Storm's End

Storm's End is the ancient seat of House Baratheon, a fortress of legendary strength on the storm-lashed coast of the Stormlands. Its great curtain wall, said to be so thick that no siege engine can breach it, and its location on a windswept promontory have made it one of the most formidable castles in the Seven Kingdoms. In A Dance with Dragons, the castle is a prize of war, held by a token garrison loyal to Stannis Baratheon after he marched north to the Wall, and its fate becomes a central concern for the returning exile Jon Connington and the Golden Company.

History and Legend

Storm's End was raised by Durran Godsgrief, the first Storm King, according to legend, with the aid of the children of the forest and Brandon the Builder. Its walls are of such immense thickness that they have never been breached. During Robert's Rebellion, the castle was held by Stannis Baratheon against the combined forces of the Reach, enduring a year-long siege by the Tyrells and Redwynes. The garrison was reduced to eating rats and boot leather before Eddard Stark arrived to lift the siege. This feat of endurance cemented Stannis's reputation as a commander of iron will. The castle's history is also marked by tragedy: it was here that Robert Baratheon's parents, Lord Steffon and Lady Cassana, died in a shipwreck off its shores, and here that Renly Baratheon was assassinated by a shadow born of Melisandre's sorcery at the outset of the War of the Five Kings.

The Prize of War

By the time of A Dance with Dragons, Storm's End is held by a small garrison loyal to Stannis Baratheon, commanded by Ser Gilbert Farring. The castle is isolated, its lord absent, and its defenses are manned by a skeleton force. The Lannister-Tyrell regime, focused on King's Landing, has left it largely unmolested, though Mace Tyrell had abandoned a siege of the castle to return to the capital. The castle's strategic value is immense: it commands the southern coast of the Stormlands and provides a secure base for any force seeking to challenge the Iron Throne.

The Golden Company's Target

Jon Connington, the exiled former Hand of the King and Lord of Griffin's Roost, makes the capture of Storm's End the first major objective of his campaign to restore the Targaryen dynasty. He argues to the hesitant captain-general of the Golden Company, Homeless Harry Strickland, that taking the castle will prove their strength and provide a secure fastness. Connington plans to take the castle by guile, not by storm, exploiting the fact that the garrison is small and unsuspecting. He intends to use the castle as a rallying point for the storm lords and as a base from which to march on King's Landing. The prince, Aegon Targaryen, eager to prove himself, insists on leading the attack himself, a decision that Connington reluctantly accepts.

Narrative Significance

Storm's End functions as a symbol of legitimacy and power in the novel. For Stannis, it is his last foothold in the south, a reminder of his birthright and his brother's legacy. For Connington, it represents a chance to reclaim his honor and to provide a tangible victory for the cause he has served in exile for nearly two decades. The castle's fall to the Golden Company, if it occurs, would be a seismic shock to the Lannister regime, demonstrating that a new claimant has arrived in Westeros with a formidable army and the will to use it. The castle's impregnable reputation makes its capture a potent propaganda tool, and its possession would give Aegon a seat of power from which to challenge Tommen Baratheon's rule.