The World of Ice and Fire

THE KNOWN WORLD

WESTEROS AND THE SEVEN KINGDOMS

The Seven Kingdoms is a vast empire comprising of the entire continent of Westeros with the exception of the wild lands beyond the Wall. For most of recorded history, the continent was divided by seven independent kingdoms ruled by seven squabbling Houses until it was united three hundred years ago into a single empire by the Valyrian Dragonlord Aegon Targaryen alongside his two sister-wives, Rhaenys and Visenya Targaryen and their dragons. The Targaryens have since ruled the continent from their capital city of King's Landing upon the Iron Throne; a throne made out of more than a thousand blades of Aegon's enemies forged from the fiery breath of the greatest dragon to ever fly above Westeros, Balerion the Black Dread.

House Targaryen's reign have endured plagues, famines, a civil war that lead to the deaths of all of their dragons and several rebellions, the greatest of which was won by King Rhaegar I Targaryen upon the banks of the Trident when he broke the army of Robert Baratheon. Now Rhaegar's untested and firstborn son, Aegon VI Targaryen is the nineteenth king to sit upon the Iron Throne.

Only time will tell on how long his reign will last.

The North

The North is the oldest, largest and coldest region of the Seven Kingdoms. The last kingdom of the ancient First Men, the worship of the Old Gods and the sacred Weirwood trees remains strong unlike the rest of the continent. The North has been ruled by the Starks of Winterfell for more than eight thousand years ever since the Long Night, when a rumoured Stark hero fought against the Army of the Dead and won. The Northerners are proud, strong and independent and despite rebelling against the Iron Throne after the brutal of Lord Rickard Stark and his heir, the North returned to the fold after the Union of Ice and Fire when King Rhaegar married Lyanna Stark.

Military Strength ~ 45,000 men

The Riverlands

At the time of Aegon's Conquest, the Riverlands had been subjugated and enslaved by the Ironborn. After Aegon exterminated House Hoare during the Burning of Harrenhal, he installed House Tully as the Lords Paramount of the Trident. Populous and fertile, the Riverlands is bordered with six of the Seven Kingdoms and its lack of natural defensive boundaries and central location on the continent makes it a frequent battleground. As a result, the Riverlands suffers from divided leadership and many of the riverlords seek better station by ingrating themselves to lords more powerful than House Tully.

Military Strength ~ 45,000 men & 10 War Galleys

The Vale of Arryn

The Vale is the easternmost and the most mountainous part of the Seven Kingdoms. Ruled by the Arryns from atop of their impregnable fortress of the Eyrie, the Valemen is renowned as fierce knights deeply rooted in honor and the worship of the Seven as it was in the Vale where the Andals first set foot on the continent. The Vale is also the home of an independent and savage clan of wildlings who resisted the Andal invasion and reject the rule of House Arryn, yet they have never been a to be reckoned with for hundreds of years.

Military Strength ~ 45,000 men & 15 War Galleys

The Westerlands

Formerly known as the Kingdom of the Rock, The Westerlands is ruled by the wealthiest and arguably the most powerful bannerman of the Iron Throne, House Lannister of Casterly Rock. The Westerlands is known for its rugged hills from which pour gold and silver in astonishing quantities which grant House Lannister its near immeasurable wealth.

Military Strength ~ 50,000 & 60 War Galleys

The Stormlands

The Kingdom of the Stormlands had been ruled by House Durrandon until the last Storm King, Argilac Durrandon was slain by Aegon Targaryen's rumoured bastard half brother, Orys Baratheon, who took up the words, sigil and lands of House Durrandon for his own. The stormlords are renowned for their fierce martial culture and bravery in battle. Relations between the crown and the Stormlands are at an all time low ever since the failed War of the Usurper. Despite many concessions on the part of King Rhaegar and the marriage to the wealthy and beautiful Cersei Lannister, it is well-known that Lord Robert is desperately waiting for a pretext to go to war against the new untested boy king.

Military Strength ~ 30,000 & 9 War Galleys

The Reach

The Kingdom of the Reach is the second largest of the kingdoms after the North and the second wealthiest after the Westerlands as well as the most populous and the most fertile region in Westeros. Once ruled by House Gardener of Highgarden until their line was ended upon the Field of Fire, King Aegon I Targaryen raised the minor House Tyrell as the Lord of Highgarden and the Warden of the South, a fact that still irks many older and prouder Houses which claim direct descent from the Gardener line. The current Lord of Highgarden, Mace Tyrell, has made it no secret of his desire to increase his own influence over the Reach and the rest of Westeros by marrying his daughter to the king.

Military Strength ~ 70,000 men & 300 War Galleys

The Iron Islands

The Iron Islands is home to a fierce and ruthless seafaring people distinct from the rest of Westeros who worship the Drowned God, a cruel deity who rewards those who kill, steal and in His name. For millenia, rather than cultivating their barren soil the Ironborn raided the "greenlands" of Westeros for plunder and slaves. These customs faded after Aegon's Conquest and even further during the rule of Lord Quellon Greyjoy who wisely wished to integrate the Iron Islands with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. However upon his untimely , his ambitious son Balon the Brave believing that Rhaegar's reign was weak rebelled against the Iron Throne. However, within four months, the Greyjoy Rebellion was crushed with the mighty Iron Fleet sunk, the walls of Pyke breached and two of Balon's sons killed. Despite having his last living son taken hostage by the Starks, the defiant Balon still bides his time in the hopes of returning to the Old Way.

Military Strength ~ 20,000 men & 20 Longships

Dorne

The peninsula of Dorne sits on the southern edge of Westeros. Like the Northmen and the Ironborn, the Dornishmen is resentful of the rule of the Iron Throne and remains proud that Dorne was the only kingdom to resist Aegon I Targaryen and his dragons, only submitting to House Targaryen through a peaceful marital alliance and the promise that dornish law will always rule in Dorne. The mass immigration of the Rhoynar to Westeros is still evident in Dorne as they remain the only region in Westeros where women and men are treated as equals. Dornishmen have a reputation for their fiery temper and licentiousness and is still regarded with mistrust by the rest of Westeros especially in the Reach and the Stormlands.

Military Strength ~ 50,000 men (assumed)

King's Landing and the Crownlands

King's Landing is the capital and the seat of the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms who recides in the majestic Red Keep in which contains the Iron Throne, a hulking asymmetric chair made from a thousand swords taken during the War of Conquest. Situated in the middle of the Crownlands on the fertile banks of the Blackwater Rush with a population of half a million, it is the largest city in Westeros but still smaller than the "towns" found in Essos. The city prospered under Rhaegar's reign with the construction of a new harbour, markets, roads and a massive system of sewers and cisterns across the city which nearly eliminated its notorious stench. The city lies in the heart of the Crownlands, a province made up of the disputed lands between the borders of the Reach, the Riverlands and the Stormlands

Military Strength: 8,000 Gold Cloaks + 15,000 men from the rest of the Crownlands & 196 warships (including 14 Great 3-decked Dromonds)