Difference between revisions of "Pyke"

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:''This article is about the castle in the Iron Islands. For the island, see [[Pyke (island)]]. "Pyke" is also a traditional [[bastardy|bastard]] surname.''
 
:''This article is about the castle in the Iron Islands. For the island, see [[Pyke (island)]]. "Pyke" is also a traditional [[bastardy|bastard]] surname.''
  
'''Pyke''' is a castle located on [[Pyke (island)|the island of the same name]], which is one of the eight major [[Iron Islands]]. It is the seat of [[House Greyjoy]], whose lord is known as the [[Lord Reaper of Pyke]]. The Greyjoys have been rulers of the Iron Islands since [[Aegon's Conquest]]. The Greyjoys claim the island is named after the castle.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}}
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'''Pyke''' is a castle located on [[Pyke (island)|the island of the same name]], which is one of the eight major [[Iron Islands]]. It is the seat of [[House Greyjoy]], whose lord is known as the [[Lord Reaper of Pyke]]. The Greyjoys have been [[Lords of the Iron Islands]] since [[Aegon's Conquest]]. The Greyjoys claim the island is named after the castle.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}}
  
==The Castle==
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==Household==
 +
The household for [[Balon Greyjoy]], [[Lord of the Iron Islands]], includes [[Helya]], who keeps the castle,{{ref|ACOK|11}} Maester [[Wendamyr]],{{ref|ASOS|Appendix}} and [[Dagmer Cleftjaw]], the master-at-arms.{{ref|AWOIAF| Dagmer}} The late [[Sylas]] served as steward.{{ref|ACOK|11}} Guards wear black iron breastplates and pothelms,{{ref|ACOK|11}} and [[thrall]]s act as servants.{{ref|ACOK|24}}
 +
 
 +
==Layout==
 
:''See also: [[:Category:Images of Pyke|Images of Pyke]]''
 
:''See also: [[:Category:Images of Pyke|Images of Pyke]]''
Pyke is an ancient stronghold. It was originally built on a cliff jutting out into the sea, but over time the cliff has eroded, leaving the castle's towers standing on series of small, barren rock stacks, surrounded by water. Since there is no safe anchorage at Pyke, those who wish to travel there have to sail to nearby [[Lordsport]].  
+
Ancient Pyke was originally built on a cliff jutting out into the sea, but over time the cliff has eroded, leaving the castle's keeps and towers standing on three barren islands and a dozen small stacks of rock, surrounded by water. The towers are connected by swaying rope bridges. The keep, its towers, and walls are made of the same grey-black stone of which the rest of the island is composed. In the thousands of years the castle has stood, it has become covered with green lichen. Since there is no safe anchorage at Pyke, ships sail to nearby [[Lordsport]].{{ref|ACOK|11}}
  
The towers are connected by swaying rope bridges. The keep, its towers, walls and bridges are made of the same grey-black stone of which the rest of the island is composed. In the thousands of years the keep has stood, it has become covered with green lichen. A curtain wall encloses the headland of fifty acres and the cliffs around the foot of the wide stone bridge which extended out to the largest islet. The stables, kennels and livestock are located on the headland. The Great Keep, Kitchen Keep and the Bloody Keep each sit on their own islands. Towers and outbuildings are located on stacks beyond them, linked to each other by covered archways where the pillars stood close and by long, swaying walks of wood and rope when they did not.{{Ref|aCoK|11}} To get to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges, the last of which is made of rope.{{Ref|aCOK|11}}
+
A curtain wall encloses the headland of fifty acres and the cliffs around the foot of the wide stone bridge which extend out to the largest islet. The stables, kennels and livestock are located on the headland. The Great Keep, the Kitchen Keep, and the Guest Keep each sit on their own islands. Towers and outbuildings are located on stacks beyond them, linked to each other by covered archways where the pillars stood close and by long, swaying walks of wood and rope when they did not.{{Ref|aCoK|11}}
  
* The '''Great Keep''' is massive and caps the largest islet. It is connected to the Bloody Keep by a covered stone walkway. Its long smoky hall contains the [[Seastone Chair]].{{ref|ACOK|24}}
+
* The Great Keep is massive and caps the largest islet. It is connected to the mainland by the great stone bridge and to the Bloody Keep by a covered stone walkway.{{ref|ACOK|11}} The long, smoky Great Hall contains the [[Seastone Chair]].{{ref|ACOK|24}}
  
