The Vale

This page has not yet been updated from the Age of the Dance of the Dragons. While everything is historically correct, it does not represent things as they currently are.

Location Details
Address: The Vale
Coordinates: Northeastern Westeros
Owner: House Arryn
Type: Kingdom Region
Wealth: Destitute - Opulent

The Vale of Arryn or the Vale is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. It was formerly a sovereign nation ruled by the Kings of Mountain and Vale before Aegon's Conquest. The Mountains of the Moon surround the smaller Vale proper, although the valley's name is often applied to all of House Arryn's realm.

The Vale is ruled by the Arryns from the castle known as the Eyrie. Notable houses of this region include Baelish, Belmore, Corbray, Egen, Grafton, Hersy, Hunter, Melcolm, Redfort, Royce, Templeton, and Waynwood. Bastards of noble origin raised in the Vale are given the surname Stone.

Locations of Importance

  • The Eyrie: The seat of House Arryn is a small castle by the standards of the great houses of Westeros. It’s composed of seven slender white stone towers bunched tightly together on the shoulder of the Giant’s Lance. The white towers stretch so high and sit at such a great elevation that the top of each is often hidden above the clouds. Seen from below, the Eyrie resembles a dissected beehive with its honeycomb of sky cells nestled beneath the slender white towers. Unlike most other castles in the Seven Kingdoms, the Eyrie has no need of kennels, or stables, or smithies. With such incredibly limited access to the outside world, the Eyrie really only needs to worry about its defenses and food supply. Its towers can house as many as five hundred fighting men, more than enough to defend the narrow stone stair that climbs up the Giant’s Lance to the Eyrie’s gates, and it contains a granary as large as that of Winterfell, giving it the ability to weather long sieges. In between the white towers is a splendid garden, a circle of grass and blue flowers, once intended to be a godswood. Built on the stone shoulder of the Giant’s Lance, the Eyrie’s soil is thin and rocky, and no matter how much rich, black soil was hauled up from the Vale below, the weirwoods planted here never took hold. Instead, the Lords of the Eyrie planted grass and flowering shrubbery and put in place a variety of statuary, including a weathered statue of the fabled Alyssa Arryn standing sentinel over the entirety of the garden, weeping for all eternity.
  • Bloody Gate: The Bloody Gate is a series of battlements placed across the mountainous Eastern Road as it winds its way into the Vale of Arryn from the Mountains of the Moon. The gate is built along a natural choke point where the road narrows significantly into a tight ravine, so that only a few people can walk abreast. There are two long parapets built into the stone of the mountains. The pass, narrow where it meets the gate, is watched over by twin watchtowers, which are joined by a covered bridge of grey stone that arches above the road. Archers are positioned atop the cliffs along the length of the narrow ravine, and train their aim on any who approach the gate.The Bloody Gate is commanded by the Knight of the Gate, a position appointed by the Lord of the Eyrie. The Knight asks all travelers to identify themselves with the traditional line, "Who would pass the Bloody Gate?"The Bloody Gate has been the primary defensive strongpoint of the Vale for thousands of years. According to myth, more than a dozen armies were destroyed trying to take it during the Age of Heroes.
  • Runestone: Runestone is a castle in the Vale of Arryn. It is the seat of House Royce, an ancient House once ruled the Vale as the "Bronze Kings" of the Vale before the Andal Invasion. House Royce are now one of the major vassal houses holding fealty to House Arryn of the Eyrie. The castle is located east of the Eyrie, on the coast of the Narrow Sea. It is north of the port-city Gulltown.
  • Ironoaks: the seat of House Waynwood, located east of the Eyrie on the coast of the Narrow Sea.
  • Baelish Keep: the seat of House Baelish, located northeast of the Eyrie on the smallest of The Fingers.
  • Redfort: a castle located southeast of the Eyrie.

People of the Vale

Great Ruling House of the Vale

Arryn

Major Houses of the Vale

BelmoreHunterSunderland

Minor Houses of the Vale

BorrellColdwaterCorbrayDonnigerEganEleshamGraftonHardyngHersyLongthorpeLynderlyMelcolmPryorRedfortRoyceRuthermontTollettTorrentUpcliffWaynewood

Landed Houses of the Vale

MooreShettTempletonWaxleyWydman

Mountain Clans of the Vale

Black EarsBurned MenMoon BrothersStone Crows

The Vale being mountainous means that it is easily defensible gives the people of the Vale some extra security above all others. This means however that fertile land is little but deep in the valleys of the mountains rich crops can be grown to rival the Riverlands. Majority of the wealth comes from the previous gems and ores that are mined from the many mountains that keep the the Vale near impassible. This also means that when Winter arrives that the Vale is hard to traverse if at all.

