Dagon Greyjoy

Dagon Greyjoy is the current Lord Reaper of Pyke, ruling since 408 AC. The salt son of a salt son, Dagon lived in obscurity prior to the death of his second cousin, serving at the court of House Sunderly on Saltcliffe. In lieu of any trueborn candidates, he was recalled to Pyke, wed to Alannys Harlaw, and installed as the Lord of the Iron Islands. Though his position was at first tenuous, Dagon quickly won the support of his vassals with his diplomatic finesse and the adoration of his people with his careful implementation of social and economic reforms.

Appearance and Character
Where previous Greyjoys were distinguished by their dark hair, Dagon’s reddish shade of brown serves as an inescapable reminder of his descent from Andal salt wives. Still, his blue eyes and defined features lend him a handsome look, and his fit, athletic figure conveys an image of strength that the Ironborn have long expected from their leaders. Standing at a height of exactly six feet, Dagon’s naturally expressive postures create a dynamic presence that can seldom be ignored.

His typical attire is simple yet elegant, tailored perfectly to his figure and dyed entirely in black. A fine cloak often accompanies his finery, held together by a golden brooch that bears the iconic image of a Greyjoy kraken. Dagon usually carries a one-handed battle-axe at his waist and keeps its castle-forged head thoroughly polished. When dressed for battle, he sports a second, slightly smaller axe at his hip and wears a relatively lightweight suit of half-plate, distinct only for its dull coat of black paint.

At heart an affable and thoughtful man, Dagon often finds himself playing different parts before different audiences. To ironborn traditionalists, he emphasizes his martial credentials and faith in the Drowned God; to the nobles of the mainland, his enforcement of the Queen’s peace and openness to diplomacy; and to his common subjects, his just and forward-thinking reforms. There is a kernel of truth to all of these aspects, and Dagon frequently finds himself conflicted between these identities. His attitudes and behaviors are often motivated by underlying insecurities: as the salt son of a salt son, he seeks to prove his worth before those who might belittle his somewhat humble origins.

Ultimately, Dagon desires order and harmony in his life and rule alike. He strives to appease both sides of every conflict that surrounds him, to varying degrees of success. Sometimes too diligent in his duties, he depends on the distractions of good company and regular leisure to keep his melancholy impulses at bay.

Son of a Salt Son
Before perishing in the Halfblood Incursion, Lord Vickon Greyjoy’s brother Aeron left behind a few salt children, including his eldest son, Beron. Though his birth rendered him a lesser member of his house, Beron Greyjoy became distinguished among his peers for his even temper, sharp mind, and seafaring prowess. Shortly after capturing a salt wife, he retired from sailing and became something of an itinerant advisor to his lordly friends, staying with them for several months at a time while he helped to make their holds more efficient and prosperous.

Dagon, his eldest, was certainly his father’s son. As a child he proved a natural leader and an adequate fighter, but he was better recognized for his amicability. Moving frequently in his early years, Dagon learned to make good impressions and quick friends. While neither he nor his siblings were particularly interested in learning, their father compelled them to receive a thorough education in the hopes that they would always be useful at a lord’s court.

During the War of the Three Thieves, Beron and his family permanently settled at the court of the House Sunderly, where he assumed the position of steward. With his guidance, the island of Saltcliffe was able to meet the demands of the war effort and weather the shortages of the Scarlet Winter. Forbidden from participating in the former on account of his age, Dagon eagerly awaited the next opportunity to prove his worth as a warrior – and when the winter proved especially perilous on Saltcliffe, he was among the many who were willing to take what they could not grow.

With several companions at his side, Dagon assumed his first command of a longship. He joined a modest fleet bound for the east, targeting the most vulnerable villages on the coast of Essos. Though their initial raids were fruitful and unchallenged, their aggression was soon met with dire consequences: most of the fleet’s ships were captured, their plunder seized and men put to the sword – including the leader of their fleet. On the sole basis of his famous last name, the remaining reavers turned to the young Dagon Greyjoy to lead them home.

They returned to Saltcliffe shortly before the arrival of spring, bringing only a modest sum of food and treasures. Dejected by the fatal failure of the ill-fated expedition, he knew now to heed his father’s lessons. Beron Greyjoy, however, was already on his deathbed, and after his passing, Dagon succeeded him as the Sunderlys’ steward. Though initially unconfident in his fitness for his position, the few uneventful years that followed gave Dagon an opportunity to prove his utility.

His return from the east was also met with the revelation that he’d impregnated a lowborn lover before his departure. Though Dagon did not initially acknowledge his illegitimate daughter, her existence was an open secret at the court of Seagrave, as were his regular visits to the mother and child.

Son of the Sea Wind
The events of the Mummer’s War, and Maron Greyjoy’s concurrent rebellion, largely eluded the lords and people of Saltcliffe. To Dagon’s surprise, however, he was tapped by the crown to replace his disgraced distant cousin in the year 408. Despite his humble assumption of stewardly duties a few years prior, the allure of the title was too much for Dagon to resist. He readily accepted, and shortly after married his most powerful vassal, Alannys Harlaw.

His position was initially weak, and immediately met with armed opposition: 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 year 409, however, these opportunists were decisively eliminated and order was restored to the islands. 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 faltering 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 economic 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.

Though he was not the only partner in his marriage to have already produced a bastard, Dagon resolved to keep his first child’s existence discrete. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to provide for the informal family he’d begun on Saltcliffe. A few years into his rule, Dagon brought his daughter and her mother to Lordsport, where he would occasionally visit them whenever Alannys was away from Pyke.

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. To the distaste of his vassals, Dagon began a gradual and compensated abolition of thralldom, restructuring the regional economy around free labor. He also permitted the construction of a sept on every major island, 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 well. 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 (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
 * Loren Greyjoy b. 390 AC
 * Ser Emmon Greyjoy b. 395 AC

Ancestry

 * 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

Household

 * Balon Botley, Castellan
 * Sigorn Weaver, Steward
 * Torwyn, Drowned Priest
 * Brynden, Maester
 * Sigfryd Spot-Skin, Gaoler
 * Jasper Giant-Step, Master Blacksmith
 * Lyam and Rion Codd, sworn swords
 * Garrett Hill, squire to Ser Emmon Greyjoy