House Martell



House Nymeros Martell of Sunspear is one of the Great Houses of Westeros and the ruling house of Dorne. 'Nymeros' indicates "of the line of Nymeria," but generally it is simply called House Martell. The Martells of old used a spear as their emblem, while Nymeria and the Rhoynar used the sun as theirs. These were combined when Nymeria wed King Mors Martell into a gold spear piercing a red sun on an orange field. Their words are "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" in appearence they are class Salty Dornishmen, with dark eyes, dark hair in ringlets, and olive skin.

History
House Martell's founding is unkown, except that they were on of the ruling families of Dorne which, since the Andal invasion, had been a collection of feuding petty kingdoms even as the other regions of Westeros began to consolidate into larger realms. When the warrior queen of the Rhoynar of the eastern continent, Nymeria, came with her people to Westeros, she took one of the strongest of the Dornishmen as her husband; king Mors Martell, combining their strength, the two managed to unite all of Dorne under their rule. House Nymeros Martell has reigned since.

The union of their peoples saw the Martells abandon many of their older Andal customs in favor of those of the Rhoynar. Specifically, they began to call their rulers "princes" instead of kings, and their land and title passed down to the eldest child regardless of gender.

As Aegon the Conquerer waged his Wars of Conquest, he eventaully came to Dorne. Here his army was bled dry by guerilla warfare in the desert, a situation in which his dragons were of little using. Deciding that conquering Dorne would be too costly, the Conquerer opted to leave the Martells as soveirign princes. House Martell kept Dorne independant from the Targaryens for two centures, the only one of the Seven kingdoms to manage such a feat. After repeated failed attempts at conquest (most notably under Daeron I), Dorne eventually joined the fold through marriage between the two houses. The alliance was a dual one, with the future king Daeron II marrying Princess Myriak Martell and Prince Maron Martell later marrying Daeron's sister, Daenerys.

During Daeron II's reign, the Red Keep assumed a decidedly Dornish Flavor due to the influence of his Martell wife. This was one reason that many nobles opted to rise against his rule. The Martells thius defended his claim against Daemon Blackfyre, after their victory, Maron and Daenerys fulfilled their betrothal, marrying eachother and officially bringing Dorne into the fold.

The War of the Five Kings
House Martell didn't join The War of the Five Kings until near the end, when the Targaryen prince, Aegon landed in Storm's End. Prince Doran Martell sent his daughter, Princess Arriane Martell, to scout out Aegon, to see if he truly was a Targaryen. When Arriane Martell arrived in Storm's End, Aegon had already sieged and had taken the castle. Arriane noted his purple eyes, and his white silver hair. She sent word back to her father quickly therafter, and Doran raised House Martell for Aegon.

House Martell joined Aegon's host at Highgarden after marching for close to a month. There they aided in capturing Lady Olenna of House Tyrell and her grandson. Soon after, the Tyrells bent the knee to Aegon, the remaining Tyrell force marched to Lannisport.

The Martell bannermen were the first to enter Lannisport, and kept guard with several Unsullied as Aegon treated with Daenerys. Afterwards, the combined hosts marched to King's Landing, where an unnamed Martell general lead the siege of King's Landing.

The Dance of the Dragons II
House Martell allied with the Targaryens during the second dance with Dragons. It is unknown whether or not they actually played a part, though it is rumored that a Martell slew one of the dragons.

The War of the Free Cities
House Martell defeated the Lysene force in Sunspear shortly after they begun occupying it, using guerilla tactics to draw the enemy out. After defeating said force, they marched north, only for an end to the war to be declared.