#artasoiaf series

[szyszkasosnowa]

A series of portraits of the Targaryen dynasty by the renowned Braavosi painter Mateyko Yan

I got inspired by @nanshe-of-nina's artasoiaf series and I thought... huh... there's a set of drawings showing various kings that could work in this context...

(Sorry Polish followers for any brain damage you may get from this post)

Aegon the Conqueror with his sister-wife, Visenya (Rhaenys' portrait sadly was lost to time).

[Bolesław IV the Curly as Aegon and Anna Jagiellon as Visenya]

Maegor the Cruel

[Bolesław III Wrymouth]

Jaehaerys I and his sister-wife Good Queen Alysanne (Jaehaerys' portrait shows him by the end of their reign, while Alysanne is portrayed as a young queen).

[Mieszko III the Old and Richeza of Lotharingia]

Rhaenys Targaryen, the Queen who Never Was

[Doubravka of Bohemia]

Daemon the Rogue Prince (here portrayed with the coat of arms of the house Arryn; possibly during his stay in the Vale of Arryn as the husband of lady Rhea Royce)

[Leszek the White]

Viserys II

[Władysław II Jagiełło/ Jogaila]

Aegon IV the Unworthy

[Augustus III]

Maron Nymeros Martell, the ruling prince of Dorne, and his sister Myriah, the queen consort of Daeron II

[Władysław III of Varna and Jadwiga]

Baelor Breakspear, son of Daeron II

[Konrad I of Masovia]

Aerion Brightflame, son of Maekar I

[Władysław III Spindleshanks]

[nanshe-of-nina]

Warrior Women, part I

Alysanne Blackwood Then he boldly led the last of the royalist host against the approaching riverlanders, who were commanded by the young Lord Kermit Tully, the even-younger Benjicot Blackwood, and Blackwood’s sister Alysanne. When the Lord of Storm’s End learned that the host was led by boys and women, he grew confident in his victory, but Bloody Ben Blackwood, as he was remembered after, broke his flank, while Black Aly Blackwood led the archers who brought down his knights.

Danny Flint “Did Mance ever sing of Brave Danny Flint?” “Not as I recall. Who was he?” “A girl who dressed up like a boy to take the black. Her song is sad and pretty. What happened to her wasn’t.” In some versions of the song, her ghost still walked the Nightfort.

Jonquil Darke The slender mystery knight known only as the Serpent in Scarlet also had a great following; when finally defeated and unmasked, “he” proved to be a woman, Jonquil Darke, a bastard daughter of the Lord of Duskendale.

Melony Piper As the Lannisters of Casterly Rock were still reluctant to openly espouse Prince Aegon’s cause, his adherents gathered at Pinkmaiden Castle, seat of House Piper. Jon Piper, Lord of Pinkmaiden, had pledged his sword to the prince, but it was widely believed that it was his fiery sister Melony, Rhaena’s girlhood friend, who won him to the cause.

Jeyne Poore Their leader, the woman known as Poxy Jeyne Poore, continued to elude the king until at last she was betrayed by three of her own followers, who received pardons and knighthoods as their reward. Three septons traveling with His Grace declared Poxy Jeyne a witch, and Maegor ordered her to be burned alive in a field beside the Wendwater.

Xanda Qo The histories carved into the Talking Trees tell us that these “Years of Shame” endured for the better part of two centuries, until a warrior woman named Xanda Qo, Princess of Sweet Lotus Vale (who had herself been enslaved for a time), united all the islands under her rule and made an end to it.

Sabitha Vypren Lord Forrest [Frey] fought gallantly for the queen he had loved, until the Fishfeed, where he was amongst many lords and knights killed in the war’s bloodiest battle. His widow, Lady Sabitha of House Vypren, proved redoubtable for her courage and notorious for her lack of mercy. According to Mushroom, she was a “sharp-featured, sharp-tongued harridan of House Vypren, who would sooner ride than dance, wore mail instead of silk, and was fond of killing men and kissing women.”

Wenda the White Fawn Anguy would teach her to use a bow, and she could ride with Gendry and be an outlaw, like Wenda the White Fawn in the songs.