The people here must be hardy and self sufficient and are true Andals as the invasion of Westeros was started upon the Vale. There are hill tribes that offer further danger as they refuse to bow to the Lords of the Vale.

Bastards of the Vale are given the surname Stone.

House Arryn

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As High As Honor
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Great House
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The Vale
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Eyrie

The Arryns are one of the oldest lines of Andal nobility in the Seven Kingdoms. Tracing their lineage back six thousand years to Ser Artys Arryn, the Arryns have strived to exclusively marry other Andals, making theirs one of the purest lines in the Seven Kingdoms. The Their sigil is a sky blue falcon soaring against a white moon, on sky-blue.

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House Belmore

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Strongsong

The ancestral castle of House Belmore is called Strongsong and lies at the confluence of two rivers deep within the Mountains of the Moon, north of the Eyrie. Their sigil is six silver bells on purple - 3-2-1.

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House Borrell

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Sweetsister
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Breakwater Castle

Sweetsister is the outermost of a trio of islands in the Bite called the Three Sisters. House Borrell rules Sweetsister and is in turn sworn to House Sunderland. Their sigil is a white spider crab on grey-green.

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House Coldwater

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Coldwater Burn

The ancestral castle of House Coldwater is called Coldwater Burn, which lies at the mouth of the northernmost river in the snakewood where it meets the narrow sea in the Fingers. The Coldwaters are sworn to the Royces of Runestone. Their sigil is a blue pall with white borders on red.

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House Corbray

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Heart's Home

House Corbray’s seat is at the castle called Heart’s Home, located at the mouth of the southernmost river of the snakewood where it spills into the narrow sea. Heart’s Home is downriver from Strongsong and just east across the Vale from the Eyrie. The Corbray's have a Valyrian sword heirloom, Lady Forlorn. Their sigil is three black ravens in flight holding three hearts, on white.

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House Donniger

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Their sigil is a red sun rising from a grey-green sea against a yellow sky.

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House Egen

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House Egen has always served House Arryn and their arms boast that they will serve at all hours. Their sigil is a yellow sun, white crescent moon, and a silver star on blue chief above a white field.

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House Elesham

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The Paps

House Elesham rules the Paps, an island northeast of the Fingers in the Shivering Sea. Their sigil is a double-pile inverted, stone on pink, a black mullet between.

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House Grafton

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Gulltown

Gulltown is the only large town in the Vale of Arryn and is located on a sheltered harbor on the southeastern coast of the Vale on the Bay of Crabs. It sits just across the narrow sea from Braavos and is an important trading port for vessels traveling up or down the coast. A well-known song is sung about riding to see a fair maid in Gulltown. Their sigil is a burning tower in yellow, within a black pile, upon a flaming red field.

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House Hardyng

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Lance in Hand
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House Hardyng is a house of landed knights sworn to the Waynwoods of Ironoaks. Their sigil is a field of red and white diamonds.

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House Hersy

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Newkeep

Their sigil is a winged white chalice on a pink field.

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House Hunter

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Longbow Hall

The castle of House Hunter, Longbow Hall, rests near the narrow sea east of the Eyrie. Their sigil is five silver arrows, fanned, on a brown field.

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House Longthorpe

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Longsister

House Longthorpe calls Longsister, the westernmost isle of the Three Sisters, its home. Longthorpe is a vassal of House Sunderland. Their sigil is three circles center, leftmost is purple while the other two are green on a field of blue.

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House Lynderly

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Minor
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Snakewood
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Sunkenwood

The seat of House Lynderly is a castle called Sunkenwood on the coast of the narrow sea at the southern edge of the snakewood. Their sigil is a black field strewn with wriggling green serpents.

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House Melcolm

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Old Anchor

House Melcolm calls home their castle Old Anchor. Old Anchor is located northeast of Ironoaks Castle along the coast of the narrow sea. Their sigil is a rusty anchor on a turquoise field beneath a yellow chief with three blue plates.

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House Moore

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Their sigil is a three bronze spearheads on a white field with a bronze, embattled border.

