Doran Martell
| House / Order | House Martell |
|---|---|
| Race / Culture | Rhoynar/Andal |
| Status | Alive |
| Origin | Dorne |
| Born | Sunspear |
| Died | |
| Weapon | |
| Fate | Ruling Prince of Dorne |
| Portrayed by |
Doran Martell is the ruling Prince of Dorne and Lord of Sunspear, the patient and calculating head of House Martell. Though he seems passive and infirm, crippled by gout, his apparent inaction conceals long, deep-laid plans of vengeance for the murder of his sister.
A Patient Prince
Doran rules Dorne from the Water Gardens, kept to a wheeled chair by the gout that swells his joints. Many in Dorne, including his own kin, mistake his caution for weakness and chafe at his refusal to strike openly against the Lannisters. In truth he is a master of the long game, holding his hand until the moment is right.
The Blood Debt
Doran's sister Elia Martell and her children were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing by men of House Lannister. The crime is the central wound of his reign, and his fiery brother Oberyn, the Red Viper, sought open vengeance for it, dying in a trial by combat against Ser Gregor Clegane. Doran's grief is no less than Oberyn's, but his method is patience and the slow weaving of alliances and marriages.
His Schemes
Doran reveals to his daughter Arianne a secret pact made long ago, a plan to bind Dorne to the cause of the exiled Targaryens through marriage. He restrains the vengeful Sand Snakes, Oberyn's daughters, and steers Dorne carefully through the wars convulsing the realm, biding his time for the reckoning he has long prepared.