Reach

Blackcrown • Brightwater Keep • Cider Hall • Goldengrove • Grassy Vale • Honeyholt • Horn Hill • Old Oak]] • Red Lake • Sunflower Hall • Three Towers • Uplands

### Places of note

The Arbor • The Blueburn • The Cockleswhent • The Honeywine • The Mander • The Redwyne Straits • The Roseroad]] • The Searoad • The Shield Islands

### Founder

{Garth Greenhand}

The **Reach** is one of the administrative regions of the Seven Kingdoms, and was formerly a sovereign nation known as the Kingdom of the Reach before the Targaryen conquest. Geographically, it is one of the larger regions of the Seven Kingdoms, ranking as the second largest in area, behind only the vastness of the North. It has been ruled by House Tyrell since the Conquest, and earlier than that by the Kings of House Gardener. It is now ruled by House Tarly

It is the most fertile part of Westeros, blessed with vast, blooming fields of crops and flowers, and numerous and well-populated villages and towns; it traditionally helps supply other less fertile parts of the Seven Kingdoms (most notably King's Landing) with grain, fruit, wine and livestock. The Reach is also the most heavily-populated part of Westeros and is one of the richest, second only to the Westerlands, ruled by House Lannister. However this claim is suggested to be rather outdated as Lannister gold mines—the source of their wealth—have almost dried out. Thus making the Reach actually the wealthiest region. Due to this, the Tyrells could traditionally field the largest army in the Seven Kingdoms, almost as large as the armies from two of the other kingdoms combined. This vast supply of manpower, land, and food production gives the Reach enormous strategic value.

The Reach was ruled from the castle of Highgarden by House Tyrell until they were revoked of their title and now House Tarly rules their castle at Horn Hill.

Bastards born in the Reach are given the surname **Flowers**. People of the Reach are collectively known as **Reachmen**.

## Geography

The Reach is watered by the immense River Mander and its many tributaries. The borders of the Reach are held as the Sunset Sea to the west and southwest, the Red Mountains of Dorne to the southeast, the hills of the Westerlands to the northwest and the Blackwater Rush to the far northeast. The northern Red Mountains also form the Reach's border with the Stormlands: known as the Dornish Marches, and currently possessed by the Stormlands, these rugged mountains have for centuries been the site of shifting border wars between the Reach, the Stormlands, and Dorne.

All told, the Reach borders five other regions of the Seven Kingdoms, six if the ocean border with the Iron Islands is counted (in past centuries, the ironborn have indeed raided the coasts of the Reach). Thus the Reach matches the Riverlands in the number of regions it borders, though the mountain borders to the northwest and southeast, as well as ocean borders, make it somewhat more defensible than the Riverlands. The regions that the Reach borders, clockwise from northwest to southeast, are the Westerlands, the Riverlands, the Crownlands, the Stormlands, and Dorne.

The large island of the Arbor, located off the southwest shore, is a major subsection of the Reach, famed for its warm vineyards and central place in the wine industry.

The Reach is linked to the capital at King's Landing by the Roseroad. The Searoad links the Reach to the Lannister seat in the Westerlands, Casterly Rock and the adjoining city of Lannisport.

### Castles and cities

* Highgarden, the seat of House Tyrell and the regional capital. Located on the Mander where it crosses the Roseroad.
	+ Oldtown, the region's only city and the seat of House Hightower. A great port located in the southwest of the region at the mouth of the Honeywine River. Home of the Citadel.
	+ Brightwater Keep, the seat of House Florent. Located west of Highgarden near the headwaters of the Honeywine River.
	+ Bitterbridge, a castle in the northeast of the region where the Mander first crosses the Roseroad.
	+ Grassy Vale, a holdfast on the Blueburn river near the border with the Stormlands.
	+ Long Table, a holdfast at the meeting of the Mander and the Blueburn.
	+ Cider Hall, the seat of House Fossoway. A holdfast at the meeting of the Mander and Cockleswhent.
	+ Goldengrove, a holdfast north of Highgarden.
	+ Red Lake, a holdfast northwest of Highgarden near the border with the Westerlands.
	+ Old Oak, the seat of House Oakheart. A holdfast northwest of Highgarden on the Searoad near the border with the Westerlands.
	+ Horn Hill, the seat of House Tarly. Located southeast of Highgarden.
	+ Uplands, a holdfast south of Highgarden and west of Oldtown.
	+ Honeyholt, the seat of House Beesbury. A holdfast between Oldtown and Brightwater Keep.
	+ Sunflower Hall, the seat of House Cuy. A holdfast on the southern coast of the region.
	+ Three Towers, a holdfast southwest of Highgarden and Oldtown.
	+ Blackcrown, the seat of House Bulwer, a holdfast southwest of Highgarden and Oldtown.
	+ Brightshield, the seat of House Brander. Located in the Eastern most island of the Shield Islands.

