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Asongoficeandfire Chroniclestarter
Asongoficeandfire Chroniclestarter
Asongoficeandfire Chroniclestarter
Green Ronin Staff: Bill Bodden, Steve Kenson, Jon Leitheusser, Nicole Lindroos,
Hal Mangold, Chris Pramas, Evan Sass, Marc Schmalz
A Song of Ice & Fire Chronicle Starter is ©2011 Green Ronin Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reference to other
copyrighted material in no way constitutes a challenge to the respective copyright holders of that material.
A Song of Ice & Fire Chronicle Starter, Green Ronin, Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying, SIFRP, and their associated logos
are trademarks of Green Ronin Publishing, LLC.
A Song of Ice and Fire is © 1996-2011 George R. R. Martin. All rights reserved.
Permission is granted to print one copy of the electronic version of this product for personal use.
INTRODUCTION.........................3 Riverthorn......................................89
The Noble Houses.................. 5 Port Maril.......................................94
House Barnell............................. 6 Traditional Events.................... 99
History.............................................6 Tourney of the Brothers..................99
Holdings..........................................7 The Festival of the Fires................101
Characters......................................11 The Mummers’ Joust....................102
Muddying the Palette....................17 Muddying the Palette.....................53 Interesting Places....................103
House Bartheld......................... 17 House Marsten.......................... 53 The Septry at Shattered Rock......103
History..........................................17 History ..........................................53 The Stranger’s Farmstead.............104
Holdings........................................19 Holdings........................................54 Hardhand’s Folly .........................105
Hart House....................................20 Hartshorn.......................................56 Hag’s Mouth................................105
Davain’s Forge................................21 Characters......................................57 Stag’s Moor..................................105
The Guardhouse: Muddying the Palette.....................63 Maelys’s Crossing ........................105
Robert’s Hammer.........................21 House Tullison.......................... 63 Orphan’s Hill ...............................106
Characters......................................22 History...........................................63 Harren’s Justice.............................106
Muddying the Palette.....................29 Holdings........................................64 The Troupe of Casque & Wren....107
House Dulver............................. 29 Mountain’s Reach...........................67 The Barrow Plain.........................107
History...........................................29 Characters......................................68 Smalls’ Defense............................107
Holdings........................................31 Muddying the Palette.....................74 The Iron Plot..................... 108
Characters......................................33 The Riverlands...................... 75 Synopsis.....................................108
Muddying the Palette.....................40 Market Town............................. 76 Act I..........................................109
House Kytley............................. 41 History...........................................76 Act II........................................114
History ..........................................41 Locations........................................77 Act III.......................................123
Holdings........................................43 Characters......................................79 Aftermath.................................125
Hammerstone................................45 New House Locations................ 83 Rewards.....................................125
Characters......................................46 Durain’s Forest...............................83 Index.......................................126
2
INTRODUCTION
The continent of Westeros is rich in its history, varied in its One important thing to note about the Chronicle Starter is
cultures, and practically overflowing in noble houses. One of that at heart it is a big, worked example of what a group can
the memorable qualities of the Song of Ice and Fire series is the do with the house system presented in the core rulebook. This
amount of detail given to the noble families, each with unique is not a book about creating setting canon, but showing you
heraldic devices and evocative mottos. From the roaring giants how you can use the tools in SIFRP to get a chronicle going
of House Umber in the North to the Princes of Dorne residing and doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
in Sunspear, these noble houses reside on or hold dominion over
much of the land on the continent and its nearby islands. The A The Noble Houses
Song of Ice and Campaign Guide contains information about all
Each of the six houses described in the first chapter is suitable
of the houses George R.R. Martin has written about up to A
for a group of four players to take over and run for themselves.
Feast for Crows. What it does not contain, however, is the story
The houses all contain a number of primary characters with
that has yet to be written…the chronicle of your house.
pre-determined attributes, as well as write-ups of notable sec-
The Chronicle Starter ondary characters, in case the players would prefer to deter-
mine their own abilities and come into glory on their own.
Although each of the houses described in this chapter are
The A Song of Ice and Fire Chronicle Starter is designed to pro-
aligned to a different major house, all except House Marsten
vide players with a way to begin forging their own path in
are based within the Riverlands in order to maximize the
Westeros, with a selection of noble houses scattered about
potential for them to be used in conjunction with each oth-
the Riverlands, some additional locations within the Tully
er. Obviously this requires the Tullys to be extremely toler-
lands ready-made for exploration outside the players’ strong-
ant of houses on their lands aligning themselves with other
hold, and an adventure to both these elements together. The
families. Since the realm is still at peace in the time in which
Chronicle Starter is also an excellent resource for the Narrator,
A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying is set (as Robert Baratheon
providing ready made houses that can be used as allies or en-
still sits the iron throne), this forbearance is assumed. Of
emies of characters’ house.
3
Introduction
House Name Allegiance Defense Influence Lands Law Population Power Wealth
Barnell Stark 39 (30) 18 33 (32) 29 36 40 (39) 18 (10)
Bartheld Baratheon 30 (30) 38 (20) 40 (40) 20 18 11 (10) 43 (30)
Dulver Lannister 42 (40) 38 (35) 34 (34) 24 17 21 (21) 61 (55)
Kytley Frey 25 (20) 26 (20) 31 (31) 22 35 23 (21) 31 (20)
Marsten Arryn 42 (40) 46 (10) 30 (30) 24 32 41 (41) 33 (25)
Tullison Tully 40 (40) 23 (10) 25 (25) 18 24 20 (17) 48 (45)
4
THE NOBLE HOUSES
The players in the game of throne are the noble houses of foremost, you and your players can choose a particular house
Westeros and this chapter details six of them: some new, oth- to serve as home to the players’ characters. They may either
ers old, some prosperous, others beset by troubles. While they take on the roles of characters associated with the house in
do not have the wealth and power wielded by the great houses its description or feel free to replace some of those characters
to which they have sworn their loyalty, these houses of the with ones of their own creation, perhaps changing some of
Riverlands do have noble titles, and some of their members the tenor of the house in the process. The players can also use
have great ambitions—or secrets. the house creation rules from the core rulebook to modify
While the noble houses and their lands and bannermen the house to better suit their vision and that of the chronicle.
are (relatively) at peace now, there are no guarantees it will Second, those houses not adopted by the players as their
stay that way. Life in the Seven Kingdoms is harsh, even own become the neighbors—and therefore potential allies
during the peaceful years following the toppling of the dy- and rivals—of the characters’ house. The houses, and those
nasty of the dragon kings. There are secrets and conflicts who rule them, all have agendas and goals of their own, some
aplenty within each of the houses and potential troubles of them in conflict with those of the characters and their
brewing between them. The material in The Iron Plot chap- house. Of such conflicts are the stories of Westeros made,
ter outlines one way the peace of this corner of the River- with alliances, intrigue, plotting, and outright war with the
lands may fray and tear apart. other houses awaiting the players as the chronicle unfolds.
The houses in this chapter serve two main purposes in your Do the characters, and their house, have what it takes to play
own A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying chronicle. First and the game of thrones and win?
5
The Noble Houses
6
The Noble Houses
More recently strife has entered the halls of Castle Gren- erlands. In those ancient days, Lord Edmyn Tully awarded
ward as Daveth Barnell has reached eighteen years of age and control of Castle Grenward to House Ferros, a small banner
the question of which son will inherit has become an im- house in their service.
mediate concern. Tomas favors Garret, while Alianna favors House Ferros became the first to suffer from what small-
Daveth, and Garret is technically a bastard even if he is a folk in the area call the Grenward Curse. During the revolt of
recognized one. This is further complicated by the fact Gar- the Faith Militant, a group of zealots managed to sneak into
ret has no interest in succeeding his father, having little skill Castle Grenward and killed every member of House Ferros,
in managing lands or dispensing justice, while Daveth is far ending the line forever. House Tully quickly reclaimed the
more skilled in such matters. The whole issue would be settled castle and awarded it to another bannerhouse, House Wellyn,
by a child of Lord and Lady Barnell, but so far their limited but within a few generations, House Wellyn was stricken by
attempts at producing an heir have proved fruitless. Lord a plague that wiped out the entire family. Again House Tully
Barnell has no male siblings to serve as his heir, so it seems he awarded Castle Grenward to another loyal house, only to see
is stuck with a reckless bastard and a weakling scholar. While it wiped out during the Blackfyre Rebellion. This trend has
House Barnell is not bound in familial love, it is bound in loy- continued on up to the current day with House Darry only
alty and friendship, but is that stronger than a father’s pride? taking possession of Castle Grenward in the wake of the War
of the Ninepenny Kings. Now House Darry seems all but
Holdings doomed and the whispers among the smallfolk say it was
Castle Grenward that brought them low. Several have already
Here are the holdings of House Barnell. begun to wager about how long House Barnell will last before
the Grenward Curse ends its line as well.
Defense: 39, Invested: 30 (Castle Grenward) The castle itself is not large, but it is solidly built. The outer
wall is large and thick, broken only by a single gate that opens
Castle Grenward is situated within a few leagues of the ford
on a road that links up to the Kingsroad a short distance away.
where the Battle of the Trident was fought. The castle is an
The large walls create ample space within the castle to al-
ancient structure, pre-dating the Targaryens and thought to
low soldiers to drill regularly. Several stables and bunk houses
have been built to protect nearby farms. The castle is of Andal
have been built against the outer wall to provide extra hous-
construction and legends say it is at least five hundred years
ing for the troops under House Barnell’s banner. The keep
old, though there is no record of who controlled it before the
itself is a small structure built around a single tower that sits
Targaryen Conquest and the rise of the Tullys in the Riv-
7
The Noble Houses
at in the northwest corner of the yard, allowing anyone in its looking at for several years now. He hopes one day to rival
highest levels to see for miles in all directions. The keep is Casterly Rock or Winterfell.
very simple, consisting of a single large feasthall and audience
chamber, kitchen, and rooms in the tower for the Lord and
Influence: 18
Lady Barnell and their children. The castle has no maester or Lord Barnell has never been one for courts, intrigues, or gos-
septa, though Lord Barnell hopes to attract a maester when sip, favoring martial matters. His house’s lack of influence
his fortunes improve. The castle is fed by a series of wells and reflects this since Lord Barnell has spent little time seeing
Lord Barnell always makes sure to have several months of to the political needs of his house. Lady Barnell and her son
provisions in reserve just in case of siege, as unlikely as that work to counteract his inaction, but they have years of ig-
may be. nored invitations, rude rebuffs, and unintentional insults to
Many of the smallfolk in the region still consider Grenward overcome.
Castle to be cursed and will not spend the night in the castle, The issue of the heir to House Barnell has yet to be settled
something that does not make Lord Barnell’s work any easier. and likely won’t be until the house’s influence increases. If
The castle is said to be haunted by the many who have fallen Lord Barnell were to die there is much debate to whether the
victim to its curse, something even Lord Barnell is reluctant house would survive the transition without a named heir. The
to deny. Everyone who spends more than a fortnight comes whole matter would be settled if Lord and Lady Barnell pro-
away with some manner of strange story to tell, most of which duced their own heir, but so far their limited attempts have
involve ghostly apparitions in the corridors, weeping coming not borne fruit.
from empty corners, and eerie lights walking the tower and the
battlements. While none of the soldiers admit to being afraid Lands: 34, Invested: 34
of these disturbances, few keep watch alone if they can help it. plains (grassland) 6, plains (dense forest) 10,
hamlet 10, road 5, river 3
Castle Grenward’s large outer wall allows a great deal of
room for expansion, something that Lord Barnell has been The territories surrounding Castle Grenward are common of
the fertile land of the Trident, mostly dominated by farms
with one major wooded region known as Grenward Forest.
For the Trident region it is an average-sized parcel of land
with a large population of smallfolk, most of whom are farm-
ers. The land is crossed by a number of well-kept roads, the
maintenance of which Lord Barnell thinks to be a matter of
defense more than of trade or communication. There are no
fords across the Green Fork save the Twins a distance away,
making travel difficult. Building a bridge across the Green
Fork within his territory is one of Lord Barnell’s major goals
for the near future.
Castle Grenward sits on the border between the farmland
and Grenward Forest, neatly bisecting the house’s land in
an east/west divide. The forest has been subject to as much
smallfolk superstition and rumors as the castle that guards it.
It is said that the forest is home to the ghosts of the First Men
who settled here; these ghosts are said to sometimes aid those
who get lost there. Some smallfolk claim these ghosts are
protecting an ancient Godswood deep in the forest, but such
stories are usually only half believed. Some stories become
intertwined with the legend of the Grenward Curse, leading
to a tale that the ghosts in the forest are somehow trying to
remove the corruption of Castle Grenward. These extrapo-
lated stories are popular among children and drunks, but few
smallfolk ascribe motivations to events so far beyond their
8
The Noble Houses
ken. Lord Barnell has been encouraging some of his smallfolk Barnell. The problem is one of perception, not force, as Lord
to begin logging the forest so that he can use the wood in pet Barnell clearly has the soldiers to enforce his will on the re-
construction projects, increase the amount of farmable land, gion, but invests little effort in preventative measures, having
and develop another source of income. no constabulary or agents in Wellyn to keep an eye on things.
The Green Fork runs through House Barnell’s land, water- What crime is found is punished with severe force; Lord Bar-
ing the surrounding farms but allowing little in the way of nell is well known to favor execution for livestock theft and
transportation. This length of the Green Fork is too shallow removing a hand for even minor theft.
and too rocky to allow deep-water boat travel, but some locals There is little organized crime in the area, and Lord Barnell
use canoe-like, shallow draft boats to traverse the river. These responds with overwhelming force to any bandits that try to
rafts are not large enough to help in transporting goods of move into his territory, but itinerant thieves are a common
any appreciable size, but are useful in moving people. High problem due to the proximity to the King’s Road. Most of
water levels in the spring from snowmelt and rain allow more these thieves steal livestock. There have been a string of thefts
adventurous merchants to try to float their goods down the of metal ingots from the smithy in Wellyn of late, but the
Green Fork on barges, but few opt for the risk when so many culprits remain free. Thus far no thieves have been foolish
well-maintained roads are available. Many local children enough to try and steal directly from House Barnell.
grow up swimming in the river during the summer months,
but every few years one of them gets too adventurous and is
Population: 36
either drowned by the current or smashed against the rocks. Most subjects of House Barnell live in the farms that are
Some locals say the spirits of those children still haunt the scattered across their land or live on the edges of Grenward
river, drawing in more children to join their watery torment. Forest. Local smallfolk live in multi-generational families
The hamlet of Wellyn, founded by the long-gone House with the responsibility to the land being handed down from
Wellyn, is the only settlement of note controlled by House father to son. There is no more room for new farms in House
Barnell. It has fewer than a hundred inhabitants, though this Barnell’s lands so at Daveth’s suggestion Lord Barnell has
number expands to almost ten times that figure during fes- been encouraging the second sons of his subjects to move to
tivals in the harvest and planting seasons. Wellyn is a good Grenward Forest to help the new logging operations.
distance from Castle Grenward and attempts by past rulers
of Castle Grenward to settle the town’s population around Power: 40; Invested: 39
the castle have had little success due to fear of the Grenward elite personal guard 13, veteran garrison 7,
elite cavalry 12, veteran engineers 7
Curse. Lord Barnell has given up on such concerns and sim-
ply travels to Wellyn when he must, using such trips as an Lord Barnell prides himself on the military forces of House
opportunity to give his cavalry a good workout. Barnell, seeing them as the true measure of a house’s power.
Wellyn is the major trading center within House Barnell With over three hundred soldiers at his command he has one
lands and it sees a steady stream of traders and merchants for of the larger forces in the region, but the process of building
most of the year despite its small size. These merchants trade this force has kept his house’s wealth from increasing.
tools, clothes, and other goods for food, which they usually Since the house’s founding, Lord Barnell has built up his
take north. Most smallfolk in the region do all their trading personal guard, which he calls the Company of the Morn-
at Wellyn, and its services include a smith, barrelcaster, wain- ingstar. They have accompanied him in every major battle he
wright, midwife, and woodwright. The town has no official has fought; most members have been with the house for at
leader aside from Lord Barnell, but the town wainright, Jacob least ten years. The Company of the Morningstar is well re-
Tubby, has become something of the voice of the community spected in the region and endeavors to do its lord proud, on
in recent years due to his outgoing nature and willingness to the battlefield or off. The commander of the Company of the
stick his nose in anyone’s business. Lord Barnell often con- Morningstar is Kieran Orell, the captain of the house guard
sults with Jacob Tubby in matters concerning Wellyn, some- who served with Lord Barnell’s father years ago.
thing that is giving the man a swelled head. Company Grenward is the garrison force permanently
Law: 29 assigned to Castle Grenward and more specifically with
protecting Lady Barnell. These soldiers are not as skilled or
Despite Lord Barnell’s harsh punishment of any criminals as respected as the Company of the Morningstar, but they
he is brought, crime occurs regularly in the lands of House are still well trained and treated. Company Grenward and
9
The Noble Houses
10
The Noble Houses
Following are the personages of note in House Barnell. During these years his father served with most of the major
houses of the North, allowing Tomas to become familiar and
Lord Tomas Barnell make friends within these noble families. He is still fondly
remembered among the Karstarks, Mormonts, and other
Tomas Barnell’s life did not begin well, his first breath coin- houses as a tough young child always looking to learn more
ciding with his mother’s last. His father Garret, a poor hedge about fighting. Tales of his childhood among the houses of
knight, did not blame his son for her death. Instead Garret the North often embarrass him today.
blamed his own inability to afford proper care and food for After years of faithful service, Ser Garret Barnell died
his wife in her time of need. His father’s guilt instilled in fighting bandits while in service to the Tallharts and Tomas
Tomas a drive to gain wealth and power not for his own use, immediately took up his arms and armor. Tomas served with
but to protect his family and friends. Tomas’s intense ambi- several families before earning the respect of the Karstarks
tion often leads others to think him greedy or power-hungry, while defending their lands from wildlings. An approving
but in fact he is driven by making sure those he cares about word from the Karstarks got him added to the forces Eddard
never suffer due to his lack of being able to provide for or Stark brought down from the North during the War of the
protect them. Usurper. His service to House Stark led to Tomas saving Ed-
Tomas spent most of his childhood traveling with his fa- dard Stark’s life by tripping into the path of a spear meant for
ther, learning to fight as soon as he could hold a weapon. the Warden of the North. This deed was rewarded when Lord
11
The Noble Houses
12
The Noble Houses
Abilities
One of the many grandchildren of Lord Walder Frey, Ali-
Awareness 4 Notice 1B
anna’s family saw her as bad luck from the day she was born.
Her parents both died in a springtime flood on the day of her Cunning 3 Logic 1B
birth and similar events have followed her for her entire life. Deception 4 Bluff 1B
Her wetnurse died of fever when Alianna was two years old Fighting 3
and the maester who taught her as a child died of heart failure Language 3
when she was twelve. Alianna’s childhood was a lonely one,
Knowledge 3
despite her many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was os-
tracized for her bad luck and her orphan status, and the Freys Persuasion 4 Bargain 2B, Convince 1B
were only too ready to be rid of her when she was married to Status 3 Breeding 2B
Ser Silas Oberyn, a knight in service to House Tully. By that Will 4
point her reputation had spread and no other man of higher
Attributes
station would have her.
Despite the inauspicious beginning of their relationship, Combat Intrigue
8 10
Defense Defense
Alianna and Ser Silas did come to love each other and within
two years she had borne him a son, Daveth. Daveth was a Health 6 Composure 12
sickly child, so his parents focused on teaching him more Destiny Points 1
scholarly arts, with Ser Silas sparing no expense for the boy’s Benefits: Authority, Dutiful, Keen Senses
tutelage, donating all his winnings at tournaments to such Drawbacks: Cursed
concerns. Alianna thought that after Daveth survived sev-
eral childhood diseases her curse was over, but it was not so. Arms & Armor
While serving the Tullys, Ser Silas was killed at the Battle of Defensive +1,
Dagger 3 1 Damage
the Bells, leaving her a widow with a son to care for and little Off-Hand +1
in the way of an estate to do it with.
With her husband’s death, Alianna again became a pariah as bornness that has let her force her way through many uncom-
House Frey was not interested in bringing someone so obvious- fortable social situations. She refuses to be brought down to
ly cursed back into their household. Lord Walder Frey looked the level of those who would insult or oppose her.
for another option and found one a year later in the form of Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms have left Alianna
Tomas Barnell, a newly minted lord who deeply needed some- a cold woman. The only person in this world she truly loves is
one with courtly experience by his side. Lord Frey was familiar her son Daveth and there is likely little room in her heart for
with the tales concerning the nature of Castle Grenward, and anyone else. Lord Tomas Barnell she has befriended since he
thought it would be one of the few places best suited to send his treats her fairly and respects her opinion on matters he knows
cursed granddaughter. Arrangements were made quickly and little about, but the relationship will never develop into love.
the two wed in a small ceremony at Castle Grenward. The Freys Alianna sees Garret as an annoyance, but she knows that he
assume that since Lord Barnell has no family outside his son has been a good friend to Daveth.
that the house will be wiped out soon by one curse or the other, More than anything, Alianna wants to prove to House Frey
giving House Frey a claim to the house’s land. and all the others that treated her as a pariah that she is bet-
A lifetime as an outsider has led Alianna to believe that ter than that. She feels the way prove her point is to ensure
eventually everyone will turn on her and that she can only the continued survival of House Barnell, and that living well
count on herself. The first exceptions to this were Daveth and will be the best revenge. Alianna is not concerned about the
Ser Silas, but then Ser Silas — the first man to not treat her opinions of others, even at court, instead focusing on concrete
like an unlucky penny — was taken from her. Through all this sources of power and influence. Since Lord Barnell has little
she became a controlled, willful, but quiet woman. She has interest in court, Lady Barnell has become the house’s ambas-
learned to endure jibes and taunts, to pay no mind when she sador, visiting neighboring houses as she can, often with Da-
is ignored or forced out. Instead she feels herself to be above veth in tow. She is adept at games of court, but is most con-
such petty concerns, projecting an aura of authority and stub- cerned with forming worthwhile alliances, not with gossip or
13
The Noble Houses
lesser matters. That said, she is not above going out of her way spent his first few years with his mother
to cause trouble for House Frey and their allies where she can. Sonya, who was a cook in the house-
Alianna believes the best chance for the continued survival hold of House Karstark. Tomas Bar-
of House Barnell is the selection of her son Daveth as its heir. nell did not wish to marry Sonya until
So far she has been unable to convince Lord Barnell of this, he could provide the life he thought
but continues to try. She keeps an eye out for some great task she and his son deserved, and Gar-
she could assign to her son to earn him some credit in his ret’s conception was an unexpected
step-father’s eyes, especially if the task is more cerebral in na- turn. Indeed, Barnell did not see
ture. Alianna accepted long ago that her son was not a warrior his son until Garret was three
born and is instead extremely clever. years old, since his duties kept
him away for so long. These long
Garret Snow periods of separation from his
father would become the norm for Garret Snow.
Born of the only woman Tomas Barnell ever loved, Garret Garret spent these years with the children of Karhold, be-
Snow is very much the favored son of House Barnell. Garret coming their leader, though what he usually led them into
was trouble. From a young age Garret developed a taste for
Garret Snow Adult Fighter life’s finer things, such as sweetmeats and pastries. These were
Abilities beyond his parents’ wealth to provide, so he sought out these
luxuries on his own—even if it meant stealing. Garret never
Agility 4
aimed higher than a tray of gamebirds, but it was enough to
Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B get a few beatings and a reputation in Karhold. When his fa-
Athletics 3 ther summoned Garret to come join him at Castle Grenward
Awareness 3 Notice 1B at age twelve the people of Karhold were glad to be rid of a
Endurance 4 boy they saw as a troublemaker.
Within months of arriving at Grenward, Sonya died of fe-
Fighting 4 Long Blades 2B
ver. Garret placed no blame for her death, but after hearing
Marksmanship 3
the stories the smallfolk tell of the castle he is not so sure.
Persuasion 3 Seduce 1B, Intimidate 1B Sonya raised Garret for the first twelve years of his life, during
Stealth 3 which he rarely saw his father, so while Garret respects and
Thievery 3 Steal 1B obeys his father he truly loved his mother. He can sometimes
be found stalking the halls of Castle Grenward at night, hop-
Warfare 3 Strategy 1B
ing to catch a glimpse of his mother’s ghost. Secretly he hopes
Will 3
to find some way to bring her back and undo the curse, but he
Attributes knows that is foolishness.
Combat Intrigue
Garret spent the next eight years with his father learning about
10 7 fighting, riding, and other matters of knighthood. Garret is more
Defense Defense
Health 12 Composure 9 of a thinker and planner than his father, but he will never be the
great warrior his father is. Through training with the Karstarks,
Destiny Points 1
Garret picked up the basics of swordplay with ease, but he did
Benefits: Armor Mastery, Long Blade Fighter I, Lucky not have his father’s raw power and fortitude. His father was
Drawbacks: Bastard Born pleased with his sword skills, but not so pleased by some of the
Arms & Armor
less honorable habits Garret had picked up in Karhold. In Castle
Grenward, Garret has access to many of the luxuries he once
Splint: AR 8, AP -3, Bulk 2
stole for in Karhold, but now that he was a young man who saw
Longsword 4D+2B 4 Damage something else he wanted: women. Within a few months of ar-
Shield 4D 1 Damage Defensive +2 riving in Castle Grenward, Garret had developed a reputation as
Defensive 1, a cad, which his father did his best to stop. Lord Barnell’s efforts
Dagger 4D 2 Damage
Off-Hand +1 largely consisted of extra weapon drills and chores. The chores
14
The Noble Houses
didn’t stop Garret’s carousing, but they did slow him down. Lord dom gust of wind. His mother and father
Barnell thanks the gods every day that his son has not already accepted this and encouraged other
sired a bastard with these liaisons. pursuits for him, buying him all man-
In more recent times Garret has become just one more ner of books and employing a mae-
oddity in a house of oddities, a bastard born of a smallfolk ster to teach him. As a child Dav-
woman who is an accepted part of the household. Garret’s eth wanted nothing more than to
wild and lecherous ways do not help his reputation, and other grow up to become a maester
local lords joke that they will lock up their daughters if House and spend his days in study.
Barnell brings its bastard son on a visit. Garret spends most The death of Ser Silas opened
of his time drilling with his father’s soldiers, particularly the Daveth’s eyes to how the world
Riverroad Riders. He can often be found out riding with the really worked. His teacher left,
Riders or drinking with them in taverns in Wellyn, and they his books were sold, and his own family saw him as a weight
have begun to look to Garret for leadership. The appointed to be offloaded as soon as possible.
leader of the Riders, Captain Fenrick Atell, does not appreci- At age ten Daveth’s mother married Lord Barnell and Da-
ate this usurpation and is looking for any poor behavior to veth moved to Castle Grenward, counting himself lucky to
report to Garret’s father. get the room at the top of the tower that had been inhab-
Garret Snow is a man of cunning and passion. He goes ited by the maester the Darrys had in their service. The man
after what he wants with all his heart, much like his father, had died during Robert’s Rebellion, but most of his tools and
but Garret wants very different things. While Lord Barnell books remained in the tower where he had left them. Daveth
seeks security for his family, Garret seeks adventure and en- immediately went to work figuring out how to use the tools
joyment. Being a clever and self-effacing sort, Garret admits and reading all the books he could. While Daveth has never
he is shallower than his father, or even his step-brother. Gar- received maester training, he knows much of their arts and
ret struggles with the fact he will never be his father and so looks to learn more.
tries to be his own man. At his heart Garret Snow is the Whereas Daveth’s mother and father encouraged his
romantic his father never was, always questing for a better life studies, his new step-father had little interest in his con-
just because it’s better and exciting, not for any greater cause. tinuing such activities. Lord Barnell thought Daveth a
Garret realizes he would quickly lead House Barnell into ruin weakling from the start and this opinion has never changed.
if he were made its head, so he pushes his father to recognize Lord Barnell has spent many hours trying to teach Daveth
Daveth as the heir instead of himself—or for his father and swordplay, riding, and archery, but Daveth has proved inept
Lady Barnell to have a child of their own. He realizes this is and uninterested in any of these. Garret has likewise helped
cutting off his best chance at living the life he wants, full of try and teach Daveth some manner of military skill in the
women and comfort, but he thinks he wants to obtain those hope of increasing his stature in Lord Barnell’s eyes, but has
things on his own merits and without hurting his family’s met similar problems.
fortunes in the process. While Daveth has little skill in matters martial, he has a keen
Despite their differences in personality and goals, Garret head for numbers, management, and social interactions—even
and Daveth are good friends. Garret tries to get Daveth out exceeding his mother in the latter regard. In the last few years
into the world to experience life and learn how it all really Daveth has assisted the castle steward, Farris Leed, in oversee-
works away from ledgers and books, while Daveth tries to get ing the castle’s management, and his efforts have increased the
Garret to think a little more and act impulsively a little less. profits of the castle substantially. Lord Barnell does not notice
Garret also likes his step-mother, but doesn’t have much in these successes, aside from using the money to hire more troops.
common with her. Most of their interactions are her scolding Daveth is confident that if he was given actual control of the
him for some recent improper behavior. house he would be able to increase its funds and influence.
Daveth takes after his mother, favoring logic and cunning
Daveth Barnell over passion and emotion. Daveth sees the austere façade his
mother puts up and tries to emulate it, but while he is much
From an early age, it was evident that Daveth would never be like her, years of living with Garret have changed him some-
a great warrior like his father Ser Silas. He was slim of body what. The two are friends and Garret’s impulsive nature and
and weak of arm, and looked like he could be felled by a ran- ambition have helped Daveth get out of his shell. The two
15
The Noble Houses
complement each other well, Garret providing the muscle father, who favors his own hearth. Daveth also wants to put
and skullduggery while Daveth uses his brains and scholarly to rest the stories of the Curse of Castle Grenward and its
training. On more than one occasion, Garret has drafted Da- ghosts once and for all, thinking such stories have no place
veth into a scheme to bed a girl—schemes which rarely work in this age of reason and logic. Daveth has yet to experience
out the way either lad had hoped. any of the supernatural activity at House Grenward and dis-
It is evident to Garret and Lady Barnell that Daveth is the misses stories of it as the results of drinking. What his actual
best choice to take over as the head of House Barnell, but nei- purpose in denying the superstitions, however, is to protect
ther Lord Barnell nor Daveth sees that. Lord Barnell thinks his mother, since he believes she equates the castle’s curse
Daveth a weakling, while Daveth, ironically, agrees that he with her own.
doesn’t have what it takes to be a proper lord. Daveth believes
that being a noble lord is all horses and swords since that was Farris Leed, Steward
what his father and step-father focused on. Daveth feels he
must prove his worth both to his step-father and himself if When Eddard Stark urged Farris Leed to come to Castle
he is to become Lord Barnell, an end result that both Gar- Grenward eight years ago to help the newly ennobled Lord
ret and Lady Barnell support. And while he denies that he Barnell set up his household, Farris was an energetic man
wants to lead House Barnell, Daveth knows he could lead with a full head of hair. Now he is a skeleton of a man ren-
it to greatness with just some more organization and social dered almost bald by the frustration of his position. Farris
graces, especially if he has Garret at his side. also lost much of his good humor in those years, as he had to
Daveth’s overall goal is to undo what he sees as the harm cut corners and take out loans to support the military forces
Lord Barnell has inflicted on House Barnell. He hopes to Lord Barnell required. He has grown accustomed to meet-
improve the family’s wealth by focusing on the house’s farm- ing unreasonable demands, but his recent interactions with
ing and lumber operations rather than adding more soldiers. Daveth Barnell give him some hope that eventually someone
He would raise the family’s influence by spending time at with an actual grasp of how a noble house runs will be in
the courts of neighboring houses, in contrast to his step- charge. Hopefully Farris can keep the books sufficiently bal-
anced until then.
Daveth Barnell Young Adult Expert
Abilities
Kieran Orell, Captain of the Guard
Awareness 3 Lord Barnell has known Kieran Orell longer than anyone
Cunning 4 else in Westeros. Kieran served several for several years with
Language 3 Lord Barnell’s father among the houses of the North and
has known Lord Barnell since he was six. When Tomas was
Knowledge 4
ennobled he brought Kieran to Castle Grenward to serve as
Persuasion 4 Charm 2B
the captain of his guard and Kieran then built the soldiery of
Status 2 Stewardship 2B, Breeding 2B Grenward from the ground up. Kieran now functions as the
Will 4 commander of Lord Barnell’s personal guard, the Company
of the Morningstar. Kieran is loyal to the point of death to
Attributes
Lord Barnell, but often embarrasses his lord with stories of
Combat Intrigue Lord Barnell as a child. Despite his loyalty, Kieran has been
7 9
Defense Defense
showing his age lately, sleeping past muster and proving un-
Composure able to keep up with his men during weapon drills. Lord
Health 6
12
Barnell refuses to see the effect of the years on his old friend
Destiny Points 2 and Kieran will admit no weakness, so it will require some
Benefits: Courteous, Expertise (Stewardship), serious mishap for Kieran to be removed from his position.
Favored of Nobles
Garret has been slowly assuming some of Kieran’s respon-
Arms & Armor sibilities, but has done so discreetly, out of respect for him
and in the hopes he can keep the man from embarrassing
Defensive +1,
Dagger 2D 1 Damage himself.
