Chapter 1: The World Map (Westeros/Essos)

The North

The North is the largest region in all of Westeros, but has a relatively small population despite its size. The landscape is made up of tundra, large lakes and forests and many castles and keeps are made of timber as opposed to stone. Northerners mostly hold to the old gods, worshiping nameless nature spirits, with Weirwood trees being paramount to their faith, there are few Knights in the north. The armies of the North are mostly heavy lancers and heavy infantry who fight in chainmail and leather as opposed to plate. House Stark has ruled over the north from the fortress of Winterfell for thousands of years but at the beginning of our Story, Torrhen Stark has sworn fealty to the Dragonlord Aegon Targaryen, becoming known to his people as the King-Who-Knelt, though his fealty would see his house confirmed as rulers of the north and he would be named the first Warden of the North, an important title as raids from the wildlings beyond the wall are common.

The Vale of Arryn

 As ‘’High as Honor’’ are the words of house Arryn and they stand true. The mountains and valleys of the Vale are home to some of the oldest and proudest houses in Westeros, with house Arryn traditionally ruling from the mountain fortress the Eyrie, far above the clouds. The Vale is known for its chivalry, honor, and reliance on mounted knights and men-at-arms, fighting in plate armor, often against the rebellious mountain clans, though it takes much to rouse the might of the Vale to full-fledged war. While its location, being cut off from much of Westeros by the mountains of the moon, makes it so that it is relatively isolated, It is home to one of Westeros’s largest cities, Gulltown. At the time of our story, The Vale has recently capitulated to Visenya, the Dragonlords Aegon's sister-wife, though they repelled an attack on Gulltown early in the conquest, destroying much of the Targaryen fleet and seeing Aegon's uncle Daemon, master of the fleet killed, though they in turn have lost their own fleet which has caused their traditional vassals, the Three Sisters to rebel against house Arryn. The Vale is currently ruled by a boy of 8, Ronnel Arryn, who along with his mother and regent rode for Oldtown for Aegon's coronation.

The Riverlands

  The riverlands are second only behind the reach in their fertility, with the countless rivers and streams of the region ensuring the prosperity of the hundreds of farmsteads and holdfasts. The riverlanders have traditionally never been allowed to enjoy the fruits of their land as they have been under the yoke of both the stormlands and most recently the tyranny of Harren the Black and his Ironborn. Because of its central location, the Riverlands are often the first to suffer in times of war, with its rivers and streams seeing more than their fair share of blood. However at the time of our story, the rivermen have recently risen up to join the Dragonlord in overthrowing ‘’Black’’ Harren, with their forces making up the bulk of Aegon's army as his conquests come to a close for a time. Edmyn Tully, lord of the fortress of Riverrun has been appointed Lord Paramount of the Riverlands, for the first time in recent memory, the lords of the rivers will be free to oversee their own land, albeit under the watchful eye of the Dragonlord.

The Westerlands

 The Westerlands are a land of riches, with its hilly terrain and rocky crags containing mines that supply most of Westeros’s gold and silver, and often rulership over the Westerlands brings the title the richest man in Westeros along with it At the beginning of our story, the Westerlands have recently submitted to the Dragonlord, though unlike the previous regions, the proud lords of the Westerlands had to be humbled by dragonfire, with the three dragons of house Targaryen bringing fire and blood to the mighty host that the Kings of the Westerlands and the Reach brought to oppose them. The golden shields and armor of the Westerlands knights did nothing to save them from the fires above and many of them burned alongside their men, including the brother of the current ruler of the Westerlands. Loren Lannister managed to escape the field of fire, leaving behind the four thousand dead men of the reach and the westerlands, but rather than submit his fortress of casterly rock to Dragonfire, chose to swear fealty to the Dragonlord, though one has to wonder how strong bonds made under threat of Dragonfire hold.

The Iron Islands

  The Iron Islands are a harsh land, with harsh people to go along with it. The inhospitable and barren rocks of their homeland causing the Ironborn to look to other lands to make their wealth, though some mines of tin and lead are present on the islands, House Hoare has led the axeman raiders of the Ironborn to new heights, conquering the Riverlands and extracting their wealth, often through violence, and the tyrannical ‘’Black’’ Harren Hoare had recently raised one of the greatest fortresses in Westeros, Harrenhall. When the riverlords rose against his tyranny under the banner of the Dragonlord it is said the old King laughed, content to let this upstart ‘’Dragon’’ break himself along the massive walls. In the end the walls of Harrenhall did not save ‘’Black’’ Harren, and he and his five sons burned alongside the entire garrison, servant and king all sharing in the flames of death. At the beginning of our story, the Iron Islands are in a state of chaos, with both a drowned priest and a powerful warlord determined to lead their people to victory against the conquering Dragon.

