Sharp Point

**Sharp Point** is the seat of House Bar Emmon in the Crownlands. The castle is located along the Gullet at the northern end of Massey's Hook, north of Stonedance. It has a large watchtower called the Torch, upon which a great fire burns atop.

## History

Sharp Point was founded during the Andal invasion by the warlord Togarion Bar Emmon, who established a new kingdom on Massey's Hook. The peninsula was eventually recovered by the Storm Kings of House Durrandon, however, and included within the Stormlands.

Although sworn to King Argilac the Arrogant of Storm's End, Lord Bar Emmon had stronger ties to Lord Aegon Targaryen of Dragonstone, and the Bar Emmons supported the Targaryens during Aegon's War of Conquest. The castle became part of the newly created Crownlands, owing allegiance to Dragonstone.

Over the centuries Sharp Point has seen numerous battles fought beneath the shadow of it's walls - nearly all of them were naval engagements. It's position as the southern edge of Blackwater Bay lends it a small degree of strategic importance, though it is largely eclipsed by Driftmark and Dragonstone. In the days of old, Storm Kings would often keep fleets both here, and in Stonedance. Now the ports lie largely empty, as ships dock in the far more important ports that have arisen since Aegon's day.

## Town

The fortress sits proudly upon the rocky cliffs, towering over the small town below it. Originally built to be the seat of kings, it seems a little grandiose for it's current station. Triple walls defend it from the south, while the cliffs and sea protect it from north, east, and west.

### Walls

Over time, the village below began to encroach upon the stronghold, seeking space wherever it might be found. When the Bar Emmons bent to the Storm Kings, and later to the Targaryens, they found their triple walls to be largely superfluous - no one attacked, any more, and they couldn't expand through warfare. Eventually people began to build in the space between the walls, turning the two layers into ring-shaped markets.

The first ring, often called Farmer's, is, obviously, made up largely of produce shops and stores, as well as tailors, cobblers, and anything that might be made from beast or crop.

The next layer, the smaller of the two, is called Smith's, and it houses most of the craftsmen of the region, including carpenters, masons, and of course, smiths.

Outside the walls entirely lie the majority of homes, built upon the rocky cliffs and down toward the sea, and hte docks. Here, too, can the Sept be found.and an old well that most folk call Tog's Well.

## Castle

Sharp Point itself boasts four major towers, and the Torch. Togarion himself ordered the construction of the main two towers - the Crowned Keep, and the Citadel of Swords - while the remaining two were additions built by his descendants.

* ***The Crowned Keep*** - The largest of all the towers, the Crown is so named for it's crenelations, and because it once bore the throne of House Bar Emmon - a seat carved from a single piece of blue-grey stone. Now it serves as the main quarters for the Bar Emmons, and also houses the armoury.
* ***The Citadel of Swords -*** The second largest of the towers, the Citadel of Swords is usually just called **Sword Tower** these days. Once it hosted the finest of Togarion's knights and warriors, who would feast, fight, and rest here before riding out to war. Now it houses the maester's quarters and the rookery, as well as the kitchens, library, and servants quarters.
* ***Swordfish's Spire*** - built by Damon Bar Emmon nearly seven hundred years before, it serves as the private quarters of the ruling Lord of Bar Emmon, and has a personal library, sleeping quarters, and several other amenities. Also houses the Navigation Room, a room of maps and charts from around the world, gathered through the centuries.
* ***Maidenshall -*** Built by Lady Victaria Bar Emmon, called Victaria the Vile, Maidenshall was her personal haunt, and oft the place she used to conduct her experiments with alchemy and black magic. Now the tower is sealed off, most say because of it's constant dampness and draftiness. Others rumour that it is haunted by the ghost of Lady Victaria, who still walks the halls looking for subjects for her experiments.

## The Torch

An enormous watchtower and lighthouse built even before Togarion's day, the Torch is made of black stone, sitting upon a small island of it's own with a bridge connecting it to the mainland. A fire burns upon it's top, warning sailors entering the Gullet of where land lies.

The Keeper of the Torch is an honorary title, usually held by the Lord of Sharp Point, though it has been granted to second sons and cousins in the past. The Torch itself boasts modest living quarters and room enough for a quarter dozen servants, and it has served as the seat for secondary branches of the House several times in Bar Emmon history. Usually, however, the true keeper is a local, hired to keep the beacon lit.