Why don't other Westeros houses use wildfire?Did Tyrion use all the Wildfire?Is wildfire magical or chemical?Did Melisandre use Wildfire (ADWD)?Why do the Houses have words?To what do the Great Houses of Westeros owe their longevity?Which of the great houses of Westeros are standing at the end of season five/ADWD? [Spoilers included]Did Tyrion use all the Wildfire?Why is wildfire green?Why don't they use dragonglass sword?Is there a common “curriculum” for children of noble houses in Westeros?Why didn't Jaime Lannister tell everyone about Aerys's wildfire plans?Do other Houses have a theme song like “The Rains of Castamere” for House Lannister?

Binary Numbers Magic Trick

What does KSP mean?

How exactly does Hawking radiation decrease the mass of black holes?

How to creep the reader out with what seems like a normal person?

Why is it that the natural deduction method can't test for invalidity?

Fizzy, soft, pop and still drinks

A Strange Latex Symbol

Please, smoke with good manners

Pass By Reference VS Pass by Value

Apply MapThread to all but one variable

How can the Zone of Truth spell be defeated without the caster knowing?

Why do Computer Science majors learn Calculus?

Do I have an "anti-research" personality?

A ​Note ​on ​N!

Why don't other Westeros houses use wildfire?

How to get a plain text file version of a CP/M .BAS (M-BASIC) program?

What is the difference between `command a[bc]d` and `command `ab,cd`

Sci fi novel series with instant travel between planets through gates. A river runs through the gates

How would one muzzle a full grown polar bear in the 13th century?

How could Tony Stark make this in Endgame?

How did Captain America manage to do this?

Was there a Viking Exchange as well as a Columbian one?

How do I deal with a coworker that keeps asking to make small superficial changes to a report, and it is seriously triggering my anxiety?

What does it mean to express a gate in Dirac notation?



Why don't other Westeros houses use wildfire?


Did Tyrion use all the Wildfire?Is wildfire magical or chemical?Did Melisandre use Wildfire (ADWD)?Why do the Houses have words?To what do the Great Houses of Westeros owe their longevity?Which of the great houses of Westeros are standing at the end of season five/ADWD? [Spoilers included]Did Tyrion use all the Wildfire?Why is wildfire green?Why don't they use dragonglass sword?Is there a common “curriculum” for children of noble houses in Westeros?Why didn't Jaime Lannister tell everyone about Aerys's wildfire plans?Do other Houses have a theme song like “The Rains of Castamere” for House Lannister?






.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;








9















In Game of Thrones, the use of wildfire during the battle of Blackwater seems like an obvious (technically magical) advantage to have in a battle.



With news of the battle spreading, surely other houses would want that kind of power for themselves? Is lack of usage of wildfire due to some prohibition in the Faith of The Seven?



I haven't read the books, but maybe this is different compared to the TV show.



It doesn't seem realistic that the Alchemist Guild is able to keep the secret to the creation of wildfire.










share|improve this question






























    9















    In Game of Thrones, the use of wildfire during the battle of Blackwater seems like an obvious (technically magical) advantage to have in a battle.



    With news of the battle spreading, surely other houses would want that kind of power for themselves? Is lack of usage of wildfire due to some prohibition in the Faith of The Seven?



    I haven't read the books, but maybe this is different compared to the TV show.



    It doesn't seem realistic that the Alchemist Guild is able to keep the secret to the creation of wildfire.










    share|improve this question


























      9












      9








      9


      1






      In Game of Thrones, the use of wildfire during the battle of Blackwater seems like an obvious (technically magical) advantage to have in a battle.



      With news of the battle spreading, surely other houses would want that kind of power for themselves? Is lack of usage of wildfire due to some prohibition in the Faith of The Seven?



      I haven't read the books, but maybe this is different compared to the TV show.



      It doesn't seem realistic that the Alchemist Guild is able to keep the secret to the creation of wildfire.










      share|improve this question
















      In Game of Thrones, the use of wildfire during the battle of Blackwater seems like an obvious (technically magical) advantage to have in a battle.



