Westerlands: Difference between revisions
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=== Second Century A.I. === | === Second Century A.I. === | ||
Tyrion I's descendants became passive and overly reliant on their andal advisors, primarily House Risley, represented by the chief advisors and father and son duo, Robert and Ronald Risley, during their tenure as defacto rulers of the Rock there were multiple failed invasions of Fair Isle as well as rebellions from the Necromancer Mordred Banefort, the bronze clans under the Lannetts and the Lannys of Ashmark, all of them being quelled by the armed interventions of House Risley. The Rock in this time was left united and centralized, but the lion's inability to self govern and reliance on capable advisors was made evident to it's vassals, returning to the times of House Reyne and it's continued regency over the Rock. | Tyrion I's descendants became passive and overly reliant on their andal advisors, primarily House Risley which was now landed in Castamere, represented by the chief advisors and father and son duo, Robert and Ronald Risley, during their tenure as defacto rulers of the Rock there were multiple failed invasions of Fair Isle as well as rebellions from the Necromancer Mordred Banefort, the bronze clans under the Lannetts and the Lannys of Ashmark, all of them being quelled by the armed interventions of House Risley. The Rock in this time was left united and centralized, but the lion's inability to self govern and reliance on capable advisors was made evident to it's vassals, returning to the times of House Reyne and it's continued regency over the Rock. | ||
Efforts of Houses Plumm, Risley and Vypren saw the introduction of roads and coinage to the Rock, though the process of integrating them across the Kingdom and it's many first men subjects would prove slow and costly. | Efforts of Houses Plumm, Risley and Vypren saw the introduction of roads and coinage to the Rock, though the process of integrating them across the Kingdom and it's many first men subjects would prove slow and costly. | ||
During the tenure of Ronald Risley as both regent and chief advisor of the kingdom, King Robert Lannister came of age and became the first king in three generations to rule by his own word. Despite that, Ronald Risley was not allowed to retire as he wished, and was kept on the kings counsel until finally the old Risley lord succumbed to stress and old age. The following Risley lords, Roymar and Russel, were not as loyal as the previous generations, despite their family member ruling as Queen to Robert Lannister. | |||
A strong military leader, Robert Lannister expanded the armies of the crown and once again began outward expansion. The early years of his reign were marked with bloody border raids against the Reach at Red Lake. The king was hateful of Firstmen faiths and Children of the Forest, creatures that he considered demons. It was the large settlement of the Children at Red Lake that made him target those lands with fervor, slaughtering them whenever he could. After the first few successful raids, a full-scale invasion was launched as well, the Bower falling under Lannister rule before the war was ended due to threats of an Ironborn invasion. | |||
At the same time, a conclave of the Faith was held at Riverrun, many septons from the West attending. During the conclave, the Westermen septons managed to win the vote for where the Most Devout would be housed - Lannisport. | |||
Not wishing to be attacked by the Ironborn during the next invasion, Robert Lannister had decided to make peace with them. For the first time in history, a King of the Iron Isles, Harras Hoare, was invited to Casterly Rock to treat with the Lion King. Robert promised to defend any Ironborn conquests within the lands of the Reach, in return for allowing Septons to preach without fear of being harmed on the Iron Isles. King Harras accepted the deal, though was secretly plotting to betray the Lannisters. | |||
Once the bannermen of the Rock were informed of this deal the fallout was immediate. None of them accepted making any deals with the Ironborn, many urging the King to backstab them. Though betrayal came from the Ironborn first. As the Westerlands were preparing to march upon the Reach once more, the Ironborn landed on Kayce and began their invasion. The forces of the West were utterly devastated, the war continuing on even into winter as Robert refused to surrender. In the ensuing years Lannisport was sacked, Lann's Sept destroyed and the Most Devout present there slaughtered. Kayce and Dale both became domains of the Iron Isles. | |||
When the devastating winter finally drew to a close, Lord Russel Risley launched a rebellion supported by the vast majority of Westermen lords and overthrew Robert Lannister, who was slain in the only battle of the rebellion by Lord Jon Lanny. Robert's children were sent off to septs and forced to join the Faith's holy order. Russel Risley crowned himself King of the Westerlands. | |||