### Towns and settlements

* Ashford, a holdfast on the Cockleswhent.
* Tumbleton, a town in the far northeast of the region near the border with the Crownlands.

### Rivers

* Mander
* Blueburn
* Cockleswhent
* Honeywine

### Highways

* The Searoad
* The Roseroad

### Islands and coastal areas

* The Arbor, a great island off the southwestern coast and the seat of House Redwyne.
* The Shield Islands - at the mouth of the River Mander
* The Redwyne Straits - separating the Arbor from the mainland

## Military

The Reach can raise more men than the other Great Houses, being the most fertile and populated part of Westeros.

Reach soldiers seem to be well-equipped, yet still far behind to the Lannisters. This is particularly evidenced by the high quality swords and weapons purchased due to the Reach's fertile lands. Not only this, but commonly it is seen that the Reach soldiers are outfitted in high quality plate armour. Many of them protected by sturdy, bright coloured dyed symmetrical cut leather augmented steel armour plates, in a striking combination. This design, is not aesthetically impressive but also symbolic, since the Tyrell men are often considered as the "Knights of Summer". The design also provides practicality in warfare with the combination of leather and steel plates allows considerable protection and mobility for the wearer. This makes them nimble than other soldiers who might be wearing heavy plates of armour, while retaining the defensive properties of armour. Reach infantry helmets have a basic flower motif to the overall shape of their helmets, after the Tyrell sigil of a golden rose: the design gives the appearance that the entire helmet is a rose, with large metal ridges shaped like rose petals ringing the "crown" of the head. Reach infantry helmets also have cheek guards (unlike basic Northern helmets), which are an extension of the main body of the helmet (not a separate piece of metal like Lannister armour, which is more complex)

Reach armour and robes, also use logically vast quantities of relatively expensive amounts of teal, gold and other brightly-coloured dye, across the Reach military forces, universally. Cloaks, robes and under layers padding the armour in these colours, make for fine looking and ornate soldiers. Moreover, they are well protected by heater and ovate shields, constructed of thick wood in multiple layers. Adorning the painted golden rose, and painted blazons/sigils of House Tyrell, teal and yellow-gold being the main colour palette. The well-crafted style of the Reach garments and armour, indicates an organised system of military wealth and effectiveness.

However, while most Reach soldiers indeed seem to have the classic teal-dyed leather and steel plate armour, some even having golden, bronze, and other metal embellishments over their shoulder plates and helmets, which hides the rather simplistic lifestyle of the soldier in the Reach instead giving them a more intimidating outlook in the field and at the camps.

During the War of the Five Kings, we see different variations for the Reach army, indicating different types of troops from simplistic levies to the more prominent soldiers. This variation allows a unique dynamic in the equipment used by each soldier. Regional levies, wear more basic armour relying on leather and supposedly chainmail in order to make up for the lack of plated armour. Medium infantry are unique having the combination of the heavy guard units while being superior to the levies in terms of equipment and possibly training. House Tyrell also commands a formidable group of heavy guardsmen, of House Tyrell's well-equipped infantry, being able to intimidate their opponents such as the Faith Militant, unnerving the fanatical order once ordered to be in an offensive stance.

Yet it is quite arguably debatable that the Reach in the past could actually be a dominant force, being able to win numerous historic conflicts against their enemies, most notably Dorne. The numerous civil wars under House Targaryen did not weaken the Reach's capabilities in combat, due to their decisions in maintaining neutrality in conflicts. An example of this is during the Dance of the Dragons, wherein the Reach remained neutral throughout the war, allowing their vassals to choose between factions.

The Tyrells command a formidable fleet known as the Redwyne Fleet. In the books, the Reach's navy could arguably be the most powerful in the Seven Kingdoms even surpassing the Royal Fleet, being supported by the Shield Islands, coastal lords and the Hightower fleet.

The Reach is controlled mostly by House Tyrell, mostly due to Harlan Tyrell's surrender of Highgarden to Aegon Targaryen thus elevating their status. Despite their status, however, their vassals seem to act self-beneficially and have questionable loyalties such as the Florents and the Fossoways, who aligned themselves with Stannis rather than follow their liege lords. House Tarly, on the other hand, chose to reluctantly ally with the Lannisters in fear of the Dothraki.