HOUSE BLOUNT

House Blount is a vassal house from the Crownlands who were sworn directly to the elected monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, previously held by House Baratheon of King's Landing. Their heraldry consists of a red bend sinister between two black porcupines on green.

A member of House Blount was at the Great Tourney at Harrenhal, where his squire took part in the beating of Lord Howland Reed. The Blount knight was later defeated in the tourney by the Knight of the Laughing Tree, who defeated him and told him to teach his squire honor. Prior to the War of the Five Kings, Ser Boros Blount served on the Kingsguard for Robert Baratheon until his assassination. Ser Boros continued to serve as Kingsguard under King Joffrey Baratheon’s short reign until the young king was also assassinated at the Purple Wedding. During the Battle of the Blackwater, Ser Boros and fellow Kingsguard, Ser Mandon Moore, remained at the side of King Joffrey as he oversaw King’s Landing defenses alongside Tyrion Lannister, the former acting Hand of the King. Following Joffrey’s murder, he then subsequently served under the king’s younger brother and heir until Tommen Baratheon took his own life as result of his mother Cersei Lannister’s treachery against House Tyrell during the Destruction of the Great Sept. Following this, Boros served as Cersei’s Queensguard and during the Battle of King's Landing, it is unknown if he was one of the Queensguard crushed by the falling debris of the Red Keep or if Ser Boros was slain while defending his queen upon the arrival of Sandor Clegane.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Ser Boros Blount has a more prominent role, as in the series he is merely a background character with many of his lines and actions given to his fellow Kingsguard Ser Meryn Trant. Following Joffrey's death by poisoning, Ser Jaime Lannister makes Boros the official food taster for King Tommen, as he deems him unfit to do anything else. Boros considers this a shameful post for a knight of the Kingsguard, as Jaime then challenges him to a duel. Luckily for Jaime, Boros is too cowardly to accept the challenge. He instead spits at Jaime's feet and storms outside, but complies in this new role.

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HOUSE hollard

House Hollard is an extinct vassal house from the Crownlands who were sworn directly to the elected monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, previously held by House Baratheon of King's Landing. Their heraldry consists of barry red and pink, with three golden crowns on a blue chief.

Ser Symon Hollard was a key accomplice in the Defiance of Duskendale, when Lord Denys Darklyn of Duskendale defied King Aerys II Targaryen and captured him, imprisoning him within the Dun Fort. Ser Symon slew Ser Gwayne Gaunt of the Kingsguard during the imprisonment of the “Mad King”. When Ser Barristan Selmy of the Kingsguard entered the Dun Fort and escaped with the king, he avenged Ser Gwayne by killing Symon Hollard. Ser Dontos Hollard, also known as “Dontos the Red,” was Ser Symon’s nephew who was also a knight and was the only living member of House Hollard following the Defiance of Duskendale. Barristan Selmy asked for clemency for the infant Dontos, which King Aerys granted. Dontos was then taken to King's Landing and raised as a squire, eventually earning his knighthood. During King Joffrey Baratheon’s nameday tournament, Ser Dontos arrived late as well as drunk. As result, Joffrey ordered Ser Meryn Trant to ensure that Dontos "drinks his fill." Trant and two of his sworn brothers held Dontos down and poured wine into his mouth through a funnel until the king’s betrothed, Sansa Stark, cleverly saved his life by convincing Joffrey to spare him, stating that Dontos didn’t deserve a quick death. Instead, Dontos was stripped of his knighthood and made a court fool. Some time later, Dontos thanked Sansa for saving his life and gifted her with a necklace he claimed was a family heirloom of House Hollard. Shortly after, Joffrey married Lady Margaery Tyrell, having cast Sansa aside, and at the feast the young king was mysteriously poisoned. Amidst the chaos, Dontos approaches Sansa and urges her to flee the capital with him. After rowing Sansa to a large boat out on Blackwater Bay, Dontos was met by his benefactor, Lord Petyr Baelish, who swiftly has Dontos killed by a crossbow. Baelish then revealed to Sansa that the "family heirloom" that Dontos gifted her was fake and that Dontos only rescued Sansa expecting payment from Baelish. With Ser Dontos’ death, House Hollard officially became extinct.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Hollard was an ancient house sworn to House Darklyn before the Defiance of Duskendale, having three daughters wedded to Darklyn kings during the Age of Heroes. After Sansa flees from the Purple Wedding, she notices that one gem in missing from the hairnet, and realizes the significance. She confronts Dontos about it and accuses him of poisoning Joffrey, but he denies that there was poison in the gems and that he had anything to do with the murder. His death slightly differs from the show: at Littlefinger's command, he is shot by three crossbow bolts to the chest, throat and belly. Ser Lothor Brune then throws a burning torch upon the body, setting fire to the rowing boat. No trace of Dontos' body is ever found by Grand Maester Pycelle or anyone else.

