The Stormlands

The stormlands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms on the continent of Westeros. The Kingdom of the Storm was a sovereign nation until Aegon's Conquest, in which the last Storm King was slain. The region is so-named for the savage and frequent autumn storms that batter the coast after beginning in the Summer Sea.

The stormlands are ruled from the castle of Storm's End by House Baratheon.

## History

### Storm Kings

During the Dawn Age, the woods of the stormlands were inhabited by children of the forest, while giants dwelled in the foothills of the Red Mountains. The land was then settled by First Men who came to Westeros across the Arm of Dorne. Deities worshipped by the stormlanders of antiquity included the sea god and the goddess of the wind. War ensued between the elder races and the humans until the Pact. The First Men of old often carved their tales into wood.

The stormlands were consolidated by the Storm Kings, House Durrandon of Storm's End, who were founded by Durran Godsgrief. In time, the Durrandons gained dominion over Cape Wrath and the rainwood, what would become the kingswood, Massey's Hook, and islands in the narrow sea, such as Tarth and Estermont. Storm Kings fought river kings for control of lands north of the Blackwater Rush, and sometimes Storm's End controlled lands as far as Maidenpool and the Bay of Crabs. The Dornish Marches were created as bulwarks against Dorne to the south and the Kingdom of the Reach to the west.

The Storm Kings defended the stormlands during the coming of the Andals, but eventually the First Men intermarried with the Andal newcomers. Himself aided by Andals, Gyles III Gardener, King of the Reach, conquered the lands north of the rainwood, but he failed to capture Storm's End after besieging it for two years. King Arlan III Durrandon vanquished the river kings of House Teague, extending the Storm Kings' domain north to the Neck for three centuries.

Stretched thin by their conquests, the power of the Storm Kings gradually declined due to pressure from House Gardener and Dornishmen. King Arrec Durrandon lost the riverlands to Harwyn Hardhand, who became King of the Isles and the Rivers, although the stormlands fended off Harwyn's son, King Halleck Hoare. The rivermen found the ironborn to be crueler masters than the stormlanders.

Arrec's grandson, King Argilac Durrandon, killed King Garse VII Gardener at Summerfield and also fought alongside Pentos and Tyrosh against Volantis during the Century of Blood.

### House Baratheon

During Aegon's Conquest, Lords Buckler, House Errol, and Fell fought against House Targaryen's host at the Wendwater and then retreated into their forests. Rhaenys Targaryen burned the woods with Meraxes, however. King Argilac Durrandon and his stormlords confronted Orys Baratheon, the half brother of Aegon I Targaryen, near Bronzegate. Orys slew Argilac the Arrogent in the bloody battle known as the Last Storm.

The last Storm King's lands, titles, sigil, and house words were claimed by Orys, who married Argilac's daughter, Argella. King Aegon I named Orys as Lord Paramount of the Stormlands, and Orys became the first Hand of the King. Traditionally part of the stormlands, the northern kingswood and Massey's Hook became part of the crownlands, a new province sworn to House Targaryen of King's Landing.

### Dornish Wars

The storm lords participated in the bloody First Dornish War, which saw Cape Wrath raided by Dornishmen and parts of the rainwood burned. The marcher lords participated in the Second Dornish War against the first Vulture King, and they fended off attacks by the second Vulture King in the Third Dornish War.

King Jaehaerys I Targaryen and Queen Alysanne Targaryen visited the stormlands while returning to King's Landing from Oldtown in 54 AC. Morion Martell, Prince of Dorne, desired to conquer the stormlands as far as Storm's End, but Jaehaerys crushed the Dornishmen in the Fourth Dornish War.

Prince Lucerys Velaryon was slain by Prince Aemond Targaryen at Storm's End at the start of the Dance of the Dragons. Lord Borros Baratheon Lord Borros Baratheon declared for the greens of King Aegon II Targaryen. Instead of fighting the blacks of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen, however, Borros led a host of six thousand into the Red Mountains to retaliate against the third Vulture King for Dornish raids. After Rhaenyra's death at Dragonstone, Borros and his stormlanders secured King's Landing for the greens and ended the Moon of the Three Kings. They were then defeated by the Lads in the Battle of the Kingsroad.

After Dorne joined the Seven Kingdoms, many stormlords, especially the marcher lords, resented the Dornish presence in the court of King Daeron II Targaryen.

In 206 AC, Lords Caron and Dondarrion suppressed a Vulture King, with the father of Ser Manfred Dondarrion taking nearly four thousand infantry and eight hundred cavalry into the Red Mountains.