The old, The true, The brave

velaryon (n.) - blood of old valyria, lord of the tides, master of driftmark; mine

[thevelaryons]

House Velaryon ❧

An ancient and proud house, with the blood of old Valyria in its veins, the Velaryons of Driftmark gained renown as a naval power. So many Velaryons served as lord admirals and master of ships that it was, at times, almost considered a hereditary office.

[thevelaryons]

I’m quite curious about the progression of house Velaryon’s relationship with house Martell.

During Corlys’ time, when he was warring in the Stepstones, it brought him into conflict with the Dornish fleet (alongside the Triarchy). Corly holds a tenuous control of the Stepstones, but it’s shortly threatened by the alliance of the Triarchy with Dorne.

By 109 AC Daemon Targaryen and his army of sellswords and cutthroats controlled all but two of the islands, and the Sea Snake’s fleets had taken firm control of the waters between…. The next year, the Kingdom of the Three Daughters dispatched a fresh invasion force under the command of a devious Tyroshi captain named Racallio Ryndoon, surely one of the most curious and flamboyant rogues in the annals of history, and Dorne joined the war in alliance with the Triarchy.

— Fire & Blood, Heirs of the Dragon

Prince Qoren Martell did lead the Dornish to fight in support of the Triarchy when they warred with Prince Daemon Targaryen and the Sea Snake over the Stepstones.

— The World of Ice and Fire, Dorne

Later, when Alyn becomes the head of the family, things take a turn for the better. Sort of. Although Alyn also becomes embroiled in the conflict in the Stepstones, he forms a friendship with the Dornish. In doing so, they take this problem off his hands. While Alyn holds no control over the Stepstones region, his alliance with house Martell still leaves him in a favourable position wherein he does not have to worry too much about securing passage for himself through the area. Nor does he have to expend his family’s resources fighting a war in the Stepstones (as Corlys did) when his allies can do the fighting for him, and they are eager enough for that glory.

Prince Qoren’s daughter would be of a different mind. Princess Aliandra came young to her seat and thought herself a new Nymeria. A fiery young woman, she encouraged her lords and knights to prove themselves worthy of her favors by raiding in the marches, but also showed great favor to Lord Alyn Velaryon when his first great journey took him to Sunspear, and again when he returned from the Sunset Sea.

— The World of Ice and Fire, Dorne

It was from her that Lord Oakenfist learned that Dorne had joined the Daughters’ War, making alliance with Tyrosh and Lys against Racallio Ryndoon…

— Fire & Blood, Under the Regents

Since the Stepstones are located right next to Dorne, it’s much more convenient for house Martell to secure the region than it is for house Velaryon. Both Alyn and Aliandra choose to act opposite to their predecessors who warred against each other. In fact, their friendship is the first time in their families’ long history when a Valyrian and a Dornish/descendant of the Rhoynar actually got along with each other.

It’ll be interesting to see how things progress in Blood & Fire, when the two families end up once more at war, especially with the Second Conquest of Dorne. I wonder how much the circumstances changed that it led to conflict resuming.

[thevelaryons]

Hello again! This might a minor/miscellaneous thought, but how probable do you see Lord Daemon Velaryon (first Master of Ships), and Valaena Velaryon being siblings?

I doubt GRRM will focus on the Conqueror Trio's relationship with their mother's house (unless someone makes the Aegon's Conquest show, that is) but it would make sense to me. This also adds more plausibility to Aenys and Alyssa's betrothal and marriage—they'd be second cousins on the Velaryon side (and the Targaryen side as well, but my thoughts are on the Velaryon atm).

If Daemon and Valaena were siblings, which would mean their mother was a Targaryen, I can also see that drop of dragon blood helping Addam claim Seasmoke (Alyn is too Velaryon and belongs more to the sea than the sky). See the Brown Ben Plumm case. However, bonding with a dragon is more complicated than just blood. It may help, but the rest is up to the dragon's whims. What do you think?

I like the theory especially since the two families were heavily intermarried during this time period. But I also have my doubts about it because if Daemon is Valaena’s brother, and therefore the Conquerors’ uncle, why would it not be mentioned in the book? He is only described as being one of the longtime supporters of Aegon.

Compare this to the second Daemon, who is plainly described as uncle to Jaehaerys the Conciliator.