The Reach

 The Reach is a land of chivalry and plenty, where the wine flows as freely as the countless fields of flowers and grass. The fertility of the Reach has caused it to be known as the breadbasket of the Westerosi continent. The most populous region of Westeros, it is said that whoever controls the Reach commands 70,000 swords, lances, and all the chivalry of the Reach. Many great cities are present in this land, with the city of Oldtown being the most prosperous in Westeros, with the High Septon of the faith making his seat here, as well as the Maesters of the Citadel, the foremost seekers of knowledge in the land. If Westeros can be considered a crown, the Reach is its crown jewel. Despite this power, the knights and men-at-arms of the Reach burned alongside those of the Westerlands, with the mighty King Mern Gardener, his sons, his brothers all perishing on the field of fire, thus ending his line. At the beginning of our story, the Dragonlord Aegon has secured the surrender of both the fortress of Highgarden and the great city of Oldtown, giving the steward Harlan Tyrell the title of Lord Paramount of the Reach for his wisdom in surrendering the city of Highgarden, earning the anger of those lords of more noble blood, but the Dragonlord does not care of what once was, only what is to come.

The Stormlands:

  The Stormlands are a diverse region. Heavily forested for much of its expanse, it is famed for its coast, which is frequently battered by storms from the narrow sea. It is thinly populated, with much of its population living deep in rainy villages of moss covered cottages deep in the forest, among the streams and brooks heading out into the bay, though the stormlands is overseen by the great fortress of Storms End. The region is famed for its warriors. The southern stormlands are much less forested, and the marcher lords, whose proud castles sit upon sand and grassy plains guard the south from the Dornish, with whom the Stormlanders fought frequently in the past. At the beginning of our story, the Stormlands have capitulated to the Dragonlord Aegon, with its King, the Storm King Argilac Durrandon being slain in single combat by Orys Baratheon, the rumored half brother of the Dragonlord when he resisted the Targaryen demand for fealty. The Stormlands are now ruled by Orys, alongside Argilacs daughter, his wife Argella. Whatever is to come for the Targaryens, the Stormlands and Orys Baratheon are sure to follow.

The Crownlands

While not a true Kingdom, the Crownlands constitute one of the most important territories for the Iron throne. The islands of the gullet are home to the Targaryens oldest vassals, most of them with Valyrian ancestry and many sharing blood with the Dragonlord, most notably the Velaryons of Driftmark. West of the gullet, following blackwater bay as it enters Westeros is the site of Kings Landing, the location where the Dragonlord Aegon built the Aegonfort is present, as is the fledgling Targaryen capitol. The southern crownlands are home to the heavily forested Kingswood, which at the time of our story was severely burnt in the conquest, sending many refugees to the site of the new planned capitol. To the north are several proud houses and the cities of Duskendale and the surrounding castles of Rosby and Stokesworth, which were among the first to be brought under the Targaryen banner.

Dorne

  Dorne is a land as hot as the fires that burn within its people. Much of the southern Kingdom is made up of barren and arid wastelands, though oases can be found among the sands, which range anywhere from red to white and everything in between. The eastern coast of Dorne is the seat of power of House Martell, which has ruled Sunspear since the migration of the Rhoynar, and while much of Dorne is inhospitable, the rivers that flow into Eastern Dorne makes the region prosperous enough, and many fruits that are prized by the other regions of Westeros are grown in the east of Dorne, or imported across the narrow sea. At the time of our story, Dorne is the last Westerosi kingdom unconquered by the Dragonlord, who has ceased his conquests in order to consolidate his power, for the time being. The current ruler of Dorne is the aged Meria of Dorne, who despite her blindness and feeble condition, inspires much loyalty from her Dornish vassals.