Wylla of Wyl It was Durran the Young, also known as the Butcher Boy, who dammed the river Slayne with Dornish corpses, after turning back Yore Yronwood and the warrior maid Wylla of Wyl in the Battle by the Bloody Pool …

Zhea At last the nomads, facing the extinction of their race, did what they had never done before. A thousand rival clans joined together and raised up a jhattar, a woman in man’s mail named Zhea. Known as Zhea the Barren, Zhea Zorseface, and Zhea the Cruel, and famed even then for her cunning, she is remembered to this day in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti, where mothers whisper her name to frighten unruly children into obedience.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Favourites of Rhaena Targaryen

Elissa Farman “The queen found her true love on Fair Isle,” Maester Smike wrote to the Citadel, “not with Androw, but with his sister, Lady Elissa.” Three years Androw’s elder, Elissa Farman shared her brother’s blue eyes and long flaxen hair, but elsewise she was as unlike him as a sibling could be. Sharp of wit and sharper of tongue, she loved horses, dogs, and hawks. She was a fine singer and a skilled archer, but her great love was sailing. “The Wind Our Steed” were the words of the Farmans of Fair Isle, who had sailed the western seas since the Dawn Age, and Lady Elissa embodied them.

Septa Maryam The queen’s own beloved Septa Edyth arrived to assume the place of Rhaena’s much lamented Septa Maryam.

Melony Piper As the Lannisters of Casterly Rock were still reluctant to openly espouse Prince Aegon’s cause, his adherents gathered at Pinkmaiden Castle, seat of House Piper. Jon Piper, Lord of Pinkmaiden, had pledged his sword to the prince, but it was widely believed that it was his fiery sister Melony, Rhaena’s girlhood friend, who won him to the cause.

Alayne Royce Princess Rhaena had many a suitor as well, but unlike her brother she gave encouragement to none of them. She preferred to spend her days with her siblings, her dogs and cats, and her newest favorite, Alayne Royce, daughter to the Lord of Runestone…a plump and homely girl, but so cherished that Rhaena sometimes took her flying on the back of Dreamfyre, just as she did her brother Aegon.

Cassella Staunton She found consolation in her ladies instead, in old friends like Samantha Stokeworth and Alayne Royce, and newer companions like her cousin Lianna Velaryon, Lord Staunton’s pretty daughter Cassella...

Samantha Stokeworth Then Septa Maryam sickened, and Alayne Royce, and even big, boisterous Sam Stokeworth, who liked to boast that she had never been sick a day in her life.

Larissa Velaryon Not long after, Rhaena made her first true friend in the person of her cousin Larissa Velaryon. For a time the two girls were inseparable…until Larissa was suddenly recalled to Driftmark to be wed to the second son of the Evenstar of Tarth.

Lianna Velaryon Lianna Velaryon died even as her uncle’s galleys were pushing off from Driftmark. Maester Anselm had purged her, bled her, and covered her with ice, all to no avail. She died in Rhaena Targaryen’s arms, convulsing as the queen wept bitter tears.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Companions and Ladies-in-Waiting of Good Queen Alysanne

Rosamund Ball Three other girls of noble birth made up the remainder of the company, one each from the Vale, the Stormlands, and the Reach: Jennis of House Templeton, Coryanne of House Wylde, and Rosamund of House Ball.

Ella Broome With her came her younger sister, Ella of House Broome, a modest maid whose name had briefly been offered as a match for Jaehaerys.

Lucinda Broome Prentys Tully, Lord of Riverrun, was summoned to court to serve as master of laws; with him came his redoubtable wife, the Lady Lucinda, far famed for her piety.

Prudence Celtigar Lord Celtigar’s daughters, so recently scorned by the Hand as being chinless, breastless, and witless, were included as well.

Prunella Celtigar In 55 AC she took particular pride in betrothals she arranged for two of the Wise Women who had served in her household since Dragonstone ... whilst Lady Prunella Celtigar was joined in marriage to Uther Peake, Lord of Starpike, Lord of Dunstonbury, and Lord of Whitegrove.

Jonquil Darke The slender mystery knight known only as the Serpent in Scarlet also had a great following; when finally defeated and unmasked, “he” proved to be a woman, Jonquil Darke, a bastard daughter of the Lord of Duskendale.

