Built on and around Alla's Hill, a great hill on whose peak Garth Greenhand buried his first wife Alla Arryn, Highgarden is a mighty three-tiered castle whose walls were built of white stone quarried from the Eyrie, whose massive gates were forged of ironwood and tempered steel, whose floors and pillars were crafted from white marble lined with precious metals, and whose rafters were built from weirwoods taken from First Men sanctuaries.
A great moat around the castle is fed from the Mander River, and the first tier of the formidable fortress houses a castle town of over 20,000, mostly artisans, successful merchants and royal servants, with cobbled streets and stout stone houses, all under the protection of the castle's outermost wall.
The second tier is effectively a royal playground, featuring hedge mazes, man-made streams, sparkling fountains, shaded groves and marble colonnades.
The third and smallest tier, situated at the very peak of Alla's Hill, features the castle itself, a conventional Andal castle with double walls, a central keep, multiple tall towers that allow royal archers to rain missiles on enemy troops anywhere within the three tiers, and three small moats. It is here that the Gardener Kings hold court.
| Residents | | Garth Gardener, Twelfth of his Name, 'the Golden Hand'/'the Gilded Hand', King of the Reach | 
Age: 26 (born 726 BL)
Gender: Male
Married? Yes (to Svanastia Redwyne)
Titles: King of the Reach, King of Flowers & Rivers, Sword of the Warrior & Scythe of the Stranger, Hand of the Faith, Reaper of the Greatest Bounty, Steward of the Highest Garden, Source of the Mander, Fount of Honor, High Marshal of the South, Grandmaster of the Order of the Green Hand
Skills: +2 Loyalty, +10% Income, +2 Assassinations, +2 Capture, +1 Escape, +1 Siege Battles
Physical appearance: The spitting image of his late father when the old man was younger, lean in build, with brown hair so dark it looks almost black, bright green eyes, a handsome face and only a slight beard. Stands at 5'8", making him the shortest of his brothers despite being the eldest.
Biography: Born the oldest son of Garth XI, the previous King of the Reach, Garth XII had an easy (if spoiled) upbringing with all the luxury afforded to Princes of the Reach at his fingertips, and frittered away his early days playing with his siblings and other fosterlings among the sparkling fountains, hedge mazes and marble halls of Highgarden. In their games, Garth usually insisted on a leadership role, and was first to propose fantastic games with himself taking front and center - he was always the 'dragon', the 'wizard', or the 'king'.
As he matured, Garth took an active interest in politics, sitting in on his father's councils whenever possible and honing his own talents in diplomacy and intrigue, reading through diplomatic documents and spying on his father's own courtiers. It was he who influenced his father into setting up the marriage matches of his oldest sister Leona and his younger sisters Alys and Amerei, though he refrained from letting any of the three know out of fear that they'd kill him in his sleep. Likewise, it was he who helped set up the match between his younger brother Mern and the Justman princess he was enamored with as a favor to the lad, simultaneously granting the Reach future chances to press an actual claim to the Riverlands and securing his brother's undying loyalty.
Upon his father's death in battle with the Ironborn, Garth was quick to solidify his hold on the Flower Crown with bribes and promises for the nobles, and extravagant parades, feasts and a great tourney for the smallfolk. Considering his father's court rather stale, Garth introduced sweeping changes in the form of a new Rainbow Guard (the entirety of the old having died alongside his father) of the fairest and flashiest, though certainly not the most capable, knights of the Reach, imported luxuries from as far east as Lhazar and Qarth, seventeen-course (at the very least) lunches and suppers every day and night, and even hired a Valyrian alchemist from Volantis to add glamor to his court. However, while he can maneuver himself into power and hold it with charisma and showmanship, Garth is content to drink, feast and watch tourneys all day, leaving the actual day-to-day running of his kingdom to his brothers and underlings.
Personality: Flashy and charismatic, with a flair for bright colors & all the extravagances money can buy, Garth likes to boast that he hosts the largest and most glamorous (and, of course, the most expensive) court on Westeros. His natural charisma, quickness to laughter and friendly manners win him as much support from his smallfolk (who have nicknamed him 'the Golden Hand') as his regular tourneys, feasts and parades do with the Reach's nobility, and failing that he is always capable of securing loyalty through more underhanded means, having had plenty of practice at political intrigue under his father. However, he strikes more careful observers as a vain and frivolous man, more content with playing at being a king than actually doing his job and often leaving that part of his duties to his brothers and underlings; these critics have taken to calling him 'the Gilded Hand' behind his back, implying that his ostentatious showmanship was just a thin 'gilded' layering over personal cowardice and sleazy politics.
