House Arryn

**House Arryn of the Eyrie** is a noble house of the Vale, which formerly was counted among the Great Houses of Westeros, until their titles as Lord Defender of the Vale and Warden of the East were stripped of them in 384 AC after partaking in Brynden's Rebellion. Their main seat is the Eyrie, astride the Giant's Lance, the tallest mountain in the Vale.

## History

### Kings of Mountain and Vale

The Arryns are considered to come from the oldest and purest line of Andal nobility, by legend leading back to Hugor of the Hill. When King Robar II Royce began to unite the First Men during the Andal Invasion, the Andals of the Vale united behind Ser Artys Arryn, the Falcon Knight. After the Battle of the Seven Stars, Ser Artys was crowned King of Mountain and Vale, with the First Men, as well, swearing fealty to him. The First Men that did not accept Artys as their King became the Vale Mountain Clans.

The Arryns initially lived at the Gates of the Moon, but over generations constructed the Eyrie, which they often used as a summer pleasure palace.

The Arryn Kings added Pebble, the Paps, and Witch Isle to their realm and battled with House Stark over the Three Sisters. In the War Across the Water, King Oswin the Talon burned the Wolf's Den. The Arryn fleet over time defeated slavers, Ironborn reavers, and pirates that came to their coasts.

### Aegon's Conquest

During Aegon's Conquest, the Arryn and Targaryen fleets fought a battle in the waters off Gulltown, which resulted in the destruction of the Targaryen fleet and the death of Daemon Velaryon. Visenya Targaryen, in turn, destroyed the Arryn fleet with her dragon Vhagar. After that, the Sistermen revolted against the rule of House Arryn.

Charged with subduing the Vale, Visenya Targaryen flew on Vhagar to the courtyard of the Eyrie, while the Queen Regent Sharra Arryn had amassed an army at the Bloody Gate. When Sharra returned to the Eyrie she found her son Ronnel Arryn sitting on Visenya's lap asking if he could ride the dragon with her. Once Sharra yielded and bent the knee, Ronnel twice flew with Visenya and Vhagar. After their submission, the Arryns were named Wardens of the East for the Iron Throne.

### Targaryen Dynasty

Ronnel Arryn married the former King Torrhen Stark's daughter, arranged by Rhaenys Targaryen. In 37 AC, Ronnel was deposed by his brother Jonos, who rose in rebellion. After he had thrown Ronnel and his family through the Moon Door, Maegor Targaryen flew to the Eyrie and executed Jonos, House Arryn continuing through Hubert Arryn. In 80 AC, Lord Rodrik Arryn married Daella Targaryen, who gave birth to Aemma Arryn, who later married Prince Viserys Targaryen and became the mother of Rhaenyra Targaryen.

In the Dance of the Dragons, House Arryn supported Rhaenyra Targaryen and the Blacks, due to their kinship and the negotiation by Prince Jacaerys Velaryon. House Arryn participated by sending men by sea from Gulltown to join Rhaenyra's hosts. After the civil war, Lady Jeyne Arryn, the Maiden of the Vale, became one of Aegon III Targaryen's regents, until her death in 134 AC. The succession after Jeyne Arryn was disputed between her fourth cousin Joffrey Arryn, Eldric Arryn, who was the son of her imprisoned first cousin Arnold Arryn, and Isembard Arryn of the Gulltown branch of the family. Eventually, Joffrey Arryn was confirmed as Lord of the Eyrie.

In the Blackfyre Rebellion of 196 AC, House Arryn remained loyal to Daeron II Targaryen. In the Battle of the Redgrass Field, Lord Donnel Arryn led the vanguard and his life was saved by Ser Gwayne Corbray. During the Great Spring Sickness of 209 AC, he closed off the Vale from traffic, sparing his lands from plague. Lady Alys Arryn married Daeron II's thirdborn son Rhaegel, with whom she had three children.

In 260 AC, Jon Arryn fought for Jaehaerys II Targaryen in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, where he made alliances with Houses Stark and Baratheon, later fostering their sons Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. In 282 AC, Lord Jon joined the Rebellion of Robert Baratheon, refusing to surrender his wards to King Aerys II Targaryen. In the taking of Gulltown, he fought royalist bannermen of House Arryn, before marrying Lysa Tully, the daughter of Hoster Tully, whose support he thus secured for the Rebellion. After the deaths of his nephew Elbert Arryn and his cousin Denys Arryn, Jon's heir after the war was his distant relative Harrold Hardyng.

### Baratheon Dynasty

Robert I Baratheon named Jon Arryn his Hand of the King, while Nestor Royce ruled the Vale as High Steward in his absence. In 292 AC, Lysa Tully gave birth to Lord Jon's new heir Robert Arryn, later known as Sweetrobin. Shortly before the outbreak of the War of the Five Kings, Jon Arryn was poisoned after gaining information about the legitimacy of Queen Consort Cersei Lannister's children. After his death, his widow and son fled to the Eyrie. During the war, Robb I Stark vied for support from the Vale, but was rejected by Lady Lysa, while Petyr Baelish, who would later become King, was sent by Tywin Lannister, the Hand of Joffrey I Baratheon, to convince her to swear loyalty to the Iron Throne. Petyr Baelish married Lady Lysa and after her death became Lord Protector of the Vale, ruling with Lord Robert as his ward, while being opposed by the Lords Declarant.

### Baelish Dynasty

After Petyr I Baelish was chosen as King by the Great Council of 303 AC, and replaced as Lord Protector by Lord Yohn Royce, who later left the position to Lady Anya Waynwood after insult by Lord Robert Arryn. Lady Anya arranged a marriage for the young Lord to Lady Jeyne Westerling, the current line of House Arryn descending from that match.

In 381 AC, Lord Arryn met with Brynden Baelish and other supporters of his to plan Brynden's Rebellion. When the war broke out, many Lords of the Vale followed his lead in rebellion against the Crown, marching into the Riverlands and fighting the King's forces at Darry, while House Royce and others stayed loyal to King Edmund I Baelish. The Knights of the Vale continued on to the Twins to relieve the siege of the Frey castles by Houses Stark, Blackwood, and Mallister, defeating the loyalists and marching to Harrenhal, where they were eventually were defeated, putting an end to Brynden's Rebellion altogether when the leader of the Rebellion was captured by Lord Royce.

After the war, House Arryn was stripped of their titles granting them authority over the Vale as a whole, Lord Royce instead being made Lord Defender of the Vale and Warden of the East, while House Arryn was reduced to the lands of the Eyrie and a sole vassal in House Templeton of Ninestars.