Are there any great houses that DON'T include some Targaryen blood?

[Hippocras]

12 minutes ago, Lord of Oldstones said:

I think Laena daughter of Baela marries in stormlands and is ancestor of Aelinor Penrose. 

It makes more of a sense for Benjicot's son marrying the youngest daughter of Cregan by Alysanne Blackwood. 

 

You should read my long post above. Baela probably had more than 1 daughter. I don't entirely discount Penroses descending from Baela but I lean more now to Aelinor being Aerys's cousin via her mother in which case she was a Martell. Which makes sense given the attempts at the time to weave Dorne into the Kingdoms and settle the Dornish Marches disputes.

Don't know what your logic was on Benjicot but I firmly disagree. Benjicot and Alyn Velaryon were close friends, and Alyn had deep gratitude for the return of his brother's bones. There is no corresponding connection to Cregan.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Hippocras

[KingMaekarWasHere]

On 12/25/2023 at 8:12 PM, Aebram said:

There seem to be so many that do; and it's not surprising, really.  The Targaryens ruled Westeros for 300 years. I'm sure every noble family made some effort to arrange a marriage to one of them.

Just a little exercise for the genealogically inclined.  :^)

I am very genealogically inclined actually!!! As fate may have it so to speak. 

1. The Lannisters - While some have theorized that Tyrion or Jaime may be bastard children of Aerys the Mad, we have seen no historical connection between the lions and the dragons prior to the reign of Aerys (again not proven.) A good indication that the dragons never interbred with the lions can be seen with the actions of Tywin. Why allow your cousins to be massacred by your own troops after all? On a side note! There is no indication that the Lannisters intermarried with the Plumms.  

2. The Starks - It has yet to be conclusively proven that the main Stark line has any dragon blood in its collective veins. It may be theorized that Jace Velaryon is actually an "ancestor" of the Starks through say Eddard's maternal line, but the World of Ice and Fire in no way confirms this idea. 

3. The Greyjoys - It seems highly doubtful to me that any Targ princess ever married a kraken. After all, most krakens have not even been of the Faith of the Seven, so just on religious grounds the marriages wouldn't have worked out. Out of all the great families of Westeros, this particular family lacks the traits and temperaments that the royal line would associated with. Also, nowhere is there a Greyjoy on a Targ family tree. 

4. The Tyrells - People assume that because the Hightowers interbred with the dragons, that means that the Tyrells have dragon blood as well. The truth may very well be that the half-Hightower Targaryens listed in the World of Ice and Fire Family Tree may have died out. Also, weren't those children all females/daughters? They may have married Florents or other noble Reach families. Or the daughters of such a union may have just married into say the Penrose family, the Velaryons, or some other house with Valyrian blood. 

5. The Tullys - The only distinct possibility of the Tullys having dragon blood would be if some "illegitimate" descendant of Aegon IV married say a Lord Whent or some other riverlander, and then that person was an ancestor to Edmure and his sisters. Catelyn and Edmure's maternal line seems to be where the Tullys get their magic. 

Edited December 28, 2023 by KingMaekarWasHere
added Tullys

[KingMaekarWasHere]

On 12/25/2023 at 8:26 PM, James Steller said:

The Starks, arguably. Jon isn’t a Stark, after all.

Also, the Tully’s never got their Targ match because Aegon V’s incestuous kids.

It still remains a very distinct possibility that Aegon IV may have fathered a bastard daughter who was an ancestress of the Whents. (possible Tinfoil) and the Whents are ancestors to Edmure and his sisters through their mom. 

But if we put aside the Whent or Butterwell possibility of mixing with the Tully bloodline, then please add House Tully to my list! 

[Hippocras]

It is frustrating how noone reads posts.

 

Again, it is not necessary for there to be direct matches between Targaryens and other Great Houses for those Houses to carry drops of Targ blood. MOTHERS BORN TO OTHER HOUSES DO NOT CARRY THE TARG NAME.

A daughter of Baela Velaryon married a Whodyacallhim and had Whodyacallhim children. A daughter of Rhaena Hightower married a Whatzizname and had Whatzizname children. Then Tullys, Tyrells, Starks, etc. married Whatziznames or Whodyacallhims. And so on and so forth for offspring of all the loose end Targaryen women. That simple.

