Mountain and Vale

It stretched before them to the misty east, a tranquil land of rich black soil, wide slow-moving rivers, and hundreds of small lakes that shone like mirrors in the sun, protected on all sides by its sheltering peaks.
- A Game of Thrones

The lands of Mountain and Vale are of stark contrasts, where the fertile crescent of the Vale Proper lies cradled between the Bite, the Mountains of the Moon, and the Bay of Crabs.

Regions and Cultures of Mountain and Vale

The lands of Mountain and Vale are that of soaring mountains, fertile valleys, and coastal harbours, separated from the rest of Westeros by the Mountains of the Moon. Though often spoken of as a single region, at the coming of the Andals, it is divided into many distinct areas, including the rich lowlands of the Vale proper, the windswept Fingers, and the rugged highlands and passes.

By the coming of the Andals, the region was home to numerous First Man petty kingdoms, each with its own somewhat differing customs, but bound by a shared worship of the old gods and the land. The First Men already began to feel the first tremors of change. The newcomers see opportunity in forging alliances with the some petty kings, offering marriage ties in place of open war. Some rulers welcome this chance to strengthen their hold, while others resist, and blood of both First Men and Andals is being spilled across the land.

Arms of House Royce. Words: 'We Remember'

The Bronze Kings and the Men of the Vale Proper

The Vale proper is home to some of the most ancient houses of the First Men. Among these are the Royces of Runestone, renowned for their bronze clad kings, and the Redforts, who hold strongholds in the southeastern portion of the Mountains of the Moon. House Waynwood, from the stronghold of Ironoaks near Runestone, is another ancient family with deep ties to the region. House Hunter rules the eastern coast, their lands stretching along the shorelines that lead into the Narrow Sea. House Shett, one of the First Men houses to embrace the Faith of the Seven, having allied through marriage with House Grafton, rules the nascent port of Gulltown on the Bay of Crabs.

Notable Houses of the Vale Proper

• House Royce
• House Melcolm
• House Shett
• House Redfort
• House Waynwood
• House Hunter
• House Grafton
• House Upcliff

Arms of House Corbray. Words: 'Pleasure Over Renown'

The Men of the Fingers

As Andal influence spreads, House Corbray had taken control of the Fingers, eliminating the local kings of houses Shell and Brightstone. Their head, Lord Corwyn Corbray refused to call himself king of the region, despite their undeniable power. Houses Elesham and Templeton, among others, lent their swords to House Corbray, but House Hersy at Northbreach, on the coast of the Bite, chose to influence the First Men not with steel, but with words and blessings in the name of the Seven. The Andals continued to press deeper into the Vale, their ambitions growing with each passing year. Among the rising generation of knights, one name is began to stand apart. Ser Artys Arryn, the Falcon Knight, a young warrior whose promise has not gone unnoticed.

But not all in the Fingers accepted the Andal dominance. Many First Men houses held out against the Andals. One of the most notable of whom, House Coldwater, ever hostile to the invaders, harass their holdings in the Fingers and Northbreach, constantly looking for opportunities to drive them out and reclaim the land for the First Men.

Notable Houses of the Fingers

• House Corbray
• House Hersy
• House Elesham
• House Templeton
• House Tollett
• House Arryn
• House Moonfell
• House Coldwater

Arms of House Belmore. Words: 'Ringing Out'

The First Men of the Mountains

In the rugged and mountainous regions of the Vale, several powerful First Men houses hold dominion. House Belmore of Strongsong commands the fertile lands of the northwest foothills, while House Topp rules the high mountains of the Giant's Lance and the steep valleys surrounding the crude wall that defended their lands from the rest of Westeros. House Crown, lords of the Crowncrests, claim the central heights and valleys.

Notable Houses of the Mountains

• House Belmore
• House Topp
• House Crown

Geography

The Mountains of the Moon are a natural barrier to invaders from the west, with only a few well guarded passages through.

The Mountains of the Moon

The Mountains of the Moon are a towering range that borders the Vale Proper, forming a formidable natural border between the region and the rest of Westeros. These rugged peaks, steep and often impassable, have long served as a barrier, isolating the Vale from the rest of Westeros. The highest of which is the Giant's Lance, where House Topp resides in their stronghold. The mountains are dotted with deep valleys and remote strongholds, many of which are perched high on cliffs, offering both strategic advantage and a sense of foreboding. The harsh terrain makes travel difficult and has kept the region relatively untouched by outside influences. The highlands are also home to dangerous wildlife, including prowling shadowcats and, according to local legend, the dwindling remnants of giants. Among the First Men who dwell in or near these ranges, some hold these creatures sacred, while others seek them out as a test of strength and courage.

