Mountain and Vale
Mountain and Vale is a region of extremes. High, cold peaks ring a lush, fertile interior. In the Age of Heroes, the First Men who settled the region lived in isolated villages and hillforts, guided by ancient custom and their reverence for the old gods. The terrain shaped their lives, isolating them from the great political shifts of the early kingdoms, that is, until the arrival of the Andals by sea.
Places of Interest
The Mountains of the Moon
The Mountains of the Moon dominate the western reaches of the Vale, their snow covered peaks dividing the region from the rest of Westeros. The tallest and most fabled of them, the Giant’s Lance, looms like a spear above the clouds.
The Bloody Gate
The only viable western land passage into the Vale is through a narrow mountain pass that would one day host the famed Bloody Gate. At the coming of the Andals, this checkpoint was little more than a crude un-mortared wall of stacked stones and timber palisades, watched over by local First men houses who protected the Vale’s interior from would be invaders.[1]
The Vale Proper
The Fingers
These five barren, rocky peninsulas stretching into the Narrow Sea, were once home to scattered clans and petty Kings. Harsh and wind lashed, they were among the first places where the Andals came ashore, establishing footholds by sword and flame. Now ruled by house Corbray. [2]
Runestone
The seat of the Bronze Kings of house Royce. Runestone stood upon the shores of the narrow sea in the south of the Vale. By the coming of the Andals, the site was already a centre of power among the First Men.
Redfort
Located to the west of Runestone in the mountain foothills, Redfort was another ancient First Men seat. Its foundations were laid in the Age of Heroes by House Redfort. Redfort was an early bulwark against the early Andal incursions that came by sea.