 

Edited December 28, 2023 by Hippocras

[KingMaekarWasHere]

1 hour ago, Hippocras said:

It is frustrating how noone reads posts.

 

Again, it is not necessary for there to be direct matches between Targaryens and other Great Houses for those Houses to carry drops of Targ blood. MOTHERS BORN TO OTHER HOUSES DO NOT CARRY THE TARG NAME.

A daughter of Baela Velaryon married a Whodyacallhim and had Whodyacallhim children. A daughter of Rhaena Hightower married a Whatzizname and had Whatzizname children. Then Tullys, Tyrells, Starks, etc. married Whatziznames or Whodyacallhims. And so on and so forth for offspring of all the loose end Targaryen women. That simple.

 

I know what you are getting at there, but still there remains no proof that say a Lannister great-grandmother was a Florent, who let's say was the granddaughter of a Targaryen. WE DONT HAVE THE TREES. And there are multiple reasons for this mind you!!! GRRM knows what he's doing. If the Lannisters have Plumm blood and Targ blood, or if the Tyrells descend from that one Garmund Hightower marriage to a Targaryen princess through lets say a Florent granddaughter, he's leaving this knowledge off of the table until "the time" comes. Leyton Hightower in the main series and his daughter likely know of their Valyrian bloodline, and are probably going to use some type of magic against the krakens. One can hope anyway. Just one example. 

[KingMaekarWasHere]

6 hours ago, Hippocras said:

Starks might via Melantha Blackwood or other route. Greyjoys are harder to pinpoint but also still might.

• The Greyjoys stink to high heaven among the Great Houses, no one wants to marry them besides other Ironborn. It may be that one of the daughters of Garmund/Garmand Hightower (married to Rhea or Bella I Forget) was sent to the Iron Islands as an offer of peace. A long shot could also be a marriage to a Blackfyre. You know cause Greyjoys really hated Aerys I and Bloodraven. 

Edited December 28, 2023 by KingMaekarWasHere

[Hippocras]

7 hours ago, KingMaekarWasHere said:

• The Greyjoys stink to high heaven among the Great Houses, no one wants to marry them besides other Ironborn. It may be that one of the daughters of Garmund/Garmand Hightower (married to Rhea or Bella I Forget) was sent to the Iron Islands as an offer of peace. A long shot could also be a marriage to a Blackfyre. You know cause Greyjoys really hated Aerys I and Bloodraven. 

They did though: They married Pipers for example. A Riverlands House. And that was even quite recent. 

[Hippocras]

8 hours ago, KingMaekarWasHere said:

I know what you are getting at there, but still there remains no proof that say a Lannister great-grandmother was a Florent, who let's say was the granddaughter of a Targaryen. WE DONT HAVE THE TREES. And there are multiple reasons for this mind you!!! GRRM knows what he's doing. If the Lannisters have Plumm blood and Targ blood, or if the Tyrells descend from that one Garmund Hightower marriage to a Targaryen princess through lets say a Florent granddaughter, he's leaving this knowledge off of the table until "the time" comes. Leyton Hightower in the main series and his daughter likely know of their Valyrian bloodline, and are probably going to use some type of magic against the krakens. One can hope anyway. Just one example. 

Yes, I agree. GRRM is concealing very important stuff by limiting family trees. He provides other hints here and there that make it clear he has worked out more of the lineages than he is willing to divulge just yet.

For theories a great deal hinges on how people interpret a small set of details. For example, Aegon V’s distaste for his family’s historical marriage practice. A lot of people think that means he arranged matches that had no Targ blood at all. I think that is extremely unlikely. There is a reason why the Targs tried to “keep the bloodlines pure” and Aegon V was not entirely ignorant of his family history. Since cousin marriage was extremely common throughout Westeros and was practiced by many families who were uncomfortable with sibling marriage, I think Aegon V’s views were simply mainstream Westeros ones: sibling marriage was not cool, but cousin marriage was desirable to contain the spread of the family tree and rival branches.

