Name: Ser Garland "The Pale Rose" Tyrell
Age: 23
Appearance and Personality:
Garland appears to have the traits most Reachmen exibit, albeit perhaps refined particularly; with very well kept long brown hair, and a swordsman's physique, being perhaps as strong as a Ser ought to be when it comes to wielding a weapon- a foe to fear, with tourneys and his prior experience giving him plenty of experience for his young age. His skill is less from tuition, more from practice, being skillful in a melee, less so on a horse. A couple of scars from conflicts past still lie on his left shoulder, though it is difficult to immediately spot. Garland stands remarkably tall at 6"4, with hazel colored eyes, a short and striking beard that wraps around his chin, with no upper lip hair. His face neither too lean nor fat, though he is paler than some Tyrells, leading to his nickname. You couldn't forget his face easily.
By most southern standards, he is regarded as amongst the most beautiful men in the castle....and has found that it has been more than enough to attract women across the court, with fairly expected effects! At 23, he's had a number of bastard children, the mothers of whom haven't even returned to Garland regarding it, which speaks volumes about Garland's charming nature- they seem humbled to have had a tumble with him, they feel blessed to have had sex with a highborn. Apparently. He is still unmarried after all, much to the dismay of his sister, though this is something that is possibly to open to change in Garland's mind when he finds the right woman.
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Beyond his looks, Garland is a quick figure, perhaps the luck of the draw giving him the ability to do well at getting down to the business of being Castellan. This quickness perhaps allows him to continue the typical Tyrell traits that can be observed in many members of the family, particularly on the male side- being astute, gregarious and chivalrous, having a high sense of honour and a high regard to family, perhaps the former coming into question recently. He has courage and while not addicted to violence, is happy to get stuck into a fight. As a commander, he serves well, being able to make reasonable tactical decisions on both his theoretical knowledge and his previous experiences, though he is no legendary figure on the battlefield, not yet at least. On the surface, appears to be kind and charitable, a good hearted fellow- though it seems that the last few years have hardened his resolve and made him a little cynical towards some topics, perhaps through his sister. While he is impaired by youth, he does not overestimate or underestimate his position, a mixture of cocksureness and care keeping him in the position he is in, his wit sometimes breaking up an overt seriousness or monotony when required.
Garland is not a spider, yet he seems able to comprehend how to present his image, being smart enough to know when to lie and when to be honest, and as an administrator, he is well suited to be Castellan- he knows how to handle money, people, dissidents, as well as project his own ambitions into the job. He still does need to improve his skills in general rulership, however, and to drop his parts of his provincial nature, that of a lower character than a Lord, taken from his low position in the court. Perhaps Garland is a little naiive of the world around him at times, though he seems to be still connected the political frameworks at play in the castle and the wider realm.
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On the field of combat or a Tourney, Garland can be seen wearing a Reach-produced suit of plate armour- the designs from this part of the world always raising eyebrows in other parts of the Kingdom, as a result of the many curves and details that they entail, clearly being a highly-strewn piece of work- roses and flowers intricately scratched into the armour, making distinct ridges that seem to fully validate Garland as the Castellan, probably second in it's intricacy to Lyonel himself. While the metalworkers of the Reach are not renowned in the Kingdoms, the artistic flair and beauty of such armour is distinctly eyecatching. He usually wields a longsword, paired with a large wooden heater shield, fighting in the traditional Westerosi fashion. The sigil used by Garland as a cousin is a distinctive one- a field of green and gold roses on his shield, rather than a lone rose is used to define Garland's position as a Tyrell distant to the current line, although unique to him. Training puts him a league above most Hedge Knights, alongside practice, yet he is no famed Knight. Off the tourney field or battlefield, he can be seen wearing a expensive white, gold and green tunic, suitable for the fairly temperate to semi-arid climate of the Reach, being usually more than enough, if not a more suitable garb for colder climes.
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Biography:
The Reach find Garland a man of chivalry and binding servitude to his family, being generally lusted for by Reachwomen of all types, though without the benefit of a long serving ruler's wisdom.
