Yoren

"And one day, Willam came riding back into town. And I buried an axesword so deep into Willam’s skull they had to bury him with it. Willam’s horse got me to the Wall and I’ve been wearing black ever since."

- Yoren

Yoren is a recurring character in the first and second seasons. He is played by Francis Magee and debuts in "Lord Snow." Yoren was a recruiter for the Night's Watch. He was killed defending a party of recruits from the forces of House Lannister.

Background
Yoren is a sworn brother of the Night's Watch and serves as a recruiter, he was forced to join after murdering the killer of his brother with an axe. His job is to travel the Seven Kingdoms searching for fresh recruits, either willing ones or (more frequently) criminals that choose a lifetime on the Wall over punishments such as death or mutilation.

Season 1
Tyrion Lannister befriends Yoren at Castle Black, enjoying the fact that Yoren has a sense of humour, unlike most of his comrades. Yoren counts Benjen Stark as a close friend and ally and sees him off when he departs on a ranging beyond the Wall. He agrees to travel with Tyrion on the Kingsroad back to King's Landing to pick up more recruits from the city dungeons.

Yoren and Tyrion stay at Winterfell on the road south. He is still travelling with Tyrion when they reach the Crossroads Inn, where he witnesses Tyrion being taken into custody by Catelyn Stark. Yoren rides with all speed to the Red Keep, where he is able to warn Eddard Stark about his wife's actions before they become public. Eddard agrees to let Yoren trawl the city dungeons for fresh recruits for the watch.

Eddard is arrested for treason when he questions the legitimacy of the king's successor, Joffrey Baratheon. Eddard is brought to the Great Sept of Baelor to stand trial and Arya watches from the square. She climbs on Baelor's statue, where Eddard spots her. Eddard manages to point her out to Yoren, wordlessly asking him to protect Arya. Despite a confession Eddard is unexpectedly executed on Joffrey's orders. Yoren cuts Arya's hair and instructs her to pose as a boy. He intends to take her north to Winterfell and safety, hiding her among a group of 20 recruits for the Night's Watch.

Season 2
Yoren takes the recruits along the Kingsroad into the Riverlands. He warns the rest of the party to stay away from the three prisoners caged in the wagon. Two gold cloaks find the party camped in the Riverlands. The lead gold cloak calls to Yoren, asking if he is in command of the group. Yoren ignores the question and tells them that they are a long way from home. He walks across a wooden bridge towards the visitors. The gold cloak reminds Yoren that he asked a question and Yoren says that he asked without manners so he chose not to answer. Yoren grips the blanket that protects the gold cloaks horse from the saddle. The gold cloak produces a scroll and says that it is a royal warrant for one of Yoren's “gutter rats”. Yoren says that the recruits belong to the Night's Watch and are beyond the reach of kings and queens. The gold cloak moves to draw his sword but is halted when Yoren places the point of his dagger against his femoral artery. Yoren notes that men worry about their throats but often forget about the vulnerability of their lower regions. He tells the gold cloak that he has sharpened the knife and warns him that no-one can save him if the artery is nicked. Yoren takes the man's sword, saying that good steel is always needed on the wall. The recruits have surrounded the gold cloaks, weapons in hand. One of them picks up the sword from the ground. Yoren tells the gold cloak that he has a choice; die there or return to King's Landing and tell his master that they did not find what they were looking for. The gold cloak defiantly shouts that they are looking for Gendry and describes the bull's head helmet that he carries. He offers a reward to anyone turning him over and promises that he will return with more men. He warns Yoren that he will take his head home along with the “bastard boy”.

Arya sits up cleaning Needle while the rest of the recruits sleep. Yoren enters and sits across from her. He notices her watching him and asks what she wants. She asks him how he sleeps with the terrible things that he has seen. He says that he prevented her from seeing her father's execution. She says that she cannot forget seeing the Queen, Joffrey and Sansa standing next to him on the podium. He tells her about the murder of his brother by a boy named Willem. He says that he thought constantly about revenge and eventually made it a ritual to say the killers name before falling asleep. When Willem returned to town Yoren killed him with an axe and then took his horse to ride to the Wall and join the Night's Watch to avoid prosecution. He urges Arya to get some sleep but they are interrupted by horns sounding outside. Yoren wakes his recruits and marshals them for a fight. He warns Arya and Gendry to stay out of sight and flee north if the fight is lost. Lommy picks up Gendry's bull helm. As they rush outside one man trips and drops his torch, setting a fire near the prisoner wagon.

They are met by Ser Amory Lorch and a force of men loyal to House Lannister. Lorch points out the Gold Cloaks with him and says that they have come for Gendry. Lorch orders Yoren and the recruits to drop their weapons. Yoren remains defiant and Lorch orders him shot. Yoren takes a quarrel to the shoulder but kills the crossbowman before he can reload. Yoren fights alone, killing several men before he is overwhelmed. Lorch himself kills Yoren by driving his sword through the back of his neck.

Seeing their leader killed, Gendry and many of the other recruits join the fight. Hot Pie cowers in the bushes. Arya is distracted by Jaqen calling for help as the flames lick the bars of his cage. She hands him an axe before rushing to join the fray. Gendry is overwhelmed and knocked down. As Arya runs round a corner she is knocked over by Polliver, one of the Lannister men-at-arms. He takes Needle from her.

Lorch orders the survivors taken to Harrenhal. Hot Pie is found in the bushes and is quick to yield. Lommy calls for help from the ground, a crossbow bolt in his left leg. Polliver approaches and asks him if he can walk. Lommy says they will have to carry him. Polliver offers him a hand and then stabs him through the throat with needle, killing him. He tells his companions that Lommy wanted to be carried, drawing a laugh. Lorch pushes over Yoren's corpse and demands that the survivors identify Gendry. Arya says that they have already killed him pointing out the bulls head helm lying next to Lommy.

Quotes
"I always hated crossbows, take too long to load!."

- Yoren's last words

"I sharpened this blade before breakfast... I could shave a spider's arse if I wanted to."

- Yoren threatens to cut the Gold Cloak leader's femoral artery

"This lot, half of them would turn you over to the king quick as spit for a pardon. And the other half would do the same, except they'd rape you first. So keep to yourself, and if you have to piss, do it in the woods, alone."

- Yoren warns Arya about the recruits for the Night's Watch

In the books
In the Song of Ice and Fire novels Yoren is a stalwart soldier of the Watch, not the most refined member but loyal and trustworthy. His travels frequently bring him to Winterfell, and he knows the members of House Stark and has a certain loyalty to them.

According to the TV series official pronunciation guide developed for the cast and crew, "Yoren" is pronounced "YOR-in", as opposed to "Your-ENN", etc.