Storm's End
From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Storm's End is the main seat of House Baratheon and, before it, the ancestral seat of the Storm Kings extending back many thousands of years. The castle is said to be protected by spells woven into its very walls that prevent magic from affecting it or passing through it.
[edit] Features
The castle's outer defences consist of a huge curtain wall, 100 feet tall and 40 feet thick on its thinnest side, nearly 80 feet thick on its seaward side. The wall consists of a double course of stones with an inner core of sand and rubble. The wall is smooth and curving, the stones so well placed that there are nearly no places where the wind can enter the castle. On the seaward side, there is a 150-foot drop below the wall into the sea. The castle itself consists of one huge drum tower crowned with formidable battlements, so that from a distance enemies can see what appears to be a single huge, spiked fist thrusting towards the sky in defiance. The tower is so large that it can comfortably contain stables, barracks, armory and lord's chambers all in the same structure.
The lands of Storm's End are some of the richest in the Seven Kingdoms, and many strong houses are sworn to it.
[edit] History
According to legend, the first Storm King in the age of the First Men was Durran, who won the love of Elenei, the daughter of the sea god and the goddess of the wind. He took her as wife, and in a rage her parents sent vast storms to shatter his keep and kill his wedding guests and family. Durran declared war against the gods and raised several castles over Shipbreaker Bay, each larger and more formidable than the last. Finally, the seventh castle stayed in place and resisted the storms. Some believe this is because the children of the forest took a hand in its construction; others believe that a young boy who grew up to be Bran the Builder, advised Durran on its construction. The truth of the matter is unknown.
Storm's End has proven exceptionally formidable. In the history of Seven Kingdoms, it has never fallen to either siege or storm. However, the castle has endured several sieges and battles in recent history. The last Storm King, Argilac the Arrogant, abandoned his impressive defences to meet Orrys Baratheon in open battle during Aegon I's War of Conquest, and suffered accordingly. During the War of the Usurper, Storm's End was besieged for a year by the host of Mace Tyrell, who commanded the landward forces, whilst Paxter Redwyne's fleet of the Arbor kept the castle cut off by sea. Stannis Baratheon, commanding the defence, refused to yield and his men were reduced to eating rats. A smuggler named Davos Seaworth ran the blockade and resupplied the castle, allowing the garrison to outlast the siege.
After Robert Baratheon became king, he gave the castle to his younger brother Renly Baratheon and moved Stannis to the much poorer Dragonstone, which led to many years of bitterness on Stannis' part. During the War of the Five Kings, the many castles sworn to Storm's End helped Renly field a sizable force to support his claim on the Iron Throne. Following Renly's death, the castle castellan, Cortnay Penrose refused to yield, believeing that Edric Storm, fostered at Storm's End, would be harmed. Melisandre gave birth to a shadow that assassinated Penrose, but first she had Davos Seaworth smuggle her through the castle walls so that the spells of the castle did not ward out her magic. Soon after Penrose's death, the castle surrendered to Stannis's forces.
Later in the war, the castle was besieged by a strong army under Mace Tyrell, but he only had the castle under siege for a few weeks before he abandoned the siege to return to King's Landing after the arrest of his daughter Margaery by the Faith. The castle continues to support Stannis's claim to the throne.
[edit] References and sources
|
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Strongholds of A Song of Ice and Fire. |
