4.2.3. Bannerhouses
- House Harlaw of Harlaw (I: 689. II: 129, 285. IV: 159)
- House Stonehouse of Old Wyk, ruled by the Stonehouse (I: 689. II: 128. IV: 269)
- House Merlyn of Great Wyk (I: 689, II: 287)
- House Sunderly of Saltcliffe, ruled by a lord (I: 689. II: 287. IV: 702)
- House Tawney of Orkmont, ruled by a lord (I: 689. III: 941. IV: 702)
- House Wynch of Iron Holt, on Pyke, ruled by a lord (I: 689. II: 287, 733)
- House Drumm on Old Wyk. The Drumm is also known as the Bone Hand, and is Lord of Old Wyk (II: 128, 733. IV: 699)
- House Blacktyde of Blacktyde (II: 287)
- House Sparr of Great Wyk, ruled by the Sparr (II: 287. IV: 18)
- House Saltcliffe of Saltcliffe (II: 287)
- Thirty longships can carry about 1,000 men (II: 290, 588)
- House Farwynd of Great Wyk (III: 941)
- House Volmark of Volmark, on Harlaw (III: 941. IV: 159, 701)
- House Myre of Harlaw (III: 941. IV: 159)
- House Stonetree of Harlaw (III: 941. IV: 159)
- House Kenning of Harlaw (III: 941)
- House Orkwood of Orkmont, ruled by a lord (III: 941. IV: 700)
- Pebbleton is a small town of several thousand on Great Wyk, ruled by Lord Merlyn from his square tower. There are turrets upon each of its corners (IV: 21, 26)
- Petty lords can be found all along the way from the Hardstone Hills to Pebbleton on Great Wyk (IV: 26)
- The Harlaws have no rival on Harlaw. The Volmarks and Stonetrees have large holdings and many famed captains and warriors, but they bow before the Harlaw. The Myres and Kennings were once bitter foes of the Harlaws, but are now vassals (IV: 165-166)
- Among the Harlaw of Harlaws vassals are various cadet branches of the house, each ruling a seat (IV: 166-168)
- Orkwood of Orkmont can raise at least twenty longships (IV: 170)
- House Codd's words are "Though All Men Do Despise Us". They make use of nets when they fight (IV: 170)
- Humble lesser houses, of small lineage: Shepherds, Weavers, Netleys, and Humbles (IV: 258)
- The Humbles are said to be the humblest of all the ironborn houses, descendants of thralls and saltwives (IV: 258)
- House Sharp (IV: 259)
- It's claimed that the Volmarks are the true heirs of the "black line", the descendants of Harren the Black (IV: 260)
- The Farwynds are considered strange by the other ironborn. Holding lands on the westernmost shores of Great Wyk, many of their holdings are on the scattered rocks in the seas beyond, some so small only a single household can reside there. The most distant of these is the Lonely Light, eight days to the northwest from Great Wyk. It's claimed that there are skinchangers among the Farwynds, able to change into sea lions, walruses, and spotted whales (IV: 271)
- House Ironmaker (IV: 272, 699)
- The Drumm carries the famous Valyrian steel sword, Red Rain, which his ancestor Hilmar the Cunning took from an armored knight with his wits and a wooden cudgel. The Drumms have an old lineage with many heroes to its credit, including Roryn the Reaver, Dale the Dread, and Gormond the Oldfather who was said to have had had a hundred sons (IV: 273)
- The ironborn can raise hundreds of ships. Each major house can likely command a hundred vessels (IV: 434-435. SSM: 1)
- There might be as many as 500 longships and war galleys (IV: 473, 474)
- House Farwynd of Sealskin Point, on Great Wyk (IV: 702)
- House Myre was once involved in the hanging of ten men in a single day, which is commemorated on their arms (SSM: 1)
Last revised July 29, 2009
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4.2.3.1. The Botleys of Lordsport
- Lordsport is on Pyke (II: 126)
- Above the village of Lordsport is the stronghold of House Botley. Originally the stronghold had been of timber and wattle, but Robert Baratheon had razed it to the ground. Lord Sawane rebuilt in stone, making a small square keep crowning the hill overlooking the village (II: 126)
- Lordsport was also burned by Robert Baratheon's forces during the putting down of the rebellion (II: 126)