      With news of the battle spreading, surely other houses would want that kind of power for themselves? Is lack of usage of wildfire due to some prohibition in the Faith of The Seven?



      I haven't read the books, but maybe this is different compared to the TV show.



      It doesn't seem realistic that the Alchemist Guild is able to keep the secret to the creation of wildfire.







      game-of-thrones a-song-of-ice-and-fire






      share|improve this question















      share|improve this question













      share|improve this question




      share|improve this question








      edited 8 mins ago









      user2357112

      1033




      1033










      asked 14 hours ago









      andrybakandrybak

      201110




      201110




















          2 Answers
          2






          active

          oldest

          votes


















          16














          TL;DR - Wildfire is difficult to produce and very volatile.



          Wildfire is created by Alchemists Guild which is a secret they posses alone. Their order is no longer prevalent in Westeros and the remaining members seem to be in King's Landing alone. This is the first reason why other houses do not use it.




          The substance was the pyromancers' own term for wildfire. They called each other wisdom as well, which Tyrion found almost as annoying as their custom of hinting at the vast secret stores of knowledge that they wanted him to think they possessed. Once theirs had been a powerful guild, but in recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel had supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere. Now only a few of the older order remained, and they no longer even pretended to transmute metals...



          ...but they could make wildfire.



          A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




          The Guild created the Wildfire under the direction of the Targaryen's namely "The Mad King" Aerys II (see the Wildfire Plot) which was then hidden underneath the city.




          "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes.



          A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




          That secret involves spells that only the Alchemist's know and even for them it is difficult:




          "We were, my lord Hand, my brothers and I have been laboring day and night from the first, I assure you. It is only, hmmm, we have made so much of the substance that we have become, hmmm, more practiced as it were, and also"—the alchemist shifted uncomfortably—"certain spells, hmmm, ancient secrets of our order, very delicate, very troublesome, but necessary if the substance is to be, hmmm, all it should be..."



          A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI




          Cersei initially found these stores and then Tyrion recruited the Guild to make more for Battle of Blackwater.




          The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process. He had assumed the promise of ten thousand jars was a wild boast, like that of the bannerman who vows to marshal ten thousand swords for his lord and shows up on the day of battle with a hundred and two. If they can truly give us ten thousand . . .
          He did not know whether he ought to be delighted or terrified. Perhaps a smidge of both. "I trust that your guild brothers are not engaging in any unseemly haste, Wisdom. We do not want ten thousand jars of defective wildfire, nor even one . . . and we most certainly do not want any mishaps."



          A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




          The second reason other houses do not use it is (as seen in the above quotes) a, Wildfire is time consuming and dangerous to make and has a shelf life. Once you have some, it may not work as you intend it to either,




          An arrow could be aimed, and a spear, even the stone from a catapult, but wildfire had a will of its own. Once loosed, it was beyond the control of mere men.



          A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XIII




          Jaime also agrees with that assessment




          Jaime ignored that. "If these flames spread beyond the tower, you may end up burning down the castle whether you mean to or not. Wildfire is treacherous."



          A Feast for Crows - Cersei III




          So if a another house wanted it use it, they would first have to hire the Alchemists Guild, which I'm sure during the Targaryen and Lannister reign would not have been taken kindly to. Next the would have to wait quite a long time for large enough store to be effectively used in battle to be made. Finally, they would have to hope and pray they stored and handled it properly without killing themselves.



          Wildfire was Tyrion's last ditch effort to protect the city.






          share|improve this answer

























          • Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago











          • Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago







          • 1





            @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago











          • Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago






          • 1





            @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

            – Skooba
            13 hours ago


















          0














          It's probably not wise to transport any meaningful amount of Wildfire by road or ship any great distance as it's highly unstable and combustible.



          Only the Alchemist Guild know how to make it. In Westeros at least, they are based in Kings Landing, where Wildfire is made in highly controlled conditions and stored in specially made chambers where a large amount of sand can be dumped on it if a fire does break out.