The Seven Kingdoms of Westeros

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Other cultural regions of Westeros

Crackclaw Point:

 The pine forests, bogs and marshes of Crackclaw Point are the setting of many stories and tales, tales of a proud but misunderstood people. The clawman of Crackclaw point are seen as unsophisticated and primitive to some, but there are perhaps no fiercer people in Westeros, both in battle and loyalty. Though distrustful of outsiders, our story begins with the Clawmen of Cracklaw Point having been among the first to swear loyalty to the Targaryens, with Visenya and her dragon Vhagar making a trip there in which the Clawmen immediately swore fealty to Visenya, with their loyalty being rewarded by Visenya with the promise that the Clawmen would serve no master but the Targaryens for time eternal

The Three Sisters:

The islands of Sweetsister, Longsister, and Littlesister make up the island chain known as the Three Sisters. The sistermen were once a free people, led by Pirate Kings who held dominion over the Bite, before eventually being conquered in a  brutal war by the North, the brutality of which has caused a long standing resentment between the two people. Following this the Vale of Arryn and the North fought conflicts of various lengths for control of the islands, with the Sisters bearing the brunt of these conflicts. At the time of our story, the islands are known to be a den of smugglers, sin and debauchery, while the Sistermen have raised Marla Sunderland as their queen, wanting once more to be a free people. These small Islands have not escaped the Dragonlord Aegon's notice and he has instructed his Warden of the North, Torrhen Stark to make preparations to retake the islands and end the rebellion, though he has changes planned for the long suffering Sisters.

Skagos:

 Skagos is a large island to the far north of Westeros, part of it going past the wall, making it in theory the northernmost point of the King of Westeros’s authority as the island is loosely under the influence of House Stark, though in truth this bond is near nonexistent as many fear to even speak of the ‘’stoneborn’’ or the Skagosi who inhabit these isles, much less exert rule over them. The Skagosi are a large people who are seen by their Northern neighbors as complete savages who practice cannibalism and lure ships to shore and slaughter those that survive, stealing their goods, though it cannot be said how much of this is rumor and how much is fact.  Despite their apparent savage nature, the islands are rich with fish and the rumored existence of unicorns on the island draws some small number of brave traders, who sell the goods gained on Skagos for a fortune.

The Free Folk:

 North of the wall lies the realm of the Free Folk, or the Wildlings as most Westerosi refer to them. The tribes of the Free Folk are beyond the count as are their languages and customs, though once every few centuries a warlord will arise and unite many of the clans often attempting to overwhelm the Night's Watch, mostly with limited success. While full fledged invasions are rare, raids are not and the lands south of the wall know the sight of wildling raiders well, wearing pelts of sealskin and wielding weapons of driftwood. Despite their ferocity in raids, the Free Folk have their own code and honor in their own way.

The Neck:

The Neck is among the most inhospitable regions in Westeros, filled with bogs and swamps, quicksand and Lizard lions, but it is this inhospitibility which lends itself to one of the most defensible positions in Westeros, Moat Cailin, the crumbling fortress which separates the North from the other six Kingdoms, and a fortress which it is said could repel attacks 10 times greater than its garrison. The inhabitants of this land are the Crannogman, a diminutive people, insultingly called bog devils or frog eaters by other Westerosi. They live in small thatch villages among the swamp, and despite their small size are notoriously hard to subdue in war.

The Shield Islands

 The Shield Islands, often referred to as the four shields or simply the shields are an island chain owing fealty to the ruler of the reach, with the responsibility of defending the entrance to the Mander river from the ironborn, of which they have clashed many times over the centuries. The shield islanders are a people known for their prowess at sea.

The Arbor:

The Arbor is one of the wealthiest regions in all of Westeros, famed for its warm weather and production of the finest wines in Westeros and beyond. Much like the Reach, Chivalry and knighthood are paramount in this fertile island and it is protected by the largest fleet in Westeros, while trading ships regularly sail as far as Qarth in the east. At the time of our story the Island is currently ruled by the young lord Perwyn Redwyne, who is in attendance at Aegon's coronation in Oldtown.

White Harbor:

The city of White Harbor is one of the 5 largest cities in Westeros, and by the far the largest settlement north of the Neck. The region is an anomaly in the North due to its ruling house, House Manderly having been exiled from the Reach centuries before the events of our story and being given the lands by a Stark King. Because of this, White Harbor mainly follows the faith of the seven, and knights are common. The Manderlys great hall is called the Merman's court and is known for its splendor and trading reputation. At the time of our story, The Warden of the North Torrhen Stark has tasked House Manderly with putting down the rebellion on the Three Sisters to the south.

The Northern Clans:

To survive in the mountainous north just south of the wall is no easy feat yet the forty northern mountain clans have managed just that. Living in small clan settlements and holdfasts the Northern Clans have a reputation for being stubborn, rude, and most importantly fearless in battle where they wield two handed greatswords and great axes. Due to their proximity to the Wall, it is often the Northern Clans that suffer the most from Wildling raids. The Northern Clans swear fealty to House Stark.

Essos:

-Individual Regions/Cultures will be added as they become relevant in the AAR

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