ᴀᴘᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ( ᴀᴛᴀʀᴀxɪᴏɴ )
| PLAYER INFORMATION Your Name: rog OOC Journal: ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small} gals Under 18? If yes, what is your age? 18+ Email + IM: ciao.vespa (at) gmail.com | cinder heartbeat (at) AIM Characters Played at Ataraxion: N/A CHARACTER INFORMATION Name: Petyr Baelish Canon: A Song of Ice & Fire Original or Alternate Universe: OU Canon Point: At the end of A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in the series. Number: » 500 Setting: The world that Petyr hails from is your typical high fantasy setting, with this exception: the magic component is relatively tame/rare and considered exceptional whenever it appears. Petyr himself has not, as far as has been suggested by canon, had any exposure to it, being much more involved in the political scene. As suggested by his history, his world is still very heavily structured around class and family blood; it is, in essence, extremely close to medieval history as we know it, with, of course, the exception of the presence of magic. For further details, see the Wikipedia entry on A Song of Ice & Fire. History: Born into nothing, Petyr Baelish's rise into power has been meteoric, and extremely well-concealed. His grandfather had been a sellsword and his father was the first in his family to own any land, taking on the Titan of Braavos as his sigil when he became a hedge knight, and made lord over a few acres of barren, rocky land in the Fingers. After befriending Hoster Tully in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, he had Petyr sent to Riverrun to be fostered there alongside the Tully children, Edmure, Catelyn, and Lysa. It was in Riverrun that he would earn the nickname "Littlefinger" (a reference to his meager holdings) and it was also there that he fell in love with Catelyn Tully. She did not reciprocate his affections (she loved him, but as a brother), but Lysa, on the other hand, was infatuated with him, going so far as to take advantage of him after he had had too much to drink in misery over his standing with Catelyn. When it was announced that Catelyn was to be wed to Brandon Stark, Petyr challenged him to a duel despite their difference in stature, age, and experience, believing that he would be the victor based upon the stories he had been told throughout his boyhood. He only just escaped the duel with his life. Prior to the battle, Catelyn had begged Brandon to spare Petyr's life, and it was only as such that Petyr was allowed to live, although he was left with a scar running from his navel to his collarbone. He was sent back to the Fingers as soon as he was well enough to travel, and sent a single letter to Catelyn after Brandon's death. That said, he maintained contact with Lysa, who married the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, and convinced Jon to give Petyr control over customs at Gulltown, where he brought in three times more than any other of the king's collectors. Having proved his skill with money, he was promoted to Master of Coin within three years of coming to court, and increased the court's revenue by ten times what his predecessor had. The debt that the king had incurred was considerable, and where he could not pay it in money, he paid it in promises, and where money was scarce, he moved, sold, and bought goods in order to make it. In the process, he slowly began to buy allies and contacts, including the four Keepers of the Keys, the King's Counter, the King's Scales, the officers in charge of the three mints, the City Watch, and various lords and merchants to the extent that it is noted that nine out of every ten men seems to belong to Littlefinger. This is, however, a fact that Petyr conceals extremely well, passing himself off as harmless and without influence beyond what his station is technically supposed to afford him. Directly prior to the events of the first book, Jon Arryn discovers that the king's children are all actually by another man (unbeknownst to the king), and Petyr manipulates Lysa into poisoning him before he can reveal the secret, and to send a letter to Catelyn stating that the Queen was responsible for the poisoning. It is these events that set the whole series into movement. A GAME OF THRONES In light of Jon Arryn's death, Ned Stark, brother of Eddard Stark and husband of Catelyn Stark, is courted to become the new Hand of the King. As such, the king, Robert Baratheon, his wife, Cersei Lannister, and their entourage arrive in Winterfell in order to formally extend the invitation. While Winterfell is playing host, however, one of the Stark children, Bran, suffers a fall from the window of a high tower, and put into a coma. Although this is only one of several ugly incidents to transpire, Ned takes the post out of a sense of duty, and goes with Robert to the capitol, King's Landing. He brings his two daughters, Arya and