The Origins and History of House Connington
Vocalist
Verdant Maiden in Violet
- Location
- By a Cedar Tree
Seat: Griffon's Roost
Sigil: Two combatant griffons, counterchanged, on a red and white field
Words: A Fierce Foe, A Faithful Friend
The Conningtons are a Stormlands house of reasonable power and size, sworn directly to Storm's End. Their rocky lands are not fertile, but they are rich in iron and tin. Famed for their fierce warriors, this house has an ongoing feud with House Morrigen to the south.
The Conningtons claim descent from the First Men, specifically the Griffon Kings of House Greyfeather. Their legends state that the first Griffon King was a man who managed to tame and ride a griffon, despite losing an arm in the process, and who used this advantage to claim rulership over the Giant's Lance (it should be noted that a similar legend has been recorded from the Mountain Clans of the Vale). His descendants, too, could ride griffons if they were tamed as hatchlings.
By the time of the Andal Invasions, the Vale was contested between the Bronze King of Runestone and the Griffon King in the Eyrie, both of whom claimed the title of High King (as well as several petty lords who fought over the title of King of the Fingers, but they were quite ignored by the rest of the Vale). The Andals put an end to that conflict, as Artys Arryn drove the Greyfeathers out of the Eyrie and claimed it for himself before beginning a long war against the Royces of Runestone. How exactly this happened is shrouded in legend – the common tale holds that he flew past the Eyrie's defenses on a giant falcon, but the Conningtons (and scholarly opinion) dismiss this as ridiculous. Instead, the Conningtons hold that Arryn dueled King Connwaer Greyfeather and dishonorably killed him with a poisoned blade before announcing that any of the king's kin could duel him for the castle, and be killed, or they could leave. According to this legend, the king's three older sons fought him and died, while his three older daughters swore revenge and fled to establish the first of the Mountain Clans. The king's youngest son and youngest daughter, Connwyn and Keladry, instead determined to leave the Vale entirely. They flew for a day and a night, until their mounts were exhausted, and came to the northernmost extent of the Red Mountains, where they abut Shipbreaker Bay. They named the place where they slept Griffon's Roost, and determined to found a new castle there.
Of course, it seems implausible that two people could build a lordship entirely by themselves, and it is likely that their migration was less desperate and improvised than the tale claims. But the existence of Connwyn and Keladry is not in doubt: inscriptions at Storm's End indicate that people of that name, "hailing from the mountains," swore fealty to King Arlan "The Bald" Durrandon and received permission to settle in the lands owned by House Connington today.
Although the founders of the house dreamed they would be free of Andal interference outside the Vale, the Stormlands were being penetrated by the time of Connwyn's grandson. Particularly important to the story of the Conningtons is House Morrigen. It was founded by the knight Ser Gerold Morrigen, who announced his presence in the stormlands by seizing a large amount of land claimed by the Griffon Lord. The two young houses fought fiercely, both sides hard to dislodge from their positions in the mountains. Though the griffon riders were deadly, there were but few of them, and making use of their unparalleled ability to fly and strike anywhere risked them getting cut off from support and overwhelmed. This war supposedly lasted for ten years, until Gerold's daughter Jerene Morrigen disguised herself as a washerwoman, infiltrated Griffon's Roost, made her way to the hatchery – empty, because every griffon rider was out fighting – and smashed every single griffon egg the Conningtons had. This act devastated the carefully bred griffon stock, and losses from the war rendered griffons extinct in the Red Mountains in another generation. At this point, the Conningtons agreed to a peace. They would, however, be forever resentful, and the feud with House Morrigen would cause headaches for their Durrandon or Baratheon overlords until the present day.
The Griffons
No discussion of House Connington would be complete without mentioning the animal on their heraldry. That they were once griffon riders is beyond doubt; there are too many accounts, from both Andals and First Men, to dispute this.
Native to the Vale, the griffon is a majestic creature with the wings, head and forequarters of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion. Their fur is not a tawny color as a lion's is, but rather a shaggy grey, and their feathers are grey and white. Full-grown, they are as tall as horses, and much heavier. They will re-use the same nest, building it up year after year, until it has reached enormous size; their eggs look like smooth grey stones. They mainly dine on mountain goats, but they are opportunistic predators; griffons have been observed killing and eating farm animals, humans, shadowcats, bears, and even other griffons.
They are solitary and aggressive creatures, who do not tolerate other griffons in their territory. The only exceptions are during mating season, when a mated pair will take turns at guarding the nest and hunting for food. According to Connington records, griffons mate for life, but it is uncertain if this behavior exists in the wild. Once the young griffons are able to hunt on their own, they leave. At this point, even their own parents will kill them for lingering too long in their territory.
Legends state that griffons detest the sound of lies, and will attack anyone who tells a lie in their presence; this is difficult to verify, as griffons will attack most people.
The griffons of House Connington were still quite wild. They would only accept to be mounted by one who had raised them from the egg, and were liable to attack any other who came close; they had to be separated from their kin to keep from fighting; and it was not uncommon for a Connington to lose fingers to the griffon they were attempting to train. Despite this, many has been the Connington lord who wishes to restore the griffon riders. All these attempts have failed, for three reasons: Firstly, griffons have become rare, even in the Vale. Secondly, their remaining habitations are in the most distant and inhospitable regions of the mountains. Thirdly, griffon nests are always guarded by at least one of the parents. No Connington yet has managed to travel to the Mountains of the Moon, find a griffon's nest, steal the eggs, and make it back out alive.
