House of the Dragon: The Red Keep’s Tunnels, Explained

Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon spend a ton of time in the Red Keep. The legendary castle that houses the Targaryen dynasty and its mighty usurpers stands as one of the most memorable settings in TV history. Hardcore fans can probably draw the throne room or the small council chamber from memory. There are other, less well-known regions of the Red Keep that have massive significance in the series. The tunnels underneath the Red Keep will continue to liven up House of the Dragon.

The Red Keep depicted on screen in House of the Dragon is actually several real-world locations. The new series did a fair amount of work in Warner Bros. Studios’ fancy new virtual production studio in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, England. A castle called Lovrijenac Fortress in Dubrovnik, Croatia, generally portrays the Red Keep’s exterior. It’s a beautiful structure that sits on a rock over 120 feet high. The location scouts and cinematographers are often unsung heroes that give Westeros its unique flavor.

Who built the tunnels in the Red Keep?

The building that would become the Red Keep began life as the Aegonfort. When Aegon I Targaryen started his brutal conquest over the Seven Kingdoms, he established a slapdash fort made of wood and mud. That structure grew over the two years it took Aegon to take over the continent. After he won, he declared his headquarters the new capital of the newly united Seven Kingdoms. He didn’t tear down the Aegonfort to replace it with a stone structure until 35 years after his victory. The Red Keep took another decade to complete, lasting through the first three kings of the Targaryen dynasty. The third king, Maegor I Targaryen, took a personal interest in several specific details of the Red Keep. Maegor the Cruel instructed the builders in the construction of countless secret passageways, trick walls, trapdoors, and hidden exits.

Maegor was a massive, brutal, and violent king. He pursued his grudges with a level of unshakable devotion that bordered on madness. After his brother and predecessor, Aenys, died young, Maegor took over the Red Keep’s construction. He erected Maegor’s Holdfast, an armored castle inside the larger castle that would prove impenitrable. The tunnels under the Red Keep served his other purpose, allowing him to withstand or escape any threat. Maegor celebrated the completion of the Red Keep in 45 AC, welcoming the massive army of builders and masons who constructed the castle to a three-day feast. At the end of that party, Maegor ordered every worker involved to be executed. This ensured that only Maegor knew the castle’s secrets. This backfired when Maegor died three years later. His son, Jaehaerys, had already asserted his claim to the throne and called in his banners, raising a massive army against Maegor’s tyranny. Before a proper civil war could break out, Maegor’s wife found his corpse on the Iron Throne. Many theories surround Maegor’s death, but perhaps the most compelling one involves an aggrieved survivor of Maegor’s mason massacre using his knowledge of the tunnels to claim revenge.

Where do the Red Keep’s tunnels lead?

The many secret passageways beneath the Red Keep have countless endpoints. Many allow residents to travel between parts of the castle in secrecy. Others also passed closely by existing chambers, allowing spies to eavesdrop. Maegor’s most notable goal in constructing the tunnels was to provide several convenient escape routes if his enemies were to storm the Red Keep. Subsequently, most lead to secluded areas that could allow Maegor to slip out of King’s Landing. One path concludes in a hidden opening in the cliffs supporting the castle. It also features a climbing path that would allow someone to make their way down to the Blackwater River and escape to the sea. Another path to the river involves slipping past the cellar that contains several dragon skulls and through a sewer. At least one tunnel depicted in House of the Dragon allowed Rhaenyra to slip into the slums of Flea Bottom. The only place that tunnels definitely don’t lead to or from is Maegor’s Holdfast, which Maegor specifically instructed to remain blockaded on all sides.

Who uses the Red Keep’s tunnels?

While Maegor never really got the chance to use his tunnels for their intended purpose, many people in Westeros learned about them. House of the Dragon depicts Daemon providing young Rhaenyra a map of Maegor’s tunnels that she can use to escape the castle. In-depth knowledge of the structure is rare for those who don’t live within it, but many spies seem to figure it out. House of the Dragon‘s recent season two premiere depicted the infamous Blood and Cheese plot, which hinged on Cheese’s understanding of the tunnel system. He likely developed that knowledge as one of the king’s professional rat-catchers. Lord Larys Strong has some knowledge of the tunnels as a duplicitous schemer. Varys and Petyr Baelish each used the tunnels at different times. Varys even had a hidden staircase under his stone slab bed. This implies that their respective networks had a working knowledge of Maegor’s tunnels. Though the knowledge is still uncommon, anyone who hopes to work as a spy in King’s Landing has to use the tunnels.

It’s ironic that Maegor, one of the most paranoid figures in Westeros’s dark history, would unintentionally hand anyone hoping to spy on the Red Keep their greatest weapon. The tunnels will play a major role in several conflicts during the ongoing Dance of the Dragons in House of the Dragon. Maegor may have wanted to keep the rats out of his walls, but all he accomplished was keeping war in the Red Keep extremely interesting.