R'hllor

R'hllor, also known as the Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow, is a prominent god in Essos, and has a modest, yet growing following in southern Westeros, where he is more commonly known as the red god. His symbol is a fiery heart. Red priests lead prayers to R'hllor at red temples.

## Faith of R'hllor in Westeros

### Before 100 AC.

There were few followers of the Lord of Light in Westeros in the first century after Aegon’s Conquest. For the most part, red priests could only be found in Dorne, King's Landing, and Oldtown.  A modest wharfside red temple existed in Oldtown, mainly used by foreign sailors.

### Influence of House Toland

In the late first century, Lady Ashlynn Toland took an interest in the teachings of R’hllor, and allowed the red priest Qhorys, into her service as her spiritual adviser. As House Toland enjoyed economic success, Qhorys took it upon himself to reach out to his home temple of the Lord of Light in Volantis and ask for aid in spreading the faith.  Hoping to leverage this newfound power in Dorne, the Volantis temple sent a more experienced priest, Sylvaria of the Basilisks, and a cadre of the Fiery Hand.  Such a deployment knew their way around establishing new temples of R’hllor in hostile lands.

### Spread of R'hllor throughout Dorne

Following the elevation of House Toland, many of its people had converted, or at least accepted the faith of R’hllor.  However, much of Dorne remained resistant to this foreign religion.  But eventually missionaries of Red Priests managed to find pockets of believers throughout sand and stone, and temples were erected.  This did not sit well with the more devout followers of the Seven, especially in the Red Mountains.  Temples on the Torrentine were brutally sacked one night, prompting retaliatory attacks on septs in the region. In the Greenbelt, fanatic zealots of R’hllor burned septs, while devout parishioners razed temples in the name of the Warrior.  Even the Deep Sands could not escape such conflict, where followers of the Seven and R’hllor alike expressed their faith with clubs and swords.

Each engagement managed to simmer down before a full blown conflict could erupt, but as the years passed, distinct regions of faith inevitably formed.  The Red Mountains for the most part remained firmly devoted to the Seven.  The regions surrounding Ghost Hill became tolerant, if not fully acceptant of the Lord of Light.  The Deep Sands remained a mix of the two faiths.  Surprisingly, Plankytown escaped much of this strife, and retained their small population of Rhoynish faithful.

The red priestess Sylvaria, now High Priestess of the Temple of the Lord of Light in Dorne, oversees the spread of her religion from her temple in Ghost Hill.  With the High Justiciar of Dorne determined to dampen the spread of R’hllor, she faces a difficult challenge.  There have been constant measures to restrict the following of the Ghost Hill temple, some of which have resulted in tragedy. Her convictions remains unwavering, and she has sent priests and acolytes throughout Dorne, and other regions of the Seven Kingdoms, to spread the teachings of the Lord of Light.

### Worship in 130 AC

**Shadow City**.  A red temple was erected shortly after the elevation of House Toland. Attacks against worshippers are common, and House Martell has no interest in preventing them.

**Ghost Hill**.  What began as a little more than a shack erected by the red priest Qhorin, has become a sizable establishment, with a burgeoning following.  Late in 129 AC, their influence became too large for the liking of the High Justiciar, which ended in tragedy.

**Hellholt**. Publicly, the Uller’s support the Faith of the Seven, but Lady Uller has been vocal in support of religious tolerance in Dorne. Worshippers of the Seven and R’hllor are split about 50/50.

**Vaith**.  Prior to 125 AC, a red temple and sizable following existed in Vaith.  However after a cleansing by the new Lady Vaith, the temple has been demolished.  Worshippers still remain, but do so quietly.

**Starfall** and **High Hermitage**.  While R'hllor followers are tolerated, they are few in number, thus no temple exists. House Dayne respects R'hllor as an aspect of the Father but does not condone any associated mysticism.

**Oldtown**.  The modest wharfside red temple has not changed much over the years.  However, the Lord Loras Hightower is firmly tolerant of all religions, and now more than just foreign sailors fill the sanctuary.

**Broad Arch**. While the castle boasts no temple for worship. House Staedmon has openly displayed the Red Faith by having a Burning Heart in the backdrop of their sigil since 99 AC. The Faith of the Seven is tolerated but out of fear of consequence.