The lush and fertile valleys of the Vale proper in summer.

The Vale Proper

The Vale proper is a land of lush, fertile plains and rolling hills, renowned for its abundant agriculture and verdant beauty. The region is blessed with rich soil, nourished by the rivers that flow down from the Mountains of the Moon, giving it the potential to be one of the most productive and prosperous areas in Westeros. By the coming of the Andals, the Vale’s fertile lands are gradually being shaped, with smaller fields of oats and barley scattered throughout the region. The true scope of the Vale's agricultural wealth is yet to be realized, but the land holds great promise for the future. This fertile foundation supports the towns, castles, and villages scattered across the lands of Mountain and Vale, from the ancient strongholds of Runestone to Strongsong.

The Fingers are rocky peninsulas which jut out into the Narrow Sea, and are by no means easy landing points for Andal longships.

The Fingers

The Fingers, a set of five rocky and isolated peninsulas jutting out into the Narrow Sea, is a land marked by its stark, rugged beauty. It is composed of a series of narrow, craggy peninsulas and sharp cliffs that rise steeply from the sea, creating a jagged coastline dotted with caves, coves, and small inlets. The landscape is harsh and unforgiving, with only small stretches of arable land nestled between the rocky outcrops, making it difficult for large scale farming to take hold. The region is sparsely populated, with a few scattered villages and settlements clinging to the edges of the land, relying on fishing and trade for survival. The fingers themselves serve as a natural defense against invaders, though their isolation leaves the region vulnerable to the shifting tides of power that the arrival of the Andals brings. The difficult terrain and the surrounding sea make the Fingers a place where only the hardiest men and women can thrive, and it is on this rugged land that Andal settlers begin to assert their rule.

History

The Dawn Age and the Coming of the First Men

During the Dawn Age, the lands of Mountain and Vale were a wild and ancient land, its hills and forests thick with the presence of the Children of the Forest. These small, mysterious folk dwelled in the deep woods and in the shadowed valleys of the Mountains of the Moon, carving faces into the weirwoods and living in harmony with the natural world. But their age began to end when the First Men crossed the land bridge from Essos, bringing bronze, fire, and sharpened axes. The First Men carved a path of conquest through Westeros, including the lands of Mountain and Vale, burning the sacred groves of the Children and driving them from their hidden halls and green domains. In time, the First Men claimed these lands as their own, building their ringforts and strongholds, and establishing the foundations of the ancient houses that would come to rule the region. Though the Children vanished into the deepest wilds, traces of their presence, old weirwoods, whispered legends, and strange ruins, remained scattered through the land.

The Coming of the Andals

1st Centaury A.I.

By the coming of the Andals, the lands of Mountain and Vale were a fractured realm of petty kings, border skirmishes, and simmering feuds. Yorwyck Royce, a grizzled and unyielding king, carried on a brutal war against Osgood III Shett, the King of Gulltown, whose forebears had slain Yorwyck's father. The conflict escalated into a bitter and near unending blood feud, with the Shetts seeking help from across the sea, and finding it in the form of Andal swords.

The Andals came not as one horde, but in waves. Some seeking refuge, others conquest. Among them was Corwyn Corbray, a hardened mercenary who had grown disillusioned with Essos and Valyria’s creeping dominion. When Dywen Shell and Jon Brightstone bickered over land and clamoured for his service, Corwyn saw opportunity in the Vale’s disunity and took it, turning on his First Men patrons and carving out a realm in the Fingers for himself and his Andal kin. Brightstone was captured, tortured, and beheaded. Shell roasted alive in his own longhall. Their doom crowned Corwyn Corbray's rise. He took Shell’s wife for his bed and Brightstone’s daughter for his bride, claiming the Fingers as his domain. He rejected the title of king, but there was no doubt that his hand ruled firm across the coast.

In Gulltown, desperation drove Osgood Shett to abandon the gods of his fathers. Besieged by Royce, he bent the knee to the Seven and wed his kin to Andal newcomers like Ser Gerold Grafton, an ambitious knight eager to carve out a future. Ser Gerold's motives, however, remained his own. His loyalty as yet untested, his ambitions vast.

