Water Gate

Not to be confused with the River Gate of King's Landing.

Riverrun by Franz Miklis © Fantasy Flight Games

The Water Gate, also called the River Gate, is one of the gates of Riverrun. It is accessible from the Tumblestone.

Layout

The Water Gate, which has a wide arch of red stone, allows access by boat through the walls of Riverrun. Its great iron portcullis is raised by winches and has barbed spikes. Once inside Riverrun, boats of various sizes can be tied to iron rings on the walls. Travelers can then disembark by a water stair that leads from the lower bailey up to the castle.

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The boat bringing Catelyn Stark to Riverrun passes through the Water Gate. She notices that the lower half of its portcullis is rusted red.

A Clash of Kings

During the failed plot to free Ser Jaime Lannister from captivity at Riverrun, a mummer imitates Ser Edmure Tully's voice and orders Enger, Delp, and Long Lew to raise the portcullis of the River Gate.

A Storm of Swords

Catelyn orders that the portcullis of the Water Gate be raised when she has Brienne of Tarth and Ser Cleos Frey smuggle Jaime out of the castle in a skiff.

The funeral boat of Lord Hoster Tully is released through the Water Gate into the Tumblestone and quickly reaches its confluence with the Red Fork.

A Feast for Crows

Ser Jaime Lannister resolves the siege of Riverrun by threatening its captive former lord, Edmure Tully. Against Jaime's wishes, Ser Brynden Tully, Edmure's uncle and the castle's castellan, escapes in the night by swimming underneath the portcullis after it is partially raised without the besiegers' knowledge.

Quotes

The wide arch of the Water Gate came into view, and she heard the creak of heavy chains as the great iron portcullis was winched upward. It rose slowly as they approached, and Catelyn saw that the lower half of it was red with rust. The bottom foot dripped brown mud on them as they passed underneath, the barbed spikes mere inches above their heads. Catelyn gazed up at the bars and wondered how deep the rust went and how well the portcullis would stand up to a ram and whether it ought to be replaced. Thoughts like that were seldom far from her mind these days.

—thoughts of Catelyn Stark

We raised the portcullis on the Water Gate. Not all the way, just three feet or so. Enough to leave a gap under the water, though the gate still appeared to be closed. My uncle is a strong swimmer. After dark, he pulled himself beneath the spikes.

—Edmure Tully to Jaime Lannister