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[[Image:Dragonstone Pin.png|right|thumb|200px|Map showing the location of [[Dragonstone]] off the coast of [[Westeros]].]] |
[[Image:Dragonstone Pin.png|right|thumb|200px|Map showing the location of [[Dragonstone]] off the coast of [[Westeros]].]] |
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'''{{Quote|The island itself was and is nothing. It had no gold or gems to lure Valyrian nobility, all it has is rock.|[[Stannis Baratheon]]|Dragonstone (Histories & Lore)}}'''Dragonstone''' is a volcanic island in the [[Narrow Sea]] that guards the entrance to [[Blackwater Bay]] and the sea approaches to [[King's Landing]], off the east coast of [[Westeros]]. It is the location of the eponymous castle of [[Dragonstone (castle)|Dragonstone]], the ancestral seat of [[House Targaryen]] and now seat of King [[Stannis Baratheon]], one of the claimants to the [[Iron Throne]].''' |
'''{{Quote|The island itself was and is nothing. It had no gold or gems to lure Valyrian nobility, all it has is rock.|[[Stannis Baratheon]]|Dragonstone (Histories & Lore)}}'''Dragonstone''' is a volcanic island in the [[Narrow Sea]] that guards the entrance to [[Blackwater Bay]] and the sea approaches to [[King's Landing]], off the east coast of [[Westeros]]. It is the location of the eponymous castle of [[Dragonstone (castle)|Dragonstone]], the ancestral seat of [[House Targaryen]] and now seat of King [[Stannis Baratheon]], one of the claimants to the [[Iron Throne]].''' |
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| + | While Dragonstone island itself is of no particular value, its command of the sea lanes passing into or out of Blackwater Bay, to and from King's Landing, give it an ideal strategic value. The [[Royal Fleet]] is stationed at Dragonstone island, from which it can effectively defend (or in time of rebellion, blockade) any approaches to the capital city. |
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Large amounts of [[dragonglass]] can be found on Dragonstone, but it isn't a precious or even particularly useful material, being too brittle to make weapons and too sharp to use in building. Otherwise, the only significant advantage of holding Dragonstone island is its strategic position, guarding the entrance to Blackwater Bay and King's Landing.<ref>[[Dragonstone (Histories & Lore)]]</ref> |
Large amounts of [[dragonglass]] can be found on Dragonstone, but it isn't a precious or even particularly useful material, being too brittle to make weapons and too sharp to use in building. Otherwise, the only significant advantage of holding Dragonstone island is its strategic position, guarding the entrance to Blackwater Bay and King's Landing.<ref>[[Dragonstone (Histories & Lore)]]</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:30, 7 November 2014
- For the castle see Dragonstone (castle)
Map showing the location of Dragonstone off the coast of Westeros.
- "The island itself was and is nothing. It had no gold or gems to lure Valyrian nobility, all it has is rock."
- ―Stannis Baratheon
Dragonstone is a volcanic island in the Narrow Sea that guards the entrance to Blackwater Bay and the sea approaches to King's Landing, off the east coast of Westeros. It is the location of the eponymous castle of Dragonstone, the ancestral seat of House Targaryen and now seat of King Stannis Baratheon, one of the claimants to the Iron Throne.
While Dragonstone island itself is of no particular value, its command of the sea lanes passing into or out of Blackwater Bay, to and from King's Landing, give it an ideal strategic value. The Royal Fleet is stationed at Dragonstone island, from which it can effectively defend (or in time of rebellion, blockade) any approaches to the capital city.
Large amounts of dragonglass can be found on Dragonstone, but it isn't a precious or even particularly useful material, being too brittle to make weapons and too sharp to use in building. Otherwise, the only significant advantage of holding Dragonstone island is its strategic position, guarding the entrance to Blackwater Bay and King's Landing.[1]
Dragonstone island produces no significant crops (such as wheat or barley), nor can it sustain livestock farming (such as cattle and pigs).[2] Dragonstone is, of course, an island, and the surrounding waters of Blackwater Bay are plentiful enough with fish - the main food source that can be locally obtained by the island's inhabitants.[3]
Image gallery
In the books
Beyond Dragonstone castle, Dragonstone island is home to several fishing villages which obtain food from the surrounding waters, but otherwise the small volcanic island is not well-suited to farming crops, raising livestock, or pasturage. A small number of shepherds and the like operate on the island, but they do not produce enough to feed the entire island's population, which must rely on the sea.
One of the few advantages the island itself possesses (besides its strategic location) is the active volcano known as the Dragonmont - possibly the only large active volcano in the Seven Kingdoms (though smaller thermal vents and hot springs are relatively common). Dragons prefer to nest in caves in the sides of volcanoes, being attracted to the heat. The ancient Valyrians first discovered dragons nesting in the string of volcanoes in Essos known as the Fourteen Fires. Dragonstone island was thus an ideal location for the Targaryens to raise and breed their surviving dragons. Some dragons were later raised in the massive Dragonpit built in King's Landing, but the main hatcheries remained on Dragonstone in volcanic tunnels.
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