          We know small amounts have left Kings Landing, Thoros for instance, used it to set his swords on fire.



          The Alchemist Guild would try to keep the process to make it secret at all costs, it's their only real claim to power.



          It's also possible that due to it's highly unstable nature, many people don't want to risk making it or storing any reasonable amount that could be used in a defensive or offensive capacity.






          share|improve this answer























            Your Answer








            StackExchange.ready(function()
            var channelOptions =
            tags: "".split(" "),
            id: "186"
            ;
            initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

            StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
            // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
            if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
            StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
            createEditor();
            );

            else
            createEditor();

            );

            function createEditor()
            StackExchange.prepareEditor(
            heartbeatType: 'answer',
            autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
            convertImagesToLinks: false,
            noModals: true,
            showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
            reputationToPostImages: null,
            bindNavPrevention: true,
            postfix: "",
            imageUploader:
            brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
            contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
            allowUrls: true
            ,
            noCode: true, onDemand: true,
            discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
            ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
            );



            );













            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            StackExchange.ready(
            function ()
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f210974%2fwhy-dont-other-westeros-houses-use-wildfire%23new-answer', 'question_page');

            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown

























            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes








            2 Answers
            2






            active

            oldest

            votes









            active

            oldest

            votes






            active

            oldest

            votes









            16














            TL;DR - Wildfire is difficult to produce and very volatile.



            Wildfire is created by Alchemists Guild which is a secret they posses alone. Their order is no longer prevalent in Westeros and the remaining members seem to be in King's Landing alone. This is the first reason why other houses do not use it.




            The substance was the pyromancers' own term for wildfire. They called each other wisdom as well, which Tyrion found almost as annoying as their custom of hinting at the vast secret stores of knowledge that they wanted him to think they possessed. Once theirs had been a powerful guild, but in recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel had supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere. Now only a few of the older order remained, and they no longer even pretended to transmute metals...



            ...but they could make wildfire.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The Guild created the Wildfire under the direction of the Targaryen's namely "The Mad King" Aerys II (see the Wildfire Plot) which was then hidden underneath the city.




            "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            That secret involves spells that only the Alchemist's know and even for them it is difficult:




            "We were, my lord Hand, my brothers and I have been laboring day and night from the first, I assure you. It is only, hmmm, we have made so much of the substance that we have become, hmmm, more practiced as it were, and also"—the alchemist shifted uncomfortably—"certain spells, hmmm, ancient secrets of our order, very delicate, very troublesome, but necessary if the substance is to be, hmmm, all it should be..."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI




            Cersei initially found these stores and then Tyrion recruited the Guild to make more for Battle of Blackwater.




            The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process. He had assumed the promise of ten thousand jars was a wild boast, like that of the bannerman who vows to marshal ten thousand swords for his lord and shows up on the day of battle with a hundred and two. If they can truly give us ten thousand . . .
            He did not know whether he ought to be delighted or terrified. Perhaps a smidge of both. "I trust that your guild brothers are not engaging in any unseemly haste, Wisdom. We do not want ten thousand jars of defective wildfire, nor even one . . . and we most certainly do not want any mishaps."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The second reason other houses do not use it is (as seen in the above quotes) a, Wildfire is time consuming and dangerous to make and has a shelf life. Once you have some, it may not work as you intend it to either,




            An arrow could be aimed, and a spear, even the stone from a catapult, but wildfire had a will of its own. Once loosed, it was beyond the control of mere men.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XIII




            Jaime also agrees with that assessment




            Jaime ignored that. "If these flames spread beyond the tower, you may end up burning down the castle whether you mean to or not. Wildfire is treacherous."



            A Feast for Crows - Cersei III




            So if a another house wanted it use it, they would first have to hire the Alchemists Guild, which I'm sure during the Targaryen and Lannister reign would not have been taken kindly to. Next the would have to wait quite a long time for large enough store to be effectively used in battle to be made. Finally, they would have to hope and pray they stored and handled it properly without killing themselves.



