House Arryn

House Arryn rules over the Vale independently with the lord of the house being known as King of the Vale. They reside in the Eyrie atop the Giant's Lance as well as the Gates of the Moon in the valley beneath. The Eyrie is considered just as impregnable as ever, having lasted throughout the Long Night without so much as a scratch, although the Arryns themselves, as well as most houses of the Vale, are considered cowardly for turning their backs on the realm when they were needed to instead ensure their own safety.

## Seat

***The Bloody Gate***  A series of battlements placed along the mountain road. It leads into the Vale of Arryn and is the first line of defense leading to the Eyrie, and arguably the most effective line of defense in the Vale.

***Gates of the Moon***  A castle that sits at the base of the Giant’s Lance, held by the Royces but owned by the Arryns. It is the second line of defense for the Eyrie, and the home of the Arryns when it becomes too cold atop the mountains.

***The Waycastles***  “Stone” is the first and largest waycastle, serving as the third line of defense for the Eyrie. A forest surrounds it. “Snow” is the second waycastle and fourth line of defense, nestled into the Giant’s Lance. “Sky” is the third waycastle and final line of defense for the Eyrie. The path to it is treacherous, open to the wind with cracked and frozen steps. Inside the walls are a series of ramps and a great tumble of boulders and stones of all sizes, ready to throw down or even cause a minor avalanche.

***The Eyrie***  A castle ruled by House Arryn perched atop the Giant’s Lance, entirely impregnable from anything that walks on ground from not only its many defenses, but also due to the terrain itself. The smallfolk who live here have never seen war, and even the soldiers are among the luckiest in the realm.

## History

### 300-320 AC.

With the passing of Lord Robert Arryn with only a relatively short reign, it passed to his only son, Farlen Arryn, who was far too sickly and weak, his rule only lasting merely two years before his untimely death. Instead, his older sister, Falena Arryn, would inherit the seat and usher in a new era for the Vale.

### 320-340 AC.

Later into the Long Night when the armies of the dead were reaching further and further south, Falena Arryn decided to cut their losses in the efforts to keep other kingdoms safe and instead had its troops withdraw so that they could maintain their defenses. This would lead to Falena's decision to become independent so that they would no longer be responsible for what happened in the rest of Westeros, making her the first Queen of the Vale.

It proved useful, as the battles to be fought once the armies of the dead began an assault on the Vale are thought to only have been won because of Falena's caution. As such, there was minimal devastation done to the Vale. What's more, the Vale was able to build its own Citadel at this time, east of Longbow Hall by the sea. Instead of training maesters, however, this academy taught more specialized roles, such as scholars and healers. The task of sending and receiving messages was replaced with falconers in most houses.

Most of the battled were won at and around the Bloody Gate, a time the Vale named the **Bloodless Bloodshed,** where far more dead were slain than living. The knights of the Vale would later mount a defense against the dead that had gotten around the Bloody Gate, led by Adrian Corbray, later known as a hero of the Vale.

When Aegon Blackfyre called for the aid of the realm one last time, some houses of the Vale joined, but were not punished by Falena for doing so, especially after the **War for the Dawn** was won in the end.

### 340-400 AC.

The Kingdom of the Vale would recover well, boasting about their victories over the dead for generations and their superiority over the other kingdoms of Westeros.

A thorough search of the mountains across the Vale yielded little in the way of mountain clans, but there have been cases of the dead still roaming in their place.

When Falena eventually dies of natural causes, her son and heir, Harmen Arryn, is crowned King of the Vale. His two sons, Armen and Yohn, have already been born by this point, as well as their older sister, Nysterica.

Only a little over a decade later, both Armen and Harmen Arryn die under unknown circumstances, leaving Yohn Arryn to become King of the Vale, where he remains presently. He has a total of seven children, including his heir, Corwyn, and also Lancel, Aregelle, Helicent, Jayne, Bethany, and a bastard named Sylas.

## Recent Events

### 400 AC.

House Arryn is invited to the tournament at Seagard as a gesture of good will.