A Game of Thrones (112 page)

The youngest of the Great Houses, born during the Wars of Conquest. Its founder, Orys Baratheon, was rumored to be Aegon the Dragon’s bastard brother. Orys rose through the ranks to become one of Aegon’s fiercest commanders. When he defeated and slew Argilac the Arrogant, the last Storm King, Aegon rewarded him with Argilac’s castle, lands, and daughter. Orys took the girl to bride, and adopted the banner, honors, and words of her line. The Baratheon sigil is a crowned stag, black, on a golden field. Their words are
Ours is the Fury
.

KING ROBERT BARATHEON, the First of His Name,

—his wife, QUEEN CERSEI, of House Lannister,
—their children:

—PRINCE JOFFREY, heir to the Iron Throne, twelve,
—PRINCESS MYRCELLA, a girl of eight,
—PRINCE TOMMEN, a boy of seven,

—his brothers:

—STANNIS BARATHEON, Lord of Dragonstone,

—his wife, LADY SELYSE of House Florent,
—their daughter, SHIREEN, a girl of nine,

—RENLY BARATHEON, Lord of Storm’s End,

—his small council:

—GRAND MAESTER PYCELLE,
—LORD PETYR BAELISH, called LITTLEFINGER, master of coin,
—LORD STANNIS BARATHEON, master of ships,
—LORD RENLY BARATHEON, master of laws,
—SER BARRISTAN SELMY, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard,
—VARYS, a eunuch, called the Spider, master of whisperers,

—his court and retainers:

—SER ILYN PAYNE, the King’s Justice, a headsman,
—SANDOR CLEGANE, called the Hound, sworn shield to Prince Joffrey,
—JANOS SLYNT, a commoner, commander of the City Watch of King’s Landing,
—JALABAR XHO, an exile prince from the Summer Isles,
—MOON BOY, a jester and fool,
—LANCEL and TYREK LANNISTER, squires to the king, the queen’s cousins,
—SER ARON SANTAGAR, master-at-arms,

—his Kingsguard:

—SER BARRISTAN SELMY, Lord Commander,
—SER JAIME LANNISTER, called the Kingslayer,
—SER BOROS BLOUNT,
—SER MERYN TRANT,
—SER ARYS OAKHEART,
—SER PRESTON GREENFIELD,
—SER MANDON MOORE,

The principal houses sworn to Storm’s End are Selmy, Wylde, Trant, Penrose, Errol, Estermont, Tarth, Swann, Dondarrion, Caron.

The principal houses sworn to Dragonstone are Celtigar, Velaryon, Seaworth, Bar Emmon, and Sunglass.

The Starks trace their descent from Brandon the Builder and the ancient Kings of Winter. For thousands of years they ruled from Winterfell as Kings in the North, until Torrhen Stark, the King Who Knelt, chose to swear fealty to Aegon the Dragon rather than give battle. Their blazon is a grey direwolf on an ice-white field. The Stark words are
Winter Is Coming
.

EDDARD STARK, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North,

—his wife, LADY CATELYN, of House Tully,
—their children:

—ROBB, the heir to Winterfell, fourteen years of age,
—SANSA, the eldest daughter, eleven,
—ARYA, the younger daughter, a girl of nine,
—BRANDON, called Bran, seven,
—RICKON, a boy of three,

—his bastard son, JON SNOW, a boy of fourteen,
—his ward, THEON GREYJOY, heir to the Iron Islands,
—his siblings:

—{BRANDON}, his elder brother, murdered by the command of Aerys II Targaryen,
—{LYANNA}, his younger sister, died in the mountains of Dorne,
—BENJEN, his younger brother, a man of the Night’s Watch,

—his household:

—MAESTER LUWIN, counsellor, healer, and tutor,
—VAYON POOLE, steward of Winterfell,

—JEYNE, his daughter, Sansa’s closest friend,

—JORY CASSEL, captain of the guard,

—HALLIS MOLLEN, DESMOND, JACKS, PORTHER, QUENT, ALYN, TOMARD, VARLY, HEWARD, CAYN, WYL, guardsmen,

—SER RODRIK CASSEL, master-at-arms, Jory’s uncle,

—BETH, his young daughter,

—SEPTA MORDANE, tutor to Lord Eddard’s daughters,
—SEPTON CHAYLE, keeper of the castle sept and library,
—HULLEN, master of horse,

—his son, HARWIN, a guardsman,
—JOSETH, a stableman and horse trainer,

—FARLEN, kennelmaster,
—OLD NAN, storyteller, once a wet nurse,

—HODOR, her great-grandson, a simpleminded stableboy,

—GAGE, the cook,
—MIKKEN, smith and armorer,

—his principal lords and bannermen,

—SER HELMAN TALLHART,
—RICKARD KARSTARK, Lord of Karhold,
—ROOSE BOLTON, Lord of the Dreadfort,
—JON UMBER, called the Greatjon,
—GALBART AND ROBETT GLOVER,
—WYMAN MANDERLY, Lord of White Harbor,
—MAEGE MORMONT, the Lady of Bear Island,

The principal houses sworn to Winterfell are Karstark, Umber, Flint, Mormont, Hornwood, Cerwyn, Reed, Manderly, Glover, Tallhart, Bolton.

