Addam Hightower

Addam Hightower, also known as Ser Addam Hightower, was the son of Lord Manfred Hightower and the heir who succeeded him as Lord of the High Tower. His brief but consequential role in the Dornish war was defined by a failed attempt to recover Nightsong: he arrived after Lord Fowler’s army had destroyed the castle and killed its garrison, while the captive Lord Caron and his family were being carried into Dorne. Addam’s return to Oldtown brought him into the lordship as the city demanded vengeance.

Identity and Background

Addam was a son of Lord Manfred Hightower and a brother of Garmon Hightower, the younger son killed in the Dornish attack on the lands around Oldtown. His place in the family became decisive soon afterward: when Manfred died, Addam succeeded him as Lord of the High Tower. He thus moved from military service under his father to inheriting a house confronted with loss and a city clamoring for retaliation.

The Campaign for Nightsong

After Lord Fowler led an army through the Prince’s Pass, burned villages, and captured Nightsong, Lord Hightower sent Addam with a strong force to retake the border castle. The Dornish had anticipated the relief effort. While Addam marched toward Nightsong, a second army under Ser Joffrey Dayne attacked Oldtown. Its walls held, but Dayne ravaged the surrounding countryside and killed Garmon when he led a sortie.

Addam reached Nightsong only to discover that Fowler had put the castle to the torch and slaughtered its garrison. Lord Caron, his wife, and their children had been taken captive to Dorne. Rather than pursue the captors, Addam turned back at once to relieve Oldtown. By then, Joffrey Dayne and his army had also withdrawn into the mountains. Addam’s expedition had therefore failed to recover Nightsong or the Caron family, and the immediate danger to Oldtown had passed without a battle between him and Dayne’s force.

Succession and Significance

Old Lord Manfred died soon after these events, and Addam inherited his title amid Oldtown’s demand for vengeance. The king went to Highgarden to consult Theo Tyrell, whose father had suffered the fate of the Dornish invasion; Theo was reluctant to contemplate another invasion of Dorne. Addam’s succession placed him at the center of a city and house seeking redress, while the reluctance of the Reach’s young lord showed how the recent losses weighed against renewed war. The account establishes Addam as a commander sent to restore a lost stronghold and, almost immediately afterward, as the lord left to inherit the consequences of the campaign.