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HOUSE RYKKER

House Rykker of Duskendale is a vassal house from the Crownlands who are sworn directly to the elected monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, previously held by House Baratheon of King's Landing. Their seat is the town of Duskendale and their heraldry consists 0f two black warhammers crossed on a white saltire on blue.

As result of the Defiance of Duskendale, where Aerys II Targaryen was captured, the “Mad King” commanded for every member of House Darklyn to be executed. House Rykker was then raised to lordship over Duskendale following the purge of House Darklyn. Renfred Rykker, the Lord of Duskendale, currently rules over Duskendale from the Dun Fort, a castle overlooking the port-town as well as Blackwater Bay. Ser Jaremy Rykker is an officer in the rangers of the Night's Watch, a military order which holds and guards the realm from foreign or otherworldly threats. He is acting First Ranger from the point when Benjen Stark left from the Wall for an expedition, never to return. Ser Jaremy attended the induction of new recruits into the Night's Watch and summoned the assigned rangers after Lord Commander Jeor Mormont's speech. Along with a few Black Brothers, he then acts as escort for Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly when they go north of the Wall to take their vows in the Godswood. Jaremy embraces his newly sworn brothers after they take their vows, however, they then discover the bodies of rangers Othor and Jafer Flowers and return them to Castle Black. Several years later, following the Breaching of the Wall, Ser Jaremy's fate remains unknown. After the Battle of King’s Landing, the Great Council elected Bran Stark as the new King of the Six Kingdoms.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Ser Jaremy attends the officers meeting with Tyrion Lannister and recalls being sent to the Wall by Lord Tywin Lannister after fighting for House Targaryen in the Sack of King's Landing during Robert's Rebellion. It is Ser Jaremy rather than Alliser Thorne who challenges Samwell Tarly about his decision to take his vows in the Godswood. Though he is not named as being part of the escort, he does identify the bodies of Othor and Jafer Flowers when they are returned to Castle Black. Afterwards, Ser Jaremy and four other men were killed by the resurrected Jafer. Jaremy managed to hack the wight's head off, but was killed when the headless corpse pulled his own dagger from its sheath and buried it in his bowels.

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HOUSE SLYNT

House Slynt is a potentially-extinct vassal house of the Crownlands that held fealty directly to King Joffrey Baratheon, who ordered the founding of the house as a reward for Lord Janos Slynt. House Slynt’s heraldry consisted of a bloody spear, gold on a night-black field.

Lord Janos was a low-born son of a butcher who rose through the ranks as the commander of the City Watch in the capital of King's Landing. With almost two thousand men under his command, he was charged with keeping peace and order in the city and quelling unrest. Prior to the War of the Five Kings, Janos assisted King Joffrey in the purge of House Stark, as well as the arrest of Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King to the deceased Robert Baratheon who attempted to expose Joffrey’s illegitimate claim to the Iron Throne. For his loyalty, Janos was named Lord of Harrenhal, a large and impressive, yet ominous, castle in the Riverlands that is located north of the lake known as Gods Eye. However, Harrenhal was held by House Whent, a vassal house of the Tullys, so Janos couldn't take possession of the castle until the current war between the Lannisters and Starks was resolved. Before the war could end, however, Janos was exiled to the Wall to join the Night's Watch by the new acting Hand, Tyrion Lannister, for betraying Eddard Stark as well as leading the city-wide massacre of King Robert’s bastard children. Some time after arriving at Castle Black, Janos supports Ser Alliser Thorne during the choosing of the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and gives a speech on his behalf. The position, however, goes to Jon Snow, who happens to be the alleged bastard son of Eddard Stark. Afterwards, Jon Snow assigns new missions to various Black Brothers and when he assigns Janos with manning and restoring the abandoned castle of Greyguard, Slynt takes this offensively. He publicly refuses and insults his Lord Commander and, as result, Janos is executed for his insubordination. After his death, House Slynt's status remains uncertain.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, unlike the series, it is known that Janos Slynt has four children. The eldest son, Morros Slynt, inherits his father's title after the latter is exiled to the Wall. Tyrion Lannister felt that Janos wasn't trustworthy enough to keep around the royal court, but he did allow for Janos' children to keep their recently ennobled status. "House Slynt" therefore continued to nominally exist, but in possession of no lands. Tyrion stated that he would try to find lesser lands for Janos' sons to hold but it is unclear if he ever did. Otherwise, Janos' sons continue to appear as hangers-on at the royal court.

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HOUSE STOKEWORTH

House Stokeworth is a vassal house of the Crownlands who are sworn directly to the elected monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, previously held by House Baratheon of King's Landing. Their seat is Castle Stokeworth, their sigil is a white lamb holding a golden goblet on a green field and their house words are “Proud to Be Faithful.”