Those rival branches were a major problem in the Blackfyre era, which is why I consider it so unlikely that the matches Aegon V arranged and indeed the one he chose for himself were with completely disconnected families.

10 hours ago, KingMaekarWasHere said:

It still remains a very distinct possibility that Aegon IV may have fathered a bastard daughter who was an ancestress of the Whents. (possible Tinfoil) and the Whents are ancestors to Edmure and his sisters through their mom. 

But if we put aside the Whent or Butterwell possibility of mixing with the Tully bloodline, then please add House Tully to my list! 

I like the idea that they descend from Jeyne Waters better. I tend to dislike the idea that Aegon IV was central to the creation of the key bloodlines. I actually consider anything associated with him as tainted. I think therefore that Daeron II really was Aemon’s son, and that most of Elaena’s children were balanced, healthy and loyal individuals except Viserys Plumm. Maybe the same is true of Daena’s children except for Daemon Blackfyre.

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by Hippocras

[KingMaekarWasHere]

3 hours ago, Hippocras said:

 

I like the idea that they descend from Jeyne Waters better. I tend to dislike the idea that Aegon IV was central to the creation of the key bloodlines. I actually consider anything associated with him as tainted. I think therefore that Daeron II really was Aemon’s son, and that most of Elaena’s children were balanced, healthy and loyal individuals except Viserys Plumm. Maybe the same is true of Daena’s children except for Daemon Blackfyre.

 

Aegon IV may have been a "lout" and a notoriously bad monarch, but like Henry VIII he was very promising in his youth. I think that he went down the tubes as a man because he wasn't born to be king, his cousins had better claims than him after all. Similar to Henry not being destined to be king because his older brother Arthur was groomed for the position. 

Also Aemon had the same mom and dad as Aegon IV so how different could their DNA really be? I recently read in another thread that some people believe that Rhaegar is Bonifer Hasty's son by Rhaella because he was so "balanced" and not at all like Aerys II. If we go by the pattern of thinking that you suggest, Rhaegar can't be Aerys' son because he was/is such a chivalrous knight. 

Maybe its all just as simple as "When a Targaryen is born the Gods flip a coin." 

[Hippocras]

7 minutes ago, KingMaekarWasHere said:

 

Aegon IV may have been a "lout" and a notoriously bad monarch, but like Henry VIII he was very promising in his youth. I think that he went down the tubes as a man because he wasn't born to be king, his cousins had better claims than him after all. Similar to Henry not being destined to be king because his older brother Arthur was groomed for the position. 

Also Aemon had the same mom and dad as Aegon IV so how different could their DNA really be? I recently read in another thread that some people believe that Rhaegar is Bonifer Hasty's son by Rhaella because he was so "balanced" and not at all like Aerys II. If we go by the pattern of thinking that you suggest, Rhaegar can't be Aerys' son because he was/is such a chivalrous knight. 

Maybe its all just as simple as "When a Targaryen is born the Gods flip a coin." 

I know that Aemon and Aegon were full brothers. I don't think it is so much about who their parents were but what they got from them if that makes sense.

I know it is speculative and silly maybe, I just find it interesting to think that he would have served as a giant distraction to the legitimate Targaryen line in a similar was as Visery I being chosen over Rhaenys was probably a big problem. It is a hunch, but I rather suspect that what the Targs needed, to restore their dragon bond etc. was to reintegrate the lines of Rhaenys, Queen Who Never Was and Aegon III's daughters.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Hippocras

[Lord of Oldstones]

22 hours ago, Hippocras said:

Don't know what your logic was on Benjicot but I firmly disagree. Benjicot and Alyn Velaryon were close friends, and Alyn had deep gratitude for the return of his brother's bones. There is no corresponding connection to Cregan.

Alyn had friendship with Hightowers and even Martells. For me Benjicot doesnt stand out.

Cregan and Black Aly are his uncle and aunt with this close connection and many northmen staying in Blackwood domain along with shared religion makes me think Stark match much more likelier than a Velaryon . 

 

[Hippocras]

3 hours ago, Lord of Oldstones said:

Alyn had friendship with Hightowers and even Martells. For me Benjicot doesnt stand out.