In the following years, Russel gathered the forces of the West, the Riverlands and the Faith and began an invasion to retake Kayce and Dale. The war was brutal, tens of thousands perishing before the Ironborn were pushed back from Dale. Seeing that the West would not give up Kayce either and that another devastating war was soon to come, the Ironborn abandoned those lands as well, though not before trying to destroy as much as possible. | |||
Russel continued to rule for another decade after the war before dying of old age. His oldest son Reynard Risley took the throne as the second Risley king. Reynard would only be remembered for encouraging scholars and learned men, as well as funding innovation. He died of a heart attack only five years into his reign. | |||
The third Risley king, Roland Risley, rose to the throne at the young age of 16. | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
[[Category:Regions]] | [[Category:Regions]] | ||
Revision as of 12:00, 29 September 2025
The Westerlands are a place of rugged hills and rolling plains, of misty dales and craggy shorelines, a place of blue lakes and sparkling rivers and fertile fields, of broadleaf forests that teem with game of every sort, where half-hidden doors in the sides of wooded hills open onto labyrinthine caves that wend their way through darkness to reveal unimaginable wonders and vast treasures deep beneath the earth. - The World of Ice and Fire[1]
Culture and Regions of the Westerlands
The Westerlands is a geographical expression that encompasses the central west region of Westeros. It is known for its rugged hills, rolling plains, fertile fields, and broadleaf forests. On its northwest side lies the Sunset Sea, while great mountains form the border with the Riverlands in the east and the Reach in the south. It is mostly inhabited by First Men, though some Children of the Forest and giants still endure in the more remote places. Most of the keeps swear their fealty to Casterly Rock and its lords, House Lannister, Kings of the Rock. Except for some conflicts with the Gardeners, the River Kings, and the Ironborn, the West had remained largely unaffected by the turmoil in the rest of Westeros, prior to the Coming of the Andals to the Westerlands. The mountains and hills are rich in silver and gold mines, which have long provided immense wealth and power to the lords who control them.
Ongoing conflicts with the Ironborn and the Reach have strained the coffers and fields of the Western rulers in recent ages. Though the might of the Lannister Kings now waxes greater than ever before, they occupy a precarious position between the Andals of the Riverlands, the ever-mighty Reach, and a newly resurgent Iron Islands.
The Northern Mountains
The northern reaches of the Westerlands are the most rugged anywhere in the region. This area is divided in two, between the relatively isolated clans of the high mountains, and the rocky slopes, moors and wooded valleys that run around the coast from the Crag, over the Withermoore, and through the Goldmarch on the northern coast.
The Northern Mountain Clans were largely conquered by King Tyrion Lannister after his victory in the Seven Years' War. Clan Myatt had consolidated control over Ashmark before the arrival of the Lannister forces, but was defeated in battle by King Tyrion, with their holdings stripped and handed over to House Lanny. Further expansion by House Lanny marked the end of the Northern Mountain Clans as an independent people, bringing them into the Kingdom of the Rock whole.
Notable Clans and Houses
The Western Clans
In the mountains that border the Riverlands, the First Men grow strong, and hard. The men of the mountains worship the Bronze and its two daughters, Tin and Copper. They lived mostly in isolation, uninterested in the affairs of either the western lowlands or the eastern neighbors, save for stealing livestock and daughters both. These people are as rough and harsh as the rugged land they inhabit, and value strength and endurance above all else. Nonetheless, some of these clans, influenced by their Westman and Riverman neighbours, have shed the more brutal aspects of their culture, and begun to live more akin to the mountain clans of the far north - valuing hospitality and personal honour above all else.
King Cheyk Horn was the first among the Western Mountain Clans to unite both Hornvale and Denslane, becoming the greatest Chief of the Western Clansmen in living memory. His consistent raids of the Rock led him into conflict with that Kingdom, leading to an alliance with the Andals in the Riverlands to gain some measure of protection.
Raids led personally by Cheyk Horn into the Motley Hills were a common sight during the Seven Years' War. When the Lannister armies returned victorious from the Reach and with vengeance in their eyes, the Western Clans were betrayed by their Andal allies in the Riverlands, who agreed to carve up their domains alongside the Lannisters.
A short but brutal conquest followed, with Hornvale falling into the domain of the Andals in the Riverlands, and Denslane swallowed by the Rock. House Lanett was given dominion over the annexed domains of Denslane, and House Brax came to rule in Hornvale.
