House Greyjoy

House Greyjoy of Pyke is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the principal noble house of the Iron Islands. In days of old they bent the knee to the kings of House Hoare, but since Aegon's Conquest they have served as the paramount house of the Iron Islands.

Their sigil is a golden kraken on black, and their words are "We Do Not Sow". Members of the family tend to be black of hair, and handsome.

The current head of house is Lord Dagon Greyjoy.

300-301AC - The Second War of Conquest
During the Second Conquest, House Greyjoy was ruled by King Euron III, who brought the armies of the Iron Islands to do battle along the coasts of the Reach. His invasion of the Arbor and Sack of Oldtown proved the high water mark for the resurgent Kingdom of Salt and Rock, but his defeat at the hands of House Fowler, House Tarly, House Hightower, and Queen Daenerys Stormborn herself saw his ambitions and his armies dashed.

While Euron warred in the south, his niece - Asha Greyjoy - returned to the Iron Islands under the cover of darkness. She met with Rodrik Harlaw, called by most "the Reader", and with his aid moved to reclaim the throne of her father.

With Aeron to the south, kidnapped by his brother, and Victarion lost in the east with the Targaryen queen, Asha found herself as the last Greyjoy left in the Iron Islands, and set to using that to her advantage. Already many began to talk about Euron's ambitious conquests, dissent and worry growing in equal measure as he challenged both the Redwynes and the royals.

Working with Rodrik, and gaining the alliance of House Goodbrother with the promise of a marriage, Asha descended upon Pyke with an army at her back, ousting her "husband" Erik Ironmaker and having him drowned. Freed from her false marriage, Asha took Gran Goodbrother as her husband and consort, declaring herself the Lady of Pyke with the backing of the two greatest houses in the Isles.

When Euron sent a letter to Pyke, requesting reinforcements, it was Asha who answered. She refused to send him aid, and in fact had been working with the Ironborn upon the Shield Isles to arrange a full retreat; thus abandoning her uncle to his conquests, and the fury of the Targaryens. When Euron and the Iron Fleet were destroyed by Daenerys atop Drogon, Asha sent word to Aegon Targaryen in the Riverlands, offering her surrender and fealty. Confirming her as Lady of Pyke, the Targaryens welcomed Asha back into the fold.

308AC - The Dancer's Revolt
In 308AC the first of the Sons of the Kraken rebelled, when Euric the Dancer laid claim to the Seastone Chair and fought against House Greyjoy of Pyke. His rebellion was defeated, the Dancer himself slain in single combat.

332AC - Dagon the Skinner
Decades later, in 332AC, another of the Sons would rise, this time trying to gain by intrigue what Euric had failed to wrest through force. Dagon the Skinner was said to dabble in blood magic, using murder and mayhem to try and force the Greyjoys into submission. When his tactics failed and he was outed, the Greyjoys drove him from the Isles.

360AC - The Royal Tour
Aenys Targaryen, Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, toured all the realm during this period, offering even to visit Pyke and the Greyjoys of the Iron Islands.

366AC - The Halfblood Incursion
One of the greatest revolts in the Iron Islands since Euric the Dancer, the twin rebels Mara and Maron warred against House Greyjoy, laying claim not only to the halls of Pyke but to the very legacy of House Hoare and the Iron Kings of Old. Their war brought conflict to the Iron Islands, Riverlands, Westerlands, and parts of the Reach and North, only ending when the siblings were put down by force.

The War of the Three Thieves
House Greyjoy participated in the War of the Three Thieves.

402 - 405 AC - The Scarlet Winter
Being one of all the great houses to be affected by what is known as The Scarlet Winter, the people of Iron islands faced their darkest hours. The sight of the people fighting their starvation by feeding on rats, worms and many other unimaginable foods have forced the Lord Paramount of Iron Islands, Veron Greyjoy, to lead his own Iron Fleet to raid the open seas for food and supplies.

Accompanied by nearly thousand of starving men who were eager for the promises of foods from raids, Veron Greyjoy set off with a dozen of his best ships. The common folks and lords alike gathered at Pyke to witness his leave, while the drowned priests pray for favor on their lord during his voyage.

Initially, Veron's campaign seemed fruitful as ships filled with foods sailed to the Iron Islands frequently from Veron's fleet to help feed the people. However, the situation turned grim as less and less ships returned from the open sea, with the distance of time for their arrival extending from days to weeks, then weeks to months, until none sailed back to deliver the news of their lord paramount.

Time flies, and the people of Iron Islands have finally seen the end of the Scarlet Winter. To their dismay, however, Veron Greyjoy never returned from his voyage. During his absence, his uncle Quellon Pyke took command in ruling Iron Islands.

407 - 408 AC - The Fool's Gambit
Despite the disappearance of Lord Veron, Quellon Pyke ruled the Iron Islands in relative peace and prosperity. Many praised the efforts of Quellon Pyke, with some suggesting that he should succeed his nephew as the new Lord Reaper of Pyke. Quellon Pyke, however, remained faithful to his great-nephew Maron Greyjoy, a kind-hearted boy with a famous fondness for reading. He had hopes that Veron would some day return to the Iron Islands and resume his lordly duties.

