Born to House Tully of Riverrun, Brynden Tully grew into a great warrior, scout and commander
whose reputation made him known and respected throughout the continent.
In his youth Brynden served as a squire for Lord Darry and after earning his knighthood
journeyed to the Stepstones in 260 Ac,where he fought alongside his elder brother Hoster
Tully in the War of the nine penny kings.
Facing the combined forces of the Band of Nine and Golden Company, Brynden quickly became
a battle tested veteran, impressing everyone with his courage and skill.
When Hoster Tully succeeded as Lord of the riverlands, he attempted to arrange a marriage
for his younger brother to Bethany Redwine.
And when that proved a failure, attempted with women from Houses Bracken and Frey, only
for Brynden to reject every potential match.
This led to arguments and anger between the brothers, with Hoster naming Brynden the black
goat of the family, to which he replied with a reference to the symbol of their house,
insisting he was actually a Blackfish, which he then took as a personal sigil.
Although the relationship with his brother grew strained, he was beloved by Hoster’s
children, becoming close to Edmure, Catelyn and Lysa Tully, and even looking out for Petyr
Baelish, the son of a minor noble family in the vale, who was being fostered at riverrun.
When young Jaime Lannister travelled to Riverrun as a potential candidate for betrothal to
Lysa Tully, he spent the entire time ignoring her and focusing on the Blackfish, utterly
fascinated by his war stories.
During Robert’s Rebellion, Hoster Tully and the Riverlands sided against the Targaryens,
marrying his daughter Catelyn to Eddard Stark, Lord of the North, and Lysa to Jon Arryn,
Lord of the vale.
Unfortunately his brother Brynden took this opportunity to leave Riverrun, joining his
niece Lysa and her new husband to serve in the army of the Vale.
Hoster saw this as a betrayal of their family, disowned the Blackfish, greatly widening the
rift between them.
Ever the valiant warrior, Brynden Tully served honourably during the war, and after their
victory went to the Vale where he rose to become Knight of the Gate, charged with the
defense of the Bloody Gate.
Brynden served in the Vale throughout King Robert’s reign; but everything changed after
the mysterious death of Jon Arryn and after an attempt was made on the life of Catelyn’s
son Brandon Stark, leading to the arrest Tyrion, youngest son of Tywin Lannister, Lord of the
Westerlands.
Believing Tyrion was responsible for the attack on her son, Catelyn placed him in custody
after a chance encounter at the Inn of the Crossroads, And knowing Winterfell to far,
they made their way to the Vale, where she informed Lysa Arryn, her son Lord Robert and
Brynden the Blackfish of all that occurred, including the escalation of tensions throughout
the continent and outbreak of fighting in the Riverlands.
However Lysa refused to send any troops to help the realm where she was raised, as she
was secretly in league with Petyr Baelish, working to destabilize the kingdom in the
pursuit of power.
The Blackfish, deeply disappointed in his niece, left the service of the vale and accompanied
Catelyn North, to join the war effort against the Lannisters.
After an apparent accident while hunting, King Robert Baratheon died, leaving his best
friend and hand of the king Lord Eddard Stark with the duty of securing the succession and
stability of the realm.
Unfortunately, the succession was far from secure and Lord Stark was soon arrested and
executed, in large part because he learned that Queen Cersei had an affair with her brother,
meaning Jaime Lannister was the true father of Joffrey, Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon.
Outraged by the death of their Lord, the Northmen crowned his son Robb Stark as King and prepared
for war.
Recognizing the value of having a warrior like the Blackfish, Brynden Tully was brought
into the war council and given command of 100 outriders he used to defeat Addam Marbrand
in a battle, thereby allowing his liege to safely cross the Green Fork river.
Brynden then fought in the battle of the Whispering Wood, led the vanguard in the Battle of the
Camps, and at last reconciled with his brother Hoster, as the old man laid on his deathbed.
After fighting bravely with Robb in the Westerlands, Brynden’s scouts found a perfect location
for ambushing Tywin Lannister, however the plans were ruined when his nephew Edmure disobeyed
orders and won the battle of the Fords, driving back the enemy when they needed to continue
forward.
Following the death of his brother Hoster, the Blackfish was named Warden of the Southern
Marches and charged with the defense of Riverrun while Robb and his people journeyed north
to attend the wedding of Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey.
However, he soon learned of the death of his king and niece who were betrayed by Houses
Frey and Bolton, during a massacre which came to be known as the Red Wedding.
An old man without support outside Riverrun, the Blackfish had no hope of victory, but
remained as stubborn and determined as ever, refusing to surrender the castle, which he
continued to hold in the name of Robb Stark, even as the Lannisters and Freys laid siege.
Although he was willing to speak to Jaime Lannister, he outright refused to give up
his family home, rejecting any offer to join the night’s watch.
Attempting a new strategy, Jaime made the bold move of releasing his captive Edmure
Tully, the Lord of Riverrun, hoping to send him into the castle and order their surrender.
To ensure Edmure’s loyalty, Jaime threatened to kill his newborn child, and so the young
Lord capitulated, but even so remained unwilling to betray his uncle, waiting several days
before ordering an end to their resistance, thereby giving the Blackfish time to swim
under the gate and escape into the Red Fork river.
Although Riverrun fell, Brynden the Blackfish Tully successfully evaded the Lannisters and
other enemies of his house, leaving him to be named an outlaw by the Iron Throne.