The Stepstones

### Castles

Sunstone, Torturers Deep, Red River, Weisshaupt Fortress, Last Refuge and Wolfhaven

### Places of note

The Skulls

**The Stepstones** is one of the constituent regions of the Eight Kingdoms. It was formerly a sovereign realm known as the Kingdom of the Stepstones before bending the knee to House Brightflame.

The Stepstones are a chain of about a dozen or so islands located east of Dorne and just west of the coast of Essos (in particular, the region known as the Disputed Lands). The Stepstones were once an infamously chain of islands filled with pirate dens and uncontrollable border-zone fought over by different Free Cities and the Seven Kingdoms. Now, the Stepstones is a region within the Brightflame Kingdom, founded by House Darkspear.

According to myth, Westeros and Essos were once joined by a great land-bridge - known as the Arm of Dorne - across which the First Men invaded Westeros. The Children of the Forest destroyed the land-bridge with magic more than ten thousand years ago, leaving behind only the shattered islands as evidence of its passing. In the present day, the Stepstones mark the border between the Narrow Sea to the north and the Summer Sea to the south. The Free City of Tyrosh is located on the northeastern-most island in the chain.

Bastards born in the Stepstones are given the surname **Sand**. Due to the recent history of the Stepstones, the people of the Stepstones are collectively known as Dornish due to their location and how similar the cultures are between the two**.**

The Stepstones is home to a user created environment, hosting many wars and battles and becoming the central hub of late AKRealm. Some of the most notable conflicts are:

* Stepstone Campaign
* Sunfyre Rebellion

## History

The Freehold of Valyria established Tyrosh as a military outpost to control trade near the Stepstones.

Slavers from the Stepstones captured the Wolf's Den at the mouth of the White Knife during the reign of King Edrick Stark,and pirates from the isles also sometimes attacked the eastern riverlands and Vale of Arryn.There are pockets of Rhoynar on the islands dating back to the migration of Nymeria's ten thousand ships.

Myr and Lys of the Free Cities have constantly engaged in wars over possession of the Stepstones. Pirates attacked Cape Wrath during Aegon's Conquest.

Several times in its history, the Seven Kingdoms has also fought for control of the island, including one conflict in the early second century when Prince Daemon Targaryen and his dragon Caraxes led an army against the Triarchy of Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, and later their ally Dorne. Daemon briefly called himself the King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea. Racallio Ryndoon held a pirate kingdom in the islands, and Lord Alyn Velaryon received the nickname Oakenfist after achieving a great naval victory at the Stepstones.

During the War of the Ninepenny Kings, the Band of Nine conquered the Stepstones. A battle was fought here in which Maelys I Blackfyre was killed, ending the Blackfyre Pretenders' threat. The conquest of the islands was a scheme of King Aerys II Targaryen which amounted to nothing.

## Recent History

In the year 300AC, Haywin Darkspear launched a successful invasion of the largest island, Bloodstone. Shortly after, he announced his intentions to conquer the rest of the islands and thoroughly managed to subdue the other lands that made up the archipelago, uniting the Stepstones under one banner. It would later become a vassal of the Iron Throne.

Since then, the islands changed hands twice - Rhaegon Sunfyre managed to usurp the islands a few months after the conquests, launching a retaliatory attack on the Free City of Tyrosh following their entrenchment on land owned by the Stepstones and raids on the islands them self. A few weeks after, Haywin returned and regained his lordship.

Nearly a full year later, Haywin seceded from the Iron Throne and made himself independent of the lands. This resulted in a brief but bloody battle on the island of Bloodstone that resulted in Haywin's death in personal combat against Ser Zelis Wilder. The defeat of the islands led to its forceful integration back under the crown.

## Geography

### Settlements

* Bloodstone, the ruined seat of House Darkspear, destroyed during the Darkspear Rebellion.
	+ Sunstone, homed to insignificant pirate lords, the seat of House Tullius.
	+ Torturers Deep, the seat of House Maloris.
	+ Red River, formerly The Skulls, seat of House Youngflower.
	+ Weisshaupt Fortress, the seat of House Warden.
	+ Last Refuge, the exiled seat of House Whent.
	+ Wolfhaven, the seat of House Lash.
	+ Wreckstone, a harsh, jagged rock of an island.
	+ Grey Gallows, Tyroshi Remnants.

### Notable Positions

* **House Youngflower** - Lord Paramount of the Isles
* **House Lash** - High Admirals of the Isles
* **House Whent** - Castellans of the Islands
* **House Maloris** - Justicars of the Islands