Sunspear
Seat of House Nymeros Martell, Princes of Dorne
- House
- House Martell
- Region
- Dorne
- Raised by
- Grown by the Martells across the centuries, and swollen when Nymeria came
- Age
- Ancient, and remade after the coming of the Rhoynar
The stones themselves
Sunspear is less a single fortress than a warren — the Old Palace, the great domed Tower of the Sun, the tall Spear Tower, and the curious Sandship, all grown together over the centuries and wrapped about by the winding lanes of the shadow city that clusters against its walls. It stands near the mouth of the Greenblood, where Nymeria's Rhoynar came ashore, and it has all the layered untidiness of a seat that was made by accretion rather than design. Dorne, alone of the kingdoms, was never conquered by the dragons; its capital wears that stubbornness plainly.
Famous halls and features
The Tower of the Sun
The great domed hall of the Dornish princes, its high windows of many-coloured glass throwing the desert light across the seat of Dorne.
The Spear Tower
The tall slim tower from which the castle takes half its name, tipped with a gilded spear that can be seen from far across the sands.
The shadow city
The dense press of homes, bazaars, and alleys clustered outside the walls — not a defence so much as a living moat of people.
Sieges and history
Where the story of Sunspear touches the great chronicle of the realm — follow each thread back into the timeline.
A legend of Sunspear
The Rhoynar remember Nymeria, warrior queen of the Rhoyne, who led ten thousand ships across the sea from a homeland burned by Valyria, put them to the torch on the Dornish shore so none could turn back, and wed Lord Mors Martell to make Dorne one realm under the sun-and-spear. The ships at least are history; the exact count the singers give — ten thousand — the maesters treat as the usual poetry.
Common questions
Was Dorne ever conquered by the Targaryens?
Not by force. Aegon's dragons could not hold Dorne, whose people fought a guerrilla war rather than meet them in the field. Dorne joined the Seven Kingdoms peacefully more than a century later, through marriage, keeping its own laws and its ruling prince.
Who was Nymeria of the Rhoynar?
Nymeria was a warrior queen of the Rhoyne who led her people in ten thousand ships to Dorne after Valyria drove them from their homeland. She burned the ships, married Lord Mors Martell, and united Dorne under Martell rule.
What is the shadow city?
The shadow city is the dense sprawl of markets, homes, and winding streets that has grown up against the walls of Sunspear over the centuries, so that the castle and the town blur into one crowded whole.
Why is it called Sunspear?
The name comes from the seat's most prominent tower, the Spear Tower, tipped with a golden spear, joined to the sun of House Martell's sigil — the sun and spear that also give Dorne its emblem.