Jon Tarly

Jon Tarly is the Lord of Horn Hill.

Biography
Jon Tarly was born the eldest son of Normund Tarly, who had recently succeeded as Lord of Horn Hill in the aftermath of the Red Death. Though the plague had devastated the surrounding villages, few at Horn Hill perished from the disease. The castle thus became a busy place during Jon’s childhood; nearly every kinsman of his played a part in the recovery of the countryside. Their diligence had a profound influence on the young heir, who wanted nothing more than to join his father and uncles in their deliberations over defensive contingencies and other feudal affairs.

The energetic Jon made for a quick learner and a poor student; he was always more interested applying his lessons than sitting through them. As the child grew older and more confident, he likewise lost interest in heeding warnings and abiding routines. Jon made a habit of wandering into the woods, occasionally for a few days at a time - much to the horror of his mother. His escapades at home were no less worrisome, as Jon often challenged other children to dangerous tests of skill. By the time of his adolescence, the heir to Horn Hill had become much too bold for his permissive father to rein in.

Fortunately, another lord of the Reach was fit for the task. At the age of twelve, Jon Tarly was sent to Old Oak to squire for Gerold Oakheart, alongside Manfred Hightower, the heir to Oldtown. Under Lord Oakheart’s tutelage, Jon’s eagerness was channeled into disciplined diligence; he proved both effective and tireless in his service as a squire. He was further motivated by a friendly rivalry with Manfred Hightower, though it was the Tarly who most excelled at conventional martial feats. But instructions in war and swordsmanship were only secondary for students of Gerold Oakheart; they received more valuable lessons in chivalry, history, statesmanship and law. Jon was riveted by tales of Garth Greenhand and his children, inspiring a passionate interest in the legacy of his esteemed heritage.

By the age of sixteen, Jon had repeatedly proven his exceptional skill as a combatant - most notably in a confrontation with bandits along the Ocean Road. To his frustration, however, Jon’s valor was never quite enough to earn anointment as a knight, as Lord Oakheart held his squires to high standards. For the Tarly heir, knighthood instead came when it was least expected.

During an idle afternoon at Old Oak, shortly before his eighteenth nameday, Jon caught wind of an escalating feud between two smallfolk families in a nearby village. With his master preoccupied, Jon was permitted to investigate the matter himself, and rode out to the countryside alone. Upon arrival, he discovered that blood had already been shed; what had begun as a property dispute was now poised to become a cycle of reprisals. But Jon saw to it that each family was allowed to make its case, and he consulted several of their fellow villagers to glean a better understanding of the conflict. He peacefully took into custody the man responsible for the sole murder of the feud, while convincing both parties involved that Lord Oakheart would be fair in his arbitration.

Back at Old Oak, Tarly presented representatives of both families to Lord Oakheart, and offered his own assessment of the situation. To his surprise, Jon was allowed to preside over the case and render judgment. Justice was then dispensed to both parties; the family wronged in the initial property dispute was compensated, though the murderer among them was punished for his crime. For his fair and tactful handling of the situation, Jon Tarly was knighted by Lord Oakheart, and soon thereafter returned to Horn Hill.

At Horn Hill, the heir to Horn Hill was wed to his betrothed Arianne, the eldest daughter of Lord Hightower. Now a man fully grown, he was allowed to put his education into practice; at long last, Jon had a seat among his father’s councilors. He became the chief assistant of his Eddison Tarly, the castellan of Horn Hill, though this amounted to learning more often than work; his uncle’s efficient management of the castle often left Jon with few demands to meet. The next several years were spent indulging in new interests, siring children, and preparing for his eventual succession. He also developed an effective partnership with his wife, Arianne Hightower, who would be integral to his ambitions for years to come.

His rule of Horn Hill, however, long preceded his inheritance. In 359 AC, Lord Normund Tarly was appointed Master of Laws, leaving Jon to oversee the castle in his stead. Though his first year in this position was not without mistakes, the son soon proved better suited for the task than the father. The castle bureaucracy was reorganized, the countryside became more productive, and long neglected relationships with other houses were rekindled. Much of this time was spent traveling throughout the Reach, and occasionally to King’s Landing - where he was able to witness firsthand the infamous nature of the crown prince.

Normund Tarly died of illness in 366 AC, though his son’s succession amounted to little more than a change of title; Jon had already begun to act as a lord in all but name. A few years later, however, a long peace was ended by the outbreak of the Second Lysene Spring. He led Horn Hill’s men to King’s Landing to join Vaegon’s host, serving under the King for the full duration of the war. He distinguished himself as a capable commander at the Battle of Highwatch, and was among the detachment sent to Scarwood, where he fought an intensive skirmishing campaign in the islands’ forests. After Scarwood was secured, Lord Tarly returned to the main host to fight in the decisive Battle of Bloodstone.

In recognition of Jon’s talent, Lord Tyrell appointed him Knight of the Rose after the conclusion of the war. As the chief military leader of the Reach, he spent much of the next several years at Highgarden. He had a productive partnership with the Tyrells, if one characterized by frequent disagreements; Lord Tarly’s overconfidence sometimes gave way to undue frustration. After seven years of service, Jon retired to spend more time at Horn Hill, assured that the Reach was due for many more years of peace.

His retirement was short-lived. Prince Daeron Targaryen rebelled against his father in 379 AC, and House Tyrell called his banners to fight for King Vaegon. Jon was recalled to field command, though he arrived with great reluctance, believing that the Reach should have no part in the war. He had been outraged by Vaegon’s slaying of Argella Baratheon, his cousin-once-removed - but he was sympathetic to the precarious circumstances faced by Lord Tyrell. Thus he gave his fullest effort in the war, in the hopes that the full might of the Reach could bring a swift end to the war. Jon led his flank with all of the tactical finesse for which he was known, most notably during the victorious assault on Summerhall and the abortive Battle of Red Grass Field.

But the war ended with a sudden turning of the tides, and it was the rebellious crown prince who emerged the victor. More troubling than the Reach’s loss of the war, however, were the losses of Jon’s close kinsmen. Among the dead were his brother and castellan, Grover; his cousin, Cameron; and his eldest son and heir, Lucas. The latter death was especially painful for Jon, as he and his firstborn had spent the last few years on bad terms.

Horn Hill was left without some of its most capable men, and Lord Tarly’s duties became more demanding in its immediate aftermath. He returned home only long enough to bring his household into order, leaving again for a visit to King’s Landing for Daeron’s coronation. Reassessing his house’s standing, Jon resolved to mend ties imperiled by civil war, and to strengthen the positions of both himself and his closest peers.

Timeline

 * 335 AC: Jon Tarly is born the eldest son of Lord Normund Tarly and his wife Delonne Dayne
 * 347 AC: Jon becomes a squire to Lord Gerold Oakheart at Old Oak
 * 353 AC: Jon is knighted and wed to Arianne Hightower
 * 359 AC: Lord Normund Tarly is appointed as Master of Laws, leaving Jon to rule Horn Hill in his stead
 * 366 AC: Lord Normund Tarly dies of illness and Jon succeeds him as Lord of Horn Hill
 * 369 AC: During the Second Lysene Spring, Jon distinguishes himself as one of the Reach’s most capable commanders
 * 370 AC: Jon is appointed as Knight of the Rose, the chief military leader of the Reach
 * 377 AC: Jon retires from his position at Highgarden to focus on his own house’s affairs
 * 379 AC: Jon returns to field command during the Dragon’s Defiance; his eldest son and heir dies in battle