Cregan and Black Aly are his uncle and aunt with this close connection and many northmen staying in Blackwood domain along with shared religion makes me think Stark match much more likelier than a Velaryon . 

 

Tha's just it though. The match between Alysanne and Cregan was both unique and very new. Previously there was no history connecting the two families in the previous 100-300 years. Meanwhile there is no relationship AT ALL established between BB and Cregan, let alone Cregan and Alyn.

While I consider it possible, likely even, that one of Alysanne's daughters or grandaughters married a Blackwood, it is the children of Alyn we are interested in here. And yes, he built relationships all over the Kingdoms which are in fact very relevant to where his daughters might have ended up, as well as Rhaena's daughters for that matter (as indicated by his Sam Tarly friendship and Rhaena's subsequent Hightower marriage). But we also do not have complete information on how man children he and Baela had. I personally very much doubt there were only two.

The return of Addam's bones seems to have been a complicated task that required negotiations, brokering, and several years passing. I very much doubt this task was taken on by the Blackwoods without an alliance in return. It is in fact one of the only examples from Alyn's travels and friendships where Alyn needed somerhing from someone else and not the other way around.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Hippocras

[SaffronLady]

55 minutes ago, Hippocras said:

The return of Addam's bones seems to have been a complicated task that required negotiations, brokering, and several years passing. I very much doubt this task was taken on by the Blackwoods without an alliance in return.

Isn't asking for a living girl for a dead man's bones kind of overboard? Do we have even clues on further exchanges between Bloody Ben and Alyn?

[Hippocras]

1 hour ago, SaffronLady said:

Isn't asking for a living girl for a dead man's bones kind of overboard? Do we have even clues on further exchanges between Bloody Ben and Alyn?

I am going in large part by the description of Alyn's reactions. It was clearly important to him, even if bones would not be quite so important to me.

[Hippocras]

I am sure I have said this elsewhere, but I think it should probably inform the discussion here.

A. Baela Velaryon's Line

Baela's daughter Laena was born in 134 AC. She would have been married 16 years later, plus or minus 4 years. So that takes us to Baela's first grandchild being born around 150. Laena's birth corresponded to Alyn's campaign against Dalton Greyjoy. 

Baela was pregnant with her second child in 136 AC when Alyn left for Volantis. A second set of grandchildren may have begun to appear by this line in around the year 152. They were either Velaryons (from a son) or they were born via a second daughter to a family associated with Alyn from his exploits during the Dance, the Greyjoy campaign, or the Vale conflict.

Alyn's life details are largely unknown from 136 until 157 AC when he participated in Daeron's conquest of Dorne. Baela would have been 41 and still theoretically capable of having children, though clearly the last of them. As first cousins of Aegon III and Viserys II's children, any children or grandchildren of Baela's born in this period would have been key to peace alliances between Dorne and the Stormlands to bring them into the Kingdoms in the years that followed.

One of Baela's children (or possibly her eldest grandchildren) was the mother of Ronnel Penrose who belonged to a Marcher Lord House. Indirect evidence for this lies in the names of Ronnel and Elaena's daughters; Laena and Jocelyn, evidently named after Baela's mother and great-grandmother. 

 

B. Rhaena Hightower's Line

Corwyn Corbray died in 135. Rhaena's marriage to Garmund Hightower and subsequent 6 daughters therefore did not come until 136 at least.  Of the 6, there is a chance one of them married Baela and Alyn's son, that is, if a sister or niece of queen Daenaera was not available. There are even stronger cases to be made that other daughters of Rhaena's married into Houses in the Vale and the Reach such as House Hightower main branch, House Tarly (Samantha's family), House Rowan (Sam's mother's family), House Redwyne (Lyonel's mother's family), or House Costayne (friends of Alyn), House Arryn (Isembard's branch),  House Corbray or other Vale firends of Rhaena's. Any grandchildren may have begun to appear as early as 152 AC.

Following Daeron's conquest, Rhaena's later daughters and her grandchildren would also have been key elements of peace alliances between the Marches and Dorne, as were Baela's. It is quite likely therefore that a daughter or granddaughter of Rhaena's married into a Western Dornish House such as House Dayne.