So the omission of OG Daemon being described as the Conqueror’s uncle seems significant. I think they’d probably still be family but just more distantly related that it’s not really worth mentioning in the text.

Since we don’t have the entire Velaryon family tree, it’s hard to say whether Valaena was an only child or not. For all we know, maybe she had a sister who married OG Daemon, therefore giving his descendants, Alyssa and Addam, the Targaryen blood. This is only speculation, but if Alyssa’s grandmother was a Targaryen-blooded Velaryon woman who married OG Daemon, then it makes Alyssa even more of a cousin to the royal family; though even without that, Alyssa is still considered a cousin to Aenys due to the constant intermarrying within their families. In Addam’s situation, he’s related to Seasmoke’s first rider, which would give him a certain affinity with the dragon even if he’s lacking in the connection to the Targaryen bloodline.

[addamvelaryon]

Men may plot and plan and scheme, but they had best pray as well, for no plan made by man has ever withstood the whims of the gods above.

…. Tumbleton woke in the black of night to screams and shouts.

Addam Velaryon as the Prophet of the Old Gods by JAAVART (ig/twt)

[chelireads]

Decided to be nice (but he really did deserve a bowl cut)

Addam Velaryon before his final battle

[addamvelaryon]

ADDAM & THE SHEPHERD

Following up on my post about Addam and the Old Gods, I also wanted to write about another character whose story deals heavily with religious themes, the Shepherd. He is basically the anti-Addam, though their stories follow a similar trajectory. The Shepherd only emerges in King’s Landing after Addam is gone, and had Addam stayed, perhaps the Shepherd might’ve never shown himself. Unlike Addam, whose religious themes focus on the Old Gods, the Shepherd is written as a devotee of the Faith of the Seven.

There’s a shift in how GRRM writes about Rhaenyra’s reign from start to finish, in the lead-up to the Storming of the Dragonpit (orchestrated by the Shepherd in Addam’s absence, but nevertheless, Addam’s presence is felt all throughout). Indeed, F&B emphasizes that if Addam had been in King’s Landing, the Shepherd could’ve never taken power or attacked the Dragonpit. It’s also worth pointing out that Rhaenyra’s reign at the start is quite prosperous. Despite the conflicts occurring elsewhere and the rising tensions within the city populace, everything still remains stable for the most part, until Addam leaves and the Shepherd arrives on the scene.

On Maiden’s Day in the year 130 AC, the Citadel of Oldtown sent forth three hundred white ravens to herald the coming of winter, but Mushroom and Septon Eustace agree that this was high summer for Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. Despite the disaffection of the Kingslanders, the city and crown were hers. Across the narrow sea, the Triarchy had begun to tear itself to pieces. The waves belonged to House Velaryon. Though snows had closed the passes through the Mountains of the Moon, the Maiden of the Vale had proven true to her word, sending men by sea to join the queen’s hosts. Other fleets brought warriors from White Harbor, led by Lord Manderly’s own sons, Medrick and Torrhen. On every hand Queen Rhaenyra’s power swelled whilst King Aegon’s dwindled.

.

And thus did betrayal beget more betrayal, to the queen’s undoing. As Ser Luthor Largent and his gold cloaks rode up Rhaenys’s Hill with the queen’s warrant, the doors of the Dragonpit were thrown open above them, and Seasmoke spread his pale grey wings and took flight, smoke rising from his nostrils. Ser Addam Velaryon had been forewarned in time to make his escape.

[…]

All the while tales of the slaughter at Tumbleton were spreading through the city…and with them, terror. King’s Landing would be next, men told one another. Dragon would fight dragon, and this time the city would surely burn. Fearful of the coming foe, hundreds tried to flee, only to be turned back at the gates by the gold cloaks. Trapped within the city walls, some sought shelter in deep cellars against the firestorm they feared was coming, whilst others turned to prayer, to drink, and the pleasures to be found between a woman’s thighs. By nightfall, the city’s taverns, brothels, and septs were full to bursting with men and women seeking solace or escape, and trading tales of horror.