Garland was born in Highgarden to Moryn Tyrell and Elinor Ambrose, and received an education that would only befit a child in a position such as himself...and whilst nobody dared wish for it, he was in all terms, the heir to Highgarden if Lyonel did die. Whilst he was only a mere distant nephew of the current Lord, he was taught by both maesters and a tutor, in methods of swordsmanship and scholarship. He did not receive the best tuition, but he received a courtly education of high standard due to his position as this heir. Garland was shown he could serve if he wanted to become anything decent of himself, and serve exceptionally well, but that he was a distant Tyrell, and that in reality, the line did not owe itself to him. A distant growing flower, away from the magnificent petals of the Lord Paramount. And if Lyonel did pass away, then he would have the skills required to continue the same, or so they taught him. Never to even dare think about what he could steal, or take that was not his, but what he ought to serve loyally and honourably to family.
The part folk-tales, part reality of Kevan and the Thorns did inspire him to perhaps follow in their steps, and when Garland was younger, perhaps he looked up to it far too much. He squired for many a Knight in his youth, his wit and charming nature certainly developing from the personalities he met, including the Lady Meredyth Tyrell, who he had a brief tutelage with, albeit not as far as his sister, Alerie did. Perhaps his cynicsm grew into his later adolescence, when he found lust, women, and what really stabbing a man through the throat felt like. It felt like duty and fear, not like honour. Well, not entirely.
It was a typical education for Tyrell, it seemed- and Garland was acknowledged as being a quick lad, definitely of use to the family in one way or another, even if he would never obtain the Lordship. He had no idea of what his future held- he had considered becoming a man of the Kingsguard if he could devote himself, but swiftly rejected this after he found himself perhaps too attached to female admirers, leaving a small trail of bastards in his wake at festivities held in Highgarden. Instead, he was offered the chance to work within the Court in Highgarden by Lady Meredyth, assisting with the administration of the Reach, and from the age of 16 onwards, was actively involved in the inner workings of running a Lordship. Fighting was still his talent, and whilst he never was actively involved in the Dance of Dragons, Garland understands what taking another man's life feels like when dealing with pillagers and thieves.
He was concerned with the affairs of the castle, and making sure that the Kingdom's men and vassal houses kept the knee bent towards the family of the gold rose, almost acting in a diplomatic sense to maintain The Reach's power internally. A Tyrell was to be respected, even if he wasn't the closest blood to Lyonel that there was, Garland perhaps able to retain this due to his own friendships with Lyonel, and his sister's tutelage under Lady Meredyth Tyrell, and the fact that he was de jure, the heir of the Kingdom. It was a well balanced approach, and whilst there was no promise of land at the end of it all, he served the Kingdom without question, his Knighthood unquestioned at the end of his squirehood.
It was perhaps from this beginning, the proven experience and loyalty to House and to Kingdom, that Garland was named Castellan of Highgarden, the Hand to Lyonel's Lordship.
Garland has served in this role for at least four years, and has proven his talent well, despite his youth, in making sure the castle runs well and the administration is retained in Lyonel's absence. As now his de jure second-in-line heir, some have viewed the appointment as a way to prevent Garland mustering support in another court to ever pursue a claim on the Kingdom of the Reach, yet Garland's lack of interest in becoming the Lord of Highgarden perhaps could serve to disprove this- Garland wishes for land, but he is not material enough to become a Lord, he is merely a pretty face who is a steward, not a ruler. Perhaps he is content with his life, perhaps he seeks something different to just power, but he knows he plays a vital role in it's fulcrum in Highgarden. Perhaps that talent, and his friendship with Lyonel has retained his position, and in the brave new world in the aftermath of the Dance of Dragons, Garland serves to put the fragmented pieces of the Reach back together.
Perhaps keeping in mind that the death of only two people would make him the Lord Paramount, is something that serves as a reminder that the Lord Paramount's position, even if Garland is not his foe, is one that can slip into the Pale Roses's thorns.
