A Game of Thrones LCG: Ghosts of Harrenhal Chapter Pack

Cast

Cast notes

• 17 of 25 cast members for the second season appear in this episode.
• Starring cast members Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister), Jack Gleeson (Joffrey Baratheon), Conleth Hill (Varys), Sibel Kekilli (Shae), Richard Madden (Robb Stark), Rory McCann (Sandor Clegane), Sophie Turner (Sansa Stark), and Carice van Houten (Melisandre) are not credited and do not appear in this episode.
• John Bradley is credited ahead of Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Maisie Williams and Jerome Flynn when he was credited after them when they last appeared together in “What Is Dead May Never Die.”
• John Bradley is credited ahead of Stephen Dillane when he was credited after him when they last appeared together in “The Night Lands”.
• Toni Bobeta, Jonathan Cohen, Rob Cooper, Jamie Edgell, Dave Fisher, Dave Forman, James Grogan, Tim Halloran, Paul Herbert, Michelle McKeown, Sian Milne, Camilla Naprous, Jimmy O’Dee, Marcus Shakesheff, C.C. Smiff, Mark Southworth and Paul Howell were stunt performers in this episode.

Behind the scenes

Concept artist Kimberley Pope explained the elements she came up with for Harrenhal’s design: “I added the thorns, dead trees, and suggested it would be nice to have the lake as a sulphuric crater, toxic and dead, still suffering from the devastation brought about by the burning of Harrenhal.” The walls of Harrenhal’s major towers are also supposed to appear so large that to characters inside the complex they seem like mountains in the background.

Production Designer Gemma Jackson said that in order to develop the look of Harrenhal, she visited Cambodia and the ruins of Angkor Wat to get a feel for how a vast but crumbling castle complex should appear, with many broken walls overgrown with vines and creepers. Many of the walls were broken when it was burned with dragonfire, and more have since fallen into ruin but not been repaired, because the entire castle is too big to adequately maintain. To emphasize this, the paths through the Harrenhal set were designed to be deliberately confusing, so the camera is never quite sure what is right around the next bend: informal “entrances” to different sections of the castle will suddenly appear as characters pass through large broken gaps in old walls. The Lannister troops have also haphazardly assembled some wooden constructions in their makeshift camp within the older stone walls – and because all of the trees were burned away long ago, they mostly just broke up whatever old rotting furniture or half-burned support beams they could find within the castle itself and hastily hammered them together into new forms. The combined effect gives Harrenhal a confusing, maze-like quality. Jackson also added large broken stones around the bases of many of the walls, to emphasize that they are crumbling into ruin, and their upkeep is so neglected that no one even expends the effort to clear the fallen stones away.

Notes

• The soundtrack playing over the credits is a rendition of . It did not appear on the official soundtrack release.
• In the novel “A Clash of Kings“, the series of murders at Harrenhal perpetrated by Jaqen H’ghar are attributed to a ghost. The episode features the murder of the Tickler by Jaqen at Arya Stark

  In the book, Arya self-encouragingly calls herself “the ghost in Harrenhal”.

  ‘s request.

• This episode marks the death of King Renly Baratheon.
  • The night this episode aired, actor Finn Jones (who plays Renly’s lover, Ser Loras Tyrell) posted to his Twitter account, “When the sun has set, no candle can replace it.” This is actually a famous quote that Loras uses later in the book series.
  • Renly’s death reduces the number of factions in the war to four: Joffrey Baratheon, Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy, and Stannis Baratheon. Of course, due to geography if not ideology, Stannis isn’t actively fighting Robb, because they’re on opposite sides of the Lannisters’ position in the middle of the continent.
  • This only includes the factions that are currently fighting each other in open warfare. House Tyrell, House Martell, and House Arryn are still active players in the ongoing political machinations of Westeros, e.g. Margaery Tyrell in this episode.
• For the first time since she left Pentos, Daenerys is brought up to speed on the current political situation in Westeros, including the death of Robert Baratheon, and the fact that four rival kings now vie for the throne (word of Renly’s death evidently not having reached across the Narrow Sea yet).
• Daenerys says “Dracarys” to Drogon, the young dragon, to encourage him to breathe fire. Dracarys (pronounced “drah-KAH-ris”) is the High Valyrian word for dragonfire.
• When Renly is meeting with Catelyn Stark, he says that the oath of fealty he wants Robb to swear will be the same one that Eddard Stark swore to Robert Baratheon “eighteen years ago”. In Season 1, the events of Robert’s Rebellion were consistently said to have occurred seventeen years ago. This reflects by Season 2.
• Bronn refers to what Joffrey did to the “birthday present” that Tyrion sent him (which occurred in the preceding episode). In the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, people actually use the term “nameday”, not “birthday”, because babies are named on the day they are born. “Nameday” has been consistently used on-screen throughout Season 1 and Season 2. This may have just been a dialogue error by the actor.
• Wisdom Hallyne, the head of the Alchemists’ Guild, is played by Roy Dotrice, who narrated the audiobook versions of all five novels currently in the A Song of Ice and Fire series (and thus in a sense is “reprising” his role as Hallyne). Roy Dotrice was originally supposed to play the role of Grand Maester Pycelle, but fell ill shortly before production on the TV series began and had to decline. His health later recovered, however, allowing him to join the cast as Hallyne.
• This is the only episode in which House Tallhart is mentioned (by Dagmer).
• This is the second and last time in the show (following “The Night Lands”) that the ironborn are referred to as “iron islanders”. This phrase is never used in the books.
• It is the first time that Daenerys is referred to as “First of Her Name”.