* The '''Bloody Keep'''{{ref|ACOK|11}} or Guest Keep{{ref|ACOK|24}} is one of the largest sections of the castle. It lies on its own island, further out than the Great Keep. Its halls are larger and better furnished. It received its name a thousand years ago when the sons of the river king, [[Bernarr II Justman]],{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns}} were slaughtered within it and their pieces returned to their father on the mainland.{{ref|ACOK|11}} To get to the Great Keep one must use a covered stone walkway.{{Ref|aCOK|11}}
+
* The Guest Keep{{ref|ACOK|24}} or Bloody Keep{{ref|ACOK|11}} is one of the largest sections of the castle. It lies on its own island, further out than the Great Keep. Its halls are larger and better furnished, with some suites having high and gloomy ceilings. The Bloody Keep received its name a thousand years ago when the sons of the river king, [[Bernarr II Justman]],{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns}} were slaughtered within it and their pieces returned to their father on the mainland.{{ref|ACOK|11}} To get to the Great Keep one must use a covered stone walkway.{{Ref|aCOK|11}}
  
* The '''Kitchen Keep''' sits on its own island. It lies further out from the mainland than the Great Keep.{{Ref|aCoK|11}}
+
* The Kitchen Keep sits on its own island. It lies further out from the mainland than the Great Keep.{{Ref|aCoK|11}} Dishes include fish stews, black bread, spiceless goat, and onion pie.{{ref|AGOT|24}} [[Ale]], mead, and [[wine]] are served at Pyke.{{ref|ACOK|11}}{{ref|ACOK|24}}
  
* The '''Sea Tower''' rises from the outermost island at the far reaches of the island. It is the oldest part of the castle, and is round and tall. The base of the tower is white from centuries of salt spray and is crooked. To get from the Great Keep to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges. The tower contains the solar of Lord Greyjoy.{{ref|ACOK|24}}
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* The Sea Tower rises from the outermost stack, which is sheer and crooked. It is the oldest part of the castle, round and tall. The base of the tower is white from centuries of salt spray, the upper stories are green with lichen, and the top is black with soot from nightfires. To get to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges, the last of which is made of rope. The tower's door is moldy grey wood with rusted iron studs. Twisting stairs lead to the damp and drafty solar of Lord Greyjoy, which is warmed by a brazier.{{Ref|ACOK|11}}{{ref|ACOK|24}}
  
* The '''gatehouse''' is separated from the Great Keep by a high bridge.{{ref|ACOK|11}} The walls of Pyke run in a crescent moon from cliff to cliff, with the gatehouse providing entry, located in the center portion of the wall and including an iron portcullis<ref name=RPG/> to provide additional protection should the wall be attacked. There are three towers to either side; the southernmost tower is new, made of a paler grey stone, after the old southern tower had been destroyed during [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]] when King [[Robert I Baratheon]] breached the walls.{{Ref|aCoK|11}}
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* The gatehouse is separated from the Great Keep by the high bridge.{{ref|ACOK|11}} The walls of Pyke run in a crescent moon from cliff to cliff, with the gatehouse providing entry, located in the center portion of the wall and including an iron portcullis<ref name=RPG/> to provide additional protection should the wall be attacked. There are three towers to either side; the southernmost tower is new, made of a paler grey stone, after the old southern tower had been destroyed during [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]] when King [[Robert I Baratheon]] breached the walls.{{Ref|aCoK|11}}
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
+
===Antiquity===
 
Pyke is so old that its original builders and lords are unknown.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}} The castle was once larger and located on the [[Pyke (island)|island of Pyke]], but unstable earth led to some portions of the cliff falling into the sea. The surviving structures are built upon stone stacks.{{ref|TWOIAF| Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}}{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}}
 
Pyke is so old that its original builders and lords are unknown.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}} The castle was once larger and located on the [[Pyke (island)|island of Pyke]], but unstable earth led to some portions of the cliff falling into the sea. The surviving structures are built upon stone stacks.{{ref|TWOIAF| Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men}}{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Pyke}}
  
King [[Qhored I Hoare]] murdered the sons of King [[Bernarr II Justman]] at Pyke while they were his hostages.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns}}
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[[Qhored I Hoare]], [[King of the Iron Islands]], murdered the sons of [[Bernarr II Justman]], [[King of the Trident]], at Pyke while they were his hostages.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Riverlands}}{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns}}
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 +
===Iron Throne===
 +
In the aftermath of [[Aegon's Conquest]], [[Vickon Greyjoy]], [[Lord Reaper of Pyke]], became the new [[Lord of the Iron Islands]], ruling from the [[Seastone Chair]] at Pyke.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: The Greyjoys of Pyke}}
 +
 
