The Eyrie

**The Eyrie** is a castle and the seat of one of the oldest lines of Andal nobility - House Arryn. It is located within the Vale of Arryn, situated in the Mountains of the Moon atop the Giant's Lance. The castle is several thousand feet high, with a valley laying just below. The Eyrie's defenses are impregnable, though the castle is smaller compared to the seats of other Great Houses in Westeros. When winter comes, House Arryn resides at the Gates of the Moon.

## Layout

The Eyrie is considered small compared to the other great castles. It is constructed of fine white stone and composed of a cluster of seven slim, white towers. It is able to hold up to five hundred men. From the Eyrie, the waterfall, Alyssa's Tears can be heard. Falcons fly near to the castle's tops.

### Inner Castle

* The High Hall is a long and austere hall. Its walls are crafted of blue-veined white marble. The windows are narrow, with arched windows and silver torches are mounted between them. The throne of the Arryns sits at the hall's end. It is carved of weirwood.
* Standing between two pillars in the High Hall is the **Moon Door.** The door is embossed with a crescent moon, barred by heavy bronze, and opens inward towards the sky. Just below lays a drop of six hundred feet to the stones of the valley below. The Moon Door is used for most executions at the Eyrie.
* The **Crescent Chamber** is the Eyrie's reception hall, reached after the tall climb from **Giant's Lance**, the tallest peak of the Mountains of the Moon. The Crescent Chamber is warmed by a large hearth and guests are provided with refreshments here.
* Steep marble stairs connect to the Crescent Chamber. They bypasses the Eyrie's undercrofts and dungeons, and guarded by three murder holes. At the top of the stairs is a portcullis, which leads to an arcade adorned with fine tapestries.
* The great solar at the end of the arcade. The chamber is large enough to hold room for a trestle table and at least eight heavy oak-and-leather chairs. It is adorned with fine carpets hailing from Myr.
* **The Lower Hall** where food and drink are served.
* Above the kitchens is **the Morning Hall**, where the household breaks their fast.
* **The Maiden's Tower** is located at the easternmost of the Eyrie's seven towers. The Vale and the Giant's Lance can be seen from its balcony.
* **The Moon Tower** contains the lord's bedchambers.
* **Sky cells** are the infamous dungeons of the Eyrie. They are merely shelves on the side of the mountain's cliffs, leaving prisoners at the mercy of the elements. Many of those who have been held here have been driven mad, with even a few jumping to their deaths.

### Courtyard and Other Buildings

* Carved directly into the mountain are the The Eyrie's barracks and stables. The granary is comparable to that of Winterfell's. The Eyrie also contains a sept.
* There is no godswood at the Eyrie, as no weirwood can take to its stony soil. However, the towers encircle a garden which is meant to serve this godswood's purpose.

## Defenses

Whilst the Eyrie is the smallest castle of the Great Houses, its defenses make it formidable to invasion. In order to reach the Eyrie, invading armies have to overcome the **Blood Gate guarding** the high road and overcome the Gates of the Moon, then climb a thin goat trail. This journey usually takes around half a day, with three waycastles along the way.

* **Stone**, the first waycastle, with its path surrounded by a great forest. It has a massive ironbound gate, with stone walls surmounted with iron spikes and two fat round towers.
* **Snow**, the second waycastle. It consists of a timber keep, a fortified tower, and a stable behind a low unmortared rock. Nestled into the Giant's Lance, Snow oversees the entire pathway from Stone. The journey to Snow is much steeper than that of Stone.
* **Sky**, the third waycastle. The Eyrie is located six hundred feet above this point. Sky's path is known to be the most treacherous. Exposed to the cold winds and frigid elements, its steps are been cracked and broken, worn at by the constant freeze. It has a crescent-shaped wall of unmortared stone raised to the side of the mountain. Ramps and a great tumble boulders are held within these walls, ready to throw down an avalanche if threatened. Caverns are shaped into the stones, which It contain a long natural hall, stables, and supplies. Rock handholds and earthen ramps give access to the Eyrie's walls.