Quotes

Catelyn Stark: “Our two houses have always been close, which is why I am begging you to reconsider this battle. Negotiate a peace with your brother.”Renly Baratheon: “Negotiate with Stannis? You heard him out there. I’d have better luck debating the wind. Please bring my terms to your son. I believe we are natural allies. I hope he feels the same. Together we could end this war in a fortnight.”

Petyr Baelish: “Tell me, Ser Loras, what do you desire most in this world?”Loras Tyrell: “Revenge.”Petyr: “I have always found that to be the purest of motivations, but you won’t have a chance to put your sword through Stannis, not today. You’ll be cut to pieces before he sets foot on solid ground. If it is justice that you want, be smart about it.”

Margaery Tyrell: “Calling yourself king doesn’t make you one. And if Renly wasn’t a king, I wasn’t a queen.”Petyr: “Do you want to be a queen?”Margaery: “No. I want to be the Queen.”

Tywin Lannister: “We’ve underestimated the Stark boy for too long. He has a good mind for warfare, his men worship him. And as long as he keeps winning battles, they’ll keep believing he is King in the North. You’ve been waiting for him to fail. He is not going to fail, not without our help.”

Tywin: “And what do they say of Robb Stark in the North?”Arya Stark: “They call him the young wolf.”Tywin: “And?”Arya: “They say he rides into battle on the back of a giant direwolf. They say he can turn into a wolf himself when he wants. They say he can’t be killed.”Tywin: “And do you believe them?”Arya: “No, My Lord. Anyone can be killed.”

Protestor: “Corruption! Yes, we are swollen, bloated, foul! Brother fornicates with sister in the bed of kings, and we’re surprised when the fruit of their incest is rotten?! Yes, a rotten king!”Tyrion Lannister: “It’s hard to argue with his assessment.”

Notable residents of Harrenhal

House Whent

Lady {Shella Whent}, called “Old Lady Whent”, the former Lady of Harrenhal, head of House Whent, and vassal to House Tully. She had no heirs and surrendered Harrenhal to Tywin Lannister. Presumed dead.

Lannister occupation

• Lord {Tywin Lannister}, Lord of Casterly Rock, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands, and Warden of the West. Made Harrenhal his seat while waging war in the Riverlands. Killed by his son Tyrion Lannister.
  • Ser {Kevan Lannister}, his brother and adviser. Rode south with Lord Tywin. Killed in the wildfire explosion that destroyed the Great Sept of Baelor.
  • Ser Gregor Clegane, called “the Mountain That Rides” or “the Mountain”, Lord Tywin’s sworn sword. Severely wounded by Oberyn Martell.
    • {The Tickler}, a torturer in the Lannister army. Killed by Jaqen H’ghar.
    • Weasel, a gaoler.
  • Ser {Amory Lorch}, a knight sworn to Lord Tywin. Poisoned by Jaqen H’ghar.
    • {Polliver}, a man-at-arms serving under Ser Amory. Killed by Arya Stark.
    • Jaqen H’ghar, a Lorathi criminal recruited into the Lannister army. Actually a Faceless Man. Whereabouts unknown (last seen at the House of Black and White in Braavos).
    • {Rorge} and {Biter}, King’s Landing criminals recruited into the Lannister army. Killed by Arya Stark and the Hound, respectively.
  • Arya Stark

    Gendry, a smith (currently traveling with Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen), and Hot Pie, an apprentice baker (currently working at the Inn at the Crossroads). Arya’s companions.

    , disguised as a commoner and made Tywin’s cupbearer. Escaped into the Riverlands.

Northern occupation

• Lord {Roose Bolton}, Lord of the Dreadfort, holding the castle in the name of Robb Stark, the King in the North. Murdered by his son, {Ramsay Bolton} (formerly Ramsay Snow), at Winterfell while serving as Warden of the North.
  • {Locke}, Roose Bolton’s master-at-arms. Killed by a Bran Stark-controlled Hodor.
  • Steelshanks, a man-at-arms sworn to Lord Bolton.
• Qyburn, a former maester. Now at King’s Landing serving as Hand of the Queen to Cersei Lannister.
• Gryff Whitehill, the fourthborn son of Lord Ludd Whitehill (formerly).

In the books

Main article:

• The episode is adapted from the following chapters of A Clash of Kings:
  • Chapter 20, Tyrion V: Tyrion inspects the Alchemists’ Guild’s wildfire with the pyromancer, Hallyne.
  • Chapter 27, Daenerys II: Daenerys stays at Xaro’s palace and learns that King Robert is dead and that the Seven Kingdoms are at war.
  • Chapter 30, Arya VII: Jaqen H’ghar promises to kill three men of Arya’s choosing in return for saving his life.
  • Chapter 33, Catelyn IV: Renly is killed by a mysterious shade while Catelyn and Brienne are inside his tent. Catelyn and Brienne flee Renly’s camp.
  • Chapter 34, Jon IV: Lord Commander Mormont’s expedition arrives at the Fist of the First Men.
  • Chapter 35, Bran V: Bran continues to be troubled by his dreams.
  • Chapter 36, Tyrion VIII: Cersei and Tyrion learn of Renly’s death.
  • Chapter 37, Theon III: Theon leads a force against Torrhen’s Square.
  • Chapter 39, Catelyn V: Catelyn and Brienne are heading back to Robb.
  • Chapter 42, Davos II: Stannis and Davos plan to sail through the Blackwater attack King’s Landing with ships.
  • Chapter 43, Jon V: Qhorin Halfhand arrives at the Fist of the First Men. Jon decides to accompany him on a scouting mission into the mountains.