            Wildfire was Tyrion's last ditch effort to protect the city.






            share|improve this answer

























            • Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago







            • 1





              @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago






            • 1





              @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

              – Skooba
              13 hours ago















            16














            TL;DR - Wildfire is difficult to produce and very volatile.



            Wildfire is created by Alchemists Guild which is a secret they posses alone. Their order is no longer prevalent in Westeros and the remaining members seem to be in King's Landing alone. This is the first reason why other houses do not use it.




            The substance was the pyromancers' own term for wildfire. They called each other wisdom as well, which Tyrion found almost as annoying as their custom of hinting at the vast secret stores of knowledge that they wanted him to think they possessed. Once theirs had been a powerful guild, but in recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel had supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere. Now only a few of the older order remained, and they no longer even pretended to transmute metals...



            ...but they could make wildfire.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The Guild created the Wildfire under the direction of the Targaryen's namely "The Mad King" Aerys II (see the Wildfire Plot) which was then hidden underneath the city.




            "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            That secret involves spells that only the Alchemist's know and even for them it is difficult:




            "We were, my lord Hand, my brothers and I have been laboring day and night from the first, I assure you. It is only, hmmm, we have made so much of the substance that we have become, hmmm, more practiced as it were, and also"—the alchemist shifted uncomfortably—"certain spells, hmmm, ancient secrets of our order, very delicate, very troublesome, but necessary if the substance is to be, hmmm, all it should be..."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI




            Cersei initially found these stores and then Tyrion recruited the Guild to make more for Battle of Blackwater.




            The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process. He had assumed the promise of ten thousand jars was a wild boast, like that of the bannerman who vows to marshal ten thousand swords for his lord and shows up on the day of battle with a hundred and two. If they can truly give us ten thousand . . .
            He did not know whether he ought to be delighted or terrified. Perhaps a smidge of both. "I trust that your guild brothers are not engaging in any unseemly haste, Wisdom. We do not want ten thousand jars of defective wildfire, nor even one . . . and we most certainly do not want any mishaps."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The second reason other houses do not use it is (as seen in the above quotes) a, Wildfire is time consuming and dangerous to make and has a shelf life. Once you have some, it may not work as you intend it to either,




            An arrow could be aimed, and a spear, even the stone from a catapult, but wildfire had a will of its own. Once loosed, it was beyond the control of mere men.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XIII




            Jaime also agrees with that assessment




            Jaime ignored that. "If these flames spread beyond the tower, you may end up burning down the castle whether you mean to or not. Wildfire is treacherous."



            A Feast for Crows - Cersei III




            So if a another house wanted it use it, they would first have to hire the Alchemists Guild, which I'm sure during the Targaryen and Lannister reign would not have been taken kindly to. Next the would have to wait quite a long time for large enough store to be effectively used in battle to be made. Finally, they would have to hope and pray they stored and handled it properly without killing themselves.



            Wildfire was Tyrion's last ditch effort to protect the city.






            share|improve this answer

























            • Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago







            • 1





              @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago






            • 1





              @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

              – Skooba
              13 hours ago













            16












            16








            16







            TL;DR - Wildfire is difficult to produce and very volatile.



            Wildfire is created by Alchemists Guild which is a secret they posses alone. Their order is no longer prevalent in Westeros and the remaining members seem to be in King's Landing alone. This is the first reason why other houses do not use it.




            The substance was the pyromancers' own term for wildfire. They called each other wisdom as well, which Tyrion found almost as annoying as their custom of hinting at the vast secret stores of knowledge that they wanted him to think they possessed. Once theirs had been a powerful guild, but in recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel had supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere. Now only a few of the older order remained, and they no longer even pretended to transmute metals...



            ...but they could make wildfire.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The Guild created the Wildfire under the direction of the Targaryen's namely "The Mad King" Aerys II (see the Wildfire Plot) which was then hidden underneath the city.




