Post by Jon Snow on Aug 4, 2012 15:32:17 GMT -5
House Martell
Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken.
Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken.
House Name: Martell.
Lord or Lady of the House: Prince Josmyn Nymeros Martell.
House Motto: “Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken.”
House Sigil: Orange, a sun in splendour gules pierced bendwise by a spear.
House Location: Sunspear.
House XP: 1,663.
House Level/Rank: 5.
House Funds: 6,063G.
House Members:
- Prince Josmyn Nymeros Martell
XP: 1,663xp.
Character Level: 12.
Gold Credits: 6,063G. - Princess Tyene Martell
XP: 0xp.
Character Level: 0.
Gold Credits: 0G.
- Prince Doran Nymeros Martell - Prince of Dorne, retired from public life.
- Princess Obara Martell
- Princess Nymeria Martell
- Princess Sarella Martell
- Oberyn Martell- Exiled.
- Arianne Martell- Exiled.
- Loreza Sand- Exiled
- Obella Sand- Exiled
- Dorea Sand- Exiled
- Elia Sand- Exiled
- Traditionally, the Targaryens
- Blackmont of Blackmont
- Dalt of Lemonwood
- Dayne of Starfall
- Dayne of High Hermitage
- Fowler of Skyreach
- Gargalen of Salt Shore
- Jordayne of the Tor
- Manwoody of Kingsgrave
- Santagar of Spottswood
- Toland of Ghost Hill
- Uller of the Hellholt
- Vaith of the Red Dunes
- Wyl of Wyl
- Yronwood of Yronwood
- The Lannisters
House History: House Martell's founding is unknown, except that they were one of the ruling families of Dorne which, since the Andal Invasion had been a collection of feuding petty kingdoms even as the other regions of Westeros began to consolidate into larger realms. When the warrior queen of the Rhoynar of the eastern continent, Nymeria, came with her people to Westeros, she took one of the strongest of the Dornishmen as her husband: King Mors Martell. Combining their strength, the two managed to unite all of Dorne under their rule; House Nymeros Martell has reigned since.
The union of their peoples saw the Martells abandon many of their older Andal customs in favor of those of the Rhoynar. Specifically, they began to call their rulers "princes" instead of kings, and their lands and title passed down to the eldest child regardless of gender.
As Aegon the Conqueror waged his Wars of Conquest, he eventually came to Dorne. Here his army was bled dry by guerrilla warfare in the desert, a situation in which his dragons were of little use. Deciding that conquering Dorne would be too costly, the Conqueror opted to leave the Martells as sovereign princes. House Martell kept Dorne independent from the Targaryens for two centuries, the only one of the Seven Kingdoms to manage such a feat. After repeated failed attempts at conquest (most notably under Daeron I), Dorne eventually joined the fold through marriage between the two houses. The alliance was a dual one, with the future King Daeron II marrying Princess Myriah Martell and Prince Maron Martell later marrying Daeron's sister Daenerys.
During Daeron II's reign, the Red Keep assumed a decidedly Dornish flavor due to the influence of his Martell wife. This was one reason that many nobles opted to rise against his rule. The Martells thus defended his claim against Daemon Blackfyre. After their victory, Maron and Daenerys fulfilled their betrothal, formally bringing Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms. Since then, the Martells have ruled Dorne in the name of the King on the Iron Throne, while keeping the title of Prince of Dorne.
Prince Doran is the ruler of Dorne, a thoughtful man who has terrible gout. He was nine years older than Elia and ten years older than Oberyn. Two other younger brothers died in infancy, Mors and Olyvar.
When Oberyn and Elia were 15 and 16, they travelled together from Dorne to Casterly Rock, meeting potential suitors and marriage alliances, culminating in a visit to Joanna Lannister to fulfill their mother's wishes that their children would marry. When they arrived, Joanna had just died giving birth to Tyrion and Lord Tywin slights them shamefully, ignoring them for a few weeks before offering Elia the dwarf baby Tyrion, a further slight. It is unclear whether they are told Cersei is meant for Rhaegar or if they happen onto the one thing that would make Tywin the most angry, but in another Martell-Targaryen marriage alliance, Princess Elia Martell was wed to Rhaegar Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone, a slight to Tywin who had hoped to marry Cersei to Rhaegar.
Childbirth is hard on Elia, their first two children leave her very weak. When Rhaegar won the Tourney at Harrenhal, he named Lyanna Stark the queen of love and beauty, not Elia. A year later he runs off with Lyanna, sparking Robert's Rebellion. The Martells were unhappy with Rhaegar's betrayal of Elia, still, they supported Aerys II's bid to retain the throne since the Mad King held Elia and her children hostage in the Red Keep, providing a quarter of the royal troops at the Battle of the Trident. The Martells lost many soldiers there, including Prince Lewyn Martell of the Kingsguard. When King' Landing fell, Princess Elia and her children were brutally murdered during the Sack of King's Landing by two Lannister knights, Gregor Clegane and Amory Lorch. Prince Oberyn Martell made motions to continue the war in "King Viserys III's" name, but Prince Doran and Jon Arryn's diplomacy prevented further conflict. Though House Martell swore fealty to King Robert Baratheon after the war, they have harbored anger and resentment towards the Lannisters ever since (now even higher in power due to Cersei's queenhood) and have adopted a mostly isolationist policy ever since, not mixing with the other great houses unless totally necessary, preferring to deal with the Free Cities.
On the outset of the War of the Five Kings, House Martell stayed neutral in the conflict. However, they have had their own upheaval. A plot was conceived and carried out that found Prince Oberyn and his niece Princess Arianne in exile in the Free Cities with members of the Houses Allyrion and Qorgyle in their retinue. Currently, the heir to Sunspear and Dorne is Prince Josmyn Nymeros Martell, a legitimized bastard of Prince Oberyn, due to the deaths of Prince Quentyn and Trystane in the upheaval.
