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[[File:The Blackwater.png|thumb|The Blackwater]]
[[File:The Blackwater.png|thumb|The Blackwater]]


'''The Blackwater''' is the fractured, contested heart of eastern [[Westeros]], the lands between the [[The Stormlands|Stormlands]], the [[The Riverlands|Riverlands]], the [[The Reach|Reach]] and the Narrow Sea have been the target of conquests and the prize of Storm Kings and River Kings alike for millennia. Named for the large river merging from the God's Eye and the Riverlands, the Blackwater is a melting pot of Stormmen, Rivermen, [[Andals]], and where uncountable pirates, sellswords, and wanderers from all over Westeros ply the waters of the bay and walk the forests on the mainland. During the Andal Invasions, this region was one of the main targets of their great migration and where Andals flocked to in their thousands seeking gold, glory, and land. Though the vast majority would falter and be forgotten.
'''The Blackwater''' is the fractured, contested heart of eastern [[Westeros]]. The lands between the [[The Stormlands|Stormlands]], the [[The Riverlands|Riverlands]], the [[The Reach|Reach]] and the Narrow Sea have been the target of conquests and the prize of Storm Kings and River Kings alike for millennia. Named for the large river merging from the God's Eye and the Riverlands, the Blackwater is a melting pot of Stormmen, Rivermen, [[Andals]], and where uncountable pirates, sellswords, and wanderers from all over Westeros ply the waters of the bay and walk the forests on the mainland. During the [[Coming of the Andals]], this region was one of the main targets of their great migration and where Andals flocked to in their thousands seeking gold, glory, and land. Though the vast majority would falter and be forgotten.


The Blackwater is a land of petty kings and has never been united under a sovereign kingdom, though a few houses have come close, the largest being the [[House Darklyn|Darklyns]] from their grand city of [[Duskendale]], followed by the [[House Massey|Masseys]] on the Hook. But between the grasping hands of outsiders both within and beyond Westeros, the men of the Blackwater are more tolerant to new ideas and faiths, valuing pragmatism over incompetence, and compromise over pride.   
The Blackwater is a land of petty kings and has never been united under a sovereign kingdom, though a few houses have come close, the largest being the [[House Darklyn|Darklyns]] from their grand city of [[Duskendale]], followed by the [[House Massey|Masseys]] on the Hook. But between the grasping hands of outsiders both within and beyond Westeros, the men of the Blackwater are more tolerant to new ideas and faiths, valuing pragmatism over incompetence, and compromise over pride.   
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* [[House Blackberry|Blackberry]] of Berryport
* [[House Blackberry|Blackberry]] of Berryport
* [[Clan Crabb (Longbar)|Crabb]] of Longbar
* [[House Lanser|Lanser]] of Wythers
* [[House Mallery|Mallery]] of Sweetport Sound
* [[House Symes|Symes]] of Longbar
* [[House Toyne|Toyne]] of Driftmark
* [[House Quince|Quince]] of Gullet Isle
* [[House Quince|Quince]] of Gullet Isle
* [[House Sunglass|Sunglass]] of Sweetport
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* [[House Belgrave|Belgrave]] of Wing's Pass
* [[House Belgrave|Belgrave]] of Wing's Pass
* [[House Bourney|Bourney]] of Merge water
* [[House Bourney|Bourney]] of Mergewater
* [[House Butterwell|Butterwell]] of Proudwell
* [[House Butterwell|Butterwell]] of Proudwell
* [[House Chelsted|Chelsted]] of Bramsfort
* [[House Chelsted|Chelsted]] of Bramsfort
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* [[House Greenhill|Greenhill]] of Briarcrest
* [[House Greenhill|Greenhill]] of Briarcrest
* [[House Hall|Hall]] of Middlefort
* [[House Hall|Hall]] of Middlefort
* [[House Hogg|Hogg]] of Hogg Hall
* [[House Hogg|Hogg]] of Sow's Horn
* [[House Mallery|Mallery]] of Riverline
* [[House Rollingford|Rollingford]] of Rollingford
* [[House Rollingford|Rollingford]] of Rollingford
* [[House Thorne|Thorne]] of Shinebridge
* [[House Thorne|Thorne]] of Shinebridge
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* [[House Bean|Bean]] of Seedskull Cove
* [[House Bean|Bean]] of Seedskull Cove
* [[House Bentley|Bentley]] of Benthill Dale
* [[House Bentley|Bentley]] of Benthill Dale
* [[House Evenstar|Evenstar]] of Sharp Point
* [[House Massey|Massey]] of Stonedance
* [[House Massey|Massey]] of Stonedance
* [[House Rambton|Rambton]] of Goldenhorn
* [[House Rambton|Rambton]] of Goldenhorn
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* [[House Wendwater|Wendwater]] of Farring
* [[House Wendwater|Wendwater]] of Farring
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== History ==
=== Age of Heroes ===
Throughout the Age of Heroes, the Blackwater Marches were ever a contested frontier, often claimed and controlled by many neighboring kings, but never truly integrated into their realms, lying too far from the centre of power. The Blackwater was under the Kingdom of the Rivers and Hills during both the Fisher and Mudd dynasties, yet was torn from the latter by incursions by the Storm Kings of House Durrandon, particularly [[Monfryd I Durrandon|Monfryd the Mighty]], who defeated the kings of Duskendale and Maidenpool after crossing the Blackwater Rush. This conquest was short-lived however due to the failures of Monfryd's son Durran the Dim and his grandson Barron, who lost all Monfryd gained and more.