- The old sept of Lordsport was destroyed in the rebellion, but it was never rebuilt (II: 126)
- Lordsport's town is half the size of Lord Hewett's Town on Oakenshield (IV: 434)
Last revised June 02, 2009
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4.2.3.2. The Goodbrothers of Great Wyk, Old Wyk, and Orkmont
- The main strength of the Goodbrothers is nearly forty longships (II: 280)
- Goodbrother men are conspicuous, as they wear striped goat hair sashes (II: 280)
- There appear to be at least three chief branches of the house, on Old Wyk, Great Wyk, and Orkmont (III: 941. IV: 258)
- The Goodbrothers of Great Wyk have a black-and-gold warhorn on red as their symbol (IV: 18)
- The Goodbrothers of Great Wyk have their seat at Hammerhorn amidst the Hardstone Hills. It is as much as six leagues inland from the sea (IV: 20-21)
- The Hammerhorn is a large, bulky castle with spiked iron battlements. Its stones were quarried from the cliff that looms behind it, and the entrances to caves and mines can be seen beneath its walls. It's gate is of iron (IV: 22)
- There are several branches of the Goodbrothers throughout Great Wyk. Among them are those who hold the towers of Downdelving, Crow Spike Keep, and Corpse Lake (IV: 26)
- The Goodbrothers of Orkmont (IV: 258)
- The Goodbrothers of Old Wyk have a castle near the shore called Shatterstone, across the island from Nagga's Ribs (IV: 260, 702)
Last revised July 18, 2009
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4.2.3.3. The Harlaws of Harlaw
- House Harlaw of Harlaw (I: 689. II: 129, 285)
- Longships may moor beneath the castle of Ten Towers (IV: 159)
- The head of House Harlaw is styled Lord of the Ten Towers, Lord of Harlaw, and the Harlaw of Harlaw (IV: 159)
- The Widow's Tower is one of the ten that make up Ten Towers, receiving its name recently following Lord Harlaw's sister, Lady Gwynesse, taking up permanent residence there out of mourning for her husband who died off Fair Isle during Greyjoy's Rebellion (IV: 160)
- Ten Towers is the newest castle on the Iron Islands, raised by Lord Theomore Harlaw some six generations ago (IV: 161-162)
- Ten Towers is a strange structure, thanks to Lord Theomore's changable nature. Each tower follows a different plan and design from the next, making it look as if ten castles were squeezed together (IV: 161-162)
- Lord Theomore had six wives over the course of his life. After losing three infant sons to the flooded cellars, damp stones, and nitre of his ancestral seat of Harlaw Hall, he resolved to build a new castle (IV: 162)
- Ten Towers is warmer, airier, and better sited than Harlaw Hall (IV: 162)
- The Book Tower is the broadest of the ten towers, octagonal in shape and made out of great, hewn stones. Its stair is built within the thickness of the walls. It has at least five stories, and is named after Lord Harlaw's library that is kept there (IV: 162)
- There is a village associated with Ten Towers (IV: 163)
- Harlaw is not the largest of the Iron Islands, but it is the most populous and richest (IV: 165)
- The Harlaws have no rival on Harlaw. The Volmarks and Stonetrees have large holdings and many famed captains and warriors, but they bow before the Harlaw. The Myres and Kennings were once bitter foes of the Harlaws, but are now vassals (IV: 165-166)
- Among the Harlaw of Harlaws vassals are various cadet branches of the house, each ruling a seat. Among the seats are Harlaw Hall, the Tower of Glimmering sited on a crag above the western coast, Grey Garden, and Harridan Hill (IV: 167)
- Lord Rodrik Harlaw's two sons were killed off Fair Isle during Greyjoy's Rebellion (IV: 167)
- The Harlaws own a storied Valyrian steel sword, Nightfall (IV: 275)
- Harlaw is larger than the Four Shields combined (IV: 436)
Last revised June 02, 2009
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