Off-Hand +1
16
The Noble Houses
17
The Noble Houses
his four sons did not. As a form of compensation for the fam- When Hart House was complete, Brom celebrated with a
ily’s years of service and Brom’s sacrifice, King Robert finally huge feast. The party won Brom many allies and goodwill from
granted House Bartheld land of its own. House Bartheld was his creditors. Inspired, Brom turned his native hospitality into
given the territory of House Asrig, which had lost all its sons a tool. Since then Hart House has hosted a variety of colorful
in the war fighting on behalf of the Targaryens. characters, from young men avoiding duels they can’t win to
House Asrig had been the worst kind of nobles. Inspired young women avoiding suitors they can’t shake to old lords
by the cruelty of the Targaryens, they had satisfied their de- reliving glory days they can’t repeat. Brom Bartheld boasts—
sire for luxuries and companionship at the expense of the without revealing any details—that Hart House has hosted at
smallfolk and indulged in cruel, extravagant punishments. least one septon and his lover, and helped a pair of star-crossed
Lord Leofrick Asrig was particularly fond of punishing en- lovers avoid their families long enough to be married in secret.
tire families or villages for the misdeeds of a few. On one Young Davain Bartheld, Brom’s oldest grandson, is the cur-
memorable occasion that a peasant insulted his wife with a rent lord of the House. Brom retired unexpectedly and left
bold stare, Lord Leofrick gave the man’s friends and neigh- Hart House—his aging squire, Dart Rivers, in tow—to seek
bors a choice: either they delivered his eyes to the castle, or the hand of Lady Yve Tullison. Davain is something of a black
he would send his knights to claim ten. Upon hearing of the sheep, an ascetic in a family of sybarites. Davain has already
death of her husband and sons, Lady Inez Asrig had ordered alienated some of his wilder family members by toning down
every village and fortification burned to the ground and set the yearly party. Davain’s father was particularly insulted by
fire to the castle from the inside. Brom Bartheld arrived to his decision to hire businesslike middle-aged servers rather
discover that his new house seat had been devastated. All than attractive girls, and his uncle Kent was annoyed to dis-
the major structures and most of the villages had been de- cover that Davain has banned hunting parties from departing
stroyed and the peasants were traumatized and distrustful, Hart House with more than a single wineskin. Davain’s cous-
eager to believe that their new lord was just as bad as the in Fendrel, on the other hand, is concerned that overabun-
old one. dant sobriety will hurt the house’s standing. The Barthelds
18
The Noble Houses
House Bartheld has the following holdings. Bartheld, King Robert’s grandfather’s confidante, are still
admired by the great houses. House Bartheld’s reputation
Defense: 30, Invested: 30 for hospitality wins it many friends and a great deal of influ-
Hart House (hall) 20, Robert’s Hammer (tower) 10 ence. On the other hand, the Baratheons kept the Bartheld
The seat of House Bartheld is a huge manor rather than a true family dependent upon them for more than two hundred
castle. Brom commissioned an image of the Baratheon arms to and fifty years, and everyone knows it. Nobody in Westeros
be fixed over the front door. The house is full of stag imagery, even pretends that House Bartheld has the power to deter-
from the frolicking stags on the tapestries to the stag’s head mine its own fate.
newel tops to the huge stone stags that flank the entrance. Lands: 40, Invested: 38
A trained eye notices that although it was not built to (lightly forested hills with a ruined castle 13, plains 5,
repel a siege, Hart House is not entirely defenseless. The Hartville (hamlet) 10, South Yard (hamlet) 10)
walls are made of good stone, well laid and well mortared,
and doors are made of stout wood banded with iron. Much House Bartheld’s holdings consist of two domains: the lightly
of the house’s decorations are placed so that right-handed forested hills rising on the highlands and the valley grass-
attackers charging up the stairs will entangle their swords land below. House Bartheld’s smallfolk live in two hamlets.
in tapestries and statues, leaving them open to attack from Hartville supports Hart House and houses the peasants who
right-handed defenders charging down at them. Secret pas- work in the vineyards further up in the highlands behind the
sages in the wine cellar lead to safety and collapse with a manor and South Yard farms the fertile soil of the valley. A
good kick to the right timber. Most importantly, Hart ruined castle, the haunted remains of the House Asrig seat,
House is situated on a bluff overlooking a forested valley. squats in the forests near Hart House.
In order to reach the manor, attackers would have to make In the fifteen years that he was the head of House Bartheld,
their way up the slope, in full view of the house. Although Lord Brom built Hart House, repaired an Asrig watchtower
not a castle by any means, Hart House was built by a man into Robert’s Hammer, and planted a vineyard in the high-
who had survived the rule of a mad king and the bloody war lands behind Hart House. He could probably have achieved
to unseat him, and it takes care of its inhabitants. more, had he not been occupied by filling Hart House with
fine wine and pretty girls.
Influence: 38, Invested: 20 (Fendrel Bartheld)
Law: 20
House Bartheld is a minor house with a colorful history.
Characters like Hobb Bartheld, who died almost a hun- The Barthelds keep their peasants happy, and happy peasants
dred years ago protecting Esme Baratheon’s virtue during do not become bandits. However, Brom never devoted much
a bandit attack while on the way to the Eyrie and Ser Kyle of his energy to patrolling his lands, and banditry became en-
19
The Noble Houses
20
The Noble Houses
21
The Noble Houses
if they are ever attacked. The guardhouse is a single tower retirement, Davain became the master of Hart House. He
ringed by a tall crenellated wall. The secret passages from is a tall, well-favored man of nineteen. Davain has a steady
Hart House’s cellar emerge nearby, making it an ideal refuge. sort of face: handsome, but not wildly so, with straight teeth
Behind the wall are a storehouse, a small forge, and a barracks. and, strong, symmetrical features. Davain’s resemblance to his
Robert’s Hammer is not a particularly strong fortress, and it grandfather is striking, though he looks very little like either
isn’t meant to be. Rather than holding off a determined siege, of his parents. Davain has a large frame and powerful shoul-
it is meant to save the lives of the people inside it. Robert’s ders and arms. Despite his family’s history of Baratheon dal-
Hammer should be just difficult enough to overwhelm that liance, Davain has golden hair, tanned skin, and bright blue
an invading force is likely to take the battle elsewhere, leaving eyes. He is the picture of a young lord of Andal blood.
its inhabitants to escape. Robert’s Hammer is also situated so Davain was fostered with his mother’s cousin, Terrowin
that it can act as a watchtower and warn the smallfolk and the Swann, at his castle in Raintree, south of Storm’s End. Under
inhabitants of Hart House of an approaching attack. Terrowin’s tutelage, Davain grew up to be a hard working and
disciplined young lord, full of a sense of responsibility to his
Characters family and his smallfolk.
The members of House Bartheld were shocked when Brom
These are the people who comprise House Bartheld, as well walked away from his royal gift and left Hart House and
as their notable retainers. leadership of the house to Davain. Brom is unreasonably fond
of his serious grandson, and Davain is equally fond of his ec-
Lord Davain Bartheld centric, decadent grandfather. King Robert was incensed by
what he saw as Brom’s insult—to abandon a lordship and a
Lord Davain Bartheld is the son of Jerome Bartheld, Brom’s holding that were gifts from His Grace, in pursuit of a wom-
eldest son, who fell during Robert’s Rebellion—and Thea an! The royal family has not visited Hart House since Davain
Bartheld (herself a child of House Dondarrion). Upon Brom’s became Lord Bartheld, and Robert vows that they will not
while he draws breath.
Lord Davain is married to Lady Ayleth nee Swann. Renly
Baratheon brokered the marriage while they were still chil-
dren. The couple met on their wedding day, but they have
found happiness together: Ayleth is a passionate, mischievous
woman who brings joy to her dutiful husband’s days.
Davain spurns most of the pastimes seen frequently at
Hart House: hunting is a dangerous frivolity when food can
be more easily acquired by a trained huntsman; arms train-
ing is serious business, not a matter for jests and wagers;
art and poetry are best appreciated in solitude and contem-
plation; and whoring or getting drunk and seducing each
other’s wives is a complete waste of time and leads to duels,
heartbreak, and bastards. Davain’s hobby is blacksmithing.
When the mood strikes him, Davain designs and smiths
objects of beauty and usefulness, like swords and knives. He
sometimes makes tavern puzzles for good friends and small
children, and once made a statue of a rose out of fine steel
beaten into petals and meticulously pieced together as a gift
for his wife.
Davain has only been the lord of Hart House for a year and
a half. In that time, he has taken steps to fortify Hart House,
expand the garrison at Robert’s Hammer, and hunt down the
bandits lurking at the borders of his territory. He has not—
as many of his kin feared he would—withdrawn the offer
22
The Noble Houses
of hospitality that draws nobles to Hart House and is the Lord Davain Bartheld Young Adult Leader
source of much of House Bartheld’s influence. However, he
Abilities
is a sobering influence on Hart House. He has told some of
the wilder regulars, starting with the infamous Hoster Small- Agility 3
wood, that they would not be welcome to Hart House if they Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B
did not curb their excesses. Athletics 3 Strength 1B
Cunning 3 Logic 2B
Lady Ayleth Bartheld Endurance 3
Davain Bartheld’s wife is tall and slender, with long hair that Fighting 4 Long Blades 1B
is so light blond it seems white in the right light. Her skin Persuasion 3
is pale and delicate and flushes bright red with the slightest Status 5
exertion or embarrassment and her eyes are a bright, teas-
Warfare 3 Command 1B
ing green. Ayleth dresses to take advantage of her coloring
and slender figure, either in pale gowns that make her seem Attributes
ethereal or darker, dramatic colors that offset her complexion. Combat Intrigue
8 10
Like many noblewomen of the decadent south, Ayleth makes Defense Defense
looking her best an art form. Health 9 Composure 6
Ayleth Bartheld is more than ornamental, however. Ayleth
Destiny Points 2
is intelligent, and is skilled at reading people so that she can
Benefits: Blood of the Andals (Persuasion), Head of
tell them what they want to hear. She is deft at implying House, Honor Bound, Long Blade Fighter I
things without promising anything, and she is as hard to fool
as she is adept at fooling others. Most importantly, Ayleth Arms & Armor
loves the court life. She thrives on the whirl of Westeros’s Half Plate: AR 9, AP -5, Bulk 3
social scene, the schemes and backroom deals, the dancing Powerful, Slow,
and flirting. When she walks into a room, she commands at- Greatsword 4+1B 6 Damage Two-Handed,
tention. Unwieldy, Vicious
Ayleth was born to House Swann, a household loyal to
King Robert, and was raised to be a courtier in King’s Land- took his leave of Hart House. Ayleth takes a slightly mater-
ing. Her father, Dominic Swann, was controlling and over- nal attitude towards her husband. He certainly has his skills,
bearing. He was determined to craft his daughter into a but when it comes to the schemes of the lords and ladies of
weapon to be used for the good of her House. In order to Westeros, he is barely more than a child. He has invited his
have time to herself and her thoughts, Ayleth learned to creep cousin Fendrel into his home, made Fendrel his heir, and does
silently through the depths of the family castle and pick the nothing to protect himself from Fendrel’s schemes. Ayleth
locks of abandoned rooms with her hairpins. wants to protect Davain from the true duplicity of the nobil-
At first, Ayleth was not happy to be married to Davain ity, in part to let him focus on his strengths, and in part to
Bartheld. She had hoped to win the eye of a more important preserve what she sees as his charming innocence.
noble from one of Westeros’s great houses. However, the ear- Ayleth has discovered that Hart House, with its constant
nest young lord won her over with kindness and respect, and stream of noble visitors, is an ideal place for her. She can play
she fell in love with him against her will even before Brom host, curry favor with her guests, and use that favor to improve
23
The Noble Houses
Abilities
Agility 3
Awareness 3 Empathy 2B
Cunning 4
Deception 3
Knowledge 3 Education 1B
Language 3
Persuasion 4 Charm 2B
Status 5
Stealth 2 Sneak 2B
Thievery 3 Pick Locks 1B
Will 3
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 12
Defense Defense
Health 6 Composure 9
Destiny Points 2
Benefits: Attractive, Charismatic, Magnetic
Drawback: Haughty
her standing and the standing of her husband. Unfortunately,
she is addicted to the game of the noble social scene. She Arms & Armor
loves to dance and flirt, and in the eyes of some, she leads men Defensive +1,
Dagger 2 1 Damage
on. Davain seems to understand that she is only playing, but Off-hand +1
others—like Ser Corbin Celtigar—might not understand. If
she is not careful, she might lead herself and her husband into Corbin genuinely likes people—even the smallfolk, and espe-
a deadly trap. cially women—and wants them to be happy.
Unfortunately, Corbin has a tragically short temper and
Ser Corbin Celtigar disregard for propriety. He seems obsessed with bedding
every woman he can find. Corbin’s appetites are the reason
Those who have heard Ser Corbin he is at Hart House. Corbin was found abed with Bonnie
Celtigar’s reputation as a woman- Spider, the wife of Tyvin Spider, an infamous duelist with
izer are surprised by his appear- close connections to House Lannister. Rather than let the
ance. Corbin’s face is not particularly son of a vassal get killed, but unwilling to personally inter-
good-looking, with the exception vene, King Robert sent Corbin to Hart House to wait it
of his blue eyes. His features are out. While tempers cool in King’s Landing, Corbin cools
squashed and slightly asymmetrical his heels at Hart House, bothering the maids and washer-
and he has an ugly scar on his fore- women.
head. He is short but powerfully built, While grateful for the sanctuary, Corbin dislikes his host.
with dirty blond hair. But Corbin’s Although Davain keeps his opinions to himself, Corbin sees
charm becomes clear as soon as he Davain’s disapproval in every word and gesture. Although
speaks; he is disarmingly witty, with he has not directly chastised Corbin directly, Davain keeps
a quick smile and an easy laugh. He has a gently self-depre- the attractive young serving girls away. Furthermore, Corbin
cating sense of humor and no false dignity. Most importantly, has always had an irrational dislike of tall men. Worst of
24
The Noble Houses
Abilities Abilities
Agility 3 Animal Handling 3 Train 2B
Animal Handling 4 Warhorse 3B Awareness 3
Athletics 3 Cunning 4
Cunning 3 Diagnose 2B, Treat Ailment
Healing 3
1B, Treat Injury 1B
Deception 3
Knowledge 5 Education 2B
Endurance 3
Language 4
Fighting 5 Long Blades 3B
Persuasion 3
Persuasion 3 Seduction 2B
Status 4 Stewardship 2B
Status 4
Will 3
Attributes
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 9
Defense Defense Combat Intrigue
7 11
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 6
Health 9 Composure 12
Destiny Points 1
Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Anointed, Long Blade Fighter I, Sponsor
Benefits: Knowledge Focus (Astronomy), Knowledge Focus
Drawbacks: Lascivious
(Nature), Maester
Arms & Armor Drawbacks: Crippled, Flaw (Agility)
Breastplate: AR 5, AP -2, Bulk 3
simple tunics and trousers to his black
Bastard
5+2B 4 Damage Adaptable robes. He is understandably proud of
Sword
his Maester’s chain, however, and is
all, Corbin has conceived an abiding lust for Davain’s wife, never without it. Like many Maesters,
Ayleth. He mistakes her flirting for real attraction. Forthwind keeps a pet raven, Ma-
Corbin Celtigar is a typical guest of Hart House. Although levolent, an ill-tempered creature
not a Bartheld, he is stuck at Hart House until his contacts who despises everyone but her
tell him it is safe for him to return to King’s Landing. His master. Forthwind walks slowly
boredom means that he is eager to stir up trouble for the with a raven-headed cane. He
sheer fun of it. He is eager to show up Davain and maneu- was born with a club foot, his
ver Ayleth into his bed—both at the same time, if possible— right foot twisted inwards so that he
which could embroil him in any number of plots. He’s loyal to has to walk on the outer edge.
King Robert, but such loyalty is hardly his chief motivation. Forthwind is quite open about his origins and considers
his ascent to the Maesters to be one of his proudest achieve-
Maester Forthwind ments. Many Maesters are the youngest children of the
nobility, raised with expensive private tutors and libraries,
Hart House’s Maester is not an imposing figure. Forthwind is not the crippled sons of peasants. Forthwind was born in a
a swarthy middle-aged man of average height with curly black small town not far from Winterfell, where even in the long
hair, and mild, dark grey eyes. Forthwind has poor muscle summer, deformed children rarely survive. He did survive,
definition and a little more fat on his frame than perhaps he though, and even prospered. He left the North as a teenager
should, giving him a soft appearance. His face is round and when he decided that he was sick of struggling to fit him-
young-looking, despite his 43 years, with full lips and a lumpy self and his abilities into a world better suited to men with
nose. His fingers are particularly pudgy. Forthwind prefers whole bodies and less intelligence. He traveled to Oldtown
25
The Noble Houses
on foot and by hitching rides with passing farmers and trad- looking for a strong father figure, though he didn’t know it.
ers. It took him the better part of a year. The Maesters were Davain rightfully credits Anton with making him the man he
impressed with his dedication—and more impressed with is today, and when he came to Hart House, he invited Anton
his intelligence and self-education—and admitted him to to come with him.
the Citadel at once. Anton is a big man with tan skin and wiry black hair. He
Forthwind is happy with his assignment to the Barthelds. is rarely seen outside the forge and usually wears a smith’s
He enjoys life at Hart House, with its numerous guests, their sturdy clothes and leather apron. His mannerisms are quick
varied appetites, and their ill-considered schemes and pas- and forceful. Most of the teeth on the right side of Anton’s
sions. Forthwind considers himself an observer, here to serve mouth are gone as a result of a fight when he was fourteen
Hart House, monitor the seasons and the heavens and report and his voice is muffled. Davain has a lot of practice under-
his findings to the Citadel, and enjoy the fine offerings of standing him, but most others find it difficult. Anton listens
Hart House’s kitchens. Forthwind’s main vice is food, which carefully, but rarely speaks.
he enjoys with gusto. Although he is not a cook himself,
Forthwind has made a study of wine and is a brilliant som- Bevan Sand
melier. He has a dark red copper link in his Maester’s chain
to prove it. Hart House’s chief cook is a tall, narrow Dornishman with
Forthwind is an easy-going man, genuinely fond of most of dark skin, dark eyes, and dark, curly hair. His features are too
Hart House’s inhabitants. He likes that Lord Davain respects sharp and his eyes too beady and close together for him to be
his learning, enjoys flirting harmlessly with Lady Ayleth and handsome, but he is a little exotic looking. Bevan’s face has
suggesting recipes to the cook, Bevan Sand. Forthwind was an odd resemblance to Hart House’s Maester Forthwind’s, a
close to Lord Brom and may miss him more than anyone in similarity made comical by Bevan’s lanky build as compared
Hart House, except possibly Davain himself. to Forthwind’s pudge. Like any good chef, Bevan samples
his food constantly as he cooks. He says he’d be as pudgy
Anton Black as Forthwind if only he could slow himself down; he dashes
throughout the kitchen, constantly ensuring that everything
Anton Black performs two primary functions at Hart House. is just so.
First, he is a master artisan, keeping the manor’s blades sharp Bevan is very good at what he does and resents any inter-
and providing a source of income and prestige. Second, he is ruption or meddling in his kitchen. He considers himself lord
Lord Davain’s mentor and confidante. and master of the kitchen, worthy of the same respect as King
Anton was born into the service of House Swann at Rain- Robert on his throne.
tree. His father was a hostler and his mother was one of the
Maester’s assistants. As a child, Anton was full of nervous Lord Brom Bartheld
energy and frustrated creativity. His parents thought that he
was doomed to either be killed in an accident or fight or get Although a member of House Bartheld, Lord Brom, the for-
into serious trouble before he was fully grown. Fortunately, mer head of the house and master of Hart House, currently
Raintree’s smith saw that Anton had potential and took him resides at Mountain’s Reach as a semi-permanent guest while
under his wing. He gave Anton a trade, but more important- he woos the beautiful Lady Yve Tullison. Said to be slightly
ly, Robin taught Anton discipline. When Robin died, Anton mad, Brom has abdicated his responsibilities in favor of his
took over as Raintree’s smith and held the position for several grandson Lord Davain, although he is still the most senior
decades. member of House Bartheld. Furthermore, Brom is fiercely
When Davain arrived at Raintree, Anton saw a kindred proud of Hart House and dotes on Davain. Brom cherishes
spirit. Davain was also full of energy and without discipline. all his grandchildren—each one reminds him that it is a mir-
Anton felt he had no choice but to save Davain the way he acle that any of his sons survived the Trident—and Davain is
had been saved. He first attracted Davain’s by implying that his special favorite.
learning how to make swords would make Davain a better If trouble comes to Hart House, or Davain needs his help,
fighter. Davain declared that he was “done with” Anton five Brom is sure to return—but he may not be entirely welcome.
times during the course of his childhood at Raintree, but An- King Robert elevated Brom to lordly status after centuries of
ton always managed to draw him back. Davain himself was Bartheld family service to House Baratheon, and Brom abdi-
26
The Noble Houses
cated this responsibility just a few years later. If Brom isn’t as ing himself to the service of some potent lord. Instead, Ed-
mad as they say, he must realize that further involving himself mund spends his days at Hart House in the company of his
in Baratheon family politics could be downright dangerous manservant Reginald, reading and writing poetry, compiling
for his grandson. See page 73 for more details about this ec- histories of Westeros, and studying the properties of herbs
centric personality. and minerals like a peasant farmwife. Edmund doesn’t even
pursue a beneficial marriage to the daughter of an important,
Cecily Cooper influential, or wealthy lord. If he had been born a Lannister,
Edmund would have been pressured to join the Faith or the
Davain Bartheld would be surprised to discover that the lead- Maesters or take the black a long time ago.
er of the Black Serpent Band, the largest group of bandits in However, no one can deny that Edmund has the trait the
his domain, is a woman. Cecily was fifteen years old when her Barthelds hold most dear: absolute loyalty. Several important
home was destroyed in one of the final battles of Robert’s Re- lords consider Edmund a friend and confidante, and he has
bellion. Her family was killed and the nobles they served were kept their secrets in the face of bribery, threats, and black-
entirely wiped out. With nowhere to go, Cecily fell in with mail. Although a mediocre swordsman, at best, Edmund has
a traveling band of similarly displaced peasants. The peasants faced more than one duel to protect the honor of his friends.
eventually turned to banditry to survive, and Cecily joined He took a wound defending Lord Gyles Rosby’s skill as a
them. She surprised everyone with a tremendous capacity for general and was nearly killed over an insult to Ser Addam
violence and talent for leadership and eventually became the Marbrand’s wife.
leader of the band. Hart House has become Edmund’s home, though he
Cecily is a pragmatic woman. She has become accus- makes frequent trips to visit his friends in King’s Landing,
tomed to life as a powerful woman in a sexist society. She Lannisport, and other cities and castles of Westeros.
has raided villages and disrupted trade up and down Weste- Edmund is a slender young man with delicate features
ros for a decade and a half, staying long enough to enrich and a middling complexion. He wears his auburn hair cut
herself, but not so long as to get caught. The territory around short. He and Davain have the same intensely blue eyes,
Hart House has been ideal for the past five years. The lords inherited from Brom. Edmund dresses well, in Bartheld
have seen to their pleasures in the manor, leaving the coun- colors, and rarely bothers to carry a sword. In addition to his
tryside to Cecily and her band, so long as the Black Serpents storied honor, Edmund is actually quite shy. He prefers the
weren’t too bold. company of Reginald and his few close friends—including
Cecily isn’t sure what to do about Davain Bartheld. He’s a Lord Davain.
different sort of nobleman than what she’s used to. The small-
folk say that he sees to their needs instead of his own and Ser Fendrel Bartheld
spends time and resources improving his domain. It’s past
time to move on, but this new lord makes Cecily wonder. Fendrel fears the consequences of his cousin Davain’s ascen-
Maybe, after all these years, it’s time to become legitimate. dancy. He is an inveterate schemer and dedicated pleasure-
Cecily is a tough-looking woman of thirty, as scarred and seeker, but still devoted to the fortunes of House Bartheld.
muscular as any knight. She keeps her brown hair cut short Unlike Davain, he believes that Bartheld should continue
and wears masculine clothing, but makes no effort to hide her to curry favor by catering to the needs of powerful nobles
gender. Cecily is swarthy and dark-eyed. Some of her men are from Westeros’s great houses, especially Baratheon. Fendrel
unsatisfied with a female leader and would kill her and take is involved in many schemes that exploit the desires of sur-
over the band if they could. As a result, Cecily always goes rounding nobles, but he is very focused in his goal: he wants
armed and armored. to replace Davain as the master of Hart House and the head
of House Bartheld.
Ser Edmund Bartheld Fendrel is a reasonable man. He does not wish to diminish
House Bartheld’s standing. He believes that everything he
In any other family, Edmund would be considered a failure. does is for the good of the house. Second, Fendrel is reluctant
Edmund—Davain’s little brother—is a passable swordsman, to actually kill his cousin Davain. Although a schemer, Fen-
but shows no interest in mastering that or any skill appropri- drel is a Bartheld. Fendrel knows his task would be easier if
ate to a nobleman. Neither does he show interest in swear- he could simply hire someone to kill Davain for him, but he
27
The Noble Houses
is confident that he can achieve his goals without resorting women raped as punishment for the misdeeds of their fathers
to kinslaying. and brothers. Rowan had only avoided fighting in Robert’s
Fendrel Bartheld is a tall, slender man of twenty-three Rebellion thanks to his youth. He was also the oldest able-
with pale yellow hair, fair skin, and gray eyes. Fendrel’s vice bodied male in his village; all the others had been conscripted
of choice is the attentions of skilled prostitutes—an affecta- by House Asrig and either killed or maimed in the fighting
tion he shares with his grandfather Brom—and he indulges or decided to make a new life in some other part of Westeros.
whenever he can. Fendrel is a philosophical and deeply reflec- Brom likes to tell the story of their first conversation.
tive man with a quick wit honed on the classics. Rowan had come to the tent city set up where Hart House
would soon be built to ask the new lord for help, and Brom,
Rose Clay impressed with his pluck, had offered him a job. Rowan con-
sidered the offer for a long time, and then asked:
Rose Clay, wife of Ser Rowan Clay, leader of House Bar- “Are you going to be a good lord, or a great fat pigfucker
theld’s military, serves as Head Housemaid for Hart House. like Leofrick Asrig?”
Rose is average height for a woman and pleasantly round, Brom laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his camp chair.
with a fair complexion and pale hair. Although she is quite He hired Rowan Clay on the spot. One of Brom’s knights
pretty, her most striking feature is her intense, intelligent made Rowan a knight a few months later after helping bring
green eyes. She is twenty-eight years old, but has the pres- an infamous Asrig retainer to justice.
ence and confidence of someone much older. Rose projects In the fifteen years since that meeting, Rowan Clay has
competence, practicality, and grace. She has a very dry sense grown into an impressive man. He is tall and broad-shoul-
of humor; most people don’t notice when she is making fun dered, with muscles developed by years of swordplay. Rowan
of them. Rose is especially skilled at gently mocking the wears his shoulder length dark hair tied back in a knot at
nobility, who she is fond of in a patronizing way. She thinks the base of his neck; his wife Rose loves his hair, and it is his
people born to wealth and power just aren’t practical like one vanity. Rowan’s eyes are dark brown, but flash gold in the
ordinary folks. light, and his skin is burned into a perpetual tan by the sun.
Rose is the mistress of Hart House’s cleaning staff and has Rowan bears a two handed sword Lord Davain made espe-
a great deal of influence with the steward and his staff as well. cially for him. Rowan and his wife live in the second largest
She has used her position to place herself at the center of house in Hartville and have two small children.
Hart House’s gossip. Anything seen or overheard by anyone Rowan cultivates a reputation as a simple armsman. He
in the manor’s staff eventually finds its way to Rose. Rose has speaks with a lazy drawl and pretends to be more provincial
used this situation to make herself an asset to the masters of than he is. While the accent is genuine, Rowan is a skilled
Hart House. Rose doesn’t pass along everything she hears, tactician and a shrewd judge of character, and he has trav-
only the tidbits that the lord might find useful. In the old eled over a great deal of Westeros in Brom Bartheld’s service.
days, she reported directly to Lord Brom, but Lord Davain Rowan finds it convenient to be underestimated by the no-
isn’t as canny or willing to compromise as his predecessor. bility. He knows most lords and ladies—and even his fellow
Instead, she reports to his wife, Lady Ayleth. knights—will view him as a jumped-up peasant no matter
Rose has significantly more intelligence, energy, and am- what he does, and doesn’t care. Rowan is still fond of Lord
bition than her position requires, and so amuses herself by Brom, but he is glad that control of Hart House has passed
sitting in the center of the webs of Hart House gossip. Just as to Lord Davain. With Lord Davain’s support, Rowan hopes
her husband serves the family with her sword, Rose does her to make House Bartheld more militarily secure and eliminate
best to keep the Barthelds safe with her ears. the bandits lurking on the borders once and for all.
28
The Noble Houses
29
The Noble Houses
Lord Harald’s father, Lord Hemmel Dulver, called Pinch- tience, will and a vicious knack for haggling, the new Dulver
penny, was a notorious skinflint. It’s said around the tavern found buyers for the strangest things and in the strangest
tables that the late Lord Dulver was so miserly that it took places. Every penny that came to him he sent back out to
his lady wife locking herself in her chambers for a month for bring in more. And while he had his father’s nose, young
him to agree to serve more than turnip gruel and cider at their Harald had a more discerning eye.
only daughter’s wedding. For all his reticence to spend coin By the time of Robert’s Rebellion, Lord Harald was doing
on luxury though, Lord Hemmel had a miraculous nose for a brisk business taking the lead and tin and copper that the
a bargain. He employed a veritable legion of factors comb- mines upon his land would yield and turning them into gold
ing the countryside for goods that might be acquired on and steel and more. He had also got himself a Lannister wife
the cheap. He bought up the goods of impoverished hous- by way of Lannisport, a cousin to Lord Tywin and the Lan-
es, the discarded weapons of defeated armies, brass hinges nisters of the Rock. And when Lord Tywin kept his men at
and bronze urns, books and candlesticks and iron tools. And home, so too did Harald Dulver.
when he had filled the cellars beneath his hold, he had his Each time a messenger arrived below his gates, Lord Dul-
miners dig more. ver threw them open and welcomed them most warmly, be
When Lord Hemmel perished of a chill in his forty-third they Robert’s men or Aerys’. But when they asked for men
year (taken from his cellars while counting great casks of iron he had but to show them around the castle and let them see
nails) he left his heir his name, his lands, and a hundred cel- his ill-manned walls. “I have but blind old codgers and cal-
lars stuffed to bursting with the castoffs of seven kingdoms. low boys, my lords,” he said. “But I cannot let you go empty-
Some might count this a burden, but Lord Harald had two handed.” And so he sent them each away with casks packed
things his father had always lacked—ambition and the will- with salt pork or wayns laden with new boots, but never men.
ingness to sell. When finally Lord Tywin marched from Casterly Rock,
There was little enough wheat among the chaff Lord Hem- Lord Dulver met him on the road with three hundred foot
mel had gathered, but Lord Harald found it all. Through pa- behind him. As the Dulver men joined the Lannister host
30
The Noble Houses
and marched on King’s Landing, Lord Lannister asked from There is, in fact, as much of Deepen Hall below the earth
whence these men had come. “My cellars,” said Lord Harald. as above it. Dulver’s Turnips hid in them. And it’s said that
“I had misplaced them behind some turnips. I hope His more than one rival or unwelcome relative has disappeared
Grace will understand.” And so Lord Dulver’s turnips and into them over the years. Any time they’ve shown any signs
the Lions of the Rock marched up the road to sack the city of running out of room, the truth of Lord Hemmel Dulver’s
before bending the knee to a king. words is proven—you can always dig another hole.
In the years since Robert’s Rebellion, House Dulver’s for- In recent years Lord Dulver has acquired a parcel of land
tunes have advanced steadily, if slow. The mines that dot their north and east of Stony Heath, and with it a small tower
holdings are not so rich as their cousins’, yielding lead and house of stone and timbers. His younger son, Ser Horas
tin and copper instead of silver or gold. But even kings need Dulver, holds it in his name with his young wife and a small
chamber pots and spoons. When his neighbors need a thing, complement of men from the castle’s garrison.
Lord Dulver can provide. Arrows, swords or the men called
Dulver’s Turnips. Grain or salt or seeds. Two of everything in
Influence: 38, Invested: 35
Ser Walton Dulver (heir) 20, Horas Dulver
his cellars, it’s said. And acre by acre, Lord Harald’s domain (second son) 10, and Helen Dulver (daughter) 5
grows because the Dulver always takes his price.
Lord Harald Dulver and Lady Falyse have three children:
Holdings their firstborn son and the heir of Dulver, Ser Walton Dul-
ver; his brother Horas Dulver; and the youngest—a daugh-
The lands of House Dulver are known as Stony Heath, which ter named Helen. Full descriptions of each will appear in the
is a fairly average-sized holding situated in the hills and character section to follow.
mountains north of the Tumblestone between the Banefort
Lands: 34, Invested: 34
and Fairmarket. A narrow, but exceptionally well-made road (mountains 9, hills 7, coast 3, hamlet 10, road 5)
branches off from the River Road and wends its way up the
hills to the gates of Deepen Hall, the seat of House Dulver The Stony Heath is comprised mainly of low, rocky moun-
who holds lordship over the lands about. tains and rolling, sandy hills. The farming is poor and is
mainly restricted to onions, potatoes, carrots and turnips.
Defense: 42, Invested: 40 This is something of a sore spot among the Heath’s inhabit-
(Deepen Hall (small castle) 30, tower 10)
ants given the unmitigated bounty of the riverlands just a
Deepen Hall is small as castles go. It was built some ten short way east.
thousand years ago by the First Men using crafts long since The acquisition of a small tract of a northern neighbor’s
lost. The castle sits on the shoulder of the Deepmont, a low, lands has given the Dulvers hope to add some greater vari-
round-topped mountain. Its walls, towers and keep are all ety to their pallet of crops. Lord Dulver has dispatched his
built of stone quarried from the mountain itself. In those dark younger son to oversee the development and cultivation of
and distant years, the builders of the First Men carved away these lands, but so far the young Dulver has borne no useful
the lower slopes of the Deepmont and left sheer cliffs broken fruit. In fact, some have taken to calling young Horas Dul-
only by a narrow causeway curling up and around to end be- ver “Blackthumbs” after the failure of three crops in one year.
fore the great bronze gate. Perhaps the family’s words, they say, do not extend to crops
Towers flank the gate facing south with another, taller and harvests.
tower looming at the far end to look out over the hills to the Small herds of sheep and goats also roam the hills, gleaning
distant waters of Ironman’s Bay. Between these three tow- sustenance from the sedges and gorse that speckle the land
ers rises the main keep like a fist thrust up from the body of in tufts. On the thin stretch of coast his lordship holds on
the mountain, the curve of its peak making a natural motte. Ironman’s Bay a few fishermen also ply their trade, bringing
Within the walls a half-dozen wells keep the castle in water in salmon and shellfish and sweet red crabs.
and stables and outbuildings line the inside of the walls. The one extravagance you’ll find on the Heath is the nar-
Below the keep are the fabled cellars that gave Deepen Hall row path called the Digger’s Road. Laid in the days before the
its name. Stories say the mountain itself is hollow as an old Andals came, the road wends its way through valleys and over
gourd, and while this isn’t entirely true, the cellars do go deep. hills to Deepen Hall, every mile paved with stone. Once it
31
The Noble Houses
was a river of bronze flowing out from the hall as swords and the hills. They serve the needs of the teamsters driving wayns,
spears suits of mail. The coming of steel put an end to that, though poorly. And most of all, they dig.
but the road itself endures.
Power: 21, Invested: 21
Law: 24 (veteran garrison 7, trained archers 6, trained
engineers 5, green support 3)
Aside from the narrow trade road running from Deepen Hall
to the River Road, the Stony Heath is a largely trackless and No lordly family holds its seat for ten thousand years by
desolate land, dotted with isolated crofts, cottages and min- letting their swords go to rust. Lord Dulver, though not a
ing camps. There is little worth stealing by the measure of martial man himself, knows the value of keeping strong men
most bandits and by dint of that fact alone, banditry is but a and steel about him. His garrison is strong, well-trained and
minor problem. regularly drilled by Lord Harald’s bastard uncle and master-
The garrison mounts regular patrols of the road and the at-arms, Gambol Hill. A force of well-armed crossbowmen
route to Ser Walton’s tower, but circuits of the hills and stand his walls as well, ready to rain death down on the rare
mountains are rare and irregular. From time to time some force that might assault Deepen Hall.
band of desperate men will take refuge in one or another of Along with his combat troops, Lord Dulver maintains an
the valleys creasing the Heath. At those times Lord Harald expert force of sappers and engineers. On those occasions
sends his son with the garrison in force to root them out with that Lord Dulver must bring his banner to bear in the service
steel and fire. of his liege lord, it’s most often the case that his engineers are
the men most wanted. If indeed the need is great, the hills
Population: 17 and valleys about the Heath can also be gleaned to assemble
an able, if unseasoned, corps of laborers.
