Mountain and Vale

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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.<ref> George R. R. Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, (~~London: HarperVoyager~~, 2014) p. 163.</ref> 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.

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.<ref> George R. R. Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, (Random House Worlds, 2014) p. 163.</ref> 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.

== The Bronze Kings and the Men of the Vale Proper ==

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== Places of Interest ==

=== 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 168.</ref> 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 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 168.</ref> 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<ref> Martin, A Game of Thrones, (Harper Voyager) p. 233.</ref> 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 Vale Proper ===

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=== 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 6.</ref> 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 8.</ref> 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 ===

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. 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 163.</ref>

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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 163.</ref>

The Vale, on the eve of a new age, stands divided. The mountains remain the domain of the old blood, ruled by hard men of bronze and memory. But the coasts are now dotted with Andal keeps and new gods. The conflict is not merely one of steel and fire, but of culture, creed, and identity. The First Men remember. The Andals believe. The Vale hangs in the balance.

=== References ===

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 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.<ref> George R. R. Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 163.</ref> 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.
+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.<ref> George R. R. Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, (Random House Worlds, 2014) p. 163.</ref> 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.
 == The Bronze Kings and the Men of the Vale Proper ==
@@ Line 63: / Line 63: @@
 == Places of Interest ==
 === 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 168.</ref> 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 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 168.</ref> 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<ref> Martin, A Game of Thrones, (Harper Voyager) p. 233.</ref> 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 Vale Proper ===
@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 === 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 6.</ref> 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 8.</ref> 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 ===
+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. 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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 163.</ref>
+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.<ref> Martin, The World of Ice and Fire, p. 163.</ref>
+The Vale, on the eve of a new age, stands divided. The mountains remain the domain of the old blood, ruled by hard men of bronze and memory. But the coasts are now dotted with Andal keeps and new gods. The conflict is not merely one of steel and fire, but of culture, creed, and identity. The First Men remember. The Andals believe. The Vale hangs in the balance.
 === References ===

Mountain and Vale: Difference between revisions