Mara Manderly ...and even a woman of the North, Mara Manderly, daughter to Lord Theomore of White Harbor.

Alarra Stark The women of Winterfell were taken by the queen’s charms as well, once they grew to know her; Her Grace became particularly close with Lord Alaric’s daughter, Alarra.

Jennis Templeton In 55 AC she took particular pride in betrothals she arranged for two of the Wise Women who had served in her household since Dragonstone: Lady Jennis Templeton would wed Lord Mullendore of Uplands...

Coryanne Wylde The lascivious details of the author’s erotic adventures need not concern us here. Our only interest is in the early part of her sordid tale, the story of her youth…for the alleged author of A Caution for Young Girls is none other than Coryanne Wylde, one of the girls sent to Dragonstone as a companion to the little queen.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Queens and Queens consort of the Seven Kingdoms

Alyssa Velaryon The Dragon and his sisters had been accepted without comment, and the issue had not arisen when Prince Aenys was wed in 22 AC to Alyssa Velaryon, the daughter of the king’s master of ships and lord admiral; though she was a Targaryen upon her mother’s side, this made her only a cousin.

Ceryse Hightower Ceryse was the daughter of Martyn Hightower, the Lord of Oldtown. She was advanced by her uncle, the High Septon, after he protested the betrothal of the thirteen-year-old Prince Maegor to Maegor’s newborn niece, Princess Rhaena. Ceryse and Maegor were married in 25 AC. The prince claimed to have consummated their marriage a dozen times on their wedding night, but no sons ever came of it. He soon grew tired of Ceryse’s failure to bear him an heir and began taking other brides. Ceryse died in 45 AC, taken by a sudden illness, though it is also rumored that she was killed at the king’s command.

Alys Harroway Alys was the daughter of Lucas Harroway, the new Lord of Harrenhal. A secret marriage took place in 39 AC, while Maegor was Hand, leading to Maegor’s exile to Pentos. Alys became queen after Maegor brought her back from Pentos. She was the first woman to become pregnant by the king in the year 48 AC, but she lost the babe soon after. What was expelled from her womb was a monstrosity, eyeless and twisted, and in his fury Maegor blamed and executed her midwives, septas, and the Grand Maester Desmond. Tyanna of the Tower convinced the king that the child was the product of Alys’s secret affairs, however, leading to the death of Queen Alys, her companions, her father and his Hand, the Lord Lucas, and every Harroway or Harroway kinsman King Maegor could discover between King’s Landing and Harrenhal.

Tyanna of Pentos Tyanna was the most feared of the brides of King Maegor. Rumored to have been the natural daughter of a Pentoshi magister, she had been a tavern dancer who rose up to become a courtesan. She was said to practice sorcery and alchemy. She was wed to the king in 42 AC, but their marriage bed was as barren as the rest. Called the king’s raven by some, she was feared for her ability to ferret out secrets and served as his mistress of whisperers. She eventually confessed her responsibility for the abominations that were born of Maegor’s seed, claiming she had poisoned his other brides. She was killed by Maegor’s own hand in 48 AC, her heart cut out with Blackfyre and thrown to his dogs.

Elinor Costayne Lady Elinor Costayne was the youngest of the three Black Brides, who had been married to Ser Theo Bolling, and had birthed him three children. Ser Theo had been arrested by the Kingsguard, accused of conspiring with Dowager Queen Alyssa Velaryon, and executed -- all on the same day. Elinor, now nineteen years of age, was summoned to marry Maegor two weeks later. Elinor became pregnant with Maegor’s child, and she birthed an eyeless child with small wings. Elinor would survive Maegor’s reign.

Rhaena Targaryen When Prince Aegon died in 43 AC, Rhaena became a widow. Rhaena took refuge on Fair Isle, under the protection of Lord Farman, who hid her and her daughters. It was Tyanna, one of Maegor’s queens, who found them. In 47 AC, Rhaena was forced to wed Maegor. When Rhaena learned that her youngest brother, Prince Jaehaerys, was claiming the throne for himself, she fled King’s Landing on her dragon Dreamfyre, stealing Blackfyre away as her king and husband slept, to join Jaehaerys’s cause.