House Stokeworth is headed by Lady Tanda Stokeworth, an aged woman who seeks to marry off her daughter Lollys Stokeworth. During the reign of the “Mad King,” Aerys II Targaryen, Manly Stokeworth was commander of the City Watch and was succeeded in the position by Janos Slynt. Lord Petyr Baelish remarked that the widowed Lady Tanda has no love for the Lannisters so it is quite possible that Manly was in fact her husband, and that he died during the Sack of King's Landing committed by Lord Tywin Lannister’s army. After the death of her son, King Joffrey Baratheon, Lord Tywin’s daughter, Cersei Lannister, arranges for a marriage between Lollys and Ser Bronn in order to sway the ambitious ex-sellsword from her brother Tyrion Lannister’s service, whom she blames for poisoning the king. Though Lollys’ older sister Falyse Stokeworth is heir to the castle, she is forty years old and barren, so Bronn suggests to Tyrion that she may someday suffer from an "accident," which would make Lollys the sole heir and the knight in turn would become Lord of Stokeworth. Tyrion comments that Lollys is dim-witted, but it does not bother Bronn. Some time later, outside of Castle Stokeworth, Lollys excitedly speaks with Bronn about plans for their upcoming wedding when she then mentions her disdain for her sister Falyse. Bronn then calculatedly assures Lollys that Falyse is mean, and mean people always end up getting what's coming to them - alluding that his plan is still underway. They are interrupted by Ser Jaime Lannister, who privately recruits Bronn for a mission and to ensure his cooperation the Lannisters have now arranged for Lollys to marry Ser Wyllis Bracken instead. Ser Jaime, however, vaguely assures Bronn that as payment for his service he will be wed to better bride with a bigger castle. Though it is unknown if Lollys ever married Wyllis, House Stokeworth remains loyal to the crown upon the election of Bran Stark as the new King of the Six Kingdoms.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Lady Tanda falls from her horse when her saddle girth snaps, causing her to break her hip. It is implied that Bronn might have engineered the accident to accelerate his own plans. Falyse and her husband then attempt to kill Bronn, at Cersei's request. The plot fails and Bronn kills Falyse's husband and expels her from Castle Stokeworth. Falyse tells Cersei what happened, wondering what will become of her mother now. Cersei thinks that Tanda might very well be dead already, as Bronn doesn't seem the type of man who would bother putting much effort into nursing an old woman with a broken hip.

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HOUSE THORNE

House Thorne is a vassal house of House Targaryen. It is located within the Crownlands and they are sworn directly to the elected monarchs of the Six Kingdoms, previously held by House Baratheon of King's Landing. Their sigil is a a silver flail on a red background.

A historical member of the house is Ser Rickard Thorne, a knight of the Kingsguard who served during the reign of King Viserys I Targaryen and chose to side with King Aegon II Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons. Ser Rickard was later commanded to escort Prince Maelor Targaryen safely to Oldtown when he was killed by a mob of smallfolk trying claim the Targaryen prince as their own prize. Nearly two centuries later, Ser Alliser Thorne was a knight who fought for House Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion, which ended in their defeat. Like many other Targaryen loyalists, the victorious rebels subsequently gave Alliser a choice between execution or joining the Night's Watch, in which he chose the latter. During the last winter, Ser Alliser and his ranger companions were trapped in a massive winter storm and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Through seventeen years of able service, he rose through the ranks of the officers in the Night's Watch to become the master-of-arms at Castle Black, responsible for training new recruits. Following the death of Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, Alliser became the acting commander and led the Battle of Castle Black against the wildling army. Following victory, Ser Alliser loses the election as the new Lord Commander to Jon Snow, a bastard of House Stark whom Thorne shares disdain for as kin to Lord Eddard Stark, who played a role in defeating King Aerys Targaryen during Robert's Rebellion. When Jon Snow later proposes that they allow the remaining wildlings to pass through the Wall in order to assist in the coming war against the White Walkers, Thorne is against the plan, reminding Jon that they have been enemies for thousands of years. When Jon eventually returns to Castle Black with a horde of wildlings, Ser Alliser leads a mutiny against their Lord Commander, resulting in Jon’s momentary death until he is revived by a Red Priestess. In response to the mutiny against him, Jon sentences Alliser and three other Black Brothers to death, personally hanging them himself. If there are any surviving members, House Thorne remains loyal to the crown upon the election of Bran Stark as the new King of the Six Kingdoms.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, House Thorne contributed troops to the defense of the city during the Sack of King's Landing. Ser Alliser, who is depicted as much more malicious than his TV counterpart, was on the walls when the Lannister troops stormed the Red Keep captured him. Lord Tywin Lannister gave him the choice between taking the black or being executed. Unlike the series, Jon doesn't give Ser Alliser any promotion under his command. Instead he dispatches him, along with eight other rangers, to scout beyond the Wall and Alliser believes Jon is sending him to his death. Before departing, he ominously warns Jon that he will return and subsequently, he is not present in the mutiny that results in Jon's death. Ser Alliser's fate in the books is so far unknown. Nothing else is known about the family of House Thorne outside of the fact that they still exist.

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