Riverrun

**Riverrun** is the ancestral castle of House Tully, the Lords Paramount of the Trident. It is situated in the western Riverlands, at the confluence of the Tumblestone and Red Fork rivers. Riverrun is north of Pinkmaiden and northwest of Acorn Hall. The castle sits along the river road, an easy ride which links Lannisport and the crossroads.

## Household

The household of Riverrun includes \_\_\_\_\_, its maester, and Bryce Bracken, its steward. Ser Tristifer Tully serves as master-at-arms, while Ser Grover Mooton commands the Tully guards as their captain.

## Layout

Riverrun is a strong three-sided castle, although not especially large. It is a tenth the size of Harrenhal. Riverrun is bordered on the north by the Tumblestone and on the south by the Red Fork, while on the west a third side faces a massive man-made ditch. In time of danger the sluice gates can be opened to fill a wide moat and leave the castle surrounded on all three sides by water, turning Riverrun into an island and leaving it practically unassailable. It commands a view of many leagues.

The castle has red sandstone walls which rise sheer from the water, its battlements are crenelated and have arrow loops, and its towers command the opposite shores. Riverrun's keep is located inside. Properly garrisoned, Riverrun can hold supplies for men and horses for as long as two years; a garrison of two hundred men is larger than Riverrun requires in most circumstances. Guardsmen wear fish-crest helms. The castle's doors are made of heavy redwood.

The Wheel Tower has a great waterwheel turned by the Tumblestone. It has ivy climbing alongside it, and below one makes a wide turn and ends up in churning waters. The Tumblestone leads to the Water Gate, a wide arch and a heavy iron portcullis, red with rust in its lower half. It is named so for being half in the water, and one must use a boat to go through it. Many boats are tied up within the Water Gate, secured to iron rings in the walls. The water stair leads from the lower bailey up to the castle.

The keep is triangular, like Riverrun itself, and the solar of the Lord of Riverrun is triangular as well with a triangular stone balcony jutting eastwards. The solar can be reached by a spiral stairway. The pillars of Garret's great canopied bed are carved as leaping trout.

The Great Hall of Riverrun contains the high seat of the Tully's and can host councils and meals. There is a private audience chamber above the Great Hall with another high seat for the lord and a bell to ring for servants.

The shortest way from the Great Hall to the keep is through the godswood, a bright and airy garden with elms, redwoods, wildflowers, nesting birds, and streams. Its heart tree is a slender weirwood, with a carved sad face.

The sept at Riverrun is a seven-sided sandstone building. Inside, images of the Seven are painted on marble. A rainbow of light fills the sept.

The dungeons of Riverrun are windowless and damp, their doors heavy and made of wood and iron. The castle also contains kennels, stables, and a brewhouse.

## History

### Andal era

House Tully had served House Mudd of Oldstones, but King Tristifer IV Mudd was killed during the coming of the Andals. After the king's death, Ser Axel Tully constructed the red castle at the juncture of the Red Fork with the Tumblestone, land which he had received from an Andal king, Armistead Vance.

The strategic position of Riverrun brought wealth to the Tully's, who guarded the western Riverlands from the Kingdom of the Rock. The castle has rarely been surrendered and has never fallen by storm. The Tully's have ruled Riverrun and its rich lands for at least a thousand years.

When Harwyn Hoare, King of the Iron Islands, invaded the Riverlands, Riverrun was abandoned by Lord Tully, who joined the host of Agnes Blackwood. Agnes's forces were betrayed by Lothar Bracken, however.

### Targaryen Era

During Aegon's Conquest a few generations later, Edmyn Tully raised the standard of House Targaryen above Riverrun, beginning the rebellion of the river lords against Harwyn Hoare's grandson Harren the Black, the King of the Isles and the Rivers. Following the burning of Harrenhal, King Aegon I Targaryen named Edmyn the first Lord Paramount of the Trident. Aegon visited Riverrun during his royal progresses.

Prince Maegor Targaryen was knighted by Aegon during a great tourney at Riverrun in 28 A.C. The rebellion of Harren the Red began while King Aenys I Targaryen was guesting at Riverrun. Aenys and Lord Tully gathered a thousand men to Riverrun before marching to Harrenhal.

House Tully supported King Maegor I against Aenys's son, Prince Aegon Targaryen, in the Battle Beneath the Gods Eye. Riverrun turned against Maegor in favor of Jaehaerys I Targaryen and the Poor Fellows in 48 A.C., however. Lord Prentys Tully and his wife, Lucinda, hosted Ser Joffrey Doggett, a leader of the Warrior's Sons. When King Jaehaerys I Targaryen visited Riverrun in 53 A.C., Jennis Templeton held a women's court in the town on behalf of Queen Alysanne Targaryen. Prentys and Lucinda died from the Shivers at Riverrun in 59 A.C.

The aged Grover Tully wanted to support the greens during the Dance of the Dragons, but his grandson, Ser Elmo Tully, feared dragonfire and instead barred their castle's gates. House Tully ended their neutrality when Ser Addam Velaryon visited Riverrun atop his dragon, Seasmoke, and Elmo and sons, Kermit and Oscar, declared for the blacks. Elmo gathered near six thousand rivermen to Riverrun, and Kermit led them to victory in the Battle of the Kingsroad. Widow Fairs were held at Riverrun after the war.

In some time prior to 131 A.C., Theo Reed, the heir to Greywater Watch, had been sent to Riverrun to be warded by Oward Tully. In the Third Moon of 132 A.C., Durran Baratheon and his brother, Arlan Strongarm, marched their armies north to Riverrun, and negotiated an alliance with the Tully's by wedding Elys Tully later on that same day. Theo Reed became a hostage and was moved to the dungeons, where he would remain until the end of the war.