Jeyne Westerling Tall and willowy, Lady Jeyne was a renowned beauty and had been wed to Lord Alyn Tarbeck, who died with the rebels at the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye.Jeyne was being courted by the son of the Lord of Casterly Rock when King Maegor I sent for her to be wed to him along with Lady Elinor Costayne and Princess Rhaena Targaryen in a single ceremony. In 47 AC she was with child, but three moons before the child was due her labor began, and from her womb came another stillborn monster. She did not survive the child for long.

Alysanne Targaryen For forty-six years, the Old King and Good Queen Alysanne were wed, and for the most part it was a happy marriage, with children and grandchildren aplenty. Two estrangements are recorded, but they did not last more than a year or two before the pair resumed their customary friendship. The Second Quarrel, however, is of note, as it was due to Jaehaerys’s decision in 92 AC to pass over his granddaughter Rhaenys— the daughter of his deceased eldest son and heir, Prince Aemon— in favor of bestowing Dragonstone and the place of heir apparent on his next eldest son, Baelon the Brave. Alysanne saw no reason why a man should be favored over a woman … and if Jaehaerys thought women of less use, then he would have no need of her. They reconciled in time, but the Old King outlived his beloved queen, and in his last years it was said that the grief of their parting hung over his court like a pall.

Aemma Arryn Some said that Daemon’s support for his brother in the Great Council was motivated by the belief he would be his brother’s heir. But in Viserys’s mind, he already had an heir: Rhaenyra, his sole daughter by his cousin, Queen Aemma of House Arryn.

Alicent Hightower Matters became more complicated when, with Ser Otto Hightower’s encouragement, King Viserys announced his intention to wed the Lady Alicent, Ser Otto’s daughter and the Old King’s former nursemaid. For the most part, the realm celebrated this union. Rhaenyra, secure in her place as heir, welcomed her father’s new bride, for they had long known one another at court.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of House Stark:

Sarra Stark: Daughter of Cregan Stark and Alysanne Blackwood.

Serena Stark: Daughter of Rickon Stark and Jeyne Manderly. Wife of Jon Umber and Edric Stark. Mother of Cregard, Torrhen, Aregelle, and Arrana Stark.

Aregelle Stark: Daughter of Edric and Serena Stark. Wife of Robard Cerwyn.

Arrana Stark: Daughter of Edric and Serena Stark. Wife of Osric Umber.

Lyarra Stark: Daughter of Rodrik Stark and Arya Flint. Wife of Rickard Stark. Mother of Brandon, Eddard, Lyanna, and Benjen Stark.

Lyanna Stark: Daughter of Rickard and Lyarra Stark.

Sansa Stark: Elder daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully.

Arya Stark: Younger daughter of Eddard Stark and Catelyn Tully.

[nanshe-of-nina]

The Daughters of Jaehaerys the Conciliator and Good Queen Alysanne Daella Targaryen Wed to Lord Rodrik Arryn in 80 AC, Daella died in childbed after delivering to him a daughter, Aemma.

Alyssa Targaryen Alyssa was wife to her brother Baelon the Brave; two of her sons would come to wear crowns.

Viserra Targaryen Viserra was betrothed to Lord Manderly of White Harbor only to die by mishap shortly afterward. A wild, high-spirited maid, she fell from a horse while racing drunkenly through the streets of King’s Landing.

Septa Maegelle Given to the Faith, Maegelle grew to be a septa known for her compassion and her gift for healing. She was the chief cause of the reconciliation of the Old King and Queen Alysanne in 94 AC, following the Second Quarrel. She nursed children afflicted with greyscale, but she became afflicted with the same illness and died in 96 AC.

Saera Targaryen Though given to the Faith as Maegelle was, Saera did not have Maegelle’s temperament. She ran away from the motherhouse where she was a novice and crossed the narrow sea. She was at Lys for a time, then Old Volantis, where she ended her days as the proprietor of a famous pleasure house.

Gael Targaryen, “the Winter Child” Simple-minded but sweet, Gael was most beloved of the queen. She disappeared from court in 99 AC, allegedly dying of a summer fever, but in fact she had drowned herself in the Blackwater after having been seduced and abandoned by a traveling singer, leaving her with nothing but a growing belly.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of House Martell:

Nymeria: Princess of Ny Sar. Wife of Mors Martell, Lord Uller, and Davos Dayne.

