HOUSE BRACKEN

House Bracken of Stone Hedge is a vassal house sworn to House Tully of Riverrun, the Lords Paramount of the Trident. Their lands are in the heart of the Riverlands, located along the banks of the Red Fork of the Trident River. Their seat is known as Stone Hedge, ruled by the Lord of the Stone Hedge. House Bracken’s heraldry consists of a red stallion on a gold field.

The Brackens hold an ancient grudge against their neighbors, the Blackwoods of Raventree Hall. The two houses, both of which have the blood of the First Men in their veins, competed for the throne of the Riverlands when it was an independent kingdom. The enmity and competition continue to this day and was increased when House Bracken converted to the Faith of the Seven. The head of the house, Lord Jonos Bracken, is considered a loyal bannerman to Lord Hoster Tully. Prior to the War of the Five Kings, Kurleket, a man-at-arms sworn to Lord Jonos, is among the men Catelyn Stark, Lord Tully’s daughter, summoned to help her apprehend Tyrion Lannister. Lord Jonos, having presumably then joined Robb Stark's army after the victory at the Battle of the Whispering Wood, advocated joining forces with Renly Baratheon. Robb points out that Renly is the late King Robert's youngest brother and he cannot become king before Stannis Baratheon. Greatjon Umber then suggested that the North become independent altogether, and declared Robb as the King in the North. Although a Lord of the Riverlands, Bracken drew his sword and swore fealty to King Robb as well. During the war, House Bracken’s seat of Stone Hedge is occupied by Lannister forces, however, Robb tasks Greatjon Umber with the expulsion of the Lannisters and eventually restores Stone Hedge, then reclaimed by its rightful lord, Jonos Bracken. Some time later, with the intended betrothal of Ser Wyllis Bracken to Lollys Stokeworth, House Bracken had apparently surrendered to the Iron Throne in the aftermath of the Red Wedding massacre. However, following the Battle of King’s Landing and the defeat of Queen Cersei Lannister, House Tully became the Great House of the Riverlands once again, with House Bracken as their sworn vassals.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the Brackens suffer quite a bit during the War of the Five Kings: Ser Gregor Clegane steals their harvest, puts Lord Jonos' castle to the torch and rapes one of his daughters. Yet, following the Red Wedding, House Bracken yields to the Iron Throne, since Lord Jonos figures there is no point to keep fighting for a lost cause. After receiving a pardon and on behalf of the Iron Throne, Lord Jonos besieges Raventree Hall, the castle of his nemesis Lord Tytos Blackwood. Since the rivalry between the Blackwoods and Brackens goes back thousands of years, neither side asks for a parley. Eventually, Ser Jaime Lannister arrives and, without violence, persuades Lord Tytos to surrender.

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HOUSE MALLISTER

House Mallister of Seagard is a vassal house that holds fealty to House Tully of Riverrun. Their lands are north of Riverrun, along the west coast of the Riverlands on Ironman's Bay and southwest of the Twins. The castle is near the headwaters of the Blue Fork of the Trident River. House Mallister's heraldry consists of a silver eagle on a blue field and their house words are "Above the Rest."

Known members of House Mallister include Lord Jason Mallister, the head of the house and Lord of Seagard. During the Greyjoy Rebellion, Lord Jason led the victorious defense of his ancestral seat of Seagard against an attack of ironborn forces, led by Rodrik Greyjoy, and killed him. During the War of the Five Kings, Ser Jaremy Mallister was a knight with an unspecified relationship to the main branch, but perished during the liberation of Harrenhal. The King in North, Robb Stark, was demoralized to find the courtyards of Harrenhal were choked with the bodies of two hundred Northern and Riverlands prisoners of war put to the sword before the forces of House Lannister left the castle. Meanwhile, Ser Denys Mallister, Lord Jason's uncle, acts as the commander of the Shadow Tower, the westernmost of the three still-operational castles of the Night's Watch, a military order that guards the realm from foreign threats along the Wall. Ser Denys has held his position as commander of the Shadow Tower for twenty years. However, following the death of Castle Black’s Lord Commander, Jeor Mormont, Ser Denys campaigns for the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but ultimately loses to Jon Snow during the vote. He salutes Jon in order to congratulate him. Following the Breaching of the Wall, Denys Mallister's fate remains unknown. Some time after the Red Wedding massacre, House Mallister rises against House Frey, who had been made Lords Paramount of the Trident by the Iron Throne as reward for murdering King Robb Stark and most of his forces in attendance. However, following the Battle of King’s Landing and the defeat of Queen Cersei Lannister, House Tully became the Great House of the Riverlands once again, with House Mallister remaining their sworn vassals.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Lord Jason Mallister is noted as both a loyal vassal and also a close personal friend and ally of Lord Hoster Tully. Following the Red Wedding, Lord Jason is one of the few Riverlords, alongside Tytos Blackwood and Brynden Tully, who refuse to yield to the Iron Throne. However, after the Freys threatens to kill his son Patrek, he is forced to surrender. Currently, he and his son are kept prisoners in his own castle.

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HOUSE whent

House Whent of Harrenhal is a potentially-extinct vassal house of the Riverlands that held fealty to House Tully of Riverrun, the Lords Paramount of the Trident. Their lands used to be along the north shore of Gods Eye, which they ruled from the huge and formidable castle of Harrenhal. House Whent’s heraldry consisted of nine black bats over a gold field.

Lord Walter Whent was the Lord of Harrenhal and head of the house. In the Year of the False Spring, he hosted an extravagant tournament at Harrenhal that brought many from across the Seven Kingdoms, including Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, who won the tournament and crowned Lyanna Stark the ‘Queen of Love and Beauty,’ forsaking his wife Elia Martell and leading to Robert's Rebellion. Lady Minisa Whent married into House Tully and became the wife of Hoster Tully, the Lord of the Riverlands, as well as the mother to his three children - Catelyn, Lysa and Edmure Tully. Minisa, however, eventually died during childbirth. Upon the death of Lord Whent, his widow, Shella Whent, became the head of the house as well as the Lady of Harrenhal. Prior to the War of the Five Kings, Ser Willis Wode, a knight in service of House Whent, is among the men Catelyn Stark summoned to help her apprehend Tyrion Lannister. When Catelyn asks Ser Willis if Lady Whent remains a strong vassal of her father Hoster Tully, he replies that this is so. Afterwards, however, Ser Willis dies defending Catelyn during her passage through the Vale of Arryn. Later on, during the war, Harrenhal had fallen under the control of House Lannister when Lady Whent surrendered to Tywin Lannister after the Battle at the Mummer's Ford. The Iron Throne then eventually granted the castle to Lord Janos Slynt as a token reward for his assistance in betraying Lady Catelyn’s husband, Lord Eddard Stark. However, Harrenhal continued to change lordship, as no one wanted to rule over the ruins of the castle. It currently remains unmanned and the members of House Whent are all presumed to be dead.

In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Harrenhal is a castle of ill repute. Every house that has held it has fallen into ruin. House Lothston, who held Harrenhal before the Whents, disintegrated in madness and fell deeds over half a century before the events of the series. The Whents chose to ignore this when they took possession of the castle, and indeed seemed to prosper. However, since that time the family had fallen on harder times. Lady Shella Whent's husband and children have all died and it was eventually reported during a council meeting that the heirless Shella eventually died of old age, bringing House Whent to extinction.

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