House Hoare

House Hoare of Orkmont is a house of the Iron Islands. Known as the black line, the Hoares became the Kings of the Iron Islands after the Andal settlers on the islands ended the rule of House Greyiron. While they originally came from Orkmont, they also built Hoare Castle on Great Wyk. The Hoares eventually moved to Fairmarket and Harrenhal in the Riverlands where they rule as Kings of the Isles and the Rivers

The Andal Conquest
During the Andal invasion, the Hoares allied with Andals and the Orkwoods, Drumms, and Greyjoys to slay King Rognar II Greyiron and end the hereditary dynasty of House Greyiron. According to legend, the ironborn played the finger dance to choose their next king, resulting in Harras Hoare ruling as King Harras Stump-hand.

The priests and rival lords denigrated Harras's line as having an "Andal taint" by having Andal queens and accused them of being false kings, which Archmaester Hake agreed with, referring to them as being "black of hair, black of eye, and black of heart". Hoare kings from this time include Wulfgar the Widowmaker, his great-grandson Horgan Priestkiller, Fergon the Fierce, Othgar the Souless, Othgar Demonlover and Craghorn of the Red Smile. Maesters would praise the Hoares for bringing the Faith of the Seven to the Iron Islands, discouraging reaving, and promoting trade.

Nevertheless, the ironborn reached a new nadir during the rule of the three Harmunds, Harmund the Host, Harmund the Haggler, and Harmund the Handsome, the last of whom was overthrown and replaced with his brother, Hagon the Heartless. House Lannister led the Westerlands in invading and crushing the ironborn, however, and Hoare Castle on Great Wyk was razed to the ground. They also suffered during the Famine Winter. The Hoares subsequently promoted trade with Lannisport, Oldtown, and the Free Cities.

The Kingdom of the Isles and Rivers
In a new age of expansion centuries later, the ironborn under King Harwyn Hardhand, the thirdborn son of the cautious King Qhorwyn the Cunning, took all of the Riverlands from the Storm King Arrec Durrandon. Harwyn and his successors, Halleck and Harren, ruled from the Riverlands as Kings of the Isles and the Rivers. When not unsuccessfully warring against the Kings of the Rock, the Kings of the Reach, and the Kings of Mountain and Vale, Halleck ruled from Fairmarket instead of the Iron Islands.

Harwyn's grandson, Harren the Black, ordered the construction of Harrenhal, the greatest castle of the Seven Kingdoms, on the shores of the Gods Eye in the Riverlands, far from the sea. The construction took forty years and the massive castle would be completed with much celebration for the house.

Recent History
The power of House Hoare is only matched truly by the Reach. The completion of Harrenhal has allowed the Hoares to boast their greatness, even as their bannermen in the Trident grumble under their heel.