House Dayne of Starfall is one of the oldest and most storied of the Dornish houses, holding a castle of pale stone on an island at the mouth of the river Torentine. Legend says the first Dayne tracked a falling star to that very spot, and from the metal of its heart forged the greatsword Dawn, a blade no Valyrian foundry has ever matched. Dawn passes not by birth but by worth, and the lord who proves himself fit to wield it is named Sword of the Morning.
The most recent Sword of the Morning was Ser Arthur Dayne of the Kingsguard, who fell at the Tower of Joy to a young Eddard Stark and his six companions. Arthur's sister Ashara is reputed to have danced once with Brandon Stark at Harrenhal, and to have thrown herself from the tower at Starfall in grief soon after the Rebellion. Dawn now hangs in the great hall, waiting.