Dorne

Geography

Dorne is the hottest region of Westeros. The region is rocky, mountainous, arid and dry, and features the only desert on the continent. Dorne is bordered by the Sea of Dorne to the north, the islands known as the Stepstones to the east, and the Summer Sea to the south. Stretched between them is the mountain range known as the Red Mountains, which separates Dorne from the Stormlands to the north and the Reach to the northwest and west. There are two major passes, the Boneway and the Prince's Pass, which go through the Red Mountains to the Dornish Marches of the Stormlands. The Prince's Pass leads to Nightsong, while the Boneway leads to Summerhall. Sunspear and the Water Gardens, both controlled by House Martell, are located in southeastern Dorne.

 

Most of Dorne south of the Red Mountains is an arid wasteland. Eastern Dorne largely consists of dry, stony soil ill-suited for agriculture, while western Dorne contains deserts of red and white sand. The lords of House Vaith, for instance, are known as the Lords of the Red Dunes, while nobles of old who settled desert oases called themselves the Lords of the Wells. Sand dogs live in the desert and terrorize travelers.  

Dorne's rivers provide some fertile lands and even during a long summer there is enough rain and other supplies of water to keep Dorne habitable. Inland water is almost as valuable as gold, and wells are jealously guarded. The major Dornish river is the Greenblood in southeastern Dorne, which is formed by the Vaith and the Scourge near Godsgrace. The trading port called Planky Town is located at the mouth of the Greenblood along the Summer Sea. The Brimstone in southern Dorne flows past the Hellholt to the Summer Sea. The Torentine has its source in the Red Mountains of western Dorne and ends at Starfall along the Summer Sea. The Wyl flows across the Boneway in northern Dorne to the Sea of Dorne. There is another river in northern Dorne which flows near Yronwood to the Sea of Dorne, known as the Princes tear.

 

The southern coast is some four hundred leagues long. It is ridden with cliffs, whirlpools, and hidden shoals, with few safe landings. Many snakes, scorpions, and sand dogs live in Dorne.

 

People

 

Dorne is the least populous of the Seven Kingdoms, though Maesters who say this tend to note that this is only because Iron Islanders breed like animals.

 

Dornishmen differ both culturally and ethnically from other Westerosi due to the historical mass immigration of Rhoynish people and their relative isolation. Dornishmen have adopted many Rhoynish customs on top of their First Men and Andal origins. Dornishmen have a reputation for hot-bloodedness and sexual licentiousness, and are viewed with mistrust by the people of the neighboring Dornish Marches and the Reach. Dornish bastards of noble origin are given the surname Sand. Dornish paint their silks instead of sewing coats of arms.

 

Dorne contains Septs for the Faith of the Seven and Red Temples for followers of R'hllor.

 

Economy

 

Dorne provides many exotic products which are uncommon in the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. These products include olives, lemons, pomegranates, plums, cloth, spices, and blood oranges. Lemon orchards, and presumably other plants as well, are watered by a spider's web of canals. Because of the hot climate, in the deserts of Dorne water is most valueble, and every well is zealously guarded. Famous is also the use of spicy dragon peppers.

 

The Dornish produce their own wines, often called "Dornish reds". These wines are generally sour, though they occasionally can be more rich of taste. Strongwines from Dorne are as dark as blood, with a sweet taste.

 

Fabled are the sand steeds bred by the Dornish. These horses are slim and swift, with elegant heads, long necks, and flowing manes. They are considered to be the most beautiful horses in the Seven Kingdoms. Though they are smaller than regular warhorses and lightboned, unable to bear the weight of armor, they can run for near two days and a night before tiring, needing only a few drinks of water over the course of a day and a night.

 

Dornish yew is used to make bows.

 

In Sunspear's shadow city, numerous bazaars can be found. Before crossing the deep sands of the Dornish desert for the Prince's Pass, caravans take on supplies at Sunspear. Ships from across the narrow sea find the Planky Town a convenient harbor and come there to trade. As the port is located at the mouth of the Greenblood, often the orphans of the Greenblood come to trade, spreading the goods up and down the river.

 

Military strength

 

The Martells are believed to be able to raise fifty thousand soldiers, both by Dornishmen and people from other provinces of the Seven Kingdoms. However, when, following the first conquest of Dorne, Maester Borden in his book called The Conquest of Dorne, is said to have exaggerated the quantity of Aegon's opponents to explain the Dragon's defeat.  

In the time before the Andals, King Ferris Fowler led ten thousand men against King Garth VII Gardener, during the Golden Reign. At the time, House Fowler ruled one of the three most powerful kingdoms in Dorne, the other two being House Dayne of Starfall and House Yronwood of Yronwood. In 37 AC, a rebel known as the Vulture King gathered a following of thirty thousand.

 

Dorne has had no strength at sea since Princess Nymeria of the Rhoynar burned her ten thousand ships a thousand years ago.

 

History

Dawn Age

 

During the Dawn Age, the children of the forest referred to desolate Dorne as the Empty Land.

 

First Men

The First Men settled Westeros by crossing the land bridge across the narrow sea called the Arm of Dorne. During their great war with the First Men, the children of the forest allegedly broke the Arm with the hammer of the waters in an attempt to stop them coming.

 

First Men houses who established themselves as prominent kings included House Dayne, the Kings of the Torrentine; House Fowler, the Kings of Stone and Sky; and House Yronwood, the Bloodroyals who styled themselves High King of Dorne. A rival High King of Dorne was also chosen from a dozen houses along the Greenblood.

