Dorne

Dorne is one of the nine constituent regions of The Seven Kingdoms. It is the southernmost part of the continent of Westeros, located thousands of miles from Winterfell and the North, and has a harsh desert climate. The Dornishmen are ethnically distinct from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, being largely descended from Rhoynar refugees who intermarried with the local population of Andals and First Men roughly a thousand years ago. As a result, they have very different customs and traditions compared to the other regions of Westeros.
Dorne was a sovereign kingdom before the invasion of Aegon the Conqueror, and weathered his attack to remain one afterwards, the only one of the Seven Kingdoms to retain its independence. It joined the Seven Kingdoms through peaceful marriage alliance nearly two centuries later, only one century before Robert's Rebellion. As a result of joining through marriage and not conquest, Dorne was allowed to keep many of its local customs and laws, such as equal inheritance laws for male and female heirs. Due to these different ethnic, legal, and political factors, the Dornishmen are very independently minded, with a stronger sense of "national identity" than many of the other Seven Kingdoms.
Dorne is ruled from the castle of Sunspear. Bastards born in Dorne are given the surname Sand. Things from Dorne are known as "Dornish," while the people of Dorne are properly known as the "Dornishmen," though its people are sometimes simply referred to as "the Dornish."
Following the recent Sand Snakes-led rebellion, most trueborn members of House Martell are now dead, with the region under the command of Ellaria Sand. However, Ellaria herself was captured and imprisoned in King's Landing after Euron Greyjoy attacked the fleet transporting her back to Dorne for the army. As a result Aegon VI Targaryen, son of Elia Martell, assumed power in Dorne.
== Geography ==
=== Overview ===
Dorne contains the only desert on the entire continent of Westeros, and due to its arid climate it has one of the smallest overall populations. It is the only part of Westeros where citrus fruits and spices grow. Dornish wine is also highly prized throughout all of Westeros, and considered to be among the best imports available.
Dorne is separated from the Stormlands by the Sea of Dorne and is surrounded by water on three sides. However, the coast of Dorne is rocky and mostly consists of towering cliffs. The only notable port is at Sunspear, and even this is poor compared to Oldtown to the west or King's Landing to the north. For this reason, Sunspear lacks any major strength at sea and is not a notable center for trade. However, the Dornish traditionally have greater ties to Essos than many of the other parts of Westeros, with the Prince of Dorne enjoying friendly relations with several of the Free Cities.
According to legend, Dorne once formed part of a land bridge, called the "Arm of Dorne," that linked Westeros and the eastern continent of Essos. The First Men arrived in Westeros by crossing this land bridge some 12,000 years ago, and came into conflict with the non-human Children of the Forest that already inhabited the continent. To try to halt the advance of the First Men, the Children are said to have called upon powerful magics which shattered the Arm of Dorne, sinking large portions of it into the Narrow Sea. All that remains of the Arm of Dorne in the present day is a string of islands called the Stepstones, which run between Westeros and Essos. The eastern peninsula of Dorne which terminates at the ocean is thus often called the Broken Arm of Dorne. The destruction of the Arm of Dorne, however, did not stop the advance of the First Men throughout Westeros.
=== Western Dorne and the Dornish Marches ===
Overland travel between the Dorne peninsula and the rest of Westeros is severely restricted due to the Red Mountains, a large mountain chain along Dorne's northern and western borders, which possess only a few passes such as the Boneway and the Prince's Pass. The rough valleys of the Red Mountains have been the site of border squabbles between Dorne, The Reach, and the Stormlands, for the better part of the past thousand years. The salient of territory possessed by the Stormlands in the Red Mountains, along Dorne's northern border, is thus called the Dornish Marches.
=== Central Dorne and the harsh desert ===
Central Dorne, east of the Red Mountains and west of the hills where the Greenblood river system begins, is completely inhospitable. Central Dorne is a true rolling-sands desert, with little plant life and almost completely uninhabited by people, save for the occasional oasis-castle.
=== Eastern Dorne and the valleys of the Greenblood ===
Dorne's population is congregated around the coasts, and the few major rivers such as the Greenblood. The valley of the Greenblood begins in the hills of eastern Dorne and continues east until it empties into the Narrow Sea. Most of the population is concentrated in the river valleys of the east, and are so crowded that casual observers visiting Dorne don't realize how small its total population actually is (not realizing that the towns they see in the valley of the Greenblood represent almost the entire population). Even the eastern region of Dorne is arid, but irrigation in the river valleys makes it agriculturally productive.
While overland travel through the desert is possible by caravan, it is very difficult for large armies to move across. No major roads comparable to the Kingsroad or Roseroad connect Sunspear in the east with the Boneway and Prince's Pass in the mountains of the west.
=== Settlements ===
* Sunspear, the seat of House Martell and the regional capital.
** The Water Gardens, a palace a short distance away from Sunspear, serving as leisure residence to House Martell.
** Planky Town, Dorne's only major port and largest town, though modestly sized by the standards of the rest of Westeros.
** Blackmont, a holdfast in the far west of Dorne near the border with the Reach. Seat of House Blackmont.
** Starfall, a holdfast in the far west of Dorne near the border with the Reach. Seat of House Dayne.
** Kingsgrave, a holdfast in the north west of Dorne near the border with the Stormlands. Seat of House Manwoody.
** Yronwood, a holdfast in the north west of Dorne at the foot of the Kingsroad. Seat of House Yronwood.
** Sandstone, a holdfast in the south west of Dorne west of the Brimstone. Seat of House Qorgyle.
** Hellholt, a holdfast in the south west of Dorne near the Brimstone. Seat of House Uller.
** Tor, a holdfast in the north of Dorne on the shore of the Sea of Dorne. Seat of House Jordayne
** Godsgrace, a holdfast in the center of Dorne where the Scourge meets the Greenblood. Seat of House Allyrion.
** Saltshore, a holdfast on the southern shore of Dorne. Seat of House Gargalen.
** Lemonwood, a holdfast in the east of Dorne near the estuary of the Greenblood. Seat of House Dalt.
** Wyl, a holdfast south west of Storm's End across the border with Dorne. Seat of House Wyl
** Ghost Hill, a holdfast in the north east of Dorne on the shore of the Sea of Dorne. Seat of House Toland.
** Vaith, a holdfast in the center of Dorne in the headlands of the Greenblood. Seat of House Vaith.
**Vulture's Roost, a holdfast in the north west of Dorne on the border with the Stormlands.
=== Mountains ===
* Red Mountains
=== Rivers ===
* Torentine
* Brimstone
* Scourge
* Greenblood
* Vaith
=== Roads ===
* Prince's Pass
* The Boneway
Category:Locations
Category:Westeros
Category:Dorne