Meria Martell: Princess of Dorne during Aegon's Conquest. Mother of Nymor Martell.

Deria Martell: Princess of Dorne during the reign of Aenys I. Daughter of Nymor Martell.

Aliandra Martell: Princess of Dorne during the reign of Viserys I. Daughter of Qoren Martell and wife of Drazenko Rogare.

Mariah Martell: Wife of Daeron II Targaryen and mother of Baelor Breakspear, Aerys I, Rhaegel and Maekar I Targaryen.

Princess of Dorne: Lady of Sunspear during the reign of Aerys II. Mother of Doran, Elia, and Oberyn Martell.

Elia Martell: Daughter of the Princess of Dorne; wife of Rhaegar Targaryen; and mother of Rhaenys and Aegon Targaryen.

Arianne Martell: Daughter of Doran Martell and Mellario of Norvos.

[nanshe-of-nina]

House Tully Edmyn Tully So now the Riverlands rose against him, led by Lord Edmyn Tully of Riverrun. Summoned to the defense of Harrenhal, Tully declared for House Targaryen instead, raised the dragon banner over his castle, and rode forth with his knights and archers to join his strength to Aegon’s.

Grover Tully Lord Grover Tully spoke for Prince Viserys Targaryen over Laenor Velaryon as the successor to Jaehaerys I in the Great Council of 101 AC. When the Dance of the Dragons erupted in 129 AC, the old lord proved loyal to his principles and King Aegon II … but he was aged then, and bedridden, and his grandson Ser Elmo defied him and had the gates barred and the banners kept close.

Elmo Tully Later during the Dance, Ser Elmo Tully led the riverlords into battle at Second Tumbleton, but on the side of Queen Rhaenyra rather than King Aegon II, whom his grandsire had favored. The battle proved a victory— at least in part— and soon after, his grandfather finally died, and Ser Elmo became Lord of Riverrun.

Kermit Tully Lord Kermit brought the Tullys to the height of their power. Vital and bold, he fought tirelessly for Queen Rhaenyra, and her son, Prince Aegon, later King Aegon III. Lord Kermit was the chief commander of the host that descended on King’s Landing in the last days of the war, and he personally slew Lord Borros Baratheon in the final battle of the Dance of the Dragons.

Celia Tully Once again the king had to deal with the wounded pride and anger of the noble houses thus affronted, for Jaehaerys had been betrothed to Celia Tully, daughter of the Lord of Riverrun, and Shaera to Luthor Tyrell, the heir to Highgarden.

Hoster Tully Hoster Tully had always been a big man; tall and broad in his youth, portly as he grew older. Now he seemed shrunken, the muscle and meat melted off his bones. Even his face sagged. The last time Catelyn had seen him, his hair and beard had been brown, well streaked with grey. Now they had gone white as snow.

Brynden Tully During one of their louder quarrels, when Catelyn was eight, Lord Hoster had called Brynden “the black goat of the Tully flock.” Laughing, Brynden had pointed out that the sigil of their house was a leaping trout, so he ought to be a black fish rather than a black goat, and from that day forward he had taken it as his personal emblem.

Catelyn Tully She had been born a Tully, at Riverrun far to the south, on the Red Fork of the Trident. The godswood there was a garden, bright and airy, where tall redwoods spread dappled shadows across tinkling streams, birds sang from hidden nests, and the air was spicy with the scent of flowers.

Lysa Tully Her sister was two years the younger, yet she looked older now. Shorter than Catelyn, Lysa had grown thick of body, pale and puffy of face. She had the blue eyes of the Tullys, but hers were pale and watery, never still. Her small mouth had turned petulant. All that remained of her sister’s beauty was the great fall of thick auburn hair that cascaded to her waist.

Edmure Tully Ser Edmure Tully was a stocky young man with a shaggy head of auburn hair and a fiery beard. His breastplate was scratched and dented from battle, his blue-and-red cloak stained by blood and smoke.

