The ASOIAF wiki thread

[direpupy]

3 hours ago, Thomaerys Velaryon said:

I don't remember where I heard this but I have a vague memory that the Dragonlords and Valyrian mages were the more powerful factions in the Valyrian Freehold and the practice of incest was more frequent with them compared to a common noble freedholder. I also believe those two factions intermingled at times, so that some members of Dragonlord families became mages and some mages married into dragonlord families. If any body can find a source for this it would be great; otherwise, disregard what I just said.

Is this what you where looking for?

The World of Ice and Fire - The Targaryen Kings: Aenys I

The tradition amongst the Targaryens had always been to marry kin to kin. Wedding brother to sister was thought to be ideal. Failing that, a girl might wed an uncle, a cousin, or a nephew; a boy, a cousin, aunt, or niece. This practice went back to Old Valyria, where it was common amongst many of the ancient families, particularly those who bred and rode dragons. "The blood of the dragon must remain pure," the wisdom went. Some of the sorcerer princes also took more than one wife when it pleased them, though this was less common than incestuous marriage. In Valryia before the Doom, wise men wrote, a thousand gods were honored, but none were feared, so few dared to speak against these customs.

 

This also implies that the dragonlords where sorcerers

A Feast for Crows - Arya II

"Some did," he said. "Revolts were common in the mines, but few accomplished much. The dragonlords of the old Freehold were strong in sorcery, and lesser men defied them at their peril. The first Faceless Man was one who did."

 

Edited April 17 by direpupy

[Thomaerys Velaryon]

3 hours ago, direpupy said:

Is this what you where looking for?

No but it is a good quote too. Thinking about it now, we still don't know much about how the Valyrian Freehold was organised.

[Nittanian]

7 hours ago, Thomaerys Velaryon said:

@Nittanian Where would you put the Valyrian mages ? Their own category, or more akin to firemages or to pyromancers ?

We could use "Wizard" as a catch-all for wizards, sorcerers, conjurers, enchanters, mages, etc. (with "Warlocks" having their own separate article because of the greater detail GRRM has given us). 

Edited April 17 by Nittanian