House Arryn

House Arryn of the Eyrie is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the ruling family of the Vale, a mountain-girt realm in the east. Their sigil is a white falcon soaring against a sky-blue field above a white crescent moon, and their words are "As High as Honor." They rule from the Eyrie, a slender castle perched high on the side of the Giant's Lance, reachable only by a long climb past three waystone castles and impregnable to any besieging army.

The Arryns are descended from the Andals, and theirs is among the oldest and purest of Andal bloodlines. In the Age of Heroes their ancestors are said to have come to the Vale as conquerors; the Winged Knight, Ser Artys Arryn, is the legendary founder credited with casting down the First Men king of the mountain. For thousands of years the Arryns reigned as Kings of Mountain and Vale before bending the knee to Aegon the Conqueror -- saved from his dragons by the surrender of the boy-king's regent mother.

History

Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie and Defender of the Vale, fostered both Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon in his castle. When the Mad King Aerys II demanded the heads of his two wards, Jon refused and raised his banners, sparking Robert's Rebellion. He afterward served Robert as Hand of the King for many years. His sudden death -- in truth a poisoning -- set in motion the events that brought Eddard Stark south to King's Landing.

His widow Lysa Arryn, paranoid and overprotective of their sickly son, withdrew the Vale's strength behind its mountains and held it apart from the War of the Five Kings.

Notable Members

• Jon Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Hand of the King, mentor to Stark and Baratheon
• Lysa Arryn, his widow, born of House Tully
• Robert Arryn, called Sweetrobin, their frail young son and heir

Significance

The murder of Jon Arryn is the spark from which the whole tragedy of the realm grows. The Vale itself, sheltered and intact behind its mountains, remains a reserve of strength that the great players of the game seek to claim.