House Connington, originally of Griffin's Roost rule the Stormlands after having ousted the Baratheons.
Their blazon shows two griffins combatant countercharged per pale on red and white. Their motto is 'A Fierce Foe, A Faithful Friend', and their traditional battle cry is 'A griffin! A griffin!'
Seat: Griffin's Roost[]
Small but strong, Griffin's Roost is located on a lofty crag jutting out from the shores of Cape Wrath. The castle lies surrounded by red stone cliffs on three sides, which descend into the stormy waters of Shipbreaker Bay. The land-facing approach is a long natural ridge called the griffin's throat. The entrance to the griffin's throat is guarded on one end by a gatehouse, and by the castle's main gate and two round towers on the other end.
Besides faded tapestries, Griffin's Roost is also decorated with arched windows displaying myriad diamond-shaped panes of red and white glass. The bed in the lord's chambers sits below a canopy of red and white velvet. The great hall contains the carved and gilded Griffin Seat where fifty generations of Conningtons have ruled. The east tower, the tallest of the castle's, offers a view of the surrounding countryside. The castle also contains stables, armory, barracks, and a maester's tower with a rookery. A secret stair beneath the sept's altar of the Mother leads to a bolt-hole, while another stair under the northwest tower goes to a hidden cove beneath the crag which appears when the tide is out.
Seat: Storm's End[]
Storm's End is the seat of House Baratheon along Shipbreaker Bay in the Stormlands. One of the strongest castles in the Seven Kingdoms, it was once the ancestral seat of the Storm Kings of House Durrandon extending back many thousands of years. The castle is said to be protected by spells woven into its very walls that prevent magic from affecting it or passing through it. It was also known as Durran's Defiance.
Storm's End is surrounded by a massive outer curtain wall, one hundred feet high and forty feet thick on its thinnest side and nearly eighty feet thick on its seaward side. It is composed of a double course of stones with an inner core of sand and rubble. The wall is smooth and curving, the stones so well placed and so perfectly together that the wind can find no purchase. On the seaward side, there is a 150-foot drop below the wall into the sea.
The castle itself consists of one huge drum tower crowned with formidable battlements, so that from a distance enemies can see what appears to be a single huge, spiked fist thrusting towards the sky in defiance. The tower is so large that it comfortably contains the granary, barracks, armoury, feast hall and lord's chambers all at once. It is said that there are spells woven into the stonework. The seaward side of the castle stands upon a high white cliffs overlooking the sea, and there is a barred, watery passage through a cavern that leads beneath the castle.
The mighty fortress called Storm's End has stood for centuries, facing the terrible weather of Shipbreaker Bay with little wear to show for it. Legend claims that it was built by Durran, the first Storm King during the Dawn Age, who declared a war against the gods after they killed his family and guests, ruining his wedding to their daughter Elenei. It was said that he raised six each larger and more formidable until he raised Storm's End. Some believe this was because the children of the forest took a hand in its construction, using their magics in the raising the castle walls allowing it to resist the storms. Others believe that a young boy who grew up to be Bran the Builder advised Durran on its construction. The truth of the matter is unknown.
Storm's End has proven to be an exceptionally formidable fortress. In its long history it has never fallen to either siege or storm. The castle has endured several sieges and battles in recent history. The last Storm King, Argilac the Arrogant, abandoned his impressive defenses to meet Orys Baratheon in open battle during Aegon I Targaryen's War of Conquest, and suffered accordingly. During the War of the Usurper, Storm's End was besieged for a year by the host of Mace Tyrell, who commanded the landward forces, whilst Paxter Redwyne's fleet of the Arbor kept the castle cut off by sea.
Because House Baratheon was in rebellion to the Iron Throne, Jon Connington, the Hand of King Aerys II, was possibly titled Lord of Storm's End. However, Stannis Baratheon, commanding the defense, refused to yield and his men were reduced to eating rats. A smuggler named Davos Seaworth ran the blockade and resupplied the castle, allowing the garrison to outlast the siege.
Important Events[]
First Era[]
Supported the Lannisters during the Ascent of the Lion, and reaped the benefits as they became the most powerful house in the Stormlands, with Orys serving as Lord Paramount.