Ilyn Payne

"- Why won't he speak to me? - He hasn't been very talkative these last twenty years, since the Mad King had his tongue ripped out with hot pincers."

- Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane on Ser Ilyn Payne

Ilyn Payne is a recurring character in the first season. He is played by guest star Wilko Johnson and debuts in "The Kingsroad." Ser Ilyn Payne is a mute knight and the King's Justice, the royal executioner, to Robert Baratheon and his successor Joffrey Baratheon. He executed Eddard Stark for treason.

Background
Ser Ilyn Payne had his tongue removed on the order of the Mad King for suggesting that Tywin Lannister, then Hand of the King and whom Ser Ilyn served as captain of guards, was the true ruler of Westeros rather than King Aerys II. He served Robert Baratheon and then Joffrey as the King's Justice (in other words-chief executioner).

Season 1
Sansa Stark encounters Ilyn while out walking as they are traveling with the king's procession back to King's Landing, and is startled by his appearance. Sansa apologizes to Ilyn for possibly offending him, but receives no reply. Sandor Clegane informs her that Ilyn had his tongue removed years ago by the Mad King and now serves as the king's executioner. Ilyn is later ordered to kill Sansa's direwolf Lady by Queen Cersei as revenge for another wolf attacking Joffrey Baratheon. Eddard Stark insists on carrying out the sentence himself instead. Following the death of King Robert I in a hunting accident Ilyn serves King Joffrey I.

Eddard is led before the people outside the Great Sept of Baelor and admits treason. Joffrey tells the crowd that both his Lady Sansa and his mother Cersei have asked that Ned be sent to Castle Black as a punishment. Joffrey claims that he does not have a soft heart like the women and believes that treason should be punished. He orders Ilyn to bring him Ned's head. Ilyn takes Ned's sword, Ice, and beheads Ned with one swift stroke. For this act Ilyn Payne's name earns a place on Arya's revenge list that she chants at each night.

Marillion is brought before Joffrey because he wrote a song mocking King Robert and Queen Cersei. As a punishment, Joffrey orders Ser Ilyn Payne to cut out Marillion's tongue.

Season 2
Ser Ilyn continues to serve King Joffrey as the War of the Five Kings ravages Westeros. During the Battle of the Blackwater, Ser Ilyn accompanies Queen Cersei to Maegor's Holdfast. Though the Queen claims Ser Ilyn is present to protect them deal with potential betrayers, she later admits to Sansa that Ilyn's true purpose is to execute her and Sansa, and possibly the rest of the ladies refuged in the holdfast should Stannis Baratheon take the city.<refBlackwater"

As news comes that Stannis is suceeding, Shae tells Sansa to go to her room and lock herself in as Stannis will not hurt her, but Ilyn Payne still standing by under orders by Cersei will.

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels Ilyn Payne served as Lord Tywin Lannister's captain of household guards when Tywin served Aerys II Targaryen as the Hand of the King. After being heard to joke that it was Tywin who truly ruled the Seven Kingdoms, King Aerys ordered Payne's tongue be removed with hot pincers. Even though he is high in Tywin Lannister's service, Tywin Lannister can't protest this from happening. King Robert Baratheon named Ser Ilyn as King's Justice as a present to Tywin Lannister to compensate Payne for the loss of his tongue while in service to the Lannisters. It was difficult after he lost his tongue to function as a man at arms because being mute and illiterate he had no way to communicate.

In the book Ser Ilyn arrives at Robert's camp with Renly and Ser Barristan to provide escort back to King's Landing. At the execution of Eddard Stark, Arya realizes to her dismay that the sword he uses to carry it out is the valarian great sword of House Stark, Ice, which was given to Ser Ilyn afterwards, until Tywin Lannister decided to claim it for House Lannister giving Ilyn Payne a new one. His is one of the names that Arya chants at night before she goes to sleep. The minstrel on trial was not Marillion and the sentence is not shown carried out.

When Gregor Clegane is terrorizing the Riverlands, Ser Ilyn's name is put forward to be sent to carry out the Hand's orders to arrest him, as King's Justice that's his job, but because of his ties to the Lannisters Lord Eddard sends Beric Dondarrion instead.

When Tyrion Lannister is leading the hill tribes in the army of Tywin Lannister in the Riverlands against the forces of Robb Stark, he is assigned a squire named Podrick Payne. Podrick is a distant relation of Ser Ilyn. At Maegor's Holdfast during the Battle of the Blackwater, he is called to execute two grooms and a maid for trying to escape with gold cups and candlesticks. Cersei orders him to put their heads on spikes as a warning to looters.

His stony silence and grim appearance makes him terrifying and thus a very effective King's Justice. Ser Ilyn is a highly skilled executioner having never botched an execution and seldom requiring more than one blow. Ser Ilyn Payne is described as thin, bald, clan shaven hollow pockmarked cheeks, with colorless deep-set eyes. He wears iron-grey chainmail over boiled leather.