The Westerlands

"The Westerlands" is the fifteenth short of the third season of Histories & Lore. It is the fifty-eighth short of the series overall. It was released on February 18, 2014 in Game of Thrones: The Complete Third Season. It was narrated by Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister and written by Dave Hill.
==Premise==
==Narration==
Tywin Lannister: The Westerlands are all bounded by three natural defenses. Mountain, sea, and forest. Necessary barriers when the land is as rich as ours.
From our mines come the gold and silver that fuel the rest of Westeros. From Lannisport, our largest city, come the most skillful gold and silversmiths in the land.
Yet, geography alone is not strength. The Westerlands would have been sacked and pillaged for thousands of years if it had not been for the men who ruled it. My family. House Lannister.
According to legend, we trace their descent to Lann the Clever, a trickster of the Dawn Age, who swindled the Casterlys out of Casterly Rock, their ancient castle. A childish story, but not without merit.
One, a mind can and should be a weapon in a man's arsenal.
Two, Lann must've been clever enough not to rely solely on his wits. After all, where today is House Casterly?
Three, by keeping the Casterly name on the castle, Lann reminded the world of the price of getting in his way.
The Reynes ignored all these lessons. Not content with being the second-richest family, they sought to challenge the first: mine.
My father had put up with their insults and disrespect. When I came of age, I led our army to teach them what they should have known.
Some people say I was too harsh, that eradicating every member of their family was not necessary. But now there are no bannermen as loyal to their lord as the Westerlands to us. If any lord bridles at our authority, I have only to send a singer with a harp, and he falls back into line.
Because I will not have our lords squabble amongst themselves, like the lords of the Riverlands, or hide in their castles, like the lords of the Vale, each of our bannermen contributes a unique skill that furthers the whole of the Westerlands.
House Clegane, because every lord needs a beast from time to time. Ser Gregor strikes terror into the hearts of our enemies and our friends. So too does his disappointing brother, Sandor, the traitor.
House Payne, who provides us loyal servants. Ser Ilyn Payne was once captain of my household guard until the Mad King heard him boast that I ran the Seven Kingdoms, which I did. The Mad King tore out Ser Ilyn's tongue, making him especially well-suited to later become the King's Justice. Apparently, these days, a younger Payne also serves my degenerate son, Tyrion.
House Lefford, who guards the Golden Tooth, the eastern pass through the mountains, and the all-too-frequent chaos of the Seven Kingdoms. Though after Robb Stark's recent incursions, perhaps we need a new gatekeeper.
Fools look at the Westerlands and see gold. Fools see our wealth and call it strength. Gold is just another rock. The Westerlands are strong because of House Lannister.
From strong leadership comes unity. From unity comes power.
==Appearances==
===Individuals===
*Lann the Clever
*Lord Tytos Lannister (mentioned)
*Lord Tywin Lannister
*Ser Gregor Clegane
*Sandor Clegane (mentioned)
*Ser Ilyn Payne
*King Aerys II Targaryen (mentioned)
*King Joffrey Baratheon (not mentioned by name)
*Podrick Payne (mentioned)
*Tyrion Lannister (mentioned)
*King Robb Stark (mentioned)
===Houses===
*House Casterly
*House Lannister
*House Reyne
*House Clegane
*House Payne
*House Lefford
===Locations===
*Casterly Rock
*Lannisport
*Castamere
*Tower of the Hand
===Events===
*Reyne-Tarbeck revolt
===Miscellaneous===
*Dawn Age
*"The Rains of Castamere" (indirectly mentioned)
*Hand of the King badge of office
==Cast==
*Charles Dance as Tywin Lannister
==Behind the scenes==
*In this short Tywin incorrectly says that Lann the Clever lived in the Dawn Age; he actually lived in the following Age of Heroes.
*According to the novels, House Tarbeck participated in the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt. Tywin does not mention that house, neither in this short nor in "House Lannister", as if the Reynes alone rebelled against the Lannisters; Cersei does not mention the Tarbecks either when she speaks about the rebellion in the show ("Second Sons"). Only in "The Rains of Castamere" it is explicitly said that the Tarbecks participated in the rebellion.
==In the books==
* The short is adapted from the following chapters of A Storm of Swords:
**Chapter 4, Tyrion I: Tywin Lannister says Gregor Clegane has his uses, because every lord has need of a beast from time to time.
**Chapter 11, Jaime II: A Lannister mentions that the Mad King had Ilyn Payne's tongue torn out for boasting that Tywin was the one who truly ruled the Seven Kingdoms.
**Chapter 19, Tyrion III: A Lannister relates to the story about the Reyne-Tarbeck revolt.
**Chapter 66, Tyrion IX: A Lannister tells how the Lannisters' bannermen used to openly mock Lord Tytos Lannister.
* The short is adapted from the following chapter of A Feast for Crows:
**Chapter 27, Jaime III: A Lannister recalls that the Mad King had Ilyn Payne's tongue torn out for boasting that Tywin was the one who truly ruled the Seven Kingdoms.
==References==
Category:Shorts narrated by Tywin Lannister
 15
2.18O
Category:Shorts written by Dave Hill
fr:Les Terres de l'Ouest (Histoires & Traditions)
pt-br:As Terras Ocidentais (História e Tradição)