In Defense of Royland Degore
So, I've really held off on this for a while, but I've been looking through things; forums, tumblr posts, etc. & the general opinion of the Master-at-Arms of Ironrath seemed to be generally low. There's been some ( I say this, but really it's more near a lot. ) misconceptions of him. & I thought, instead of going through every thread, forum, or post that discredits him, shows misunderstanding, or hate-- I'd just put it all nice & neatly in a thread here on the forums. But I've noticed as the episodes continued that Royland seemed to get a little more love, as in episode one & two most people didn't see him in a favorable light, but I'd still like to clear up some of the misconceptions about the ever loyal, if hotheaded, Master-at-Arms ( & Sentinel, if you chose him to be such. ) More so, this will be coming out as an analysis of his character more than anything but this will also be a double-bladed act to show that sometimes you cannot compare apples & oranges & expect to come out with them being the same.
I'm going to start this with the misconception about Royland's intelligence. Most people seem to look at Duncan & him then try to compare the two sentinel candidates in the beginning & still do as time continues, either praising Duncan/Royland or taking Duncan/Royland down a notch ( But mostly our Knight. ). & what I've come across in several threads is most people seeming to perceive that after comparing the two that Royland is as dumb as a rock compared to Duncan ( But again, it's like comparing apples & oranges. ). I'd like to point out things about his past that would clear this up-- Royland is a Highborn Lord. Now, he doesn't claim to be a Lord since his House was destroyed in the Greyjoy Rebellion. But the usual perks with coming up in a prominent family is getting a proper education; however, his House was a Knightly one... House Degore was a more military-styled house, which probably focused more on training armies & blacksmithing. So, Royland would have more roots in the ideas of battle tactics, training soldiers, working in an armory, etc. But that doesn't mean he also wasn't taught to be a Lord or taught about Westeros, History, etc that was all taught to him by a Maester ( or a Scholar if they didn't have a Maester. ). Each Maester specializes in a variety of subjects, which are reflected in the linked chain worn around their robes ( think of it as their resume ). In addition to their specialization, all Maesters are trained in subjects such as medicine, healing, administration, diplomacy - generally the subjects needed when running a castle or army - which is one of the many reasons a Maester is a highly prized asset.
He is not a smallfolk that simply got lucky to be knighted & raised up in status... & people don't seem to realize, too, that everyone is different when it comes to their intellectual approach about things. Duncan is a much more logical man when it comes to his approach as Sentinel ( I've played through with him as Sentinel as well, so, I've spent time working out the differences between these two. ). Duncan focuses a lot on the acts that are logically supposed to win peace with others. Most of what he does is to help the House but even logic falters in some plans. & the main difference between these two are that Duncan is Logos ( Meaning "Word" in Greek ) & Royland is Pathos ( "Suffering" or "Experience" in Greek. ); meaning that Duncan focuses more on the Logical appeal while Royland is a man who focuses in Emotions & Experience. Both are also well put in the area of Ethos ( "Character" ) as well, as many people trust the both of them equally in the game, their credibility as a person to lead is trusted by others in the House. But Royland is a more intuitive thinker, not logic based. & to quote Badgershite on Tumblr: "I think he's pretty smart and tactical when he has to be, but also very to-the-point and sometimes his aggressive nature can get the better of him, providing the illusion he's a bit dense. I think he's just as smart as anyone else on the council, he just utilizes that intelligence in the different way. That scene in the grove where he teaches Rodrik the mordhau shows that he's exceptional at analyzing the person he’s training as well as their opponent, too, understanding exactly what they need to do." Royland knows how to read people & he knows how to connect with people; he knows how to use his experiences to his advantage.