            "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            That secret involves spells that only the Alchemist's know and even for them it is difficult:




            "We were, my lord Hand, my brothers and I have been laboring day and night from the first, I assure you. It is only, hmmm, we have made so much of the substance that we have become, hmmm, more practiced as it were, and also"—the alchemist shifted uncomfortably—"certain spells, hmmm, ancient secrets of our order, very delicate, very troublesome, but necessary if the substance is to be, hmmm, all it should be..."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI




            Cersei initially found these stores and then Tyrion recruited the Guild to make more for Battle of Blackwater.




            The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process. He had assumed the promise of ten thousand jars was a wild boast, like that of the bannerman who vows to marshal ten thousand swords for his lord and shows up on the day of battle with a hundred and two. If they can truly give us ten thousand . . .
            He did not know whether he ought to be delighted or terrified. Perhaps a smidge of both. "I trust that your guild brothers are not engaging in any unseemly haste, Wisdom. We do not want ten thousand jars of defective wildfire, nor even one . . . and we most certainly do not want any mishaps."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The second reason other houses do not use it is (as seen in the above quotes) a, Wildfire is time consuming and dangerous to make and has a shelf life. Once you have some, it may not work as you intend it to either,




            An arrow could be aimed, and a spear, even the stone from a catapult, but wildfire had a will of its own. Once loosed, it was beyond the control of mere men.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XIII




            Jaime also agrees with that assessment




            Jaime ignored that. "If these flames spread beyond the tower, you may end up burning down the castle whether you mean to or not. Wildfire is treacherous."



            A Feast for Crows - Cersei III




            So if a another house wanted it use it, they would first have to hire the Alchemists Guild, which I'm sure during the Targaryen and Lannister reign would not have been taken kindly to. Next the would have to wait quite a long time for large enough store to be effectively used in battle to be made. Finally, they would have to hope and pray they stored and handled it properly without killing themselves.



            Wildfire was Tyrion's last ditch effort to protect the city.






            share|improve this answer















            TL;DR - Wildfire is difficult to produce and very volatile.



            Wildfire is created by Alchemists Guild which is a secret they posses alone. Their order is no longer prevalent in Westeros and the remaining members seem to be in King's Landing alone. This is the first reason why other houses do not use it.




            The substance was the pyromancers' own term for wildfire. They called each other wisdom as well, which Tyrion found almost as annoying as their custom of hinting at the vast secret stores of knowledge that they wanted him to think they possessed. Once theirs had been a powerful guild, but in recent centuries the maesters of the Citadel had supplanted the alchemists almost everywhere. Now only a few of the older order remained, and they no longer even pretended to transmute metals...



            ...but they could make wildfire.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The Guild created the Wildfire under the direction of the Targaryen's namely "The Mad King" Aerys II (see the Wildfire Plot) which was then hidden underneath the city.




            "There is a vault below this one where we store the older pots. Those from King Aerys's day. It was his fancy to have the jars made in the shapes of fruits. Very perilous fruits indeed, my lord Hand, and, hmmm, riper now than ever, if you take my meaning. We have sealed them with wax and pumped the lower vault full of water, but even so . . . by rights they ought to have been destroyed, but so many of our masters were murdered during the Sack of King's Landing, the few acolytes who remained were unequal to the task. And much of the stock we made for Aerys was lost. Only last year, two hundred jars were discovered in a storeroom beneath the Great Sept of Baelor. No one could recall how they came there, but I'm sure I do not need to tell you that the High Septon was beside himself with terror. I myself saw that they were safely moved. I had a cart filled with sand, and sent our most able acolytes.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            That secret involves spells that only the Alchemist's know and even for them it is difficult:




            "We were, my lord Hand, my brothers and I have been laboring day and night from the first, I assure you. It is only, hmmm, we have made so much of the substance that we have become, hmmm, more practiced as it were, and also"—the alchemist shifted uncomfortably—"certain spells, hmmm, ancient secrets of our order, very delicate, very troublesome, but necessary if the substance is to be, hmmm, all it should be..."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XI




            Cersei initially found these stores and then Tyrion recruited the Guild to make more for Battle of Blackwater.