[nanshe-of-nina]

The Sand Snakes Obara Sand Obara was the eldest Sand Snake, a big-boned woman near to thirty, with the close-set eyes and rat-brown hair of the Oldtown whore who’d birthed her. Beneath a mottled sandsilk cloak of dun and gold, her riding clothes were old brown leather, worn and supple. They were the softest things about her. On one hip she wore a coiled whip, across her back a round shield of steel and copper.

Nymeria Sand Nymeria Sand was five-and-twenty, and slender as a willow. Her straight black hair, worn in a long braid bound up with red-gold wire, made a widow’s peak above her dark eyes, just as her father’s had. With her high cheekbones, full lips, and milk-pale skin, she had all the beauty that her elder sister lacked.

Tyene Sand She was sitting cross-legged on a pillow beneath the raised dais where the high seats stood, but she rose as they entered, dressed in a clinging gown of pale blue samite with sleeves of Myrish lace that made her look as innocent as the Maid herself. In one hand was a piece of embroidery she had been working on, in the other a pair of golden needles. Her hair was gold as well, and her eyes were deep blue pools .

Sarella Sand “Throw the apple,” Alleras urged again. He was a comely youth, their Sphinx. All the serving wenches doted on him.

Elia Sand Elia Sand led the way, her black braid flying behind her as she raced across the dry, cracked plains and up into the hills.  The girl was mad for horses, which might be why she often smelled like one, to the despair of her mother.  Sometimes Arianne felt sorry for Ellaria.  Four girls, and every one of them her father’s daughter.  

Obella Sand “Elia and Obella have become the terror of the pools.”

Dorea Sand “Dorea stalks about knocking oranges off the trees with her morningstar…”

Loreza Sand … little Loreza, the youngest, only six years old.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of House Hightower Patrice Hightower The unexpected nature of the High Septon’s death in 44 AC aroused much suspicion, however, and whispers of murder persist to this day. Some believe His High Holiness was removed by his own brother, Ser Morgan Hightower, commander of the Warrior’s Sons in Oldtown. Others suspect Lord Martyn’s maiden aunt, the Lady Patrice Hightower, though their argument seems to rest upon the belief that poison is a woman’s weapon.

Ceryse Hightower Ceryse was the daughter of Martyn Hightower, the Lord of Oldtown. She was advanced by her uncle, the High Septon, after he protested the betrothal of the thirteen-year-old Prince Maegor to Maegor’s newborn niece, Princess Rhaena. Ceryse and Maegor were married in 25 AC. The prince claimed to have consummated their marriage a dozen times on their wedding night, but no sons ever came of it. He soon grew tired of Ceryse’s failure to bear him an heir and began taking other brides. Ceryse died in 45 AC, taken by a sudden illness, though it is also rumored that she was killed at the king’s command.

Alicent Hightower Matters became more complicated when, with Ser Otto Hightower’s encouragement, King Viserys announced his intention to wed the Lady Alicent, Ser Otto’s daughter and the Old King’s former nursemaid. For the most part, the realm celebrated this union. Rhaenyra, secure in her place as heir, welcomed her father’s new bride, for they had long known one another at court.

Malora Hightower “To be sure. Lord Leyton’s locked atop his tower with the Mad Maid, consulting books of spells. Might be he’ll raise an army from the deeps.”

Denyse Hightower Daughter of Leyton Hightower, wife of Ser Desmond Redwyne, and mother of Denys Redwyne.

Leyla Hightower Daughter of Leyton Hightower and wife of Ser Jon Cupps.

Alysanne Hightower Daughter of Leyton Hightower, wife of Ser Arthur Ambrose, and mother of Alyn Ambrose.

Lynesse Hightower “ I crowned Lynesse queen of love and beauty, and that very night went to her father and asked for her hand. I was drunk, as much on glory as on wine. By rights I should have gotten a contemptuous refusal, but Lord Leyton accepted my offer. We were married there in Lannisport, and for a fortnight I was the happiest man in the wide world.”

[nanshe-of-nina]

Houses of Dorne Martell Over the centuries that followed, their strength grew … but slowly, for then and now the lords of House Martell were renowned for their caution. Until the coming of Nymeria, no Dornishman would ever have counted them amongst the great powers of the country. Indeed, though surrounded by kings on every side, the Martells themselves never presumed to claim that title.