 

C. Daena Targaryen's Line

Daena was likely sent far away after Daemon’s birth to reduce the threat she posed to Visery’s reign. The most likely bet is that she went to Tyrosh very soon after Daemon was born, and that both Rohanne and Kiera descended from her. One or two other children of hers likely married into Houses along the Eastern coast of Westeros that had trade relations with Tyrosh.

Daena’s descendants would have been targeted by either side of the Blackfyre rebellions for alliances; the crown wanted to contain the threat and the Blackfyres wanted to use them for expanding legitimacy.

 

D. Rhaena Targaryen's Line

Daeron’s intent had been to marry her off to Braavos. Her betrothal ended when it hurt his cause in Dorne. Given Viserys’s attempts to improve trade relations with Essos, however, a new trade inspired marriage alliance seems likely during Visery’s rule. Rhaena’s marriage, if she married, would not have lasted particularly long and once her husband died she became a septa. It remains possible she became a septa immediately after leaving the vault.

In Rhaena’s case it is doubtful in the end that she was sent to Essos. Instead any descendants would be found in Westerosi families engaged in trade, and with Essosi lineages. Without family trees is it hard to say who might qualify, but odd, foreign first names can be a clue. This is why Rhaena is one of a small set of contenders for mother of Jena Dondarrion.

 

E. Elaena Targaryen's Line

Elaena had 7 children with 3 different fathers. This makes her line the most fascinating to try to track and interpret.

Her first son Jon Waters became a famous knight. As someone with his own success and with his prestigious lineage, both his daughters and his twin sister Jeyne likely managed decent marriages among the minor nobility and knightly Houses. I speculate that House Whent may have descended from either Jeyne or Jon. Any children of Jon or Jeyne were likely born in or after 187 AC.

Elaena’s second son Viserys Plumm had more than one son himself, born in or after 192. No mention yet of daughters. One of the sons ended up in Essos and an ancestor of Brown Ben, and this might be because he sided with the Blackfyres in 219. One or more of his brothers might have died on either side of the same rebellion.

Elaena herself was loyal to the crown during the rebellions and it is likely that her Penrose descendants were, for the most part, as well. GRRM does like his family bad apples though. So while the children and grandchildren of Robin, Laena, Jocelyn and Joy may mostly be found hidden under different family names on the Black Dragon side during the Blackfyre era, it is possible that one or two of them chose Daeron III in 236.

Edited January 2 by Hippocras

[Alester Florent]

4 minutes ago, Hippocras said:

DON'T ANSWER YET.

OK.

[Hippocras]

14 hours ago, Alester Florent said:

OK.

Alright. Go.

[Thomaerys Velaryon]

@Hippocras

I wonder if @Lord of Oldstones's idea of a son of Ben Blackwood marrying a daughter of Cregan Stark does not come from the Blood of Dragons Mush game where Seth Blackwood marries Mariah Stark.

Speaking of Ben Blackwood and his descendants, I'm fairly confident he was Bloodraven's great-grandfather. When the Brackens and Blackwoods are brought up, they usually go in pairs, if one is the Lord then the other too, if one is the son/daughter of the ruling Lord then the other is too. But when it comes to the mistresses of Aegon IV, Barba and Bethany are the daughters of Lord Bracken but the connection between Melissa Blackwood and the ruling Lord Blackwood is not specified. We know Ben had a long life, so to me it makes sense he was still the Lord Blackwood at that time and timeline wise him being Melissa's grandfather fits well (he was around 40 years old at Melissa's birth). I suppose Ben was still alive when Bloodraven was born too as he was only 57 years old at the time.

Lord Quentyn Blackwood who was slain in a tourney in 206 AC most likely was one of Ben's direct descendants as well (either a grandson or great-grandson).

 

On 12/29/2023 at 6:01 PM, Hippocras said:

The return of Addam's bones seems to have been a complicated task that required negotiations, brokering, and several years passing. I very much doubt this task was taken on by the Blackwoods without an alliance in return. It is in fact one of the only examples from Alyn's travels and friendships where Alyn needed somerhing from someone else and not the other way around.

