hairstyles of House Baratheon and the Stormlands

Very heavy braided hairstyles due to high winds, top row is hairstyles for very highborn ladies while the bottom row has simpler hairstyles for ladies from less prominent houses

The thing about Stannis that people often forget that he was only 17 when Robert's Rebellion started. His parents are dead, his older brother who was meant to be in charge and head of the family has practically abandoned him with all the responsibilities of being Lord of Storm's End, being head of the family and raising Renly who was 3 or 4 at this time. He's seventeen and all of a sudden he has to make a choice between what he knows is the "right" thing to do which is staying loyal to the Crown or standing with his brother, who he no doubt loves despite his later declaration in ACOK. He's seventeen and there's an army outside the walls, everybody inside those walls has to rely on him when he knows that they really want Robert, he is in charge when doubtless he wants Robert back. He's the one who is meant to be in charge after all, the one with the experience, he's only 17. He has to watch Renly grow thinner and thinner, likely going without food himself just to give Renly an extra mouthful here and there. He has to see people turn on House Baratheon from inside the castle, probably knowing them all his life. He has to punish them or end up looking weak, he can't afford weakness. Not when there are hundreds depending on him. And Robert. He's depending on him too, afterall. Then comes the news that Rhaegar is dead, King's Landing is Robert's and he's King now. Weeks later, Stannis gets news that the Siege is about to be lifted. Doubtless he looks out over the walls and sees who has come to save him. It's not Robert. It's Ned Stark, who Robert went to war with, who Robert sees as a brother, far more than he's ever treated Stannis. And even then Stark has to run off for another duty, leaving Stannis to deal with Storm's Ends recovery. Then when things are settled, the Baratheons unite. Robert has a task for Stannis rather than a thank you or an apology. Stannis grits his teeth and gets on with it. He fails to capture the last Targaryens. He returns only to hear Robert's grumbles. And when comes time for dealing with succession, Renly- who is only a child - gets Storm's End. Stannis gets Dragonstone, the reminder of his failure not his achievements. It breaks Stannis's trust in Robert. In the following years, Robert becomes more and more of a disappointment. He beds Delena Florent at Stannis's wedding ruining the nuptials which are nothing more to Stannis than a political move no doubt recommended by Jon Arryn. He becomes more lazy, more distant, less and less of somebody to look up. To make matters worse, Renly who Stannis protected, starved for and practically raised, still looks up to Robert, pushing Stannis away. By AGOT, Stannis is isolated by his own House, trapped in a loveless marriage, weighed down by duties he never asked for, responsibilities that he has to shoulder because Robert won't, crushed under the knowledge of the Lannister Twincest and its repercussions and he's just been pushed aside again by Ned Stark, this stranger who Robert idolises so much. Its the last straw so he leaves. Months later, Robert is dead, Renly is at the heart of trouble and the Realm is bleeding again. Stannis declares himself King, not only because Melisandre wraps the shroud of messiah around him or he really feels any sort of higher calling or ambition. He does it because that's what he does, he cleaned up Robert's messes, he steps into Robert's shoes and does his duty. Just has he's been doing since he was just a child.

What a lady of house Swann would wear

𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗨- 𝗔 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗙 𝗜𝗖𝗘 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗘

Have you ever asked yourself what a book for tourist traveling to Westeros would look like ? Well, my intrusive thoughts and lack of sleep helped me come up with this idea. It's just the first part of 9 I'll do one for each region of the land of Westeros, but I already have plan to do it to the region's of Westeros too. I based myself not just on the cultures of the real world but also Westeros, and what they would look like in a modern setting, so yeah enjoy my crazy shit because I sure did when I woke up today and decided to do this.

NORTH. VALE. RIVERLANDS. WESTERLANDS. REACH. CROWNLANDS. DORNE. IRON ISLANDS.

