Oldtown

**Oldtown** is the largest city in the Kingdom of the Reach, and a scientific and religious capital for all of Westeros. It is ruled by House Hightower. Oldtown is the base of the Hightower's power and due to its immense size and population it grants them considerable power, equal to or greater than their lieges of House Gardener.

## Locations

### The Citadel of Oldtown

Of great importance not just to the Hightowers or to the Reach but to all of Westeros is the continent's sole institution of higher learning, known as the Citadel. It is from here that the maesters who occupy almost every keep in Westeros are trained. The Citadel is a secretive place, ruled by a council of Archmaesters-- each specializing in a particular field. The Citadel is a distinctly apolitical organization, dispatching maesters to keeps from Sunspear to Castle Black regardless of their political situation.

The Citadel is a complex of buildings on a campus of sorts in the city of Oldtown itself. It is funded by fees paid by the many lords of Westeros who employ the maesters, and in large part by House Hightower. Here the maesters maintain the largest library in Westeros, and create countless copies of those books and scrolls to preserve their knowledge for future generations.

#### The Isle of Ravens

An important building and the oldest in the Citadel's complex, the Isle of Ravens is a tower built on an isle off the east bank of the Honeywine, connected to the mainland by a wooden drawbridge. It is here that the Citadel keeps its white ravens, who take flight to signal the change of the seasons.

#### The Vaults

Beneath the Citadel proper are a series of vaults, sealed to all but the Archmaesters and those with their permission to enter. Within these vaults are numerous ancient tomes detailing esoteric and rare knowledge like the happenings of the courts of the Kings of Winter, descriptions of the ancient Kings of Salt and Rock, details on dragons, and histories of the Valyrian Freehold. All of these tomes are ancient and closely-guarded, some are even the last of their kind.

### The Starry Sept

The Starry Sept is a place of immense importance, as it is the home of the High Septon and the Faith of the Seven. It is built of black marble and has great arching windows, raised centuries ago by a Lord of the Hightower, Triston Hightower, as a home for the then-new Faith of the Seven, carried across the Narrow Sea by the Andal invaders.

### The High Tower

The ancient fortress which gave House Hightower its name sits on an island at the mouth of the Honeywine. The lowest, and most ancient, level is built of a mysterious black stone, oily to the touch and frightening to behold. The origin of this fortress is lost to time, though it does resemble Valyrian architecture but far more plain. This section of the High Tower is now used as vaults, considered far too dreary for living quarters-- those are located high above, in the more recently constructed tower. There is a high hall built atop the old fortress, as well, where the Hightowers host guests and the likes.

The High Tower is said to be taller than the Wall, and is considered to be the tallest manmade structure in Westeros. Atop it is a great beacon that guides ships into the Whispering Sound. The color of the flames can be changed by their tenders-- notably, if the beacon burns green the Hightowers have called their banners.

## Economy and Population

Oldtown is far and away the largest and richest city in Westeros. It boasts a population of well over 200,000 citizens, leading to a sizeable levy and a massive tax base. Ships from as far afield as Qarth or as close as Lannisport land at Oldtown to sell cargo off to the locals, and there is almost always a market for it. The immense wealth of Oldtown filters up to the Hightowers, who use it to support the Citadel and the Faith who call their lands home.