As I've mentioned before, Royland also lost his House in a similar fashion in the Greyjoy Rebellion, further proving that he is Pathos. He has suffered through the experience of losing a Family & I'm sure with the way that the Forresters are oddly relaxed around him & treat him more as a Family member ( I mean, Talia doesn't even often address him as his title, she just usually goes straight to "Royland". ) & they're very casual around him. So, he's a part of their Family, just as much as he thinks they're his... May I also raise the fact that Royland is also a Military Genius. He's a warrior at heart ( & really the Southron tradition of Knighting people is kind of stupid for Northerners, because there really aren't Knights in the North, just prized warriors. ), Royland is well known for his expertise as a leader in battle. He played a crucial part in ending the Greyjoy Rebellion at the Siege of Pyke, which we don't know what he did ( but I'd really like to, Telltale. ), he also destroyed a part of the Iron Fleet at Sea Dragon Point in the Rebellion as well. Those are just two notices that we get before the game flat out tells us he led a Battalion; which means he led up to eight hundred soldiers in battle-- if that doesn't say how well of a Military Leader he is, then I really don't know what else to say. He wants to protect the Forresters, he looks at what is happening in Ironrath with the Whitehills, & he sees it going in a similar fashion to his own House. Royland is fiercely loyal & protective of the Forresters; and often with his actions, his emotions bleed through. He's willing to protect Rodrik & Talia from Gryff when it puts his own life in danger in the process ( Gryff could have easily decided to let Harys slit his throat after he was disarmed. ) in Episode Three. He is hotblooded from his Loyalty & his attitude to not stand down-- but that doesn't mean he is any less intelligent then Duncan Tuttle.
Even in Episode Four, if taken to Highpoint with Rodrik & Elissa ( "There are Lords who wield power & Lords who make a show of it." C'mon, what's not to love about that deliberate sassy jab? ), when everything escalates with Ludd Whitehill, he is immediately hackles raised & ready to protect little Ryon, who Ludd was threatening to kill, even though, it was a bluff in the end; but Royland jumps up, sword unsheathed, ready to fight anyone who gets in his way to protect a Forrester. & Later on, when arriving back at Ironrath when the whole courtyard is deserted, He is the first to take notice of the blood & the emptiness. When they hear Ramsay's laugh & Talia's voice coming from the Great Hall, his hand is immediately on his sword, because he knows that laugh-- he knows that voice & he doesn't want a repeat of Ethan. & even if he was left behind with the Glenmore Soldiers or his own soldiers, you know that he wouldn't have gone down without a fight-- so it's highly suspect that he's either injured badly or may even be dead because there would be no way that he'd let Ramsay Snow anywhere near Talia again ( Lemme tell you, that man is fiercely, fiercely protective of Talia, maybe even more so then Rodrik. I too can gush about how Talia & Royland are two little shits to each other but are just all 'fucking fight me no wait jk ilu bro'. He's like the Second Father or Rad Other Uncle that all the Kids love but the Adults hate. ). It's also evident that as soon as Rodrik was given his place as Lord, he hovers around him whenever the Whitehills are close, because he doesn't want to see another Forrester dead; he lost Gregor & Ethan in a span of a week at most. He is always ready to jump to the defense of a Forrester. Even in Episode one, he was running towards Ramsay to try & cut that man's throat for what he did to Ethan; trying to rush to a boy's side ( A boy he watched grow up & tried to protect as much as he could, although it often led to a lot consternation on his part, as Ethan never tried to learn how to fight even when Talia mentioned that he should ask Royland. So, don't tell me he didn't care for Ethan. ). He tries to rush to Ethan's side to help him & to attack Ramsay Snow, but takes a shot to the Solar Plexus from the pommel of a sword-- I know from real life experience that getting a hit to the Solar Plexus is not fun & can knock your breath out of you-- the fact that he wasn't paralyzed by the hit & still able to talk? That's some pretty damn good pain resistance.
So-- yeah, okay; in the end Duncan might be the big brain of the council & a more logical person. But you can't dismiss Royland as being of a lower intelligence just because his thought process is different. & his eagerness to fight the Whitehills, it's not because he's a bloodthirsty git like Gryff; no, it's because he cares for the Forresters. He wants to save them, & well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. He's an Anti-Hero in the sense that he doesn't play by the rules. He is morally apathetic to anyone outside of House Forrester or not associated with House Forrester, because he even shows care for the smallfolk & is outraged about what the Whitehills are doing & how Gryff heckles their people, plus cares enough about the Glenmores as well. He's also a cynic. He's not optimistic like Duncan can be; & in this, he also sees the world how it really is, especially in Episode One concerning Ramsay Snow while Duncan was a bit naive thinking that a Psychopath could truly be reasoned with. & his past is a dark & terrible one. It's not widely mentioned other than in his codex where it states that his Family ( Honestly, I don't think he ever started one. I don't seem him being the type as he seems to be an Asexual in my personal theory, but maybe he did out of duty, only Telltale knows. So, he was probably still in service to his father, too, at the time. ) was raped & killed by the Ironrath. That's traumatizing-- as he was the only survivor. So, he most likely suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which isn't a great mental illness to have because anything can set off those episodes ( which could end with him hurting someone or himself in the process. ), & I have a theory that he's also got an Antisocial disorder, putting him in the position where he could also have Psychopathy himself, but is more a closeted one compared to Ramsay Snow & Joffrey Baratheon.
