House Tully

House Tully of Riverrun are an ancient house of Riverlords having arisen to the title of Lord Paramount by Aegon the Conqueror. During the Dance of the Dragons House Tully supported both the Greens and Blacks but ended the war on the side of the conquering Greens.

Appearance and Traits
Members of House Tully tend to have fair skin, red-brown (i.e. auburn) hair, and blue eyes in a variety of shades.

Pre-Conquest Era
House Tully is an old noble house of First Men origin, dating back to the Age of Heroes. Ser Edmure Tully and his sons were allies of Tristifer IV Mudd, the King of the Rivers and the Hills, but the Tullys knelt to the Andal conqueror Armistead Vance after Tristifer's death. Edmure's son, Axel Tully, received land at the junction of the Red Fork and the Tumblestone, where he constructed Riverrun.

Unlike many Great Houses, the Tullys never ruled as kings, but held Riverrun for at least a thousand years as powerful vassals of those who did. They often defended the Trident from the Kings of the Rock. Lord Elston Tully died supporting Lord Roderick Blackwood against King Humfrey I Teague. Lord Tommen Tully futilely supported Lady Agnes Blackwood against Harwyn Hoare, King of the Iron Islands, and Tommen's natural son Samwell Rivers was slain at the Tumblestone.

Conquest Era and Beyond
The Tullys were strong allies of the Targaryens during Aegon's Conquest and were rewarded with the Lord Paramount of the Riverlands for their service despite the fact that more powerful Riverlords existed.

During the Dance the Tullys rallied behind Elmo and Kermit Tully in favor of the Blacks participating in several battles notably that of the Second Battle of Tumblestone.

Though largely peaceful during the turbulent era of Maelor's Woes, House Tully faced one major conflict known as The War of the Crossing against the invading Stark who had gotten in a dispute with the Freys. The conflict ended indecisively.

Greyiron's War
When a hedge knight named Ser Andrik claimed the Cape of Eagles, and crowned himself the Greyiron King, the Riverlords swiftly responded. The Mallisters were the first to fall, and the Blackwoods would soon join the pretender's cause. House Tully would not abide the impertinence of a mere hedge knight, gathering their first true host, bolstered by a few vassals. Rather than await full reinforcements, they marched out to crush him, deeming hesitation a sign of weakness. Of course, this would prove a huge mistake - with the Battle of the Red Fork, the river's name gained another meaning, as the water was strewn with bodies and coloured crimson.

While the broken force retreated back to Riverrun, House Frey was slow to respond, still recovering from the effects of the last war, reluctant to shed more of their own blood. Andrik was quick to capitalise on his victories, pursuing his defeated enemy back to the seat of House Tully, where he proceeded to raid and burn the surrounding lands. Eventually, the Riverlords mobilised a second army to drive him off, and so the knight fell back with his soldiers, coalescing into the Whispering Wood. Pressing, the Rivermen threw their might against the forestry, but it was futile - one way or another, the Greyiron always turned out to assault their rear, knowing the area better than the back of his hand. The Skirmishes of the Whispering Wood was a hopeless attempt at dragging his vermin out of hiding, and though no breathtaking losses were inflicted on the Rivermen, time, energy and gold was wasted on the endeavour.

Indeed, gains against the Greyiron proved slow and costly, and it became clear that, while defeating Andrik was no impossibility, it'd be a prolonged and bloody conflict without the expertise and reserves of King Maelor. So, House Tully sent its ravens to King's Landing, and the monarch rode off once more, to defend the interests of his vassals, Crownlords in tow, as was customary, at this point. With his personal involvement, the tide began to switch.

But in the end, it was Riverlord who ended the reign of the pretender. Lord Bigglestone sought out, and defeated the Greyiron in personal combat, finally bringing an end to the costly conflict.

First Battle of the Golden Tooth
Lord Lannister assembled an army of 12,000 men made up of troops from House Reyne, Tarbeck, Crakehall and a smaller army of 4,000, led by Ser Swyft and Lord Prester. Mostly light horsemen, these raiders entered the Riverlands to pillage and destroy as much as they could. The main thrust of the army moved through the Golden Tooth, only to be met by a massive enemy force roughly their size, that defeated them before they could enter the Riverlands, in the Battle of the Golden Tooth. Lord Tully then left a token force and marched to unite with the Starks and the King. By 196 AC, the loyalists had a united army of 16,000.

Battle of Atranta and Battle of Acorn Hall
In the latter part of 196 AC, the Rebels scored several major victories. Lord Darklyn had been maneuvering all throughout the year, having taken Darry and Stone Hedge without too many losses, as both had been largely emptied to support the Tully armies. Lord Darklyn had yet to be defeated in the field, beating back several Stark-Tully forces.

The War Ends
Under the looming walls of Harrenhal, King Maelor launched a final all or nothing gambit against Darklyn. The Battle of Harrenhal was a ferocious one, concluding with the King pushing his dagger in a captured Lord Darklyn's neck, putting an end to the wasteful conflict.