The only thing thinner on the Heath than the trees are the
people. Shepherds’ cottages dot the valleys and poor farmers Wealth: 61, Invested: 55
crofts huddle on the hills. Mining camps squat over holes in (sept 15, mines 10, Maester Falstan 10, Karyl Kays
the ground grubbing out the lead and copper and tin that the (artisan) 10, Persal Littlefoot (artisan) 10)
earth of Stony Heath will yield.
Rich is a word that is often attributed to the lords of the
The largest concentration of smallfolk lives in Copperton,
Westerlands, but where most of his fellow bannermen (and
the little hamlet that huddles at the foot of the Deepmont
his liege as well) count their riches by the dragon, Lord Dul-
serving the needs of his Lordship and the castle. They butcher
ver’s wealth lies mainly in the goods he stores in his cellars
his sheep and cut peat from the bogs on the seaward side of
and the talent he houses within his walls. It was not always so.
32
The Noble Houses
Not so long ago, House Dulver was as poor as the lands it Short, bald, and gaunt with a thick wattle under his chin
held. Old and hung with history, but poor. Ever since the An- that waggles when he works his jaws, Harald Dulver has on
dals brought steel to Westeros and condemned the bronze- occasion been likened more to a turkey by those who have
men of Dulver to be makers of sconces and chamber pots, only ever seen him. Sharing the man’s company dispels such
House Dulver has struggled to make its way. notions in short order. His lordship’s jests tend toward gal-
Lord Hemmel’s obsession might have beggared the an- lows humor; when he laughs, his beak of a nose bobs up and
cient house, but his son’s timely ascension turned obsession down and the flesh of his throat wags back and forth. There
into innovation and reversed a house in decline. Through wise is a hunger that gleams in his dark eyes. Hunger of a patient
stewardship, wily trading and a healthy dose of luck, Lord sort. The sort that knows that eventually, in time, you will
Harald has improved his family’s fortunes immensely and grace his table.
seems likely to continue doing so. He is not a man of martial bent, but noble blood demands a
Among his assets Lord Harald counts the service of a mas- son learn the ways of axe and sword. Lord Dulver was a com-
terful stonemason in Karyl Kays. Building or breaking, Mas- petent, if never brilliant, fighter in his youth. Now in middle
ter Kays knows as much about stone as any man in the West. age, he keeps his wits as sharp as swords and uses them far
And as miners go, Persal Littlefoot has few equals. It’s said he more often. “Battles are for young men,” he is fond of saying,
can smell copper in a bale of hay cut three years before. “I win my wars with sheep and wayns.” And indeed, his lord-
Though Lord Harald is not much given to luxury, the ad- ship is known by all who’ve dealt with him to be a demon at
vancement of his House’s fortunes has afforded him one. It the negotiation table.
was seven years ago that he sent to the Citadel at Old Town Lord Harald has always had a head for business and a knack
and six since Maester Falstan came to serve. for finding use in what others have dismissed as useless. Like
his cousins the Lannisters, Dulver takes what is offered. It’s
Sept on the Heath a popular saw among the smallfolk that ‘under Deepen Hall
you’ll find two of everything.’ And indeed, no one who comes
Lord Wyland Dulver, called Pious Will, was the third Lord
Dulver to rule the Heath after the conquest of the Andals.
He was the second to hold Deepen Hall with Andal blood
in his veins and the last to set foot in the godswood that had
once been the pride of his family. Lord Wyland burned the
godswood in the thirteenth year of his rule and built a stable
over it. At the foot of the Deepmont he raised a sept with
stone quarried from the bowels of the mountain. When it
was completed, it’s said, he entombed his seven children, one
beneath each altar and put his lady wife beneath the doorstep.
Then, he hung himself and ended his line. A nephew came
from Tarbeck Hall to take up the seat and the Dulver name
went on.
Characters
House Dulver is comprised of the following family members
and people of import.
33
The Noble Houses
to his hall in need is turned away. But Lord Dulver asks his faithful agent and confidante. More even than Lady Dulver,
price and nothing is given away for free. Tom is privy to the inner workings of Lord Dulver’s plans
With his lady wife and their sons he is a dutiful husband and and machinations and Lord Dulver trusts the old tinker fur-
father, but not warm. Indeed, anyone would be hard pressed to ther than he trusts any man in life.
name a soul that enjoys the love of Harald Dulver. But if he Lord Harald’s chief concern is the advancement of his
is not loving or loved, he is respected. Lord Harald takes care house. He is driven to acquire power and advantage the way
of his own, be they kin, knights, sworn swords or smallfolk. In his father was driven to acquire things. Warfare has never
return, he demands firm, unswerving loyalty. None go hungry been this Dulver’s strongest suit. Harald prefers to gather
under Lord Harald’s rule, and all must give their due. power through garnering wealth, favor, and land—and he is
Lord Harald does not put much stock in friendship and not above the use of force if the odds are in his favor.
indeed, has no friends of a personal nature. The closest thing The westerlands are renowned for their gold and silver
he does have to a friend is Short Tom Tinker. Ever since mines, but the Dulver lands have only ever yielded up the
Harald found the old man shuffling over the hills in the first basest of metals and Harald Dulver is keenly aware of this.
wicked blows of an early blizzard and brought him home to He prides himself on knowing the location, quality and an-
Deepen Hall, no doubt saving his life, Tom has been Harald’s nual yield of every mine between the Neck and the Dornish
Marches. He spends a great deal of time pondering ways
Lord Harald Dulver Middle-Aged Schemer he might wrest even a moderately fruitful vein of iron from
Abilities whichever lord holds it. Lately he has had his eye on just such
a thing. Given over to some up-jumped natural son of a Tully,
Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B
this tract of ground on the edges of the Vale could well be a
Awareness 4 Empathy 2B fruit ripe for the picking. Lord Dulver has only met the young
Cunning 3 Memory 1B Dunstan Tullison, but the impression Harald took from the
Deception 3 Bluff 1B meeting was eminently encouraging. The Lord of Mountain’s
Endurance 3 Reach is as gullible as he is brave and Lord Dulver is al-
ready hatching plans to give brave Dunstan precisely enough
Fighting 3 Long Blades 1B
rope to hang himself and his entire bastard family. What he
Language 3
doesn’t realize, however, is that someone in his household is
Knowledge 3 making plans of their own, and they may well result in Lord
Persuasion 5 Bargain 2B, Intimidate 1B Dulver making a much more overt—and bloody—move for
Status 4 Stewardship 1B the land, and that right soon.
Harald Dulver regards his people much as he does any
Warfare 3
other resource at his disposal, though a resource deserving of
Will 3
far greater consideration than the wagons of ore yielded up by
Attributes his mines. His lordship regards his family as most precious of
Combat Intrigue
all, and it is just this regard for his sons and daughter that is at
7 11 the root of the trouble that is building. Lord Harald suspects
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 9 the septon of the Sept on the Heath of co-opting his son and
heir, Walton, and filling his head with useless drivel about the
Destiny Points o
gods and knighthood.
Benefits: Evaluation, Head for Numbers, Head of House Thus far this idea remains but a shadow in Harald’s mind.
Drawbacks: Flaw (Athletics) Walton is a dutiful son and while Lord Harald was displeased
Arms & Armor
with Walton taking vows as a knight, the boy at least makes a
good show of listening to his father’s lessons on the principles
Mail: AR 5, AP -3, Bulk 2
of good stewardship. Should the young heir exhibit some sign
Longsword 3+1B 3 Damage of open rebellion, though, Septon Arlyn may well find him-
Shield 3 1 Damage Defensive +2 self shouldering the blame for a rift between the lord and his
Defensive +1, firstborn, whether he deserves it or not, and the price he will
Dagger 3 1 Damage
Offhand +1 pay will be very steep indeed.
34
The Noble Houses
Abilities
Walton Dulver is the firstborn son
Agility 3
to Lord Harald and Lady Falyse
Dulver. While Walton bears his Animal Handling 3
father’s name one need only look Athletics 3 Running 1B
upon him to know he is Merys’ son Endurance 4
through and through. Where Lord Fighting 5 Bludgeon 2B, Spears 1B
Harald’s frame is spare, Walton is
Language 3
stout and strong. Where Lord
Status 3
Harald is short, Walton stands
better than six feet tall. Good Warfare 3 Tactics 2B
Walt, as he’s called by his father’s Will 3
sworn men and smallfolk, has yel- All Others 2
low hair and a ready smile. There
are those that point to the young heir’s size and mien and Attributes
whisper that Lady Falyse, in her Lannister pride, has given Combat Intrigue
8 7
Lord Harald a cuckold’s horns. The trouble is, no one can Defense Defense
figure out what poor mad sot would lie with her long enough Health 12 Composure 9
to sow a son in her womb. Destiny Points 1
The tasks of stewardship have never come easy to Walton, Benefits: Anointed, Heir, Armor Mastery
either. Despite his father’s relentless drilling, Walton is only a
middling manager at best. Dutiful and devoted as a son and Arms & Armor
heir should be, Walton has done his best to learn the lessons Half Plate: AR 10, AP -5, Bulk 2
his father has worked so hard to teach, but Walton was made Morning Shattering 1,
5+2B 3 Damage
for the yard rather than the hall. Star Vicious
If Walton was indifferent in his lessons on lordship he was Bulk 2, Impale,
anything but when it came to learning the ways of arms and War Lance 5 7 Damage; Mounted, Powerful,
warfare. Under the tutelage of his great uncle, the bastard Slow, Vicious
Gambol Hill, Walton excelled with sword and shield and Large
5 –1D 1 Damage Bulk 1, Defensive +4
soon proved himself a match for any man in the castle. Shield
On his twelfth nameday, Walton was made squire to Lord
Harald’s younger brother, Ser Horas Dulver. For four years he Lord Harald was not a demonstrative man. Walton’s lord
served until in his sixteenth year a party of ironmen came raid- father rarely praises good work, but makes a point of chas-
ing along the shore where Dulver lands abutted those of their tising the bad. A son wants warmth and the good regard of
northern neighbor, Lord Faltyse. Ser Horas and a troop of men his father and when that is not forthcoming, he will seek
from the garrison went down to meet the raiders and drive it elsewhere. Walton found his acceptance at the feet of
them off, but Ser Horas took an arrow and the arrow took his his great uncle Gambol and the Septon of the Sept on the
life. As he lay dying, young Walton stood over him and rallied Heath, Arlyn of Maidenpool. Septon Arlyn was all that
the Dulver men. They were too few to drive the ironmen off, Walton’s lord father was not. Beloved by the commons,
but they held long enough for Lord Faltyse to come to their aid. jovial, encouraging, devoted to the gods and prodigiously
Together, Faltyse’s men and Dulver’s threw the ironmen fat. As Walton was growing up, the Septon was the most
back into the sea and there on the battlefield, Lord Faltyse, learned man in the district and so saw to the young heir’s
himself an anointed knight, gave Walton his knighthood. education. It was Arlyn that instilled in him respect for
“Might be I could get a good ransom for you, boy,” Lord Fal- the gods, and Arlyn who gave him his easy way with the
tyse said standing over young Walton. “But the look on your smallfolk. After his knighting, it was Arlyn that anointed
father’s face when I send his son back a knight by my hand is Walton with the seven oils and made him a knight for
worth more than any ransom in Deepen Hall.” good and true.
35
The Noble Houses
36
The Noble Houses
ahorse, well-fed and warmly dressed, but Tom’s poor year year he served in the great sept be-
had left him hungry, threadbare and leading his mule on fore shedding his fine robes for the
foot, unwilling to leave his goods by the road and save his brown habit of a begging brother
shoes the wear. and began the wandering journey
When the wind came up and the snow came down, Short that would end, at last, in the Sept
Tom nearly froze to death. Harald came upon him on the on the Heath.
road. Harald tied the half-dead tinker on his horse and led For three years, Arlyn
both mule and horse up the road to Deepen Hall through walked the tangled web of
drifts and wind and blinding snow. roads that winds through
Short Tom Tinker spent that winter with the Dulvers and the riverlands, into the west-
many an evening over wine or ale trading stories with young erlands and back again. He
Harald. When the Spring came, old Lord Dulver had gone learned a great many things
into the cellars and would not come out again. Harald was the in those years: to be poor, to be
Lord now and Short Tom was in his service. hungry, to dress and treat the wounds
More winters have come and gone since then, sum- and ailments life layers on the smallfolk who dig the earth
mers, springs and falls as well and through them all Short and feed the kingdom. As he learned those lessons, the small-
Tom Tinker has been Harald Dulver’s eyes and ears out in folk to whom he ministered came to know him.
the world, a valuable service for a lord who looks greedily Six years ago Septon Arlyn came up the Dulver road bear-
at land he dreams of owning. Tom wanders for a time, a ing messages for Lord Harald and Septon Quayle of the Sept
month, a year, a season, and comes back to tell Lord Harald on the Heath. When he arrived, Septon Arlyn found his holy
what he saw. brother in poor health, and old. On the night before Arlyn
Short Tom grows old. He is not so spry as once he was. He was to depart the Sept and take up the road again, Septon
bought a horse a few years back, a shaggy little garron from Quayle collapsed of a stroke. The old man would never rise
the north to spare his feet. In all his years of wandering, Short from his bed again.
Tom has never carried a sword. ‘And now,’ he says, he’s ‘far too What began as a brief visit became a vigil. Without a mae-
old to start.’ His wit and words serve just as well, and better. ster at Deepen Hall, the burden of caring for the old man
But against the day when they don’t he keeps a crossbow in fell to Septon Arlyn. He did so dutifully, and alone. Septon
his packs and a long, thin dagger in his boot. ‘More for scar- Quayle had few friends among his holy brothers, having been
ing than for stabbing,’ he says. ‘But if stab I must, then let me a dour and humorless man in life, and the Sept on the Heath,
stab a bit of suckling pig over a cup of Arbor gold.’ while rich in history, had never been a posting much sought
among the order. Through the long year of Quayle’s decline,
Septon Arlyn Septon Arlyn was the only member of the faith to attend
the old man. Upon the occasion of his death, Septon Arlyn
At the foot of the Deepmont, nestled into the last curve of the (who had, in that year, grown fond of the folk that lived about
causeway that climbs the mountain to the gates of Deepen the Sept and, truth be told, rather fat) spoke the words over
Hall, sits the Sept on the Heath. Perched high above, the Vul- Septon Quayle, gave his body over to the Silent Sisters, and
ture of Dulver rules the land. But below, the Merry Grouse took up his post.
(for so the smallfolk call Septon Arlyn) rules the people with It wasn’t long before Septon Arlyn and the young heir of
a ready grin and an easy laugh. Dulver, Walton, struck up a warm friendship.
Septon Arlyn began life as Arlyn Qargyle, third son of a Lord Harald, though he had the respect and devotion of
landed knight sworn to the lord of Maidenpool. His father’s his smallfolk, did little to make them love him. What their
holdings were poor and with King Robert’s peace firmly estab- lordship could not win and would not pursue, the people of
lished in the Riverlands, there were two stout young men ahead the Stony Heath showered on Septon Arlyn.
of him in line for the meager inheritance his father would leave. With his ready grin and generous nature, it was hard to
Not given to fratricidal scheming, Arlyn was packed off to find anyone who had met him that did not love him. He
King’s Landing to study under the Most Devoted. spent as much time in the hamlet and wandering the hills
On his nineteenth nameday, Arlyn said his vows in the tending to the faithful as he did preaching in the sept. He
Sept of Baelor and gave up the name of Qargyle. For another saw to the ailments of the common folk, delivered their chil-
37
The Noble Houses
dren, blessed them and bestowed upon them their names. process, gained Lord Harald’s resentment. Thus far there
He saw them married, and buried. He tended them in life has been no confrontation, but should Ser Walton make
and in death. He was generous with the sept’s coffers, living clear to Lord Harald his preference for the septon’s style of
frugally and giving out as alms all coins that came in at the leadership over his father’s, a confrontation cannot help but
offering but the barest minimum necessary to maintain the be close behind.
sept in good order. Septon Arlyn is a portly man, his chief vice being a great
Just as the smallfolk did, so too did Walton Dulver come to fondness for food. Given his position as the much-beloved
love Septon Arlyn. With no maester, the young heir’s educa- septon of the only sept in the district, he has no shortage
tion also fell to the septon. And as Walton fell short of his of invitations to table in the homes of parishioners who are
father’s idea of lordship, he found in Arlyn an alternative. A eager to lay as welcoming a meal before him as possible. He
different way to rule. is sandy-haired, red-faced, and his eyes glimmer gaily as he
Ser Walton’s affection for the septon has made Arlyn an makes kind japes of himself and all those around him. In his
unwilling and unknowing rival to Lord Harald. Arlyn did years wandering he learned the right end of a cudgel; though
not set out to win anyone’s affection; it is simply his nature he is by no means a fighter, he can hold his own if need be.
to do so. He would be dismayed to learn that in teaching Most often, though, Septon Arlyn prefers to rely on an easy
Ser Walton of the Faith he has in some way supplanted the smile and the stature of his office to dissuade those that might
young heir’s father and shocked to find that he has, in the do him harm.
Septon Arlyn has few ambitions of his own, generally be-
Septon Arlyn Adult Expert ing content to serve good people in the name of the Seven.
Abilities He is, however, a charismatic man and quite astute once he
turns his mind to a subject. Should he find himself in the
Animal Handling 3
right company he would not be the first man elevated despite
Awareness 3 his own lack of aspiration.
Cunning 3 Decipher 2B
Deception 3 Lady Falyse Dulver
Endurance 3
Lady Falyse was born a Lannister in a manor house upon a
Fighting 3 Bludgeon 1B
hill in the city of Lannisport. Her marriage to Harald Dulver
Healing 3 Treat Injury 1B has never been much more than dutiful. As duties go, though,
Language 4 it could have been far more onerous than it was. Harald Dul-
Knowledge 4 Education 2B ver was not a handsome man, and his house was not power-
Persuasion 3 ful nor particularly wealthy in comparison to the rest of the
westerlands, but it was ancient and thick with history and
Status 3
Harald was clever, shrewd, ambitious, and at least not cruel
Will 4 Dedication 2B
or deliberately hurtful. And Falyse was not a Lannister of
Attributes the Rock, but rather the third daughter of a distant cousin to
Lord Tywin and his get. The heir of Dulver seemed a good
Combat Intrigue
7 9 match for young Falyse.
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 12
Twenty years on and Falyse (now Lady Dulver) still feels so
of her marriage. Her husband is astute in the management of
Destiny Points 1
his holdings and each day of his rule has seen the fortunes of
Benefits: Authority, Favored of Smallfolk, Pious their family advance. Lady Dulver lives secure in the knowl-
Drawbacks: Forgetful edge that her sons will inherit a greater domain than her hus-
band did and her daughter’s prospects are good for a very prof-
Arms & Armor
itable marriage. If there is little love in the marriage, it is a small
Vestments: AR 1, AP 0, Bulk 1 price to pay.
Mace 3+1B 2 Damage Lady Falyse does not often take part in her husband’s
Shield 3 1 Damage +2 Defensive councils. The vagaries of mine yields and the price of wool at
38
The Noble Houses
market do not interest her, but she runs her household as her under his dubious protection will utter the name Blackthumb
husband rules his domain, with skill, wisdom and a willing- in his hearing. When the dam on Horas Dulver’s wrath fi-
ness to squeeze the use out of every scrap. nally breaks there will be many a wailing mother in the new-
Lady Falyse is not so cool as her husband, though. She est of the Dulver lands.
knows the names of all those that serve under her roof. She
knows their families and the circumstances of their lives. She Helen Dulver
congratulates them on the birth of a child or grandchild and
consoles them upon the death of their loved ones. Little Helen is just six years old, far too young to be hatch-
If Lord Harald and Lady Falyse differ it’s on the subject of ing schemes of her own. She has her mother’s fair hair, her
faith. Falyse grew up dutifully attending services in the sept father’s quick mind, and a daring curiosity all her own. Helen
at Lannisport. From the time she left her mother’s breast, is her mother’s treasure. Lady Falyse rarely goes anywhere
she was in the care of a septa who saw to her education in without her daughter. She dresses the girl in clothes to match
all matters of faith and womanhood. The lessons stuck and her own and bears the burden of little Helen’s education on
Falyse came to her marriage with an enduring reverence for her own shoulders.
the Seven and those that were sworn to their service. Helen’s father treasures her as well, though for entirely dif-
For the majority of their marriage Lady Falyse’s faith ferent reasons. Even though her flowering is still years away,
has been a non-issue. She and the children would descend Lord Harald has already turned Maester Falstan to making
the causeway for regular services in the Sept on the Heath. lists of potential husbands. When Helen is at last of mar-
Lord Harald abstained, as was his wont. There was no need riageable age, no one will say she made a poor match.
for discussion on the matter. But when their firstborn was
anointed, the subject was broached, and like opening a cask Ser Gambol Hill
of rotten smelt in the middle of a banquet, what had been
a peaceful, profitable marriage suddenly suffered from the Gambol Hill is the natural son of Lord Harald’s grandfather,
stink in the air. Lord Willas Dulver—called the Girlfather for the eight daugh-
The tension lurks beneath the surface of things and rarely ters he got on his lady wife before finally sowing a male heir in
surfaces as more than short comments from either Lord or her womb. Once she’d borne her husband the son he sought,
Lady Dulver, but each of those words is a dry twig on a grow- Lady Dulver counted her duty done, it’s said, and turned her
ing heap of tinder. Should there be a spark—a gesture made husband out of her bedchamber. When Lord Willas got a boy
by Walton perceived as rebellious by his lord father, a con- on a shepherd girl out on the heath a dozen years later, she had
frontation between Lord Harald and Septon Arlyn—then little to say on the matter.
that tinder could become a blaze. Gambol was a stout boy and grew into a stout young man.
He was clever, too. There were a great many whispers around
Horas Dulver the Stony Heath that it was his natural son that Lord Willas
preferred over the odd young man that was his trueborn heir.
Young Horas, just seventeen his last nameday, is much like his Legitimization from the crown was an expensive request in
father in both manner and appearance. Sadly, he has inherited those days, and the insult to his wife’s family would have been
precious little of his father’s acumen. He is a poor manager, intolerable.
sums vex him something terrible, and he has never been any So Gambol Hill stayed a bastard and in time came into the
great shakes in a fight. What he does have, though, is a cer- service of his half-brother. Gambol had proven himself an
tain sort of low cunning well-suited to scheming, cheating, able student at arms, and after that a more than able teacher.
and tyranny. He’s been master-at-arms in Deepen Hall for twenty years
When Lord Dulver acquired a swathe of good, green farm- and few know the lay of the land as he does. Long ago, when
land and turned it over to his younger son, Horas did his level his father was lord, Gambol decided to stay out of family
best to withhold his baser impulses. But as crop after crop politics, but neutrality isn’t blindness. Gambol saw his half-
has failed, the youngster’s restraint has failed. Thus far he has brother’s madness, his nephew’s promise and he sees the
limited his cruelties and depredations to poor travelers and storm brewing in the Dulver family now.
others that will, should their fortitude prove insufficient, not Maybe it’s age that’s softening his resolve, or maybe it’s the
be missed. But it won’t be long before one of the smallfolk memory of the house he came into, divided on itself, but Ser
39
The Noble Houses
Gambol Hill is more and more considering confronting the for the sin of greed,” he says. Each time he’s sought after no-
Dulver men. Young Walton loves him and looks up to him bler ores, disaster has followed soon after. The last time he
as he might a father. Lord Harald respects his uncle and just lost a son to poisonous stones that came up out of a silver
might listen if the old man had something to say. But then mine he’d sunk. Before that he lost a leg hunting for gold
again, Gambol’s name is Hill, not Dulver, and a bastard learns in the hills Ashemark, and the time before that his favorite
caution early and for a reason. Perhaps he could avert a fam- mule in a flood while sifting for gemstones on a little stream
ily disaster, but he’s just as likely to get himself turned out for that feeds the Mander. After his son, old Persal decided he’d
his trouble. rather live poor than die rich.
For now, he waits and watches and hopes. Persal has spent the last 25 years digging copper and lead
out of the hills of the Stony Heath and, when need arose,
Karyl Kays heading up Lord Dulver’s sappers. No one is more cunning at
digging tunnels than Persal Littlefoot.
Karyl Kays is a broad man of middling height with blunt Thus far, Littlefoot hasn’t tested his curse digging for iron.
fingers and shoulders like a bull. He descends from a line of On the Heath he’s had no opportunity to do so, but Lord
stonemasons near as long as the Dulvers they’ve served. It’s Harald’s been asking questions about the best lands for iron
the Kays who’ve cut near every stone out of the Deepmont, and the means for harvesting it. Persal has enjoyed a rare
the Kays alone that know how deep the cellars of Deepen comfort in his lordship’s service. If Lord Dulver comes into
Hall go. The Dulvers have always kept them well, and the the rights to iron-rich lands, Persal will have a decision to
Kays have returned the favor with good and faithful service. make.
There are few in the westerlands who know as much as the
Kays about the cutting and shaping of stone, and stone is one Maester Falstan
of the few things the Stony Heath has in abundance. People
come from across the seven kingdoms to the Stony Heath for Maester Falstan is a newcomer to Deepen Hall, but it didn’t
Dulver stone and the Kays men to work it. take him long to discern the reason he was brought within
Stingy as Lord Dulver is known to be with every other its walls. Before Falstan came, Septon Arlyn was the most
commodity at his disposal he is uncommonly generous in learned man in the district as well as the most popular. Lord
hiring out his master stonemason. The reason for that is sim- Dulver, unable to match the septon’s easy manner with the
ple: Karyl Kays is a spy. smallfolk, hired Falstan to subvert his place as healer and
Karyl Kays’ knowledge of stone and masonry gives him a scholar.
unique insight into the strength of a castle’s fortifications. He Falstan, however, has a grander vision than simply tend-
has just as keen an eye for defensive weak points. Granted, ing to wounds and reading yet another dusty tome. He has
the information he gleans from his surveys of Lord Dulver’s already taken Lord Dulver’s measure, and decided that if the
neighbors is unlikely to yield immediate gains, but Harald house’s standing is to improve, then he will need to take steps
Dulver plans for the long term. With Kays’ help, his lordship to ensure it. To that end, he has begun isolating Dulver’s oth-
has assembled siege plans for half the castles in the River- er advisers so that he can become the sole voice Lord Harald
lands and a fair number of those around King’s Landing as turns to for advice. And that advice will point to a clear des-
well. tination: battle.
Karyl Kays grows old and has no sons to take up his tools.
His wife died years ago without bearing any children and Ka- Muddying the Palette
ryl has never remarried. Loneliness wears upon him as the
years pass. If the right woman were to come along, there is House Dulver doesn’t need much prodding to become down-
little Karyl Kays would not do for love. right antagonistic toward its neighbors. Give Harold Dulver
a bit larger military, make Maester Falstan a bit bolder in his
Persal Littlefoot plans, or change the relationship between his son and his sep-
ton such that Septon Arlyn is no longer a positive influence
As the old saw goes, Persal Littlefoot has forgotten more about on the lad, but rather just as power-hungry as Lord Dulver.
mining than any man in the westerlands has ever known. He Perhaps this last leads to internal conflict in the house—or
can smell copper and shits lead. But he’s “cursed by the gods perhaps House Dulver turns its eyes outward.
40
The Noble Houses
41
The Noble Houses
42
The Noble Houses
Power 23 The Smithton Watch: (Trained Garrison; 5 Power) - Easy (3) Discipline at home
or Challenging (9) away - Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
The Bogwalkers: (Trained Guerillas; Power 5) -
Challenging (9) Discipline - Stealth 4, Marksmanship 3 - Expendable 2
Wealth 31 Maester Thomnas (10, House Fortunes +3), Julyan the Smith (Artisan 10, House Fortunes +1), Expendable 11
Total House Fortunes Modifier +5
House Kytley stands on the knife’s edge that separates death House Kytley still controls a great deal of land. However,
and anonymity from prestige and fortune. Their holdings are much of what it holds consists of bogs and wetlands; regions
tightly packed and their resources stretched to the breaking unsuitable for the farming and industry that support other
point. Any further disaster could undo everything for which houses. Instead, new industries—bog iron and linen—form
Lord Ambrose has struggled, but any gains that are made can the core of House Kytley’s revenue. Swine, with few space
only drive his dreams forward. requirements and a love of mud, are more commonly seen
than cattle or horse.
Defense: 25, Invested: 20 (Hammerstone (hall) 20) If the narrow waterway that passes through Kytley’s lands
ever had a name other than Smith’s Fork, it has long since
Hammerstone, the seat of House Kytley, has fallen into disre-
vanished from the memory of the smallfolk. While never
pair since it days of glory. Once a castle in its own right, much
growing to a really significant size, the Fork provides criti-
of the current structure is in ruins and only the central keep
cal supplies of clean water to Smithton and the surrounding
and its associated great hall are at all defensible.
lands.
43
The Noble Houses
Smithton Law: 22
House Kytley’s primary domain contains the small town of While House Kytley’s rule over Smithton is strong, the
Smithton, finally begun to recover from the damage it suf- swamps and the sheer amount of land under their control
fered under House Greyjoy’s raids. The smelting furnaces make it difficult for Lord Ambrose’s law to extend every-
once again render bog iron down into usable ore, while the where. Bands of bandits and marauders sometimes take up
flax-heckling houses of the Linen-makers guild have awak- arms in the inaccessible regions of House Kytley’s demesne,
ened a new crop to pull from the boggy soil and further and can sometimes establish a substantial grip on the area so
House Kytley’s influence. long as they don’t over-reach themselves and force the Lord
Much of Smithton’s industry is still dedicated to provid- of Hammerstone to act. The most successful of these, Jerrold
ing for House Kytley and Hammerstone, which overlooks the Blackbow, held the region in fear for over a decade. Poets and
city from its small manmade hill. As Smithton’s population storytellers draw regularly from the well of Jerrold’s reputa-
and influence grow, more and more of its industry is available tion, though the romanticized tales overlook the cutthroat’s
to turn towards richer markets and it won’t be long before brutality in favor of making him a kind of folk hero.
Kytley Linens have a definitive presence in Market Town. Smithton is no respite from the crime that plagues the
outlying lands. The city is badly overcrowded, its population
Hardhand’s Folly swelled by the Ironborn raids a decade before. As a result, the
law is handled quickly and with relative independence by the
Several miles from Hammerstone, deep in the boglands, sits
city’s garrison. Their red and black cloaks are a constant pres-
a painful reminder of the price of failure—the ruined hall
ence, and many young children aspire to join their disciplined
known as Hardhand’s Folly. Erected by Harwyn Hardhand at
number.
a time when the Ironmen controlled much of the Riverlands,
it was already uninhabited when Aegon the Dragon broke Population: 35
King Harran the Black. What happened to its occupants is
unknown and the smallfolk consider the entire site cursed. Smithton contains the bulk of the population of House
The appearance of witch-lights in the surrounding swamp, Kytley’s lands, and many areas of the town are overcrowd-
and the treacherous nature of the ground have done little to ed. Refugees from the ironmen’s raids fled to the city and
change the ruin’s reputation. even nine years later they have remained rather than rebuild
their old burned farmsteads. Outside the town’s protection
the population becomes much scarcer. Small collections of
Hammerstone Infantry
houses clump together in the arable regions, and often have
Trained Infantry * 7 Power broad expanses of marsh between themselves and the next
Standard (6) Discipline community. Word travels slowly in the wetlands as a result,
Athletics 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3 brought only by travelling Septons or the occasional, mis-
trusted, traveler.
Hammerstone Longbowmen
Green Archers * 4 Power Power: 23, Invested: 21
(trained infrantry 7, green archers 4,
Formidable (12) Discipline Marksmanship 3
trained garrison 5, trained guerillas 5)
The Smithton Watch
Hammerstone itself is guarded by a unit of trained infantry
Trained Garrison * 5 Power led by Ser Morys, and supported by longbowmen recruited
Easy (3) Discipline within Smithton or Challenging (9) away from smallfolk hunters who show aptitude with the weapon.
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3 In addition to these, two special units extend Lord Ambrose’s
power to the furthest reaches of his lands.
The Bogwalkers The most visible sign of House Kytley’s power in the re-
Trained Guerrillas * Power 5 gion, Smithton’s well-trained garrison is responsible not only
Challenging (9) Discipline for the city’s defense in an attack but also for handling civic
issues from crime to flooding and house fires. Lord Ambrose
Stealth 4, Marksmanship 3
44
The Noble Houses
45
The Noble Houses
freshly replaced. Leaded glass windows at regular intervals propagated among the smallfolk to imply that two people
allow light into the hall, and reflect the simple tile work that are having an affair.
covers the floor. In times of feast and festival, fresh rushes are
brought in to absorb the mess of revelry, but most of the time Characters
a visitor’s boot steps echo in the too-large room.
This section contains the notable people who are in or serve
Kitchen House Kytley.
House Kytley’s kitchens and cellars flourished under the he-
donistic appetites of Lord Jamys. Unfortunately for their Lord Ambrose Kytley
master, Hewrey Pace, the current Lord of Hammerstone does
Ambrose Kytley held two beliefs sacred as a child; the fig-
not share his brother’s proclivities. The hearth still burns, but
ures in his books were more interesting than his family, and
the parade of exotic ingredients has turned over to simple
that he need never worry about the future of his house. As it
meats, breads and root vegetables. The cellar still holds a fine
would turn out, both were incorrect.
example of wines from across Westeros (and even some from
Seven years junior to his brother Jamys, Lord Edric saw
as far as the Free Cities) but Lord Ambrose pays them little
little need to groom young Ambrose for leadership. Child-
mind save when hosting an important guest. Even then, he
hood illness kept the boy from being active in the martial
relies on Master Pace’s judgment, rather than any knowledge
games and competitions that occupied other boys his age,
of his own.
and Ambrose quickly adapted to a world of books and study,
rather than one of sword and steel. In what he considers his
Smithy father’s only act of affection for him, Ambrose was sent to the
House Kytley has long dedicated their efforts and the Citadel in Oldtown.
prayers to The Smith out of all the Seven. From their fore- As a novice in the Citadel, his love of books and history
bear Theobald the Smith, to the bog iron that built their served him well, and he earned the copper link at an alarm-
early fortune, to the family motto itself, House Kytley be- ingly young age—the first in what many of his teachers ex-
lieves themselves shaped by the fire and hammer of The pected to be a fine chain.