            The pyromancers kept their recipe for wildfire a closely guarded secret, but Tyrion knew that it was a lengthy, dangerous, and time-consuming process. He had assumed the promise of ten thousand jars was a wild boast, like that of the bannerman who vows to marshal ten thousand swords for his lord and shows up on the day of battle with a hundred and two. If they can truly give us ten thousand . . .
            He did not know whether he ought to be delighted or terrified. Perhaps a smidge of both. "I trust that your guild brothers are not engaging in any unseemly haste, Wisdom. We do not want ten thousand jars of defective wildfire, nor even one . . . and we most certainly do not want any mishaps."



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion V




            The second reason other houses do not use it is (as seen in the above quotes) a, Wildfire is time consuming and dangerous to make and has a shelf life. Once you have some, it may not work as you intend it to either,




            An arrow could be aimed, and a spear, even the stone from a catapult, but wildfire had a will of its own. Once loosed, it was beyond the control of mere men.



            A Clash of Kings - Tyrion XIII




            Jaime also agrees with that assessment




            Jaime ignored that. "If these flames spread beyond the tower, you may end up burning down the castle whether you mean to or not. Wildfire is treacherous."



            A Feast for Crows - Cersei III




            So if a another house wanted it use it, they would first have to hire the Alchemists Guild, which I'm sure during the Targaryen and Lannister reign would not have been taken kindly to. Next the would have to wait quite a long time for large enough store to be effectively used in battle to be made. Finally, they would have to hope and pray they stored and handled it properly without killing themselves.



            Wildfire was Tyrion's last ditch effort to protect the city.







            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 13 hours ago

























            answered 14 hours ago









            SkoobaSkooba

            41.6k16216276




            41.6k16216276












            • Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago







            • 1





              @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago






            • 1





              @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

              – Skooba
              13 hours ago

















            • Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago







            • 1





              @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

              – Skooba
              14 hours ago











            • Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

              – andrybak
              14 hours ago






            • 1





              @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

              – Skooba
              13 hours ago
















            Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago





            Further reading: scifi.stackexchange.com/q/132504/57310

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago













            Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago






            Thank you. Your answer explains how the wildfire used in the battle of Blackwater was created. It does not explain why it wasn't created elsewhere. I'll update the question.

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago





            1




            1





            @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago





            @andrybak Other houses couldn't use/create it because they don't have access to the Alchemists Guild.

            – Skooba
            14 hours ago













            Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago





            Does it mean that the Alchemists Guild is able to protect the secret to production despite there being a great motivation for other houses to get to this secret? Surely more powerful houses would be able to kidnap/torture/whatever any of the pyromancers?

            – andrybak
            14 hours ago




            1




            1





            @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

            – Skooba
            13 hours ago





            @andrybak I've expanded my answer a bit so I hope it answers your question better, but what "more powerful houses' would there have been besides the one controlling the Iron Throne and Kings Landing were the Guild operates? No doubt if another house kidnapped an Alchemist the Tarygaryen's nor Lannisters would have allowed that to happen without retribution. Also you run the risk with torture of then not having anyone left willing to tell you the secret and if you kill them, dead men tell no tales.

            – Skooba
            13 hours ago













            0














            It's probably not wise to transport any meaningful amount of Wildfire by road or ship any great distance as it's highly unstable and combustible.



            Only the Alchemist Guild know how to make it. In Westeros at least, they are based in Kings Landing, where Wildfire is made in highly controlled conditions and stored in specially made chambers where a large amount of sand can be dumped on it if a fire does break out.



            We know small amounts have left Kings Landing, Thoros for instance, used it to set his swords on fire.



            The Alchemist Guild would try to keep the process to make it secret at all costs, it's their only real claim to power.



