Bennarion Tyrell

Bennarion Tyrell is the Lord of Highgarden and the head of House Tyrell. As such, he is Lord of all the Reach, and Warden of the South.

Apart from his family's renown, Bennarion is most famous for his skill as a tactician, having been bested on the battlefield very few times. He is a knight.

Bennarion is unwed.

Appearance and Personality
Bennarion carries many of the typical traits of House Tyrell: long, curly hair, brown eyes, and strong-bodied. His hair color, however, denotes his Stark ancestry, lightly tinted with red. He wears a neatly trimmed beard.

Bennarion bears a large scar on his right shoulder, where he was pierced by a spear in battle. Luckily, the wound healed well and does not hamper his fighting ability.

He is prone to wearing fine clothing, often embroidered with vines or roses. He is most at ease, however, in his plate armor.

Bennarion is inclined to be serious, and even a bit haughty and arrogant. While not necessarily a boastful man, he knows well his strengths, and makes no effort to hide them. He is no lover of social affairs, and attends them with a politeness meant only to veil his distaste for such events. He is generally closed off to people not close to him, and to those he dislikes he is cold, even if they are his kin. He is considered generally friendlier to his family and close confidantes, but none would say he is a very warm man.

Background and History
333 AC (11th Moon) – Bennarion Tyrell is born, the second son of Gareth Tyrell and Elinor Tyrell nee Baratheon.

343 AC – Bennarion becomes squire to Ser Rolfe Tully, heir of Riverrun. Rolfe instructs the boy in martial studies. Bennarion learns to wield one-handed swords with proficiency under his master.

353 AC – The Targaryens invade the Crownlands. The Reach and the Riverlands mobilize immediately to battle the threat, and Bennarion rides to war alongside Ser Rolfe.

At the Battle of Duskendale, Riverlander and Westerlander forces besiege the city, held by the Targaryens. In fierce fighting, the loyalists capture the city. During the battle, Lord Tully is killed, and Ser Rolfe is unable to help his father as he is being overwhelmed by enemy soldiers. Bennarion fights his way to his master’s side, slaying several of the attackers in skilled and heated combat, and clearing some ground for Ser Rolfe. After the battle is won, Ser – now Lord – Rolfe Tully knights Bennarion for his feat of courage.

357 AC (3rd Moon) – Lord Gareth Tyrell dies. Bennarion’s older brother, Elwood, becomes Lord of Highgarden.

358 AC (5th - 6th Moon) – A formidable bandit army, some 2500 men strong, forms in the foothills of the Red Mountains, near Uplands. Following a man known as Robard Redaxe, they become known as the Redaxe Raiders, and seize several villages subject to Uplands and Horn Hill.

Under command from Lord Elwood, Bennarion musters levies of Highgarden and several bannermen, and marches against the Redaxe Raiders. He first marches with a vanguard to the small village of Fox Field, on House Mullendore’s lands. There, he fortifies the village and defends it against the Redaxe Raiders, beating back the bandits 4 times before they flee to the hills.

Using a cunning strategy, Bennarion lures out the bandits with a small part of his army; they chase this force until they reach a steep hill, where Bennarion and the rest of the Reach forces wait in ambush. Flanking the Raiders from both sides of the hill, they attack the Raiders. The battle is bloody, but in the end, the Redaxe Raiders are utterly crushed, and Robard Redaxe falls in combat against Bennarion. This is where Bennarion’s talent for warcraft first shines through, revealing a natural tactician.

360 – 361 AC – Lord Elwood sees a chance for the Reach to gain further lands and power by taking Westerlander lands bordering the Reach. He sends Bennarion, his most trusted general, to seize these lands from the West. Bennarion does so, joined by several other Reachlords, capturing Crakehall as the pinnacle of his offensive.

At this time, concern creeps up in the court at King’s Landing, and Elwood sends Bennarion to quell any fears there, believing he can finish the war on his own. Because of this, Bennarion is not present when the Reach is defeated in battle near Cornfield. He rushes back when he learns Crakehall is under siege by Westerlands forces.

With impressive speed and efficiency, Bennarion gathers reinforcements and marches to relieve Crakehall, but arrives too late. Instead, he moves to recapture the castle, but is taken by surprise when the Lannister armies march out to meet him in the field. The battle quickly turns against the Reachmen, and Lord Elwood calls the retreat.

363 AC – Elwood dies with no heirs. Bennarion becomes the new Lord Paramount of the Reach.

363-370 AC – His desire for efficiency, and the wild spending of his brother Lucas, teaches Bennarion to use his resources and wealth more efficiently, to account for losses in money and material. He becomes a capable steward of the family fortune.

Family
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 * Gareth Tyrell (303 - 357 AC), Father
 * Elinor Tyrell nee Baratheon (b. 306 AC), Mother
 * Elwood Tyrell (331 - 363 AC), Brother
 * Bennarion Tyrell (b. 333 AC)
 * Lucas Tyrell (b. 342 AC), Brother
 * Denestan Tyrell (b. 343 AC), Brother (Twin)
 * Alyssa Tyrell (b. 343 AC), Sister (Twin)

Recent Events
In the 7th Moon of 370 AC, King Edric II has been blessed with a son. In the 8th Moon, Bennarion makes for King’s Landing to celebrate the birth of the new prince.