The timing of Addam's reburial in Driftmark in 138 AC has always seemed odd to me. I wonder if GRRM first randomly chose this year while writing for TPATQ and TWOIAF to show that it did not happen immediately after the Dance of the Dragons. And then he did not bother to change/retcon it while he expanded this time period when writting for Fire & Blood. Given that Ben and Alyn worked together to put Joffrey Arryn as Lord of the Eyrie in 135 AC, you would think Addam's reburial would have happened in early 136 AC in the aftermath of the Great Council when everyone went back home. Also the reburial of Addam's bones could have been used as a setting for Alyn and Baela's reconciliation or for her announcing her second pregnancy (the theme of death and rebirth) before he departs for his second voyage.

Plus the 138 AC date means that now Addam's reburial will be one of the first event in Fire & Blood Volume 2, instead of being in the end of the first volume when the stories linked to the Dance get wrapped up during the regency era.

 

17 hours ago, Hippocras said:

Daena was likely sent far away after Daemon’s birth to reduce the threat she posed to Visery’s reign.

I'm not sure I'm buying Viserys sending Daena the Defiant into exile. From what we are told, Viserys's ascension to the throne was relatevely smooth. After a decade of isolation in the Maidenvault, Daena simply did not have the connections needed to pursue her claim to the throne.

Edited January 2 by Thomaerys Velaryon

[Hippocras]

1 hour ago, Thomaerys Velaryon said:

The timing of Addam's reburial in Driftmark in 138 AC has always seemed odd to me

....

you would think Addam's reburial would have happened in early 136 AC in the aftermath of the Great Council when everyone went back home. Also the reburial of Addam's bones could have been used as a setting for Alyn and Baela's reconciliation or for her announcing her second pregnancy (the theme of death and rebirth) before he departs for his second voyage.

Plus the 138 AC date means that now Addam's reburial will be one of the first event in Fire & Blood Volume 2, instead of being in the end of the first volume when the stories linked to the Dance get wrapped up during the regency era.

I speculate that the Vale conflict allowed Benjicot and Alyn to make the necessary connections, and that Alyn's voyage to Volantis is part of why the return was delayed. The primary question I have about it all is not so much the timing, but why the return had anything at all to do with the Blackwoods.

Addam died at Tumbleton in the Reach. Why was it not House Footly who returned the bones? It is a very confusing detail that indicates there is more to the story. For now we have no explanation at all for why the Blackwoods were involved and what they got out of it.

 

1 hour ago, Thomaerys Velaryon said:

I'm not sure I'm buying Viserys sending Daena the Defiant into exile. From what we are told, Viserys's ascension to the throne was relatevely smooth. After a decade of isolation in the Maidenvault, Daena simply did not have the connections needed to pursue her claim to the throne.

Daena did not have good connections upon her release, I agree.

But she would have had good connections if she married a Westerosi House. And, keep in mind she had even briefly been Queen of the 7 Kingdoms before Baelor's annulment. She really was a serious threat, particularly if she produced a legitimate Westerosi son.

Meanwhile, Aemon was a Kingsguard and had no (known) children. Aegon IV had many many bastards but was struggling to produce legitimate heirs. His second child Daenerys was not born until 172. In short Viserys would not have been oblivious to the need for Targaryen heirs as the family tree was quite thin and lacking in 171 if Aegon III's daughters did not reproduce. Furthermore, Viserys seems to have believed in traditional Targaryen marriage customs in spite of his own marriage: he married his son to his daughter. In 171, except for Aegon III's daughters, the Targaryen tree completely lacked women.

Viserys's Line of Succession in 171 AC:

Aegon IV - no legit daughters yet, and only 1 son whose paternity Aegon questioned.
Daeron II - no daughters (Ever? Really?) and married outside of Targaryen customs, to a family still hated by many families in the Dornish Marches.
Baelor Breakspear - infant
Daena - wild, willful and "wanton". 
Rhaena - dutiful and obedient, originally betrothed to Braavos.
Elaena - planned to marry Alyn Velaryon. Her bastard twins may have been born in 171 but no legit children yet.

