Duskendale

Duskendale is a port town on the coast of the crownlands, situated north of King's Landing along the kingsroad. Its name is forever linked to the Defiance of Duskendale, the rebellion in which Lord Denys Darklyn seized King Aerys II Targaryen and held him captive within the town's walls. That crisis, resolved when Barristan Selmy rescued the king, left Aerys more paranoid and distrustful than ever, a shift that helped precipitate Robert's Rebellion. In the present of A Dance with Dragons, Duskendale functions as a military and administrative hub for the Lannister forces operating in the riverlands.

Strategic Role in the Riverlands Campaign

After the fall of Riverrun, Jaime Lannister uses Duskendale as a waypoint for prisoners and as a base from which to dispatch men. He sends Ser Ronnet Connington, the Knight of Griffin's Roost, to Duskendale with a prisoner, and later the town becomes a place where the Lannister forces regroup. The town's harbor and its position on the coast make it a natural point for receiving news from the south and for launching operations against the remnants of Stark-Tully resistance.

The Golden Company's Landing and the Threat to Duskendale

When the Golden Company lands on Cape Wrath and begins its campaign in the stormlands, Duskendale is one of the first places where the news reaches King's Landing. The small council discusses the incursions along the coast, and Duskendale's lord, Renfred Rykker, is listed among the crownlands lords sworn to the Iron Throne. The town's proximity to the sea and its importance as a port make it a potential target for the invading forces, though no direct attack occurs within the timeframe of the novel.

The Defiance of Duskendale in Memory

Barristan Selmy, now serving Daenerys Targaryen in Meereen, recalls the Defiance of Duskendale as a pivotal moment in his own life and in the history of the Seven Kingdoms. He remembers that Tywin Lannister gave him a day to bring out Aerys, threatening to take the town with steel and fire if he failed. Selmy succeeded in rescuing the king during the hour of the wolf, but the experience left Aerys a changed man, more suspicious and cruel. The memory haunts Selmy, who wonders whether his finest hour as a knight may have inadvertently enabled the Mad King's worst excesses.

Duskendale's Place in the Wider War

As the War of the Five Kings grinds on, Duskendale remains a loyalist stronghold, its lord Renfred Rykker holding the Dun Fort for King Tommen. The town's castellan, Ser Rufus Leek, a one-legged knight, commands the garrison. Duskendale's continued loyalty to the Iron Throne makes it a target for any rebel force that might seek to control the coast, but as of the end of A Dance with Dragons, it has not fallen to the Golden Company or any other enemy.