Smith. As such, where other houses might have kept a full And then his father died fighting in Robert’s Rebellion.
sept in their midst, House Kytley has kept only a smithy and Rumors of Jamys’s degeneracy filtered even as far as Old-
a smith-in-residence. town. The new Lord of Hammerstone pulled his brother from
House Kytley’s smithy is decorated with images of its pa- the Citadel and installed him as the House’s Steward—bet-
tron, and worship comes not from the organized chanting of ter to turn his own attentions toward his unending search for
Septons, but rather from the rhythmic chime of hammer on pleasure. Ambrose, previously unconcerned by the actions of
iron. Julyan, the current smith-in-residence, recognizes the his family, could only stand and watch as his brother covered
sacred nature of her calling to House Kytley and has dedi- the Kytley name in layers of filth. When the Greyjoy Rebel-
cated herself to the work with a piety born of a drive for per- lion began, Ambrose supported his brother’s decision to take
fection. part. The rumors that circulated after Jamys’s death—of a case
of wine delivered to the coast from Kytley cellars, of Jamys’s
The Walls clumsiness and disorientation when he had previously been an
exceptional swordsman—were ignored in the light of a new
No discussion of Hammerstone would be complete with- and well-educated hand on the tiller of House Kytley’s future.
out a moment dedicated to its once-great defenses. The The new Lord Kytley embarked on a mission to restore the
redoubt of white limestone is blackened and cracked, and family’s name to the greatness it once held. He recognized
the crenellated towers are collapsed upon themselves. In the House’s degraded political position and acted quickly to
places, enough remains to give some idea of their scope, but shore up what remained of his family through politics—a
even these pieces are too precarious to offer protection. The means with which he became quite savvy. Marriages of expe-
honeycomb nature of the ruined wall and the tower bases dience were arranged for his three eldest sisters, all to minor
creates tiny ‘rooms’ where a small group of people might houses Ambrose felt to be on the rise within the Riverlands.
meet without being seen, and the phrase “in the walls” has His fourth sister, Hawys, he kept unmarried as insurance
46
The Noble Houses
Abilities
Awareness 3
Cunning 4
Endurance 3
Knowledge 4 Education 2B
Language 3
Persuasion 4 Charm 1B, Convince 2B, Incite 1B
Status 4
Warfare 3 Tactics 1B
Will 3 Coordinate 1B
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
6 11
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 9
Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Head of House, Charismatic (Charm), Knowledge
Focus (History and Legends)
Drawbacks: Flaw (Athletics)
47
The Noble Houses
Abilities
Agility 3
Athletics 3
Awareness 3
Cunning 4 Logic 1B
Deception 3 Bluff 2B
Language 3 Common Tongue
Persuasion 3 Seduce 1B
Status 4 Breeding 2B, Stewardship 1B
Will 5 Dedication 1B
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
9 11
Defense Defense
Health 6 Composure 16
Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Attractive, Courteous, Stubborn
Drawbacks: Flaw (Marksmanship)
48
The Noble Houses
Abilities
Broad in girth and smile, quick with a
Cunning 3
warm embrace and eager to partake
in food and drink with fellows of any Endurance 3
station Maester Thomnas is, at first Healing 4 Diagnose 3B, Treat Injury 2B
glance, a direct opposite to the Knowledge 5 Education 2B, Research 1B
common portrayal of a Mae- Language 4 Common Tongue
ster as lean and ever-hungry.
Language 2 High Valyrian
Only those whom he trusts
enough to allow behind his fa- Attributes
çade are allowed to see how close Combat Intrigue
5 7
to the stereotype he can follow. Defense Defense
While he believes in the Maester’s position as a servant of Health 9 Composure 6
all of Westeros, Thomnas also believes that a light kept in the
Destiny Points 1
corner shines less brightly than one on a pedestal. To that end,
Benefits: Knowledge Focus (Astronomy),
he has served as a sounding board for Lord Ambrose’s plans Knowledge Focus (Heraldry), Maester
and has worked alongside him to shape House Kytley’s future.
Drawbacks: Flaw (Agility)
In the Citadel, Thomnas admired Ambrose’s natural aptitudes
as an Acolyte. Now that he has seen the boy grow into a leader Arms & Armor
of men, that admiration has turned to respect. He accepted his Defensive +1,
Dagger 2 1 damage
appointment to House Kytley with pleasure, and found all three Off-hand +1
of Ambrose’s children to have, if not the aptitude, certainly the
eagerness for learning that he so admired in their father. Ser Morys of Oldmill, Master of Arms
Though he shares Lord Kytley’s desire to drive the house
forward, they often disagree on the method. Unlike Ambrose, With his gray hair cropped
Thomnas understands and accepts the role deception and bluff close to his skull, and his skin
plays in the Great Game. And when those tools fail, his knowl- criss-crossed by scars, Ser Mo-
edge of healing teaches best how to harm. While he knows rys looks every bit the grizzled
he could never bring Ambrose fully to his way of thinking, hedge knight despite almost
Thomnas also takes pleasure in being the one Ambrose comes a decade in the service of
to when the straight and dutiful path won’t get what he wants. House Kytley. Lord Am-
Thomnas holds knowledge important above all things—he brose personally select-
understands the power that knowledge wields. Despite his ed Ser Morys from the
willingness to engage in deception and trickery, he holds his tournament field, and the
vows to the citadel and his oath to Lord Ambrose as true- knight has returned the fa-
given and would not conceive of breaking them. Besides, he vor by dedicating himself to
takes a great deal of pleasure from being the poisoned dagger the Lord of Hammerstone with the fervor of the redeemed.
in Ambrose’s armory. His service has allowed him to rise up through the House,
Maester Thomnas knows Ambrose plans to put leverage and he now sits as the Master of Arms for House Kytley—
against House Mallister to win back his son, though he isn’t though he refuses to improve his armor or repaint his shield
certain of Lord Kytley’s method. On his own, he has been lest he forget his humble beginnings.
shipping tools and supplies to some of the Clans, part of an He seldom talks of his days as a masterless knight, only
effort to build good will should House Kytley need allies. that he travelled the Riverlands and points north, and fought
Over the next year, Maester Thomnas plans to reduce supply whatever threats endangered farm and hamlet for the few
shipments and claim Mallister interference, hoping to stir the groats that the smallfolk could pull together. His concern for
clans into more aggressive action and further split the atten- the people of the land has never abated, and he feels a close
tions of Mallister and his allies. kinship with them brought on by his time among them.
49
The Noble Houses
Abilities Abilities
Agility 3 Dodge 2B Agility 3
Animal Handling 4 Ride 2B Awareness 4 Empathy 2B, Notice 2B
Athletics 3 Cunning 4
Endurance 4 Resilience 1B Deception 4 Bluff 2B
Fighting 5 Long Blades 3B, Short Blades 1B Knowledge 3
Marksmanship 3 Language 3
Survival 3 Persuasion 4 Charm 1B, Incite 1B
Warfare 4 Command 1B Status 3 Stewardship 2B
Will 3 Will 4
Attributes Attributes
Combat Intrigue Combat Intrigue
8 6 8 11
Defense Defense Defense Defense
Health 12 Composure 9 Health 6 Composure 12
Destiny Points 1 Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Sponsor (Lord Ambrose), Anointed Benefits: Cautious Diplomat, Treacherous
Drawbacks: Flaw (Endurance) Drawbacks: Flaw (Agility)
50
The Noble Houses
51
The Noble Houses
no reason to regret that decision in the 8 years since being they were the bones of her body, and knows of alcoves and
brought to Hammerstone. She foretells her mistress’s moods redoubts that are unknown even to Ser Morys.
as others might predict the weather from a wisp of cloud, and A woman grown now, the walls that raised her have be-
she sees to the Lady Braya’s needs with quiet devotion. come a cage she longs to escape. She works in her father’s
Wenefryd is fiercely protective of her savior, and very care- kitchen to the best of her ability, but her every moment free
ful about who she lets through to Lady Braya. She has even is spent with Adam Rivers. What started with her fascination
confronted the Lord of Hammerstone on occasion rather in his stories of the lands beyond the walls has grown into a
than let one of his foul moods infect her lady. Her proxim- powerful romance that she is certain he returns. As of yet, he
ity to power has given her a taste of a life she hadn’t thought has not asked her father for permission to wed, and his tardi-
possible, and she plans to do everything she can to stay in her ness in this has become a point of consternation for Collys.
mistress’s favor. She has seen some of the other kitchen drudges eyeing her,
and she has decided that if he will not act out of love then
Hewrey Pace, Master of the Kitchens perhaps she can spur him into action with jealousy.
That a man who spends his days surrounded by food could Guildmaster Raulin
somehow remain as gaunt as Hammerstone’s Master of
Kitchens is a mystery easily solved, all it takes is a moment’s Egger Raulin, while not a resident of Hammerstone, visits so
observation. Called the Rook by the drudges when they be- often that many have assumed that he maintains quarters in
lieve he is out of earshot, the nickname fits him perfectly. the hall. In truth, he finds the castle’s stone walls drafty and
Tall, dressed in dark clothing to hide stains, and aquiline in colder than his own warm manor house in Smithton, but he
features, Hewrey flits from place to place in the kitchen, and comes to the castle regardless. Comfort and convenience are
from the kitchens to the slaughterhouse, the smokehouse, or far less important to him than being near the seat of power.
the cellars as he sees the need. Even when he is in a place for a The head of the influential linen guild in Smithton, Raulin
length of time, he is never still—his hands tremble constantly works hard to maintain Lord Ambrose’s ear to insure the best
under the energy that fuels him. possible treatment for both the smallfolk growing the flax,
The new Lord of Hammerstone vexes the Rook constantly. and those who work within his heckling and spinning houses.
His talents, once the talk of Harrenhal and Hart House, are He is not ashamed of the wealth his position has brought
wasted on a lord who prefers blancmange over braised goose him, and sees it as his due for seeing to the welfare of his guild
livers. He continues the effort to change Lord Ambrose’s pal- in much the same way as a Lord profits from the work of his
ate, and revels in the feasts and parties where he has free reign lands. For obvious reasons, this is not a comparison he makes
to showcase his skill. in front of the Lord of Hammerstone.
Of all his responsibilities, Hewrey holds the cellars most Indeed, his behavior towards Lord Ambrose borders on
important. He considers himself an expert at pairing drink the sycophantic. Guildmaster Raulin knows that House Kyt-
to dish so that the two complement each other. He misses ley wants to expand its influence into Market Town, and he
the rule of Lord Jamys, under whom the kitchens and cel- plans for Kytley linens to be at the forefront of that expan-
lars received such allowances as to become a fiefdom unto sion. Currently, he is willing to play the willing servant of
themselves. Lord Ambrose has cut back on the expense, and Hammerstone, but if he feels that Lord Ambrose might turn
the Rook, once liberal with exotic spices, has learned to hoard against him Raulin has no qualms about moving to more ag-
and scrimp rather than do without. gressive means of getting his way.
52
The Noble Houses
to see a woman wield the hammer and tongs, and what was Marsten, a bannerman to Erreg the Kinslayer, during one of
dismissed as a novelty became a threat as her skill surpassed the defining battles of the Andal invasion. Near the current
many older, more established craftsmen. Behind her leather site of the Bloody Gates, Erreg and his men met the forces
apron, beats a fierce pride in her art, and more than once she of the First Men, but they had underestimated the strength
has defended her smithy and her work with well-placed fists. that desperation would give to those who fought to save their
She is currently the smith-in-residence for Hammerstone, lands. Erreg was cut off from his larger party and surrounded,
a position she views as tantamount to being a Septa for a and it seemed that he might meet his end. Petyr saw through
family that venerates The Smith above all the other Seven. Ju- the chaos of the battlefield, however, and fought his way to
lyan concentrates on her work above all else, and is dedicated the side of his lord, turning the tide of the battle and saving
to producing pieces of superior quality and beautiful artistry. Erreg’s life. In return for his great service, Erreg gave Marsten
his choice of lands in what would be known as the Vale of Ar-
Muddying the Palette ryn, stating that he “should always have such a one to guard
his back.” Erreg’s statement has become the watchword for
You might wish to replace good Lord Ambrose with his de- this family, and through the centuries they have remained one
mented uncle Jamys the Sybarite. Perhaps the old man hasn’t of the most trusted bannerhouses for House Arryn.
passed away yet, and he’s continuing to rip the house apart. As with every significant family lineage, there are both
bright and dark spots. One of the infamous legends of
House Marsten House Marsten is that of Carnwyn the Mad, the wife of
Petyr’s great-grandson, Lord Willem Marsten. Carnwyn
Heraldry: Per chevron sable and vert, a lightning bolt argent was a niece of King Stefen and a member of the Arryn fam-
Motto: “Let the Heavens Reign” ily. She gave Lord Willem seven strong sons and ruled by
her lord’s side with legendary grace and beauty. It was said
Amid the foothills of the theirs was a true love match, the like which never comes to
Mountains of the Moon, pass. Tragedy befell the house, however, when he went rid-
House Marsten guards the ing with his men along the border of his lands, investigating
western border of the Vale of an incursion by the Clans (who lived and raided even then).
Arryn. A proud house, still His horse trod upon a snake lying in the road and reared up,
with the blood of the Andals throwing Lord Willem to the ground and dashing his head
within its veins, though recent against the rocks.
years have seen it falter under When Lord Willem’s body was brought back to the keep,
cruel circumstance. Alliances it’s said that the Mother turned her face away and the Strang-
and intrigue are all that remains of er entered the hall. Carnwyn saw the body of her husband
Marsten’s once-vaunted strength. Can and ran weeping to him, screaming inconsolably. She could
such weapons still prevail, however, against the threats of time not be parted from his body and stayed with him until night
and steel? fell, speaking to no one, until the entire household had fallen
asleep. She rose, washed her face and hands, took a dagger,
History and slew first her sons and then herself, falling on the blade
when she had finished. The only one to escape was Diermad,
The blood of the Andals runs deep in the Vale of Arryn. The the youngest, who had hidden in the stables upon hearing of
Seven live here as nowhere else in Westeros, kept ever in the his father’s death and was thus spared.
minds and hearts of the Vale’s inhabitants. The Andals, the It was through Diermad that House Marsten survived, car-
wild race that wrested the lands from the First Men, have their rying forward. He married an Arryn lady named Jeyne, and
roots here in the Vale and in House Marsten. Of the Houses the two rebuilt the House from its great tragedy. Despite his
still in existence, only House Arryn has a more venerable An- sorrowful young life, he was known as Diermad the Joyful,
dal lineage, tracing back to the Kings of Mountain and Vale. as he and Lady Jeyne had ten children live to adulthood and
As befits a family with such a long history, the events that most of them wed and had children as well. He had a long life
brought House Marsten to its historical stature are well during peaceful times, and did a great deal to restore stability
known throughout the Vale. The House was founded by Petyr to House Marsten.
53
The Noble Houses
Throughout the time of the Andals, House Marsten re- Corben’s brother, Mikael, vanished after Robert’s Rebellion,
mained strong, adding figures of legend to its halls. Kier- leaving his only daughter, Gwyneth, in the care of his brother.
an the Just famously made peace with the local barbarian He is presumed dead, but there are rumors that he support-
clans, while Stefan the Pious saw visions of the Seven and ed the Targaryens and left Westeros rather than live under
renounced his inheritance to join the Faith. It was in his Baratheon rule.
honor that a sept was built in Hartsbridge, and he served as Since Lord Corben’s death, Lady Isobel Marsten has ruled
septon there for decades. the house with a firm but light hand. Although many suit-
Eventually, however, Andal rule came to an end. Had ors have approached her since her husband’s death, she has
House Marsten been pledged to another family, it might refused them all. As Lady Corrine is now becoming of age,
have meant their end. Following Aegon’s Landing, House however, interest in House Marsten has revived, and the west-
Marsten stood with its king until the Arryns were forced to ern foothills are under continual siege by lords and knights
bend the knee. Even then they bowed only when their lord young and old who see the Marsten lands, name, and bride as
bade them do so. After accepting Targaryen rule, however, a potential windfall waiting for the right man to take hold of
they stood always in House Arryn’s shadow, serving loyally it. Lady Isobel has no intention of letting her husband’s name
for many centuries. During the Dance of the Dragons, the be wiped out, however. Her ability to retain control of this
house distinguished itself again by working with Aegon II valuable burden, however, has yet to be seen.
to wipe out the Targaryen branch in the Vale that supported
Rhaenyra, a move which gained House Marsten the current Holdings
seat of Hartshorn, once a Targaryen castle, along with that
family’s former lands. House Marsten’s stats and narrative elements are featured in
Most recently, House Marsten rode with Lord Jon Ar- this section. While this is a comprehensive overview, players
ryn against Prince Rhaegar and King Aerys during Robert’s and narrators may feel free to add their own details or embel-
Rebellion, fighting alongside the Arryn banner to overthrow lish as needed to work House Marsten more easily into their
Targaryen rule once and for all. Unfortunately, the most re- chronicle.
cent lord of House Marsten, Lord Corben, lost his two old-
est sons and heirs in battle. This seemed the beginning of Defense: 42, Invested: 40 (Hartshorn)
a decline for the house, as ill-fortune has dogged its heels
House Marsten is fortunate in its lands, as the steep hills and
ever since, culminating in Lord Corben’s sudden death three
rocky terrain that cover the bulk of the House’s holdings make
years later from a plague that also claimed his remaining son,
them easily defensible. A medium-sized, navigable river has
young Willem, who was only five years old. He left behind his
its headwaters in Marsten lands, making for easy transpor-
widow, Lady Isobel, and his young daughter Corrine. Lord
tation to the east through the lands of House Corbray. The
54
The Noble Houses
town of Hartsbridge is home to the only bridge crossing the the western mountains is nothing compared to Alyssa’s Tears,
river and serves as the gateway to Marsten lands. The house but it is considered blessed by the Maid and has a reputation
seat, Hartshorn, is an old but well-built castle. as a holy site. It is said that girls who bathe in the waters be-
low are blessed by the Maid and will have good fortune in the
Influence: 46, Invested: 10 (Lady Corinne Marsten) next year. Virgins throughout the Mountains of the Moon
Of Lady Isobel and Lord Corben’s children, only the young- make their way here yearly to ask the Maiden’s blessing and
est daughter, Corinne, has survived. She is now thirteen and show their piety.
of an age for betrothal. Her mother, Lady Isobel, has ruled the The castle and the town have no shortage of fresh water or
house since her husband’s death. food. Their larders are well stocked with produce, game and
fish, leading those from other parts of Westeros to comment
Lands: 30, Invested: 30 on the unexpected civility of a visit to Hartsbridge. Although
(hills 7, river 3, small town 20; mountains 9, stream 1) it is only a small town, trade and the natural abundance of
the area mean that it is surprisingly affluent. If it were not
The lands of House Marsten are the envy of many. Surround-
for the strong presence of the Marsten family, the Clans (or
ed by rocky, steep foothills and stark mountains beyond, a
other houses) would have snapped up Hartsbridge and the
fertile river valley runs through the heart of it. The pride of
surrounding lands long since.
the area’s inhabitants is an ancient stone bridge that spans the
river, which is rumored to have been built during the time Law: 24
of the First Men. A small town, Hartsbridge, has grown up
around the bridge, since it provides one of the few easy river For the smallfolk who live and work within Marsten lands,
crossings as well as a rare place for goods and services to be life is calm and peaceful. The attacks by the Clans that hap-
traded among the more remote hamlets and inhabitants. pen throughout the Vale happen only rarely here. The market
In addition to the town and the bridge, the lands have an brings its share of trouble, of course, but nothing too serious.
additional point of pride: the Maiden’s Veil. This waterfall in Folks expect that—money and strangers together are a recipe
55
The Noble Houses
for trouble. The House garrison keeps a patrol in the town To defend the valley, House Marsten maintains a castle
to keep the peace, while more serious charges are brought to garrison that defends the town as well. This garrison is run
Lady Isobel for her to mete out justice. by Ser Markus Elridge. Ser Markus has lived in the Vale
for most of his life. He is also the driving force behind the
Population: 32 formation of a new unit of cavalry, rebuilding and replacing
While there are smallfolk who live among the hills, tending the unit led by Lord Corben during Robert’s Rebellion. The
flocks, the majority of the population resides in and around unit is expensive and took time and resources to form, but
Hartsbridge. The river valley is home to most of the fertile it’s finally in place. The biggest obstacle facing them now is
ground within Marsten lands, and so most of the farmers and simply their youth and inexperience—something only time
smallholds stay within a mile on either side of the river. Rock can correct.
walls form a patchwork grid between the farms, giving the Wealth: 33, Invested: 25 (marketplace 10, sept 15)
appearance from the mountains above as emerald tiles lining
the sparkling water. The smaller hills are home to vineyards, The Seven have shown favor to House Marsten over the years
while the land in the river valley proper is given over to fruit in both their fortunate location and their fertile lands. The
orchards and vegetable farming. Two of the more common family paid back this debt of fortune by building a market-
products that hail from here are a fine hard cider and wine of place in which both locals and traveling merchants could sell
moderate quality. their wares, and a sept, to bring worship of the Seven to the
Rather than costly wood and iron, most of the buildings in people under their care. The marketplace is run by Luke Sel-
and around Hartsbridge are built of stone. The town is home don, the mayor of Hartsbridge. Septon Aeryn oversees the
to a marketplace in the town commons, a small sept and an sept and the faithful in his charge as well.
attached school, a blacksmith, a cooperage, a mill, and a half-
dozen small merchants and traders, in addition to two proper Hartshorn
inns and a tavern.
The castle known as Hartshorn initially belonged to a less-
Power: 41, Invested: 41
trained garrison 5, green cavalry 6, er branch of the Targaryen family, who took it from House
House Kriegar 20, House Lyras 10 Taryk, a sworn ally of House Arryn who broke faith with the
Kings of Mountain and Vale to fight against the Targaryen
House Marsten has, throughout the years, acquired banner invaders. House Taryk was wiped from the face of Weste-
houses of its own. Two more recent houses, House Kriegar ros by the Targaryens, and their lands were given to one of
and House Lyras, cemented alliances with House Marsten Aegon’s commanders, his cousin Rhenyr, in thanks for his
during the past hundred years by marrying into the house- support. It was the Targaryens who built Hartshorn, Rhenyr
hold. While these younger families are thus technically allied Targaryen’s standard being the silver stag’s head in profile on
with the Arryns, in truth it’s the Marstens’ call they heed. a green field.
Should House Marsten ever break faith with House Arryn, During the Dance of Dragons, Rhenyr’s descendant, Ae-
it is likely that they’d need more than help than these two den, supported Rhaenya Targaryen. When House Arryn
houses could supply. Between the support of men and arms, chose to fight on Aegon II’s side, the Warden of the East then
however, along with the ability to fortify and defend their val- called his banners against Aeden Targaryen and Lord Edric
ley, the cost of removing House Marsten would be very high. Marsten answered, putting Aeden and all his family to the
sword. In thanks for his service, House Marsten was granted
Castle Garrison the former Targaryen lands and castle, which they have held
Trained Garrison * 5 Power ever since. It’s said, though, that the ghosts of Aeden and his
lady still walk in the halls at night. Perhaps that has contrib-
Easy (3) Discipline at home or Challenging (9) away
uted to the exceptional piety of the Marsten family through-
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
out the generations.
Marsten Cavalry Hartshorn Castle is the most defensible structure within
Green Cavalry * 6 Power
House Marsten’s lands. In the event of attack or natural di-
saster, all the smallfolk women and children are expected to
Easy (3) Discipline Animal Handling 3
56
The Noble Houses
take shelter within its walls. It has an outer wall as tall as most
buildings, while the inner walls and towers are two stories
tall, with an inner courtyard and the lord’s house, stables, and
warehouses within that. It is considerably smaller than any
of the great castles, but still a fine structure regardless, with
architectural details that mark it as clearly of Valyrian inspira-
tion. Unusually among families of this stature, the Marstens
keep no maesters among their household. When the last one
was unable to prevent the deaths of Lord Corben and young
Willem, Lady Isobel dismissed him from service and has re-
fused to hire another.
The Hall
The grandest room in the keep, the hall is where Lady Isobel
holds court for the smallfolk of her realm and administers
disputes. It is austere, with a high ceiling and gothic arches.
Tall thin glazed windows line the west wall, sending down
slanting beams of light across the entire hall throughout the
afternoons. The walls are white, covered with plaster and
ornamented with painted scenes of the Maiden’s Veil, the
Seven, and portraits of Marsten lords and ladies throughout
the generations.
57
The Noble Houses
58
The Noble Houses
59
The Noble Houses
Abilities Abilities
Agility 3 Dodge 1B Agility 3 Dodge 2B
Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B Animal Handling 4 Ride 1B
Athletics 3 Run 1B Athletics 4 Strength 1B
Awareness 3 Awareness 2 Notice 1B
Cunning 3 Decipher 2B Endurance 4
Endurance 3 Fighting 5 Long Blades 2B
Fighting 3 Short Blades 2B Marksmanship 3
Language 3 Persuasion 2 Intimidate 1B
Knowledge 4 Status 3
Persuasion 3 Warfare 3 Command 2B
Status 4 Stewardship 2B Will 3
Will 5 Coordinate 1B Attributes
Attributes Combat Intrigue
8 7
Defense Defense
Combat Intrigue
8 10
Defense Defense Health 9 Composure 9
Health 9 Composure 15 Destiny Points 1
Destiny Points 3 Benefits: Long Blade Fighter I, Long Blade Fighter II
Benefits: Head for Numbers Drawbacks: Flaw (Agility)
Drawbacks: Bastard Born, Flaw (Agility) Arms & Armor
Arms & Armor Mail: AR 5, AP -3, Bulk 3
Dirk 3+2B 1 Damage Off-hand +2 Longsword 5+2B 5 Damage
Dagger 5 1 Damage Fast, Off-hand +1
nores Corrine’s parentage as well. Isobel knows that Corrine
Crossbow, Long Range, Reload
might not be Corben’s daughter. If she isn’t, then blood would 3 4 Damage
Light (Lesser), Slow
be no barrier to the young lovers. Isobel will never admit to
it, however; no question of legitimacy will ever stain her last Ser Markus Elridge
child’s name.
Gareth is aware of Corrine’s regard for him, but dismisses Born the third son of a knight’s
it as the affection she might feel toward a father or brother, family, it was made clear to Ser
seeing as how he is ten years her senior. An age difference of Markus that he would have to
that span can be but a minor issue when it comes to relation- earn his way in the world rather
ships, however. If it continues, it may very well pass the point than it being handed to him. He
of denial even for him. was neither a scholar nor a septon
Gareth is tall and thin, with intelligent brown eyes and strik- by nature, preferring horse and
ing copper-red hair. He suspects he is related to the Marstens sword to book and candle. Ba-
somehow, but without knowing who his mother was (much sic equipment and a decent
less his father) there is no way to prove it. Occasionally this horse were all his family was
troubles him, but then he sees Lady Isobel and Corrine and able to bequeath upon him
what the nobles’ lives are like, and he thinks better of it. He may when he came of age, but that
not be the heir to House Marsten, but he is its keeper nearly as was enough for him. He took his gifts, earned his spurs, and
much as Lady Isobel. For now, he is satisfied. left his home determined to make a name for himself.
60
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61
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62
The Noble Houses
ness of his neighbors. He keeps a dovecote at his home with With the war over, Ser Joston was left a soldier without
only a couple of ravens in it, and he’s rumored to know how to any battles to fight, and so became a hedge knight. He trav-
use them as a maester does, though no one in town ever saw eled the lands of Westeros for five to ten years before coming
a chain around his neck. across the mining camps on the western edge of the Moun-
tains of the Moon, and it was in this unlikely place that he
Muddying the Palette found his destiny. Joston arrived in the camps minutes before
clansmen swept out of the mountains, howling their bar-
Lady Isobel suspects that which, to date, only Jon Arryn has barian war cries, intent on slaughtering the miners, stealing
puzzled out. She has seen what her daughter Corinne looks the camp’s women and anything else they could carry away.
like, and what Robert’s other by-blows look like, and believes Joston organized a hasty defense of the camp, and, though
she knows the true parentage of the royal children. She may several miners were killed and Joston was seriously injured,
try to ensnare the players in her own suspicions—especially managed to drive off the raiders.
good for a group of players that hasn’t read A Game of Thrones, As the smallfolk tended to his injuries, they told Joston of
of course. their near-daily battles for survival in defense of their claims.
Taking it upon himself as a true knight to provide for their
House Tullison protection, Joston taught the miners how to defend them-
selves. According to his instruction, the smallfolk surrounded
Heraldry: Red mountains on a blue field. their camps with ditches filled with sharpened wooden stakes,
Motto: “Stone Endures” and constructed mantlets covered with wetted leather to pro-
vide cover from arrows both hot and cold. He trained men
Set on the edge of the River- and women alike to fight using their picks, axes and shovels,
lands, among the rocky out- and children to standby with pails of water and dirt to fight
croppings on the western- fires. After several months, the smallfolk began holding their
most face of the Mountains own against the clansmen and, while the attacks never ceased
of the Moon, House Tullison entirely, the clans began to seek out other, easier, targets just
rose from the humble begin- as often as they raided the camps.
nings of its founder to a place The appreciative miners and their families began to refer
of prominence among the lesser to Joston as “Lord Ser,” regardless of how many times he
Houses of the Seven Kingdoms. told them he was bastard born, and no lord. Joston arranged
As a loyal ally of House Tully, for the iron ore produced by the miners to be transported to
House Tullison looks to the heart of Riverrun, and there the smallfolk beseeched the Warden of
the Riverlands for guidance and fuels the the Riverlands to make Joston their lord in name as well as
defenses of its namesake House with iron from its mines. in deed. Impressed by the noble behavior of his natural son,
the Lord of Riverrun sent a raven to Aegon III, citing the
History accomplishments of his bastard, and asking for Joston to be
ennobled. In 145, the King granted the Lord’s request, and
According to family lore, Joston Rivers, the founder of House gifted Joston with the lands around the mining camps for the
Tullison, was born around 115, the natural son of the Lord new House. Now a lord in truth, Joston set aside the bastard
of Riverrun. The Lord claimed Joston as his child, but sent name Rivers and took up the surname Tullison, in honor of
him to be fostered at the Eyrie to protect the bastard against his father.
the machinations of his disapproving wife. Joston showed po- Shortly after his marriage to Lady Casserdre of House
tential in the martial arts from an early age, and was made a Piper, Lord Joston began to build his seat on a small spur
squire to one of House Arryn’s sworn knights. At the age of of the Mountains of the Moon, using the stone quarried as
14, Joston accompanied his master to the armies of Aegon a byproduct of mining iron for the construction. Completed
II, and continued to provide faithful service through the war in 150, Joston named his small castle Mountain’s Reach. The
that would become known as the Dance of the Dragons. By castle was designed to incorporate the rocky terrain as part
war’s end, Joston had come to his majority and was knighted of its defenses, giving Joston’s Rock (as it shortly became
by his grateful master. known) the appearance of having grown out of the mountain.
63
The Noble Houses
Lady Casserdre presented Joston with nine healthy children, ing. It is in, and directly around, Joston’s Rock that the major-
five of whom survived childhood and ensured the continu- ity of the population lives.
ance of the line. Joston died age 48, from a festering arrow
Influence: 23, Invested: 10 (Lady Yve Tullison)
wound suffered while fighting the clans.
During Robert’s Rebellion, Lord Sterl of House Tullison Upon the death of Lord Sterl at the Trident, young Dunstan
answered the call of Lord Hoster Tully and went to war against became the lord of the House, leaving Lady Yve as the regent
the mad King Aerys II. At the Battle of the Trident, Lord Sterl until he marries and produces a son of his own.
met his end, leaving his wife, Lady Moraine, in charge of his
two-year old son Dunstan, and his newborn daughter Yves. Lands: 25, Invested: 25
House Tullison continues to follow the example of Lord Jos- (mountains 9, Lordsview (hamlet) 10, road 5, stream 1)
ton to this day. Its soldiers protect the smallfolk villagers and House Tullison’s rocky holdings center on a small spur of the
miners from the ravages of the clans, and the Tullisons have Mountains of the Moon. Few crops can survive to flourish
maintained close ties to Riverrun as bannermen and through here, though some animals (like goats) find enough suste-
the trade of iron ore. Tullison iron has gained a reputation for nance to make herding them worthwhile. The verdant fields
its high quality, filling the coffers of the House to overflowing. of the Riverlands supply the majority of the food eaten on
With a steady supply of stone from the iron mines, construc- Tullison land. If some calamity were to drastically reduce the
tion on Joston’s Rock has never really ended, making it one of amount of food imported from the Riverlands, or Joston’s
the most secure castles in the Riverlands. Rock should come under siege, the seat maintains a two-year
supply of food stores, mainly in the form of dried goods. The
Holdings ironically-named Torrent is a moderately sitzed stream that
runs through Mountain’s Reach, supplying the castle and its
Following is an overview of both the mechanical and narra- inhabitants with fresh water. Other, smaller streams, some
tive elements of House Tullison’s holdings. mere trickles, can be found here and there, but the Torrent
and a few guarded wells are the main sources of fresh water
Defense: 40, Invested: 40 (Mountain’s Reach)
for the area.
The castle named Mountain’s Reach by Lord Joston—and Excepting the odd weirwood or grove of more common
called “Joston’s Rock” by nearly everyone else—remains the trees, the Tullison holdings offer few sources of lumber. Situ-
primary defensive structure to be found in the Tullison hold- ated between the Riverlands and the snowline, the lands
64
The Noble Houses
around Joston’s Rock are slightly cooler than the lands domi-
Law: 18
nated by the Trident and its forks. Other than Joston’s Rock
itself, the only settlement of any size is Lordsview, a hamlet The same clans that harassed Joston Rivers still plague House
sheltering in the shade of Joston’s Rock’s walls (see the popu- Tullison to this day. Even though Joston’s descendants have
lation section for more details). continued his tradition of teaching the smallfolk how to de-
Not long after Lord Joston completed the initial work on fend themselves, the clans represent a constant threat, espe-
Mountain’s Reach, he began construction of a road to link cially to the smaller mining camps out of sight of Joston’s
his castle to the Kingsroad. Completed by his son, the River Rock. The two most numerous and active clans in the area are
Road is the only major road to be found in Tullison lands, the Black Goats and the Rock Chewers. Since Lord Joston’s
and is a vital connection to the Riverlands. It is down this time, House Tullison has trained rangers in mountain fight-
ditched and cobblestoned road that iron ore flows from the ing. Ser Mather Warrens is the current head of these rangers,
mountain to the Green Fork and down to Riverrun or other called the Mountaineers.
buyers. In return, food, lumber and other goods necessary The Black Goats takes their name from the black-dyed
for the survival of the House trundle back up the road on goat’s hide cloaks that they wear, and are led by a man named
carts and wagons, headed for Joston’s Rock or Lordsview. Horag. Preferring to attack by night when the black of their
Rarely washed out (thanks to the stone-lined ditches that cloaks conceals them from view, the Black Goat clansmen
parallel it), the River Road is wide enough to accommodate are the boldest of the local clans, and have been known to go
two moderately sized carts travelling side-by-side. Larger raiding down the River Road, hoping to catch merchants on
transports dominate the road, requiring smaller ones to their way to Joston’s Rock. The Rock Chewers mix rock dust
undertake the laborious procedure of pulling off into the into their meals, in the belief they are taking the strength of
ditches to make way. the mountains into their bodies. Less daring than the Black
65
The Noble Houses
Goat clan, the Rock Chewers seek out solitary travelers and on the site of the camp from which Joston oversaw the con-
small camps on which to prey. The depredations of the Rock struction of Mountain’s Reach. No more than a half-dozen
Chewers are led by a clansman named Kashal. Both clans buildings in size, Lordsview is home to smallfolk without a
have developed an interesting initiation rite since Joston’s place in Joston’s Rock. It boasts an inn, a whorehouse, and a
day (and they dispute exactly who came up with the idea small trading post.
first). Before either a boy or a girl is allowed to take part
on a raid, they must prove their courage by sneaking up to
Power: 20, Invested: 17
two smallfolk levies 2*,
Joston’s Rock and leaving their mark as a bloody handprint trained castle garrison 5, veteran guerillas 7,
on the walls. support (mining and construction crew) 3
Population: 24 The Mountaineers are the eyes and ears of House Tullison in
the mountains. Led by Ser Mather, the rangers monitor the
The majority of the population to be found on the Tullison
activities of the clans, patrol the River Road until it meets the
holding is concentrated in, or around Joston’s Rock. In place
green of the Riverlands, and generally attempt to maintain
of small farms and houses that dot the rest of the Riverlands,
law and order outside Joston’s Rock. Well paid, equipped, and
here a traveler is more likely to encounter mining camps
trained, the Mountaineers are the pride of Tullison’s military
or small clusters of huts that serve as home to goatherds.
and every child that grows up under their watchful eye dreams
While each camp or miniscule community might have a
about growing up and joining their ranks. Usually found busy
shared lot dedicated to scrabbling out a few meager crops,
at work on the continuing expansion of the castle, the construc-
these gardens only produce enough food to help feed the
tion and mining crews can provide a rough-and-ready support
families that tend them. No matter how small, each com-
unit in times of war. On the rare occasions that smallfolk levies
munity is apt to be fortified by iron stakes (wood is more
are called up by House Tullison, they are led into battle by the
expensive here) and other such defensive measures intended
House weapon master (currently Ser Cranston).
to dissuade would-be raiders.