The Vale, on the eve of a new age, stood divided. The mountains remained the domain of the old blood, ruled by hard men of bronze. But the coasts were now dotted with Andal keeps and new gods. The conflict was not merely one of steel and fire, but of culture and identity. The First Men remember. The Andals believe. The Vale hung in the balance.

In the south a blood feud came to an end as despite their conversation to the faith of the seven, nothing could truly hold back the fury of the bronze king. Ser Gerold Grafton despite his own conversations with the young prince Robar Royce, stood by the Shett's in secrete taking the kings place in a dual to the death with King Yorwyck Royce. Grafton was slain in this dual after a short exchange and his deception was discovered, in rage Yorwyck Royce ordered the attack on the city and Gulltown fell. Osgood Shett and his heir died that day at the hands of Yorwyck Royce finally ending his blood debt.

In the north House Hersy reaches out with hands of peace to the clansmen of the Sunkenwoods aiming to bring about peace in the north rather than bloodshed. Their efforts were countered by the Belmore seeking to gain more and more influence over their fellow firstmen kings. Yet perhaps the largest challenge to Hersy's actions was from Corwyn Corbray who led his men in violently putting down all first men in what he saw as his realm. His actions were swift and brutal breaking first man power and cementing House Corbray as the strongest power in the north.

To the east events came to a head when King Hunter went mad, converting to the faith of the seven and leading to a revolt of his own vassals. Hunter sought help from the Corbray's while the vassals sought help from Yorwyck Royce offering the kings crown in payment. Both Royce and Corbray rushed to finish their own business while their proxy's in Melcolm and Moonfell respectively fought in their name. In the end it was the Royce who arrived first securing the area and leading to the death of the mad king Hunter. Corbray retreated before the two came to blows, leaving the Royce in control of the Hunter lands.

An uneasy peace reigned until in the north an attempted parley between Hersy, Belmore, Coldwater and other clansmen ended in disaster as Lord Tollett, sent by Corbray, crashed the gathering slaying a few men before being driven back. The Corbray's alongside their new allies the Arryns invaded the Sunkenwood while the Belmore tried to resist them. In the south upon hearing word Yorwyck Royce led a coalition of Royce, Redfort, and Waynwood to war to avenge this braking of sacred rights. In the end the Sunkenwood was taken and the Royce coalition was pushed back, and Arryn took the giants lance. The first men had been dealt a serious blow and the andals looked to be set to take it all.

In the winter that followed great change came upon the vale, Yorwyck Royce, Corwyn Corbray, and lady Hersy all passed away leaving a new era of rulers. In the north Qyle Corbray came to power, called the insane for displacing his lawful wife for a commoner and his good treatment of the first men. He declared himself King of the Fingers crowned by Lord Moonfell and getting the new Lord Hersy to bend the knee. In the south Robar Royce became the Bronze king his calculating eyes turned north to the lands his father failed to take.

Once more rallying his allies in Waynwood and Redfort, Robar led the combined host forward into Templeton lands. Opposed by King Corbray, Lord Hersy and Templeton the combined armies met at Ninestars were after a long battle the Royce coalition emerged victorious. The war ended following a 2nd battle and Ninestars with a similar result, leading to the Corbray's being kicked back out of the south. For the first time in the Vale the Corbay's had suffered a defeat and in the aftermath the Bronze king Robar Royce declares himself the defender of the Mountains and the Vale.

The victory was short lived as newcomers came to the Vale. House Tyrell the dreaded Arch-heretic arrived to the vale convincing the Corbay and Hersy of his own truth of his actions. Giving their support the Corbay overrun the kingdom of the Crown taking it for the andals. This act of supporting Tyrell would shatter the faith in the Vale for much of the next few centauries.

It was following the fall of the crown that a new andal appeared in the Vale. The Swygerts had come seeking land and adventure and upon hearing that the hated Tyrell was here they signed up as allies of the Bronze king. It was barley a few weeks later that Corbray declared war to take over the entire kingdom of Redfort in the name of the Tyrells. Corbray brought Tyrell and the new king Arryn to wage war in the south while the Royce, Redforts and Swygerts opposed them. In the end the andals were driven back before winter hit their forces devastated. In the spring the Bronze king led his allies into the Arryn lands putting the Tyrell's and Crobray to the sword and slaying the King of the Arryns taking his son as a ward.