’Twas in this dark hour that there rose up in Cobbler’s Square a certain itinerant brother, a barefoot scarecrow of a man in a hair shirt and roughspun breeches, filthy and unwashed and smelling of the sty, with a begging bowl hung round his neck on a leather thong. A thief he had been, for where his right hand should have been was only a stump covered by ragged leather. Grand Maester Munkun suggests he might have been a Poor Fellow; though that order had long been outlawed, wandering Stars still haunted the byways of the Seven Kingdoms. Where he came from we cannot know. Even his name is lost to history. Those who heard him preach, like those who would later record his infamy, knew him only as the Shepherd. Mushroom names him “the Dead Shepherd,” for he claims the man was as pale and foul as a corpse fresh-risen from its grave.

The core purpose of the Dragonpit is the protection of the dragons. More specifically, Addam was tasked with the duty to serve at the Dragonpit, to protect the city. The Shepherd claims to also protect King’s Landing, but he wants the dragons dead in order to accomplish his mission.

It had long been the custom for at least one dragonrider to reside at the pit, so as to be able to rise to the defense of the city should the need arise. As Rhaenyra preferred to keep her sons by her side, that duty fell to Addam Velaryon.

.

It was the fear of dragons, and of their presence, that gave birth to the Shepherd. […] Fear begat anger, and anger begat a thirst for blood. And when the Shepherd announced that the city would be saved only when the city was cleansed of dragons, people listened.

The trajectory of Addam’s story once he leaves King’s Landing appears to mirror the Shepherd who takes up power in the capital. Both of them are driven by the will of the gods, so to speak. While Addam acts against the forces gathered at Tumbleton, the Shepherd begins his work in King’s Landing. They are similarly persistent in their efforts to build their army. In order to do so, both characters spread the message about what they see as the encroaching danger, like prophets spreading the word of their gods.

Many a battle and skirmish had already been fought in the lands watered by the Trident, and there was scarce a keep or village that had not paid its due in blood…but Addam Velaryon was relentless and determined and glib of tongue, and the riverlords knew much and more of the horrors that had befallen Tumbleton. By the time Ser Addam was ready to descend on Tumbleton, he had near four thousand men at his back.

.

Whoever or whatever he might have been, this one-handed Shepherd rose up like some malign spirit, calling down doom and destruction on Queen Rhaenyra to all who came to hear. As tireless as he was fearless, he preached all night and well into the following day, his angry voice ringing across Cobbler’s Square.

[…]

The Targaryens had escaped the Doom, fleeing across the seas to Dragonstone, but “the gods are not mocked,” and now a second doom was at hand. “The false king and the whore queen shall be cast down with all their works, and their demon beasts shall perish from the earth,” the Shepherd thundered. All those who stood with them would die as well. Only by cleansing King’s Landing of dragons and their masters could Westeros hope to avoid the fate of Valyria.

Each hour his crowds grew. A dozen listeners became a score and then a hundred, and by break of dawn thousands were crowding into the square, shoving and pushing as they strained to hear. Many clutched torches, and by nightfall the Shepherd stood amidst a ring of fire.

The Shepherd’s intentions are as clear as Addam’s: To destroy the dragons and their riders, who are their enemies. Incidentally, these two recognize the immediate danger posed by the army gathered at Tumbleton, and therefore, act to protect the city of King’s Landing. Though they obviously go about their goals in very different ways. Addam seeks to directly destroy the Green army and their dragons which are stationed at Tumbleton. He takes the battle straight to the heart of enemy territory. Meanwhile, the Shepherd leads his followers to riot, ultimately marching on the Dragonpit to kill the dragons residing within the city. He is operating under the belief that eliminating the dragons here will save them from being targeted by the Green army. Of note, they both wish to cleanse something sinful.

Tumbleton woke in the black of night to screams and shouts. Outside the town walls, the camps were burning. Columns of armored knights were pouring in from north and west, wreaking slaughter, the clouds were raining arrows, and a dragon was swooping down upon them, terrible and fierce.

Thus began the Second Battle of Tumbleton.

The dragon was Seasmoke, his rider Ser Addam Velaryon, determined to prove that not all bastards need be turncloaks. How better to do that than by retaking Tumbleton from the Two Betrayers, whose treason had stained him?

.

Ser Addam’s night attack took them completely unawares. Before the men of Prince Daeron’s army even knew they were in a battle, the enemy was amongst them, cutting them down as they staggered from their tents, as they were saddling their horses, struggling to don their armor, buckling their sword belts.