He's also a Loner. Royland doesn't seem to have any absolute values. Which furthers his isolation & I'd go so far to say that he even likes it, due to the possibility of having an Antisocial disorder. He doesn't seem to like being pitied as well, as his background seems to be under lock & key; not widely known, except perhaps by the Forresters ( Especially Gregor ), & maybe even, Duncan. His character is Chaotic. His alignment is Chaotic Good. He acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he's also kind & benevolent to those who deserve it. He believes in goodness & right but has little use for laws & regulations when everything comes to a head. He hates it when people try to intimidate others & tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not agree with that of society. So, in this case, he is Duncan's Batman for all intents & purposes.
& really-- That's it. I've kind of already gone on long enough, but I'm just tired of Royland getting a shitty representation, or at least was, with this whole fandom. He's not as bad as he seems. But I just hope this helps people understand him more. I'm probably going to do more of these studies on other characters as well as time goes on but my heart was really in this one because while he is more expendable than the rest, Royland's pretty special to me.
Comments
So that is a ...... lot of text. Can you sum it up in a few sentences?
Royland isn't as bad as he seems.
thanks
I'd love to post a "Didn't read, lol."
But this post is just too awesome for me to do that.
He's also not as stupid as some people seem to think. & yeah, not as bad as he really seems.
Mm~ Thanks. If I'm honest, I wouldn't have taken that comment lightly. I researched this a lot & people who thought an in-depth study of a character would be short are part of the problem, since they don't try to understand... But I am also going to do more of these later on. I like finding the finer points of characters & expanding on them or theorizing things.
That was a lot, but it was an awesome read and I agree with your point. I always like Royland as my sentinel because he is always honest about what he feels and sometimes honest adviser is better than a logical adviser. And the clear difference in the reaction of the sentinel in episode 1 just convinced me more. In a world filled with lies, deceit and plotting, having an honest adviser is invaluable.
And I will be sorely disappointed if Royland turns out to be the traitor, because it simply does not fit with the character that Telltale has shown us so far.
I thought Royland was well liked definitely not at first though. I love Roylands character he's awesome! He's my favourite council member and it's often his advice that I heed (although he's not my Sentinel, I do regret naming Duncan my Sentinel instead of Royland). I'd like to point out that Royland seems to be a deeply emotional man not just in anger he was clearly a lot more distressed than Duncan is when Ethan is murdered and at the funeral in Episode 2: The Lost Lords he seems to be struggling to hold back tears right at the end of Talia's song (regardless of who's Sentinel) Royland might just be a big softie.
Mhm. I've mentioned it in a previous forum post about how he's more than just his anger. He is very Emotional. He just relies more on his anger half the time, he's also well known for it as well. He's very blunt & honest. He's a character who speaks a lot of truth even though people might not like how he puts it. & yes, he's a lot softer when it comes Talia & Rodrik which is often evident that he shares rare smiles with them alone.
Indeed. He's about the only real guy I trust on the council. Because he's not seen to have done anything underhandedly or act out against his Lord's orders. & yeah-- if he turns out to be the traitor, then there better be a good reason for it...
Exactly that is why I always liked him since the beginning.
He's awesome!
I'm starting to like Royland a lot more than Duncan (who is my sentinel xD)
Seriously wish I chose Royland as sentinel.
nice wall but him being willing to axe Ludd in the face was enough for me to know he's not the traitor
same for Duncan
They both do it, regardless; but even I still have some reservations about Duncan. He's a bit shifty & it seems that the game has tried to narrow down the choices from the four on the council down to Duncan & Royland. But well-- we'll see soon, I suppose.
I still think that Duncan is the traitor. I still remember what happened to Ned and Duncan is pretty shady person just like Petyr.
Mm. Duncan really doesn't seem too much like Petyr Baelish. If anything, he seems more like Varys with the way he seems to pull information out of thin air. But even Varys is equally hard to trust sometimes...