Sansa with him. (It is in King's Landing that Petyr first meets Sansa, for whom he shows a slight preoccupation given her resemblance to her mother.) Although Catelyn is supposed to remain in Winterfell to look after the castle and their children, she makes her way to King's Landing as well after discovering a golden hair in the tower from which Bran fell. As gold hair is a trait almost solely attributed to the Lannisters and an attempt is soon made upon Bran's life (as well as hers), this only compounds the suspicions that had been aroused by Lysa's letter. Before she can reach her husband, however, she is intercepted by Petyr, who hides her in one of the brothels he owns in the city so as to keep her from being caught. She shows him the dagger that had been used, and Petyr tells her that he recognizes it, and pins ownership upon Tyrion Lannister. Ned is brought to meet with his wife, and despite the dagger, Petyr manages to convince them to make no moves until some solid proof is brought forth, and promises Cat, due to his enduring fondness for her, that he will help Ned as much as he can. A CLASH OF KINGSUnfortunately, Ned's stubbornness make this a difficult task, as Ned resigns as Hand of the King in protest of Robert's decision to have one of their enemies across the sea assassinated. Before he can leave the capitol, however, Petyr approaches him saying that he has new information on the death of Jon Arryn. Taking Ned to one of his brothels, he introduces him to a whore who is raising one of Robert's bastard children. As Ned is leaving the brothel, however, he is accosted by Jaime Lannister, brother and secret lover to Cersei and the actual father of the king's children. Cat has kidnapped Tyrion Lannister in order to bring him to justice over the attempt on Bran's life, a move that has not, unsurprisingly, made the Lannisters particularly happy. Things get even more complicated when Robert is wounded while out on a hunt, and put on his deathbed. Although both Ned and Petyr are now aware that the king's children are all illegitimate as far as ascension to the throne is concerned (Stannis Baratheon, the elder of Robert's brothers, is the legitimate heir), he tells Ned to allow Cersei's son, Joffrey, to take the throne as if he were the legitimate heir so as to avoid all-out war and to use him as something of a puppet. Ned, too bound by honor, refuses that course of action, instead asking Petyr to secure the allegiance of the City Watch to ensure its loyalty when he pronounces all of Cersei's children illegitimate. When the time comes, Petyr betrays Ned, prompting the City Watch to slay Ned's men and to take Ned into imprisonment. Ned's daughters, Arya and Sansa, who had accompanied him to King's Landing, are also sought out, but only Sansa is caught. Jeyne Poole, another girl in the Stark retinue, is taken under Petyr's wing. Although Ned relents and lies, saying that he had committed treason after being warned that his daughters might suffer for his bullishness, he is executed. Needless to say, tensions are high, and with the combination of Ned's execution, Tyrion's kidnapping, and Joffrey's ascension to the throne, war breaks out, with Renly Baratheon, Stannis, and Joffrey all laying claim to the Iron Throne, Robb Stark (Ned's eldest son) proclaiming himself King in the North, and Balon Greyjoy naming himself King of the Iron Islands. When Renly is assassinated by a priestess in Stannis' retinue, Petyr aligns himself with Tyrion (who is now free and does not know of Littlefinger's part in his kidnapping) to try to form an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell to win over any lords who had not immediately defected to following Stannis. Petyr himself leaves court, traveling to Bitterbridge in order to oversee the deal. He is successful in brokering a marriage between Margaery Tyrell and Joffrey, and when he returns to King's Landing, it is in the company of Tyrell soldiers, as well as those of Tywin Lannister (Tyion, Cersei, and Jaime's father, and Lord of Casterly Rock). With these reinforcements, the allied armies are able to defeat Stannis' forces at the Battle of the Blackwater, given the last edge by Petyr's idea of dressing one of the Tyrell sons in Renly's armor in order to scare Stannis' soldiers. Because of his hand in the victory, Petyr is named Lord of Harrenhal. This title is a big step, as it raises him to the position of High Lord and (technically) gives him control over the Riverlands. Throughout all of this, Petyr further secures power in court by buying out Osney, Osfryd, and Osmund Kettleblack, all of whom are in the crown's inner circle, as they have been hired to guard Queen Cersei by Tyion, who believes them to still be in his pay. Petyr also keeps contact with Sansa Stark, who remains a prisoner of the Lannisters, through a knight, Ser Dontos the Red. Dontos informs her of a plan to return her to her home, and