Locations of the Iron Islands

Pyke: A castle located on the island of the same name, which is one of the eight major Iron Islands. It is the seat of House Greyjoy, the rulers of the Iron Islands. Pyke is an ancient stronghold. It was originally built on a cliff jutting out into the sea, but over time the cliff has eroded, leaving the castle's towers standing on series of small, barren rock stacks, surrounded by water. Since there is no safe anchorage at Pyke, those who wish to travel there have to sail to a nearby Lordsport.

The towers are connected by swaying rope bridges. The keep, its towers, walls and bridges are made of the same grey-black stone of which the rest of the island is composed. In the thousands of years the keep has stood, it has become covered with green lichen. A curtain wall encloses the headland of fifty acres and the cliffs around the foot of the wide stone bridge which extended out to the largest islet. The stables, kennels and livestock are located on the headland. The Great Keep, Kitchen Keep and the Bloody Keep each sit on their own islands. Towers and outbuildings are located on stacks beyond them, linked to each other by covered archways where the pillars stood close and by long, swaying walks of wood and rope when they did not. To get to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges, the last of which is made of rope.

• Great Keep. The largest islet is capped by the massive Great Keep. It is connected to the Bloody Keep by a covered stone walkway. Its long smoky hall contains the Seastone Chair.

• Bloody Keep. The Bloody Keep or Guest Keep is one of the largest sections of the castle. It lies on its own island, further out than the Great Keep. Its halls are larger and better furnished. It received its name a thousand years ago when the sons of the River King were slaughtered within it and their pieces returned to their father on the mainland. To get to the Great Keep one must use a covered stone walkway.

• Kitchen Keep. The Kitchen Keep sits on its own island. It lies further out from the mainland than the Great Keep.

• Sea Tower. The Sea Tower rises from the outermost island at the far reaches of the island. It is the oldest part of the castle, and is round and tall. The base of the tower is white from centuries of salt spray and is crooked. To get from the Great Keep to the Sea Tower, one must cross three bridges. The tower contains the solar of Lord Greyjoy.

• Gatehouse. The walls of Pyke run in a crescent moon from cliff to cliff, with the gatehouse providing entry, located in the center portion of the wall and including an iron portcullis to provide additional protection should the wall be attacked. There are three towers to either side; the southernmost tower is new, made of a paler grey stone, after the old southern tower had been destroyed during the Greyjoy Rebellion when King Robert Baratheon breached the walls.

Great Wyk: The largest of the islands that make up the Iron Islands. Aside from the Lonely Light, it is the westernmost of the isles. Great Wyk is west of Old Wyk and Orkmont, north of Saltcliffe, and northeast of Pyke. Unlike the other isles, Great Wyk is so large that some of its castles, such as Hammerhorn, are inland instead of near the Sunset Sea.

Old Wyk: Located in Ironman's Bay and inhabited by the ironborn. It is home to the noble houses Stonehouse, Goodbrother of Shatterstone, and Drumm. It is located east of Great Wyk and west of Orkmont. Lord Dunstan Drumm is known as the Lord of Old Wyk. The ironborn consider Old Wyk to be the holiest of all the Iron Islands. The Grey King slew a legendary sea dragon, Nagga, upon its shores, and it is the place where kingsmoots took place for thousand of years. It is on Old Wyk where the First Men found the Seastone Chair, the traditional throne of the Iron Islands. Windy hills and cruel black mountains make up much of Old Wyk, and Nagga's hill is located on it near Nagga's Cradle.

Harlaw: Second in size only to Great Wyk, Harlaw is distinguished from the other islands by being both the wealthiest and most densely populated. The easternmost of the Iron Isles, Harlaw is northeast of Pyke, from which it is a day's sail, and southeast of Orkmont and Blacktyde. Banefort in the Westerlands is across Ironman's Bay to the south. Harlaw is renowned for its shaggy ponies which are used throughout the Iron Islands.
Harlaw is the seat of House Harlaw which reigns supreme on the island, one of the few families that rivals the Greyjoys in strength and influence. The Harlaws have five keeps on the isle that gave them their name: Ten Towers, the seat of House Harlaw and Lord Rodrik Harlaw; Harridan Hill, ruled by Boremund the Blue; the Tower of Glimmering, the seat of Hotho Humpback, Grey Garden, presided over by Ser Harras Harlaw; and ancient Harlaw Hall, which belongs to Sigfryd Harlaw the Silverhair. Harlaw Hall was the seat of the family before the construction of Ten Towers.

Saltcliffe: It is located south of Great Wyk and west of Pyke. Noble houses from the island include House Saltcliffe and House Sunderly.

Blacktyde: The major noble house of the island is House Blacktyde from Blacktyde Castle. The northernmost of the isles, Blacktyde is north of Orkmont and northwest of Harlaw.

Orkmont: Centrally located, with Blacktyde to the north, Harlaw to the southeast, Pyke to the south, and Old Wyk and Great Wyk to the west. Orkmont is the site of the seats of House Orkwood and House Tawney. The extinct houses Greyiron and Hoare, both of which once ruled the Iron Islands, came from Orkmont.

The Lonely Light: The smallest island of the Iron Islands. It is the seat of House Farwynd of the Lonely Light. It lies eight days sail northwest of Great Wyk, surrounded by rookeries of seals and sea lions and ocean. It lies well into the Sunset Sea and is probably the westernmost location in the known world.