Most devastating of all was the dragon. Seasmoke came swooping down again and yet again, breathing flame. A hundred tents were soon afire, even the splendid silken pavilions of Ser Hobert Hightower, Lord Unwin Peake, and Prince Daeron himself. Nor was the town of Tumbleton reprieved. Those shops and homes and septs that had been spared the first time were engulfed in dragonflame.

.

That night King’s Landing rose in bloody riot.

The rioting began amidst the alleys and wynds of Flea Bottom, as men and women poured from the wine sinks, rat pits, and pot shops by the hundreds, angry, drunken, and afraid. From there the rioters spread throughout the city, shouting for justice for the dead princes and their murdered mother. Carts and wagons were overturned, shops looted, homes plundered and set afire. Gold cloaks attempting to quell the disturbances were set upon and beaten bloody. No one was spared, of high birth or low.

.

“The Stranger comes, he comes, he comes, to scourge us for our sins. Prayers cannot stay his wroth, no more than tears can quench the flame of dragons. Only blood can do that. Your blood, my blood, their blood.” Then he raised his right arm and jabbed the stump of his missing hand at Rhaenys’s Hill behind him, at the Dragonpit black against the stars. “There the demons dwell, up there. Fire and blood, blood and fire. This is their city. If you would make it yours, first must you destroy them. If you would cleanse yourself of sin, first must you bathe in dragon’s blood. For only blood can quench the fires of hell.”

[…]

From ten thousand throats a cry went up. “Kill them! Kill them!” And like some vast beast with ten thousand legs, the lambs began to move, shoving and pushing, waving their torches, brandishing swords and knives and other, cruder weapons, walking and running through the streets and alleys toward the Dragonpit.

Addam’s signature dragon battle at Tumbleton is written with the symbolism of a Last Hero figure fighting the White Walkers. At the same time, the Shepherd reigns during a period known as the Long Night. As I mentioned above, the text describes the Shepherd as being like a dead man who has risen, furthering the Long Night connection.

During that long night, Septon Eustace tells us, the Shepherd held sway over half the city, whilst strange lords and kings of misrule squabbled o’er the rest.

The Velaryon soldiers who abandoned Rhaenyra, as a consequence of her decision to target Addam, go on to join up with the Shepherd. Interestingly enough, the supporters of the Shepherd are associated with rodents only in one instance (in every other mention, they are described as followers or lambs or flock), and that’s to show the presence of the Velaryon soldiers who would’ve been heavily armed. Naturally, the allusion to rodents brings to mind Addam who is described as a little mouse.

By ordering the arrest of Addam Velaryon, she had lost not only a dragon and a dragonrider, but her Queen’s Hand as well…and more than half the army that had sailed from Dragonstone to seize the Iron Throne was made up of men sworn to House Velaryon. When it became known that Lord Corlys languished in a dungeon under the Red Keep, they began to abandon her cause by the hundreds. Some made their way to Cobbler’s Square to join the throngs gathered round the Shepherd.

.

The Shepherd’s rats were armed with spears, longaxes, spiked clubs, and half a hundred other kinds of weapons, including both longbows and crossbows.

The people of King’s Landing look with hope to the Shepherd to become their saviour, but the actual person who ends up saving the city is Addam. Even despite Addam’s death, his army carries on his legacy to protect King’s Landing.

The crowd, Septon Eustace says, was twice as large and thrice as fearful as the night before. Like the queen they so despised, the Shepherd’s “lambs” were looking to the sky with dread, fearing that King Aegon’s dragons would arrive before the night was out, with an army close behind them. No longer believing that the queen could protect them, they looked to their Shepherd for salvation.

.

The accused turncloak Addam Velaryon, born Addam of Hull, had saved King’s Landing from the queen’s foes…at the cost of his own life.

.

As the riverlords rode through the city, smallfolk cheered them from rooftops and balconies, and pretty girls scampered forward to shower their saviors with kisses (like mummers in a farce, says Mushroom, suggesting all this had been devised by Larys Strong).

[…]

Orwyle spoke for them, hailing the riverlords as deliverers.

Most notably of all, Addam and the Shepherd are described as extensions of their gods. There are also songs about them in-universe that connect them to the divine. Addam’s arrival at Tumbleton begins with the mention of the Old Gods imagery. Likewise, the Shepherd’s involvement in the Storming of the Dragonpit presents him as an avatar of the Faith, specifically the Warrior.

