High Tide: The Years of the Sea SnakeĬorlys is a man out of legends. The Velaryons, by virtue of being Valyrian, were almost guaranteed a bid into the Targaryen succession, and were protected by geography and politics alike.

Another Daemon Velaryon served as admiral for Maegor the Cruel – although he, like so many of his ilk, bucked under the Ur-Mad-King.

They continued to thrive as they had for decades, making wealth on the seas and friends in the noble courts. Things were looking up for House Velaryon. The first Lord Commander of the Kingsguard was Corlys Velaryon, handpicked by Visenya Targaryen herself. His daughter Alyssa Velaryon would become a queen when Aenys I Targaryen took the throne. Daemon was one of Aegon’s oldest supporters, and when he died in the Battle of Gulltown, his son was named master of ships in his place. His master of ships was Daemon Velaryon, a notable figure in his own right. Aegon’s early court was heavily Valyrian.

Their wealth most likely considerable at the time of the conquest. The Velaryons, as noted above, were traditionally merchants. You have to wonder if some of the more backwoods Westerosi even saw a difference between the Velaryons and Targaryens besides the banner (and the dragons, I suppose), the two would have been equally exotic and equally mystical. When Aegon and his sisters flew out to conquer Westeros, Driftmark soldiers rode with them. It’s no surprise that, after the doom, House Targaryen and House Velaryon intermarried repeatedly (and would continue to do so in the centuries to come).Īegon the Conqueror’s parents were Aerion Targaryen and Valaena Velaryon. House Velaryon is noted for its Valyrian traits they tend to have the white hair and purple eyes of the blood of Old Valyria. It’s noted in The World of Ice and Fire that their allies, the Targaryens, “ruled the skies with their dragons.” This suggests that the Targaryens and Velaryons were connected well before the Doom, and that Targaryen interests in Westeros were burgeoning well before Daenys the Dreamer had her prophetic vision of the Doom. House Velaryon was always a predominantly naval power. They monopolized trade on the middle part of the Narrow Sea from their island. Legend has it that house Velaryon was given their seat by the Merling King they ruled from the Driftwood Throne (not to be confused with the Seastone Chair of the Iron Islands).

Crownlands map with Driftmark, courtesy of the Wiki of Ice and Fire.

Driftmark game of thrones