Huddled against the south wall of Joston’s Rock is the Wealth: 48, Invested: 45
hamlet of Lordsview. Local legend says that the village stands (Ren Alyard (artisan) 10,
Maester Haelis 10, mine 10, sept 15)
Smallfolk Levy The iron mines burrowed into the west face of the Moun-
Green Peasant Levy * 1 Power Population -2*
tains of the Moon are the lifeblood of House Tullison. The
wealth produced by the mines has allowed the House to at-
Hard (15) Discipline Survival 3
tract the services of Master Smith Ren Alyard, whose forges
Castle Guard produce the arms and armor of the House; the counsel of
Trained Castle Garrison * 5 Power Maester Haelis; and the construction of a sept overseen by
Septon Weyls (all of whom can be found in the charac-
Easy (3) Discipline at home or Challenging (9) away
ters section). The political influence of House Tullison can
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
mainly be felt by the loans granted to poorer (though no
Mountaineers less noble) Houses, and with whom the Tullison’s decide to
trade their iron ore. The merchants of Market Town (see
Veteran Guerillas * 7 Power
p. 76) have contributed to the groaning coffers of House
Routine (6) Discipline
Tullison in no small way. While the House technically has
Athletics 3, Marksmanship 4, Stealth 4 a claim to the land Market Town is built on, most Tullison
Mining and Construction Crew Lords have been smarter than to kill the goose by attempt-
ing to take the town by force.
Green Support * 3 Power
Routine (6) Discipline Endurance 3
Mountain’s Reach
*Most smallfolk receive defensive training; however, the
levies only reduce population if they are called up in times Built with rock quarried from the iron mines, Mountain’s
of war.
Reach is one with the terrain on which it rests. Even as it has
66
The Noble Houses
grown from its original design over the century and a half
since Lord Joston first set eyes on it, the castle has remained
true to the first Lord’s vision. Three walls surround the inner
keep, north, west, and south, while the mountain itself serves
as the fourth, impregnable wall to the east. From a distance,
a traveler might assume Joston’s Rock was part of the moun-
tain. With stone being the most plentiful building material
to be found in the area, every permanent construction inside
Mountain’s Reach is made of stone.
The Mines
Entrances to the iron mines can be spotted all over the Tul-
lison lands, even inside the walls of Joston’s Rock. The mine-
shafts inside the castle are among the oldest active mines in
the area, some of them going back to the days before Jos-
ton Rivers. Other than to produce the high quality iron ore
for which House Tullison is known, the mines also provide
shelter for the smallfolk of the region in times of trouble.
When the signal fires high atop the towers of Joston’s Rock
blaze, the smallfolk know an enemy is approaching the
mountain and they hurry to seek refuge inside the castle.
Dead end shafts where the iron has played out are used for
storage, converted into rough-and-ready shelters, and serve
as temporary housing for smallfolk whose homes have been
ravaged by the clans.
stained glass windows on each side that portray stylized im-
The Forge ages of the Seven. Inside, the sept is aglow with candlelight
reflecting off highly polished stone floors and benches. Sep-
House Tullison is proud to be self-sufficient when it comes to ton Weyls oversees the sept, offering guidance and worship to
the arms and armoring of its soldiers. With the exception of the faithful. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Smith and the War-
bows and crossbows, every piece of military equipment used rior are the two aspects of the Seven that are venerated most
by House forces is made inside the castle grounds. Master frequently here.
Smith Ren Alyard, and his numerous journeymen and ap-
prentices are capable of making full suits of plate mail as well The Grand Hall
as the chain and breastplates worn by the majority of the
troops. Swords, daggers, maces and all other sorts of weap- The Grand Hall of Mountain’s Reach is where Lord Dun-
ons are made and maintained in the forges. In times of war, stan holds court each day to hear the words of his people. It
the smallfolk levies are equipped with military versions of the serves double duty as a dining hall when other nobles come
picks and axes they use daily. to call. The walls of the Hall are lined with tapestries depict-
ing the triumphs of House Tullison and images of mighty
The Sept heroes –such as Baelor the Blessed– honored throughout the
Seven Kingdoms. The Lord’s chair in the Grand Hall is made
Situated inside the walls of the castle, the sept at Mountain’s from carved stone and tradition holds that no cushions may
Reach is the only formal place of worship to be found for be placed upon it. The Lord that would rule House Tullison
leagues. As such, religious smallfolk in the area travel to the must endure as stone endures. Glass windows set near the
sept for ceremonies like weddings, funerals and religious ceiling provide natural light during the day, while at night the
observances. The building that forms the sept was built spe- Hall is lit by torches, charcoal burning braziers and the light
cifically for the purpose of worship and is seven-sided, with of the great fireplaces that line it.
67
The Noble Houses
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 9
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 9
Destiny Points 4
Benefits: Bludgeon Fighter I, Hardy, Head of House
Drawbacks: Naïve
68
The Noble Houses
69
The Noble Houses
only adds to her appeal as it give suitors some hope that they of morality that he seems ill-equipped to recognize on his
might inherit rule if something unfortunate were to happen own. Only then will she give thought to her own happiness.
to Lord Dunstan. That is, as they say, the rub. Adding to her reluctance to marry is the quality of the suitors
Unlike her brother, Yve is as cunning and self-possessed as that have, so far, come before her. If Yve were to find a man
she is attractive. Taught intrigue at her mother’s elbow, Yve’s she was capable of respecting, she might rethink her position.
age belies her capability. She is only too aware of the fact Among the suitors that House Tullison is currently enter-
that most of her suitors envision themselves sitting on the taining are Lord Brom Bartheld (a long-winded bore that is
stone throne of House Tullison. So she uses her beauty as a far too old for her), Lord Gawen Glover, and whichever Frey
weapon and her charm as a shield, flirting and blushing her happens to be present (Lord Walder pursues possible mar-
way through attempts to ensnare her in marriage. The dance riages between members of his brood and both brother and
of intentions she performs is sad in a way. Like every girl, Yve sister). Yve typically refers (in private) to the men that come
dreams of true love and marital bliss, yet she willingly puts seeking her hand as “snakes,” which, given her fear of actual
her duty to her House and her love for her brother before her snakes, speaks volumes about her current attitude towards
own desires. Yve hopes to find Dunstan a good wife that will marriage to any one of them. Since her mother, the Lady
care for him, and gently guide him through the quagmires Moraine, became ill, Yve has grown to rely more and more on
Maester Haelis for advice and direction, and, increasingly, as
a trusted friend she can confide in.
Ser Mather Warrens Adult Fighter
Abilities
Ser Mather Warrens
Agility 3
Athletics 3 The Warrens family has served House Tul-
lison with distinction for several genera-
Awareness 3
tions. While not quite a hereditary title,
Cunning 3
the last three Captains of the Moun-
Endurance 4 taineers have all been Warrenses. Ser
Fighting 3 Mather replaced his father as Cap-
Language 3 tain when the elder Warrens
Marksmanship 5 Bows 3B
was killed by the same rock-
slide that gave Mather the
Status 3
long, jagged scar that mars
Stealth 3 Sneak 2B his otherwise handsome fea-
Survival 3 Orientation 1B, Track 2B tures. Given a practice bow
Will 3 almost before he learned to
walk, Ser Mather is feared by
Attributes
the clans as a deadly shot; they have taken to referring to him
Combat Intrigue as Scarhawk. Rather than downplay his injury, Mather makes
9 9
Defense Defense
use of his scarred appearance to intimidate his opponents and
Health 12 Composure 9 has considered adopting the mark of a scar on his personal
Destiny Points 1 heraldry.
Benefits: Deadly Shot, Double Shot, Fast Mather is long and lean, with short-cropped black hair
and penetrating grey eyes. Normally clean-shaven, when
Drawbacks: Marked
stubble begins to crop up on his face after a long patrol, the
Arms & Armor hair around the scar is a silvery white. Other knights have
Hide Armor: AR 5, AP -3, Bulk 3 been known to mock Mather for his preference of engag-
Long Range, Piercing 2,
ing enemies at a distance with his longbow and for his hide
Longbow 5+2B 5 Damage Two-handed, Unwieldy, armor, both which suit his duties better than the up-close
Vicious brutality of blade work. Mather answers mockery with a grin
2 Hand Axes 3 2 Damage Close Range and a challenge. He wagers his longbow and 5 gold dragons
70
The Noble Houses
against the weapons of the proud knights that view him with
Maester Haelis Adult Expert
disdain that they can’t keep up with him for one day of patrol.
Abilities
As a result of these wagers, Mather has a fine collection of
swords, maces and other melee weapons that he keeps in his Animal Handling 3
chambers, much to the chagrin of their prior owners. Mather Awareness 3
is fleet of foot, long of breath and nimble. Without the bulk Cunning 3
of plate to encumber him, he scrambles over difficult terrain
Diagnose 1B, Treat Ailment 1B,
with ease, and without the presence of a longsword or other Healing 4
Treat Injury 2B
large melee weapon to entangle his legs, he can race ahead of
Language 3
challengers. Would-be challengers should be warned, though,
Knowledge 5 Education 2B, Research 2B
that Mather is fond of relating less-than-flattering stories of
his victories. This habit has earned him enemies and has very Persuasion 3
nearly resulted in duels. Status 4
His duties as Captain of the Mountaineers keep him out Survival 3
of Mountain’s Reach for days at a time, but when he returns
home he is greeted warmly by Lord Dunstan. The Captain is Attributes
something of a heroic father figure to Dunstan, who badgers Combat Intrigue
7 10
Mather to go hunting with him, or to allow him to join the Defense Defense
patrols. The ranger agrees to the hunting trips, but politely Health 6 Composure 6
refuses the assistance on patrols, reminding Dunstan that the Destiny Points 1
Tullisons can replace a ranger easier than a lord. Mather is in-
Benefits: Knowledge Focus (Nature), Knowledge Focus
trigued by the challenge posed by hunting in the Stag’s Moor (Architecture), Maester
(see p. 105) and has suggested the possibility of a hunting trip
Drawbacks: Flaw (Marksmanship)
to Lord Dunstan.
71
The Noble Houses
before the lord must be vigorously scrutinized for signs of being a humorous man. Once he sets his mind to something,
trustworthiness (Haelis has been responsible for sending Ren pursues it with single-minded determination. He con-
more than one of the female Frey packing). As Lady Yve siders his lack of humor to be strength that allows him to per-
has grown to trust him more, Haelis has also been able to form his duties without distraction, and he expects the same
help her keep her potential suitors guessing. It is his coun- level of concentration from those who work in his forges. It’s
sel that has led to Yve never showing favor to one over the hard to argue with the results. Because of Master Ren, the
others, nor yet giving outright refusals that might offer of- arms and armor used by House Tullison is as good as, or bet-
fense. Some rumors suggest that it isn’t duty alone that leads ter than, any other House in the Riverlands.
Haelis to assist Lady Yve in her machinations. These same Ren keeps his graying black hair cropped close to his
rumors claim that Maester Haelis is secretly in love with the scalp and inspects the steel that leaves his forges with keen
young Lady and can’t bear the thought of seeing her with brown eyes. On the rare occasion that he can’t be found in
another man. the forges, working, Ren has been known to visit the whores
in Lordsview. Ren is always on the lookout for a way to ac-
Lady Moraine Tullison quire Valyrian steel and the stories told about the treasures
of the Barrow Plain (see p. 107) haven’t escaped his notice.
Born a daughter of House Dondarrion, Lady Moraine was He believes that he can unlock the secrets underlying the
wed to Lord Sterl Tullison at the age of ten-and-seven. The forging of the metal, if only he can procure a sample. The
marriage grew into a devoted partnership over the years; Lord fact that no other smith since the fall of Valyria has been
Sterl was kind to his wife and she bore him a male heir, Dun- able to reproduce whatever techniques were used to create
stan, and a daughter, Yve. When House Tully called the ban- weapons that even the noblest of men would be tempted to
ners in support of Robert Baratheon, Lord Sterl responded, steal, makes no difference. Ren sees it as the final challenge
leaving Moraine to guide the fortunes of the House, coun- of his skill.
seled by Maester Donnen. Moraine proved a steady hand in
Lord Sterl’s absence and when Sterl was killed at the Battle Septon Weyls
of the Trident she continued to conduct House affairs in her
son’s name. A bald, paunchy, good-humored man, Septon Weyls is a
Two years past, Moraine contracted a sickness that Mae- valued member of the Mountain’s Reach’s community. He
ster Haelis could put no name too. She burned so brightly oversees the prayers and offerings of the faithful, and always
with fever that her dark hair fell out in clumps, yet she still makes time for those in need. Mildly disapproving of the
shivered with chills beneath the blankets and furs piled atop whores that live and work in Lordsview, he makes no move
her. By the time her fever broke, Moraine’s body had wasted to bar them from the sept, and hears their confessions in the
away to near skeletal thinness, and her once vibrant blue eyes hopes of turning them to the path of virtue. From time to
were dull with pain and confusion. Maester Haelis dosed her time, he asks Lord Dunstan to provide him with an escort so
with every medicine he could think of, in hopes of spark- that he may visit the smallfolk outside Joston’s Rock, spread-
ing her mind back to wakefulness, but nary a one succeeded. ing the word and forgiveness of the Seven. Even though the
The disease has appeared three more times since the onset of Smith and the Warrior remain the most popular figures of
the sickness, each time weakening her further yet. While she worship in Mountain’s Reach, Weyls does his best to remind
clings to life, Maester Haelis refuses to abandon hope, and his flock that those are only two aspects of the whole that the
spends as much time as he can working on the elusive cure Seven represents.
that will return her to health. With the aid of Maester Haelis, Septon Weyls keeps in
touch with the septs of other Houses and shares his knowl-
Master Smith Ren Alyard edge with Lord Dunstan and Lady Yve. It is in this manner
that much of the news of current events in Westeros comes
Oft referred to as the Bull of Joston’s Rock by the smallfolk, to Mountain’s Reach. Without a doubt, the most unbiased
Master Ren is a large, burly man as strong as his nickname information the Septon gains in this manner comes from his
suggests. Lord Dunstan jests that the true reason people call fellows at the Septry at Shattered Rock (see p. 103). Weyls
Ren the Bull is for his stubbornness. Ren fails to see the hu- visits Lady Moraine weekly to pray at her bedside for healing,
mor in this joke, but no one has ever accused the smith of and assists Yve, in his own quiet way, in discouraging suitors
72
The Noble Houses
for her hand by asking the men that come to visit uncomfort- Any attention she lavishes on Old Gaunt (as she calls him in
able questions about their faith. private) is sure to be forgotten by Brom by the time her other
suitor has given up, and departed. Brom consoles himself
Ser Ulbert Hite with what he deems as his future wife’s “indiscretions” with
the attention of the whores in Lordsview, who never cease to
The Captain of the guard at Mountain’s Reach is a stern, se- be impressed by his…vitality.
rious fellow that is considered to be a petty dictator by the
men that are forced to report to him. Ser Ulbert brooks no Lady Gwyneth Marsten
dissent, has no time for excuses, and no mercy for any man
that reports late for duty. He conducts weekly inspections of Blonde, petite and pretty, Lady Gywneth is visiting Moun-
the weapons and armor kept by his men, and isn’t shy about tain’s Reach in hopes of wedding Lord Dunstan. Gwyneth is
using the whip to persuade repeat offenders to ferret out even the niece of Lady Isobel Marsten by her late husband’s broth-
the smallest hint of rust, or wear. er, Mikael. While it is true that a marriage between House
Ofttimes, this sort of behavior might result in a fatal “ac- Tullison and House Marsten would be certain to help the
cident” to befall the Captain, but Ser Ulbert is no man to ailing coffers on the latter House, that isn’t the sole reason
be trifled with. Not only is Ulbert larger and meaner than Gwyneth was sent off to woo Lord Dunstan. Lady Isobel
any other man in Joston’s Rock, he’s also been known to de- sees the marriage as a good way of ridding herself of a pos-
feat Master Ren in arm wrestling matches without breaking sible rival of her sole remaining child for control of House
a sweat. Other than Lord Dunstan and the other knights in Marsten. This is especially important in light of the fact that
the castle, the only man Ulbert has friendly relations with no one is quite sure whether Mikael lives or not. Always a bit
is Maester Haelis. Ulbert and Haelis share a passion for the of a wastrel, he was last seen on a ship headed for the east, and
game of cyvasse, which was introduced in the castle by a Dor- no one has heard of or from him since that day.
nish mercenary in the employ of one of Lady Yve’s suitors. Perhaps desperate to escape her circumstances, Gwyneth
Ser Ulbert has repeatedly attempted to be reassigned to the hasn’t been as easy to vanquish as previous maids that have
Mountaineers, but Ser Mather doesn’t want him there. Ul- come a-courting to Mountain’s Reach. She endures the icy
bert was the first knight to accept Ser Mather’s challenge, and silences and pointed jibes of Lady Yve, and ignores the sub-
Mather still keeps the sword Ulbert lost on the wager over tle hints from Maester Haelis that she’s not welcome. Lord
the fireplace in his quarters. Dunstan is mildly interested by her company, but not so
much so that Gwyneth could begin to hope she has managed
Lord Brom Bartheld to capture his heart. Still, the charade must be played out,
and Gwyneth intends to either marry this young lord, or not
Tall, thin and cadaverously pale, Lord Brom is something of a return home. A few rumors have circulated among the ser-
permanent guest at Mountain’s Reach. Upon the death of his vants at Joston’s Rock about the relationship between Lady
last wife, Brom began to look around for a younger woman Gwyneth and her escort, Ser Willain Marks. Thus far, Lady
to warm his bed and has set his heart on Lady Yve. When his Yve hasn’t been able to confirm the rumors, but would love
attempts at arranging the match from afar met with failure, to do so.
Brom left his manor in the hands of his oldest grandson and
came to make his case in person. Arriving with Brom was Ser Willain Marks
his aging squire, a bastard by the name of Dart Rivers. Lord
Brom and Dart haunt the halls of Joston’s Rock, often way- Tall, brash and handsome, Ser Willain is the kind of dash-
laying unsuspecting guests or serving folk to regale them with ing knight that makes maidens swoon. Resplendent in his
tales of Brom’s heroics during Robert’s Rebellion. A survivor full plate armor, astride his white destrier, Willain is a vision
of the Trident, Brom enjoys showing people the ruby ring he to behold, even if he’s only a hedge knight. When Lady Iso-
had made from one of the jewels Robert Baratheon smashed bel determined to ship Lady Gwyneth off to House Tullison
free from Rhaegar Targaryen’s armor. to wed, she enlisted the services of Ser Willain as guardian,
Lady Yve finds Lord Brom’s attentions to be repellant and to protect her niece from the dangers of the roads. Willain
slightly creepy, but refuses to have the old man barred from claims to have been knighted by King Aerys himself, a claim
the castle. Brom is useful as a foil for overly persistent suitors. that is exceedingly difficult to prove since the King is dead
73
The Noble Houses
and most of House Targaryen with him. However, since no es. Ser Mather has begun to put two-and-two together, how-
one can disprove the claim, Willain retains the title ser, and ever, and is planning a surprise for Horag the next time the
the honor that accompanies it. Mountaineers catch a whiff of an impending raid.
Willain has enjoyed his time at Mountain’s Reach, show-
ing off his jousting skills to an impressed Lord Dunstan and Kashal
sparring with the Mountaineers. Rumors suggest he’s enjoyed
more than just House Tullison’s hospitality. Smallfolk gossip The leader of the Rock Chewers clan has a single burning
pairs Ser Willain and Lady Gwyneth in a romantic relation- desire: to drink wine from Ser Mather’s skull. Kashal was
ship that features the good ser sneaking into her room every leading a raid on a smallfolk camp when Ser Mather and his
other night, and not reemerging until the first rays of dawn. father ambushed the clansmen from behind. Although he
If the rumors are true, the affair could lead to serious conse- escaped, Kashal was shot in the buttocks by Ser Mather as
quences for both Willain and Lady Gwyneth. At best, Wil- he fled; a humiliating wound that forced Kashal to eat meals
lain would be forced to take the black, while Lady Gwyneth standing up, and sleep on his stomach for a month. Unknown
would be returned home to live out the rest of her life in to Ser Mather, Kashal was behind the rockslide that killed his
shame. father. Kashal was furious when the slide failed to kill both
father and son, leaving his oath of vengeance unfulfilled.
Horag The Rock Chewers have watched with some jealousy the
success of Horag’s raids on the caravans moving on the River
Horag’s legend among the Black Goats began when he left Road. Thus far, Kashal has kept his clan from joining the
his bloody handprints on the walls of Mountain’s Reach at Black Goats on the raids, which has led to some mutterings
the age of ten-and-two, stealing a woman from Lordsview among the clansmen, and forced Kashal to kill one man to
on his return trip. By the time he came to his full growth, prevent a revolt. As much as he’d like to claim the goods and
Horag had already strung the tongues of the five men he weapons from the traveling merchants, Kashal has refrained,
killed on a necklace, and claimed leadership of the clan. instead skulking along in the wake of the Black Goats, and
Horag claims that his strength comes from his full, bushy watching. He realizes that Ser Mather is bound to figure out
beard, which he has never cut or trimmed since it began to Horag’s plan, eventually, and when Mather makes his move
sprout from his face. His black, goat’s fur cloak is trimmed to ambush the Black Goats, Kashal intends to ambush the
in the silver coins he’s stolen from his victims and the long- Mountaineers in return, and claim his revenge.
sword he claimed from the body of a dead Mountaineer is
the pride of the clan. Muddying the Palette
Lately, Horag has undertaken a strategy of raiding that is
considered the height of tactical genius by the other clans- Dunstan hasn’t wed, not because Yve and Moraine can’t find
men. He sends the women and the weakest of the clan to a woman good enough for him, but because Davain and Mo-
attack a smallfolk camp, just close enough to Joston’s Rock raine are trapped in a wicked and incestuous relationship (in
for word of the attack to carry to the castle. Then, while the this scenario, Moraine isn’t dying—or isn’t dying quite yet).
Mountaineers are busy chasing the dregs of the clan, Horag Yve desperately wants to escape the demented household she
attacks a merchant traveling up the River Road. The attacks finds herself in, but no suitable matches can be found. The
are coordinated by the position of the sun in the sky, with the players might be able to help her.
raids on the merchants usually coming just as dusk approach-
74
THE RIVERLANDS
As caught up as the noble houses of Westeros can become in Forest is a bandit-haunted stretch of wilderness and the
their own affairs, they do not exist separate from the land and keep of Rugar Hold is a small fortress suitable for a fairly
peoples of the Seven Kingdoms, but as integral parts of them. new house. Riverthorn is a once-prosperous land ruined by
This chapter helps to put the six houses from the previous plague, which wiped out its previous rulers, leaving their
chapter into context by describing the part of the Riverlands Rose Hall open to a house willing to take up the work of
where they exist and pursue their particular goals. resettling its abandoned hamlets and farms. Port Maril is a
This chapter looks at Market Town, a free community small town with a questionable reputation but also a center
walking the difficult line between loyalties to various hous- of local trade (and smuggling) where the new Portmaster
es and liege-lords, a place where characters of different al- and Lord of the Storm Tower must deal with pirates and
legiances can mix and mingle, as well as scheme and move smugglers, either by rooting them out, or claiming a portion
against one another. Market Town has its own share of secrets of their ill-gotten gains.
and schemes, many of them belonging to its wily mayor, Esra The chapter concludes with a selection of traditional events
Stone. and interesting places you can use as part of A Song of Ice and
The chapter offers sketches of corners of the Riverlands Fire chronicle set in the Riverlands, from the annual Tour-
suitable as lands claimed by a new house of the players’ ney of the Brothers and the Mummers’ Joust to places like
creation, should they prefer not to take any of the sample Stag’s Moor, the Hag’s Mouth, or the haunted fields of the
houses from the previous chapter as their own. Durain’s Stranger’s Farmstead.
75
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76
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one hoping to make Market Town theirs will have to out- Dragonfire Hill and unsafe, Old Town is a poor neighbor-
maneuver the other houses and Market Town’s wily mayor, hood. Drunkenness and desperation are more common than
Esra Stone. crimes of violence or passion, but those crimes do happen.
New Town, on the other hand, is the part of the city built
Locations since Tobis Stone’s resettling of the city. New Town is pros-
perous and clean, and the people are proud, happy, and ambi-
Market Town is roughly square, surrounded by a palisade wall tious.
with watchtowers at every corner. The walls are made of lay-
ers of old, solid wood and thick iron bolts. Some sections of Market Square and the Raven’s Pub
the city wall date back to Dragonfire Hill or Tobis Stone’s
Market Square is the heart of town, a dirt-floored plaza
resettlement. The watchtowers, on the other hand, are new
about twenty yards to a side. A weathered statue that might
stone. They date back to the tense days of Robert’s Rebellion,
once have been an image of Tobis Stone marks the center of
when the mayor feared that a local noble house might use the
the square. Any details the statue might have once had are
brewing conflict as an excuse to seize the city. In addition to
obscured by years of wear and layers of bird droppings. The
the usual fortifications, Market Town’s watchtowers use a sys-
statue is unusually popular with the local ravens, which has
tem of huge braziers and signal mirrors to send information
led to the statue being called the Raven’s Pub. If a Market
from tower to tower quickly in emergencies.
Towner says “I’ll meet you at the Raven’s Pub,” he means that
Market Town is divided into two neighborhoods. Old
he’ll see you in Market Square. Market Towners have a habit
Town—built primarily out of old stone—is the rebuilt re-
of discussing dark business “under the Raven and the moon,”
mains of Dragonfire Hill. Thanks to an old superstition that
which means in the center of Market Square, at night. Even
the old structures are haunted by the plague that destroyed
a skilled eavesdropper would be hard pressed to sneak up on
77
The Riverlands
the Raven’s Pub in the night, and the darkness hides the fea- with meat pie sellers, beer stands, jugglers, singers, and po-
tures of conspirators from observation at a distance. ets. Market Day is a lively, amiable chaos of sights, sounds,
Local traders have made a half-hearted effort to beautify and smells.
Market Square. A small raised-bed flower garden surrounds
the statue in the middle of the square and several of the sur- Endra’s Sept
rounding shops have made their storefronts bright and at-
Unlike most septs, Endra’s Sept is a relatively new building.
tractive. For most of the week Market Square is a park. Young
It was built by the septa Endra Cooper ten years after To-
men and women come here to walk with their sweethearts,
bis Stone resettled the location. Market Towners had been
old men come to sit on the edge of the raised flowerbed in the
avoiding the old sept—then one of the oldest buildings in
center of the square and feed bread crumbs and corn to the
town—out of fear that the plague that had wiped out the city
ever-present ravens, and children come to play.
had somehow sunk into the timbers of the building. Because
On first day of every week, Market Square undergoes an
the nearest sept was nearly a day’s walk away, the Faith feared
amazing transformation. All the storefronts along the edge
that it was failing the people of Market Town. Septa Cooper
of the square expand onto the street, displaying their best
walked all the way from the Starry Sept in Oldtown to ritu-
wares. Locals who aren’t wealthy enough to own or rent
ally restore the sept.
storefronts on the square and merchants from all across the
Endra’s Sept was originally a humble seven-sided build-
region set up stalls in the square. All kinds of products are
ing with an attached dormitory for the septa and her staff, a
available for purchase, from fine swords to butternut squash.
small hospital, and a few extra multipurpose rooms. Over the
Because Market Town only pays taxes to the crown, prices
years, wealthy merchants hoping to buy the favor of the Seven
are extraordinarily low. (In game terms, Market Town mer-
have donated heavily to the sept, resulting in an increasingly
chants are considered to be Amiable towards most shop-
ornate building. Today, Endra’s Sept is one of the few stone
pers for the purpose of Bargain tests.) Other entrepreneurs
buildings in New Town. It stands two stories tall—vaulted
come to feed and entertain the shoppers, filling the square
ceilings in the chapel, two floors in the administrative and
dormitory buildings—with white marble walls and stained
glass windows. The simple cloth icons that Endra brought
with her from Oldtown have been replaced by marble statues
inlaid with precious metals (though the originals are still kept
in a place of honor in the sept’s archives). Septon Finch and
his staff live in a sprawling compound, complete with gardens
and their own library. Although Market Towners are proud
of their sept, most outsiders find it gaudy, and Endra herself
would probably be horrified.
78
The Riverlands
clean, but the décor and the music are a little too gaudy and cities that came before it. This is where Mayor Stone and his
the accents a little too countrified. Still, The Maiden’s House closest allies—including Hadrian—scheme to keep the no-
is a better brothel than most in Westeros, and like the rest of bility’s collective hands off Market Town and stock the arms
Market Town, its inhabitants and proprietors are ambitious and armor they will need if it ever comes to blows.
and determined.
Town Hall
The Godsgrove The Town Hall is Market Town’s second-most ostentatious
Outside of Market Town, down the hill and across the plains building, following Endra’s Sept (and followed by the Hall of
to the east, past the fields and farmhouses, a forest clings to All Guilds and the Maiden’s House). Town Hall is another
the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon. This wood rep- stonework New Town structure, situated so that the back of
resents the eastern edge of Market Town and the beginning the building has a balcony overlooking Market Square. The
of the noble houses. When the men who built Market Town building houses an audience hall, where the Mayor hears pe-
came here seeking wood, they left empty-handed. Instead of titions, a courthouse, and several administrative offices. When
trees to cut, they found an ancient and overgrown godswood. the mayor must address the populace of Market Town, he
The folk of Market Town are generally adherents of the Faith does so from the balcony in the rear, with the people gathered
of the Seven, but they refuse to cut down the ancient weir- in Market Square.
wood and its fellow trees. Today, those few Market Towners In addition to serving as Market Town’s center of govern-
who seek the favor of the Old Gods take the journey to the ment, Town Hall is the town guard’s nerve center. Town Hall’s
godsgrove to be alone under the trees. central spire receives messages via mirror or signal fire from
The Old Faith has no clergy, but an old man called Peter the four watchtowers and sends more guards to deal with any
Hasting is the Godsgrove’s de facto keeper. Despite arthritis in trouble. The basements beneath the building are also home
his fingers and knees, Peter makes the journey to the Gods- to Market Town’s jail. The cells are rarely occupied, however,
grove twice a week to brush fallen leaves from the moss. Peter because Market Town’s justice is so swift: violent criminals
is the man locals come to when they seek the blessing of the are hung, liars and cheats are exiled, and lesser criminals are
Old Gods, and Peter advises them in how to behave in the lashed or pilloried and then released.
Godswood and how to pray.
Characters
The Heart and Crown
Esra Stone, Septon Harald Finch, Dame Adrienne, and Yorik
A block away from Market Square, on the border between
Ralk are the leading figures in Market Town.
Old Town and New Town, is the Heart and Crown, Market
Town’s best pub. There are taverns in New Town of higher
quality and bars in Old Town that are much less expensive, Mayor Esra Stone
but everyone comes to the Heart and Crown once in a while.
Newcomers to Market Town are often struck by the may-
The owner and proprietor of the Heart and Crown is
or’s name: Stone. Westeros’s bastard names don’t last for
Hadrian Tor, a tall, brusque, appealingly ugly redheaded man
many generations. Bastards marry into legitimate families,
in his late fifties. Hadrian is descended from one of Tobis
adopt names based on their hometowns or professions, or
Stone’s daughters, and the Heart and Crown has been in his
die without legitimate children of their own. The Stones of
family since its founding by Tobis Stone himself, shortly af-
Market Town have survived and thrived by their wits for
ter the resettling of Market Town. Thanks to their pedigree,
more than a hundred years. They are not peasants to name
Hadrian and the Heart and Crown are much-beloved local
themselves after the land or their craft. They are everything
institutions.
bastard children are supposed to be—ruthless, proud, and
The mayors of Market Town hold informal court in the
adaptable—and they want everyone to know it. Mayor Esra
Heart and Crown. Here, Mayor Esra Stone and his advi-
Stone is the current head of the family, as audacious as any
sors hear cases they can’t or won’t in Town Hall, and many
of his forbearers.
informal deals are made and broken. Finally, the Heart and
Esra Stone is a tall, broad-shouldered man slowly work-
Crown’s cellar has a secret: a hidden passageway to the cata-
ing his way into vigorous middle age. He is handsome, in
combs underneath Market Town formed by the layers of dead
79
The Riverlands
Abilities
Awareness 4 Empathy 2B
Cunning 4 Memory 2B
Deception 5 Bluff 2B
Persuasion 3
Status 3 Reputation 2B
Will 4
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 11
Defense: Defense:
Health: 6 Composure: 12
Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Adept Negotiator, Favored of Smallfolk,
Head of House
Drawbacks: Flaw (Fighting)
couldn’t back up, lied, stolen, and ordered murder, all to keep
Market Town free. The people love him for it, though they
a mature and fatherly sort of way, with strong features and might love him a little less if they knew some of the sacrifices
black hair going slightly grey at the temples. Esra’s dark he has made for their sake.
brown eyes glitter with intelligence, humor, and mischief, Himself a liar and manipulator, Esra does not trust easily.
seeming out of place on his steady, reliable face. He dresses However, he was raised on stories of the iniquity of the nobil-
well, but not ostentatiously. Esra strikes a balance between ity and has a soft spot for smallfolk whom the nobility have
showing off his status, appealing to Market Town’s wealthy taken advantage of. On the other hand, Esra has a grudge
merchants, and identifying with the city’s lower classes. Esra against the highborn and loves to frustrate their schemes.
almost never carries weapons himself and wouldn’t know Most importantly, Esra is smooth and composed, all smiles
what to do with one if he did, but he rarely goes anywhere and gentle words, no matter what. Esra is an unapologetic
without a small escort of town guardsmen—usually his believer in nepotism, but makes sure to leave room for prom-
nephews Kurt and Elias—wearing leather breastplates and ising peasants outside his immediate family.
armed with stout cudgels. Esra Stone lives with his wife, Devra, in the mayor’s man-
The people of Market Town call Esra “the Wily Mayor,” sion in Market Town, not far from Town Hall. They have four
and he deserves the title. Esra Stone has kept Market Town children. Lilah and Maryan, twelve and fourteen, still live at
free of noble influence for more than a decade despite con- home. Their oldest daughter, Daisy, has married a local crafts-
certed efforts on the part of surrounding houses to lay claim man and lives in Market Town and their oldest son, Niall,
to the city and he shows no sign of slacking off now. has set himself up as a merchant in Lannisport and writes
Market Town and the local nobles have clashed a number infrequently. Esra’s younger brother Hans—Kurt and Elias’s
of times over the years as the nobles test the dedication and father—lives in Market Town as well.
independence of Market Town and its mayor. Esra has had Esra would be hard pressed to defend himself in a fight
to use cleverness and sheer, unmitigated gall to keep the city and doesn’t bother to carry any weapons. Instead, he sur-
independent. Esra has played the houses off against each oth- rounds himself with reliable young men in the city guard,
er, made promises he never intended to keep and threats he like his nephews Kurt and Elias. Although these game sta-
80
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81
The Riverlands
This last trait—pliability in the face of authority—is how Dame Adrienne Tertiary Character
Harald Finch earned the position of Septon of Endra’s Sept.