=== Coming of the Andals ===
Some of the earliest Andal adventurers made landfall in Blackwater Bay. These first Andals neither had the numbers no the drive to seize the land by force, and instead found accord and took service with the most powerful king in the region, House Darklyn of Duskendale. Houses Hollard, Edgerton and Staunton can find their roots to such adventurers, the latter two taking local names for their own.
During this period, power in the Blackwater was divided between several kings and clans. The Darklyn Kings of Duskendale were the most prosperous and powerful kingdom, followed by the Mooton kings Maidenpool. House Fisher, once the ruling dynasty of the ancient Riverlands, still clung to an impoverished kingship on Misty Isle. On Crackclaw Point - the Age of Heroes still continued unchanged, as clan warred against clan to prove strength, honour - and to extend their domains.
=== First Century A.I. ===
The shift into the Andal Invasions began on the Blackwater with the coming of two warlords; Armistead Vance, and Togarion Bar Emmon. These two men led hosts to the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, and made war on those they found there, burning the sacred groves, and driving the Children of the Forest from the region. Armistead and Togarion attempted to seize Duskendale in the name of the Andals, but were repelled by an alliance of [[Staun I Darklyn|Staun Darklyn]] and [[Florian Mooton|Florian the Brave]], the Mooton king of Maidenpool. Togarion retreated back into Blackwater Bay to regroup, whilst Armistead stubbornly continued westwards into the southron reaches of the Riverlands. Togarion Bar Emmon would later make another attempt to seize Duskendale, but broke himself against the Darklyn host, and was no more.
It was during this era that the power of Justin Massey, known to all as the pirate scourge Milk-Eye, came to the fore. Massey not only repelled any attempts from the Storm Kings to reassert control over the Hook, but raided freely across the Blackwater, remaining a menance to all - from the Dusk Kings to the fearsome clans of Crackclaw Point. Massey became such a menace that those same warring clans made a pact of unity, to throw back any men who came ashore in the name of Milk-Eye, to carry off wealth and women. Justin Massey became such a threat that he seized Driftmark and the surrounding islands, which he would hold until his death. In 52 A.I. House Toyne were settled on Driftmark as subjects of House Darklyn, in reward for their service in rooting out the remnants of House Bar Emmon, and as a bulwark against Massey.
Duskendale would continue to expand during the first century A.I. This was both in the literal sense, as increased trade and population made the town more prosperous, but also in terms of the power of the Dusk Kings, as they became the unrivalled power in the Blackwater by 90 A.I. This began in earnest in 63 A.I., when Aldhelm Darklyn marched on Maidenpool - claiming the Mooton's unworthy of kingship, being unable to protect Maidenpool from the raids of Clawmen, and general lawlessness and banditry in the region. In 84 A.I., the final King of Hogg Hall, Galbart Hogg - fell to the power of the Dusk Kings, being seized by House Darklyn before being handed to the Andal Bartheld's in return for their service. The Hoggs had ever been a troublesome dynasty of robbers and bandit kings, aiding or hindering their neighbours whenever it suited them, whilst taking their due from those they ruled. With the Coming of the Andals, and the rise of new realms - the age of such frontier kingdoms was reaching its end all over Westeros.
=== Second Century A.I. ===
And yet the rise of Duskendale's dominance over the Blackwater was not all smooth, or without consequence. During the reign of King Abel Darklyn, a new wave of Andals arrived in the region. Amongst these were the Ormes, who landed at Nessingkeep, the Den Reeves, who made for the Bay of Crabs and seized the lands of House Fisher, and the Stricklands, who attempted to wrest the Hook from the Massey Kings. It was in those years that a terrible plague spread across the Blackwater, originating in the lands of House Fisher. It killed indiscriminately, particularly in Maidenpool and upon Driftmark. Many turned to superstition, and blamed the Andals for the disease. House Orme, who had been granted lands along the northern bank of the Blackwater Rush, and lordship over many minor houses in the area, called a gathering of Andal Lords, after learning of the death of King Abel Darklyn. Lord Orme wished to demand that the Darklyn kings accept their faith for his own. It was Lord Preston Toyne who instead pushed for the accession of his own nephew Gaston Darklyn, suggesting that the current king Thorren Darklyn despised Andals, and that Gaston would make a better king. It was for this that Preston would later earn the name 'King-Maker'. The Barthelds also pushed for Gaston's kingship.