Quellon Pyke would one day succumb to his old age, leaving Iron Islands leaderless once again. As the sole offspring of his father, Maron Greyjoy was named Lord of Iron Islands. However, questions of his inheritance swiftly emerged, with many believing that the boy was too soft and bookish to be a true ironborn. Several major lords began to voice their disapproval, notably the lords of House Blacktyde and House Drumm. However, with no other viable options, they eventually accepted Maron as their new liege lord.

In the same year, a rebellion erupted in Westeros, known to history as the Mummer's War. Seeing an opportunity amidst the mainland's disunity, Maron Greyjoy plotted to raid the western coast. Alannys Harlaw, knowing this to be a hopeless course, wrote to warn her liege of the consequences - and on the same day wrote to the Queen, seeking her permission to detain Maron in the name of the Iron Throne. However, Lord Lannister had already caught wind of Maron's intentions, and with the support of the Redwyne fleet, the westerners preemptively invaded Pyke and occupied the island as Greyjoy fled to Orkmont.

At Pyke, Lady Harlaw successfully negotiated a pact with Loreon Lannister. Together, they engaged with Maron's forces in a brief naval battle off the coast of Orkmont, during which Maron was decisively defeated and slain. Historians would soon come to call this conflict the Fool's Gambit, as it was a swift defeat brought about by sheer recklessness.

408 AC - Present - The Saltborn Kraken
With Maron's death bringing an end to the line of Vickon Greyjoy, the crown turned to his nearest legitimate male relative. Born the salt son of a salt son, Maron's second cousin Dagon Greyjoy was tapped for succession. Already serving as the steward of House Sunderly on Saltcliffe, Dagon was well prepared for the lordship despite his humble origins. Shortly after his ascension to the Seastone Chair, the new Lord Greyjoy married Alannys Harlaw, reinforcing his position with the full support of his strongest vassal.

Later in 408, a small group of captains – remnants of Maron Greyjoy’s supporters – harassed ships throughout the Iron Islands and incited an uprising that briefly besieged Lordsport. By the middle of the next year, however, these opportunists were decisively eliminated and order was restored. Following the insurrection, the gregarious Lord Dagon quickly earned the favor of his principal bannermen, and the ensuing decade of prosperity solidified his strong standing with lords and subjects alike.

Determined to reverse the course of the islands’ recent history, Dagon’s first reform was the expansion of the region’s mining industry. He embarked on an inspection tour, bringing his most talented advisers to help each island maximize its output of iron, tin and lead – and he forged valuable relationships with his vassals along the way. He also strengthened the enforcement of the Queen’s peace, executing any who dared to reave the coasts of Westeros. However, this deterrent proved unnecessary even during the first winters of his rule: Dagon and Alannys’ economic reforms allowed the Iron Islands to meet every shortage through trade.

Empowered by the successes of his early reign, Dagon and Alannys followed through with the promises the latter had made to the mainlanders who helped to remove the predecessor of the former. Dagon began a gradual and compensated abolition of thralldom, restructuring the regional economy around free labor. He also permitted the construction of a few septs on the Iron Islands, vowing to tolerate and protect the worshipers of the Seven. Though these policies were at first met with vocal opposition, Lord Dagon was able to appease his loudest critics through personal diplomacy and an authentic reaffirmation of his faith in the Drowned God.

Relations with the mainland steadily improved under Dagon’s reign, and eventually the reach of the islands’ trade and diplomacy extended to the Free Cities as well; the stringent ban of reaving later encompassed ships from Braavos, Pentos and the Triarchy. As Dagon pacified the rogue tendencies of his people, however, he quietly oversaw the reconstruction and expansion of the Iron Fleet, making the islands even more integral to the military might of the Seven Kingdoms.

Immediate Family

 * Beron Greyjoy b. 354 AC d. 405 AC
 * m. Leona of Gulltown (salt wife)
 * Dagon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands b. 385 AC
 * Gillian Pyke b. 404 AC
 * m. Alannys Harlaw, Lady of Harlaw b. 388 AC
 * Victaria Greyjoy, Heir to the Iron Islands b. 412 AC
 * Arwyn Greyjoy b. 415 AC
 * Maege Greyjoy b. 417 AC
 * Megga Greyjoy b. 387 AC
 * m. Rolfe Sunderly b. 386 AC
 * Beron Sunderly b. 407 AC
 * Ser Emmon Greyjoy b. 389 AC
 * Loren Greyjoy b. 392 AC

Past Members

 * Asha Greyjoy, Lady of the Iron Islands b. 275 AC d. 332 AC
 * m. Gran Goodbrother b.283 AC d. 335 AC
 * Alton Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands b. 305 AC d. 379 AC
 * Vickon Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands b. 325 AC d. 400 AC
 * Veron Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands b. 366 AC d. 405 AC
 * Maron Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands b. 389 AC d. 408 AC
 * Celia Greyjoy, b. 367 AC d. 386 AC
 * Theon Greyjoy b. 329 AC d. 366 AC
 * Aeron Greyjoy b. 331 AC d. 366 AC
 * Beron Greyjoy b. 354 AC d. 405 AC
 * Quellon Pyke b. 332 AC d. 407 AC
 * Elyn Greyjoy b. 309 AC d. 354 AC