Game Of Thrones: George R.R. Martin Talks About The Bloody Gate

In a new HBO video, Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin assesses the Eyrie's impregnable Bloody Gate. "Separating the Vale of Arryn from the Riverlands is a range of very rugged mountains, the Mountains of the Moon," explains Martin. "There's a road through them, but it's a high, steep road…very difficult, perilous in spots. And of course, the mountains, and the foothills around those mountains, are where the hill tribes live,  descendants of the First Men, the original inhabitants of the Vale, who were driven into the hills by the Andals, who came conquering centuries later." Martin continues, "They live a very rough, rugged, hard scrabble existence in these mountains, which are not hospitable. And they prey on people coming through the mountains by this single, difficult road. And if you get past those, you reach the Bloody Gate, which is basically a fortified mountain pass, where the Vale of Arryn opens up." "So they've built essentially a gateway across the mountain pass, and partly into the sides of the mountains themselves, hollowed it out. And this is defended by the Knights of the Vale, and it's largely to prevent the hill tribes from descending into the vale, and raiding, and raping, and killing, and carrying off plunder," adds Martin. Game of Thrones airs on Sunday nights at 9 PM ET on HBO.