Locke

"Looks like your woman's getting the better of you... if you can call that a woman."

- Locke to Jaime Lannister

Locke is a recurring character in the third season. He is played by Noah Taylor, and debuts in "Dark Wings, Dark Words".

Locke is a man-at-arms sworn to House Bolton, and acts as Roose Bolton's personal bounty hunter. He is sent in pursuit of Jaime Lannister after the Kingslayer is freed from Northern captivity by Catelyn Stark.

Season 3
Locke is dispatched by his Lord, Roose Bolton to hunt down Jaime Lannister. He and his men soon track the Kingslayer down, and take him into custody, along with his escort, Brienne of Tarth

Memorable quotes
"Let us go, my father will pay you whatever you want. Enough to buy me a new head? When the King in the North learns I had the Kingslayer and let him go he'll be taking it right off. I'd rather he took yours."

- Jaime Lannister and Locke

In the books
Locke takes the place of Vargo Hoat from the A Song of Ice and Fire novels. Hoat is the leader of the Brave Companions, also called the Bloody Mummers and the Footmen, an ill-reputed sellsword company formed by dangerous men of different cultures and backgrounds, most of them from Essos. Hoat hails from the Free City of Qohor. He's also known as "the Goat" for the banner of the Brave Companions, which shows the Black Goat of Qohor, and the Crippler for his habit of mutilating his victims. He is a ruthless, sadistic, and cunning villain. He is not trustworthy, and will switch sides if it suits his interests.

Vargo is described as tall, gaunt man with a long goatee. He wears a coat of arms feature the Black Goat of Qohor, a helm shaped as a goat's head and a necklace of coins from all the places where he has fought. His perpetually swollen tongue causes him to lisp and slobber when he speaks.

The Brave Companions are hired by Tywin Lannister to pillage the villages at the Riverlands, similarly to the tasks he gave the Mountain and Amory Lorch. After hearing news about Robb Stark's victories over the Lannisters, Hoat decides to switch sides and makes a deal with Roose Bolton. Shortly after Arya Stark and Jaqen H'ghar released the Northern prisoners held in Harrenhal, the Brave Companions overcome Lorch's soldiers and open the gates to Lord Roose.

In the books, "Locke" is the name of a noble house of the North, sworn to the Starks. Its role in the book events is very minor. Their seat is Oldcastle. Only few members of the house are mentioned very briefly throughout the books.