delivers her a hairnet set with black amethysts. A STORM OF SWORDS In a remarkably short period of time, Petyr arranges three more marriages: that of Sansa Stark to Tyrion Lannister, that of Arya Stark to Ramsay Bolton, and that of himself to Lysa Arryn. Sansa, having been taken (somewhat) under Margaery Tyrell's wing since her engagement to Joffrey, is promised something of an escape from King's Landing in the form of marriage to Willas Tyrell. Unfortunately, Sansa makes the mistake of telling Dontos of the plot. Dontos, in turn, tells Petyr, and Petyr proceeds to reveal the plan to Tywin, who takes the opportunity to marry Sansa to Tyrion instead (it is revealed later on that Petyr had offered to marry Sansa himself). The Lannisters attempt to further solidify their claim to the North by marrying Arya Stark (in reality, a captive Jeyne Poole who Littlefinger has been keeping and "training" in one of his brothels) to Ramsay Bolton, who was named Warden of the North following his participation in the Red Wedding. (The Red Wedding is the title for the massacre in which Robb and Catelyn Stark, and most of Robb's bannermen were killed. The event was revenge by Lord Walder Frey for Robb breaking his promise of marrying Frey's daughter.) Up until that point, the Vale of Arryn had been considered neutral territory, but Tywin's gaze falls upon the Eyrie, the seat of the Vale, too. As such, he sends Petyr (now considered an eligible candidate as a High Lord) to woo Lysa, and appoints Tyrion as Master of Coin in Petyr's expected absence. Despite his missive, Petyr does not go to the Vale, instead remaining near the city. The reason for this becomes clear soon enough. The wedding between Joffrey and Margaery (already an ugly affair, as dwarves are brought in as entertainment, thus triggering Tyrion's ire) is cut violently short when Joffrey is poisoned. In the ensuing chaos, Dontos spirits Sansa from the capitol, leading her to a ship in which Petyr awaits. Petyr immediately has Dontos killed. He explains to Sansa that this is the only true way of buying silence, as well as telling her that she, along with Tyrion, will be implicated in Joffrey's murder. Tyrion, because of his reaction to the performing dwarves (orchestrated by Petyr), and Sansa for a multitude of other reasons. The hairnet that she had been given by Dontos had not, in fact, been set with amethysts, but with the poison that had been used to kill Joffrey. As he takes Sansa with him to first the Fingers and then to the Eyrie, he has her dye her hair brown and assume the identity of his bastard daughter, Alayne Stone. (In a way, this is extremely symbolic, as from this point she becomes something of a protege.) It is as Alayne that he introduces her to Lysa, although he reveals Sansa's identity to her soon afterward. This triggers some disapproval on Lysa's part, given Sansa's strong resemblance to Catelyn and the history between Catelyn, Petyr, and Lysa, but these doubts are put aside once Lysa and Petyr are married (at the Fingers instead of the Vale, at Lysa's insistence). After the wedding, the three travel to the Vale, where Petyr is forced to spend most of his time meeting with lord after lord in order to try to secure his control over the area, as many are displeased considering the Vale's former stance of neutrality, and do not assign Petyr complete power as he is essentially regent for Robin, Lysa's underage son (whom he promises Lysa will marry Alayne). During one of his stints at home, when snow has fallen over the Eyrie, he helps Sansa build a miniature model of Winterfell (which had been completely destroyed in a failed coup by the Greyjoys). His intentions, however, are revealed as far less pure when, after commenting that she might be even more beautiful than Catelyn had been at the same age (a comment the likes of which he had made several times before), he forcibly kisses her. They are interrupted by Robin, at which point Petyr takes his leave of the scene. Unbeknownst to Petyr and Sansa, Lysa had been privy to the moment from one of the castle windows. She takes her jealousy and fury out upon Sansa by attempting to throw her from the Moon Door, a door on the floor between the the two pillars of the High Hall of the Eyrie, which opens onto a six hundred foot drop. Petyr intervenes in the nick of time, prompting Lysa to break down in tears. With Sansa still in the room, she tells Petyr that he has never loved her despite all that she is done, making mention of Jon Arryn's death and the letter that she had sent to Catelyn. Petyr, in turn (and in one of his most revealing moments thus far), tells her that he has only ever loved one woman: Catelyn. With that, he pushes Lysa through the Moon Door, and places the blame upon her singer, Marillion. A FEAST FOR CROWS With Lysa dead, Petyr names himself as Lord Protector of the Vale and takes Robin as his ward. This causes unrest within the Vale, as