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House Pryor

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Pebble

Pebble is an island north of the Fingers in the Bite and is the seat of House Pryor. Their sigil is a partial eclipse, black moon over yellow sun, on a dusty pink field.

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House Redfort

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As Strong as Stone
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Redfort

The ancestral castle of House Redfort, called the Redfort, is located in the southern part of the Vale of Arryn, just north of the Bay of Crabs and nestled into the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon. They are an old and noble house, and can trace their lineage to the First Men who served the Kings of Mountain and Vale before the Andals arrived. Their sigil is a red castle on a white field with a red, embattled border.

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House Royce

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Runestone

The ancestral castle of House Royce, Runestone, sits due north of Gulltown on the coast of the narrow sea. Their sigil is black iron studs on a bronze field, bordered with runes.

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House Ruthermont

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Their sigil is five black starfish on a gold pale, on pean.

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House Shett

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Gull Tower

House Shett calls Gull Tower its home near Gulltown. Their sigil is 3 golden wings, bendwise, on checkered white and black.

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House Sunderland

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Three Sisters

House Sunderland rules from Sisterton, the primary port of the Three Sisters, a trio of narrow islands in the Bite north of the Vale, and calls all Sistermen their sworn vassals. Their sigil is three women’s heads, white with black hair, on blue and green undy.

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House Templeton

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Ninestars

Their sigil is nine stars, one of seven points and the rest of six points, upon a gold saltire on black.

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House Tollett

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When All is Darkest
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Minor
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Grey Glen

Their sigil is pile grey and black.

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House Torrent

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Littlesister

House Torrent calls the middle isle of the Three Sisters, Littlesister, its home. House Torrent is a vassal house to House Sunderland. Their sigil is three circles center, the center circle is purple while the other two are green on a field of blue.

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House Upcliff

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Minor
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Their sigil is a cresting wave, sea green on a field of black.

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Noel Upcliff (b. 113)

House Waxley

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Light in Darkness
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Wickenden

House Waxley’s seat and castle, Wickenden, lies on the northwestern coast of the Bay of Crabs, across the water from Maidenpool. Their sigil is three candles, white with red flames, within silver candleholders on a grey field bordered in black.

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Ruslan Redwyne

House Waynwood

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Ironoaks Castle

The castle of House Waynwood, Ironoaks, lies almost due east of the Bloody Gate on the coast of the narrow sea. The Waynwoods have long been loyal to House Arryn, and they are a house built on ceremony and tradition. Their sigil is a black broken wheel on a field of green.

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House Wydman

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Right Conquers Might
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House Wydman is a knightly house of the Vale. Their arms refer to a tournament in which the founder of House Wydman defeated five knights from the greatest houses of the Vale and the Westerlands, including a Lannister of Casterly Rock. Their sigil is five splintered lances, three then two, striped blue and white with blue pennons, on a field of yellow, beneath a white chief bearing a red castle, a green viper, a black broken wheel, a purple unicorn and a golden lion.

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Mountain Clans of the Vale

Black Ears

The Black Ears are known for cutting the ears from their opponents and wearing them openly on a piece of rope strung around their necks. They try not to kill the men they take ears from as they say it’s a braver thing to leave a man alive so he might come to try to win his ears back. The Moon Brothers and the Black Ears have strong bonds with one another.

Burned Men

Burned Men are a sinister clan and are feared by all other clans as well. They mortify their flesh with fire when they come of age so they might prove their courage. A Burned Man typically burns off a finger or a nipple when coming to manhood, though the truly brave might choose an ear. The most fearsome of the Burned Men might burn out one of their own eyes, and for doing this he or she would be named a red hand of the Burned Men, a sort of chieftain. The scars of the Burned Men make them terrifying to behold in the combat and their complete silence as they kill is simply unnerving. They may rattle swords or slap spears against their shields before a battle, but they do not shout.

Moon Brothers

The Moon Brothers and the Black Ears have strong bonds with one another. The Moon Brothers are fierce and proud warriors.

Stone Crows

Mud covered fur cloaks and leaves and branches worn in their hair provide excellent camouflage in their mountain forests. An enemy of theirs rarely knows that they are under attack before it's too late. Capturing a clever crow is part of the coming of age of a Stone Crow. Its skull and feathers are worn thereafter. They also have a tradition of dismembering their weak enemies to feed their livestock and pets.

Smallfolk of the Vale

Maps & Images

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