Dragonstone is a castle located on the island of the same name at the entrance to Blackwater Bay. Located below the Dragonmont and shaped from stone to look like dragons, Dragonstone is the original seat of House Targaryen in Westeros. The castle has a dark reputation since it is considered a grim place. The castle was built by the Valyrians, using arcane arts, fire, and sorcery. The castle itself is very strong, due to its advanced Valyrian design, which combined with its isolated location make it an ideal redoubt and refuge. With the use of magic, the Valyrians were capable of liquefying stone. The dragonlords loved little more than twisting stone into strange, fanciful, and ornate shapes, and as such used their magic to shape the castle to look like multiple dragons. Smaller dragons could be found throughout the castle, as small dragons frame gates and dragon claws hold torches. A pair of great wings cover the armory and smithy, and dragon tails form archways and staircases. The citadel of Dragonstone is wrought all of black stone, often called the
stones of hell in the stories. Instead of merlons, grotesques and gargoyles serve as brooding crenellations along the three curtain walls. Designs include basilisks, cockatrices, demons, griffins, hellhounds, manticores, minotaurs, wyverns, and other creatures. Further, statues in the shape of dragons can be found all over the castle. Notable locations at Dragonstone include:
The Stone Drum: A massive tower which serves as the central keep of Dragonstone, named for the booming and rumbling sounds that can be heard during storms. To reach the Stone Drum from the Sea Dragon Tower, one must cross the gallery and pass through the middle and inner walls. A high stone roofed bridge arching over emptiness leads from the Stone Drum to the entrance towards the dungeons.
The Throne Room: Located in the middle of the Stone Drum, beneath the Painted Table, the Throne Room was a wide and long hall that led to a crystallic and rocky throne.
The Chamber of the Painted Table: Located on the top floor of the Stone Drum, the Chamber of the Painted Table is a round room with four tall windows, overlooking the north, south, east and west, and bare black walls. It holds a large table, the Painted Table, carved and painted in the form of a detailed map of Westeros. The Painted Table is more than fifty feet long: roughly twenty-five feet wide at its widest point and four feet at its thinnest. At the precise location of Dragonstone is a raised seat that allows the occupant to view the entire map.
The Great Hall: The Great Hall is carved in the shape of a huge dragon lying on its belly; its doors are set in the mouth and those entering pass through its mouth. The kitchens resemble a curled up dragon where the smoke and heat vented through its nostrils.
The Windwyrm: One of Dragonstone's towers, shaped like a dragon which seems to scream defiance.
The Sea Dragon Tower: One of Dragonstone's towers, shaped like a dragon gazing serenely out across the sea. The maester's chambers are located in this tower, below the rookery. The turnpike stairs of the tower are narrow and twisting
Aegon's Garden: A garden which can be reached when going down after the arch of the Dragon's Tail. Within grow tall dark trees, wild roses, towering thorny hedges, and cranberries. The garden has a pleasant piney scent.
The sept: The sept of Dragonstone, dedicated to the Faith of the Seven, contains statues representing the seven aspects of the Seven gods, carved from the masts of the ships that had carried the first Targaryens from Valyria, but have frequently been repainted since then. The statue of the Crone has pearl eyes, the Father a gilded beard, and the Stranger looks more animal than human.
