HOUSE CLEGANE

House Clegane of Clegane's Keep is an extinct vassal house that held fealty to House Lannister of Casterly Rock. Their lands were located in the heart of the Westerlands, southeast of Casterly Rock, and consisted of a small patch of land and a modest castle. They were landed knights rather than a full noble house, but had strong ties to the Lannisters.

During the War of the Five Kings, when the North rises in rebellion against the Iron Throne, Sandor Clegane, popularly known as “the Hound,“ was the personal bodyguard of Prince Joffrey Baratheon, the son of King Robert Baratheon and Queen Cersei Lanister. When Joffrey ascended the Iron Throne, Sandor was named into his Kingsguard, despite not being a knight. He, however, deserted his post during the Battle of the Blackwater and left the capital of King’s Landing. After traveling as a fugitive, Sandor was captured by the Brotherhood Without Banners, an outlaw band working against Lannister interests. Following a victorious trial by combat, Sandor is released but in seeking ransom he then quickly kidnaps an heir to the Northern house of Winterfell, Arya Stark. When Sandor then has a close brush with death following an altercation with Brienne of Tarth, and the mass murder of a congregation he attempted to find peace with, he reluctantly joined the Brotherhood Without Banners in hopes of having a greater purpose.

Meanwhile, Sandor’s older brother, Ser Gregor Clegane, known as “the Mountain,” served as a knight to Lord Tywin Lannister at Harrenhal, where he lead the torturous interrogations of smallfolk in order to locate the Brotherhood. Following King Joffrey’s death at the Purple Wedding, Tyrion Lannister demanded a trial by combat, and Ser Gregor is quickly appointed as the Crown's champion. Although a victorious outcome, Gregor succumbs to poisoning during the fight. However, he is later revived in some form by a former maester named Qyburn whose was expelled from the Order for experimentation. Ser Gregor then served on the Kingsguard and acted as Queen Cersei’s bodyguard during her reign. Upon the return of the White Walkers and the army of the dead, Sandor fought in the Great War alongside the armies of Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen in order to prevent a second Long Night from occurring in Westeros. After their victory, Sandor then returned to the capital during the Battle of King’s Landing, in order to seek vengeance on his brother. Following a brutal fight, a blinded Sandor threw himself from the burning Red Keep, taking his brother with him hundreds of feet below and ending their bitter lifelong rivalry, as well as the line of House Clegane.

House Clegane’s heraldry consisted of three black dogs on a dark yellow background. The three dogs signify the three dogs that died fighting off the lioness that attacked Lord Tytos Lannister.

BACKGROUND

The founder of House Clegane, and grandfather to Gregor and Sandor, was the kennelmaster at Casterly Rock. While accompanying Lord Tytos Lannister on a hunt, they were attacked by a lioness. Clegane rescued his master and was then awarded lands and a knighthood for his actions. The three dogs on the Clegane sigil signify the three dogs that died fighting off the lioness that attacked Lord Tytos.

The sibling rivalry between Sandor and Gregor began as children. Gregor held his brother's face down in a fire for playing with one of his toys without permission, which horrifically scarred Sandor. Instead of blaming Gregor, their father merely stated Sandor's bed caught fire. Ever since, Sandor was been deeply afraid of fire. Numerous servants have gone missing at the Clegane keep over the years, apparently killed by Gregor for minor slights in one of his infamous fits of rage, and their deaths then covered up. Their sister died when Sandor was too young to remember her well, and their father died years later in what was said to be a ‘hunting accident,' though Sandor suspected his brother Gregor. At the request of Lord Tywin Lannister, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen himself anointed Gregor as a knight, a great honor, even though Gregor was an infamously dishonorable man.

During Robert's Rebellion, one year after Prince Rhaegar knighted him, Gregor participated in the Sack of King's Landing. After entering the Red Keep, he brutally killed Rhaegar's two children by Elia Martell: their daughter Rhaenys and baby Aegon. He killed baby Aegon by bashing his head against the wall and then proceeded to rape and kill Elia. Despite pleas by Lord Eddard Stark, neither Gregor nor Lord Tywin were punished by King Robert for the murders of the royal family, leading to a rift in Ned and Robert's friendship. Meanwhile, after seeing his dishonorable brother knighted by Prince Rhaegar, Sandor himself became jaded with knighthood and developed an extreme contempt for romances and songs which present knights and wars as chivalrous and glorious, knowing all too well that supposedly honorable knights frequently butcher the innocent while claiming glory. Thus, Sandor steadfastly refused to be knighted or take holy vows. With House Clegane still loyal to the Lannisters, Sandor became the personal bodyguard to King Robert and Queen Cersei Lannister’s son, Prince Joffrey.

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