            It's also possible that due to it's highly unstable nature, many people don't want to risk making it or storing any reasonable amount that could be used in a defensive or offensive capacity.






            share|improve this answer



























              0














              It's probably not wise to transport any meaningful amount of Wildfire by road or ship any great distance as it's highly unstable and combustible.



              Only the Alchemist Guild know how to make it. In Westeros at least, they are based in Kings Landing, where Wildfire is made in highly controlled conditions and stored in specially made chambers where a large amount of sand can be dumped on it if a fire does break out.



              We know small amounts have left Kings Landing, Thoros for instance, used it to set his swords on fire.



              The Alchemist Guild would try to keep the process to make it secret at all costs, it's their only real claim to power.



              It's also possible that due to it's highly unstable nature, many people don't want to risk making it or storing any reasonable amount that could be used in a defensive or offensive capacity.






              share|improve this answer

























                0












                0








                0







                It's probably not wise to transport any meaningful amount of Wildfire by road or ship any great distance as it's highly unstable and combustible.



                Only the Alchemist Guild know how to make it. In Westeros at least, they are based in Kings Landing, where Wildfire is made in highly controlled conditions and stored in specially made chambers where a large amount of sand can be dumped on it if a fire does break out.



                We know small amounts have left Kings Landing, Thoros for instance, used it to set his swords on fire.



                The Alchemist Guild would try to keep the process to make it secret at all costs, it's their only real claim to power.



                It's also possible that due to it's highly unstable nature, many people don't want to risk making it or storing any reasonable amount that could be used in a defensive or offensive capacity.






                share|improve this answer













                It's probably not wise to transport any meaningful amount of Wildfire by road or ship any great distance as it's highly unstable and combustible.



                Only the Alchemist Guild know how to make it. In Westeros at least, they are based in Kings Landing, where Wildfire is made in highly controlled conditions and stored in specially made chambers where a large amount of sand can be dumped on it if a fire does break out.



                We know small amounts have left Kings Landing, Thoros for instance, used it to set his swords on fire.



                The Alchemist Guild would try to keep the process to make it secret at all costs, it's their only real claim to power.



                It's also possible that due to it's highly unstable nature, many people don't want to risk making it or storing any reasonable amount that could be used in a defensive or offensive capacity.







                share|improve this answer












                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer










                answered 12 hours ago









                K MoK Mo

                2,311916




                2,311916



























                    draft saved

                    draft discarded
















































                    Thanks for contributing an answer to Science Fiction & Fantasy Stack Exchange!


                    • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

                    But avoid


                    • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

                    • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

                    To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




                    draft saved


                    draft discarded














                    StackExchange.ready(
                    function ()
                    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fscifi.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f210974%2fwhy-dont-other-westeros-houses-use-wildfire%23new-answer', 'question_page');

                    );

                    Post as a guest















                    Required, but never shown





















































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown

































                    Required, but never shown














                    Required, but never shown












                    Required, but never shown







                    Required, but never shown







                    Popular posts from this blog

                    Era Viking Índice Início da Era Viquingue | Cotidiano | Sociedade | Língua | Religião | A arte | As primeiras cidades | As viagens dos viquingues | Viquingues do Oeste e Leste | Fim da Era Viquingue | Fontes históricas | Referências Bibliografia | Ligações externas | Menu de navegação«Sverige då!»«Handel I vikingetid»«O que é Nórdico Antigo»Mito, magia e religião na volsunga saga Um olhar sobre a trajetória mítica do herói sigurd«Bonden var den verklige vikingen»«Vikingatiden»«Vikingatiden»«Vinland»«Guerreiras de Óðinn: As Valkyrjor na Mitologia Viking»1519-9053«Esculpindo símbolos e seres: A arte viking em pedras rúnicas»1679-9313Historia - Tema: VikingarnaAventura e Magia no Mundo das Sagas IslandesasEra Vikinge