 +
Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]] killed Pyke's maester after the man failed to heal his brother [[Urrigon Greyjoy|Urrigon]],{{ref|AFFC|1}} although Balon then requested another maester from the [[Citadel]],{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: The Old Way and the New}} possibly [[Qalen]]. Balon's youngest surviving brother, [[Aeron Greyjoy|Aeron]], sang reaving songs atop the Great Keep's tables.{{ref|ACOK|11}}  
  
In the aftermath of the [[War of Conquest]], Lord [[Vickon Greyjoy]] became the new Lord of the Iron Islands, ruling from the [[Seastone Chair]] at Pyke.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Iron Islands: The Greyjoys of Pyke}}
+
During [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]], the [[siege of Pyke]] was the final battle. King [[Robert I Baratheon]], along with Lord [[Eddard Stark]], mustered thousands of men and invaded the island of Pyke thorough [[Lordsport]]. They captured the castle after bringing down the southern part of the outer wall of Pyke using siege engines.{{ref|ACOK|11}}{{ref|ACOK|12}} [[Theon Greyjoy|Theon]], the last surviving son of Lord Balon, was taken from Pyke to Winterfell as a hostage by Lord Stark.
  
During [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]], the [[siege of Pyke]] was the final battle. King [[Robert I Baratheon]], along with Lord [[Eddard Stark]], mustered thousands of men and invaded the island of Pyke thorough [[Lordsport]]. They captured the castle after bringing down the southern part of the outer wall of Pyke using siege engines.
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Having had two sons, [[Maron Greyjoy|Maron]] and [[Rodrik Greyjoy|Rodrik]], killed in the rebellion and Theon taken away, Balon's wife, [[Alannys Harlaw]], brought five boys to Pyke as wards. One of them, [[Tristifer Botley]], was sent to [[Blacktyde]] after Maester [[Qalen]] found him kissing Lord Balon's daughter, [[Asha Greyjoy]].{{ref|AFFC|11}} After wandering the halls of Pyke in search of her dead sons, Alannys now lives with her brother, Lord [[Rodrik Harlaw]], at [[Ten Towers]], which is less raw than Pyke.{{ref|ACOK|11}} Asha has felt more at home at Ten Towers than at Pyke.{{ref|AFFC|11}}
  
 
==Recent Events==
 
==Recent Events==
 
===''A Clash of Kings''===
 
===''A Clash of Kings''===
[[Theon Greyjoy]] returns to Pyke for the first time since being taken away as a child after [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]]. Instead of staying in the Sea Tower, where he slept as a child, Theon is given a suite in the Bloody Keep.{{ref|ACOK|11}} From the [[Seastone Chair]], Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]] hosts a feast for his assembled captains. He then discusses his plans for independence and invading the [[north]] with his family in the solar of the Sea Tower.{{ref|ACOK|24}}
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[[Raven]]s are sent from [[Riverrun]] and [[Seagard]] to Pyke informing Lord [[Balon Greyjoy]] that his son, [[Theon Greyjoy|Theon]], is being sent as an envoy of [[Robb Stark]], [[King in the North]], but there is no reply.{{ref|ACOK|11}}
 +
 
 +
Theon returns to Pyke for the first time since being taken away as a child after [[Greyjoy's Rebellion]]. Instead of an honor guard led by [[Dagmer]], Theon is escorted from [[Lordsport]] to Pyke by his uncle, [[Aeron Greyjoy|Aeron Damphair]].{{ref|ACOK|11}} Instead of staying in the Sea Tower, where he slept as a child, Theon is given a suite in the Bloody Keep. Within the Sea Tower, Balon rejects Robb's offer of alliance.{{ref|ACOK|11}}  
 +
 
 +
From the [[Seastone Chair]], Greyjoy hosts a feast in the Great Keep for his assembled captains. He then discusses his plans for independence and invading the [[north]] with his family in the solar of the Sea Tower.{{ref|ACOK|24}}
  
 
===''A Storm of Swords''===
 
===''A Storm of Swords''===
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===''A Feast for Crows''===
 