Worst of all, Garth is rather cowardly, always letting others do his dirty work, preferring to stay behind the walls of Highgarden whenever a war must be fought, and always leading from the rear when his physical presence is demanded in battle. |
| Prince Gyles Gardener, 'the Fist of Highgarden', heir to the Reach | 
Age: 25 (born 725 BL)
Gender: Male
Married? No
Skills: +2 Duels, +2 Loyalty, +2 Survival, +1 Field Battles, +1 Siege Battles, +1 Escape, +1 Capture
Physical appearance: The tallest of his brothers at 6'6", and the brawniest to be sure, being built more as a front-line warrior than a classic knight in shining armor or artsy courtier. Dark-haired, rippling with muscle and a thick beard, Prince Gyles is said to be handsome in his own rugged way, rather different than his more conventionally handsome (if not girlishly 'beautiful', as is the case with his youngest brother Lorent) brothers.
Biography: The second son of Garth XI and his Queen Elinor Caswell, Prince Gyles like his brothers was not left wanting while growing up in the splendorous court of Highgarden. Like his elder brother Garth, he was a leader, though not in his siblings' and court fosterlings' games - from an early age he led a troupe of other boys, including his cousin Imry (a future Warrior's Son), around the castle, playing pranks on the servants, getting into fights with city boys whenever they went out into the castle town, and occasionally harassing his brothers. His uncle, Imry's father Alyn, nicknamed them the 'Wild Rabbits' for their antics.
Never having fallen head over heels for the glamor and glitz of the royal court, Gyles instead spent every available minute training, going over military manuals, or cleaning his uncles' weapons and armor just so he could get a closer look at them. He accompanied his uncle Alyn to battles and drills as his squire, and found himself more comfortable in armor and with a weapon in hand, whether for cleaning, practice or for real it did not matter, than in the fancy silks Garth insisted he wear to court. At the age of fifteen he made his first kill, braining an Ironborn reaver who was trying to sneak up on his uncle with a warhammer on the Shield Islands.
Now heir to his brother Garth (until a son is born to him), Gyles has personally taken it upon himself to survey the kingdom's defenses and make sure they are all in top order, spending most of his time touring camps, drinking with the soldiers and bedding camp followers than sitting around at court. Already he has toured the kingdom's castles and encampments twice over, and by repeatedly pointing out his credentials, he effectively has his brother's ear in all military affairs.
Personality: Not a man of many words, Gyles prefers to smash first, think later, and has little patience for the rigorous etiquette and flashy showmanship of court. Needless to say, his brothers consider him a useful brute to point in the right direction and send off at best, and a lumbering oaf at worst; he notoriously does not get along with his youngest brother Lorent, 'the Green Gallant', who he has derisively nicknamed the 'Tourney Fairy'. He is personally more than a little proud of his battlefield achievements and his raw strength, and will not hesitate to place himself at the forefront of the fighting.
However, to his credit, when he does give it he is a man of his word, always sure to repay a debt and to stick to promises he's made. |
| Prince Lorent Gardener, Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard, 'the Golden Gallant' | 
Age: 16 (born 716 BL)
Gender: Male
Married? No
Titles: Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard
Skills: +1 Jouster, +1 Duels, +1 Capture, +1 Survival, +1 Escape
Physical appearance: Standing at 6', with light brown hair that appears almost golden in the sunlight, green eyes brighter than his oldest brother's, an almost girlishly beautiful face, even white teeth and not a hint of stubble, Ser Lorent is the handsomest of a handsome family. Further supporting his image, Lorent has a tendency to wash his hair in rosewater and drink only lemonwater, ensuring that he would remain pleasantly fragrant wherever he goes.
Biography: The youngest son of Garth XI and his Queen Elinor Caswell, twin brother to Princess Sarya Gardener, Prince Lorent like his brothers was not left wanting while growing up in the splendorous court of Highgarden. Always enamored with the knightly ideal from an early age, he always insisted on being the knight-in-shining-armor in his games, first into the fight and to rescue the damsel in distress or secure the religious artifact. Even in boyhood he proved himself the most capable rider among his brothers; where all of them had problems even mounting their steed at first, Lorent rode as though he was born in the saddle, and never hesitated to remind everyone else of this at every opportunity.