Gown for Argella Durrandon, daughter of the Last Storm King and founder of House Baratheon - Dolce and Gabbana Alta Moda Fall 2022

House Baratheon of Storm's End

House words - "Ours is the Fury"

House colors - Gold and Black

House sigil - A black, crowned stag on a gold field

Region - Stormlands

Culture - Andal

Language - Common tongue

Religion - Faith of the Seven

Seat - Storm's End

Members of the family tend to be tall, have black hair and blue eyes

The Chivalry of the South

"Tyrell swords will make me king. Rowan and Tarly and Caron will make me king, with axe and mace and warhammer. Tarth arrows and Penrose lances, Fossoway, Cuy, Mullendore, Estermont, Selmy, Hightower, Oakheart, Crane, Caswell, Blackbar, Morrigen, Beesbury, Shermer, Dunn, Footly ... even House Florent, your own wife's brothers and uncles, they will make me king. All the chivalry of the south rides with me, and that is the least part of my power. My foot is coming behind, a hundred thousand swords and spears and pikes. And you will destroy me? With what, pray? That paltry rabble I see there huddled under the castle walls? [...] I do not care how seasoned a warrior you think you are, Stannis, that host of yours won't survive the first charge of my vanguard."

Rounding out our Knights of Summer season with a closer look at Renly's banners. The Tyrell bannerman I've posted before, but rebased to fit in with the Rainbow Guard. The Baratheon bannerman I've painted to contrast - much less fancy embroidery, more brutal utilitarian heavy armour.

I thought it would be fun to play up Renly's place as this sort of in-between figure, officially a Baratheon and pushing this claim, but closely aligned with House Tyrell and leading a Reach focused army. In the Reach he has a Baratheon banner in Tyrell colours, then switches to a classic Baratheon banner once he's in the Stormlands. I like to imagine he has banners made up in every regions colours to fit in and seem a man of the people - "we've crossed Moat Cailin, put away the blue and red stag banner and crack out the grey stag on white!"

Is Criston Cole Dornish on the show?

This is from the 2nd episode of the first season:

Harrold: Ser Criston Cole. Son of the steward of the Lord of Blackhaven.

Rhaenyra: Be welcome, Ser Criston. You saw combat in the Stormlands.

Criston: Dornish marches, Princess. I fought for a year as a foot solider against the Dornish incursions. Ser Arlan Dondarrion knighted me after we razed two of the watchtowers along the Boneway.

We learn that, like his book counterpart, he is the son of a steward.

In the book, that steward was the steward for the house of Dondarrions, which is actually a Stormlander house near the Dornish Marches. Their castle, Blackhaven, is in the Marches. The Wiki of Ice and Fire says this of what the Dornish Marches is:

an area of southern Westeros in the border region north of Dorne. The marches are predominantly in the southwestern stormlands and extend east to the Sea of Dorne, although much of the western marches are within the Reach. People from the region are known as marchers, and they are ruled by marcher lords

And this of Blackhaven's location:

in the southwestern stormlands. Part of the Dornish Marches, it is located in the northern Red Mountains near the Dornish border, north of the Wyl and south of the Cockleswhent.

These are maps of the Dornish Marches vs Dorne vs Stormlander vs the Reach:

So, the Dondarrions Criston & Criston's father are all Stormlanders, not Dornish in the show as they were in the original lore.

EDITED/SEMI-SELF CORRECTION:

Another anon has pointed out that the first episode has Alicent calls Criston Dornish and many scripts of the same episode has Alicent SMH this while one has its narrator call Criston a "Dornish knight", which means that this one where the narrator says is possibly a past draft of the script. Even so in the show, we are meant to understand that he is supposed to be Dornish and apparently Blackhaven is --where he is supposed to come from-- and the entirety of the Dornish Marches is in Dorne in the new, "separate" HotD universe.🙄

This is the Narrator portion of the episode 1 script from this site:

During old king Jaehaerys Targaryen’s reign, tragedies took his sons’ lives, leaving the succession undecided. A Great Council convenes to choose Westeros’ future ruler. Jaehaerys’ grandchildren, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen and Prince Viserys Targaryen (Rhaenys’ younger cousin) are the candidates. Westerosi law gives a male heir precedence over a female, regardless their birth order and Viserys is chosen. Nine years into King Visery I’s reign, the Triarchy, an alliance formed by the free cities of Essos, threatens the kingdom, wanting to seize the Stepstones region. Viserys must also restrain his brother Daemon’s brutality as the City Watch commander in King’s Landing. Viserys, certain that pregnant Queen Aemma will bear him a son, holds a tournament to celebrate the impending birth. During the event, Dornish knight, Ser Criston Cole defeats Daemon in a competition while Queen Aemma and her son die in childbirth. The Hand of the King, Ser Otto Hightower, proposes that Viserys’ only living child, the young princess Rhaenyra, be named heir to the Iron Throne. After a dispute with Daemon, Viserys proclaims Rhaenyra as the next ruler.

