War is coming.
In the Dragonstone war room, the battle lines have already been drawn up and we now know how Daenerys Targaryen plans on reclaiming the Iron Throne. Despite Euron Greyjoy decimating Yara’s Iron Fleet, the Mother of Dragons has made a bold decision by sending her army of Unsullied and Dothraki to attack the home of House Lannister.
As next week’s trailer shows, there will be blood in the capital of the westerlands. This being said, for the past seven seasons, Game of Thrones fans have heard an awful lot about the seat of House Lannister, but why exactly is it so important?
The castle itself is due west and like Winterfell in the North, Casterly Rock is the location from which the Warden of the West governs the entire region. This position was held by Tywin Lannister before his death.
Despite the fact that we haven’t seen it feature in an episode, Tyrion Lannister has frequently referred to Casterly Rock as the true seat of power in Westeros, mainly because it’s the location of the Lannister wealth.
Aside from having formidable natural defenses which have been expanded with walls, gates, and watchtowers, there’s a wealth of untouched gold mines buried underneath the Rock and around the Sunset Sea – but they’re protect by this imposing fortress.
It doesn’t take a genius to understand that anyone who controls the wealth in Westeros will have the upper hand in any war – particularly when it comes to buying food, supplies, clothes, weapons etc.
Finances will be crucial in the wars to come, especially since we know that the Iron Bank are set to reappear and the Iron Bank always gets its due.
We’re frequently told that a Lannister pays his debts, but what if those gold reserves are no longer available to them?
You may remember a key scene from previous seasons, Tywin Lannister telling Cersei the family’s real dirty little secret: the gold is drying up. “The crown owes The Iron Bank of Braavos a tremendous amount of money.”
In fact, Tyrion once referred to this when he became Master of Coin: ” It’s not my father I’m worried about. It’s the Iron Bank of Braavos. We owe them tens of millions. If we fail to repay these loans, the Bank will fund our enemies. One way or another, they always get their gold back.”
If the Lannisters lost Casterly Rock, the Iron Bank will probably switch their allegiance to the most likely contender to take the Iron Throne, Daenerys.
If you’re wondering why the Unsullied are sailing to it then know this, the Rock has been measured at three times the height of The Wall with The Lion’s Mouth, a natural cavern that’s the main entry to Casterly Rock, reaching two hundred feet high.
Once before, Tyrion Lannister asked for his birthright for the lordship of Casterly Rock. Tywin’s reply was incredibly harsh: “Casterly Rock. Never … neither gods nor men shall ever compel me to let you turn Casterly Rock into your whorehouse,” he said.
Despite this rejection, Tywin ultimately gave Tyrion control of the cisterns and drains at Casterly Rock – the irony of this piece of information shouldn’t be lost on anyone, especially since Grey Worm and his troops will be looking for a secret passage into the ancestral home of House Lannister.
In fact, Tyrion often refers to his big accomplishment at the Rock, which was working on the sewage system.
Aside from these points, if Daenerys can successfully take the stronghold of House Lannister, it would force Cersei into a war on two fronts. You don’t need to be a military genius to understand just how precarious a position like that would be for House Lannister.
Another important point, how could Cersei inspire her own troops to fight for the Seven Kingdoms if she can’t even protect her own home?
The war in Westeros is about to start.