===''A Feast for Crows''===
When Euron Crow's Eye summons the [[ironborn]] captains to Pyke to pay homage to their new king, his brother [[Aeron Greyjoy]] instead calls for a [[kingsmoot]] on [[Old Wyk]].{{ref|AFFC|1}} Despite the efforts of Aeron, Euron is confirmed king at the gathering.{{ref|AFFC|19}}
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Euron Crow's Eye has Maester [[Wendamyr]] summon the [[ironborn]] captains to Pyke to pay homage to their new king, but his brother Aeron instead calls for a [[kingsmoot]] on [[Old Wyk]].{{ref|AFFC|1}} Despite the efforts of Aeron, Euron is confirmed king at the gathering.{{ref|AFFC|19}}
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 +
==Quotes==
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{{quote|All that remained were three bare and barren islands and a dozen towering stacks of rock that rose from the water like the pillars of some sea god's temple, while the angry waves foamed and crashed among them.{{ref|ACOK|11}}}} - thoughts of [[Theon Greyjoy]]
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 +
 
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{{quote|It is as if I were a stranger here, Theon thought. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.{{ref|ACOK|11}}}} - thoughts of [[Theon Greyjoy]]
  
 
==Chapters that take place at Pyke==
 
==Chapters that take place at Pyke==

Revision as of 17:28, 18 September 2017

Pyke
Castle, regional capital
Pyke is located in The Iron Islands
Pyke
Pyke (The Iron Islands)
Location Iron Islands
Government House Greyjoy
Religion Drowned God
Pyke by Rene Aigner©
Pyke by Abe Papakhian©
Pyke by Feliche©
This article is about the castle in the Iron Islands. For the island, see Pyke (island). "Pyke" is also a traditional bastard surname.

Pyke is a castle located on the island of the same name, which is one of the eight major Iron Islands. It is the seat of House Greyjoy, whose lord is known as the Lord Reaper of Pyke. The Greyjoys have been Lords of the Iron Islands since Aegon's Conquest. The Greyjoys claim the island is named after the castle.[1]

Household

The household for Balon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, includes Helya, who keeps the castle,[2] Maester Wendamyr,[3] and Dagmer Cleftjaw, the master-at-arms.[4] The late Sylas served as steward.[2] Guards wear black iron breastplates and pothelms,[2] and thralls act as servants.[5]

Layout

See also: Images of Pyke

Ancient Pyke was originally built on a cliff jutting out into the sea, but over time the cliff has eroded, leaving the castle's keeps and towers standing on three barren islands and a dozen small stacks of rock, surrounded by water. The towers are connected by swaying rope bridges. The keep, its towers, and walls are made of the same grey-black stone of which the rest of the island is composed. In the thousands of years the castle has stood, it has become covered with green lichen. Since there is no safe anchorage at Pyke, ships sail to nearby Lordsport.[2]

A curtain wall encloses the headland of fifty acres and the cliffs around the foot of the wide stone bridge which extend out to the largest islet. The stables, kennels and livestock are located on the headland. The Great Keep, the Kitchen Keep, and the Guest Keep each sit on their own islands. Towers and outbuildings are located on stacks beyond them, linked to each other by covered archways where the pillars stood close and by long, swaying walks of wood and rope when they did not.[2]

  • The Great Keep is massive and caps the largest islet. It is connected to the mainland by the great stone bridge and to the Bloody Keep by a covered stone walkway.[2] The long, smoky Great Hall contains the Seastone Chair.[5]
  • The Guest Keep[5] or Bloody Keep[2] is one of the largest sections of the castle. It lies on its own island, further out than the Great Keep. Its halls are larger and better furnished, with some suites having high and gloomy ceilings. The Bloody Keep received its name a thousand years ago when the sons of the river king, Bernarr II Justman,[6] were slaughtered within it and their pieces returned to their father on the mainland.[2] To get to the Great Keep one must use a covered stone walkway.[2]
  • The Kitchen Keep sits on its own island. It lies further out from the mainland than the Great Keep.[2] Dishes include fish stews, black bread, spiceless goat, and onion pie.[7] Ale, mead, and wine are served at Pyke.[2][5]
  • The Sea Tower rises from the outermost stack, which is sheer and crooked. It is the oldest part of the castle, round and tall. The base of the tower is white from centuries of salt spray, the upper stories are green with lichen, and the top is black with soot from nightfires. To get to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges, the last of which is made of rope. The tower's door is moldy grey wood with rusted iron studs. Twisting stairs lead to the damp and drafty solar of Lord Greyjoy, which is warmed by a brazier.[2][5]
  • The gatehouse is separated from the Great Keep by the high bridge.[2] The walls of Pyke run in a crescent moon from cliff to cliff, with the gatehouse providing entry, located in the center portion of the wall and including an iron portcullis[8] to provide additional protection should the wall be attacked. There are three towers to either side; the southernmost tower is new, made of a paler grey stone, after the old southern tower had been destroyed during Greyjoy's Rebellion when King Robert I Baratheon breached the walls.[2]

