Hightower

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The Reach and the location of the Hightower
The Reach and the location of the Hightower
The Hightower
The Reach and the location of the Hightower
File:5gFYs.jpg
Ted Nasmith's depiction of the Hightower

The Hightower or High Tower is the seat of House Hightower, one of the most powerful families of the Reach.[1] The castle and lighthouse is located in the port of Oldtown atop Battle Island, where the Honeywine widens into Whispering Sound.[2]

According to a semi-canon source, the Hightower stands in the center of Oldtown, the city having grown around it. It is a massive stepped tower with a beacon on top to guide ships into port. It is the tallest structure in the Seven Kingdoms,[3] even higher than the seven-hundred-foot Wall.[4] The people of Oldtown can tell the time of day by the tower's shadow, and some claim that the Wall can be seen from its top.[2]

It is speculated by fans that the Hightower is one of the nine Wonders Made by Man written about by Lomas Longstrider.[5]

History

House Hightower of the Hightower is an ancient and noble family of impeccable lineage,[6] as they were First Men kings during the Dawn of Days.[1]

During the War of Conquest, Lord Banfred Hightower heeded the High Septon, who prophesied that the Hightower would burn with the rest of Oldtown if the city resisted the Targaryens. When Aegon the Conqueror arrived at Oldtown on dragonback, Lord Hightower opened his gates. Aegon spared the city, and the High Septon anointed him and acknowledged Aegon's right to rule the Seven Kingdoms.[7]

During the Dance of the Dragons, Lord Ormund Hightower's young sons remained at the Hightower while Ormund led an army for the greens.[8]

Lord Leyton Hightower, the Old Man of Oldtown, has not descended from the Hightower in more than a decade.[2]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Alekyne Florent, the attainted Lord of Brightwater, flees to Oldtown to seek refuge at the Hightower.[1]

While sailing on the Cinnamon Wind to Oldtown, Gilly is impressed with the size of Three Towers, but Samwell Tarly tells her to wait until she sees the Hightower. When they reach Oldtown, the morning fog is so thick that the Hightower's beacon is the only part of the city visible.[9]

Lord Leyton Hightower and his daughter, the Mad Maid Malora, are said to have locked themselves atop the Hightower, consulting books of spells in response to the ironborn attacks on the Reach.[9]

Quotes

The distant beacon of the Hightower floated in the damp of night like a hazy orange moon.[2]

- thoughts of Pate

References and Notes