Hull

Hull is a town on Driftmark Island whose growth reflects the rise of House Velaryon as a maritime power. It developed beneath Castle Driftmark amid shipbuilding activity, and later became the final resting place of Ser Addam Velaryon, linking the town’s seafaring identity with a memorial to his loyalty.

Setting and Growth

Hull began as three modest fishing villages beneath the dark, salt-stained walls of Castle Driftmark. As they grew together into a thriving town, the rows of ship hulls visible below the castle gave Hull its name. Its position on Driftmark placed it within the island’s expanding maritime community, though it was distinct from Spicetown, the other settlement near High Tide whose wharves and piers drew ships from the Free Cities and beyond.

Shipbuilding and Velaryon Power

Hull’s growth accompanied Corlys Velaryon’s shipbuilding. During his years as master of ships to the Old King, the royal fleet tripled in size; after leaving that office, Corlys continued building, producing merchantmen and trading galleys rather than warships. The town’s rows of hulls made visible the craft and labor behind this expansion, while Spicetown’s increasing share of shipping helped enrich and strengthen House Velaryon across Driftmark.

Hull remained associated with the maritime family generations later. Alyn Velaryon, the fifteen-year-old son of Marilda of Hull, held command of the Velaryon fleets after his brother Addam died at Second Tumbleton. His position placed a son of the shipwright’s daughter at the center of a naval decision with consequences for King Aegon II’s attempt to leave Dragonstone: the king could not safely cross Blackwater Bay while Alyn’s allegiance remained uncertain.

Addam’s Burial and Memorial

Hull also became the place where Addam Velaryon was finally laid to rest. After Second Tumbleton, the boy Ben Blackwood carried Addam’s broken body from beside his dragon, and Addam’s bones remained at Raventree Hall for eight years. In 138 AC, Alyn had them returned to Driftmark and entombed in Hull, the town where Addam had been born. The tomb’s single-word inscription, LOYAL, is framed by carvings of a seahorse and a mouse. The memorial gives Hull a place in the remembrance of the war: a shipbuilding town becomes not only a source of maritime strength but also the chosen resting place of a Velaryon who died fighting for the queen.