Kurleket

Kurleket is a man-at-arms sworn to Lord Jonos Bracken of Stone Hedge, one of the river lords who answer to House Tully. He is described as a great, fat oaf with short-cropped hair and a pig's face, and his behavior matches his appearance: he is quick to violence, slow of wit, and eager to prove his loyalty through brutality. When Catelyn Stark calls upon the Bracken men to help her seize Tyrion Lannister at the Crossroads Inn, Kurleket is among those who respond, and he becomes one of the guards assigned to the captive dwarf during the harrowing journey into the Mountains of the Moon.

Role in the Captivity of Tyrion Lannister

Throughout the journey, Kurleket distinguishes himself by his cruelty and his eagerness to harm the prisoner. When Tyrion makes a cutting remark about Littlefinger's boasts, Kurleket draws his dirk—a vicious piece of black iron—and offers to cut out the dwarf's tongue, asking Catelyn Stark, "Shall I bleed him, my lady?" Only her direct command prevents him from carrying out the mutilation. Later, when Tyrion points out the flaw in Littlefinger's story about the dagger, Kurleket grabs him by the hair, yanks his head back, and presses a knife to his throat, again restrained only by Catelyn's order. Tyrion, for his part, makes a point of learning Kurleket's name, marking him for future repayment: "A Lannister always pays his debts."

Death

Kurleket meets his end during the mountain clan attack on the high road. In the chaos of the battle, he is killed by a mace blow that smashes in his pig face. Tyrion later stumbles over his body and recognizes him, plucking the dirk from the dead man's fingers and sliding it through his own belt. Kurleket's death is swift and inglorious, a fitting end for a minor thug who served only as an instrument of violence. He is one of three men from Catelyn's party to die in the attack, along with Mohor and Tyrion's own servant Jyck.