After them came Baela's son whose name or year of birth we do not know. Baela herself was likely dead by then if Elaena had planned to marry Alyn: I do wonder though if the Alyn she had planned to marry and who fathered her bastard twins was the son or even grandson of Baela and not the husband. After all, the age difference between Elaena and the original Alyn was 35 years and Alyn probably had grandchildren who were Elaena's age.

Anyway what is IMO clear is that given how new Dorne's entry into the Kingdoms was, and given Viserys's experience with the treatment of Larra, his "foreign" wife, it is unlikely that he considered the Kingdoms to be reliably secure with a future Dornish queen. He would have seem female Targaryen descent brides and husbands as necessary for Daeron II's children.

 

This is why I am quite sure that Viserys arranged "safe" marriages for his nieces. 
 

Edited January 2 by Hippocras

[Thomaerys Velaryon]

16 minutes ago, Hippocras said:

Addam died at Tumbleton in the Reach. Why was it not House Footly who returned the bones? It is a very confusing detail that indicates there is more to the story. For now we have no explanation at all for why the Blackwoods were involved and what they got out of it.

Not really, the explanation is simply because Ben found the body in the aftermath of the battle.

Quote

At moonrise the riverlords abandoned the field to the carrion crows, fading back into the hills. One of them, the boy Ben Blackwood, carried with him the broken body of Ser Addam Velaryon, found dead beside his dragon. His bones would rest at Raventree Hall for eight years, but in 138 AC his brother, Alyn, would have them returned to Driftmark and entombed in Hull, the town of his birth. On his tomb is engraved a single word: LOYAL. Its ornate letters are supported by carvings of a seahorse and a mouse.

F&B, The Dying of the Dragons - Rhaenyra Overthrown

Addam was able to assemble the riverlords which takes charisma (having a dragon next to you surely helps but it is not enough), I assume Addam left a big impression on the riverlords, especially on the young Benjicot (12 at the time). It makes sense to me he would have wanted a proper burial for Addam after the battle. Since House Velaryon was of dubious loyalty at the time (Corlys was imprisoned by Rhaenyra in KL), the best way to achieve that without risking to lose the body later on would be to sending it home to Raventree Hall.

After the battle, Lady Sharis Footly got back the control of the town from the violent man who killed her husband and raped and impregnated her. She was a capable lady who reinvigorated the town in the years after the war but I don't blame her for not managing everything in the aftermath of the battle (including identifying and managing the 1,000+ corpses in and around her town).

 

40 minutes ago, Hippocras said:

This is why I am quite sure that Viserys arranged "safe" marriages for his nieces. 

I can see your logic but I'm still not convinced Daena had more children after Daemon Waters or there was any exil involved.

The idea of Daena being the mother of Rohanne and/or Kiera of Tyrosh is really weird. For that to work Daena would have to be exiled in 171 AC, go to Tyrosh and immediately get pregant by the Archon. By the time Rohanne would be born Viserys I would be dead and Aegon IV on the throne and Daena could come back to KL. Then at the end of his reign Aegon would discuss with the Archon to marry Daemon (that he just aknowledge as his bastard) with Rohanne. In this scenario, by the time they marry and have their first child (twins Aegon and Aemon) Daemon is 14 and while Rohanne is 12 pushing 13 at the most. I'm sorry but a 12 or 13 years old girl giving birth to healthy twins then having at least seven other children in the span of 12 years seem really unrealistic. I know some women in the story are just there to be "baby-machine" but that's really pushing it. Rohanne was almost certainly older than Daemon (kind of like Viserys II being 7 years younger than his wife Larra Rogare).

In the case of Kiera, we know nothing about her so timeline-wise the idea of her being Daena's daughter could work. But then we have to ask the question: why would the Red Dragon faction be that interested in marrying her twice ? I've always put it at simply them building a coalition with a new Archon of Tyrosh (Rohanne's father's term as Archon was over by that time) to diminish the power and influence of the Blackfyre family in Tyrosh and thus reducing the threat level for another Blackfyre invasion of Westeros.