Awareness 3 Empathy 1B
The previous Septon was a stronger and more ambitious man
who borrowed heavily from local merchants to fund his char- Cunning 3
itable endeavors. The guilds and associations of Market Town Deception 4 Disguise 1B
practically own Endra’s Sept, and they were able to arrange Intrigue
8 Composure: 6
for a more agreeable Septon. Defense:
At his root, Harald Finch is weak, and hides from the
knowledge of his own weakness. He allows himself to be ma- merchant might be offered the opportunity to spend the
nipulated, out of fear and ignorance of his own strength. His evening with the mistress of the Maiden’s House, as are
faith in the Seven and the Father is very real, and he prays Adrienne’s old friends from her days in Dorne.
every day for strength, wisdom, and courage, unaware that all Of course, Dame Adrienne is both more and less than
these traits are close at hand, if only he would grow a back- she seems. Despite her genteel façade, she can be remark-
bone. Harald Finch has never been in a situation where his or ably brutal to prostitutes or clients who displease her. She
anyone else’s life was at risk, and no one—least of all Septon has had more than one client beaten within an inch of his
Finch himself—knows what he will do if he is. There may be life for harming one of her girls, and although she doesn’t
more to Harald Finch than meets the eye, or perhaps he is hurt her workers physically, she is completely merciless about
exactly what he seems. throwing one of them out onto the street if she makes a big
enough mistake, like offending an important client, stealing
Dame Adrienne from the house, or getting pregnant. Dame Adrienne is also
very religious. She regularly attends services at Endra’s Sept
The Madame of the Maiden’s House and donates heavily.
is a statuesque woman in her mid- Dame Adrienne is also a spy for the Princes of Dorne.
thirties. She wears her red hair up in Market Town is very well situated to harvest all sorts of
a variety of elaborate hairstyles and information about the Riverlands. Reports arrive at the
uses a Maester’s toolbox of cosmet- Maiden’s House all the time—in letters, in the hands of a
ics to ensure that her appearance is “passing nobleman,” “wealthy merchant” or “old friend” from
just so. Adrienne dresses her best, in Dorne—which Adrienne then passes along to her superiors.
heavily embroidered gowns cut and Adrienne has been a spy for a long time, ever since a sojourn
dyed to complement of her dramatic in Dorne when she was a teenager. Adrienne genuinely be-
coloring and flatter her ample lieves that Dorne is a better and more just place than the rest
figure, and wears a great deal of of Westeros. Running the brothel is her vocation, but increas-
gold and ruby jewelry. ing Dorne’s influence over Westeros is her calling.
Dame Adrienne’s manner
is defined by two words: vice Captain Yorik Ralk
and class. As the Madame of Market Town’s only brothel,
Adrienne is conscious that she occupies a place outside The head of Market Town’s civil
of polite society. She is self-consciously naughty, encour- guard is a tall, burly man with
aging others to indulge themselves in a way that is both wiry black hair, dark eyes, and
alluring and motherly. At the same time, Dame Adrienne a dusky complexion. Captain
puts on every appearance of class and breeding, from her Yorik Ralk is unquestionably the
assumed title of “dame” to her style of dress to her per- toughest man in Market Town.
fectly clipped accent. Dame Adrienne isn’t just selling sex He trains all the guardsmen
at the Maiden’s House, she is selling the fantasy that her personally and has never
clients are powerful and important people—like the nobles been beaten, even by his best
they admire and fear—with seraglios full of beautiful and students. His training isn’t
willing women. Dame Adrienne rarely sees clients herself, easy—he would obviously
and only by invitation. A passing nobleman or wealthy prefer to have fewer men rath-
82
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Abilities
Athletics 3 Strength 1B The six noble houses described in the previous chapter pro-
Awareness 3 Notice 1B vide a good starting point for players who want to get into
Fighting 4 Bludgeon 1B the game immediately, or a selection of noble houses that
the Narrator can use as rivals to the players’ home house. For
Attributes players and Narrators who want more creative room but are
Combat
9 Health: 12
having trouble getting their house ideas jump started, this
Defense: section provides three descriptions of regions that player or
Arms & Armor NC houses can call home. These descriptions are purpose-
fully vague so they can be customized according to player or
Soft Leather: AR: 2, AP -1, Bulk 0
Narrator desires. Instead of giving exact numbers for all the
Cudgel 4+1B 2 Damage Off-Hand +1
house attributes, recommended ranges are given, so players
can determine the attributes in such a way that the core story
er than lesser men in his service. Some of his men have seen
of the region is maintained while they retain control over the
him take injuries that would kill or cripple most men—such
process. If Narrators or players would prefer to throw out
as during the Flashing Peak Bandit raids of five years ago—
portions of these regions and customize them further, that
and survive with more scars to add to his already signifi-
works just as well. Generally Influence, Power, and Wealth are
cant collection. Yorik wears a standard issue boiled leather
left relatively vague since they are less tied to geography and
breastplate painted the guard colors of red and white.
more tied to family history.
Yorik Ralk is about as laconic as a man can get without
All of these locations are located near the Trident, though
simply refusing to talk at all. He leads mostly by example and
their specific placement on the map can be adjusted by the
through quiet conversations with his lieutenants. And yet,
Narrator so that he or she can retain a greater deal of control
things get done, and those lieutenants are fanatically loyal to
over their story. They have interactions listed with the various
their commanding officer. Captain Ralk acts with a degree
noble houses previously described to give Narrators and play-
of honor not seen in most sworn knights. He has never left
ers ideas as to what sorts of conflicts could be in their future.
a guardsman in danger and considers himself responsible for
If players prefer to take over one of the other houses de-
their safety. When a guardsman is killed or injured, Yorik per-
scribed in this book, the locations listed here still make excel-
sonally sees to it that his family is taken care of.
lent locations for expansion and adventuring, as well as prizes
Ralk speaks of his past even less frequently than he does
to struggle over. If the players’ House decides collectively that
anything else. Mayor Stone almost certainly knows details—
it wants to expand its Land holdings into Riverthorn, for in-
most Market Towners find it hard to imagine the wily mayor
stance, that is an excellent way to bring them into conflict
allowing Yorik to keep his position of he didn’t—but he isn’t
with House Dulver, which desires Rose Hall for itself.
sharing, either. Yorik has a castle-forged sword and has been
seen practicing with it, though in his capacity as captain of
the guard he wilds a stout cudgel, like all his men. Is Yorik
Durain’s Forest
a dishonored knight? A nobleman’s bastard son seeking to
One of the larger stretches of forests in the Trident, Durain’s
escape the shame of his birth? Or is he something else alto-
Forest has proved difficult to tame as far back to the Andal
gether?
invasion, due to its many hidden glens, dense thickets, and
Despite his mysteries, Market Town is fond of Yorik. Like
twisting trails. These features have encouraged bandits to use
Mayor Stone, he is a local hero, a good man fighting hard to
Durain’s Forest for centuries, but for most of that time such
keep Market Town safe, prosperous, and free. Yorik lives in
bandits have been more trouble for farmers than noble lords.
the guard barracks, and has no other home. He has no wife or
Recently the bandits under the leadership of one Dugan the
children that anyone knows of, and despite a concerted effort
Red have became bolder, striking the Kingsroad itself, lead-
on the part of the town’s busybodies, no one has ever seen
ing to the restoration of the old fortress Rugar Hold as a
him enter or leave the Maiden’s House. Dame Adrienne is, of
noble holding in the hopes that a new lord can deal with the
course, silent on the matter.
bandits.
83
The Riverlands
History
The original inhabitants of Durain’s Forest were the First
Men, who named the forest after a local hero from the Age
of Legends. It’s said that before Durain came to the region
there was no forest, but after he slew an ancient wyvern the
creature’s blood gave birth to Durain’s Forest. This legend is
still known today by those who live near the forest and many
credit the maze-like nature of the forest to the wyvern’s anger
at the man who killed it. The forest is sometimes called the
Wyvern Wood, but that name is usually only used when curs-
ing the bandits that now call the forest home.
Due to the density and lack of navigable paths in the forest
it has been the home of the hunted for centuries. During the
Andal conquest, it was a stronghold of the First Men for decades
after the surrounding region fell due to its defensive advantag-
es. The same occurred during the Targaryen conquest when it
served as a safe haven for deserters and Andal soldiers long after
the war ended. In every major war since then, Durain’s Forest
has become a haven for deserters, thieves, and criminals that gets
cleared out a few years or decades after the conflict is resolved.
A century after the conquest, the Targaryens tried to name
a noble lord of Durain’s Forest by building a fortress in the
forest to serve as a base of operation to pacify the criminals it
sheltered. This fortress, Rugar Hold, did not provide much in
the way of safe haven and the first lord awarded the territory
was assassinated in his own bed within three months of ar-
riving. For a century Rugar Hold was held by a succession of
lesser lords charged with cleaning up the forest, but in the end
they all have found it to be far more profitable and healthy to
turn a blind eye to the unsavory elements in the forest. The last
noble lord of Durain’s Forest died five decades ago after getting
entangled in a power struggle between the bandit factions.
During the War of the Usurper, some of the criminal in-
habitants of Durain’s Forest sided with the Targaryens in ex-
change for promises of clemency—which ultimately proved
impossible for the Targaryens to keep. During the war the
bandits of Durain’s Forest harried the forces of Robert
Baratheon throughout the Trident, but in the wake of the
defeat of the Targaryens they withdrew into the forest and
did their best to be inconspicuous. The crown has had bigger
problems to deal with so far and is only now getting around
to seeing Forest Durain put to rights.
Use in a Chronicle
Durain’s Forest is an excellent fit for a young house, especially
one created in the wake of the War of the Usurper. It provides
an opportunity for a young house to prove itself loyal and
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The Riverlands
cunning by pacifying the forest, but it is also a chance to end fortifications in Durain’s Forest were built since the victory of
up in an early grave. Any house claiming Durain’s Forest has the Targaryens and so have not had time to become truly de-
an enemy within its borders that is difficult to find and corner, crepit. The largest of these is North Hall, located on the north
making any long term restoration of law and order a delicate edge of the forest. Once a garrison under the Targaryens, it
process. Will the new lord try to bargain with the bandits? now serves as one of the bandit headquarters. If reclaimed it
Or will the noble use a vast array of soldiers to beat his lands could be returned to usefulness with only a few months effort;
into cooperation? Once the War of the Five Kings begins the certainly easier than building a new hall from the ground up.
situation may change drastically since having well defended If the Narrator wishes he may allow Rugar Hold to be pur-
terrain inhabited by experienced combatants who know the chased for 25 Defense points instead of 30, but the castle will
land is a defensive advantage not to be overlooked. Perhaps act as a hall until 5 wealth and 6 months are spent repairing
clemency may be in the house’s best interests. the fortress.
Instead of a new house taking Durain’s Forest, the players
could be a branch of an older house assigned to clear up the
Influence: 40 or less
forest which is near or within the larger house’s territory. This There is no particular Influence level attached to ruling Durain’s
is similar to the previous option, but allows for players to cre- Forest except that ruling a holding of such questionable value is
ate older houses. not something a house of high Influence would do. It is likely to
Defense: 30 or more, be a region awarded to a house of lesser Influence, possibly one
Invested: 30 or less (Rugar Hold) with strong military assets. If the forest can be pacified, the house
that does it is likely to receive respect and Influence for their suc-
Located at the heart of Durain’s Forest, Rugar Hold strad- cess, but until then they will be known as the nobles who live in
dles the only road that leads through it. The small castle a forest of thieves, if not said to be thieves themselves. Striking
is made of a wooden outer wall and a stone keep within. deals with the bandits may negatively impact the house’s Influ-
There is little room within the walls aside from the keep. ence, depending on the details of the deal.
The trees were long ago culled for fifty paces in every di-
rection around the castle’s walls, but little effort has gone Lands: 29 or more, Invested: 29
into preserving this cleared area, so trees now grow almost
(hills with dense forest and stream (x2) 26, ruin 3)
right up to the outer wall. This makes it remarkably easy Durain’s Forest is leagues across and entirely forested. There is
to approach the castle without being seen, which has been only one badly worn, winding road through it that eventually
the reason so many of its past inhabitants have been assas- connects to the Kingsroad, but sees little traffic. It is commonly
sinated. Stables are located in the courtyard along with a blocked by falling trees, not all of which are bandit ambushes.
secondary wood barracks, but the barracks are largely rotted The road has not been maintained in decades, transforming
and falling down now. it into little more than two deep mud ruts crawling through
The keep has not been well maintained and some sections the forest. The forest has begun to reclaim some sections of
of its walls are on the verge of falling down. The damage is the road and seedlings are not uncommon in the ruts. Aside
serious and will require a sizable investment to get the keep from the road there are only a few bandit trails in the forest.
back into top shape. Rugar Hold has no decorations, statues, There are a number of small streams, but they tend to wind
tapestries, or other luxuries to speak of, those having long as badly as the road, making navigating by them difficult at
ago been stripped away. Animals have taken to roosting in best. Mounted travel is extremely difficult off the road due to
some of the more remote rooms and will have to be driven the thick underbrush and uneven terrain. In most regions one
out for the castle to be fully inhabitable. The keep has a large cannot see more than a few dozen paces in any one direction,
central hall, kitchens, an armory, smithy, barracks for one which is only made worse by the low-lying fog that is common
hundred soldiers, and several rooms for the lord, lady, other in many of the dells found throughout the forest.
nobles, and visitors. There are a number of ruins scattered across Durain’s
Rugar Hold is the primary fortification within Durain’s For- Forest, most of which are old attempts at fortifications that
est, though there are several other fortifications built during were abandoned at one point or another. They hold little of
various attempts to pacify the forest. Most of these other forti- value now, but the bandits use them for shelter in inclement
fications are little more than ruins, though some see use by the weather.
locals and could be salvaged given time and resources. All the
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The Riverlands
House Barnell
In the militaristic eyes of House Barnell, the continued law-
lessness of Durain’s Forest is an embarrassment to all houses
in the region. Lord Barnell has made clear he thinks that
rooting the bandits out of Durain’s Forest is an important
cause, but has not made any moves to do it himself. There are
rumors that if the bandits in Durain’s Forest grow any bolder
House Barnell will move to quash them itself, though the
chances of success for such a maneuver are questionable.
House Bartheld
Traditionally, House Bartheld has had little to do with Du-
rain’s Forest, but a recent attack on several nobles traveling to
Hart Hall and the ascension of Lord Davain Bartheld have
changed this. While none of the nobles were killed in the
attack, a great deal of wealth was stolen, including several
family heirlooms of House Connington, also sworn to House
Baratheon. Those in the know say that the new Lord Bar-
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The Riverlands
While House Frey has decried the bandit haven of Durain’s Bandit Rabble
Forest, the going rumor is that they actually deal with the
Trained Criminals * 4 power
bandits, hiring them to make trouble for those who would
try to undermine House Frey’s control the Green Fork cross- Formidable (12) Discipline
ing. House Frey has made several forays into Durain’s Forest Endurance 2, Fighting 3, Stealth 4
hunting bandits, but some say the actions are all for show;
others say it is House Frey preparing to claim Durain’s Forest
by force under the pretense that any current owners cannot
House Tullison
control it.
The bandits of Dugan the Red have stolen several iron ship-
House Kytley ments House Tullison has sent to Riverrun, drawing the ire of
House Tullison but so far there has been little result. House
More concerned with internal matters, House Kytley has Tullison has too many problems with the mountain clans to
little time for bandits outside its borders. Some shipments send troops so far afield.
of iron to Smithton have gone missing due to the efforts of
Dugan the Red, but so far Lord Kytley has not had the re-
House Tully
sources to pursue them. The bandits of Durain’s Forest had
House Tully has engaged in several attempts to clean our Du-
several encounters with Jerrold Blackbow, the foremost ban-
rain’s Forest over the years, but has never had a sustained suc-
dit of House Kytley’s land, during his bloody career and the
cess. House Tully is interested in the lumber resources Du-
two bandit gangs had built up a bloody rivalry before Jerrod’s
rain’s Forest represents and hopes to secure it for itself, or at
execution.
least the service of the house that holds the area.
House Marsten
Important Characters
While the bandits of Durain’s Forest have little direct inter-
Dugan the Red and Thalia Pemm are two bandits of note
action with House Marsten, the declining loyalties of House
who call Durain’s Forest home.
Kriegar have given rise to rumors that House Kriegar might
make an attempt to pacify Durain’s Forest and claim it as
their new home. So far these rumors seem to be just that, but Dugan the Red
a patrol of House Kriegar recently went into Durain’s Forest
One of the more successful bandit lords of the Riverlands, Du-
to hunt bandits, which is odd given their problems at home.
gan the Red has been operating in Durain’s Forest for upwards
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The Riverlands
of twenty years. A fearsome combatant and a skilled leader of when to lay low and when to
of men, it is widely rumored that he served one of the great strike so as to get no one faction
houses or was a hedge knight before taking up banditry. He angry enough to actually wipe
speaks little of his past before becoming an outlaw, but rope his forces out.
burns around his neck and three missing fingers indicate it was Wealth and security are Du-
not a pleasant life. gan’s public goals, but secretly he
Dugan now leads scores of men, keeping them fed, clothed, also wants respect. He has no fam-
and busy out stealing for their greater good. He works to make ily to speak of and raising one living
sure everyone gets a share both of booty and food, spending in the woods as criminals is not a life
as much time keeping peace among his own people as raiding. he wants for them. He hopes to find
He harbors a deep-seated hatred of nobles and attacks them or manufacture a situation where
whenever possible, but does not kill them exclusively, since his aid is so needed that the nobles will be forced to overlook
that would attract too much attention. Dugan has a good idea his past deeds and grant him the respect he feels he deserves.
88
The Riverlands
89
The Riverlands
smallfolk forced into service, the rose bushes of Riverthorn living down the reputation of their new home, but the po-
were uprooted and trimmed to line major roads and form a tential is there. While many of the normal concerns of noble
number of gardens around the hall, which became known as houses, such as bandits or intrigues, will still be present, any
Rose Hall after the work was complete. house that rules Riverthorn will also have to deal with more
Riverthorn managed to weather the Blackfyre Rebellion mundane and more unpleasant matters, such as working ex-
and the War of the Ninepenny Kings without being drawn tra hard to keep their smallfolk happy and arranging mass
into the conflict. This was largely due to the fact that House graves to clear out the remains of plague victims who remain
Orell burned its fields and any food stocks on hand when any unburied.
enemy force drew near. This removed the primary strategic To use Riverthorn as the long-time home of an older house,
value of Riverthorn, though at extensive economic cost. The assume that the plague that wiped out House Orell came at
cunning management of House Orell’s finances and farms an earlier time, such as during the War of the Ninepenny
allowed it to quickly recover and return to prosperity in the Kings or the Blackfyre Rebellion. In either case the immedi-
wake of both wars. House Orell was not above war profiteer- ate after effects of the plague are likely to have been dealt
ing when it came to selling its crops. with, but the lingering specter of death will still hang over
Despite using the same tactics during the War of the Riverthorn. Such a land will still be seen as cursed even if the
Usurper, House Orell did not fare well. Riverthorn was a immediate threat has passed.
major supply center for the Targaryen troops in the Trident, Another option is to remove House Orell from the history.
forcing it to the forefront of the war. Unfortunately for the Instead the house who currently calls Riverthorn home has
people of Riverthorn, they would not live to see the armies been there since the Targaryen conquest or longer. In such
of Robert Baratheon conquer their lands. In the days leading cases the house barely survived the plague, or maybe the cur-
up to the Battle of Ruby Ford a sickness broke out in Rose rent house is made up of house members who were wards,
Hall. The plague is thought to have been brought to the area fosterlings, or students elsewhere when the plague struck. In
by a group of Braavosi mercenaries in service to House Tar- such cases the survivors may suddenly be catapulted to lead-
garyen. Within a few weeks the entirety of House Orell was ership of the house after the death of everyone above them in
stricken with plague, as were many of the smallfolk. Worried the chain of succession. This may make the plague even more
that his men might become infected, Aerys II ordered the menacing as now it enabled the new leaders’ rise to power, but
land burned and quarantined, a decision that cost the lives of only over the corpses of their family.
hundreds of soldiers and smallfolk. The outer villages of Ri- A Narrator might even start his chronicle at Riverthorn
verthorn were razed, but the area around Rose Hall remained during Robert’s Rebellion, allowing the players to run
standing since no one dared go near it. In the end the plague through the events of the war itself as well as the terror of the
was halted, but at the cost of the very life of Riverthorn. plague and subsequent rebuilding.
After Robert’s victory, little attention was paid to River-
thorn and Rose Hall for a several years. This allowed it to Defense: 20 or more, Invested: 20 (Rose Hall)
become a haven for plague survivors, scavengers, miscreants
The abandoned buildings of Sulla, the hamlet founded by
and criminals. Five years after the end of the war talk began
Mager Orell and named after his wife, stand at the center of
in King’s Landing of resettling Riverthorn, but few houses
the Riverthorn holding. Rose Hall stands in the middle of
were interested in claiming what they feared was still a plague
Sulla. The hall was built more with aesthetics in mind than
ridden area. Riverthorn could be a valuable prize if it could
defenses; it is surrounded by once-magnificent statues and
be restored, but few are interested in taking on that challenge.
numerous now-cracked gargoyles line its roof. The interior
was once a masterpiece of tapestries, wood panels, and Myr-
Chronicle Use ish carpets, but those that have not been stolen are all rotted
Riverthorn works best for a young house, especially one just and stained after years of neglect. Now Rose Hall is a testa-
elevated due to its deeds in the War of the Usurper. River- ment to the power of neglect.
thorn may not be much of a prize to one of the great houses, Rose Hall contains a main hall, a kitchen, a small barracks,
but it represents a great opportunity for the birth of a new a sitting room, four bedrooms for visitors, and a massive
house. Such a house will have its work cut out for it attract- master bedroom for the lord. House Orell was well known
ing smallfolk to work the fields, restoring the buildings, and for its hospitality and would never think to let a visitor sleep
90
The Riverlands
on anything less than a down mattress, but its soldiers of- These have suffered only slightly in recent years, even with a
ten were forced to sleep in the main hall due to the small lack of upkeep.
size of their barracks. While it may not be well maintained, The land of Riverthorn itself is very fertile and very flat.
the core defensive value of Rose Hall remains. Its walls are While farms occupy the majority of the land, most have lain
made of solid stone quarried from the Mountains of the fallow since the plague; many still bear the burn marks of the
Moon and it is very well built with stout, iron bound doors, fires used by the Targaryens to cleanse the region. There are
cleverly concealed arrow slits, and a number of secret pas- no forests in the territory and only one hill—called Pyre Hill
sages. These passages allow one to move unnoticed through due to the many bodies that were burned there during the
the major rooms of the hall or escape into the nearby rose plague. Smallfolk say that Pyre Hill is haunted by the ghosts
gardens. of those who were burned there, and one can find the remains
Like most of Sulla, Rose Hall is surrounded by rose bush- of bones scattered all across the hill.
es. Once these were orderly and well kept, organized in rows The hamlet of Sulla is the only settlement of note in Ri-
along paths and to create beautiful gardens around the Hall. verthorn, and it is little more than a score of buildings that
Now they have all gone wild with many of the paths they existed primarily to support the household of Rose Hall. Its
once lined completely overgrown. The years of neglect seem houses are remarkably well built for smallfolk homes due
to have helped the roses thrive such that they are said to be House Orell wanting to project an image of wealth on any
the reddest in all of Westeros. Many of the remaining small- who visited, but much like Rose Hall these buildings are a
folk believe that the roses are fed on the blood of those who shadow of their former selves. These structures are primarily
died in the plague. wood with stone foundations and include an inn, two taverns,
a tradehouse, a smithy, and a sept. Only a few smallfolk re-
Influence: Any main in Sulla and those that do are extremely suspicious of
visitors. The smallfolk mostly work the fields around Sulla
Due to its questionable history, Riverthorn is not necessarily
and live at a subsistence level. These farmers bear the scars of
an attractive territory to one of the great houses, but to those
the pox that claimed their hamlet.
with sufficient foresight its value is unmistakable. Riverthorn
could either be foisted off on a house of little influence in order
to gain an ally of that house, or it could be claimed by a more
powerful house with an eye towards its long-term develop-
ment. Either case allows for houses of all Influence levels to
claim Riverthorn, though any that do are likely to be treated as
if they too had the plague until the past is forgotten.
Any house that gains Riverthorn would be well suited to
invest Influence in an heir as soon as possible. In a region
known for plague, nothing creates a feeling of security in the
continuance of government like knowing an heir is ready
should the head of the house not survive. If the heir is abroad,
so much the better.
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The Riverlands
and the flat terrain making them useful in most any battle. Due
Law: 30 or less
to the lack of population it is unlikely the ruling house will be
While there are few inhabitants in Riverthorn to cause trou- able to count on smallfolk levies for emergencies.
ble, there has been no law and order to speak of in the area
Wealth: Any
since the plague. The specter of the plague has kept most
scavengers and bandits away, but not all. Most of the high While Riverthorn has a great deal of money invested in its
value items have already been removed from Riverthorn so infrastructure, including a market, a smithy, and a sept, none
the scavengers are few these days, but a number of bandit of these facilities have the personnel required to operate. Also
gangs have taken to hiding in the outskirts of Riverthorn these structures have suffered years of neglect so getting them
since many outsiders are unwilling to chase them there. operational again is going to be about as expensive as build-
Luckily due to the sparse nature of its population, restoring ing them from scratch. While Riverthorn has the capacity to
order should be relatively easy if the new house has sufficient generate great wealth once its farms return to productivity,
troops. Guarding Sulla and the main farms will be far easier the owning House will need years of effort to get it to that
than securing the borders of Riverthorn from those who point, since the farms now lie fallow.
would use its reputation as a shield from pursuit.
Population: 15 or less
Relationships with Other Houses
Here are what the other houses in the area think of Riverthorn.
Unsurprisingly there are few people in Riverthorn in the wake
of the plague. Those that remain are mostly pox-scarred sur- House Barnell
vivors or more recent arrivals risking disease for the chance at
taking on one of the abandoned farms in the region. In either Seeing Riverthorn as a strategic liability and having little
case the inhabitants are a fearful, suspicious bunch that are des- wealth to invest in rebuilding the area, House Barnell has
perate for someone to lead them out of their miserable lives but no interest in Riverthorn. Lord Barnell is one of the few lo-
also fear the plague’s return if the excesses of House Orell re- cal lords who will pursue bandits into Riverthorn, thinking
turn. The locals have become very superstitious since the plague, little of the threat of plague, but even he does not go far into
blaming all manner of ill omens or acts by House Orell for Riverthorn. Daveth Oberyn recognizes the future economic
their misfortune. The smallfolk continue to see such portents value of the land, but has yet to convince Lord Barnell of this.
all around them and many believe that the plague will return to Even if he could, House Barnell lacks the wealth necessary to
finish the job it started. This fatalistic streak is an impediment to rehabilitate Riverthorn.
restoring the region to its previous glory, since the smallfolk all House Bartheld
believe whatever they rebuild will be torn down again.
The nobles of House Orell were once regular visitors to Hart
Power: Any Hall and in return often hosted the nobles and guests of
Soldiers are not the key to restoring Riverthorn, so the house House Bartheld in Rose Hall. Indeed the Hart Hall gardens
that claims it need not have any specific level of martial pow- contain Riverthorn rose bushes. Despite the threat of plague,
er. Soldiers will be useful in keeping order and making sure the new Lord Bartheld has put some thought and research
the smallfolk stay in line, but a heavy hand will only get the into maneuvering one of his guests into claiming Riverthorn,
lord so far in Riverthorn. The locals are already completely hopefully clearing out his house of some of his more bother-
demoralized and have lost their families and friends, so it will some guests. So far he has had little success.
take more than force to motivate them. Military force will House Dulver
be useful in bringing law to the region, particularly in hunt-
ing down those scavengers or bandits that may be using the There are rumors that the first scavengers to strike Rose Hall
reputation of the region to hide. were actually agents of House Dulver and that to this day
While Riverthorn has several rivers within its territory they House Dulver occasionally sends agents in to steal what re-
are not deep enough for ships of any great size. Infantry, cav- mains in Riverthorn. Lord Harald denies these stories, but
alry, and archers are the most useful troops in Riverthorn, par- the rose themed tapestries hanging in Deepen Hall speak
ticularly cavalry due to the roads allowing them great mobility otherwise. House Dulver is interested in acquiring River-
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The Riverlands
thorn, having the money necessary to rebuild the region, but the smallfolk through kindness and wisdom will find a ready
the other local lords have subtly indicated that they would ally in Miles Tanry, but a noble who rules through fear and
oppose Lord Harald’s taking the holding for himself. force will find an implacable foe.
93
The Riverlands
Port Maril from being a fishing hovel to a bustling trading town with
an open secret. The nobles of the region kept their belief that
For decades the small town of Port Maril had the distinction it was a quiet fishing village unworthy of attention. This was
of being a place where men of a questionable living on the aided by an agreement with the pirates who frequented Port
high seas came to sell their ill-gotten goods with few ques- Maril to be discrete approaching the town. Most local pirates
tions and far from the prying eyes of the forces of law and or- disguised themselves as humble merchant vessels anyway, and
der. This ended with the War of the Ninepenny Kings, when agreed not to strike any vessels within one hundred leagues
the Blackfyres used Port Maril to supply their troops in the of Port Maril.
Trident. Targaryen forces captured Port Maril and the Black- By the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Port Maril was a town
fyre sympathizer leading the town was removed. The new lord of criminals who had banded together with the locals against
that the Targaryens appointed as a replacement soon found a world that had ignored or persecuted them, and now they
it was far more profitable to keep the town running in its were getting their fair share. The War of the Ninepenny Kings
former state and take a cut of the profits than to stop the il- ended this when the Portmaster, the traditional leader of Port
legal activities. Port Maril has become a town of the criminal Maril, allowed Blackfyre ships to land at the docks in Port
underworld where little openly illegal happens, but one need Maril to unload troops and supplies. This act, while profitable,
not dig deep to find such activities. suddenly forced Port Maril into taking a side in the ongoing
war and attracted the attention of the Blackfyres’ enemies, the
History Targaryens. With the end of the war came a crackdown on
all those who helped the Blackfyres, Port Maril among them.
Port Maril began as a small fishing village protected by a The Targaryens took Port Maril by force, but most of the
natural, rocky bay deep within the Bay of Crabs. It was first worst of its inhabitants fled long before the Targaryens ar-
founded by Andals centuries ago and its founding was such rived. The Targaryens named a lord to try and bring the place
an unimportant event that no record of it remains. At the town under the rule of law, but unfortunately for the newly
time it was little more than a dozen fishermen erecting a se- installed Lord, a law-abiding settlement Port Maril did little
ries of shanties. Due to the abundant fishing, crabs, and the business. Gulltown and Maidenpool already offered such ser-
protected bay it lays upon, Port Maril grew slowly but steadily vices, so there was little use for another port on the Bay of
in population if not wealth or prestige. Crabs unless it had something substantially different to offer.
This began to change with the arrival of one Ester Killian, Within ten years the Lord of Port Maril was broke, his
a woman who claimed to be from the Iron Islands. Ester town was all but deserted, and his future in shambles. In
came to the town quietly, buying a boat and rowing it out desperation the locals who had remained approached him
on foggy nights when most fishermen were busy drinking with an offer: resume the town’s previous activities, only
home-brewed rotgut by the fire. She would come back in more quietly, with the Lord receiving appropriate tax in-
the morning mist, her boat laden with mysterious boxes. come and taking on the role of the Portmaster. Seeing little
After several weeks the locals grew curious and confronted other option, the Lord agreed and the town began slowly to
Ester, who was more than willing to tell them she was meet- return to life. This incarnation of Port Maril did not work
ing pirate ships out in the Bay of Crabs and transferring so hard in avoiding attention so much as hiding the ques-
their goods to land to sell to fences she knew in Riverrun, tionable activities going on in the town. Instead of trying to
King’s Landing, and other such places. She had planned on be unimportant and unremarkable, the Lord and people of
moving on after a few months, but it turned out that the Port Maril worked to make the town as obtrusive as pos-
locals weren’t too concerned about piracy, so long as it didn’t sible, using the old adage of hiding in plain sight. In a few
bring violence with it. short years the town of Port Maril became well known for
Word was put out among the pirates and criminals of the trade and celebrations and few noticed the criminal activity
region that Port Maril was a safe location to offload stolen just under the surface.
goods and for fences and investors interested in buying those Since the War of the Usurper, Port Maril has continued to
goods. After a number of pirate ships began to use the docks, flourish, but is careful to do so discretely. Keeping the town’s
more people moved to the village, including innkeepers, pros- activities secret is becoming increasingly expensive as more
titutes, criminals, and others attracted to pirate money. With- and more bribes are required, so the Lord of Port Maril is
in the span of five years the small town of Port Maril went looking for some way to fundamentally change the situation.
94
The Riverlands
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The Riverlands
defending the inlet of the bay and keeping an eye out for The bay of Port Maril is formed by two rocky outcroppings
ships. The tower has several siege engines for attacking ships that are out of place among the surrounding swamps, leading
but no one has actually fired them aside from target prac- some to believe they are artificial. Given the habit of the in-
tice. Many are worried that the Storm Tower may actually be habitants of Port Maril for making stories there are numerous
washed out in a few decades by the waves that hammer the versions of what formed the bay. The most popular claims the
peninsula during storms, but it remains stable for now. outcroppings are the remains of a seaside fortress built by the
Lately the town has grown in obvious wealth and has be- Andals that collapsed long ago.
gun attracting more attention from the Royal Navy and the Port Maril is currently a town of around two hundred and
ships of Dragonstone, leading to some on the Port Council fifty people, though the town can grow dramatically based
to voice concerns about the defenses of the town in general. on what ships happen to be in port. Most of the buildings
Some are now calling for building a castle, or at least a hall, in town are businesses that cater to the ships that come into
in Port Maril to better provide for its defenses. Given the port, including a higher number of taverns, inns, and brothels
income of the town most think this a reasonable request, but Smiths and other craftsmen do live in town, but most are
it will actually happen remains to be seen. focused on more naval crafts. Currently the only shipwrights
in town are the Raris family who are very skilled and in high
Influence: Any demand. The lack of a dry-dock and other facilities limits
Due to the rather unsavory reputation of Port Maril and its their activities to repairs, though family head Harold Raris is
questionable mercantile value to the outside world, it is unlikely trying to gather support and funds for building a dry-dock in
that any house of stature and respect will be assigned to rule it, the hopes of getting the town into the shipbuilding business
meaning that the house is unlikely to have very high Influence. and less reliant on pirates.
