Grand Maester of the Citadel, raised to the post at the Red Keep in the late reign of Aegon V and serving five kings thereafter without bending his chain. A sleepy old beard and a heavy chain are his masks; underneath he has been Tywin Lannister's man since Aerys II first received him at court, and remains so as the events of A Game of Thrones open. He counselled Aerys to throw open the gates of King's Landing to the Lannister host that would sack the city, and he counsels Robert against every healthier instinct the king still has left.
