Riverlands

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== The Rivers and the Hills ==

[[File:Blue Fork.jpg|thumb|The Blue Fork is between hills and forests.]]

The realm of the Rivers and the Hills has shrunk and now it runs from the swampy Neck in the north down to the lands of House Darry in the south; forests can be found at the Cape of Eagles, especially around Seagard. Elsewhere the terrain is kinder: fertile river-vales carved by the Green Fork and the Blue Fork lie at its heart, while eastward the land rises into rolling foothills beneath the Vale and northward dissolves into bog and morass with scant arable ground. Amid these shifting borders stands Oldstones, the ancestral seat of the [[House_Mudd|Mudd]] kings: a great castle perched atop a wooded hill above the Blue Fork, reached by overgrown trails flanked by ash, elm, oak, pine, and sentinel trees. Blackberry thickets, bracken, gorse, sedge, and thistle crowd its undergrowth, and from the summit one surveys the winding river below and the dense woodland beyond—a fitting stronghold for the rulers of the Rivers and the Hills.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''The World of Ice and Fire'', (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 152.</ref>

The realm of the Rivers and the Hills has shrunk and now it runs from the swampy Neck in the north down to the lands of [[House Darry]] in the south; forests can be found at the Cape of Eagles, especially around Seagard. Elsewhere the terrain is kinder: fertile river-vales carved by the Green Fork and the Blue Fork lie at its heart, while eastward the land rises into rolling foothills beneath [[Mountain_and_Vale|the Vale]] and northward dissolves into bog and morass with scant arable ground. Amid these shifting borders stands Oldstones, the ancestral seat of the [[House_Mudd|Mudd]] kings: a great castle perched atop a wooded hill above the Blue Fork, reached by overgrown trails flanked by ash, elm, oak, pine, and sentinel trees. Blackberry thickets, bracken, gorse, sedge, and thistle crowd its undergrowth, and from the summit one surveys the winding river below and the dense woodland beyond—a fitting stronghold for the rulers of the Rivers and the Hills.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''The World of Ice and Fire'', (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 152.</ref>

[[File:Green Fork.jpg|thumb|The Green Fork leads to the Neck in the North.]]

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== Southron Stones ==

The Southron Stones is a Kingdom along the Red Fork of the Trident, characterized by rolling hills and scattered woodlands. One of its most important landmarks is High Heart, a solitary, steep-sloped hill crowned by thirty-one carved weirwoods and revered as a sanctuary of both the Children of the Forest and the [[First Men]]. Its prominence above the surrounding lowlands grants clear sight for leagues in every direction, giving rise to the saying ''“no enemy can approach unseen,”'' a feature that lends the site quiet safety even in troubled times.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords'', Arya IV (2002).</ref>

The Southron Stones is a Kingdom along the Red Fork of the Trident, characterized by rolling hills and scattered woodlands. One of its most important landmarks is High Heart, a solitary, steep-sloped hill crowned by thirty-one carved weirwoods and revered as a sanctuary of both the [[Children of the Forest]] and the [[First Men]]. Its prominence above the surrounding lowlands grants clear sight for leagues in every direction, giving rise to the saying ''“no enemy can approach unseen,”'' a feature that lends the site quiet safety even in troubled times.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords'', Arya IV (2002).</ref>

[[File:Southstone.jpg|thumb|Southstone is full of hills and green lands. ]]

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== Andals in the Riverlands ==

The southern reaches of the Riverlands have already fallen to Andal warriors, led by [[Armistead_Vance|Lord Armistead Vance]]. After failing to take Duskendale, he landed at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush with a host of warriors and marched north into the fractured petty-kingdoms. Securing several keeps south-west of the Gods’ Eye, he made his seat at the refortified stronghold now called Castle Armistead.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''The World of Ice and Fire'', (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 151–152.</ref>

The southern reaches of the Riverlands have already fallen to Andal warriors, led by [[Armistead_Vance|Lord Armistead Vance]]. After failing to take Duskendale, he landed at the mouth of [[the Blackwater]] Rush with a host of warriors and marched north into the fractured petty-kingdoms. Securing several keeps south-west of the Gods’ Eye, he made his seat at the refortified stronghold now called Castle Armistead.<ref>George R. R. Martin, ''The World of Ice and Fire'', (London: HarperVoyager, 2014) p. 151–152.</ref>

[[File:Gods Eye.jpg|thumb|The Isle of Faces is guarded by the Green Men.]]

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Nonetheless, as the centuries past the Fishers began to decline in their power. Their power relied on their ability to control the rivers, and when that fell into question - their rule did likewise. A few poor kings at the wrong time did the rest, and House Fisher passed from the heights of renown, into the long decay of obscurity.

The downfall of House Fisher created new opportunities, and led to the rise of new kingdoms. House Blackwood had been driven from the North due to the incessant wars over the great primordial forests, and arrived in the Riverlands in search of new opportunities. What precisely followed is in question. House Bracken would tell you they offered protection to the Blackwoods and were betrayed, whereas the Blackwoods would say that the Brackens were their vassals who turned on them. Whatever the case, the Houses of Blackwood and Bracken would both claim the titles of River Kings during this period, along with certain lost kings from House Hook. At times, they restored the Kingdom to what it had been, but forever fleeting. It was not until the rise of House Mudd approximately a thousand years before the Andal Invasions, that a renewed stability would return to the Riverlands.

The downfall of House Fisher created new opportunities, and led to the rise of new kingdoms. House Blackwood had been driven from the North due to the incessant wars over the great primordial forests, and arrived in the Riverlands in search of new opportunities. What precisely followed is in question. House Bracken would tell you they offered protection to the Blackwoods and were betrayed, whereas the Blackwoods would say that the Brackens were their vassals who turned on them. Whatever the case, the Houses of Blackwood and Bracken would both claim the titles of River Kings during this period, along with certain lost kings from House Hook. At times, they restored the Kingdom to what it had been, but forever fleeting. It was not until the rise of House Mudd approximately a thousand years before the [[Andal Invasions]], that a renewed stability would return to the Riverlands.

During this time the Mudds were greatly afflicted by an expanding High Kingdom of the Iron Islands. The Cape of Eagles remained in their hands until by chance a company of Andal Adventurers pledged their service to the King of the Rivers and the Hills, and drove the Ironmen back into the sea. Seeing an opportunity, the Mudds gave the Cape of Eagles to their leader, and thus House Mallister was created.