What followed was war. In 102 A.I. the Orme and Toyne hosts gathered at Rosby, intending to march north to meet their fellow Andals. Little did they know, Garth Daelwell, an infamous Andal outlaw who had earned his name of 'Wolf-Slayer' by fighting in the far north, betrayed the plans of his fellow Andals to King Thorren, supposedly because the other houses refused to rise up a true Andal to the throne. Because of this, Thorren Darklyn marched his own host south to Rosby, catching the Andal rebels off-guard. Despite this, the Andal Cavalry thundered through the spear lines of House Darklyn, sending his host retreating back to Duskendale. The rebel forces marched north to meet their allies at Redbend, joining Houses Den Reeve and Bartheld. Through pillage and siege, the Andals drew out the Darklyn armies once again - resulting in another crippling defeat for the would-be king Thorren.
Maidenpool had reacted to the outbreak of war by declaring themselves a true and independent kingdom once again, under the rule of the old king Seth Mooton. Nonetheless, Thorren Darklyn marched his shattered host to Maidenpool, and asked the support of the Mootons once again in fighting the Andals, citing blood-ties and old bonds. Seth Mooton however, had neither forgiven nor forgotten the family that shamed and unthroned him, and instead the Fool King delivered Thorren to Gaston Darklyn and his supporters at Duskendale. With that - the war was done, and the power within the kingdom forever changed. Things had also changed on Crackclaw Point. Traggoth Crab managed to subdue his rivals, and declared himself King of the Claw in 120 A.I.
The winter that lasted from 124 to 127 A.I. was particularly cruel to the noble men of the Blackwater. In those cold three years, Preston Toyne, the former regent of Duskendale, Albyn Leygood, the Andal lord of the Gauntlet, and Stevyn Bartheld - all perished, even as Coleman Leygood was petitioning the Dusk King to support their desire to secede from the Stormlands, and join a realm that better matched their faith and culture. Nonetheless, in second moon of 127 A.I. armies marched south across the Blackwater to defend House Leygood. There were only two great engagements of the war - both fought outside the keep of Greyhelm on the edge of the Fellwood. Lord Castor Toyne, the new Lord of Driftmark, led the Blackwater forces in each engagement, being supported by his own knights and that of Masart Bartheld. The Storm King Beron I Durrandon had no answer to such a force of heavy horse, and thus the Stormlanders withdrew after the second defeat, melting into the countless trees of the endless wood. Houses Bywater and Miller were also among those who swore themselves to Runceford Darklyn when the fighting ended on the tenth moon of 127 A.I.
In 132 A.I., the Storm King attempted to place Ormond Darklyn on the throne of Duskendale to abate Andal influence in the region. For four years, Stormmen, Reachmen, Rivermarkers, Rivermen, and Duskmen pushed each other back and forth over the Blackwater Rush. The deadliest war the Blackwater has seen in generations filled the Rush with so much blood that it ran more red than black, and the greater war goal was abandoned. King Runceford settled for a peace where he gave up the Baywater Woods to the Storm King, but nothing more.
[[File:Stormlands Surrender.jpg|thumb|Stormland footmen surrendering to Andal knights. Ahorse and wrapped in steel, they oft seemed more like avenging gods than men.]]
In 139 A.I., Ser Alister of [[House Bar Drox]] arrived on Driftmark. He and the Lord Castor Toyne planned for an invasion of the Hook to punish House Massey's raiding, and to spread their faith. They launched their attack in 143 A.I., the Year of the False Spring. They destroyed the Massey navy, and made landfall, seizing the islands of Sweetport Sound, Gullet Isle, and Longbar. Two brief battles were fought on the mainland of the Hook, both resulting in Andal victory, however the crippling second winter set in, causing the Andals to retreat back to Driftmark.
Alister Bar Drox would die at sea in 142 A.I., and the Bar Drox host started to splinter without his leadership. The fleet they arrived with pledged themselves to House Toyne, and Andal lords were placed in the conquered islands - Houses [[House Mallery|Mallery]] and [[House Quince|Quince]]. The Blackberry lords of Longbar were, for the time, allowed to retain their keep.
In 151 A.I., [[House Cargyll]] arrived from the east, and pledged themselves to the Dusk King Runceford I. They wished to conquer the lands of the Fisher Kings, and with Runceford I's permission, they did as much, displacing the ancient kings of Misty Isle and claiming it as their own domain, though now vassal to the Dusk Throne. Two years later, Runceford I would die of a heart attack, leading to the coronation and reign of King Corliss I Darklyn. His rule only lasted four years, however. In a deal conducted with Storm Queen [[Elenei I Durrandon]], he punished Lord Hugo Leygood for his crimes against the weirwoods of the Gauntlet and Baywater Woods, and removed them from power. Instead, House Thorne was placed at the Gauntlet, and House Leygood given Thorne's old keep. Hugo Leygood himself was executed, which upset his wife, Lymaria Toyne. The Toynes launched a protest at the Dusk Throne, which led to Qyle Toyne being sent to the Wall, their protests dismissed. Lymaria Toyne then conspired to kill Corliss I in revenge, and her plot succeeded, the king dying by blade at a supper. Lord Castor Toyne, upon hearing this news, is said to have died of a heart attack, just as King Runceford I did.
That same year, in 157 A.I., [[House Symes]] would replace House Blackberry as lords of Longbar, thus solidifying Andal control over the isles of the Hook.


== References ==
== References ==


[[Category:Regions|The Blackwater]]
[[Category:Regions|The Blackwater]]