it to be a fool’s war for a chance at vainglory. Countless men and women would perhaps die so that King Vaegon could increase his status within the realm by winning a war. Either of them could die, and their families would be left without a father. Nevertheless, they were bound by law and honor to sally out, and did so, as both father and son prided themselves on being honorable individuals.

Selwyn would die in the subsequent war. After a valiant defeat against the much larger Tyroshi and Lysene fleets, Renly was fortunate enough to survive the encounter, but the same couldn’t be said for his father when his ship sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Now the Lord of Blackhaven, Renly would rendezvous the remaining Dondarrion forces with King Vaegon’s fleet at Highwatch in time for the subsequent battles of Highwatch and Bloodstone. During the Battle of Highwatch, Renly would disarm a red priest named Draqo of Myr in a duel, who wielded a flaming sword. Sparing him in the name of honor as the priest surrendered, Renly learned that the priest was actually a servant of the Lord of Light after being taken into captivity. More importantly, Renly learned that the flaming sword the priest wielded was not sorcery, but a byproduct of the Red God’s will. A devout of R’hllor himself, Renly inquired with the priest about his ability to light a sword on fire. Draqo was happy to teach him the flaming sword technique; naturally, this led to Renly being able to light everything on fire more effectively as well. In training, the two would quickly become confidants, and still are today.

After the Treaty of Bloodstone, Lord Renly would return home with his Dondarrion forces, reluctant to fight in such a foolish war like that ever again, especially when it cost him the life of his father. However, roughly a decade later, Renly would fight in another war: the Dragon’s Defiance, this time for the honor of his family. Fighting at the Battle of Blackhaven, alongside Boremund Baratheon and Lord Morrigen, Lord Renly would triumphantly claim victory in defending his lands, sending the defeated Dornish forces back across the Boneway.

After the successful defense, Renly would rendezvous his forces with the rest of the Stormlords for the Battle at Red Grass field and subsequent sack of King’s Landing. Placing himself in harms way, Lord Renly volunteered to sneak inside the city alongside several other Stormlords, disguising themselves at Gold Cloaks. With the infiltration successful, now inside the Red Keep, Renly now found himself standing across the throne room with the tormentor of his squireship: Ser Joffrey Buckwell. After a furious duel in the throne room between two old enemies, Renly managed to disarm Ser Buckwell, who offered him the opportunity to surrender. Rather than be bested by a repugnant Red God worshipper, Ser Joffrey vainly attempted to run through Renly’s guard, only for him to be cut down by the Lightning Lord himself. With Prince Daeron’s rebellion successful and his family’s honor avenged, Renly returned home to Blackhaven to take care of his family and lands. Now, for the first time since the Defiance, Renly has returned to King’s Landing to see the appointment of Prince Aegon.