Men may plot and plan and scheme, but they had best pray as well, for no plan made by man has ever withstood the whims of the gods above. Two days later, on the very day the Caltrops planned to strike, Tumbleton woke in the black of night to screams and shouts. Outside the town walls, the camps were burning. Columns of armored knights were pouring in from north and west, wreaking slaughter, the clouds were raining arrows, and a dragon was swooping down upon them, terrible and fierce.

[…]

The dragon was Seasmoke, his rider Ser Addam Velaryon.

[…]

Singers say Ser Addam had flown from King’s Landing to the Gods Eye, where he landed on the sacred Isle of Faces and took counsel with the Green Men.

.

The tale most oft heard in King’s Landing named the Shepherd himself as the dragonslayer. As others fled, the story went, the one-handed prophet stood fearless and alone against the ravening beast, calling on the Seven for succor, till the Warrior himself took form, thirty feet tall. In his hand was a black blade made of smoke that turned to steel as he swung it, cleaving the head of Syrax from her body. And so the tale was told, even by Septon Eustace in his account of these dark days, and so the singers sang for many years thereafter.

I do believe that the Shepherd suffered from some sort of religious psychosis and that’s what led him down a dark path to eliminate all the dragons. However, his aim was purely about saving the city. As misguided as the Shepherd may be, his intentions appear rather genuine. Unlike the other two monarchs during the Moon of Three Kings, the Shepherd is the only one who never claimed kingship for himself, even as he preached endlessly about killing the dragons to protect the city.

Addam is, at his core, a protector. That is his most defining characteristic from the beginning of his story to the end point. Similar to the Shepherd, he too looks to a higher power in his effort to save King’s Landing from the threat at Tumbleton. It’s heavily implied that Addam would’ve experienced some visions of the horrors occurring in Tumbleton and how that situation could worsen if it’s not stopped (presented through the Long Night symbolism in his story) and that’s what prompted him to take action. Rather than returning back to King’s Landing with his army, he leads them further south to Tumbleton. In the end, the dragons die but Addam’s efforts to save the city are successful enough that it ushers in the period known as the False Dawn (the true dawn will only occur in the main series with the return of the dragons to Westeros and the resolution of the conflict with the White Walkers -> the War for the Dawn).

[eggthefifth]

[morgen-fay]

Queen Alyssa Velaryon

Wife to King Aenys I Targaryen

Mother to King Jaehaerys I and Queen Consort Alysanne Targaryen

[houseofice]

Lord Daemon Velaryon

More

Titles

Lord of the Tides

Master of Driftmark

Lord admiral

Master of ships

Hand of the King

Allegiance

House Velaryon

Race

Valyrian

Culture

Crownlands

Born

11 BC — 1 AC

Died

77–89 AC (aged 88)

Father

Lord Aethan Velaryon

Mother

Lady Alarra Massey

Issue

Corwyn Velaryon

Jorgen Velaryon

Victor Velaryon

At least four daughters

Daemon Velaryon was the Lord of the Tides, Master of Driftmark, and the head of House Velaryon during the reigns of King Maegor I Targaryen and King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. He served as master of ships and lord admiral for both kings, as well as Hand of the King for his nephew, King Jaehaerys I.

Daemon was the son of Lord Aethan Velaryon of Driftmark, and was brother to Queen Alyssa Velaryon, wife of King Aenys I Targaryen. He had severe sons and daughters.

Character

Daemon Velaryon was a prideful man who enjoyed his family’s position as the “second house” of the realm, on account of the Velaryons’ close ties to House Targaryen.

Daemon served ably during his long tenure as master of ships and Hand of the King.

History

Early Life

Daemon was the eldest son and heir of Lord Aethan Velaryon and Lady Alarra Massey. He had several brothers, and a sister, Alyssa, who wed their cousin Prince Aenys Targaryen in 22 AC, and later became the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

After King Aenys’ death, his brother Maegor I Targaryen usurped the throne from Alyssa’s eldest son Aegon. Fleeing to Driftmark, Alyssa named her son the rightful king, but a visit from Dowager Queen Visenya Targaryen and her dragon Vhagar convinced Daemon’s family to return to court. In 42 AC, Daemon, Alyssa, and their brothers and cousins did homage to Maegor as the true king.

