Although the island bore no abundance of gold or jewellery, only bearing vast hordes of dragonglass, it became the refuge of House Targaryen right before the Doom took Valyria and left them as the last surviving dragonlords. The island of Dragonstone became the location of the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold, the dragonlords' empire in Essos, which dominated most of the known world, a unique castle that was considered fearsome and foreign due to it's dragon statues. The castle's features and its geographical position make it advantageous for its owners in wartime for defence, as it is extremely difficult to breach and can be held by a relatively small garrison against a vastly larger force. The castle itself is very robust, due to its advanced Valyrian design, combined with its isolated location, making it an ideal redoubt and refuge, for both Houses Targaryen and Baratheon. Unlike the richly-decorated and extravagant Red Keep in King's Landing, Dragonstone is sparsely decorated and has a rough, austere appearance its function is as a military base, not as a palace. The entire castle is dominated by dragon motifs and reliefs. Resulting in its exhibition of many exotic features unique in all of Westeros, including massive dragon-shaped gargoyles. The castle contains the Chamber of the Painted Table and it was built using advanced Valyrian stonemasonry techniques, long since lost. It is within the Crownlands, the capital region of the Seven Kingdoms.Īt the time the series begins, it is held for King Robert Baratheon by his younger brother, Lord Stannis Baratheon. It is the ancestral seat of House Targaryen and the former stronghold of House Baratheon of Dragonstone, a cadet branch of House Baratheon of Storm's End. strange." ―Stannis Baratheon ĭragonstone is the castle that stands upon the eponymous island located in Blackwater Bay. ![]() Though admittedly the castle is unlike any in Westeros, foreign and. Simpletons claim they used ancient Valyrian sorcery, forgetting that the Targaryens brought a small army with them from Essos there's no magic in strong backs. At the very least, maybe they can go Dragonriding together in House of the Dragon Episode 4." But the Targaryens managed to raise a castle here. Of course, that’s many years in the story’s future, though at the rate House of the Dragon is racing through Westerosi history we could see the marriage of Rhaenyra and Laenor happen very soon. After Laenor dies in an accident, Rhaenyra ultimately marries her uncle Daemon (yep, get ready for that to happen in House of the Dragon, folks). As a result, it’s suggested that none of their children are actually his. Martin’s novels, Laenor does in fact marry Rhaenyra but is known to prefer the company of men to women. So there’s definitely a precedent for this character to fly in on a firebreathing reptile and save the day. In the books that inspired House of the Dragon, Laenor Velaryon rides a dragon named Seasmoke. But Laenor isn’t just a Velaryon he’s also a Targaryen on his mother’s side. ![]() The entire thing also feels like a misdirect because the audience knows the Velaryons aren’t Dragonriders. (Strong goes on to note that this will only happen if Laenor survives the War of the Stepstones, which cleverly establishes that he’s present at the battle.) ![]() That’s right, I’m almost certain the Dragonrider who saved Daemon Targaryen’s life is Corlys’ son - the same one who Lyonel Strong said Rhaenyra should marry earlier in the same episode. Laenor Velaryon and Rhaenyra Targaryen in a future episode of House of the Dragon. Thankfully, that’s when a mystery Dragonrider shows up to burn the exposed enemy to a crisp, freeing Daemon to take down Craghas and end the conflict for good.īut who is the Dragonrider who saved the day? House of the Dragon purposefully hides their face behind a helmet and a billow of smoke, keeping their identity a secret, but we may have figured it out. This actually goes pretty well - at first - but after Daemon takes an arrow to the chest and another in his leg it looks like he may be in trouble. He pretends to surrender, drawing out the enemy so he can launch one final attack. ![]() After doing the medieval version of shooting the messenger, he hatches a last-ditch plan. When Daemon finds out, he doesn’t take it well. Meanwhile, King Viserys has refused to intervene, but finally, he decides to throw the weight of the kingdom behind his brother’s fight. The Crabfeeder is holed up in a cave, meaning Daemon can’t use his dragon to end the fight. In short, after two years of fighting, the War for the Stepstones is not going well. In case you were staring at your phone or had to use the bathroom, here’s a quick recap of what just happened.
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