The Pyke



The Pyke - a collection of islands in Ironman’s Bay in the northeast of the city - is the home to the Greyjoy family. It is one of the shadier parts of Westeros, second only to the Eyrie, and its citizens are generally known to be merciless and cruel. The Greyjoys own most of the dock access in the city and are well known smugglers and drug producers. They are frequently the subjects of police investigations, but the main family themselves always seem to get off, with their lackeys taking the fall if need be. Of all the families in the city, the Greyjoys are the ones who seem to have the most animosity with those of the rest of the city, and are quick to stir up trouble. They seem to resent the Starks most of all, however - especially since Theon Greyjoy, Balon Greyjoy’s only remaining son, joined the police force rather than following in his father’s footsteps. His sister, Asha Greyjoy, however, is more than making up for Theon’s absence in her role as Balon’s heir apparent. It is bordered by Winterfell to the north, King's Landing to the east, and Storm's End to the south.

Locations

 * Grey King's Hall, a subway station and ferry terminal on Mainland Pyke
 * Lordsport, a shopping center on Pyke Island
 * Westeros Public Library, Harlaw Island Branch, a public library on Harlaw Island
 * Blacktyde Sept, a Sept to the Faith of the Seven on Blacktyde Island
 * The Lonely Lighthouse, a bar on Lonely Light Island. Accessible only by boat. Popular with the Ironborn.
 * The Ironman's Bay Lighthouse, a lighthouse on Lonely Light Island.

Residents

 * Asha Greyjoy, Pyke Island, private residence
 * Tristifer Botley, Pyke Island, private residence

Culture
People from the Pyke are referred to as "Pykish." Though people from other parts of Westeros sometimes use "Ironborn" to describe anyone from the Pyke, within the Pyke the term is used specifically for followers of the Church of the Drowned God. Pykish (especially Ironborn Pykish) refer non-Pykish as "Greenlanders." An Ironborn living out of the Pyke (whether in another borough or working on a ship abroad) is referred to as a "Rover."

The predominant religion in the Pyke is the Church of the Drowned God, whose practitioners are called "Ironborn."

Great Wyk, Harlaw, Orkmont, Blacktyde, and Pyke Island are the only islands with paved driving roads (though roads on Pyke Island and Blacktyde are liminted) Bicycles, motorized carts, and motorcycles are all popular ways to get around on the islands. Many Great Wyk families and some Harlaw families don't own boats, but for people living on any other island, it's absolutely essential. Pykish children learn to swim, row, and operate the family motorboats from a very young age. Special ferries for children run at the beginning and end of school days, though it's also common for children to be taken to the mainland by their own parents. Most (non-Great Wyk) Pykish families who own cars keep them on the mainland in parking garages close to their ferry of choice, though not all Pyke families own a car, relying solely on Grey King's Hall.

Passenger/recreational ferries run to and between all of the islands regularly, though Great Wyk, Harlaw, and Orkmont are the most touristy/welcoming to non-Pykish visitors.

Many Pykish are employed as mariners to some degree--and many of those who don't find themselves operating personal boats on a regular basis, and so nautical slang has crept into the local lexicon. A list can be found here .

Mainland Pyke
The only part of the Pyke that is a part of mainland Westeros. It is largely unresidential, being occupied mostly by docks, marinas, and ferry terminals.

Grey King's Hall, the Pyke's only subway station, is located here. It is connected to the city's public ferry terminal, where tickets can be bought to/from the islands. Car ferries serve Great Wyk, Harlaw, and Pyke Island.

Great Wyk Island
The largest island in the Pyke, it is connected to Mainland Pyke via a car bridge, making it the only island in the Pyke that is accessible by car. The bridge is about forty meters above water on average, with one navigation span sixty meters above water, and boat traffic crosses freely beneath it.

Many inhabitants of Great Wyk do not own boats, and it houses the largest population of non-Ironborn Pykish in the Pyke.

Harlaw Island
Home of the Harlaw family, one of the richest and most successful families in the Pyke. Harlaw Island is home to a public library which owes its existence to the current head of the Harlaw family, Rodrik "The Reader" Harlaw.

Harlaw Island is accessible only by boat, though there is a car ferry dock and paved roads on the island. It is connected via a driveable bridge to Orkmont.
 * Known Inhabitants: Alannys Greyjoy, Rodrik Harlaw, Gwynesse Harlaw

Pyke Island
Always called Pyke Island to distinguish it from Pyke the district as a whole. Home of the Greyjoy family, the most powerful family in the Pyke.

The Greyjoys own a large part of the island, but not the entire thing. Other notable families on Pyke Island include the Botleys and the Wynches. The Wynches own Lordsport, a shopping center with several shops (including a grocery store), restaurants, bars, and a three-screen movie theater. Though it is small by Westerosi standards, it is the largest shopping area in the Pyke outside of Mainland Pyke or Great Wyk.