In the peace that followed Robar Royce would pass in his sleep one of the greatest Royce kings, his son Robar II would rise to the throne his intent set on driving the andal kingdom to destruction. Yet in the north the Corbay's own vassals in the Moonfell organised a rebellion that saw the Corbay victorious but devastated. While in the distant lands of the Cut the exiled Horns arrived taking control of the entire cut with the help of the Mudds establishing themselves as kings.

When war came the Royce marched with the Hunters, Arryns, Redforts, and Swygerts to put an end to the kingdom once and for all. King Qyle Corbay had died in his sleep leaving his son Quinton as king. He would only get to enjoy the title for a few years before the war where his host was destroyed and he lost his life at the hands of the Robar II who used his own blade to cut him down. The Swygerts sacked and burned Hearts Home in a brutal action while the Hersy abandoned the south taking what strength they could north with them. Robar II declared the Corbay kingdom dissolved annexing Hearts home and much of the south.

In 86 A.I. Lord Humphrey Hersy declared himself Lord Protector of the andals of the north of the vale, having much of the former Corbray vassals such as House Tollett bend their knees to him. This occurred around the same time as when the Bronze king Robar II Royce sent his son north to establish what would come to be known as the 30 year peace. Both Hersy and Royce had grown tired of the long war and sought to end the bloodshed even for a time.

Yet it was also in the year 86 A.I. that a new wave of andals landed in the Vale. The first of these would land in the Eastweald and would be met by the future king of Runestone Russ Royce. Following his fathers wishes he convinces these andals to bend the knee to the Royce in return for their knowledge of ship making. The andal lord Samson would marry into the nearly extinct House Melcolm taking their name for their own. In the north an andal host under command of Lord Gideon Mondagne bent the knee to Lord Hersy. Hersy commanded the brother of lord Mondagne, Lord Quenton Mondagne to conquer the Sisters. Here they would go on to kill all who would not convert to the faith of the seven.

Peace reigned in the Vale enforced by the threat of the both the Royce and Hersy, never an easy one as tension still reigned but for a time religious peace reigned. This was until in 97 A.I. Hersy and Mondagne suddenly launched an attack on the Belmore kingdom. Despite help from the Horn's, The Belmore could not stand against the andal threat and would fall within the year, seeing Lord Gideon landed as the new lord of Strongsong.

2nd Centaury A.I.

In 110 A.I. The Mountain clansmen of the Vale began raiding the andal and first men kingdoms in anger for losing their own lands. House Royce under King Russ Royce negotiated with the lead clan Dog that in return for stopping their raids, they would be granted land from the Hersy's. A duel was fought and the Royce champion lost leading to them allowing the Dogs to rule from Hearts Home.

In 114 A.I. War broke out as the Royce, with clan Dog, House Hunter, and House Waynwood rallied against the crimes of House Hersy. It was a long war with both House Mondagne and Tollett joining the fight. Overall it took 6 years as both the Horns and Swygerts would end up invading the Hersy at the same time, but in the end the war was won. House Dog was established from Hearts home ruling the entire Drainlands.

In the same year after the war, Lord Theo Swygert was assassinated by what was assumed to be an agent of Lord Hersy. In response the new lord Jammos would bend the knee to the Royce as kings so that they could focus their anger north at those they deemed responsible. At the end of the year they had officially segmented their teachings formally showing to the rest of the Vale their religious ideas. In response the Hersy declared them heretics in which the Swygerts and their followers would respond in kind. The new version of the faith, known as the Faith of the One was formally born, worshiping not the 7 aspects but the one god behind them.

in 126 A.I. the son of lord Samson Melcolm, Masart Melcolm would die, leaving only daughters. His eldest daughter Lady Tynissa Melcolm would inherit backed by her husband Tinog Royce. Members of her family in opposition to this would flee north to the Hersy joining their naval might to theirs. Tynissa herself would die a year later in 127 A.I. leading to her young son Anderrs Royce to inherit, formally creating House Royce of Old Anchor.

In 128 A.I. a crusade from Andalos came under word from Hersy and the Moonfells about the herasy in the Vale. One member, Lorent Rhysling would end up marrying the daughter of lord Hersy Mya to cement the loyalty of half the crusade. The other half under Lord Bar Drox after investigating the accused heresy and finding no evidence, alongside word from the newly converted Lord Dolf Dog of Lord Hersy's threats. Under Bar Drox half the crusade left for the north chasing the ghost of the arch traitor Tyrell, this brake in the crusade led to Lord Loreon Hersy to declare the end of the protectorship and lock himself away in a sept.

