Arnold Arryn

Arnold Arryn, known as the Mad Heir, was a cousin of Jeyne Arryn and a rival claimant to the rule of the Vale. Twice he tried to depose her and was imprisoned; after years in the sky cells of the Eyrie and the dungeons beneath the Gates of the Moon, he was described as mad. His claim returned to the center of the succession struggle after Jeyne died and named Joffrey Arryn, a more distant cousin, as her heir.

Imprisonment and the Succession Claim

Arnold did not emerge as the active advocate of his claim. It was his son, Eldric Arryn, who came forward after Jeyne’s death to press it. Eldric was described as sane, shrewd, and ambitious, and many Vale lords rallied to him. They argued that established inheritance laws could not be set aside by the choice of a dying woman. Their challenge placed Arnold’s closer blood connection to Jeyne against her testament naming Joffrey.

The account distinguishes the imprisoned father from the politically active son: Eldric advanced Arnold’s claim, while Arnold himself remained in custody until he somehow eluded Corwyn Corbray. His subsequent flight made him a living focus for opposition to Joffrey’s succession, though the narrative gives no account of his own plans or actions as a claimant.

Flight to Runestone

After escaping, Arnold fled to Runestone, where he had served as a squire in his boyhood. Gunthor Royce, the aged lord of Runestone, gave him sanctuary. When Corwyn arrived to take Arnold from that refuge, Gunthor rode out to confront the regent in his ancient bronze armor. The encounter escalated from heated words to curses and threats. Corwyn drew Lady Forlorn, but the account leaves uncertain whether he meant to strike Gunthor or merely threaten him.

A crossbowman on Runestone’s battlements then shot Corwyn through the breast. The narrative does not say that Arnold took part in the confrontation or caused the killing; his flight and refuge instead formed the immediate context for the meeting between Corwyn and Gunthor.

The Vale Rebellion

Corwyn’s death transformed the succession dispute. As one of the king’s regents, his killing was treated as treason, and war flared again across the Vale. The Corbrays, Hunters, Craynes, and Redforts supported Joffrey, while the Royces of Runestone joined Arnold and the Mad Heir’s cause alongside the Templetons, Tolletts, Coldwaters, and Duttons, as well as lords from the Fingers and the Three Sisters. Gulltown and House Grafton continued to support Isembard Arryn, the Gilded Falcon, despite his captivity.

Arnold’s part in the conflict remains narrowly drawn: he was an imprisoned claimant whose escape brought him to a powerful house’s refuge, and whose son had already made his claim a rallying point. The killing at Runestone turned that contested succession into renewed armed resistance, binding Arnold’s cause to the larger struggle over who could rule the Vale.