Blackmont More rebels soon appeared in the Vale and the Iron Islands, while a Dornishman naming himself the Vulture King gathered thousands of followers to stand against the Targaryens.

Dayne At the mouth of the Torrentine, House Dayne raised its castle on an island where that roaring, tumultuous river broadens to meet the sea. Legend says the first Dayne was led to the site when he followed the track of a falling star and there found a stone of magical powers. His descendants ruled over the western mountains for centuries thereafter as Kings of the Torrentine and Lords of Starfall.

Fowler “You know the Fowler words? Let Me Soar! That is all I ask of you. Let me soar, Uncle. I need no mighty host, only one sweet sister.”

Jordayne Elsewhere in the realm, the Allyrions, the Jordaynes, and the Santagars carved out holdings for themselves.

Manwoody If the ballads tell of brave skirmishes with cruel Dornishmen in the marches, it is largely to do with the lords of Blackmont and Kingsgrave, of Wyl and Skyreach.

Qorgyle Amongst those were the Ullers and the Qorgyles; the former raised a grim, stinking seat beside the sulfurous yellow waters of the Brimstone, whilst the latter established themselves amidst the dunes and deep sands, fortifying the only well for fifty leagues around.

Toland At Ghost Hill, the seat of House Toland atop the white chalk hill that overlooks the Sea of Dorne, Aegon saw the banner bearing the Toland ghost flying above the walls and received word that Lord Toland had sent out his champion to face him. Aegon slew the man with his sword, Blackfyre, only to learn that he was Lord Toland’s mad fool and that Lord Toland himself was gone with his household from the castle. In later days, the Tolands would take a new banner, showing a dragon biting its own tail, green on gold in memory of the motley of their brave fool.

Uller Half of the Ullers are half-mad, the saying went, and the other half are worse. Ellaria Sand was Lord Harmen’s natural daughter. She and her little ones had been locked away with the rest of the Sand Snakes. That would have made Lord Harmen wroth, and the Ullers were dangerous when wroth. Too dangerous, perhaps.

Yronwood Styling themselves the Bloodroyals, Lords of the Stone Way, Masters of the Green Hills, and High Kings of Dorne, the lords of House Yronwood in time ruled northern Dorne.

[nanshe-of-nina]

Women of House Blackwood Shiera Blackwood It appears that King Arlan briefly considered crowning his good-daughter Shiera, Roderick Blackwood’s eldest child, with his own son ruling at her side, but the riverlords spoke out against being ruled by a woman, and His Grace decided to add the riverlands to his own domains.

Agnes Blackwood Lord Tully abandoned Riverrun without a fight, fleeing with all his strength to join the host gathering at Raventree Hall under Lady Agnes Blackwood and her sons. But when Lady Agnes advanced upon the ironborn, her belligerent neighbor Lord Lothar Bracken fell upon her rear with all his strength and put her men to flight. Lady Agnes herself and two of her sons were captured and delivered to King Harwyn, who forced the mother to watch as he strangled her boys with his bare hands. Yet Lady Agnes did not weep if the tales are true. “I have other sons,” she told the King of the Iron Isles. “Raventree shall endure long after you and yours are cast down and destroyed. Your line shall end in blood and fire.”

Alysanne Blackwood Then he boldly led the last of the royalist host against the approaching riverlanders, who were commanded by the young Lord Kermit Tully, the even-younger Benjicot Blackwood, and Blackwood’s sister Alysanne. When the Lord of Storm’s End learned that the host was led by boys and women, he grew confident in his victory, but Bloody Ben Blackwood, as he was remembered after, broke his flank, while Black Aly Blackwood led the archers who brought down his knights. Lord Borros was defiant to the end, and the accounts claim he killed a dozen knights and slew Lords Darry and Mallister before he himself was slain by Kermit Tully.

Melantha Blackwood Wife of Lord Willam Stark and mother of Edwyle and Jocelyn Stark.

Melissa Blackwood Both younger and prettier than Lady Barba (albeit far less buxom), as well as more modest, Missy had a kind heart and generous nature that led even Queen Naerys herself— as well as the Dragonknight and Prince Daeron— to befriend her. During the five years of her “reign,” Missy bore the king three bastards, most notably the boy Brynden Rivers (born 175), later called Bloodraven.