In 130 A.I. both House Royce and House Horn invade the now independent Strongsong which ended with the Mondagne branch being wiped from the area and the land split between the two kingdoms. The Lipps, exiled old god worshippers from the cut displaced by andals generations ago was settled in the new lands and made lords of the entire Strongsong under the Royce.

Lord Loreon Hersy would die in 132 A.I and his daughter, said to be mad with grief lunched a war of extermination with the andal crusade remnants to wipe out House Horn once and for all. The war raged for 2 years in which both House Dog and House Marsh from the neck would join to defend the Horns. All 3 were beaten in a climatic battle in the Cut, yet instead of waiting the victory drunk andals chased the retreating armies into the bogs of the neck itself. At the same time, Bronze king Russ Royce had returned from a coronation in the Whispers and upon hearing word of the war marched north with House Hunter and Waynwood to put an end to this madness once and for all. Battle was joined once again at Wetweir in which the host of house Marsh reinforced by those of the Horns held the line as long as they could, yet even in the bog the tide was turning against them. When all looked lost the host of House Royce entered the fray having been led in by the bogmen, their forces along with their allies helped the Horns turned the battle. Of the 6000 men who entered that day, only a handful under house Hersy escaped to tell of it while the entire crusade died in the bog.

Soon the forces of House Royce, House Horn, and House Dog would march into the Hersy land and finally in 135 A.I. the Hersy fell and the war came to an end. The old Hersy land was split with the son of Lady Hersy being taken south to Old Anchor to be fostered. Lady Mya Hersy herself would die in 137 A.I. bringing the time of independent lords of Hersy to an end.

In 136 A.I. Bronze King Russ Royce died and his son Arthor Royce ascended to the throne. Arthor early in his life made a oath of brotherhood with lord Robar Hunter and the soon to be head of House Waynwood Helgarrd. The Weirwood 3 would throughout the next few years lead the vale together side by side paving the way for what was to come after.

In 148 A.I. Lord Pearse Arryn met the King Arthor Royce and after a lengthy discussion would come to bend the knee formally to the Bronze king. In the same year King Baldyer Waynwood would also bend the knee to the Royce, convinced by their fulfilled oath to destroy the andal kingdom to the north. With their joining the fold, the kingdom of Runestone now controlled the entire south of the Vale and much of the rest.

In the same year, Prince Traggoth Royce led an army on command of his father to take captive the lord Lymond Moonfell for his crimes against the first men by bringing the andal crusade to the land. Yet the prince went far further in his duties than he should and instead burnt down much of Rathmore and Stonefall slaughtering much of the people there. Lord Lymond himself was tortured to death in his own keep. Upon hearing this the king had his son stripped of titles as punishment.

Following this in 150 A.I. Arthor Royce formally established the Kingdom of the Mountains and Vale moving his court and holdings to Gulltown and ruling from there. No more would he be just the king of Runestone but now the entire land from mountain to sea, coast to coast. Runestone was handed to his brother Coratt Royce as custodian while Gulltown became the royal lordship.

in 152 A.I. civil war in the Waynwood lands over succession for lord Baldyer Waynwood would see the Royce backing Helgarrd Waynwood the blood brother of the king himself. The war was quick but brutal seeing the dissident faction destroyed and the true heir put back in power.

In 165 A.I. conflict between the Arryns and the Redshields broke out over Kippres. At the same time the Waynwoods fought the Redforts for control of Ninestars. The Arryns and Waynwoods would come to blows during their wars leading to the Arryns losing their conquest while the Waynwoods would succeed in theirs. This would lead to growing amenity between the two of them that would not be easy to ease.

Whispers of the return of the Corbray's started to surface in the Vale, Lord Arryn himself sent men to investigate who returned speaking of invasion. This invasion never materialised but the threat of it was enough, seeking to fortify the realm King Arthor Royce began construction of a mighty gate in the high passes to block the only viable invasion path of his lands. This gate would finish construction in 167 A.I. and soon the Lord Arryn would formalise with the help of the Royce the establishment of the Knights of the Gate, an order of warriors of the old gods to guard the gate from invaders.