Master of Ships

Daemon served on Maegor’s small council as the lord admiral of the royal fleet. When Maegor, in need of an heir, sought to find a new wife, Daemon advised him to wed his niece, Princess Rhaena, suggesting that such a union would unite the Targaryen claims, prevent any fresh rebellions from forming around her, and acquire a hostage against Dowager Queen Alyssa, his sister. Maegor eventually took three brides, and followed Daemon’s counsel by taking Rhaena as one of his brides. When Daemon’s nephew, Prince Jaehaerys, began gathering forces at Storm’s End in 48 AC, Daemon and Lord Rogar Baratheon were some of the first great lords to turn against Maegor, and the rest of the realm soon followed their example. As the Velaryons were the realm’s traditional admirals, Daemon’s decision ensured that the King no longer had the royal fleet at his disposal. When Jaehaerys ascended to the Iron Throne, Daemon was confirmed as lord admiral and master of ships once again.

When considering a queen for the king, Daemon suggested that Jaehaerys wed Queen Elinor Costayne, one of Maegor’s widows. He argued that such a union would demonstrate that Maegor’s supporters had been forgiven, and Elinor’s proven fertility was another point in her favor. Daemon even suggested for the king to adopt her son by Ser Theo Boiling. In defiance of the small council, Jaehaerys ultimately wed his younger sister Alysanne, whom Lord Baratheon had decided to wed to his brother, Ser Orryn.

Both Grand Maester Benifer and Lord Rogar suspected that it had been Daemon who alerted his niece about the plot, in fear that the Baratheons were attempting to replace House Velaryon as the second house of the realm. Though Daemon served with the regents in King’s Landing, Jaehaerys and Alysanne flew their dragons to Driftmark to tour Daemon’s shipyards, accompanied by Daemon’s sons. Rogar requested for Daemon to use the Velaryon fleet to prevent lords from visiting Dragonstone to curry the king’s favor, but Daemon responded with a blunt “no”, which Baratheon took as a slight. Daemon and the other councilors objected to Lord Rogar’s plot to crown Princess Aerea in place of Jaehaerys, after which Alyssa ordered the resignation of Rogar, her own husband, as Hand of the King.

Hand of the King

Daemon was raised to the office of Hand of the King by his sister, Queen Regent Alyssa Velaryon, to replace Rogar Baratheon. Alyssa retired from public life and Daemon ruled the realm as best as he could together with the small council for the remainder of Jaehaerys’s regency, “saying little and doing less” according to Grand Maester Benifer. When Jaehaerys reached the age of majority in 50 AC, he confirmed Daemon in his office as Hand, while Manfryd Redwyne, Lord of the Arbor, was summoned to fill the post of master of ships. This marked the first time that the office of master of ships had not gone to a man of House Velaryon.

Daemon served ably as Hand of the King. After the death of the High Septon in 54 AC, Daemon advocated for a show of force, suggesting to use the royal fleet to prevent the elevation of Septon Mattheus to the office of High Septon, for Mattheus was a great opponent of the Targaryens. Later that year, when a mysterious ailment caused the death of all of Rhaena Targaryen’s companions on Dragonstone, Jaehaerys ordered Daemon to send forth his galleys to ensure no one spread the disease beyond the island. Daemon did as commanded, while grieving for his own young niece Lianna, who had been one of Rhaena’s companions.

Following the death of his sister Alyssa later that same year, Daemon resigned from the office as Hand of the King, claiming he wished to spend his remaining time with his family. Although most maesters and historians believe Daemon at his word, some say he had a rivalry with Lord Redwyne and wished to relinquish his post as a result of a bitter feud. Daemon was succeeded as Hand by Lord Myles Smallwood.

Later Life

In late 58 AC, Lord Daemon attended the tourney at King’s Landing commemorating the tenth anniversary of the king’s coronation. During the winter of 59 AC, when the Shivers spread to the crownlands, Daemon sickened on Driftmark and was at the point of death, but eventually recovered. His second son (possibly Jorgen) and three of his daughters perished. In 73 AC, Ser Lucamore Strong of the Kingsguard was disgraced for having broken his vows by marrying three women and fathering children with them. The knight’s second wife and her children were sent to Driftmark to be fostered with Daemon.

Daemon eventually passed away at the age of eighty-eight. As he had outlived his eldest son, Daemon was succeeded as Lord of the Tides by his grandson, Ser Corlys Velaryon.