                    What's the metal clinking sound at the end of credits in Avengers: Endgame?What makes Thanos so strong in Avengers: Endgame?Who is the character that appears at the end of Endgame?What happens to Mjolnir (Thor's hammer) at the end of Endgame?The People's Ages in Avengers: EndgameWhat did Nebula do in Avengers: Endgame?Messing with time in the Avengers: Endgame climaxAvengers: Endgame timelineWhat are the time-travel rules in Avengers Endgame?Why use this song in Avengers: Endgame Opening Logo Sequence?Peggy's age in Avengers Endgame

                    Mortes em março de 2019 Referências Menu de navegação«Zhores Alferov, Nobel de Física bielorrusso, morre aos 88 anos - Ciência»«Fallece Rafael Torija, o bispo emérito de Ciudad Real»«Peter Hurford dies at 88»«Keith Flint, vocalista do The Prodigy, morre aos 49 anos»«Luke Perry, ator de 'Barrados no baile' e 'Riverdale', morre aos 52 anos»«Former Rangers and Scotland captain Eric Caldow dies, aged 84»«Morreu, aos 61 anos, a antiga lenda do wrestling King Kong Bundy»«Fallece el actor y director teatral Abraham Stavans»«In Memoriam Guillaume Faye»«Sidney Sheinberg, a Force Behind Universal and Spielberg, Is Dead at 84»«Carmine Persico, Colombo Crime Family Boss, Is Dead at 85»«Dirigent Michael Gielen gestorben»«Ciclista tricampeã mundial e prata na Rio 2016 é encontrada morta em casa aos 23 anos»«Pagan Community Notes: Raven Grimassi dies, Indianapolis pop-up event cancelled, Circle Sanctuary announces new podcast, and more!»«Hal Blaine, Wrecking Crew Drummer, Dies at 90»«Morre Coutinho, que editou dupla lendária com Pelé no Santos»«Cantor Demétrius, ídolo da Jovem Guarda, morre em SP»«Ex-presidente do Vasco, Eurico Miranda morre no Rio de Janeiro»«Bronze no Mundial de basquete de 1971, Laís Elena morre aos 76 anos»«Diretor de Corridas da F1, Charlie Whiting morre aos 66 anos às vésperas do GP da Austrália»«Morreu o cardeal Danneels, da Bélgica»«Morreu o cartoonista Augusto Cid»«Morreu a atriz Maria Isabel de Lizandra, de "Vale Tudo" e novelas da Tupi»«WS Merwin, prize-winning poet of nature, dies at 91»«Atriz Márcia Real morre em São Paulo aos 88 anos»«Mauritanie: décès de l'ancien président Mohamed Mahmoud ould Louly»«Morreu Dick Dale, o rei da surf guitar e de "Pulp Fiction"»«Falleció Víctor Genes»«João Carlos Marinho, autor de 'O Gênio do Crime', morre em SP»«Legendary Horror Director and SFX Artist John Carl Buechler Dies at 66»«Morre em Salvador a religiosa Makota Valdina»«مرگ بازیکن‌ سابق نساجی بر اثر سقوط سنگ در مازندران»«Domingos Oliveira morre no Rio»«Morre Airton Ravagniani, ex-São Paulo, Fla, Vasco, Grêmio e Sport - Notícias»«Morre o escritor Flavio Moreira da Costa»«Larry Cohen, Writer-Director of 'It's Alive' and 'Hell Up in Harlem,' Dies at 77»«Scott Walker, experimental singer-songwriter, dead at 76»«Joseph Pilato, Day of the Dead Star and Horror Favorite, Dies at 70»«Sheffield United set to pay tribute to legendary goalkeeper Ted Burgin who has died at 91»«Morre Rafael Henzel, sobrevivente de acidente aéreo da Chapecoense»«Morre Valery Bykovsky, um dos primeiros cosmonautas da União Soviética»«Agnès Varda, cineasta da Nouvelle Vague, morre aos 90 anos»«Agnès Varda, cineasta francesa, morre aos 90 anos»«Tania Mallet, James Bond Actress and Helen Mirren's Cousin, Dies at 77»e