History

Antiquity

Pyke is so old that its original builders and lords are unknown.[1] The castle was once larger and located on the island of Pyke, but unstable earth led to some portions of the cliff falling into the sea. The surviving structures are built upon stone stacks.[9][1]

Qhored I Hoare, King of the Iron Islands, murdered the sons of Bernarr II Justman, King of the Trident, at Pyke while they were his hostages.[10][6]

Iron Throne

In the aftermath of Aegon's Conquest, Vickon Greyjoy, Lord Reaper of Pyke, became the new Lord of the Iron Islands, ruling from the Seastone Chair at Pyke.[11]

Lord Balon Greyjoy killed Pyke's maester after the man failed to heal his brother Urrigon,[12] although Balon then requested another maester from the Citadel,[13] possibly Qalen. Balon's youngest surviving brother, Aeron, sang reaving songs atop the Great Keep's tables.[2]

During Greyjoy's Rebellion, the siege of Pyke was the final battle. King Robert I Baratheon, along with Lord Eddard Stark, mustered thousands of men and invaded the island of Pyke thorough Lordsport. They captured the castle after bringing down the southern part of the outer wall of Pyke using siege engines.[2][14] Theon, the last surviving son of Lord Balon, was taken from Pyke to Winterfell as a hostage by Lord Stark.

Having had two sons, Maron and Rodrik, killed in the rebellion and Theon taken away, Balon's wife, Alannys Harlaw, brought five boys to Pyke as wards. One of them, Tristifer Botley, was sent to Blacktyde after Maester Qalen found him kissing Lord Balon's daughter, Asha Greyjoy.[15] After wandering the halls of Pyke in search of her dead sons, Alannys now lives with her brother, Lord Rodrik Harlaw, at Ten Towers, which is less raw than Pyke.[2] Asha has felt more at home at Ten Towers than at Pyke.[15]

Recent Events

A Clash of Kings

Ravens are sent from Riverrun and Seagard to Pyke informing Lord Balon Greyjoy that his son, Theon, is being sent as an envoy of Robb Stark, King in the North, but there is no reply.[2]

Theon returns to Pyke for the first time since being taken away as a child after Greyjoy's Rebellion. Instead of an honor guard led by Dagmer, Theon is escorted from Lordsport to Pyke by his uncle, Aeron Damphair.[2] Instead of staying in the Sea Tower, where he slept as a child, Theon is given a suite in the Bloody Keep. Within the Sea Tower, Balon rejects Robb's offer of alliance.[2]

From the Seastone Chair, Greyjoy hosts a feast in the Great Keep for his assembled captains. He then discusses his plans for independence and invading the north with his family in the solar of the Sea Tower.[5]

A Storm of Swords

It is reported that Balon, King of the Isles and the North, fell to his death when a bridge of Pyke was torn to pieces by the wind. His exiled brother, Euron Greyjoy, returned to Pyke the day after and claimed the Seastone Chair.[16]

A Feast for Crows

Euron Crow's Eye has Maester Wendamyr summon the ironborn captains to Pyke to pay homage to their new king, but his brother Aeron instead calls for a kingsmoot on Old Wyk.[12] Despite the efforts of Aeron, Euron is confirmed king at the gathering.[17]

Quotes

All that remained were three bare and barren islands and a dozen towering stacks of rock that rose from the water like the pillars of some sea god's temple, while the angry waves foamed and crashed among them.[2]

- thoughts of Theon Greyjoy


It is as if I were a stranger here, Theon thought. Nothing has changed, and yet everything has changed.[2]

- thoughts of Theon Greyjoy

Chapters that take place at Pyke

References and Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: Pyke.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 11, Theon I.
  3. A Storm of Swords, Appendix.
  4. George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Dagmer.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 24, Theon II.
  6. 6.0 6.1 The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: Driftwood Crowns.
  7. A Game of Thrones, Chapter 24, Bran IV.
  8. A Song of Ice and Fire Campaign Guide
  9. The World of Ice & Fire, Ancient History: The Coming of the First Men.
  10. The World of Ice & Fire, The Riverlands.
  11. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Greyjoys of Pyke.
  12. 12.0 12.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 1, The Prophet.
  13. The World of Ice & Fire, The Iron Islands: The Old Way and the New.
  14. A Clash of Kings, Chapter 12, Daenerys I.
  15. 15.0 15.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 11, The Kraken's Daughter.
  16. A Storm of Swords, Chapter 45, Catelyn V.
  17. A Feast for Crows, Chapter 19, The Drowned Man.