It's possible that the writers tried to show through Alicent's pointing Criston out that his looks lend to "outsider" and thus a sort of racial or ethnic pressure in his characterization. Show!Alicent could, in universe, just mistake him for Dornish because he looks like their idea of Dornish. However nothing follows up here to build from that element into his actions and how people treat him later on, and if it's not on screen nor even something the characters themselves hint, use, etc, it doesn't in the story.

The Vale

The Stormlands

Dorne

Hidden History of the Stormlands: Lost Letter XLIX

Letter #73: When the Pauper’s Plot was foiled by an Andali spy within the ranks of the conspirators, Ormund II gave his word that the women of the Weeping Town could leave unmolested with whatever they carried on their backs. To the Storm King’s amusement, the women walked out the town gates carrying their men on their shoulders. Nonetheless, Ormund II did not go back on his word (though his army did strip every manor and guildhall within the town walls of its finery).

Jocelyn Baratheon

Were I a Lord or Lady of Westeros after Bran the Broken was named King of the Six Kingdoms. I would have rebelled. I would have rebelled so hard, that Sansa would have needed to send her newly minted army of northerners to help her brother maintain the seat he got for having good stories. Because if the North gets to liberate itself from Aegon the Conquerors Realm, then I'll be damned if I need to stay in it too. If you liberate one, you have to liberate all six kingdoms.

What a Lady of house Swann would wear

If you were to lead one of the 8 seven kingdoms to declare independence at some indeterminate point between Dorne being unified into the realm (the last dragon had already died) and let's say Roberts Rebellion, who would you pick?

The thing about the Eyrie is that its isolation is its greatest weakness as much as its greatest strength. Sure no one is going to march an army up through the 3 waycastles and storm the Eyrie itself but they don't have to. If they take the Gates of the Moon they can just plonk a garrison large enough to defend against whatever troops you have up the mountain and let it wither and die. The real fight would be to defend the Mountains of the Moon which provide good natural defenses. The Vale mountain clans would also likely harass enemy supply lines which is a help too. 

GRRM has said Casterly Rock is even stronger then the Eyrie or anywhere else but I guess it has a similar problem. At least it has its own docks within the mountain to smuggle in food if its sieged tho. The Western Hills would be similar to the Mountains of the Moon but less so. 

The Iron Islands have the sea and their fleet to defend them but I think they're just too small to defend themselves as shown in the Greyjoy Rebellion.

The Reach, Stormlands, and Riverlands are all too exposed to defend, although the Reach's control over food definitely works in the favour especially if they were to ally with Storm's End (now why does that sound familiar?) Could be trickier if Dorne enter the war tho.

Dorne is pretty defensible with the Red Mountains and deserts and all as they've proven before but by protecting most of their privileges by entering the realm peacefully and the influence from their historical marriage ties to the Targaryens, what would even be the point?

My money's on the North tbh. Just whack some archers in Moat Cailin and Robert is your mother's brother and Francesca is your father's sister. Really it was the Riverlands that fucked Robb. Obviously part of that was the Freys and their strategic control of the Twins but even besides that the Riverlands are just too vulnerable. The only thing is with the North's short summers and harsh winters whether it would be able to support itself or if it's too reliant on imports. I reckon it'd be fine tho.

Maris Baratheon - Elie Saab Haute Couture Fall 2023

Maris Baratheon was a noblewoman from House Baratheon during the Dance of Dragons.  She was one of the four daughters of Lord Borros Baratheon of Storm’s End. She and her sisters were known as the Four Storms. According to her father, Lord Borros Baratheon, Maris was the cleverest of the Four Storms. She was less comely than her sisters, and grew angry that Prince Aemond preferred them to her At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Aemond Targaryen was sent by the green council to Storm’s End to gain the support of its lord for the greens. Lord Borros offered the hand of any of his four daughters to the prince, noting that Maris would make a clever wife. Aemond agreed to a betrothal, though the identity of the daughter is not known, save it was not Maris.

Odile Swann, the eldest of Abigail Lannister's ladies in waiting is 20 y/o. She was sent to Kings Landing by her father Lord Gulian Swann to find a husband, however her sharp tounge had repeatedly chased off any suitors brave enough to approach her.