What’s up with the Riverlands in House of the Dragon?
War has officially arrived in House of the Dragon season 2. And much like the second season of Game of Thrones, that means Westerosi geography is about to play a much bigger role in the show and our ability to understand it. In fact, the Greens’ war council in this season’s third episode is probably just a preview of the important wartime tactical discussions to come.
The series has never been shy about piling on the details and leaving viewers to piece things together, but with war looming, it’s extra important to keep track of exactly what people are fighting over. So to help get you ready for the Targaryen civil war, here’s a quick explanation of what everyone was talking about in episode 3, and why fighting over the Riverlands is so damn important to both sides.
[Ed. note: This story contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2, up to episode 3.]
The first key to understanding the importance of the Riverlands in the Dance of Dragons is understanding its geographic place in the story. Here’s a map in case you need a refresher:
As we can see, unlike with the season 2 battles between the Lannisters in King’s Landing and the Starks in Winterfell in Game of Thrones, there isn’t much distance at all between House of the Dragon’s two Targaryen factions. In fact, all that lies between them is Blackwater Bay on one side and the Riverlands on the other. And the Riverlands practically surround the small islands of Dragonstone and Driftmark, where Rhaenyra and her allies currently reside.
Another important facet to understanding the Riverlands is understanding the Tullys. House Tully are the lords of Riverrun, and are traditionally the stabilizing force in the region. However, as Jason Lannister points out in the King’s Landing small council meeting, the Tullys are led at this moment by Grover Tully, an old man incapable of holding his own house together, let alone the rest of the Riverlands as they progress toward open war. This means the region is almost
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