House Tarly



"House Tarly, who still gives the Reach the best soldiers it has. If Aegon had named them as his lords, the Reach would've become the greatest military camp in the world... until it starved to death. The price for conscripting all the farmers."

- Margaery Tyrell

House Tarly of Horn Hill is one of the most powerful vassal houses who swear fealty to House Tyrell of Highgarden. Their lands are in the southwest of the Reach. Their stronghold is a castle known as Horn Hill and the head of the house is the Lord of Horn Hill. House Tarly has a militarist tradition, and possesses a Valyrian steel sword called Heartsbane.

The Tarly sigil is a striding huntsman, red on green. Their motto is "First in Battle".

Members

 * Lord Randyll Tarly, the Lord of Horn Hill and head of the family.
 * Lady Melessa Tarly, formerly of House Florent, Randyll's wife.
 * Samwell Tarly, their eldest son and his former heir, disinherited when he was sent to join the Night's Watch.
 * Dickon Tarly, their youngest son and Samwell's brother. Likely made heir after his brother was sent to join the Night's Watch.
 * Talla Tarly, their daughter.

Season 1
King Robert Baratheon relates the story of the first time he killed someone, a highborn member of House Tarly in a battle near Summerhall. This knight's relationship to Randyll Tarly is unknown. Samwell Tarly arrives at the Wall and tells Jon Snow about how disappointing he is to his hard-hearted and ruthless father.

Season 2
At a meeting of Stannis Baratheon's war council on Dragonstone, Davos Seaworth points out that many powerful lords from the Stormlands and the Reach have declared their support for Renly Baratheon instead of Stannis, including Mace Tyrell and Randyll Tarly.

Season 3
In order to explain the highborn naming customs to Gilly, Samwell uses his House as an example, mentioning that he inherited the "Tarly" name, but not "Randyll", the first name of his father. When she points out that Randyll is a handsome name, he asks her to please not give it to her newborn son.

Season 5
Surprised that Samwell is Randyll's son, Stannis Baratheon recounts to Sam how Lord Randyll Tarly defeated Robert Baratheon in the Battle of Ashford —the only battle Robert ever lost, for which King Stannis considers Tarly a fine soldier. Later, Jon gives Sam permission to leave Castle Black to go and study at the Citadel so that he can learn more about the White Walkers. He is accompanied by Craster's daughter Gilly and her child Sam.

Season 6
Since the Citadel does not admit women and children, Samwell Tarly decides to send Gilly and her baby Sam to stay with his family at Horn Hill. While he does not get on with his father Randyll, he regards his mother Melessa Tarly and sister Talla with great affection. After landing at Oldtown, Sam and his "family" are transported by House Tarly retainers via station coach to Horn Hill. Knowing his father's hatred for Wildlings, Sam tells the retainers that Gilly is a Northern woman he bedded in Mole's Town and that Sam is their son.

Upon arriving at Horn Hill, Sam and his "family" receive a warm reception from Melessa and Talla, the latter lending Gilly one of her dresses. Randyll and his other son Dickon Tarly are out hunting. Later, Samwell and Gilly meet with his family for dinner. Samwell tells his father that he plans to train as a Maester at the Citadel and promises to return to Castle Black. Randyll mocks his son's fighting and hunting skills; prompting Gilly to spring to Sam's defence by revealing that he had murdered a Thenn and a White Walker. Upon deducing Gilly's Wildling origins, he disparages Sam for being seduced by a Wildling whore. Randyll's behaviour prompts his wife and daughter to leave with Gilly in protest.

Once the women have left, Randyll promises to find Gilly work as a servant at Horn Hill and to raise Little Sam as his grandson. However, he tells Sam that he is no longer welcome at Horn Hill and orders him to leave at first light. Unwilling to be separated from Gilly and Little Sam, Samwell steals the family heirloom Heartsbane and flees with his surrogate family.

In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Tarly is a loyal vassal of the Tyrells. Lord Randyll Tarly has a formidable reputation as a general, and has been named the finest battlefield commander in all of the Seven Kingdoms. During Robert's Rebellion, Randyll Tarly was the only royalist general to win a decisive victory over Robert Baratheon, defeating his army at the Battle of Ashford despite being outnumbered. Randyll's skills were later squandered during the fruitless Siege of Storm's End, while Robert and Eddard Stark won great victories further north.

Lord Randyll is a hard, ruthless man. When his son Samwell showed a preference for songs, poetry, fine clothes and good food over martial valor and a love of warfare, Randyll disinherited him and sent him to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. His fiercer, younger son Dickon was made heir in Samwell's stead. One of the major reasons Randyll states behind forcing Sam out, was that he did not want Heartsbane, the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of House Tarly, to come into the hands of a craven. There is some irony in this, as Sam goes on to kill one of the White Walkers with a blade of Obsidian, one of two materials, the other being Valyrian steel, that can harm them.

Members

 * Lord Randyll Tarly, Lord of Horn Hill.
 * Melessa Florent, his wife.
 * Samwell Tarly, his eldest son. Steward of the Night's Watch.
 * Talla Tarly, his eldest daughter.
 * Two other daughters.
 * Dickon Tarly, his younger son and youngest child. Made heir to Horn Hill after Randyll forced Samwell to join the Night's Watch.