The Citadel

House Dayne of Starfall

General Information

Starfall is a great castle on the shores of the Summer Sea, situated at the mouth of a river which spills out into a bay. One of the towers of the castle, which stands next to the water, is called the Palestone Sword. The Sword of the Morning is a title given to a Dayne knight who is considered worthy of wielding the greatsword Dawn.

The current lord of the house is Edric Dayne, squire to Lord Beric Dondarrion after the Lord of Blackhaven espoused his aunt Lady Allyria. He is nephew to the deadliest knight of Aerys’s Kingsguard, Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, and his sisters, the beautiful Lady Ashara and Lady Allyria, by their elder brother. Ser Arthur died at the Tower of Joy, killed by Lord Eddard Stark and Lord Howland Reed. Lady Ashara had been a lady in waiting to Princess Elia of Dorne for a few years when she went back to Starfall for unknown reasons. Given Dawn and the news of her brother’s death by Lord Eddard, she threw herself into the Summer Sea from the Palestone Sword. Her body was never recovered.

Spoilers

Edric Dayne has accompanied Beric Dondarrion throughout the riverlands, fighting to protect the smallfolk from the war. Young Edric has met Arya Stark and admitted to having seen Lord Stark (with whom he shares the nickname Ned) at the tourney in King’s Landing but that he was afraid to go up to him. He also revealed that he and Jon Snow are milk brothers; that is, they were both nursed by the same woman, Wylla, who had been in service to the Daynes for some years.

Following Beric Dondarrion’s final death, Edric and a part of Beric’s band went their separate way from those who chose to follow the resurrected, vengeful Catelyn Stark.

In Dorne, Ser Gerold Dayne of High Hermitage—a member of a cadet branch, and a vassal—joins Arianne Martell’s conspiracy to crown Princess Myrcella Baratheon, but suggests instead that they kill her as a surer way to win a war against the Lannisters. Their plot is uncovered, and rather than surrender, Dayne attempts to kill Myrcella and then flees in the chaos. He is said to be hiding in High Hermitage when Balon Swann—come to deliver the head of Gregor Clegane, and to learn the news of Arys Oakheart’s death (allegedly at the hands of Ser Gerold while defending Myrcella, but in fact killed by Areo Hotah as he was one of the conspirators)—and Obarra Sand are sent there to root him out.