As he matured, Lorent continued to work toward the chivalric ideal. Despite having been a rather plump youth, he grew into the fairest of the four Gardener brothers, further supporting his knightly image. He was knighted at the age of fifteen by his brother Garth, then already King of the Reach, following his spectacular performance in a royal tourney in which he defeated the entirety of the Rainbow Guard and the other knights of the realm, earning himself the moniker 'the Green Gallant'; more than that, Garth later named him Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard, citing his skills at arms and pointing out that he was the most capable fighter out of all of them. However, these successes have gone to Lorent's head, making him increasingly arrogant and prone to overreaction to any perceived slight upon his honor.
At present, Lorent remains Lord Commander of the King's Rainbow Guard. He is considered one of the finest knights of the Reach, and a darling to the ladies of the realm for his beautiful appearance, impeccable manners, and tourney successes - all of which he is more than happy to rub in everyone else's face.
Personality: An idealist who believes wholeheartedly in the chivalric ideal, but is unfortunately every bit as proud and vain as his oldest brother, Lorent in some ways is the archetypal knight: courteous, generous and always quick to laughter around his peers and siblings, but arrogant and condescending at best toward those he deems his inferiors, or otherwise unworthy of his attention (such as anyone he deems 'unsightly').
Despite having never fought a battle, Lorent believes his tourney successes makes him as great a warrior as his second brother Gyles and as capable a tactician as his third brother Mern, leading the former to disparagingly call him 'the Tourney Fairy'; in retaliation, he nicknamed Gyles 'the Oaf of Battle'. The Green Gallant is thirsty for glory, and is always needling his brother about opportunities to actually go to war and fight on the front, only to be reminded each time that his job as Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard is to stay behind and guard the King of the Reach; despite owing his position to Garth, this has not stopped Lorent from fuming and exhibiting considerable resentment toward his kingly brother. |
| Princess Sarya Gardener | 
Age: 16 (born 716 BL)
Gender: Female
Married? No
Skills: +1 Birth, +1 Survival, +1 Assassinations, +1 Capture, +1 Escape
Physical appearance: Shorter than her twin (but, bizarrely enough, taller than her oldest brother) at 5'9", with long light-brown curls washed in rosewater, the porcelain skin expected of a princess, and a graceful figure blessed with a full bust and strong hips, Sarya looks every bit a beautiful 'classical princess' out of a children's tale. Her twin brother's gifts of crowns made of flowers that he weaved himself, along with her own extensive use of flower imagery, has led others to nickname her 'the Fairest Flower'.
Biography: The second-youngest daughter of Garth XII, twin sister to Lorent Gardener (the elder of the two by a few minutes), Princess Sarya was doted upon extensively by her parents, and was her grandmother's favorite and later, protege alongside her third brother Mern. She developed a talent for political intrigue from an early age, always able to charm others into getting her way like her eldest brother Garth, but just as capable of twisting and distorting the facts, or outright lying, as Mern. Though she was predictably the damsel-in-distress in her games with her brothers and other children at court, Sarya always tried to wriggle her way out of whatever imaginary predicament herself, to the annoyance of her twin the knight-in-shining-armor.
As she grew, Sarya became a protege of her grandmother Ellyn Florent, 'the Fox Matriarch', and the two 'practiced' their elaborate schemes, most of the time just to mess around with courtiers or her brothers, but at other times to address more serious internal threats to the realm. In particular, the Fox Matriarch advised her to follow in her eldest brother's footsteps and appease the smallfolk with bread and circuses, keeping their support firmly behind the Gardener line while also entertaining the aristocracy, and warning her that her hand was most likely to be used to seal a strategic alliance with one of the Reach's neighbors. Sarya has accepted this as nothing more than a challenge, another method of strengthening the influence of the Reach on Westeros and advancing her native kingdom's agenda, and secretly strives to outdo her grandmother.