Notable Clans
Kingdom of the Rock
The Kingdom of the Rock stretches from the Sunset Sea in the west to the great mountains in the east. It borders the Riverlands at the Blackwood Vale and Hornvale, now the domain of the Andals who rule the Rivermark. The landscape is dominated by rugged hills and steep mountains. Most of the keeps and smaller settlements are clustered near the coast. To the Rock's south lies the Reach. Numerous chieftains, petty-kings, and other minor rulers once claimed independent dominion over their own slice of land to the Rock's south or east, but all were made to bend the knee during the age of Loreon V Lannister and Tyrion I Lannister.
Despite its rough terrain, the Kingdom of the Rock is one of the most prosperous regions in Westeros. At its heart stands Casterly Rock, a massive mountain fortress originally carved out by House Casterly and later expanded into an unassailable stronghold. House Lannister, who succeeded them, pushed the kingdom's borders to their current extent and founded Lannisport the second-largest city on the continent.
Since the coming of the Andals, the Lannisters have grown greatly in wealth and power. The writ of Casterly Rock now runs from Crakehall to Goldmarch, and as far deep into the mountains as Ashmark, Denslane, and Silverhill.
The Kingdom of the Rock is a stable power in the West, one that has expanded considerably in all directions in the last few decades. Yet divisions of culture, faith, and loyalties still remain, and may prove to be this young realm's undoing.
Notable Houses
Kingdom of Fair Isle
Fair Isle lies off the coast of the Westerlands, separated from the mainland by perilous straights difficult to navigate by inexperienced sailors. Throughout the Age of Heroes until the Coming of the Andals, Fair Isle has been ruled by the Farmans of Faircastle, though the island has also had periods under both Ironborn and Lannister rule.
The Invasion of Fair Isle commenced in 41 A.I. and ended two years later, with the extinction of the ancient and noble line of House Farman, and the commencement of direct Ironborn rule over the isle. Urron Greyiron raised his eldest son, Urzen Greyiron, as ruler of Fair Isle. The Lannisters and the Kingdom of the Rock, busied as they were in other regions, made no move to retake Fair Isle of challenge the Ironborn control of the island.
Fair Isle's population and nobility resisted the Invasion of Fair Isle without reservation, and without care for their lives. In the aftermath, the island was resettled by Ironborn from the Iron Islands, giving Fair Isle its present day character.
Notable Houses
The Southron Hills
The southern part of the Westerlands is a mix of fertile plains and rugged hills, serving as a major source of food for the rest of the region. Historically, the area was ruled by various independent kings and chieftains until they were subdued by the Kings of the Rock. However, after a major defeat at the hands of the Gardener Kings of the Reach, several southern houses such as House Crakehall, House Foote, and House Payne reclaimed their crowns and declared themselves kings once more.
This state of affairs lasted for a century, before the Lannister resurgence that rose with the coming of the Andals. Ronnel Reyne, the masterful diplomat and trusted hand of King Loreon V, brought House Crakehall's kingdom to a close, bringing them back into the fold of the Kingdom of the Rock. The Foote Hills were conquered by House Crakehall simultaneously, and the Silver Hills were subdued and brought to the Lannisters to dole out. The rapid expansion of Houses Crakehall and Lannister into the Southern Mountain Clans led to the exodus of the Foote Hills tribesmen under House Foote, and the subjugation of the Silver Hills tribesmen under House Vypren.
House Vypren became the first Andal adventurers to settle in the Westerlands, being made rulers of the Silver Hills and becoming trusted bannermen of the Lannister Kings as their own gaze turned south.
Notable Houses
Points of Interest
To the north, along the Sunset Sea, stands Banefort, the ancient seat of the Hooded Kings of House Banefort. Nearby lies Provence, the ancestral stronghold of House Broome and gateway to the land of the rivers. Further south sits the Crag, home of House Westerling. Following the coast, one comes upon Castamere, the mostly underground fortress previously of House Reyne and these days of House Risley, andals the king bestowed lands and titles to after the Reynes were extinguished for their rebellion. Across the sea lies Fair Isle, once ruled by House Farman and now by the Greyirons.
Further down the coast is Kayce, seat of House Lantell, who govern Lann's Point after the dismissal of House Kenning. At the heart of Lannisport Bay lies the bustling town sharing the same name, and towering above it is Casterly Rock, the great mountain fortress of House Lannister, Kings of the Rock. The final major coastal stronghold is Crakehall Keep, once the seat of the old Crakehall kings, and now the Southern-March of the West.
