House Hunter of Longbow Hall

Descendants of the First Men, the Hunters stood with King Robar II Royce when the Andals landed in the Vale. Resistance was not enough: defeat came at the Battle of the Seven Stars, and the price of survival was gold, land and hostages handed over to the victors.

The lord of the house ended on his knees before Artys Arryn, First of His Name, swearing the loyalty he had once owed only to his own. Before that surrender, though, Robar had already tried to bind Lord Hunter to his cause another way: challenging him, and beating him, in an archery contest.

Teora, Lord Hunter's daughter, suggested to Roland I Arryn, grandson of the conqueror Artys, that a seat built high suited a king of the mountain better than one at ground level. Out of that conversation came the Eyrie.

Teora did not stop at giving counsel: she married Roland and went on to rule the Vale at his side.

With Lady Jeyne Arryn dead and regent Ser Corwyn Corbray murdered in the days of Aegon III Targaryen, the Vale split into a war over the succession. The Hunters backed Ser Joffrey Arryn, the heir Jeyne herself had named before her death.