Personality: While superficially a demure, always-smiling classic princess, beneath that facade Sarya is a shrewd young lady, already versed in political intrigue from her lessons with her grandmother the 'Fox Matriarch' and her observations of her older siblings at court. While always projecting a courteous and ladylike aura, Sarya conceals her plans and intentions beneath these tricks, carefully assessing everyone who comes forth to meet her and calculating her chances at plotting against them if need be. While not unintelligent, she does have a tendency to overestimate her own still-budding skills at intrigue, putting too much stock in her grandmother's reputation and often thinking she is the Fox Matriarch reborn, and her insistence of secrecy often leads her to fail to divulge critical information to equally critical allies. |
| Minor Gardeners | Immediate Gardener family:
Ellyn Florent, 62 years old, 'the Fox Matriarch', Queen Dowager, grandmother to the Gardeners, a tall old crone with a foul temper and effectively 'Mistress of Whispers' to her husband & son;
Elinor Caswell, 42 years old, Queen Dowager, mother to the Gardeners, widow of the late King Garth XI, an aging but handsome woman;
Leona Gardener (Lannister), 29 years old, wife to one of the Lannisters, eldest of the Gardener siblings, a tall, bold and passionate lady;
Alys Gardener (Styrmhart), 23 years old, wife to the Prince of the Stormlands, fourth of the Gardener siblings, dainty and bright-eyed;
Amerei Gardener (Mysthart), 18 years old, wife to the Mist King, sixth of the Gardener siblings, a playful flirt, with her mother's bright golden hair;
Falia Gardener, 11 years old, betrothed to the Prince of the Torrentine, ninth of the Gardener siblings, a quiet girl who has yet to flower
Uncles, aunts and cousins:
Alyn Gardener, 44 years old, uncle to the Gardeners and father of Imry, a brusque one-eyed captain who fought under his older brother Garth XI's command;
Desmera Ashford, 40 years old, wife of Alyn and mother of Imry, a harsh woman with a perpetual scowl on her face;
Imry Gardener, 23 years old, cousin to the Gardeners and son of Imry & Desmera, a religious fanatic who has joined the Warrior's Sons;
Jasper Gardener, 40 years old, uncle to the Gardeners and father of Janei & Delena, a drunken lout;
Donella Bulwer, 38 years old, wife of Jasper and mother to Janei & Delena, a short but stout and very large woman, as most Bulwers are;
Janei Gardener, 15 years old, cousin to the Gardeners, a studious but physically unattractive young woman;
Delena Gardener, 13 years old, cousin to the Gardeners, pretty and superficially courteous, but petty and vindictive |
| The Gardener Court | Moribald Tyrell, 58 years old, hereditary Steward of Highgarden and confidante of Garth XII and his predecessor.
Raynard, 64 years old, the court Septon.
Scolera, 67 years old, the Septa of the Gardeners since Garth XI's time.
Jinglebell, 42 years old, the court fool.
Aegor of Volantis, 42 years old, an often-drunk Valyrian alchemist from Volantis hired mostly to play pyromancer's tricks when important guests are in attendance.
The Rainbow Guard: Originally established by Garth Greenhand's grandson and successor Garlan I, the Rainbow Guard are an elite force of seven of the Reach's greatest knights, each wearing armor and cloaks of a certain color of the rainbow and bearing seven-pointed stars (also painted in their respective color) on their shields to honor the Faith, with only the Lord Commander wearing pure white. Members of the Guard cannot own estates, though they may still marry and father children.
Unfortunately, the quality of the Rainbow Guard has declined in recent centuries, as the Guard was filled with unqualified cronies, relatives and friends, and pretty-boy knights who brought glamor to the table but little else. These three, sadly, are the components of the current Rainbow Guard - the result of King Garth XII resolving to value appearance and loyalty over competence.
The Knights of the Rainbow are:
- Lorent Gardener, Lord Commander: See above.
- Guyard the Red, of House Ashford, 19 years old: A tall but ungainly fighter with a fiery red beard, appointed as a political favor to the Ashfords, who nonetheless has a habit of overestimating himself and is fond of making ridiculous boasts he cannot possibly follow up on. Married to Walda Graceford, good-brother to Lucas the Purple.
- Brynden the Blue, of House Meadows, 16 years old: The prettiest of the Guard to be sure, with long flowing curls dyed blue to match his eyes and armor, and the best singer (which was why he was appointed in the first place) but also the worst fighter among them. Betrothed of 'Fair' Alys Ambrose.
- Galbart the Green, of House Tyrell, 17 years old: A nephew of Steward Moribald, handsome and a proven jouster, but with absolutely no actual battle experience, appointed as a reward for his father's services. Betrothed of Jeyne Fossoway.
- Alester the Yellow, of House Oakheart, 20 years old: The oldest of the Guard and the only one of them to have actually fought in a real battle, namely in helping fend off an Ironborn raid on the shores of Old Oak. Married to Leonette Serry.
- Lucas the Purple, of House Graceford, 15 years old: The youngest member of the Guard, knighted and appointed as a political favor to his father, good with a bow but nothing else. Unmarried and not betrothed to anyone, good-brother to Guyard the Red.
- Robb the Orange, of House Leygood, 18 years old: A proven champion of tourney melees, but the worst of the Guard at jousting, and with a worrying habit of shooting his own squires by accident when using a bow. Married to Delena 'Fishbreath' Lowther.
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Highgarden and Brightwater Keep, seats of House Gardener
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