Indeed, ruling an area with such a checkered past may in fact Law: 20 or greater
besmirch the reputation of any house that takes on the task.
For a town of criminals and pirates, Port Maril is well behaved.
Lands: 34 or more, Invested: 34 The locals know their continued prosperity depends on keeping
small town 20, wetlands (x2) 6, coast 3, road 5
up their criminal activities hidden, so they put forth extra effort
The Lord of Port Maril controls little land outside of the town in keeping obviously illegal acts in check. Some errant criminal
itself, and that which he does control is swamp. The land serves activity does persist, but it is usually perpetrated by visitors. To
little use aside from making it difficult to approach the town keep disturbances to a minimum and to keep their more ram-
from any direction other than the one road built when the bunctious visitors under control the town has formulated a very
Lord of Port Maril was installed. This does make keeping an simple code of conduct for all inhabitants and visitors:
eye out for overland visitors easy, especially the tax collector. BB All fights are done with fists. First to draw steel dies.
The coastline around Port Maril is swampland formed by BB No stealing.
masses of large, wide rooted watertrees that hold the soil to- BB Do not bring your trouble here. If any officer of the King
gether in the face of unrelenting tides. Locals use thin, flat or a great house comes looking for you here you will be
bottom boats to maneuver through the swamps, usually push- handed over without question.
ing them along with a pole. The swamps are often used to BB The Portmaster’s word is law.
hide some of the pirate goods brought into the town until BB The King’s law holds sway generally, but these laws are
they can be moved outside of town. more important to the inhabitants of Port Maril.
Portmaster
The Lord of Port Maril is called Portmaster by most of the town’s residents, which to them is a higher sign of respect than the
title of Lord. Previously, the Portmaster was chosen by vote of the town, but that practice has since fallen out of favor. Due
to the longstanding involvement of the locals in the choosing of their leaders, if the Lord of Port Maril fails his people he
may receive more than simmering anger from his subjects. Securing enough Influence to name an heir is likely to be a major
goal of the Lord of Port Maril. Since the Portmaster is not a hereditary title, the Lord is going to have to force his heir on
the locals on his own.
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The Riverlands
Matters of law are brought before the Portmaster for judg- These festivals are massive in scope and almost obscenely
ment or the Port Council in his absence. Punishment in Port expensive. The people of Port Maril are nearly all worship-
Maril is famously harsh to ensure the town does not attract pers of the Seven, but they have been without a septon for
any unusual attention and to make clear to visiting pirates years after the death of the first septon to come to the town,
that they are not to cause trouble. To further this impres- Brother Joshua. Brother Joshua is now seen as something of
sion, the town has several gibbets hanging along the road to the patron saint of the city whose name is invoked for good
town and near the docks, all of which are kept filled with luck in times of strife.
relatively fresh corpses. The fact that the Lord of Port Maril
occasionally pays grave robbers to keep up this appearance is
Power: 19 or more, Invested: 19
(veteran warship 12, veteran garrison 7)
only known to the Lord.
While the Lord of Port Maril holds power over the town For years Port Maril had no military to speak of, but in the
and its environs and is the ultimate power in the area, he has wake of the town being razed in the War of the Ninepenny
allowed the inhabitants to appoint what they call the Port Kings and the renewed commerce with pirates the new Lord
Council to advise him. Originally the Port Council was cre- of Port Maril decided it would be a bad idea to put himself at
ated to help the Lord of Port Maril navigate the vagaries of the mercy of any pirate ship that sailed into port. To that end
dealing with pirates, fences, and other criminals that he was he spent the first of the money coming in from the criminal
not accustomed to, but it survives as an advisory body to the activities to secure a number of ships and soldiers to keep
Lord. It has no real power, but it makes the locals feel like Port Maril safe.
they have a voice in their rule and thus improves morale. To The five ships that were hired (Drunken Kraken, Black
the Lord of Port Maril it is a source of information and makes Whale, Skysinger, Wanderer, and Iron Fist) were all privateers
it easier to rule his subjects since they feel they have some say or pirates looking for a more relaxed and legal way of making
in his decisions. Members of the council serve at their own a living. For the last few decades these ships have served as
discretion, and choose their replacement when they are ready the navy of Port Maril with one of the ships always found in
to step down. The current leader of the Port Council is an port while the other four patrol the Bay of Crabs in pairs. This
aging pirate captain named Robert Garrys who has settled in helps keep the visiting pirates in line and furthers the illusion
the town after a long life at sea. that Port Maril is a town of law and order.
The soldiers hired by the Lord of Port Maril have been
Population: 20 or less
formed into the Stormwatch Guard, charged with keep-
The population in Port Maril itself is not large and the sur- ing the peace and manning the Storm Tower. These soldiers
rounding swamps are nigh empty, save a handful of hunters know what goes on in the town and receive sizable bribes
and hermits. The inhospitality of the region has always inhib- to keep it quiet. The Stormwatch Guard is very active in
ited its growth and it’s unlikely the town will grow substan- pursuing criminals and keeping the peace, knowing their
tially without major changes. Port Maril already takes up just continued prosperity depends on it. Among the members
about all the stable ground in the swamp and gets almost all of the Guard there is a strong code of loyalty and anyone
of its food from the sea, so without expanding the Lord of who tries to turn on the Guard is harshly punished. Only
Port Maril’s lands beyond the swamps the town is unlikely to two have attempted to do so, one who tried to help pirates
get any larger. raid the town and another who tried to sell the town out to
The people of Port Maril have a long tradition of exuberant a nearby lord, and both were painfully tortured and their
religious festivals, during which they try to counteract their tongues removed before being placed in the gibbets outside
many and various daily sins with public outpourings of faith. of the town to die of exposure.
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kept them from his lord to protect Lord Harald should the
Wealth: 20 or more,
Invested: 20 (marketplace 10, port 10) secret and House Dulver’s role in it become public.
Port Maril is a town based on earning money, and it takes House Kytley
coin to earn coin. Any house that rules Port Maril will need While no one in House Kytley knows the secrets of Port
cash on hand to keep everything running, but can expect to Maril, the weapons produced in Smithton are regularly
see returns quickly. The town already has a port and a mar- purchased by agents of the pirates who dock in Port Maril.
ketplace, but the more that can be added to a trade town like Smithton weapons have unintentionally equipped the pirates
Port Maril the more it will flourish. The main concern with of Port Maril for decades, a situation they have no desire to
income in Port Maril is making it appear fairly earned. The disrupt. So far House Kytley has not asked many questions
Lord of Port Maril will likely never be able to publicly display about where these weapons are going or who the buyers are,
the entirety of his wealth to his noble peers without raising but if they do they would be in an excellent position to find
lots of uncomfortable questions. out what is really going on in Port Maril.
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Harold Raris
Tourney of the Brothers
The foremost shipwright in Port Maril,
Harold is one of the main proponents There’s a tale told in the Riverlands about seven brothers in
of trying to turn Port Maril into seven ships who crossed the Narrow Sea when the Andals
more of an honest city. The Raris came to Westeros. Each brother was accompanied by a thou-
family is one of the oldest families sand men and a single seed. The brothers and their men set
in the town and they have been out across the Reach, driving out the First Men and carving
making boats and ship for the out domains for themselves. Each brother took a castle for
locals for as long as anyone can himself, tore the heart tree from the earth and planted in its
remember. This gives Harold a place the seed he’d borne across the sea.
great deal of influence in the city, But the First Men were friends with the Children of the
which he generally uses against Forest and honored their old and nameless gods. When the
those who cause trouble in town or wish to drag the town brothers tore up the holy weirwoods, the ancient gods took
further into illegal activities. If someone wants to try and umbrage and sent the brothers a messenger. A man with skin
clean up Port Maril they will find a ready ally in Harold Raris as white as the bark of a heart tree and eyes as red as blood
and his family. Ordinary locals find him to be a self-righteous went to the castle of each brother, a staff of weirwood in his
prig; if it weren’t for his wealth and talent he probably would hands to call the conquerors to their gates. “As you have sown
have been dropped off a pier long ago. dishonor in the holy soil of this land, so do I sow discord
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among you! Thenceforth, ye shall know no peace but struggle There have been times, as well, when two of the Brothers
one against the other until the day the Children return and have blossomed in the same year. The skies over the River-
take back what you have overthrown!” lands run black with ravens at those times as the lords of the
And then, as the story goes, the old man became a great white Brotherhood strive mightily to gain enough support of their
bird and flew away, but his curse fell hard upon the brothers. peers to have their tree named the true bloom, or, should the
Their harmony turned to dishord, and thousands died as the sea- dual bloom occur in Winter, or some other lean time, to keep
sons passed and the wars ground on and on without relent. the tourney from burdening their own door.
Then, one spring as the brothers gathered above a grand And though the tale of the Brothers is a parable of peace, the
plain, ready to water the land with the blood of their kin once Brothers themselves have, from time to time, found themselves
more, a man stepped forth dressed in the robes of a septon. subject to the misfortunes of war. There was a time when, in the
“I am the mouth of The Seven and I bid you all to stay your course of one or another of the wars between Dorne and lands
hands! For too long has this curse turned brother on brother further north, one of the Brothers was taken by a Dornish lord.
and brought death to the Riverlands. You are the Blood of the It was held for just a year, but in that year the tree that lived
Andals! And your gods are the Seven who are One! Heed not within the captured castle bloomed. The Dornishmen, reluc-
the old ghosts of the forest. They are driven out and have no tant to make the same mistake those first seven brothers made
power over you!” And the old man, who was the Great Septon and offend the gods of the people they had conquered held to
and the first to hold his office, went among the camps and the Andal tradition and opened their gates for the tournament.
blessed each brother in his turn, and gave him a lance of ash. In the midst of war the men of the Riverlands laid aside their
“Go now, back to your castle, and lay this lance beneath the arms, if not their differences, and held the ancient tourney. Sev-
tree whose seed you brought across the sea. When it blooms, en men died in the lists that year, but the tradition was upheld.
you will take up that lance and face your brothers again, not
as enemies but as friends, and all shall test their arms one Narrator’s Notes
against the other and do glory to the Seven who have freed
The Tourney of the Brothers is an event that can be used for a
you of this curse.”
wide variety of purposes. At its most basic it is a tournament
From that day forth one tree of the seven would bloom
with all the attendant opportunities to gain Experience, Glory
each year and in that year the lord of the castle would hold
and Coin in the name of the PCs’ house. All of the usual events
a tourney beneath its boughs to do honor to the Seven. Ever
associated with a tournament are available for participation:
since then, the seven castles that house the trees have been
the joust, the archery competition, and the grand melee as well
called The Brotherhood.
as banquets and feasts, mummer shows and minstrels.
For six thousand years the tradition has held. Though the
If politics is more to your fancy, there is no shortage of
castles themselves have changed hands over the years and the
fodder for a wily band of schemers either. Any gathering of
names of those brothers have been lost to history, the cycle has
so many nobles is going to be rife with intrigues and political
always continued. Be it during the Summer, Winter, Spring
maneuvering. Many an alliance is hatched, and many more
or Fall, each year the Tourney of the Brothers is thrown by
scuttled in the crowded stands overlooking the lists. And the
one of the seven houses.
months before the tourney can be just as fruitful. The honor
While the tale of the Brothers is regarded as one of the
of the blooming is, in itself, a source of Glory, but what if
foundations of the Faith in Westeros and the blooming of the
the house is too poor to host the tourney? The Brothers are
Brothers a genuine miracle sent by the Seven, the cycle isn’t
widely believed to be the only seven trees of their sort in all of
perfect. History recounts a spate of years where one tree alone
Westeros, but what if another were suddenly discovered? Or
bloomed four years in a row. The run was ended, it’s said, when
perhaps a lord desperate to elevate his house sends a mission
one of the lords of the brotherhood wrote to the High Sep-
east to bring back an eighth?
ton to intercede with the Seven and guide the blessing of the
And finally, the Brothers themselves are prizes much cov-
blooming to another house. The name of the lord that made
eted by certain of the lords of the Riverlands, and not only
the request is not a part of the record, but the prevailing rumor
because they bring notoriety to the name of the house that
is that it was, in fact, the lord of the castle that had been blessed
holds them. The specifics of which house and domain lay
so fruitfully. The burden of hosting a grand tourney four years
claim to the Brothers is left to the Narrator’s discretion, but
running had beggared the house and while they were rich in
as a rule, the Brothers inhabit strong, well-situated keeps in
honor and prestige, they had been made poor in all else.
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Consider a lord faithful to the Seven who holds a grand The Rhoynar brought the tradition of the Court of Fools
Festival of the Fires intent on receiving the blessings of the to Westeros in ancient days and it is the Rhoynar who up-
gods upon his reign. His rivals, eager to embarrass his lord- hold its tradition most faithfully. Also called the Mummers’
ship and deny him the blessings, embark upon a campaign to Joust, the Court of Fools has no formal schedule or calendar.
sabotage the Festival. The PCs could take either role—that Although occasionally sponsored by one or another noble
of the faithful retainers, safeguarding the ritual from vicious benefactor, a true Mummers’ Joust arises spontaneously and
meddlers or clever saboteurs intent on spoiling it. spreads by word of mouth.
Sometimes, though, the gods do in fact withdraw their The Joust is a sort of tourney, but instead of knights and
favor and send ancient rites spontaneously awry. Few Lords squires, it is for fools and minstrels and players who face off
would be content to accept even the Seven’s indictment with- against each other—and a few select others—with language that
out a fight. A campaign of intrigues could revolve around see- slashes as deep as any blade. The Joust may be called explicitly
ing that the interpretation of an omen is favorable. with travelers carrying the word from town to town, summon-
Religious festivals also offer Anointed PCs a unique chance ing performers to the domain of some lord deemed too proud
at Glory and Experience. There is room for a variety of in- and haughty for his own good. Or, it can coalesce by chance as
trigues as characters jostle for prominent roles in the ritual, entertainers converge on the same locale by happenstance.
for influence over the outcome, or for the favor of the house The Mummers’ Joust begins slowly as minstrels and mum-
sponsoring the event. mers and fools trickle into a region. Soon, though, no tavern
or square is without a singer, or even two or three singers each
The Mummers’ Joust dueling the other for the attention of the crowd. Fools caper in
the streets hurling japes and insults at each other like archers at
When Princess Nymeria led the Rhoynar to Westeros she the butts. Troupes of mummers man makeshift stages thrown
brought with her a great many new customs and the knowl- together out of wagons and wayns to put on impromptu shows.
edge that pride, unchecked, could turn good men into villains In those first few days the events are haphazard and unfocused,
and wise kings into tyrants. but as the Joust assembles, a theme develops.
The songs of the minstrels begin to take aim at certain per-
sons in power. The jibes the fools throw strike at the local lord
or sheriff as much as they do at the fellow across the market.
The mummer shows become thinly veiled mockery of a cor-
rupt magistrate or tainted priest. Everyone knows what’s go-
ing on, but the criticisms themselves are just vague enough to
make retribution problematic for their targets.
A wise lord who finds himself the target of a Mummers’ Joust
will take the lesson, bitter as it may be, and at the very least give
lip service to his own correction. Less wise is the lord that tries
to quash a Joust. That man risks a far wider campaign as word of
the injustices he visits upon poor, honest performers spreads far
and wide. Worse yet, should he stoop so low as to imprison or,
gods forbid, execute singers or mummers or fools, he dares the
wrath and resentment of his smallfolk and the confirmation of
every dark rumor and innuendo put forth by those he attacked.
Every court exacts its price, even the Court of Fools.
Most times, the Mummers’ Joust is little more than a mir-
ror held up to show those in power the face they wear before
the common folk. But from time to time, the Joust has been
a spark that lit the fires of change in the realm.
The greatest of these stories occurred in the year the Young
Dragon, King Daeron I Targaryen, sent his forty thousand to
die in the conquest of Dorne. A thousand players descend-
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ed on Dorne and the Mummers’ Joust went out across the mers’ revolt can make for a tense and suspenseful story. Clev-
land. In a week the songs went from Sunspear to Starfall. In er, brave or foolish PCs might actually sponsor a Mummers’
a fortnight, Daeron’s steward was dead and all of Dorne was Joust. If they can weather the embarrassments that come out
alight with rebellion. The Young Dragon died on a Dornish of it, they might even glean a strange sort of Glory for at-
spear, but it was the mummers that put the spear in Dornish tending to their smallfolk in so generous a manner. As well,
hands—or at least that’s how the mummers tell it. minstrel characters can easily walk away from a Joust with a
Few Mummers’ Jousts have a definitive end point or con- little extra Coin in their purses and, if they do well, perhaps a
clusion. More often the players that have gathered simply little Glory of their own.
wander off to other markets in other towns to sell their songs Consider a band of PCs tasked by their lord to break up a
or japes or plays. Now and then, though, a certain perfor- Mummers’ Joust. Do they capture and kill every player they
mance will put a cap to the events and signal the close of the find? Do they embark upon intrigues to discredit the most
Joust. Usually it’s a performance of remarkable skill or pre- prominent minstrels, or perhaps turn them to their lordship’s
scient relevance, but not always. A monumentally poor show service? What consequences does their approach bring with it?
can just as easily end a Joust and sour the people’s mood, Or maybe the PCs are just-minded minstrels intent on
sending the players away again and off to friendlier climes. bringing down a tyrant. They could very easily be risking their
And just as the tourneys of knights and squires, the Mum- lives and face violence, imprisonment and death for speaking
mers’ Joust comes with its prize: The crowning of the King out against a powerful and despotic lord. The risks are great,
of Mirth and Mayhem. Sometimes the Court of Fools never but the rewards could be too.
reaches the necessary threshold of organization to bestow it, Then again, maybe the PCs are agents of a house intent
and sometimes so many are named the office has no meaning. on a Mummers’ Joust against a rival. Do they masquerade as
But now and then a single player distinguishes him or herself mummers themselves? Pay minstrels and players to prosecute
in such a way as to earn the office alone. Whether awarded the vendetta? Or maybe just take advantage of the opportu-
ironically or in earnest admiration, the title is a dubious honor nity of a burgeoning Joust to exacerbate the target’s woes with
at best. Being crowned immediately makes a man a ripe and the murder of a few players while wearing the target’s livery.
ready mark for the japes and jibes of his peers to say nothing Whether the Mummers’ Joust is the crux of the plot, or just
of the wrath of the lordly personage that has just endured a a distraction to hide the real meat of the story, it should rarely
week or more of being the butt of every joke in his or her do- fail to provide ample fodder for intrigues, actual combats, and
main. There is no better target than the man that stands apart. dramatic confusion.
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Silent Sisters sometimes wander the field, though their reasons the water holds no promise of life or refreshment.
and their purposes are known only to the Seven. A boot-clenching mire passes for a shoreline on the broad
lake, and what few grasses that are brave enough to try and
Hardhand’s Folly grow here are stunted and misshapen. Despite the apparent
inhospitable environment, a few smallfolk will approach the
Another artifact of the ironmen conquest of the riverlands is water’s edge in high summer to harvest the salt crystals that
Hardhand’s Folly. It isn’t known whether the tower known form as the water evaporates. It’s a lower quality salt than is
as Hardhand’s Folly was actually built by Harwyn Hardhand used by most noble houses, but even hag’s salt can fetch a
or by one of the numerous lesser houses that followed him groat or two in the right marketplace.
to the region. Certainly House Hoare established many such
small towers across the riverlands to guard against invasion, Stag’s Moor
so the rumors of its founding are possible if not confirmable.
Any name the redoubt might have initially carried in life has Low swamplands with treacherous footing are common among
been lost to history. All that is known for certain is that it the upper reaches of the Riverlands and well into the Neck. In
had already fallen into disuse when Belarion the Black Death that respect, Stag’s Moor is not unique. Named for the herds
burned Harrenhal and all who lived there. of marsh deer that are often seen dancing from one dry path to
What remains of the stone tower sits in an inaccessible re- another, this lowland has also been known to host lizard-lions
gion of marshland —though the land was dry when the tower and (if the rumors are to be believed) shadowcats. The spongy
was built. A change in the flow of the one of the Trident’s many vegetation of Stag’s Moor often gives way beneath a traveler’s
tributaries glutted the small streams that fed the area and turned boots, and no one can stay dry long in the constant mire.
spongy but defendable land into nightmarish swamp. With the Hunters have been known to travel leagues to reach Stag’s
loss of its tenants, the stone walls quickly succumbed to the en- Moor, where the challenge of pursuing the small, fleet-footed
croaching marsh. Sections sank at different rates and the walls deer is considered a high sport. The smallfolk living nearby—
were wrenched apart by the twin forces of time and gravity. who rely on the deer for food, not recreation—have nevertheless
Historically, the ruin served briefly as a base of opera- taken advantage of this influx, and most settlements near the
tions for the cutthroat Jerrold Blackbow. From the difficult- moorland boast a number of guides who know the “one safe way
to-reach location he avoided capture for over two years and through the marsh.” Lodging and hunting gear also often cost
developed a series of safe paths through the swamp. That he more than in other places in the Riverlands, especially during the
used those paths to prey upon smallfolk and noble-born alike yearly Great Hunt, a two-week-long event that draws nobility
has mostly been forgotten by the smallfolk, and Blackbow’s from across Westeros, all vying to bring in the largest stag.
stories persist to this day.
Ostensibly a part of House Kytley’s demesne, no effort has Maelys’s Crossing
been made to recover the ruin or put it to any further purpose.
Rumors abound of the ruin being haunted, and sightings of Four days travel along the Green Fork from The Twins will
witch-lights bobbing in the surrounding swamp are com- bring a voyager to the patch of rocks known as Maelys’s
mon. Those few who have braved approaching the ruin claim Crossing. While it is theoretically possible to cross the riv-
to have heard voices echoing from the stones themselves, er at this point, footing on the mossy stones is treacherous.
though obviously these tales have never been confirmed. Furthermore, any heavy rain brings the water to a level that
hides all but the largest stones from view. Fording the river
Hag’s Mouth on horseback is equally dangerous, as the slick rocks and un-
stable footing have lead to several mounts with broken legs,
Stagnant ponds are common in the marshy north of the Riv- destined only for a swift, merciful death.
erlands, especially when Summer has run long and the land The Crossing is significant in that it was the site where
feels the clench of drought. Unlike those oases of insect and Maelys the Monstrous and a handful of his personal guard
algae that are its cousin, Hag’s Mouth is both larger than held off an attack by five times their number during the War
most other ponds, and as barren as the deserts beyond the of the Ninepenny Kings. By holding the central stone on the
Free Cities. Brackish and smelling of eggs too long in the sun, crossing, Maelys forced his pursuers to navigate a bottle-
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The Riverlands
neck of water and rock, and could dispatch threats as they of the old gods, or those with more mouths than they can pos-
approached. When bows were drawn, Maelys relied on the sibly feed, have traditionally brought their youngest children to
cover of his fellows and retreated across the Green Fork and Orphan’s Hill and abandoned them to exposure. Though the
out of his assailant’s reach. practice has been frowned upon since before Aegon the Con-
Small groups on foot still come to the Crossing rather queror arrived at King’s Landing, it has never been officially
than pay House Frey’s exorbitant toll to cross at The Twins, outlawed and a winter does not pass when carrion birds have
and Walder Frey has frequently railed against its use. He has not assembled at least once to take a meal on the Hill.
gone so far as to send soldiers down to hold the crossing and Tradition dictates that any child “taken to the hill” is con-
prevent its use, but the expense in salaries seldom makes up sidered never to have been born. The family removes any trace
for the increased toll revenue. Should any House attempt to of the child from the house, and references to the child by
develop the crossing into a more usable form, either by es- name are met with confused stares. While the abandoned
tablishing a ferry, or by building a bridge, the Late Lord Frey child’s former siblings may not understand at first, the pres-
would waste no time in mustering his forces to stop them. For sure of their parents and the rest of the community brings
now he is content to leave Maelys’s Crossing alone, and turn them into line and they forget the other ever existed. On the
a blind eye to its use. As a result it has been a popular point rare occasion when an abandoned child finds his or her way
for moving small items of contraband across the Green Fork, back to a settlement, they are considered bastards and given
rather than slipping past guards at The Twins. the surname Rivers (or in rare cases Hill). Their birth family
will not recognize them, nor will they take them in.
Orphan’s Hill From time to time, noble houses attempt to crack down
on the “use” of the hill without success. Even the prevailing
One of the tallest hills for a league in any direction, the rocky efforts of wandering septons has only lowered the number of
promontory known colloquially as Orphan’s Hill harbors a children abandoned. When the Seven won’t send the rain a
dark tradition of the old faith. Smallfolk who desire the favor farmer needs, it takes very little time for the smallfolk to re-
member the tales of older powers who are willing to exchange
fair weather for payment in kind.
Harren’s Justice
Though nearly three centuries have passed since Harren the
Black hung his iron gibbets from this ancient oak tree, it still
bears his name and still sees its grisly use. The tree no longer
grows leaves and most believe it to be dead, though its blackened
trunk has not collapsed and its lower branches remain strong.
While few Houses of the Riverlands use the tree for its old pur-
pose, groups of vigilante smallfolk have been known to take the
law into their own hands, and it not unusual to pass Harren’s Jus-
tice and see at least one body slowly twisting beneath its boughs.
Rotted lengths of rope hang from the branches, and carrion
birds perch waiting in the trees for an easy meal.
While it is the hangings for which Harren’s Justice is re-
membered, the space beneath the boughs also served as home
to a headsman’s block for several decades. The rebellious brig-
and Jerrold Blackbow was drawn and quartered here after
his capture, and his limbless torso was tied to the trunk as a
warning to any who might follow in his footsteps.
Alchemists approach Harren’s Justice for their own reasons
during certain phases of the moon, as it is widely known as an
excellent source for nightshade. This ingredient features promi-
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nently in a number of ancient formulae, though it now sees use and empty. Many of the stones have been carted off to form
primarily as a curiosity and in folk remedies. Attempts have new structures, both noble and low.
been made to curb the collection of the plant, as skilled hands As with most sites associated with the dead, a number of
can create a dangerous poison from it, but nothing short of a conflicting rumors have sprung up in regards to the Barrow
constant armed guard works to dissuade smallfolk who believe Plain. The most popular are tales of a lost grave, supposedly
the human-shaped root can ward off curses or cure infertility. holding anything from a treasure trove of ancient Valyrian
weaponry, to the eggs of the last dragons, to the final resting
The Troupe of Casque & Wren place of the blade Blackfyre. The fact that no one has ever
found this kingly burial site has not caused the rumors to fade
While not a set place that can be marked on a map, this trav- in the least—if anything it only fans them higher.
elling mummers’ troupe moves from settlement to settlement Smallfolk avoid the Barrow Plain after dark, though not from
within the Riverlands, and has performed for most of the ma- any fear of the restless dead. Wolves are common among the
jor houses. As artists, they are afforded a sense of safe passage sheltering stones, and these Barrow-wolves have no fear of hu-
in most areas of the Riverlands—the notable exception being mans. Some witnesses have claimed that the animals show a sur-
House Dulver. A jest about the prior Lord Dulver’s tightfist- prising amount of cunning, though others have said the beasts
edness raised his wroth, and he barred the gates of Deepen show nothing more uncommon than a particularly savage mien.
Hall to the company forever, upon pain of death. Wherever
they set their stakes, the encampment draws in large numbers Smalls’ Defense
of smallfolk eager to forget their lives for a while and be car-
ried away by the Troupe’s performance. Short-lived and brutally ended, the smallfolk rebellions are
The current master of the Casque and Wren, Cyrol Barleg, remembered in few if any histories of Westeros. Among the
tries to tailor the performances to the audience. Tales of Jer- folk of the Riverlands the consequences of such insurrection
rold Blackbow are popular among the smallfolk, for example, are better known, at least among those who were raised with-
while classical plays and histories are more popular among the in a day’s travel of the ruined town known as Smalls’ Defense.
nobility. The popularity of the troupe allows Barleg to have his Driven to the edge of starvation by the sudden onset of
pick of performers in the Riverlands, and many lesser min- winter, smallfolk farmers and craftsmen rallied to the ban-
strels hope to catch his eye and win a spot among the Casque ner of the disgraced hedge knight Ser Cyriac the Green. For
and Wren’s vaunted ranks. The troupe’s master tries to balance three months, the rebels marauded across the Riverlands and
talent with trustworthiness, as their wide-ranging travels al- pillaged what supplies they could find. The nobility—them-
low them to see a greater swath of the Riverlands than most selves in hurried preparation for winter—largely ignored the
individuals, and occasionally happen upon things they weren’t uprising until the rebels kidnapped the heir to Riverrun, and
meant to notice. Cyrol Barleg recognizes the power of infor- Lord Tully had no choice but to act. His bannermen answered
mation, and cannot afford performers who share such secrets the call rapidly, given the terrible weather of the season, and
without proper discretion… and remuneration. with a host of close to 6,000 men House Tully set out to re-
The Casque and Wren takes its name from an ancient tradi- trieve its scion.
tion, where a wren is drowned in a casque of fine wine to hasten Knowing it would be their final stand, the rebels chose
the end of winter. While it has been some time since a winter Smalls’ Defense as their holding point. The battle that fol-
has come to the Riverlands, the troupe continues to maintain a lowed was as short as it was one-sided; Cyriac’s ragtag band
pair of wrens in a cage, in case their sacrifice is needed. of poorly armed farmers was no match for the armored might
that overwhelmed them. After the battle, Cyriac the Green
The Barrow Plain was beheaded and the entire town put to sword and torch for
daring to help the rebels.
Ancient cairns are not uncommon as the fertile soil of the Very little remains of the town—a few stone foundations
Riverlands approaches the stonier ground of the Mountains and the occasion piece of wall are all to differentiate Smalls’
of the Moon, but the Barrow Plain represents the greatest Defense from the surrounding countryside. Occasionally
concentration of them in the area. Wind and rain have taken a minstrel will be caught singing the Ballad of Cyriac the
care of many of the gravesites, and unscrupulous robbers ac- Green, but such behavior is quickly squashed in the River-
complished the rest. As a result, most of the graves lie open lands lest the Tully wrath be called down again.
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THE IRON PLOT
In Westeros, even more than in the modern world, there is no what they must, or have nothing at all. That is the iron price;
such thing as a free ride. Every favor becomes a debt owed, that is the Old Way.
every gift has strings attached, and every horse is Trojan. It This adventure is designed to give both the Narrator and
is not the Greeks one needs to fear bearing gifts—it’s every- the PCs an initial foray into the world of Westeros and its
one. The ties of human emotion are rare and wondrous, but intrigues and dangers. It begins at the PCs house but takes
are also weaknesses that must be closely guarded and hidden them quickly beyond its walls, to complete a task that rapidly
from others. The Game of Thrones exempts no one, whether becomes more involved than they were led to believe. It is as-
pawn or player. sumed in this adventure that the lord of the house with which
In this time of uncertainty, when a king some still call the the PCs are affiliated is a Narrator Character. If this is not the
Usurper rules with his gilded queen and golden children, case, minor changes will be needed
loyalties are far from certain. On the surface, things seem Note: The term “home house” is used to refer to the house
serene, but this sea of claims and counterclaims and ambi- that the players’ characters are affiliated with.
tion is only temporarily calm, and what goes on within its
murky depths is far from clear. The ironborn know this—
their Drowned God knows the costs of life and death and
Synopsis
takes from them accordingly. Above all, Winter is Coming,
When the house’s liege lord demands hospitality, hospital-
and what will slumber peacefully in summer’s days of plenty
ity is given, even when it’s unexpected. It’s on such a night
grows sharp and angry in Winter’s frozen heart. As time
and such an occasion that the lord whose bannerhouse this
grows short, the Greyjoys of Pyke and their bannermen
is comes calling. On his way to King’s Landing, the lord de-
must find a way to regain some of its losses or face much
cided to turn up at the seat of the home house, and break his
dearer consequences when the time comes. They will take
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The iron Plot
journey there. During his stay, he requests the PCs’ services, as their own. As Narrator, choose the house you feel is more
in a minor matter involving another local house. complementary to the PCs and their stories for the second
The task turns out to be much more serious than the PCs portion of the adventure.
are led to believe. There are old tensions between their sworn If you’re feeling particularly energetic, you could attempt
house and the place to which they’ve been sent, which are not to integrate both plots into a longer storyline. In that case,
totally unexpected. The surprise comes when they realize that the assassination attempt at Hart House could be a prelude
one of the other guests in the host’s house has darker, insidi- to the larger destabilization project between House Dulver
ous motives. Old rivalries are being revived and fanned into and House Tullison.
new flames thanks to the efforts of this agent (and others) in
the hopes of making the region an easy target for raids by the
ironmen. It’s up to the PCs to prove this in a way that won’t
Act I
just play into the hands of their enemies.
It is a pleasant time of the year, with hunts and diversions of
Not all the men of the Iron Islands are so subtle, of course.
all sorts available to the nobles of Westeros. A good time for
Patience is the province of the Drowned God, not man. Dis-
travel, as King Robert’s forces see to it that the main roads
sent comes from within the Iron Islands as well as without,
are safe—or at least as safe as one traveling could expect. It is
and a second group is resolved not to fall back on womanish
of little surprise then when guests arrive seeking respite and
plots and soft ways, but to drive out these corrupting influ-
shelter. Most travelers have their bread and salt, rest, and then
ences and lead the ironmen back to the Old Ways. Will the
are on their way again in the morning, with none the wiser
PCs be caught between these two forces, or find a way to turn
(or much poorer) for their passing. When a traveler requests
them to their advantage?
hospitality from the lord of the local House, however, that is
something to note.
Notes for the Narrator The PCs are about their business within the confines of
the house’s hold and property, when a messenger bearing the
Before starting this adventure, the Narrator should take some badge of the bannerhouse’s liege lord rides in through the
time to establish the Home House and how the PCs fit into it gates. He informs the household that his lord is approach-
if they have not already had an opportunity to do so. Figuring ing and bids a place be made ready for him for the next two
out how the players’ characters relate to any ongoing issues in nights.
the household and how they relate to each other will be valu- It shouldn’t take long for word to circulate. There are prepa-
able to the players once the characters strike out from home rations to be made, the family to be consulted, and food to be
and find themselves out of their element. prepared. If appropriate, one of the PCs can be directed to
This adventure is also an excellent opportunity to intro- find the lord and lady of the house and see what their wishes
duce one or more of the movers and shakers of Westeros in are. The lady will begin directing preparations or else give the
a guest star role into your chronicle. Whether Arryn, Stark, steward leave to do so, as appropriate for their situations per
Baratheon or Tully, Tywin Lannister or Walder Frey, these the Narrator. The lord should send a party to greet his liege,
characters feature heavily in the novels and should be excit- preferably including him, his heir, and his closest advisors or
ing for players to encounter and either love or hate. Charac- knights. It should be appropriate to include a few of the PCs
ters with ambition might use these meetings as a stepping in this party, if not all of them.
stone to greater achievements, while others may find their
brush with the great lords an experience they would as soon
forget.
