House of the Dragon houses and character guide

By the finish of Game of Thrones, most followers had developed an encyclopedic data of the varied noble houses, who dominated them, the place their seat lay, and who they had been allied with. But with House of the Dragon happening 200 years previous to Game of Thrones, these of us who determined to skip studying George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood are just about ranging from scratch. There are a couple of acquainted houses in the combine — most clearly House Targaryen, with a couple of others to come back — however for the most half, House of the Dragon is populated by houses that we didn’t get to see in Game of Thrones.

To provide help to hold monitor of the varied houses — and how they match into the ongoing political schemes and upcoming struggle — we’ll be updating this guide all through the season.

[Ed. note: The following contains spoilers for House of the Dragon episode 2.]

House Targaryen

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“Fire and Blood”
The royal home of Westeros. Their ancestral seat is Dragonstone, although they rule out of King’s Landing. Their sigil is a purple three-headed dragon over a black area.

The complete present is about House Targaryen, so that is in all probability the one home you don’t need assistance retaining straight (or a minimum of we’d hope). We’ll nonetheless go over the bullet factors right here, although, simply in case.

When House of the Dragon begins, Viserys I Targaryen is King of Westeros after a Great Council had voted for him to succeed his grandfather Jaehaerys. Following the loss of life of his spouse Aemma Arryn and their new child son, Baelon, Viserys named his daughter Rhaenyra as his inheritor, displacing his brother, Daemon Targaryen, from the line of succession. Viserys later chooses to marry Alicent Hightower, making a disaster of succession that units off the first Targaryen civil struggle, often called the Dance of the Dragons.

House Hightower

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“We Light the Way”
The rulers of Oldtown, the place the Citadel is situated. They maintain fealty to House Tyrell of Highgarden. Their sigil is a white tower topped by flames on a grey area.

Of all the newly distinguished houses in House of the Dragon, Hightower is one of the most essential to maintain your eye on. The home is headed up by Lord Hobert Hightower, whose youthful brother Ser Otto is Hand to King Viserys I Targaryen. It’s Otto who encourages his daughter Alicent to get near the king after the loss of life of his spouse Aemma, resulting in Alicent’s upcoming marriage to Viserys. Otto additionally has a son, Ser Gwayne Hightower, who participated in the Heir’s Tournament in the collection premiere.

Hightower holds fealty to House Tyrell, however additionally they have a number of vassals of their very own: Bulwer, Costayne, Cuy, and Beesbury, whose lord, Lyman, serves as Viserys’ Master of Coin.

House Velaryon

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“The Old, the True, the Brave”
The rulers of Driftmark, an island in Blackwater Bay. Their seat is High Tide, an island-castle off Driftmark’s coast. Their sigil is a silver seahorse over an aquamarine area.

House Velaryon is one of the oldest (and wealthiest) houses in Westeros, with a bloodline as historic as House Targaryen — as its present lord, Corlys “the Sea Snake,” likes to remind Viserys. The Velaryons might not be dragon riders, however they’re a Valyrian home, originating from Essos’ Valyrian Peninsula. Corlys is married to Viserys’ cousin, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, dubbed the Queen Who Never Was after she was handed over as Jaehaerys’ inheritor. Together, Corlys and Rhaenys have two youngsters, Laena and Laenor.

Corlys, also referred to as Lord of the Tides, serves as Viserys’ Master of Ships and instructions the Royal Fleet. However, after Viserys rejects marrying the 12-year-old Laena in favor of Alicent Hightower, Corlys aligns himself with Daemon Targaryen.

House Strong

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A noble home of the Riverlands that holds fealty to House Tully. Their seat is the Harrenhal. Their sigil is a tripartite of blue, purple, and inexperienced converging round a fist on white area.

House Strong is dominated over by Lord Lyonel Strong, who acts as Viserys’ Master of Laws. His youngest son is Larys Strong and the oldest is Ser Harwin Strong, who is usually known as Breakbones and often called the strongest man in the Seven Kingdoms.

House Strong’s seat is Harrenhal, which hosted Jaehaerys I Targaryen’s meeting to decide on an inheritor. But between Harrenhal’s alleged curse and the indisputable fact that the seat was held by House Whent when Game of Thrones started, issues already aren’t trying nice for House Strong’s future in House of the Dragon.

House Cole

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Stewards to House Dondarrion at Blackhaven, a citadel in the Dornish Marches. Their sigil is ten black circles on a purple area.

We met the hunky Ser Criston Cole in the collection premiere when he defeated Daemon Targaryen in the Heir’s Tournament — a loss made extra spicy by the indisputable fact that Cole is common-born. Criston’s father is the steward to the Lord of Blackhaven, however regardless of technically being known as a noble home, House Cole is basically appeared down upon in noble society for his or her “low-born” standing. Cole’s Dornish ancestry in all probability doesn’t assist issues both.

House Westerling

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A noble home of the Westerlands that holds fealty to House Lannister. Their seat is the Crag.

Ser Harrold Westerling is a long-standing member of the Kingsguard, having begun his service underneath Jaehaerys’ rule. He at the moment serves as the sworn defend to Rhaenyra Targaryen. In Game of Thrones, the solely time House Westerling popped up was after they surrendered their seat to Robb Stark. However, in the Song of Ice and Fire books, this home performed a way more distinguished position, with Robb marrying Jeyne Westerling relatively than Talisa Maegyr, as he did in the collection.

House Lannister

“Hear Me Roar!”
The rulers of the Westerlands. Their seat is Casterly Rock. Their sigil is a golden lion on a crimson area.

House of the Dragon might be giving us a minimum of two Lannisters this season: twins Tyland and Jason, the present Lord of Casterly Rock. With Lannister being one of the Great Houses of Westeros — and one of the most beloved houses from Game of Thrones — we’re curious to see what kind of impression this new set of Lannister twins has on the political proceedings.