[thevelaryons]

“She was the fairest treasure of the Maidenvault. Lord Oakenfist the great admiral lost his heart to her, though he was married to another. She gave their son the bastard name of ‘Waters’ in honor of his father, and he grew to be a great knight, as did his own son, who put the ‘Long’ before the ‘Waters’ so men might know that he was not basely born himself.”

— A Feast for Crows, Jaime I

“I know that tale as well, but Daeron made too much of it in that vainglorious book of his. Ships won that war, not goat tracks. Oakenfist broke the Planky Town and swept halfway up the Greenblood whilst the main Dornish strength was engaged in the Prince’s Pass.” Stannis drummed his fingers on the map.

— A Dance With Dragons, Jon IV

There are two mentions of Alyn in the main series. I suppose it’s interesting that these two things are what Alyn is best remembered for in Westeros: his enduring love for Princess Elaena and his victory during the Second Conquest of Dorne.

[addamvelaryon]

Not long after Addam of Hull had proved himself by flying Seasmoke, Lord Corlys went so far as to petition Queen Rhaenyra to remove the taint of bastardy from him and his brother. When Prince Jacaerys added his voice to the request, the queen complied. Addam of Hull, dragonseed and bastard, became Addam Velaryon, heir to Driftmark.

Artist: Lue_Aries

[thevelaryons]

How it started:

How it ended:

[thevelaryons]

Corlys’ pride and arrogance are obviously big parts of his character, but I still find it endlessly fascinating how he expects those of a higher rank to bend before him, and they often do!

King Jaehaerys and Queen Alysanne originally pursued the idea of a royal marriage with Corlys, by sending their daughter Princess Daella to court him. Corlys gave the Targaryen princess the cold shoulder.

It’s Princess Rhaenys Targaryen who first makes known her intentions to marry him. She is the one who approaches King Jaehaerys with this news and the Conciliator is very pleased at the turn of events.

At the time the royal succession was being contested between Princess Rhaenys and her bloodline vs Prince Baelon and his bloodline, highborn and commoners alike made it known they preferred an adult male claimant. The only reason King Jaehaerys had to call the Great Council of 101 AC in the first place (rather than simply declaring Prince Viserys heir instead of Prince Laenor) was because Corlys held a great deal of power and influence that could not be overlooked.

Corlys appears to be biding his time waiting for a royal proposal for his daughter from King Viserys. However, he would never lower himself to ask for it. That it should happen eventually is just something he probably took for granted. So when Corlys doesn’t get the royal marriage he was hoping for, he is visibly displeased.

He never pursues the matter of a royal marriage for his son either. But at least in this instance, King Viserys puts forward the proposal to which Corlys accepts.

Concerning the matter of the Driftmark succession, Corlys holds back on naming any son of Princess Rhaenyra as his heir. It’s only while Corlys is bedridden that Princess Rhaenyra feels able to approach him regarding the matter of the inheritance. And she still has to sort out the matter of the competing claims in order to succeed in her goal.

Queen Rhaenyra only names her Small Council after she takes the Iron Throne, however, Corlys has to be made Hand of the Queen beforehand in order to appease him. As well, Corlys sidelines Queen Rhaenyra’s royal son by Laenor in order to make Laenor’s bastard the heir to Driftmark. The proud Targaryen monarch must accept this humiliation quietly for the sake of retaining Corlys’ loyalty.

Throughout the war, Corlys serves on the Black Council originally, and later the Green Council. For both sides, Queen Rhaenyra and King Aegon II, as well as their councillors, are mindful of Corlys’ authority and understand that they must fulfill his demands in order to retain his support. It takes a lot of different factors, such as (impending) deaths/harm in the family and changing political landscape, for the fracturing of the alliances to occur.

While Corlys is awaiting his trial and execution at the end of the war, it’s King Aegon III himself who stands up in his defence. Other nobles, even Corlys’ political enemies, also speak up for him, which does eventually end up saving his life.

[thevelaryons]

Thoughts on the recent (post harrenhal) history of House Velaryon?

Lucerys and his sons seem to have perished in the Storm Off Dragonstone as the Velaryons were almost certainly part of the Targaryen fleet. Monford is probably at latest in his teens at that point given he doesn’t have any children till 293. He also doesn’t seem to have any strict animosity towards Stannis nor is them having any real prewar relationship ever mentioned. I’m kind of picturing almost a mirror of Davos, where Lucerys and his 4 eldest sons died during the rebellion, whilst Monford, unprepared to rule, was left at home and essentially cut off from his family’s feuds.