Petyr has never been particularly popular, and several of the lords band together and travel to the Eyrie to demand that Petyr relinquish Robin (as well as his power over the Vale). At the parley, however, one of the men, Lyn Corbray, draws his sword in a gross violation of etiquette. As a result, Petyr is given the leverage he needs to convince the lords to allow him a year to prove his loyalty to the Vale and his ability to rule in Robin's stead. Following that incident, Petyr mentions to Alayne that he was lucky for Corbray's misstep, and Alayne guesses (correctly) that Corbray is on Petyr's payroll. Happy with how quickly she is catching on, Petyr confides his plans to her, including his intent to either win over or destroy the lords who oppose him and to use Corbray's supposed distaste for him to get Corbray into any conspiracies that might be hatched against him. Personality:His coup de grace, however, is this: he has brokered a match between Alayne and Harrold "Harry the Heir" Hardyng, who is, in fact, the only trueblood Arryn heir left besides Robin (who has a history of illnesses). He plans to unveil her as Sansa Stark on the day of the wedding, saying that she will easily win the hearts of all of the lords there, and that they will all pledge their swords to win her back her birthright. Defeat at the hands of Brandon Stark was a turning point for Petyr Baelish. Small as a child and wiry as a man, he knows that his best bet at gaining power lies not in physical combat but in political intrigue; in order to get what he wants, he has to play to his own strengths instead of playing the game the way it's written. His first attempt at obeying the rules ended in a humiliation, something that he doesn't intend to suffer again. As a child, he'd been enamored of songs and stories, convinced that the good would always win out, convinced enough that he'd fought for Catelyn Tully's hand to the point of near-death. The duel served as his disillusionment, and his love of stories and such fanciful tales twisted itself into a love of words and their manipulation, and the determination never to be bested. Accordingly, he thrives in times of chaos and disquiet, as he is able to perform the mental gymnastics generally necessary to get through such times unscathed. As a major player, he manages to keep his own status as a threat fairly well-hidden, largely genial and helpful to everyone — at least to their faces. To those as well-versed in intrigue as he is, however, he comes off as about as self-serving as any man can get (a fellow member of the Small Council goes so far as to say that the only person that Littlefinger loves is himself). However, every impression of him is but another veneer. Some of them are closer to the truth than others, but in the end, just as there is no one who knows his complete history, there is no one who really knows him. His house sigil, the mockingbird, suggests as much, and as if in accordance he is one of the few characters that does not necessarily make a habit of keeping to the colors of his house, instead wearing whatever he likes and noting the ennui of having to stick with a single set (a statement that seems to apply to metaphorical colors rather than literal ones in light of his ever-changing loyalties). That he loves only himself cannot said to be entirely true, as evidenced by his enduring obsession with Catelyn Stark (that seems to have passed on to Sansa Stark), but even that has, over time, changed from the most desperate kind of love into a metaphor for a greater kind of want and desire to prove anyone who might underestimate him grievously wrong. As well illustrated by his easy dispatching of Lysa Arryn (he pushes her out of the so-called 'Moon Door' to her death), that greater want is strong enough that he has no qualms as to getting rid of anyone who might be in his way. He craves power and status, and possesses the means with which to grasp it. This is made evident enough by how far he has risen since his birth, through machinations both great and small and an uncanny knack to keeping his hands clean (arguably, no matter who takes the Iron Throne, he will have secured himself a position in the court or at least saved his own neck). He is also a skilled improviser, able to either twist a situation to his advantage or to navigate through it without any big change in his own status quo. The easiest way of explaining his personality, though, is this: there are two personas manifest within him, that of Petyr Baelish and that of Littlefinger. Littlefinger is the one that almost everyone will come to know: a polite, harmless man who is nothing if not harmless. However, Littlefinger is also the schemer and the backstabber, very much a construct insomuch as he is completely divorced from emotions as far as any of his actions are concerned. Petyr Baelish is the man behind the curtain, and the part of the whole that does