Sigil: Two combatant griffons, counterchanged, on a red and white field
Words: A Fierce Foe, A Faithful Friend
The Conningtons are a Stormlands house of reasonable power and size, sworn directly to Storm's End. Their rocky lands are not fertile, but they are rich in iron and tin. Famed for their fierce warriors, this house has an ongoing feud with House Morrigen to the south.
The Conningtons claim descent from the First Men, specifically the Griffon Kings of House Greyfeather. Their legends state that the first Griffon King was a man who managed to tame and ride a griffon, despite losing an arm in the process, and who used this advantage to claim rulership over the Giant's Lance (it should be noted that a similar legend has been recorded from the Mountain Clans of the Vale). His descendants, too, could ride griffons if they were tamed as hatchlings.
By the time of the Andal Invasions, the Vale was contested between the Bronze King of Runestone and the Griffon King in the Eyrie, both of whom claimed the title of High King (as well as several petty lords who fought over the title of King of the Fingers, but they were quite ignored by the rest of the Vale). The Andals put an end to that conflict, as Artys Arryn drove the Greyfeathers out of the Eyrie and claimed it for himself before beginning a long war against the Royces of Runestone. How exactly this happened is shrouded in legend – the common tale holds that he flew past the Eyrie's defenses on a giant falcon, but the Conningtons (and scholarly opinion) dismiss this as ridiculous. Instead, the Conningtons hold that Arryn dueled King Connwaer Greyfeather and dishonorably killed him with a poisoned blade before announcing that any of the king's kin could duel him for the castle, and be killed, or they could leave. According to this legend, the king's three older sons fought him and died, while his three older daughters swore revenge and fled to establish the first of the Mountain Clans. The king's youngest son and youngest daughter, Connwyn and Keladry, instead determined to leave the Vale entirely. They flew for a day and a night, until their mounts were exhausted, and came to the northernmost extent of the Red Mountains, where they abut Shipbreaker Bay. They named the place where they slept Griffon's Roost, and determined to found a new castle there.
Of course, it seems implausible that two people could build a lordship entirely by themselves, and it is likely that their migration was less desperate and improvised than the tale claims. But the existence of Connwyn and Keladry is not in doubt: inscriptions at Storm's End indicate that people of that name, "hailing from the mountains," swore fealty to King Arlan "The Bald" Durrandon and received permission to settle in the lands owned by House Connington today.
Although the founders of the house dreamed they would be free of Andal interference outside the Vale, the Stormlands were being penetrated by the time of Connwyn's grandson. Particularly important to the story of the Conningtons is House Morrigen. It was founded by the knight Ser Gerold Morrigen, who announced his presence in the stormlands by seizing a large amount of land claimed by the Griffon Lord. The two young houses fought fiercely, both sides hard to dislodge from their positions in the mountains. Though the griffon riders were deadly, there were but few of them, and making use of their unparalleled ability to fly and strike anywhere risked them getting cut off from support and overwhelmed. This war supposedly lasted for ten years, until Gerold's daughter Jerene Morrigen disguised herself as a washerwoman, infiltrated Griffon's Roost, made her way to the hatchery – empty, because every griffon rider was out fighting – and smashed every single griffon egg the Conningtons had. This act devastated the carefully bred griffon stock, and losses from the war rendered griffons extinct in the Red Mountains in another generation. At this point, the Conningtons agreed to a peace. They would, however, be forever resentful, and the feud with House Morrigen would cause headaches for their Durrandon or Baratheon overlords until the present day.
The Griffons
No discussion of House Connington would be complete without mentioning the animal on their heraldry. That they were once griffon riders is beyond doubt; there are too many accounts, from both Andals and First Men, to dispute this.
Native to the Vale, the griffon is a majestic creature with the wings, head and forequarters of an eagle and the hindquarters of a lion. Their fur is not a tawny color as a lion's is, but rather a shaggy grey, and their feathers are grey and white. Full-grown, they are as tall as horses, and much heavier. They will re-use the same nest, building it up year after year, until it has reached enormous size; their eggs look like smooth grey stones. They mainly dine on mountain goats, but they are opportunistic predators; griffons have been observed killing and eating farm animals, humans, shadowcats, bears, and even other griffons.
They are solitary and aggressive creatures, who do not tolerate other griffons in their territory. The only exceptions are during mating season, when a mated pair will take turns at guarding the nest and hunting for food. According to Connington records, griffons mate for life, but it is uncertain if this behavior exists in the wild. Once the young griffons are able to hunt on their own, they leave. At this point, even their own parents will kill them for lingering too long in their territory.
Legends state that griffons detest the sound of lies, and will attack anyone who tells a lie in their presence; this is difficult to verify, as griffons will attack most people.
The griffons of House Connington were still quite wild. They would only accept to be mounted by one who had raised them from the egg, and were liable to attack any other who came close; they had to be separated from their kin to keep from fighting; and it was not uncommon for a Connington to lose fingers to the griffon they were attempting to train. Despite this, many has been the Connington lord who wishes to restore the griffon riders. All these attempts have failed, for three reasons: Firstly, griffons have become rare, even in the Vale. Secondly, their remaining habitations are in the most distant and inhospitable regions of the mountains. Thirdly, griffon nests are always guarded by at least one of the parents. No Connington yet has managed to travel to the Mountains of the Moon, find a griffon's nest, steal the eggs, and make it back out alive.
Last edited:
