Reach

Once and always a great realm, the Reach is many things to its inhabitants: the most populous, fertile, and powerful domain in the Seven Kingdoms, its wealth second only to the gold-rich west; a seat of learning; a center of music, culture, and all the arts, bright and dark; the breadbasket of Westeros; a nexus of trade; a home to great seafarers, wise and noble kings, dread sorcerers, and the most beautiful women in all Westeros.
- The World of Ice and Fire

The Reach is also known as the Green Realm.

The Reach, known as the Kingdom of the Reach or the Green Realm, is a vast and fertile region of southern Westeros. It is ruled by the Kings and Queens of House Gardener from their seat at Highgarden. The Reach is renowned for its lush farmland, rich river valleys, and dense population. It is widely considered the most agriculturally abundant part of the continent.

Terrain and Culture

The Reach stretches across the southwestern heart of Westeros, bounded by the Sunset Sea to the west and the Westerlands to the northwest. The Blackwater Rush marks its northern boundary with the Riverlands, while its northeast touches the lands around Blackwater Bay. To the east and southeast lie the Stormlands and portions of the Dornish Marches, and to the south, the Red Mountains of Dorne rise beyond the fertile coast, giving way to the Summer Sea.

The central lifeblood of the Reach is the mighty Mander River, which flows through its center and is fed by tributaries like the Blueburn and the Cockleswhent. Further south, the Honeywine River winds past vineyards and orchards before reaching the Whispering Sound at Oldtown. The region also includes the Shield Islands, positioned at the mouth of the Mander to ward off seaborne threats, and the Arbor, a southern island famed for its vineyards and temperate weather.

Though once a collection of warring petty kingdoms, the Reach has long known internal peace under the rule of the Gardener kings. It is a realm defined by prosperity rather than strife, with conflict more often brought by external forces—be it raids by Ironborn, incursions from Dorne, or wars with neighboring realms. Its people are farmers, gardeners, vintners, and fishermen, known for hosting grand feasts. Yet, they are no strangers to arms, as the defense of the Shield Islands and the legacies of the Gardners demonstrate.

Oldtown also lies in the Reach. There, on the Isle of Ravens, the learned order known as Peremore’s Order has made its seat in the Ravenry. These wise men dedicate themselves to the collection, study, and preservation of knowledge.

Main Regions

• Reach Proper
• Shield Islands
• The Ocean Road
• Red Lake
• Goldengrove
• Stonebridge
• Tumbleton
• Oldtown
• The Arbor
• Western Marches

History

The Dawn Age

The Dawn Age is the earliest known era in the history of Westeros, long before the rise of kingdoms, castles, or written records. In this time, the lands that would one day be known as the Reach were untamed and wild—dominated by great forests, unbroken plains, and scattered hills, with no sign yet of organized civilization. The only inhabitants were the children of the forest and the giants. The Reach during the Dawn Age was likely similar to the rest of Westeros, rich in forests, home to untouched valleys and rivers, and entirely devoid of cities or agriculture. It was a land ruled not by men, but by nature and its elder inhabitants.

The arrival of the First Men from Essos marked the end of that untouched world. Armed with bronze and fire, the First Men crossed the Arm of Dorne and began cutting down weirwoods and clearing forests to build their settlements. A long and bitter war followed between them and the children of the forest, lasting generations and touching every corner of the continent—including the Reach. .

Peace finally came with the Pact, forged on the Isle of Faces in the Gods Eye. This monumental agreement ended the Dawn Age and ushered in the Age of Heroes, laying the groundwork for the kingdoms and houses that would later rise in the Reach and beyond.

The Age of Heroes

The Age of Heroes marked a formative era for the Reach. During this time, many of the foundations for the political and cultural identity of the Reach were established, most notably the rise of House Gardener. Some stories claim Garth Greenhand led the First Men into Westeros; others suggest he wandered the land long before their arrival, treating with giants and the children of the forest alike.

The first king to follow him was Garth the Gardener, his eldest son, who was said to have built his seat on the hill above the Mander River that would later become known as Highgarden. He wore a crown of vines and flowers, and from him sprang the dynasty of the Gardener kings.

The Gardener kings began their rule over what would later be called the Reach proper but gradually expanded their realm. Through alliances and marriages, they extended their dominion to include Old Oak, Red Lake, and Goldengrove, thanks to Garth III (the Great); later, Meryn III brought the Arbor under their rule by making House Redwyne his vassals. King Garland II (the Bridegroom) secured the loyalty of House Hightower of Oldtown by marrying Lord Lymond Hightower’s daughter, while King Gwayne III 'the Fat' settled disputes between the powerful Manderlys and Peakes without bloodshed.

The most renowned Gardener king was Garth VII Gardener, called Goldenhand. He came to power at the age of twelve and reigned for eighty-one years. His reign—known as the Golden Reign—saw unparalleled peace and prosperity in the Reach. He defended the realm from a Dornish invasion by King Ferris Fowler in his youth, and later expelled the ironborn from the Misty Islands, fortifying them as the Shield Islands and manning them with his finest warriors to protect the mouth of the Mander. In the Battle of Three Armies, he outmaneuvered both the King of the Rock and the Storm King, afterward establishing the boundaries between the three kingdoms.

While the Gardeners established centralized rule over the Reach, petty kings and lords still existed in isolated pockets. Over time, these lesser rulers were either brought into the Gardener fold through fealty, alliance, or conquest. During the same era, the Isle of Ravens, later home to the Ravenry in Oldtown, was said to have been the stronghold of a pirate lord who robbed passing ships.

The Coming of the Andals

The Age of Heroes in the Reach came to a gradual close with the arrival of the Andals in Westeros. Bearing steel and the their gods, they crossed the narrow sea in longships and began landing first along the eastern coasts, most notably in the Vale, before expanding their foothold further westward.

For many centuries, the Reach had flourished under the Gardener kings, enjoying an era marked by prosperity, fertile harvests, and the rise of strong noble houses. Though tales of the region's wealth, its sprawling fields, and the majesty of Highgarden surely reached the ears of ambitious Andal warlords, the geography of Westeros provided a temporary barrier. Between them and the golden heartland of the Reach lay other kingdoms, mountain ranges, and rivers.

In time, however, the threat would come closer. The fleets of Oldtown and the Arbor prevented Andal ships from easily getting access to the Redwyne Straits or the Sunset Sea.

First Century A.I.

But the blockade would prove weak, and soon it began to fail. During this period, Andals started arriving on the western shores of Westeros: the Daelwell host landed in the south, the Risley Host sailed past the Arbor unopposed, and Vayon 'the Craven' Cupps made no effort to halt their passage. The coming of the Andals marked the beginning of a new age, one that would eventually reach even the fertile lands of the Mander.

This new age was defined by brutal conflict, including the devastating Seven Years' War between the Reach and the Westerlands, which ultimately saw the loss of Goldengrove to the Andal House Risley. At the same time, the Shield Islands were conquered by King Urron Greyiron of the Ironborn, and the Arbor itself fell to his fleets, becoming part of his reaving kingdom.

King Gwayne IV 'the Gods Fearing' Gardener brought with Josera Crane the Children of the Forest back into the Reach.

Under King Galayn Gardener, the tide began to turn. He launched the reconquest of Goldengrove after Robert Risley refused to bend the knee. Once more, war erupted between the Reach and the Rock, but this time the Lannisters were mired in their own internal rebellions and unrest, and Robert Risley proved far less capable than his grandfather, Jasper Risley. Crucially, the Reach now fought alongside the Cafferens, the Durrandons, and even a number of Children of the Forest, who had returned to the Reach with the rebirth of old magic, joined the Gardener cause.

King Galayn Gardener successfully reclaimed Goldengrove. The Arbor also regained its independence following the death of King Urron Greyiron, as the power of the Ironborn began to fade. House Cafferen got landed in the Garden Coast after their help against the Risleys and the Rock.

However, after the Ironborn elected a new king, Cragorn Greyjoy, they soon sought a new target for their next great reaving. Their eyes fell upon Oldtown. The naval fleet of Oldtown was no match for the Ironborn, not only due to their seafaring prowess, but also because Abelar "the Weak Thorn" Redwyne had betrayed the Reach and refused to dispatch the Arbor fleet for its defense. Oldtown bled in the assault.

Meanwhile, more Andals continued to arrive in the Reach. House Horpe, among them, displaced House Dunn and claimed dominion over the Oldhills and soon more Andals arrived changing Oldtown with their customs and their religion.

After some time, the Reach would reclaim the Arbor with the help of the Oldtown Fleet and defend it against the Ironborn. The Redwynes were punished, and a bastard of King Galayn Gardner married into the Redwynes and took their name. The Ironborn influence of the Arbor was removed thereafter. After the death of King Galayn Gardener they should lose a war against King Armistead 'the Fool' Vance in winter, who took land at the Blackwater.

Second Century A.I.

While the Stormlands were consumed by a succession crisis over the next Durrandon king, King Gunthor Gardener seized the opportunity to reclaim Nightsong with the aid of House Mullendore, a Andal Warlord, which had only recently been lost to the Stormlands. The Mullendores were granted Nightsong, while House Caron received smaller holdings.