Inland, the terrain becomes rougher, lands once ruled by the Western clans and fortified houses. Among them are Ashmark, held by House Lanny, the Golden Tooth, ruled by House Dabell, Hornvale, home of House Brax; and finally, Payne Hall, held by House Payne.
History
The Dawn Age
Not much is known about the land's early history until the arrival of the first men. It is known that at that time, the land was inhabited by the children of the forest and the giants. The first inhabited the forests, while the latter inhabited the rugged hills, where even today, their bones can be found.
The era came to an end with the arrival of the first men. Equipped with bronze tools and weapons they settled the hills and the plains. Slowly pushing the original inhabitants until the children were left with only the deepest of the forests and the giants were all but gone.
Still, the men of the West agreed to the pact made between the children of the forest and the first men in the Isle of Faces. This peace brought a great era of prosperity, ended the dawn Age, and marked the beginning of the Age of Heroes.
The Age of Heroes
As part of the sealing of the Pact, ownership of the Rock passed from the Children of the Forest, to Corlos son of Caster, the founder of House Casterly.
The Coming of the Andals
The Coming of the Andals to the Westerlands began approximately two centuries before the Andal Invasions began in earnest on the western coasts of the Narrow Sea, though it was seldom remembered by that time. Lann the Clever was one of a band of adventurers and mercenaries that travelled to the Westerlands in search of wealth, and took service in Casterly Rock. Through guile, misdirection and apparently amorous means, Lann managed to usurp the rule of House Casterly, and claim the Rock for himself, becoming the founder of House Lannister. Other minor houses today which exist in the areas surrounding the Rock too date from Lann's companions, including House Prester, House Tarwick and House Wrexley. House Lannister came to the Rock centuries before the great Andal adventurers followed in their footsteps, and unlike the Andals who came after them, the Lannisters integrated into the lands of the First Men, transitioning quickly into First Men Kings themselves.
The Kingdom of the Rock was forged during the age of Loreon I Lannister, the first true King of the Rock. His successors expanded the Kingdom until a disastrous defeat at the hands of Garth Goldenhand led to a century of retreat. During this time, the Rock was part of a medley of Kingdoms that dotted the West. These included the many Kingdoms of the Mountain Clansmen, the Crake Kings, the Kings of Fair Isle, the Necromancer Kings of the Banefort, and many others forgotten to time. The expansion of the Rock came to a sudden halt after their war with the Reach, and many of her dominions broke free of Lannister rule in this era. The ages of King Loreon III and King Loreon IV saw the Rock retreat into itself, as weak Kings lent little to earlier eras of Lannister expansion.
First Century A.I.
King Loreon V Lannister and the Red Queen Elsa Reyne oversaw the beginning of the Rock's reversal in fortunes, despite a fractious political situation resulting from Loreon's own desire to be seen as a woman. In the era of King Loreon V, the Crake Kings bent the knee, the Foote Hills were brought under the Rock, the Silver Hills were conquered, and tensions with the Reach itself reached a boiling point. The Seven Years' War that followed saw the demise of King Loreon V, and the beginning of the reign of King Tyrion I. Victory over the Reach was followed by the conquests of Denslane and Ashmark, bringing the Kingdom of the Rock to its greatest extent in history.
When the Andals came in force, about a century after the great defeat, the Kingdom of the Rock changed considerably. Firstly it became revealed to the Lannisters that Lann the clever was an Andal, and was acclaimed even the First-Among-the-Andals by more recent Andal visitors. The subsequent diplomatic and military victories of the Rock were attributed by the Lannisters to the reopening of Lann's Sept. Though the might of the Ironborn waxed greatly in this era, so did the might of Casterly Rock. As the Ironborn reavers descended upon the West with a fury not seen in centuries, the Westermen of the coasts, unified under House Lannister, suffered greatly despite their best attempts to mount a resistance. This heavy militarization, a consequence of their fear of the seas and those that rule them, was the seed of Casterly Rocks recent rise.
During King Tyrion I's reign, further conflicts arose in Goldengrove, The Risleys refused to bend to the Gardeners and called on Lannister aid, the Seven Years' War was unpopular among the Rock's bannermen and notions of another costly war in the south led to Houses Reyne, Crakehall and Dale rising up in open rebellion against Tyrion I. The rebellion was put down by house Lanny with aid from the Vances, Baneforts and Plumms, house Crakehall was shown mercy but House Reyne was wiped out. The conflict regarding Goldengrove ended in Tyrion's defeat and the return of Rowan rule, a peace treaty with the Reach followed soon after.
