Stormlands
The people of the stormlands are like unto their weather, it has oft been said: tumultuous, violent, implacable, unpredictable. - The World of Ice and Fire[1]
The Stormlands, also known as the Kingdom of the Storm, is located to the south-east of Westeros, bordering the Riverlands and the Blackwater to the north, the Reach to the west, Dorne to the south, and the coast of the Narrow Sea to the east. The Stormlands is renowned for its autumn storms that rip through deep forests, stony mountains, and wind-battered cliffs, and beyond[1]. The region is dominated by its enormous woods, and timber is never in short supply[2]. The Stormlands has been nominally ruled by House Durrandon since the Dawn Age as Storm Kings, and for millennia the men of this land have existed as a largely homogenous group with shared customs, traditions, and heritage.
The First Men of this region are known as Stormmen. They are a harsh, martial people, where strength and resilience are highly prized, and a man's competence is oft more respected than bloodline. The Stormmen value a fierce warrior, praising battle-talent and a man's prowess as the highest virtues. As such many second sons and ambitious smallfolk seek out fame, fortune, and glory as wandering sellswords, brave mercenaries, and valiant adventurers both within and far beyond the confines of the Stormlands seeking their next conquest.
Life is rarely easy here, and success is largely defined by defiance against the elements and uncompromising stubbornness with much of the land actively resisting attempts to tame it. While competition is fierce between the nobility, outsiders face a united front if they encroach on the hard-earned prosperity in the Stormlands, though local raids, minors wars, and feuds are a regular occurrence. To outsiders, the nobility of this land are known as Stormlords[3].
With the Coming of the Andals much of Durrandon control eroded, and the unity of the Stormmen was undone. By 31 A.I. Massey's Hook, much of Cape Wrath and the Rainwood, and the Isle of Tarth paid little heed to the Storm Kings, and existed independently.
Main Regions
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 such as House Peasebury and House Grand 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. However they're prosperity has made them complacent and the rest of the Stormlands often views the Meadow Lords as soft, an assumption that has yet to change[4].
Also known as the Sapphire Isle, Tarth is the largest island of the Stormlands, and sits like a jewel in the shining Straits of Tarth[5]. Renowned for its beauty, of rich fertile soil, lakes, and waterfalls, it was coveted by both First Men and Andals in equal measure. The men of Tarth hold themselves to be braver and more honourable than the mainlanders in the rest of the Stormlands, which has cultivated an desire to be free of the control of the Storm Kings.
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 Galladon Morne claiming the eastern side of the island[6], and within a few years the whole of the island would fall to to the Andals. After the Storming of Tarth, the isle would be awarded instead to Beron Blacktyde.
Houses of Tarth
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 George R.R. Martin. (2014). The World of Ice and Fire - The Stormlands. London: HarperVoyager. p.221
- ↑ Steven Attewell. (2015). Stormlands Economic Development Plan in Race for the Iron Throne. Wordpress.
- ↑ George R.R. Martin. (2013). The Winds of Winter - Arianne I. Bantam Books.
- ↑ George R.R. Martin. (2000). A Storm of Swords - Davos IV. Voyager Books.
- ↑ George R.R. Martin. (2000). A Storm of Swords - Jaime III-IV. Voyager Books.
- ↑ George R.R. Martin. (2014). The World of Ice and Fire - The Stormlands: The Men of the Stormlands. p.231. London: HarperVoyager.