House Martell

## House Nymeros Martell

Lord of Sunspear

Lord of Sandship (Historically)

 House Blackmont

 House Dayne

 House Dalt

 House Fowler

 House Gargalen

 House Jordayne

 House Manwoody

 House Qorgyle

 House Santagar

 House Toland

 House Uller

 House Vaith

 House Wyl

 House Yronwood

700 B.C. (House Nymeros Martell)

**House Nymeros Martell** of Sunspear, usually simply called **House Martell**, is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the ruling house of Dorne. "Nymeros" indicates "of the line of Nymeria," referring to the union of the Martells with the Rhoynish warrior queen Nymeria around 700 B.C. The Prince of Dorne rules from Sunspear in southeastern Dorne.

The Martells of old used a spear as their emblem, while Nymeria and her Rhoynar used the sun as theirs. When Nymeria wed Mors Martell, the symbols were combined into a gold spear piercing a red sun on an orange field. The Martells rule Dorne from the Spear Seat in the Old Palace. Their words are *Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken*.

## Culture

### Traits

In appearance, they are considered salty Dornishmen, with dark eyes, dark hair in ringlets, and olive skin. However, due to Nymor Dayne's heritage, Allyria Martell has inherited purple eyes.

### Customs

House Martell still keeps Rhoynar customs, such as sitting at low tables and keeping paramours. They favour stronger, darker wines, and also do not share the same views on sex, bastardy and women warriors as the rest of Westeros, openly accepting the ideals. House Martell also enjoy playing Prince's Board, like many other Dornish nobles. All in House Martell (and a majority of the Dornish) worship the Mother Rhoyne.

## History

### Founding

House Martell was founded by Morgan Martell, an Andal adventurer who settled between the mouth of the Greenblood and the Broken Arm during the coming of the Andals to Dorne. Morgan led the defeat of the local First Men, including Houses Wade and Shell, establishing his rule over a strip of land fifty leagues long and ten leagues wide. They did not rule as kings, but were cautious vassals of kings from Houses Jordayne, Allyrion, and Yronwood, as well as petty kings of the Greenblood.

### Nymeria's War

At the time of the Rhoynish Wars, the Martells were one of the lesser ruling families of Dorne. At the time of the arrival of the Rhoynish warrior queen Nymeria, around 700 B.C., the lands of the Martells were dwarfed by those of House Yronwood. Mors Martell, the Lord of the Sandship, saw an opportunity in the arrival of the Rhoynar, and took Nymeria to wife. Combining their strength, the two managed to unite all of Dorne under their rule in Nymeria's War.

The union of their peoples saw the Martells abandon many of their older Andal customs in favor of those of the Rhoynar. Nymeria named Mors Prince of Dorne instead of king, and their lands and title passed down to their eldest child, their daughter, regardless of Nymeria marrying again after Mors's death and giving birth to a male child. The Spear Tower and the Tower of the Sun, the towers of Sunspear's Old Palace, were built in the Rhoynish fashion.

### Targaryen Era

During Aegon's Conquest, Queen Rhaenys Targaryen confronted the aged Princess of Dorne, Meria Martell, at Sunspear. When Meria refused to submit to the Targaryens, Rhaenys departed Dorne. The Targaryens returned in 4 A.C., starting the First Dornish War. When their forces arrived at Sunspear, Meria had vanished. King Aegon I and Queen Rhaenys Targaryen declared themselves victorious and left Lord Jon Rosby as Castellan of Sunspear as they returned to King's Landing. However, the Dornishmen quickly came out of hiding, retaking Sunspear. Lord Rosby was captured, and thrown from a window atop the Spear Tower by Princess Meria herself. In later phases of the war, the Targaryens burned every Dornish stronghold at least once, with the exception of Sunspear and its shadow city. According to the Dornishmen, the Targaryens were did not dare to attack Sunspear as they feared that Princess Meria might have purchased a device from Lys to slay their dragons. In his *Conjectures* Archmaester Timotty suggests that Aegon hoped to turn the Dornish against the Martells by leaving them the only ones unharmed, and letters have been discovered in which marcher lords claimed to the Dornish that the Martells had bought their safety. However, the tactics did not work.

After nine years, the First Dornish War came to an end in 13 A.C. When the elderly Princess Meria died, her son Nymor assumed rule over Dorne. Desiring peace, he sent his daughter Deria to King's Landing with an escort as an peace envoy. She brought with her the skull of Rhaenys's dragon Meraxes and a letter from Prince Nymor. Although at first determined to refuse the peace offer, Aegon agreed to it after reading Nymor's letter. During the remainder of King Aegon I's reign, the Martells and Targaryens remained on good terms. In 23 A.C., King Aegon I and his son Aenys visited Sunspear for a "feast of friendship" celebrating the tenth anniversary of the peace accord with Princess Deria, now the Princess of Dorne. In 37 A.C., as the Vulture King troubled the lands surrounding the border between Dorne and the Iron Throne, Princess Deria insisted to King Aenys I Targaryen that she was doing what she could to end the rebellion, many suspected that she was secretly giving the rebels her support.

In 110 A.C. Prince Qoren Martell gave his support to the Triarchy in the war against Prince Daemon Targaryen and Corlys Velaryon in the Stepstones. Daemon's brother, King Viserys I Targaryen, spoke of wedding his daughter Rhaenyra to the Prince of Dorne as a way of finally uniting the Seven Kingdoms, though ultimately this did not occur. During the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Qoren was contacted by Hand of the King Otto Hightower, but refused the alliance, claiming he'd "*sooner sleep with scorpions*".

## Family

### Household in 152 A.C.

* Princess Jynessa Martell, the Ruler of Dorne
* Prince Nymor Dayne, Consort to Princess Jynessa.
* Princess Myria Martell, Heir to Dorne
* Princess Allyria Martell, Princess-Amira
* Prince Qyle Martell, Prince-Amir