Second Century A.I.
Tyrion I's descendants became passive and overly reliant on their andal advisors, primarily House Risley which was now landed in Castamere, represented by the chief advisors and father and son duo, Robert and Ronald Risley, during their tenure as defacto rulers of the Rock there were multiple failed invasions of Fair Isle as well as rebellions from the Necromancer Mordred Banefort, the bronze clans under the Lannetts and the Lannys of Ashmark, all of them being quelled by the armed interventions of House Risley. The Rock in this time was left united and centralized, but the lion's inability to self govern and reliance on capable advisors was made evident to it's vassals, returning to the times of House Reyne and it's continued regency over the Rock.
Efforts of Houses Plumm, Risley and Vypren saw the introduction of roads and coinage to the Rock, though the process of integrating them across the Kingdom and it's many first men subjects would prove slow and costly.
During the tenure of Ronald Risley as both regent and chief advisor of the kingdom, King Robert Lannister came of age and became the first king in three generations to rule by his own word. Despite that, Ronald Risley was not allowed to retire as he wished, and was kept on the kings counsel until finally the old Risley lord succumbed to stress and old age. The following Risley lords, Roymar and Russel, were not as loyal as the previous generations, despite their family member ruling as Queen to Robert Lannister.
A strong military leader, Robert Lannister expanded the armies of the crown and once again began outward expansion. The early years of his reign were marked with bloody border raids against the Reach at Red Lake. The king was hateful of Firstmen faiths and Children of the Forest, creatures that he considered demons. It was the large settlement of the Children at Red Lake that made him target those lands with fervor, slaughtering them whenever he could. After the first few successful raids, a full-scale invasion was launched as well, the Bower falling under Lannister rule before the war was ended due to threats of an Ironborn invasion.
At the same time, a conclave of the Faith was held at Riverrun, many septons from the West attending. During the conclave, the Westermen septons managed to win the vote for where the Most Devout would be housed - Lannisport.
Not wishing to be attacked by the Ironborn during the next invasion, Robert Lannister had decided to make peace with them. For the first time in history, a King of the Iron Isles, Harras Hoare, was invited to Casterly Rock to treat with the Lion King. Robert promised to defend any Ironborn conquests within the lands of the Reach, in return for allowing Septons to preach without fear of being harmed on the Iron Isles. King Harras accepted the deal, though was secretly plotting to betray the Lannisters.
Once the bannermen of the Rock were informed of this deal the fallout was immediate. None of them accepted making any deals with the Ironborn, many urging the King to backstab them. Though betrayal came from the Ironborn first. As the Westerlands were preparing to march upon the Reach once more, the Ironborn landed on Kayce and began their invasion. The forces of the West were utterly devastated, the war continuing on even into winter as Robert refused to surrender. In the ensuing years Lannisport was sacked, Lann's Sept destroyed and the Most Devout present there slaughtered. Kayce and Dale both became domains of the Iron Isles.
When the devastating winter finally drew to a close, Lord Russel Risley launched a rebellion supported by the vast majority of Westermen lords and overthrew Robert Lannister, who was slain in the only battle of the rebellion by Lord Jon Lanny. Robert's children were sent off to septs and forced to join the Faith's holy order. Russel Risley crowned himself King of the Westerlands.
In the following years, Russel gathered the forces of the West, the Riverlands and the Faith and began an invasion to retake Kayce and Dale. The war was brutal, tens of thousands perishing before the Ironborn were pushed back from Dale. Seeing that the West would not give up Kayce either and that another devastating war was soon to come, the Ironborn abandoned those lands as well, though not before trying to destroy as much as possible.
Russel continued to rule for another decade after the war before dying of old age. His oldest son Reynard Risley took the throne as the second Risley king. Reynard would only be remembered for encouraging scholars and learned men, as well as funding innovation. He died of a heart attack only five years into his reign.
The third Risley king, Roland Risley, rose to the throne at the young age of 16.
References
- ↑ George R.R. Martin. (2014). The World of Ice and Fire - The Stormlands: House Durrandon. London: HarperVoyager. p.195