Soon after, Highgarden was plunged into chaos when King Garland Gardener was found dead in a weirwood grove, his body grotesquely displayed. Greene Gardener used the event to stage a coup, placing the boy Harlen, styled King Garth, in his place, claiming he was blessed by the Old Gods. This sparked a civil war between the “Greens,” who championed the old ways, and the “Whites,” led by Galayn and Garth Gardener, who sought to avenge Garland’s murder and unite the Reach under both Andal and First Men traditions. The realm was split, and House Gardener was torn apart by the conflict.

Years of bitter fighting followed, ending in stalemate. The Reach was reunited under one crown, yet divided within: the South, under Hightower influence, clung to Andal customs and the Faith to the Seven, while all lands held north of Highgarden fell to Greene, who ended Andal influence there and restored the worship of the old gods.

From 132–136 A.I., the Stormlands raised a coalition to break Duskendale and restore a First Men king, Ormond Darklyn. Stormlords, Reachmen, Rivermarkers, and Duskmen fought bitterly along the Blackwater Rush in one of the bloodiest wars of the age. King Garth, which actually was Greene Gardener, had joined the war after King Beron promised to renounce his claim to Nightsong and back a First Men ruler in Duskendale. For the Reach, the war offered a chance both to strike against the Andals and to ensure Nightsong remained secured, preventing their northern frontier from being surrounded by Andal kings. In the end, the campaign failed to achieve its wider goals.

The Reach was attacked by King Robert Lannister in 143 A.I., who, informed by the Risleys of the presence of Children of the Forest at Red Lake, launched a brutal assault. Unable to withstand the sheer force brought against them, the Reach saw Red Lake burned and Greene Gardener taken captive. At the same time, Ironborn raids, most fiercely by the Greyjoys, grew increasingly frequent, leaving the Reach in a state of deep turmoil.

In 151 A.I., King Robert Lannister launched an assault against King Garth “the Green” Gardener to seize the Bower. Within a year the campaign succeeded, marking yet another defeat for the Reach at the hands of the Westerlands. At the same time, the Reach suffered heavy Ironborn raids along its coasts, with longships striking deep upriver along the Mander.

Following the sudden death of King Garth in the midst of a tournament melee in 156 A.I., a swift but silent succession crisis took hold of the halls of Highgarden. While the late King had a single trueborn son, the young Galayn was but seven years of age, and concerns circled of whether a boy-King would be able to rise to the needs of the fragile realm. In the tenuous days that followed the King's death, two of Highgarden's most influential courtiers, Master Gareth Gardener and Juniper of Highgarden, turned their gaze instead towards the late-King's brother: Gwayne Gardener. Though the man had been away from Highgarden for many years, he had made a name for himself amid his travels between the norther Reach and Kingdom of Storms. Many of the Reach's northern Magnars flocked to his banner. Following a meeting with Gareth and Juniper, in which Gwayne promised to honor his brother's kin and legacy, the man ascended to the Oakenseat with the full support of Highgarden. In the same year, King Gwayne Gardener proved true to his word. When House Risley rose in war against the Lannisters, seeking to overthrow them, Gwayne seized the opportunity and successfully reclaimed the Bower for the Reach.

In 170 A.I., King Gwayne V Gardener and his long-time lover Elenei I, made an ambitious move and attempted to unite their realms. With both monarchs still ruling, a realm of two crowns was forged against Andal influence and Andal invasion, but it has yet to have its first true test.

In 176 A.I., King Gwayne V Gardener and Queen Elenei I Durrandon launched a joint campaign against Duskendale, aiming both to liberate the Gauntlet and to bring the Darklyns under tribute. After two years of war, their efforts succeeded, though Duskendale by then had been diminished, with several of its former vassals having declared independence or aligned themselves with the Rivermark.

In 180 A.I., Queen Elenei I Durrandon passed away, and her daughter, Queen Vika I Durrandon—a bastard daughter of King Gwayne V Gardener—succeeded her. With her accession, the First Kingdom fractured, though Vika sought to maintain a close friendship with the Gardeners.

King Gwayne V, observing that his southern vassals had grown increasingly powerful under the Faith of the Seven and the influence of the Hightowers, turned his attention outward to direct their attentions. Plans were set in motion to strike against the Daynes and to focus the marcher lords on a common foe, while he also sought to reclaim the Shield Islands. In the war against House Dayne, King Gwayne V Gardener proved his mettle. His forces succeeded in burning the seat of House Fowler and he managed to weaken the Daynes, though not enough to break their kingdom.