still feel, after some fashion. Although the extremes of these personalities are easily distinguishable, when it comes to separating them completely, it is impossible. And those who try too hard to figure him out, he will destroy. Abilities, Weaknesses and Power Limitations: LITTLEFINGER & PETYR | ABILITY As previously mentioned, Petyr is extremely good at having people believe him to be one thing and actually being another thing completely. He is a consummate liar and manipulator, keeping himself several steps ahead of the game at all times, and there is absolutely no one to whom he reveals the entirety of his machinations (and there is no one that he has manipulated or double-crossed who fully realizes it); arguably, he is just as secretive about the split between Littlefinger and Petyr, a distinction that only Sansa seems able to really see. VALYRIAN STEEL | ABILITY Petyr is revealed (despite all appearances to the contrary) to be very good with, at the very least, knives. FROM NAVEL TO COLLARBONE | WEAKNESS That said, he is not one of the strongest people you will ever meet. ONLY CAT | WEAKNESS Petyr's ambition (traceable to a single event in his boyhood) is all-consuming to the point that he has made himself an island emotionally. There is no one with whom he has an indispensable bond. He will quite literally do anything to get ahead, and while he understands the workings of emotions he considers them a weakness. Inventory:
 Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish A small, slender man, Petyr is described as having sharp features and "laughing" grey-green eyes. He keeps a beard, and his hair, predominantly dark, has threads of silver running through it, particularly at the temples. He bears a scar running up his chest, and is usually dressed impeccably. He favors silver, and in particular, will never be found without his mockingbird pin. Age: Thirty, give or take. (Never made completely clear within the series.) AU Clarification: N/A SAMPLES Log Sample: Gifts came in many shapes and sizes, Littlefinger knew. Some were material, others weren't. But a gift was a gift, and, more often than not, did not act so much as a token of goodwill as an insurance of some sort of favor in the future. Comms Sample:This gift (the offer of a song) was a kind of insurance, too, but one that had been signed on in blood. A deal, rather, than anything that ran solely one way or the other. As he looked at Sansa Stark now (the very ghost of her mother), he couldn't help feeling a sort of smug contentment. He'd laid the honey trap well, and to be honest, it wasn't as if she had many others to whom to turn. Littlefinger's countenance remained much the same, the false look of humbleness and modesty upon his face losing not one inch of ground. (For an instant, there was a flash of more involved interest — or eagerness — when she began to straighten up, to feign fearlessness, but it hid itself just as quickly as it had appeared. It was a tactic he knew, and one that he'd used for a short time, a long time ago, when he'd first learned how to bluff. By the time he'd been appointed to the Small Council, he'd learned that there were better ways of going about things — ways that were less likely to put one in the direct line of fire. Ways to say, I am afraid of you. There are others you should be scaring.) "You honor me," he said at length, the dip of his head flowering into a proper bow. Some other time, he might have found the naivety that she carried nothing if not appealing, and while it still was, as he was now it aroused more pity than anything else. Innocence was a rare quality in King's Landing, and for good reason. Ignorance wasn't bliss. It was death. (An oath meant nothing unless you were prepared to stake something upon it.) [ When the video feed flickers to life, the man on the other end has already calmed and collected himself. (When he'd woken, he had felt panic. Felt confusion. For the first time in a very, very long time. It's rare that Petyr Baelish has no control over what happens to him — it's something that he strives not to let happen, and, well. This is nothing if not disorienting. That said, it isn't fear that holds him in its grip, and it never will be.) As evidenced by the feed, he has already found himself clothes before trying to figure out how to access the network. At his throat bobs a silver pin in the shape of a mockingbird. His expression betrays a modicum of discomfort (feigned; rather than discomfort it's simply the frustration at being so inconvenienced and a constantly changing gameplan that hold sway within him), almost sickly in sheen. His fingers hover just at the periphery of the image. ] Pardon, [ he begins, nothing if not apologetic, the smallest of smiles flickering across his features. ] I was hoping — foolishly, I suppose — that I might be able to beg some guidance. I assume that my ... displacement is not a mere mistake. |