Tbh, I got the impression that Monford doesn’t particularly care for Stannis. He openly expresses his displeasure with his King and only seems to be supporting Stannis since Driftmark is a direct vassal of Dragonstone. In Stannis’ conversations with Maester Cressen and Davos, it’s said that Monford frequently disagrees with Stannis’ decisions.

“Lord Sunglass mutters piously of the will of the Seven. Celtigar will want to know which storm lords are joining us. Velaryon will threaten to take his levies home unless we strike at once. What am I to tell them? What must I do now?”

.

“The letter … What did your lords make of it, I wonder?”

Stannis snorted. “Celtigar pronounced it admirable. If I showed him the contents of my privy, he would declare that admirable as well. The others bobbed their heads up and down like a flock of geese, all but Velaryon, who said that steel would decide the matter, not words on parchment. As if I had never suspected. The Others take my lords, I’ll hear your views.”

Since Monford’s father was in the Mad King’s inner circle, I tend to believe that Monford might’ve frequented the Red Keep with his father. Admiral Lucerys seems like the type who would try to integrate his children into court life as much as possible, to take full advantage of the King’s favour.

The Mad King could be savagely cruel, as seen most plainly when he burned those he perceived to be his enemies, but he could also be extravagant, showering men who pleased him with honors, offices, and lands. The lickspittle lords who surrounded Aerys II had gained much and more from the king’s madness and eagerly seized upon any opportunity to speak ill of Prince Rhaegar and inflame the father’s suspicions of the son.

Chief amongst the Mad King’s supporters were three lords of his small council: Qarlton Chelsted, master of coin, Lucerys Velaryon, master of ships, and Symond Staunton, master of laws.

In which case, perhaps a young Monford witnessed Aerys II’s actions, and now he sees another monarch be too comfortable using fire as his weapon.

Nearby, Lord Celtigar coughed fitfully and covered his wrinkled face with a square of linen embroidered in red crabs. The Myrmen swapped jokes as they enjoyed the warmth of the fire, but young Lord Bar Emmon had turned a splotchy grey, and Lord Velaryon was watching the king rather than the conflagration.

Lucerys might’ve been okay with supporting the Mad King fully, because it was politically beneficial for him. But Monford seems a lot more reluctant with the King he serves.

[thevelaryons]

Are there any (romantic or otherwise) relationships of known House Velaryon members with other ASOIAF characters that you think that have/had potential or find interesting to explore? Outside the existing canon ones, I mean.

I’m quite partial to Alyssa & Qarl Corbray. It’s said that third times the charm, and since these two are such a great duo, I would’ve loved to see Alyssa actually marry Qarl and get a much happier ending away from her abusive second husband (who Qarl canonically protected her from!).

I think Alyn & Nettles also have a lot of potential, regardless of whether it’s a romantic or platonic relationship. They’re both from Driftmark, so maybe their paths intersected even before the war. Alyn is technically the first of the “burned men”, courtesy of Sheepstealer; the burned men in the Vale serve Nettles. It’s really a missed opportunity that GRRM didn’t write a reunion of some sort happening between Alyn & Nettles, especially since Alyn did spend time in the Vale in the years following tDotD. These two are the only surviving dragonseeds from the war!

Speaking of the Vale, Alyn’s wartime co-commander Moredo Rogare is an interesting character who he should’ve interacted with more. They’re as different as night and day with the Lyseni soldier being described as stern/frightening while Alyn is flamboyant/friendly. At the same time, they occupy a similar narrative purpose being the ones who inherit the family legacy after the unexpected death of their older kin. Moredo wields the Valyrian longsword called Truth and Alyn is characterized by his honest nature. I’m personally hoping their paths will intersect again in Blood & Fire.

Addam & Trystane Truefyre is another potential doomed pair. I’ve discussed their similarities before, in terms of attaining knighthood and fatherly approval. I like to consider the possibility that they could’ve interacted during the half-year reign period.

[thevelaryons]

Daenaera Velaryon by msezrwiz

[thevelaryons]

Alyssa Velaryon by worshipanimation