Fair-haired, tall, and handsome, the Lannisters are the blood of Andal adventurers who carved out a mighty kingdom in the western hills and valleys. Through the female line they claim descent from Lann the Clever, the legendary trickster of the Age of Heroes. The gold of Casterly Rock and the Golden Tooth has made them the wealthiest of the Great Houses. Their sigil is a golden lion upon a crimson field. The Lannister words are
Hear Me Roar!

TYWIN LANNISTER, Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, Shield of Lannisport,

—his wife, {LADY JOANNA}, a cousin, died in childbed,
—their children:

—SER JAIME, called the Kingslayer, heir to Casterly Rock, a twin to Cersei,
—QUEEN CERSEI, wife of King Robert I Baratheon, a twin to Jaime,
—TYRION, called the Imp, a dwarf,

—his siblings:

—SER KEVAN, his eldest brother,

—his wife, DORNA, of House Swyft,
—their eldest son, LANCEL, squire to the king,
—their twin sons, WILLEM and MARTYN,
—their infant daughter, JANEI,

—GENNA, his sister, wed to Ser Emmon Frey,

—their son, SER CLEOS FREY,
—their son, TION FREY, a squire,

—{SER TYGETT}, his second brother, died of a pox,

—his widow, DARLESSA, of House Marbrand,
—their son, TYREK, squire to the king,

—{GERION}, his youngest brother, lost at sea,

—his bastard daughter, JOY, a girl of ten,

—their cousin, SER STAFFORD LANNISTER, brother to the late Lady Joanna,

—his daughters, CERENNA and MYRIELLE,
—his son, SER DAVEN LANNISTER,

—his counselor, MAESTER CREYLEN,
—his chief knights and lords bannermen:

—LORD LEO LEFFORD,
—SER ADDAM MARBRAND,
—SER GREGOR CLEGANE, the Mountain That Rides,
—SER HARYS SWYFT, father by marriage to Ser Kevan,
—LORD ANDROX BRAX,
—SER FORLEY PRESTER,
—SER AMORY LOACH,
—VARGO HOAT, of the Free City of Qohor, a sellsword,

Principal houses sworn to Casterly Rock are Payne, Swyft, Marbrand, Lydden, Banefort, Lefford, Crakehall, Serrett, Broom, Clegane, Prester, and Westerling.

The Arryns are descended from the Kings of Mountain and Vale, one of the oldest and purest lines of Andal nobility. Their sigil is the moon-and-falcon, white, upon a sky-blue field. The Arryn words are
As High As Honor
.

{JON ARRYN}, Lord of the Eyrie, Defender of the Vale, Warden of the East, Hand of the King, recently deceased,

—his first wife, {LADY JEYNE, of House Royce}, died in childbed, her daughter stillborn,
—his second wife, {LADY ROWENA, of House Arryn}, his cousin, died of a winter chill, childless,
—his third wife and widow, LADY LYSA, of House Tully,

—their son:
—ROBERT ARRYN, a sickly boy of six years, now Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale,

—their retainers and household:

—MAESTER COLEMON, counselor, healer, and tutor,
—SER VARDIS EGEN, captain of the guard,
—SER BRYNDEN TULLY, called the Blackfish, Knight of the Gate and uncle to Lady Lysa,
—LORD NESTOR ROYCE, High Steward of the Vale,

—SER ALBAR ROYCE, his son,
—MYA STONE, a bastard girl in his service,

—LORD EON HUNTER, suitor to Lady Lysa,
—SER LYN CORBRAY, suitor to Lady Lysa,

—MYCHEL REDFORT, his squire,

—LADY ANYA WAYNWOOD, a widow,

—SER MORTON WAYNWOOD, her son, suitor to Lady Lysa,
—SER DONNEL WAYNWOOD, her son,

—MORD, a brutal gaoler,

The principal houses sworn to the Eyrie are Royce, Baelish, Egen, Waynwood, Hunter, Redfort, Corbray, Belmore, Melcolm, and Hersy.

The Tullys never reigned as kings, though they held rich lands and the great castle at Riverrun for a thousand years. During the Wars of Conquest, the riverlands belonged to Harren the Black, King of the Isles. Harren’s grandfather, King Harwyn Hardhand, had taken the Trident from Arrec the Storm King, whose ancestors had conquered all the way to the Neck three hundred years earlier, slaying the last of the old River Kings. A vain and bloody tyrant, Harren the Black was little loved by those he ruled, and many of the river lords deserted him to join Aegon’s army. First among those was Edmyn Tully of Riverrun. When Harren and his line perished in the burning of Harrenhal, Aegon rewarded House Tully by raising Lord Edmyn to dominion over the lands of the Trident and requiring the other river lords to swear him fealty. The Tully sigil is a leaping trout, silver, on a field of rippling blue and red. The Tully words are
Family, Duty, Honor
.