 

Dorne has had a violent history, particularly with the houses of the Red Mountains, who lived by raiding across the borders into the Dornish Marches, feuding with each other endlessly. The various Dornish kings, the Kings of the Reach, and the Storm Kings fought border wars beyond count and made countless raids across mountains and marches even when at peace, leading to their great enmity.

  Andal Adventurers

During the Andal invasion of Westeros, most Andals avoided Dorne, aside from adventurers such as the Ullers, Qorgyles, and Vaiths. The Allyrions, Jordaynes, and Santagars also established their own realms. The Martells defeated two First Men houses, the Wades and Shells, claiming territory near the mouth of the Greenblood.

 

House Nymeros Martell

 

Centuries ago, Dorne was a coalition of First Men and Andal petty kings and lords, with no ruler strong enough to seize control of the entire region. About seven hundred years before the Aegon's Conquest, the Rhoynish Wars forced the people of the Rhoynar to flee their homeland along the Rhoyne in Essos. Led by their legendary warrior-queen, Nymeria, they left in a fleet of ten thousand ships, eventually making landfall at the mouth of the Greenblood in Dorne. Nymeria allied with Lord Mors Martell of the Sandship, and with his support conquered the entire peninsula in Nymeria's War, uniting it with House Nymeros Martell of Sunspear as its ruler.

 

While the monarchs from the rest of Westeros used the title "king", the new rulers of Dorne used the Rhoynish title "prince" instead. Although no longer kings, the Yronwoods, the second most powerful house in Dorne, continued to call themselves "the Bloodroyal".

 

The Rhoynar brought their own gods with them to Dorne, but they have largely disappeared in favor of the Faith of the Seven. Nevertheless, many Rhoynish customs, including inheritance regardless of gender, have been absorbed into Dornish society. Descendants of the Rhoynar who have not assimilated into Dornish society are known as orphans of the Greenblood.

 

Recent History

  Aegon I Targaryen claimed the Seven Kingdoms and invaded Westeros during his conquest; he subjugated each of the Westerosi monarchs one by one, except Dorne. Rhaenys Targaryen upon Meraxes was sent to follow the Marches across the Prince’s Pass to bend the Dornish to the Dragon’s whims but every castle found was abandoned. Meria Martell received Rhaenys when she reached Sunspear, her court attended by a handful of elderly when she offered a simple warning. House Targaryen faced peril if they attacked Dorne.   It took four long years before Aegon set his sights on Dorne again, launching a campaign backed by his new subjects to finish his Conquest, a campaign which would be known as the First Dornish War even before its end. The Dornish made no attempts to take to the field or hide in castles. Dragonsfire proved useless against shadows on sand, and marching armies fell victim to the shifting of sand. Aegon’s campaign was punished for every step with ambushes, raids and sabotage by enemies that vanished into the sand and mountains that surrounded them. There is no truer example of a death by a thousand cuts in all of Westerosi history. Queen Rhaenys eventually found Meria Martell’s warning to be true, falling from Meraxes when a scorpion bolt struck the dragon in the eye at Hellholt.   9 years after the beginning of Aegon’s war on Dorne it came to an end, having cost Westeros a Queen, a Lord of house Tyrell, a Stormlanders hand and thousands of men beside. A Dornish delegation was sent to King’s Landing by Nymor Martell, among them his daughter Sabina who presented King Aegon with a letter, and the skull of the dragon Meraxes. It is said that after a day of contemplation Aegon returned, agreeing to whatever terms were contained in the letter before his men raised their crossbows and slew the guards and servants of the delegation, proceeding to kill every common born member of the party as Aegon said. “You returned the bones of the wrong dragon, so I shall keep some bones of Dorne to seal the peace.”   The Princess and her noble peers were returned to the Boneway where they rode on their own to Wyl, and onward to Sunspear with guardsmen of house Wyl. Relations between Nymor and Aegon held for another decade before Aegon refused an invitation to celebrate ten years of peace between the Kingdoms in Sunspear. Nymor passed later that year and his daughter Sabina did not maintain his regular correspondence with King Aegon.   The fighting in Dorne however was not over. The Stormlanders for their ages long feud continued to try their luck against Dorne in hopes of earning the favor of the King if not just to kill Dornishmen and stirred the sands until they produced the Vulture King. A raider turned Royal the Vulture King escalated from heisting caravans and robbing farms to waging war on Stormland border armies and besieging castles of the Stormlords who claimed the Marches. Sabina Martell feigned outrage sending soldiers to the boneway and Prince’s Pass and envoys to King’s Landing to brand the Vulture King no more than an outlaw, but nobody north of the Dornish Marches believed that she did not know who he was, thinking it more likely she supported him in every way she could.   And they were right. The Lords of western Dorne supported the Vulture King with soldiers and comfort, while the Lords of eastern Dorne supported the Vulture King with higher taxes and tithes of food and equipment. The eventual failure of the Vulture King was taken as inevitable by the marcher Lords and a total waste by the Lords to the east, many cursing the complete waste of the coin and material sent to be lost to the Reach and Storm lords.   The Imprisonment of the Princesses uncle and envoy to the Crown, Marcin Martell, by King Baelon, only served to raise tensions since the disappearance of the Vulture King. While the King made progress, traveling the Kingdoms he rules, Lord Beesbury the Hand of the King secretly traveled to Dorne to try and smooth matters over. Despite this attempt from King Baelon’s own council to soothe tensions the Princess has called her banners and sent envoys to Lys hoping for a better outcome than what is offered by Kings Landing. Not willing to wait, she has laid plans and works tirelessly to prevent what she considers an inevitable invasion.