Sunspear

Sunspear, also known as the Old Palace, is the seat of House Nymeros Martell and the capital of the Principality of Dorne. The castle is located on the Broken Arm, north of the Greenblood on the far southeastern coast of Westeros and is surrounded on three sides by the sea, and by the shadow city on the fourth side.

## History

The Sandship was the ancient keep the House Martell, minor Dornish lords. When Rhoynish warrior-queen Nymeria arrived in Dorne with her ten thousand ships around 700 BA, Lord Mors Martell, the Lord of the Sandship, wed her, and this alliance of the Martells with the Rhoynar led to the unification of Dorne in Nymeria's War.

The seat of the ruling Princes and Princesses of Dorne became Sunspear, the new castle which developed around the Sandship. It was named after the union of the Martell spear with the sun of the Rhoynar. It contains beautiful towers built in the Rhoynish fashion, such as the Spear Tower and the Tower of the Sun of the Old Palace. The Winding Walls of the castle were built around 400 BA

During Aegon's Failed Conquest, rather than confront the Dornish spearmen guarding the Prince's Pass in the Red Mountains, Rhaenys Targaryen flew above the pass on Meraxes to Vaith and Godsgrace, but found the castles abandoned. When Rhaenys reached the Planky Town, she found only women and children. At Sunspear, seat of House Martell, she found Meria Martell, the aged Princess of Dorne, waiting in her abandoned castle.

Princess Meria Martell greeted her in the halls of Sunspear, giving her safe passage and a chance to speak. While discussion was not fruitful and nothing came of their talk, the true disaster happened when Rhaenys was about to leave. Meria’s son and heir apparent, Quentyn, did not trust his mother’s decision to greet the Targaryen in peace, and was paranoid that dragon-fire would burn down Dorne if he did not act. As Rhaenys strode down the halls to the courtyard where her dragon resided, assassins with poisoned daggers leapt out and slew her quickly. The last thing Rhaenys Targaryen ever save was the sneer on Quentyn Martell’s fate.

When his assassins tried to slay Meraxes, the dragon flew into a berserk rage, smelling the blood of her master on their blades. The dragon went on a terrible rampage, destroying much of Sunspear and almost the entirety of Plankytown before it was eventually shot down. Much of House Martell had been slain in the rampage, and the stability of Dorne went along with it.

## Layout

### Sunspear

Sunspear is a walled settlement, protected by three massive Winding Walls, encircling one another and containing miles of narrow alleys, hidden courts, and noisy bazaars. The Threefold Gate, where the gates are lined up one behind the other, avoids the labyrinth, instead allowing straight passage on a brick path to the Old Palace.

One of Sunspear's chief structures is the original stronghold of House Martell, the Sandship, which is a large, ugly, dun-colored building that looks like a dromond. Over time, towers in Rhoynish fashion sprung up around the keep. Two other chief structures are the tall and slender Spear Tower and the great, domed Tower of the Sun. The Spear Tower is a hundred and a half feet high, and can house noble prisoners; In the Tower of the Sun, the high seats of the Prince of Dorne can be found: two twin seats, one with the Martell spear inlaid in gold upon its back, the other bearing the blazing Rhoynish sun.These two towers are the first things visitors see when they arrive at Sunspear, whether by land or by sea.

### Shadow city

The closest thing to a true city that the Dornishmen have, the shadow city is no more than a queer, dusty town. Built against a wall of Sunspear, the shadow city spreads westwards. Closest to Sunspear's walls, mud-brick shops and windowless hovels can be found. Stables, inns, winesinks and pillow houses are found west of those, with walls of their own. More hovels have been build against those walls, which in has led to the city becoming a labyrinth of narrow alleys, homes, and bazaars.

Around 400 BA, the three Winding Walls were raised, running through the shadow city, forming a defensive curtain. Only the Threefold Gate provides a straight path to the Old Palace, allowing visitors to pass all three of the Winding Walls directly, without having to pass through the labyrinth of the shadow city. If need be, these gates can be heavily defended.