Oldtown

Oldtown is one of the largest and oldest cities in Westeros, built by the First Men before the the Andal invasion. Oldtown was constructed around the Hightower, the seat of House Hightower in the center of the city. Oldtown is home to the Citadel and houses the Starry Sept, formerly the seat of the High Septon of the Faith of the Seven. The demonym used for its inhabitants is "Oldtowner".

## History

### Ancient History

The origins of Oldtown are lost to time. The oldest runic records of the First Men, as well as records from maesters that claim to have lived among the children of the forest, confirm men have lived at the mouth of the Honeywine since the Dawn Age. Maester Jellicoe suggested the settlement at Whispering Sound began as a trading post where ships from Valyria, Old Ghis, and the Summer Isles could resupply and trade with so-called "elder races".

In the Age of Heroes, what is now the Ravenry of the Citadel was supposedly the stronghold of a pirate lord who robbed ships as they came down the Honeywine. House Hightower lived within an ancient fortress of black stone on Battle Isle and subsequently built the Hightower above it.

Rival kings, pirates, and reavers coveted Oldtown's wealth as the city grew more powerful, but it was protected by only wooden palisades and ditches. In one century, the city was sacked by Samwell the Starfire, Qhored the Cruel, and Gyles the Woe. Three quarters of the city's inhabitants were reportedly sold into slavery by Gyles, but he failed to conquer the Hightower. Otho II, King of the High Tower, built massive stone walls to protect Oldtown.

Oldtown joined the Kingdom of the Reach when King Lymond Hightower and King Garland II Gardener agreed to marry each other's daughters.

Oldtown survived the Andal invasion by welcoming the Andals instead of resisting them. Lord Dorian Hightower married an Andal princess, while his grandson Damon converted to the Faith of the Seven.

### Targaryen Era

At the time of Aegon's Conquest, Oldtown was the greatest city in Westeros. King Aegon I Targaryen's reign is dated from his entrance into the city and his acknowledgment as king by the High Septon, who had advised Lord Manfred Hightower to yield without conflict.

Oldtown contained a chapter of the Warrior's Sons during the Faith Militant uprising. Ser Joffrey Doggett gathered an army of two thousand during his journey to seek the blessing of the High Septon. Lord Martyn Hightower called his banners to resist King Maegor I Targaryen, but Oldtown submitted to the king and his mother, Dowager Queen Visenya Targaryen, after the High Septon suddenly died. Maegor held court in Oldtown for half a year, dismantling the Warrior's Sons chapter and reconciling with his first wife, Queen Ceryse Hightower.

During the Dance of the Dragons, Ser Tyland Lannister sent a third of the royal treasury to Oldtown for safekeeping. Lord Ormund Hightower and Prince Daeron Targaryen marched an army from Oldtown on behalf of the greens. Ormond and Ser Bryndon Hightower, the foremost knight of Oldtown, were slain by Lord Roderick Dustin in the First Battle of Tumbleton. After the collapse of Rogare Bank, House Hightower—which had, unlike others in Westeros, not entrusted its wealth to it—founded the Bank of Oldtown and became even more wealthy.

During the Great Spring Sickness of 209 AC, Oldtown suffered badly, second only to King's Landing. Ser Duncan the Tall met Maester Aemon when he and Prince Aegon Targaryen visited the city while returning from Dorne via *White Lady*. The city steamed and sweltered during the summer of King Maekar I Targaryen's reign.

A generation later Oldtown was struck by the dreaded grey plague, a more deadly and fast-acting cousin of greyscale. The outbreak occurred when Grand Maester Pycelle was young, and it wiped out half the city and three-quarters of the Citadel during its run. To prevent its spread, Lord Quenton Hightower ordered the gates barred, all the ships in harbor burned, and anyone trying to leave killed. These orders made him extremely unpopular, but the measures were successful. The day he rescinded the orders, after the plague had burnt itself out, Quenton and his young son were pulled from their horses and had their throats slit by the survivors.

Around fifty years ago, Hother Umber disemboweled a whore in Oldtown, earning himself the nickname Whoresbane. Varys visited Oldtown, King's Landing, and the Free Cities while part of a troupe of mummers.

Prince Oberyn Martell and Princess Elia Martell visited Oldtown on their way to Casterly Rock where their mother was to broker their marriage to the Lannister twins, Cersei and Jaime. Oberyn later studied at the Citadel of Oldtown, where he forged six links. Oberyn fathered Obara Sand on an Oldtown whore.

Ser Barristan Selmy defeated Blackshield in a tourney at Oldtown.