Stormlands: Difference between revisions
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== The Kingswood and the Wendwater == | == The Kingswood and the Wendwater == | ||
The northernmost part of the primeval wood that stretches across the Stormlands - the Kingswood, like its sister-forest down south, is vast, fertile, and old. Swept by winds billowing in from the [[Blackwater Bay|Blackwater]] and Shipbreaker Bay, the rustling of trees swaying in the wind goes hand-in-hand with the sound of saws and foresters harvesting timber. There is a great number of streams and small brooks flowing in the woods, and from the coast of the Blackwater runs the Wendwater River, making fertile ground for both the Stormmen and Andal settlers that reside there. | |||
Here, [[House Fell]] and [[House Blackheart]] dominate the woods within the Stormlands, harvesting large quantities of lumber to build ships, forts, houses, and tools across Westeros. Outside, newly landed Andals such as [[House Pyle]] have found rich, fertile land to consolidate their rule over. | |||
=== Notable Kingswood Houses === | === Notable Kingswood Houses === | ||
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== The Western Meadows == | == The Western Meadows == | ||
Shielded from the worst excesses of the autumn storms and the dry battlegrounds of the marches - the grasslands, woods and farms west of Storm's End are the breadbasket of the Stormlands and where virtually all inland trade occurs, primarily with the [[The Reach|Reach]]. | |||
Though not as renowned as the warrior-lords that dominate the region's history, the lords of the Meadows have a penchant for diplomacy and reflection that many other Stormmen lack. Strife is not common here, and where feuds are resolved by [[blood-prices]] and calm mediation. Content in their godswoods and their enduring rule, the Western Meadows are rarely disturbed, a state of affairs they are in no great rush to change. | |||
=== Notable Houses of the Meadows === | === Notable Houses of the Meadows === | ||
Revision as of 07:39, 9 May 2025
The Stormlands, synonymous with the Kingdom of the Storm, is located to the south-east of Westeros, renowned for its autumn storms that rip through deep forests, stony mountains, and wind-battered cliffs, and beyond. The Stormlands has been nominally ruled by House Durrandon since the Age of Heroes, and for millennia the men of this land have existed as a largely homogenous group with shared customs, traditions, and heritage.
Stormmen are a harsh, martial people, where strength and resilience are highly prized, and a man's ability is respected above bloodline. Life is never easy here, and success is largely defined by defiance against the elements and uncompromising stubbornness. While competition is fierce between the martial First Man houses, outsiders face a united front if they encroach on the hard-earned prosperity in the Stormlands.
But the unity of the Stormmen has been broken, and with the Coming of the Andals much of Durrandon control eroded. The Hook of Massey, much of Cape Wrath and the Rainwood, and the Isle of Tarth pay little head to the Storm Kings these days, and exist largely independently.
Shipbreaker Bay
Rocky, wet, and wild, the storms that assault the stout stone keeps of Shipbreaker Bay are legendary. Here prosperity is ripped from the ground and sea in the form of stone, metal, and some of the finest sailors in all of Westeros. The lords of arguably the most hostile lands in the kingdom have made them long-acquainted with the fickleness of the weather, and guest right here is oft sought-after and highly respected.
Dominated by the Stag Kings of House Durrandon, the lords of this region are at the nexus of royal power in the Stormlands, where guest right and hospitality has a centuries-spanning tradition. The lords of the bay regularly break bread with each other, sharing salt, hearth, and home to those in need, and are perhaps more attuned than most to the struggles of their leal smallfolk. Loyalty, brotherhood, and a shared sense of commitment dominate local politics due to the storms that threaten all, with proud families such as House Konugtun, Gale, and Reaper coexisting for mutual benefit and support.
Notable Houses of Shipbreaker Bay
The Hook
A windy, and mountainous peninsula, the Hook has long dominated the eastern Blackwater where ships must sail around it to reach the isles in the Gullet, the richer plains and fields of Duskendale, or the banks of the Blackwater River. Nominally apart of the Stormlands, House Massey has broken away from Storm King control and has reigned as Kings in their own right over the Hook since the reign of Durwald the Fat. During the Coming of the Andals, large numbers of immigrants flocked to the Hook, and isles off the coast were put under Andal rule.
