Citadel

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Revision as of 02:46, 9 December 2013 by Melanie (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
File:Citadel.jpg
© Fantasy Flight Games
File:Sphinx.jpg
The Citadel gates are flanked by a pair of tall green sphinxes. © Fantasy Flight Games

The Citadel is a complex of buildings in Oldtown that serves as headquarters to the order of the Maesters. It is the place where they convene, study, and train new members. It is also the residence of the archmaesters. House Hightower played an integral role in the foundation of the Citadel and continue to be strong patrons of learning.[1]

The Citadel lies on the Honeywine, where its towers and domes are connected with arching stone bridges. Houses and stalls sit on the bridges.[2] The gates are flanked by a pair of tall green sphinxes with the bodies of lions, the wings of eagles and the tails of serpents. One has the face of a man, the other a woman.[3]

Inside the Citadel

Scribe's Hearth

Just inside the gates of the Citadel lies the Scribe's Hearth. Here, the citizens of Oldtown come to hire scribes, usually acolytes, to write and read letters for them. The scribes wait in open stalls for their custom. Other stalls situated at the Scribe's Hearth include those where books are bought and sold. Others offer maps.[3]

Weeping Dock

From this dock one can get a boat for a ride to the Bloody Isle. It is a short voyage.[3]

Seneschal's Court

Outside the Seneschal's Court lies where acolytes and novices are punished for minor crimes, such as petty thievery. Inside the doors is a hall with a stone floor and high, arched windows. At the far end of the hall there is a raised dais where a gatekeeper greets all those who wish to make an appointment to see the Seneschal.[3]

Isle of Ravens

The Isle of Ravens is linked to the eastern bank of the Honeywine by a weathered wooden drawbridge. On the island is located the Ravenry. It is the oldest building of the Citadel. In the Age of Heroes it was supposedly a stronghold of a pirate lord who picked off ships as they came downriver. The walls of the Ravenry are covered in moss and vines and within its yard sits a weirwood tree on which the ravens like to perch. The white raven rookery is located in the west tower.[3]

Quotes

"The world the Citadel is building has no place in it for sorcery or prophecy or glass candles, much less for dragons."

References and Notes