The Westerlands

The Westerlands is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Historically, the Westerlands was the lands of the Kingdom of the Rock, being incorporated after the Kings of the Rock were defeated in Aegon's Conquest at the Field of Fire. The Westerlands have been ruled for centuries by House Lannister

## Geography

The westerlands is known for its rugged hills, rolling plains, fertile fields, and broadleaf forests. The land contains lakes and rivers, and the hills conceal systems of caves and caverns.

The region lies along the coast of the Sunset Sea, with Ironman's Bay and the Iron Islands to the north. A salient of the northeastern westerlands extends near the ruins of Oldstones and the Blue Fork. Castles on the northwestern coast include Banefort and the Crag. Faircastle is located on Fair Isle, while Feastfires and the market town of Kayce are found on a peninsula jutting into the sea.

Also along the coast is Casterly Rock, the seat of House Lannister, a fortress carved out of a massive hill of solid rock. Near the Rock is Lannisport, a port and one of the largest cities of Westeros. Three days ride from the Rock is the village of Oxcross. Inland castles near the Rock including Ashemark and Sarsfield, as well as the ruins of Castamere and Tarbeck Hall.

The headwaters of the Tumblestone and the Red Fork begin in the westerlands and flow east into the riverlands. The main pass through the eastern hills is guarded by the Golden Tooth, a castle which controls access to the river road leading to Riverrun. Further south is the Goldroad, which runs east to King's Landing. Deep Den watches this road, with Hornvale to the north and Silverhill to the south.

The southern westerlands contain more flatland than the rest of the country and includes Cornfield and the forest by Crakehall Castle. The Ocean Road leads south from the Rock past Crakehall to Old Oak and Highgarden in the Reach. Also located in the westerlands are Greenfield and Wyndhall.

## People and Economy

The westerlands are not the largest, most populous, or most fertile part of the realm, but they are the richest. Full of hills and crags, the land is dotted with mines from which pour gold and silver in astonishing quantities. There are gold mines at Casterly Rock, the Golden Tooth, Castamere, Nunn's Deep, and the Pendric Hills. According to semi-canon sources, there are settlements which become ghost towns once nearby mines stop producing ore. Besides farming, there is also some fishery in Lannisport and on Fair Isle.

## History

*History prior to 233 AC can be found on the canon wiki.*

**239 AC -** Shortly after the death of Bloodraven, King Aemon I imposes new taxes, especially on the wealthy lords of the west, in order to fund excavations of ancient sites and expeditions to the far-off parts of the Known World. Lord Gerold Lannister, old and weak, was unable to challenge the king's power, leaving his second son Tion forced to take up the cause. The young Lannister, urged on by his new wife Ellyn and having won glory at the Battle of Wendwater Bridge, begins a quiet opposition to the "King of the Royal Library", as banditry begins to rise on the Goldroad. The Westerlands and the crown grow distant after the Lannisters refuse to attend the feast celebrating the birth of Aerys Targaryen.

**244 AC -** After the death of Lord Gerold Lannister and the accession of Lord Tion, the lords of the Westerlands begin to worry that Tion is ruled more by his wife Ellyn and her House Reyne than he rules them. This perceived favoritism leads to a skirmish between Ser Denys Marbrand and Lord Roger Reyne. Though urged to execute Ser Denys by his counselors and his wife, Tion keeps a cooler head and sends the man to the Wall. However, to the fury of House Marbrand's allies and to the dislike of his brother, Tytos, Tion refuses to punish the Red Lion for his actions.

**258 AC -** After reigning for fourteen years, Lord Tion Lannister dies of a sudden illness, worried by some more suspicious vassals to have been done by House Reyne. There is little evidence and little sense to these accusations, but they persist for a while afterward, even as the half-Reyne Lord Lannister sits in Casterly Rock.

**260 AC -** The crown and West's conflict eventually comes to a head, as the bulk of the paid taxes of the Westerlands are allegedly stolen by a group of bandits on the Goldroad. The Lannisters refuse to pay the sum that is lost, leading to a stand-off with the crown. Aemon, distracted by the sudden outbreak of the Marcher Rising, eventually forgives the losses, driving the Iron Throne into debt and leading to them lending from the Iron Bank. The Lannisters grow popular among their subjects for their bold defiance and victory, but nary a Westerman is seen at court for the remainder of King Aemon's reign.

**264 AC -** Among the expeditions ordered by King Aemon was a voyage on the Sunset Sea, hoping to discover lands to the west. After a departure from Oldtown was ruled out due to more tumultuous weather, Lannisport was selected as the perfect harbor for the expedition. While the Lannisters had little investment in the actual expedition, many scions and second sons chose to come along with the endeavor, seeking the fortune foretold by bards and rumor. The ship, named *the Chained Dragon*, departed in the midst of the year and began with much danger, nearly crashing many times in the chaotic seas.

Around three months into their journey, they came upon something none had expected. Crashed upon spires of stone were the remains of the ancient *Sun-Chaser*, centuries old, filled with treasures and riches and said to be the greatest bounty in the history of seafaring. One thing was missing, however: skeletons. It seemed that there was not a single remnant of life aboard that ship. The expedition took aboard as much as they could, a trifling compared to what was aboard, and returned to Lannisport. *The Chained Dragon* had barely weathered the storms that had met it on its return, and could not set sail again.

No ships have managed to re-discover the Sun Chaser since, turning back due to weather or vanishing into the west, never to be seen again. Rumors of krakens and leviathans haunt the stories of those fortunate enough to return, as well as the roughest storms these sailors had ever seen. The bounty of the Sun Chaser remains somewhere west of the Westerlands, for the taking of whoever is bold enough to take it.

**273 AC -** House Lannister and Reyne's relationship, once so close in the reign of Lord Tion Lannister and with his wife Ellyn Reyne, evaporated with the Great Tourney of Lannisport. The finest of its time, the tourney featured knights from all around the realm, among them Ser Ronnel Reyne, as fine a jouster the west had ever seen, and the Knight of Cats, a mystery knight who bore the sigil of three differently-colored tomcats. These two men jousted their way up the ranks, before finally meeting in the finals of the joust. The two rode their horses toward one another with all speed, each breaking lances fourteen times, to the raucous cheers of the crowd. The final and fifteenth turn would lead to Ser Reyne breaking his lance, first, but the Knight of Cats would knock his opponent to the ground with a well-placed blow. The crowd cheered loudly, but they quickly silenced upon the realization that Ser Reyne did not rise.

The knight died upon that field. The Knight of Cats removed his helm and lords assembled gasped, for they recognized him as a squire of House Marbrand. Lord Reyne demanded justice for what he saw as another Marbrand assault. He demanded the trial and execution of young Marbrand for murder. However, the two lions had grown farther than Reyne had thought. Lord Lannister would not budge. He could not believe that the honorable Marbrand squire, who had fought so nobly in the joust, would have murdered Reyne intentionally.

This death, known to the realm as the Last Turn, would be the breaking point in House Reyne and Lannister's cordial relationship. Now, rumors abound that House Reyne is defiant to their liege lord's orders and vengeful for the untimely loss of Ronnel Reyne, a promising young knight and, in the legend's eyes, one of the finest to ever wear spurs.