Natural traders, opportunists, and merchants, the men of this peninsula charge high tolls for safe passage along their shores and profit is a common aspiration among the lords of the Hook. Closer than most Stormmen to the growing numbers of Andals from over the sea, and the wildly different cultures from the Blackwater, and the Narrow Sea, the men of the Hook are more amenable to change, and tend to look past cultural differences if a beneficial partnership can be reached.
Notable Houses of the Hook
The Cape of Wrath
The largest peninsula within the Stormlands, Cape Wrath juts out into the Narrow Sea, bordering Shipbreaker Bay, the Eastern Marches, the Sea of Dorne, and encompassing the Estermont Isles. Dominated by the primeval Rainwood, this region bears the brunt of storms sweeping through from the Summer Sea, and is rich in timber, furs, amber, and fertile soil. Though since the reign of the incompetent Durrandon king Durwald the Fat, most of the region has fallen away from the Storm Kings and are now under the influence of the mysterious Green Queen, where many Stormmen houses pay greater heed to the words of this woods-witch rather than any missives from Storm's End.
The men of Cape Wrath are a varied lot. Those woodsmen of the Rainwood and the Estermont Isles dwell in quiet, murky subsistence in their wet forests - preferring to uphold the laws of weirwood and root above bronze and stone, holding the Pact signed on the Isle of Faces in especially high esteem. The scions of House Wylde and House Greenstone have learnt to live in tune with nature, to the beats of thunder on the coasts, and the breath of wood and branch - with most of Cape Wrath following suit. But for a few the ancient traditions of Durran Godsgrief, that of the primordial god-couple of Sea and Sky, still hang heavy in the minds of Houses Crow and Slayne - to overcome the gods and grow strong in a often cruel and uncaring world.
Notable Cape Wrath Houses
The Eastern Marches
Hundreds of leagues of grassland, moors, and plains stretch across the northern border of the Red Mountains. Existing in a constant state of battle-readiness, the marchers of these lands have fought back and forth with the Dornish for thousands of years, and have garnered a reputation for their grinding martial culture and century-long feuds. Dominated by the great castles of the marcher lords, the Houses of the Eastern Marches keep a tight grip on their power and maintain some of the finest fighting men in Westeros.
Harsh, stubborn, and avenging, marchers are slow to forgot slights and pursue vengeance for misdeeds true or false at great cost to themselves. The continuous wars and raids from both sides of the marches has left little room for higher culture or religion, bar lengthy ballads of conflict in the marches. They have a highly secular approach to ruling - trusting in themselves above any god and tree. As such they keep their godswoods neat, small, and pragmatic, and weirwoods do not take easily to the dryer soil here.
Notable Marcher Houses
The Kingswood and the Wendwater
The northernmost part of the primeval wood that stretches across the Stormlands - the Kingswood, like its sister-forest down south, is vast, fertile, and old. Swept by winds billowing in from the Blackwater and Shipbreaker Bay, the rustling of trees swaying in the wind goes hand-in-hand with the sound of saws and foresters harvesting timber. There is a great number of streams and small brooks flowing in the woods, and from the coast of the Blackwater runs the Wendwater River, making fertile ground for both the Stormmen and Andal settlers that reside there.
Here, House Fell and House Blackheart dominate the woods within the Stormlands, harvesting large quantities of lumber to build ships, forts, houses, and tools across Westeros. Outside, newly landed Andals such as House Pyle have found rich, fertile land to consolidate their rule over.
Notable Kingswood Houses
The Western Meadows
Shielded from the worst excesses of the autumn storms and the dry battlegrounds of the marches - the grasslands, woods and farms west of Storm's End are the breadbasket of the Stormlands and where virtually all inland trade occurs, primarily with the Reach.
Though not as renowned as the warrior-lords that dominate the region's history, the lords of the Meadows have a penchant for diplomacy and reflection that many other Stormmen lack. Strife is not common here, and where feuds are resolved by blood-prices and calm mediation. Content in their godswoods and their enduring rule, the Western Meadows are rarely disturbed, a state of affairs they are in no great rush to change.
Notable Houses of the Meadows
The Isle of Tarth
Known as the Sapphire Isle, Tarth is the largest island of the Stormlands, and sits like a jewel in the shining Straits of Tarth. Renowned for its beauty, of rich fertile soil, lakes, and waterfalls, it was coveted by both First Men and Andals in equal measure.
Though ruled by House Evenstar for millennia, during the Andal Invasion, the isle was split in two with the arrival of House Morne with Ser Galadon Morne claiming the eastern side of the island.