Accessible only by boat, though there is a car ferry dock and paved roads on the island.
 * Known Inhabitants: Balon Greyjoy, Asha Greyjoy, Victarion Greyjoy

Other Islands

 * Saltcliffe
 * Old Wyk
 * Connected to Greyiron via a pedestrian/bicycle bridge.
 * Greyiron
 * Connected to Old Wyk via a pedestrian/bicycle bridge.
 * Nagga's Hill
 * A sacred island to the Church of the Drowned God. Is inhabited entirely by priests and is a traditional site for Ironborn worship. Nothing may be bought or sold there, and though non-Ironborn are not forbidden from visiting, casual tourists are discouraged.
 * ​Known Inhabitants: Aeron Greyjoy


 * Orkmont
 * Connected via driving bridges to Harlaw and Blacktyde. Has some paved roads and is accessible to tourists. Connected via a pedestrian/bicycle bridge to Lonely Light.
 * Lonely Light
 * Site of the Ironman's Bay Lighthouse. Accessible only by boat, or on foot from Orkmont. The Orkmont-Lonely Light bridge floods often. The island's only bar is The Lonely Lighthouse. It is accessible only by boat and is very popular with the Ironborn.
 * Blacktyde
 * Connected via a driving bridge to Orkmont. Limited roads.
 * Home of the only sept in the Pyke, built by Baelor Blacktyde. The Blacktyde family is the only large group of Seven worshippers in the Pyke, though the sept is attended by individual Faithful from all across the borough.

Ironman's Bay
While historians agree that Ironman's Bay was originally named "East Bay," they are divided on the origins of the modern name Ironman's Bay  as well as the nickname "Iron Islands" for the islands in it. Many historians say that the name comes from the fact that iron was mined there centuries ago. However, some historians say that it actually originated as an allusion to Urron Greyiron, the "King of the Pyke," who held an "iron grip" on the city's shipping industry in the early 1800s. Iron was discovered on the island of Harlaw in 1812, and the first printed use of "Ironman's Bay" occured in a political cartoon in the Sentinel in 1814, but historians can't say with certainty whether the term was used verbally before then. The fact that nearly all commercial boat traffic to Westeros today goes through the Pyke is as a result of Urron's policies, which fiercely (through documented means both legal and nonlegal) prevented the growth of shipping industry in Blackwater Bay.

The Greyirons reigned in the Pyke for over a century until the Greyjoys, a cadet branch of the family, used the creation of the National Union of Seamen of Westeros (now the Seafarer's National Union) in 1892 to overthrow the Greyirons and seize control of the docks. The Greyjoys still control massive political power in the Pyke and continue Urron's policies of discouraging commercial sea traffic in Blackwater Bay.

Though the Pyke sees Ironman's Bay as one big harbor and doesn't tend to distinguish between sections in everyday conversation, there are three distinct "parts" of the harbor, each with different kind of boats that dock there:


 * Upper Ironman's Bay (north of Great Wyk) is the commercial part of the bay, with many commercial and shipping docks, including the Harbormaster's office.


 * Lower Ironman's Bay (south of Harlaw) is the recreational part of the bay, home to a large number of pleasure boats privately owned by people from all across Westeros. It also hosts many fishing vessels, as well as smuggling operations (though smuggling also occurs on the large commercial vessels).


 * Most of the docks in Inner Ironman's Bay (between Great Wyk and Harlaw) are for inter-island/recreational use by the residents of those islands, and the water is dotted with colorful lobster bouys. There is no large vessel commercial/shipping traffic in southern or inner Ironman's Bay.

Families

 * Greyjoy
 * Blacktyde
 * Botley
 * Codd
 * Drumm
 * Farwynd of Sealskin Point
 * Farwynd of the Lonely Light
 * Goodbrother of Hammerhorn
 * Goodbrother of Corpse Lake
 * Goodbrother of Crow Spike Keep
 * Goodbrother of Downdelving
 * Goodbrother of Orkmont
 * Goodbrother of Shatterstone
 * Harlaw of Harlaw
 * Harlaw of Grey Garden
 * Harlaw of Harridan Hill
 * Harlaw of Harlaw Hall
 * Harlaw of the Tower of Glimmering
 * Humble
 * Ironmaker
 * Kenning
 * Merlyn
 * Myre
 * Netley
 * Orkwood
 * Saltcliffe
 * Sharp
 * Shepherd
 * Shepherd
 * Stonehouse
 * Stonetree
 * Sunderly
 * Tawney
 * Volmark
 * Weaver
 * Wynch