Betha Blackwood Aegon V had married for love, taking to wife the Lady Betha Blackwood, the spirited (some say willful) daughter of the Lord of Raventree Hall, who became known as Black Betha for her dark eyes and raven hair. When they wed, in 220 AC, the bride was nineteen and Aegon twenty, so far down in the line of succession that the match provoked no opposition.

Alyssa Blackwood “Walder Frey’s fourth wife was a Blackwood, but kinship counts for no more than guest right at the Twins. I should like to bury Lucas beneath the tree, but the Freys have not yet seen fit to return his bones to me.”

Bethany Blackwood “Bethany is only eight. A gentle girl, full of laughter. She has never been more than a day’s ride from my hall.”

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Women of House Lannister:

Lelia Lannister: Wife of Harmund II Hoare and mother of Harmund III Hoare.

Tya Lannister: Wife of Gowen Baratheon.

Joanna Lannister: Daughter of Jason Lannister and Marla Prester; wife of Tywin Lannister; and mother of Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion Lannister.

Genna Lannister: Daughter of Tytos Lannister and Jeyne Marbrand; wife of Emmon Frey; and mother of Cleos, Lyonel, Tion, and Red Walder Frey.

Cersei Lannister: Daughter of Tywin and Joanna Lannister; wife of Robert Baratheon; and mother of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen Baratheon.

Lanna Lannister: Daughter of Damion Lannister and Shiera Crakehall and wife of Antario Jast.

Margot Lannister: Wife of Titus Peake.

Cerenna and Myrielle Lannister: Daughters of Stafford Lannister and Myranda Lefford.

Rosamund Lannister: Handmaiden of Myrcella Baratheon.

Janei Lannister: Daughter of Kevan Lannister and Dorna Swyft.

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Members of House Velaryon Valaena Velaryon He was the only son, and second child, of Aerion, Lord of Dragonstone, and Lady Valaena of House Velaryon, herself half-Targaryen on her mother’s side.

Alyssa Velaryon The Dragon and his sisters had been accepted without comment, and the issue had not arisen when Prince Aenys was wed in 22 AC to Alyssa Velaryon, the daughter of the king’s master of ships and lord admiral; though she was a Targaryen upon her mother’s side, this made her only a cousin.

Corlys Velaryon The Sea Snake was named for Ser Corlys Velaryon, the first Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, but his fame did not come from his skill with sword and lance and shield but for his voyages across the seas of the world, seeking new horizons.

Laenor Velaryon One objection was raised: Laenor Velaryon was now nineteen years of age yet had never shown any interest in women. Instead he surrounded himself with handsome squires of his own age and was said to prefer their company. But Grand Maester Mellos dismissed this concern out of hand. “What of it?” he is supposed to have said. “I am not fond of fish, but when fish is served, I eat it.”

Laena Velaryon A fiery young maiden, freshly flowered, Lady Laena had inherited the beauty of a true Targaryen from her mother Rhaenys and a bold, adventurous spirit from her father the Sea Snake. As he had loved to sail, Laena loved to fly, and had claimed for her own no less a mount than mighty Vhagar.

Addam Velaryon Among these new dragonriders was Addam of Hull— a brave and noble youth who was brought by his mother, Marilda of Hull, to try for a dragon along with his brother Alyn. She revealed that the boys were the sons of Laenor Velaryon— a fact that many found remarkable, but which Lord Corlys did not question when he adopted them both into House Velaryon.

Alyn Velaryon In the end, the Hand convinced the regents to dispatch Oakenfist to the Westerlands to deal with the Red Kraken’s longships when Lord Dalton Greyjoy refused to give up his prizes and cease his reaving. This was a perilous journey, intended almost certainly to result in Lord Alyn’s defeat or death. Instead, Oakenfist turned it into the first of his six great voyages.

Daenaera Velaryon Lady Daenaera was a cousin to Alyn Oakenfist, fathered by his cousin Daeron, who died fighting for him in the Stepstones. A surpassingly beautiful child, Daenaera was but six when the princesses Rhaena and Baela presented her to the king— the last of a thousand maids who had been presented him at the great ball of 133 AC.

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the women of the war of the five kings, part I

based on an idea by @theoden