High Tide Castle was a stronghold on Driftmark Island and a target of the Triarchy’s assault during the Battle in the Gullet. As the southern squadron attacked the island, the castle was put to the torch; the fire destroyed the eastern treasures gathered by Corlys Velaryon and took the lives of servants trying to escape.

Setting and Velaryon Wealth

High Tide stood amid the attack on Driftmark Island, where the Triarchy’s southern squadron landed troops at Spicetown and sent fireships into the harbor. Corlys Velaryon’s wealth was bound up with the castle’s fate: the treasures stored there had been brought back from the east, the material reward of his voyages.

Assault and Destruction

While Spicetown burned, Myrish and Tyroshi troops battered at the doors of High Tide. The attack reached the castle itself, which was set alight. Its treasures were consumed in the fire, and servants were cut down as they tried to flee. The assault thus struck both the Velaryon stronghold and the wealth accumulated through Corlys’s seafaring ventures.

Place in the Battle

High Tide’s destruction was part of the grievous toll the attack exacted on Driftmark Island. Spicetown was sacked and burned, the Velaryon fleet lost almost a third of its strength, and thousands died. The castle’s burning was one of several losses that made the supposed victory costly for the defenders.