The Welcoming Party
Finally, note that the exact actions of the NCs, along with
The home house’s lord and men greet their liege lord roughly
the situations of the household and which lord is visiting are
half an hour’s ride from the house. The composition of the
left for you to decide. Since the players may have created their
liege’s traveling company depends greatly on his identity.
own house or be using any of the houses detailed in this book,
Some suggestions for the entourages of various major lords
it is up to the Narrator to interpret the general terms and
can be found in the Traveling Groups sidebar, or the Narra-
events here into specifics for the chronicle. To that end, two
tor can feel free to decide on composition of the group travel-
house options are listed in the second part of the adventure,
ing with the liege lord.
in case the players chose one of the houses from this book
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The Iron Plot
Traveling Groups
The number and type of people a lord chooses to bring with him when he travels is very indicative of both that individual’s
personality and the things that he values. Escorts and followers should be different for each lord, giving observant characters
insight into who this person is and what he deems important.
Edmure Tully
Lord Hoster holds the Riverlands in secure hands, as safe a realm as one could wish. He is an older man, though, and not as
spry as he once was, so his son Edmure travels on his behalf. His progress is slow and steady, with pack horses to carry their
lord’s gear and add to his comfort. The young heir to House Tully can be blustery, but good humored under all. He brings
host gifts for his bannermen and shows interest in their welfare. Edmure Tully travels with a few servants, as well seven loyal
knights of his household.
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The iron Plot
Portents
In Westeros, events of note are often preceded by portents, such as the discovery of the dire wolf killed by a stag’s antler, not
to mention its orphaned cubs and their links to the Stark children. It is therefore thematically appropriate for Narrators to
use similar events to foreshadow upcoming plots.
If the Narrator would like to incorporate similar events for this plot, the following are suggestions based on the liege lord’s
house.
Arryn
The party finds an injured hawk with a broken wing, lying on the ground. When they approach, it begins thrashing wildly,
almost convulsing, before lying still on the ground. Examination of the animal shows that its wing had been broken as a result
of a fight with another animal, but it finally died from a chunk of rock—mostly iron — that had become lodged in its throat,
causing it to choke.
Baratheon
A fire starts at the farrier’s smithy at the keep. The forge collapsed and the fire raged within its ruins unchecked, quenched
only when it grew so hot that the nearby iron ore melted, rushing in and quenching in liquid form the fire’s source.
Frey
As the party rides, one of the PCs realizes that an important stream they should be riding alongside has slowed to a trickle. Upon
investigation, it appears that a log jam or a beaver dam has blocked the stream, threatening flooding. When the characters take
the logjam apart, they discover a rusting iron sword at its core that somehow became lodged between two slender trees.
Lannister
An old yellow wildcat is found dead near the path, an iron-tipped arrowhead found lodged and festering in its breast. The
animal had succumbed to infection and is filled with rot and decay despite its normal outward appearance.
Stark
A wolf is found with its paw caught in a rusting iron trap. Its pack can be heard in the distance, howling and circling, but does not
approach. If the characters wish to engage the wolf, use the stats found on page 214 of the Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Game.
Tully
At dinner the first evening, a large trout is served whole, with the plate presented to Lord Hoster as befits his status as both
lord and guest. When he cuts into it, however, to take his portion, his knife hits something hard. It’s revealed that the fish
has a cruel, three-prong fishhook embedded deep within its mouth that was somehow missed during the preparation of the
animal. Once tasted, it’s discovered that the entire fish has an unpleasant tang of iron, corrupted from being cooked with the
hook in place. It is deemed unsuitable and taken away.
was drunk than was needful, they are still guests and have still
Arrival taken salt and bread as per the custom. Their safety is assured.
Upon arriving at the household, the liege lord retires with The next morning, the lord of the home house and his
the lord of the house to discuss business, while the rest of liege lord get an early start on the day. They ride out from
the household prepares for dinner. It quickly becomes known the house with a very small party, no more than two or three
that he intends to stay for two nights only before continuing others, to survey the household lands and take account of the
on his way—an unusually short stay for such a visit, regardless house’s general welfare. If the Narrator feels that the liege
of the length of travel. lord would be unlikely to go himself (or would rather bring
The first night passes uneventfully. Dinner is prepared and along an advisor or other companion as well), the situation
turns out well, the liege lord and the household dine as befits can be altered to accommodate that. The bannerlord might
their stations. The lord’s company are housed and fed as well, also wish to bring along an extra companion, especially one
and if their entertainment is a bit rougher or if a bit more ale or more of the PCs.
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The Iron Plot
The two lords talk a great deal about their personal lives and but open fighting is insupportable right now. The king and his
business. If there are unmarried children, there might be talk of Hand have told me they will put down harshly any open hostili-
fostering or possible betrothals if the bannerhouse is on good ties between the houses, and with equal vigor reward those who
terms with the liege lord (this is particularly true if the liege further the cause of peace. The house to which I ask you to travel
lord is Ser Stevron Frey). If asked, the liege lord will comment owes me no allegiance so I cannot command their attendance. It
on his travels and eventual destination (King’s Landing) but must be diplomacy, not loyalty that sees this task through.
will avoid any details regarding his business or travel. “Present yourselves to this household, learn of their grievances,
While touring the lands, the party may run across an un- and see if it be possible to turn their arguments to a better end. If
usual situation that can seem to have a wider implication it is not, report back to your lord with such information as you are
to those who believe in signs and try to interpret the world able to gather.”
around them. It is up to the Narrator whether or not he wish- He answers questions shortly and to the point. It is clear
es to use such a situation. For suggestions of what might be that he believes this to be a small diplomatic or information-
found, see the Portents sidebar. gathering task and thus of no great risk beyond diplomatic
Once the lords return to the household, the liege lord ex- embarrassment should it go awry. He gives minimal addi-
cuses himself to his chambers, ostensibly to rest for the eve- tional information, saying that the house lord will answer
ning and recover from his travels. This should give the PCs their questions on the morrow. For this evening, he instructs
an opportunity to share news, question members of the liege them to tell no one else about it and that they will leave the
lord’s retinue, rest themselves, or accomplish other tasks. day after tomorrow. It is an urgent matter and must be settled
as soon as may be.
An Audience
The Houses
The liege lord does not emerge from his rooms again until
dinner is announced that evening. The meal passes unevent- Below are described two houses, either one of which may be
fully, a quieter event than that of the previous day by the liege a secondary antagonist for the remainder of the adventure.
lord’s own request. After dinner, each PC is asked to join the Both are described in brief here; more detail can be found in
house lord in his study. the Houses chapter of this book, pg. 5. Use the information
Once the group arrives at the study, they discover that their here to fill out the conversation for the PCs as described in
lord isn’t alone; his liege lord is there with him as well. He An Audience.
addresses the group of PCs as a whole, saying the following
(feel free to rephrase this as befits the liege lord’s identity and Option One: House Dulver
personality as described in the novels):
House Dulver is led by Lord Harald Dulver, who is deter-
“I’ve spoken with your lord, and he has sworn your service to
mined to lead his family and lands to prosperity by whatever
me. Are you all loyal and ready to do service?” When the PCs an-
means necessary. Nominally sworn to Lannister, it’s no secret
swer in the affirmative (as they are sworn to do) he will continue.
that Lord Dulver is as eager to pay lip service to those in
“Good. I have need of you then. It is a trifling matter, but one for
power as he is to act as needed to fulfill his ambitions.
which only trusted allies will do. I cannot directly interfere and
Of late, there is rumor that the Dulvers seek to expand
hope for a positive outcome, yet something must be done.
their holdings to more profitable lands. In particular, bad
“I have heard word that there is trouble brewing in the area,
blood seems to be stirring between Dulver and House Tulli-
old wounds that fester anew. Things are peaceful at the moment,
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113
The Iron Plot
are as many bandits as the number of PCs plus ½ (e.g., 6 For that matter, it isn’t simply the local smallfolk who may
bandits for a party of 4 PCs) and they will only attack so long need to be convinced of the PCs’ intentions. Lord Harald
as they outnumber the PCs. If the battle becomes equal in Dulver is not a man to tolerate interference, nor one to waste
number, they will run away. They are greedy, but not enough the resources of his house on food and shelter for strangers
so to risk their lives. without an excellent reason to do so. Sending word ahead to
The bandits will initially attempt to surprise the characters. Lord Dulver of the PCs’ desire to talk to him on a matter
With the road blocked, one bandit, from hiding, will demand of business is the surest way to get inside the castle gates on
that the PCs surrender money and equipment or be attacked. good terms. (A Routine (6) Status (Breeding) roll can provide
If the PCs refuse, they’ll attack. This event should illustrate the this suggestion.)
dangers on the road and allow the characters practice at work-
ing toward a common goal prior to arrival at their destination. Arrival
Assuming the PCs have sent word ahead heralding their ar-
Act II rival and desire to discuss matters of trade, the party will be
ushered brusquely into Deepen Hall to await audience with
Depending on which house the Narrator has chosen, the Lord Dulver. Their mounts (if any) will be stabled, the bag-
PCs will wind up either at Hart House trying to discover gage collected and taken to adequate chambers.
whether or not an assassin exists or at Deepen Hall trying to If, on the other hand, they arrive unannounced or profess
decipher how to stave off a war. Neither may be particularly some purpose other than trade, they will find entry consid-
easy, though the PCs have no reason to suspect their tasks erably more difficult to get. The guards at the gate are loathe
are quite as difficult as all that. They have been asked merely to draw Lord Harald’s ire by admitting uninvited guests.
to observe and report, though if they feel the situation calls Any parties arriving unannounced will be met with an ini-
for additional action to accomplish their goals, they are wel- tial refusal. If the visitors persist, the guards will question
come to take it—within reason. The line between reasonable the party as to their purpose with Lord Dulver, their alle-
and unreasonable may quickly blur, however, as the PCs draw giances and their place of origin. After hearing the answers
closer to the truth. to these questions, the guards will refuse a second time and
urge the PCs to ‘come back tomorrow!’ (when the duty shift
Option 1: House Dulver has changed and the interlopers have become someone else’s
problem).
Deepen Hall is not known for its hospitality. While “Dulver’s These men know their job and will resist any attempt to
Turnips” (as his garrison troops are called) are well known convince them to open the gate to anyone approaching unin-
and jokingly offered to every newcomer in the area, travelers vited, but they are common folk to a man and thus susceptible
who come empty handed are unlikely to get anything more to the influence high status characters wield over them. Any
than the basest care. Those who bring potential profit, how- character passing a Routine (difficulty 6) Status or Persua-
ever, are welcomed—perhaps not warmly, but they are at least sion test can get the guardsmen to fetch either Lord Harald’s
not rushed to be on their way. Lord Dulver is not a warm brother and master-at-arms Ser Gambol Hill or Maester
person in any regard, so this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone Falstan to hear the party’s plea. Either of these men can be
who knows of him. persuaded to admit the party (via an Intrigue), whatever their
If the PCs stop in the village of Stony Heath and discuss stated purpose and will see that they are properly accommo-
where they are going, they will be met with disbelief and dated.
possibly derision unless they have a convincing story to tell. Once inside Deepen Hall, the next item on the agenda will
The vast majority of the visitors who come to Deepen Hall likely be an audience with Lord Dulver. Harald is a brusque
have business there that involves buying or selling, so a story man and not given to ceremony or pomp. Once the party is
that involves trade in base metals will unlock the most doors. settled in chambers he will meet with them in his audience
Nobles rarely come to House Dulver; merchants come on a chamber, seated on the simple and ancient bronze chair of the
regular basis. (A Challenging (9) Knowledge (Education) roll Dulvers. He drives straight to the point.
can provide this information, as can good roleplaying with Characters arriving under the auspices of buying from
the smallfolk or guards in the area.) Lord Dulver should expect to spend between 1 and 5 Wealth
114
The iron Plot
points on whatever it is they’re looking for. Harald Dulver In fact, even if the PCs do make a deal with Lord Harald
can produce just about anything from his cellars from salted to purchase something, bringing up the Tullisons will signal
fish to silver candle sconces and all things between, so find- an end to their welcome. They will be asked to leave the very
ing a suitably desirable commodity to purchase should pose next morning and Lord Dulver will not be available to them
no obstacle to making a deal. The negotiation itself should be again. If they have completed their investigations then they
resolved as a standard Bargain Intrigue with the base price have the night to convince Lord Harald of the plot against
of the goods at stake being 3 Wealth points, modified by the him. If not, they have until dawn the next day to do so before
outcome of the intrigue as appropriate. being escorted to the gates and turned out.
Maester Falstan will be present during the negotiations,
and it should be clear to the PCs that Lord Harald relies The Players
heavily on his counsel. If the PCs deal honestly and well, they
will be welcome to stay at Deepen Hall as long as they like, up Lord Harald Dulver
to one week, as guests while their goods are collected, accounts
are settled, and transportation of the goods is arranged. They Lord Dulver is cunning, ambitious, shrewd and stubborn.
will have the run of the castle short of the Dulvers’ personal Over the past two years, he has also come to feel utterly alone.
apartments and the cellars, though a guided tour of the latter His son and heir has abandoned him for a fat septon and
can be arranged on request. seven gods that have never done a thing for the family. His
If the PCs decide, instead, to confront Lord Harald di- wife rebukes him and sides with his son. His bastard uncle
rectly over the matter of his intentions toward House Tul- has no respect for him. His smallfolk scorn him and his peers
lison, their welcome will come to an immediate end. Though mock him.
Harald won’t throw them out that very night (unless some Or so he thinks.
grievous insult is given) he will inform the PCs that they Harald Dulver has always harbored a sense that he was
WILL be leaving upon the morrow as early as possible. The meant for more, that he was due much more. Lord of nearly
PCs will be left with a single night to complete any investiga- worthless lands, trader in the basest metals the earth can yield,
tions they wish to make inside Deepen Hall. heir of a family rich in history and poor and bloody all else.
115
The Iron Plot
And then there are those damned Tullisons. Up-jumped Harald pause enough for his natural caution to take hold. An
bastards given lordship over rich lands and fruitful mines be- earnest overture for peace from Tullison, delivered directly
fore the ink was dry on the declaration of legitimacy. The past into Lord Dulver’s hands (thus circumventing Maester Fal-
Lords Tullison were baseborn fools and the current Tullison, stan) would also be very difficult to ignore.
young Lord Dunstan is an idiot, born without the brains the Harald Dulver does not want to go to war, but thanks to
gods gave a goat. But he’s noble. Oh, so noble and knightly Maester Falstan’s plotting, he feels as though he has no other
and good. choice.
Harald’s resentment of Tullison is old. (And only tops a For Lord Harald’s stats, please refer to the House Dulver
long list of grievances). It long predates the coming of Mae- section of this book)
ster Falstan, but up until very recently it was naught but an
ember. Falstan’s ambitions have fanned it to flames and the Maester Falstan
machinations of the Iron Plot threaten to make it a confla-
gration. If it goes unchecked, two houses may very well be Falstan is a cool, cunning and subtle man. He is not given to
burned to the ground. rash action or impetuousness. He will not jeopardize himself
Harald is smart and he knows it. He keeps his own coun- or his scheme by haring off to his hidden benefactors at the
sel. He is bullheaded, stubborn and utterly uncompromising first sign of suspicion, either. He knows full well that his best
when he has made his mind up to do something. If he is to be course of action is simply to sit quietly and wait, should it be-
turned from the course to war it will require convincing evi- come clear that someone has caught the scent of his plan. He
dence that such a conflict would do more harm to his house is confident that no one can tie him to anything incriminat-
than good. Evidence of Falstan’s collusion with the ironmen ing. All he has done has been in service to his lord.
would be proof enough, but that is unlikely as the young mae- If the PCs should come to the gates of Deepen Hall pro-
ster has covered his tracks very well. Proof that the ironmen claiming their intentions to sway Lord Dulver from his course
are responsible for provoking Dunstan Tullison would give toward conflict, Maester Falstan will eagerly usher them into
Harald’s presence to make their case to his lordship directly.
He knows that such a confrontation can only harden Harald’s
resolve to continue the march to war.
If suspicion should fall on him by some unhappy chance,
Falstan will first plead innocence, and then ignorance, de-
pending on the evidence presented. He has a great deal of
cover in any event. Only the ironmen know of Falstan’s collu-
sion and they’ll die before they talk, if they can even be found.
Abilities
Awareness 3
Cunning 3 Logic 1B
Deception 4 Bluff 2B
Healing 3
Knowledge 5 Education 2B
Persuasion 4 Convince 2B
Stealth 3
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
10 10
Defense Defense
Health 6 Composure 6
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The iron Plot
None of the merchants can say that Falstan ever told them to leaving the seat of his power practically undefended. It’s a
do anything whatsoever. If it should come out that Falstan recipe for disaster, and Ser Gambol knows it, but Harald
was responsible for getting the weapons to the ironmen, well won’t listen. Not to him anyway.
then he was merely doing his duty as his lordship’s factor. He
had nothing at all to do with putting them in the hands of the Karyl Kays
mountain clans. As for Lord Dunstan’s messages—ravens are
lost all the time and there are a great many hawks and eagles Lord Dulver’s chief stonemason has very little to do with war
between Mountain’s Reach and the Stony Heath. and even less to do with politics. Mountain’s Reach is one of
the few castles in and about the Riverlands that he has abso-
The Four Ironmen lutely no knowledge of. If it comes to a siege, he’ll be working
with no advanced knowledge whatsoever.
Maester Falstan’s fellow conspirators will remain nameless Karyl’s place in this scenario has more to do with his
for purposes of this scenario. They are currently in hiding in knowledge of Deepen Hall. Should the PCs request a tour of
an old smugglers’ cave miles from Deepen Hall on the shores Dulver’s fabled cellars it will fall to Karyl to conduct that tour.
of Ironman’s Bay. Their longship, Faithless Maiden, and her He knows the cellars better than anyone.
crew lie at anchor and in hiding on the other side of a small In the course of the tour, Karyl comes across an old tunnel,
island in the bay. sealed years ago, that’s recently been reopened and used. The
These men are only pawns themselves, acting at the behest tunnel, Karyl will relate, was an old sally port dating from
of another more potent figure who, for purposes of this sce- darker days. It descends steeply into the Deepmont and be-
nario, will also remain nameless. low, coming out in a gully some miles from the castle and
The PCs should not have opportunity to capture these hidden from view. It was originally dug as a means of escape
men. Should they learn of the smugglers’ cave and go to in- should the Dulvers need to make a quick getaway but hadn’t
vestigate it they will find it empty of everything but a few bits been used in years. It’s clear by the disturbance of the dust on
of old crockery, some scrimshaw and the remains of a fire. It the floor that someone has used it quite recently.
has clearly been used recently, but is unoccupied when the What Karyl doesn’t know (and indeed no one does) is that
PCs arrive. Maester Falstan has been using the tunnel to slip away from
In the aftermath of the Reavers’ raid, these four will be the castle unseen and from there, meet up with the four hid-
found on the beach below the cave—a grisly testament to the den conspirators.
fate of those of the ironborn who eschew honest raiding for There is no evidence indicating who has used the tunnel.
schemes and gutless treachery. The footprints are unremarkable and muddled. Maester Fal-
stan learned of the tunnel’s existence from Karyl himself, but
Ser Gambol Hill that was long ago when the young Maester first came to serve
the Dulvers and old Karyl has no hope at all of remembering.
Growing up a bastard, Gambol learned early on not to put
his nose into the business of his trueborn kin, and that is Ser Walton Dulver
precisely why he’s so angry with himself now. He knows bet-
ter, but this business between Harald and young Walton had Ser Walton does his best to be a dutiful son and serve his fa-
gone on too long. Gambol, hoping to bring his nephew and ther to the best of his ability. He loves the old man, but knows
grand-nephew back together again had gone and butted in, all too well that Harald has little love for him. (Harald has
to his great regret. Harald had taken offense. Walton simply little love for anyone and Walton knows it.)
stalked off, indignant and angry. Neither of them has spoken Walton is also a faithful man and takes his vows of knight-
to Gambol since. hood very seriously. Harald’s disdain for the church wounds
And now there’s the matter of Tullison and Harald’s clear his heir deeply but Walton takes the jibes without comment.
intention to meet the lord of Mountain’s Reach in battle. It’s The trouble brewing between Dulver and Tullison is of
a battle Dulver simply cannot win and Gambol Hill knows it. terrible concern to Walton. Unfortunately, he hasn’t the ex-
Oh, the Dulver men are doughty enough, but they’re gar- perience to make a forceful case against war, nor the will to
rison troops, trained for defense. And if Harald wanted to rebuke his father without making the case. Walton sees it as
mount a serious foray, he would have to empty Deepen Hall, his duty, both as a knight and heir, to obey and bear arms in
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The Iron Plot
the services of his lord and father wherever Lord Dulver may Deepmont, but if the PCs make an appeal to the Septon, they
see fit to employ them. If it comes down to it, Walton will go can easily enlist his aid in the pursuit of peace. He will gladly
to war, but he won’t like it. house the PCs and permit their entourage (if they have any)
If anyone can get through to Lord Dulver, it’s Walton. As to camp in a small field behind the Sept.
the scenario opens, Walton and Lord Harald aren’t speaking Of those NCs that play a part in this scenario, Ser Walton
to one another. But, if the PCs can get evidence of the plot to is likeliest to be found at the Sept. Maester Falstan may come
the young ser and convince him of the danger to his house, down out of curiosity to see why the PCs are still hanging
Walton will gladly put aside the dispute and endorse their around and to subtly squeeze them for information. Karyl
appeal to his father. Walton is both the most likely and the Kays does attend services in the Sept but is unlikely to visit
most effective supporter the PCs will find. And if they can it on a whim.
succeed, the PCs might very well save both the Dulver House Septon Arlyn also happens to know young Dunstan Tul-
and the family. lison. It’s been 7 years, but Arlyn remembers the young Lord
For character statistics for Lord Dulver, see pg. 33. Tullison as an impetuous but goodhearted boy. The septon
has a very hard time believing that Dunstan could be so hell-
Septon Arlyn bent on confrontation as the rumors would have him.
For character stats for Septon Arlyn, see pg. 37.
Septon Arlyn is dismayed by the strife he knows is tearing
apart the Dulver family, in no small part because he has been Traveling Salesmen
an unwitting contributor to it.
Should the PCs wear out their welcome prematurely, Sep- There is very little in the way of hard evidence for the PCs to
ton Arlyn can provide an option for continuing their investi- find, but there should be enough strangeness going on to give
gation, though at something of a remove from the environs of them a feel that something is not right. Lord Harald is a man
Deepen Hall. There is no inn in the hamlet at the foot of the virtually alone. He has but one advisor, Maester Falstan, hav-
118
The iron Plot
ing forsaken all others. He doesn’t speak to his servants except raiders far better armed. After one such raid, Lord Dunstan
to give orders. He broods and even a casual observer will note had some of the weapons taken from the fallen clansmen put
the broad empty space that persists around him. Even when before Ren Alyard, his master smith. Alyard recognized the
seated at table those nearest his chair seem to lean away, re- maker’s mark as that of a smith in Fairmarket. When that
luctant to breach the envelope of isolation that has been built man was pressed he immediately recognized the blades as
around him. part of a lot he had sold to Lord Dulver a year past.
Those who should be advising him cannot and each of It looked for all the world as though Harald Dulver was
them rails at their impotence but can do nothing to avert arming Tullison’s enemies.
what’s very clearly coming. Dunstan began politely enough, asking for parlay, offering
The core of the problem here is a failure to communicate. truce but his messages got no reply. As weeks went by and
Maester Falstan has been very effective in cutting off Lord more of his smallfolk were killed by raiders bearing the very
Harald from anyone who might turn him from his chosen same arms, he grew angry. He wrote to Dulver again, this
course, and by destroying all messages from Lord Dunstan time demanding reparations and cessation of hostilities. He
suing for peace, preventing Tullison from averting disaster as got back derision and denial. It was then that Dunstan Tul-
well. If the PCs can get Harald and his household talking lison began girding himself for war.
again, get a message of peace through from Lord Dunstan That was three weeks ago. Now Lord Dunstan is having
or (for best results) both, war can be prevented. It’s not at all second thoughts. As his blood cooled, he began to think
clear that they can. again of peace but his course seems to be set. He can’t see
If matters in Deepen Hall devolve into violence at this any way out of the coming conflict. His pleas for peace fall
point something has gone very wrong. In all likelihood the on deaf ears. His threats and demands are thrown back in his
action of this act will consist entirely of Intrigues as the PCs face. If Dulver wants war, Tullison will give it to him.
work to convince Lord Dulver that war is a path to failure. Dunstan has considered sending a messenger rather than a
It’s also quite possible that this entire act can be carried out raven, but he fears for the life of any emissary sent to Deepen
without making a single die-roll. Hall after the replies he received to his most recent letters.
Given the sensitivity of this matter in Lord Harald’s mind, Should a neutral party (the PCs, for instance) arrive to vol-
it’s very possible that the PCs will need to travel to Moun- unteer, however, he would gladly try one last time to open the
tain’s Reach to speak with Lord Dunstan Tullison. If so, see channels of communication to talk of peace.
the section on House Tullison below.
If the PCs manage to convince Lord Dulver to abandon Option 2: House Bartheld
his plans for war (for the time being, anyway) without visiting
with Lord Tullison, proceed directly to Act Three. Gaining entry to Hart House is no trouble whatsoever. House
Bartheld is famed for its hospitality and makes a point of wel-
House Tullison coming all who come upon its doorstep with good intent. In
this particular case, that is also the Barthelds’ biggest problem.
Lord Dunstan Tullison is fuming. His people have always
There are always strangers in Lord Davain’s house and only
suffered the raids of the mountain clans, but over the past
an utter fool would advertise his intentions if he came with
few months the raids have become more frequent and the
an ill purpose in mind.
119
The Iron Plot
Now there is an assassin on the grounds with the will (if invite them to attend him in his solar to discuss their busi-
not an overabundance of skill) to part the young Lord Bar- ness in Hart House. If, in the course of conversation, the PCs
theld from his life. It’s up to the PCs to find the one bad should reveal their purpose Davain will express surprise and
penny in a purse full of coppers. even a touch of amusement.
To top it all off, they need to resolve the matter in such a “Why kill me?” he asks. He has no enemies he’s aware of. His
way as to keep the King’s peace intact! lands, while prosperous, are by no means rich, his house no-
where near powerful enough to merit such sinister attention,
Arrival or so he believes. He dismisses his recent plague of mishaps
as mere accidents and coincidences or, at worst, the comeup-
The PCs need have no pretext for coming to Hart House.
pance due his family for years of debauchery and ignoble liv-
Lord Davain’s doors are open to any that come to call (any
ing. “I can but live well myself, and pray the Seven have mercy.”
noble, anyway). He is an open, honest and approachable man.
If the PCs press the point, Davain will politely but firmly
He also finds the idea that someone is actually out to kill him
end the conversation. The PCs are welcome to stay at Hart
frankly rather absurd.
House for so long as they wish, but his lordship doesn’t care
After the PCs have been welcomed, given chambers, had
to discuss imaginary assassins or nefarious plots any further,
their mounts groomed and stabled, Lord Davain will gladly
thank you very much.
120
The iron Plot
Ayleth has not given up her suspicions of Fendrel. Quite bed him with impugnity. Once the thought dawns on him,
the contrary, since the fire she has kept a very close watch on Ser Corbin will become convinced of the truth of it. His ego
her husband’s cousin, to no avail. Thus far Fendrel has done will allow no less. Surely it is clear to anyone with an ounce
nothing to betray his guilt and give Ayleth the necessary evi- of sense that Lady Ayleth is in love with him and longs to be
dence to indict him in Davain’s eyes. Ayleth is convinced that free of her unhappy marriage.
it is because Fendrel knows she suspects him. What she needs Should the PCs make mention of suspicions of Ser Corbin
is an ally who can, at least, appear to be objective, and the PCs being the assassin himself he will take immediate offense. If any-
are just the folks for the job. one is foolish enough to make a direct accusation, they will very
After the PCS have spoken with Lord Davain, and wheth- likely find themselves invited to a duel wherein Ser Corbin in-
er or not they discussed their purpose in visiting Hart House, tends to illustrate his own innocence by hacking his accuser into
Lady Ayleth will approach them and plead for their aid in ex- very small pieces. Should it come to this, Ser Corbin’s game stats
posing Fendrel as the assassin. She can offer little more than can be found in the House Bartheld write-up on p.25.
her gratitude for their aid, but will assure the PCs that once
he learns the truth, Lord Davain will certainly be generous Cecily Cooper
with his thanks.
Just discovering the existence of Cecily Cooper is a matter of
Ser Fendrel Bartheld some difficulty. She’s lived much of her life hiding from the
authorities and knows the countryside better than even Lord
Fendrel is not responsible for the assassination attempts, but Davain himself, let alone the PCs.
he is quietly rooting the killer on. Cecily is not the assassin. She may well have motive, but
Fendrel will readily admit that he and Davain have their there is no evidence that she was anywhere near Hart House
differences. He is also cagey enough to realize, if questioned, on the occasions of Lord Davain’s mishaps. In fact, her band
that he is a suspect. Furthermore he will deduce in short order was some distance away having struck a small merchant cara-
that it is Lady Ayleth who has accused him. van passing through one of Lord Davain’s neighbor’s lands.
If confronted, Fendrel will present two strong arguments Should the PCs decide and insist on pursuing her, they
against himself being the assassin. First, he is Davain’s guest will find she is maddeningly elusive and hunting for her in
and everyone knows what dire consequences befall those the woods about Harthome is far more dangerous for them.
who breach the guest right. Second, Davain is Fendrel’s own For as long as they remain in the woods and on the hunt
blood. He will admit that he would gladly take his cousin’s for the bandit leader, the PCs and any entourage will find
place in the seat of the Barthelds, but he will not do so if it themselves harried by hidden attackers every few hours. Ce-
means being accursed of the Seven as a kinslayer. cily’s bandits know better than to stand and fight, though.
Throughout any conversation on the matter Fendrel will They strike from range and even then they rarely fire more
behave with supreme confidence and nonchalance. The con- than a single volley at the troupe of hunters before fleeing
fidence of a schemer who’s discovered someone else is doing into the woods.
his work for him. By way of farewell, he will bid the PCs good Any hunt for Cecily Cooper will begin with little hope and
luck in finding his cousin’s assassin, “But not too soon.” end in pain and frustration. And even if by some miracle the
hunters should find and capture her, Cecily isn’t the assassin
Ser Corbin Celtigar anyway.
Ser Corbin is a bit of a blowhard and perfectly willing to give Mot the Killer
his host a cuckold’s horns, but he is no murderer. In fact, he
finds it almost as unlikely as Lord Davain himself that there Mot isn’t much of an assassin. He’d like to be and he tries his
is an actual assassin. Ser Corbin suspects rather that Davain, best, but he just doesn’t seem to have the knack. When Mot
fool that he is, is only suffering the misfortunes born of his hit Lord Davain with a shovel and set the forge on fire he
own ineptitude. apparently didn’t hit hard enough and the smithy burned too
After some thought, however, he comes up with another slowly. The young Lord Bartheld woke up and saved himself
theory. “Perhaps,” he says, “it was Lady Ayleth?” Perhaps, he long before the flames could take him. When Mot tried to
thinks, she wishes to free herself of her marriage and thus poison Davain he poured half the potion into the wrong pot!
121
The Iron Plot
Bleak Counsel
Mot has one last chance.
Four days after the PCs arrive at Hart House, there is to
be a feast in honor of Lord Davain Bartheld’s nameday. Be-
van Sand is preparing a special dish for his lordship and Mot
intends to dose the dish with enough wolfsbane to kill an
aurochs. With Rose Clay suspicious of him and a bundle of
newcomers poking around and asking questions, he’s begun
to get a little nervous.
As the PCs investigate, drop in one or two passing refer-
ences to servants here and there. In a manor as grand as Hart
House there is always someone about doing housework.
There are several red herrings for the PCs to chase, let them
pursue as many or as few as they’d like, but keep in mind that
they have just four days to find the assassin before he strikes
again. Also keep in mind that they don’t know that!
Investigating at Hart House can be a bit of a touchy matter.
Three pigs died that night after being fed tainted slops. The Lord Davain is a very welcoming man and he’s happy to host
other half only succeeded in giving Lord Davain a flux of the anyone who would like his hospitality, but if the PCs start
bowels and acquainted him more dearly with his privy. grilling the other guests they run the risk of wearing out their
This time he thinks he’s got it, though. He got some more welcome. This is not to mention the risk of insulting impor-
poison. There is a nameday feast coming up to celebrate Lord tant persons and having to bear the consequences of doing so.
Bartheld’s birthday. Mot heard the cook talking about a spe- The goal for the PCs as given to them by their own lord
cial dish she was preparing for Davain. If he can just get the is to maintain the peace. Primarily, this means keeping Lord
poison into that pot, Lord Davain will be dead and Mot can Davain from being killed and then bringing his would-be
leave the letters he was given and escape. killer to justice. Second, this means that the PCs themselves
It can’t come soon enough for Mot. He’s pretty sure the are obliged to maintain the peace on their own behalves.
chief maid suspects him of something. He might just have Characters that instigate duels of honor will not be well re-
to kill her too, but he’d rather not, since another corpse won’t garded by their lord when it comes time for reckoning. Third,
equal more coin. should it be proven there was a plot to kill Davain Bartheld,
Mot sleeps in an old pantry in the ruined castle near Hart the PCs are then obliged to try and find a way to keep the
House. It smells of moldy beets and rats, but it’s out of the way. young lord from striking at the one that plotted his death.
If, after four days, the PCs have not discovered Mot, he will
Rose Clay make his final attempt.
As one or more of the PCs is passing near to the kitchen
Rose is the single most likely member of the Bartheld house- on their way to the feast a commotion arises. Amid a great
hold to realize that the household staff is (unwittingly) har- clamor of clanging pots and the angry shouts of Bevan Sand,
boring an assassin. In fact, she’s seen him on several occasions Hart House’s chief cook, a sallow young man barrels out of
and took note of his distressing ineptitude in carrying out the kitchen, fear apparent in his eyes, and dashes away down
even the simplest housekeeping chores. Also, the man smells the hall. In the kitchen, Bevan can be heard hollering and
like a dungheap. cursing fools and meddlers.
122
The iron Plot
BB If the PCs give chase, Mot will run all out for the nearest
House Dulver
door and do his best to escape on foot. He has the let- The events of this act can occur immediately upon Lord
ter with him and will, in an attempt to stall his pursuers, Harald’s resolution to forego war (or his acceptance of Lord
throw it on the ground behind him for the PCs to find. Dunstan’s offer of peace) or at some time shortly thereafter at
BB If the PCs ignore the entire matter, the dish will be served the Narrator’s discretion.
without complaint and Lord Davain will suffer the ef- At dusk, as the sun is sinking behind the shoulder of the
fects of wolfsbane poisoning appropriately (see p. 134 of Deepmont a cry goes up from the towers: Smoke on the ho-
the SIFRP rulebook for effects). rizon.
The longship that brought the men of the Iron Plot to
BB If Mot is captured he will begin talking immediately and Westeros’ shores has been captured and set aflame by two
tell all he knows of the man who hired him (which isn’t more longships. As it burns, the newcomers run in to shore,
very much). He will gladly explain all that he knows of pile out of their ships, and attack.
the plan in hopes that it will buy him his life. Unfortu- If you have chosen to run this act as a normal combat, the
nately, all he knows is that a man hired him to kill Lord raiders have found the bolthole tunnel that Maester Falstan
Davain and leave a letter behind when he left. He can’t has been using to slip out of Deepen Hall and down to the
read, so he has no idea what the letter says. He doesn’t shore to meet with the conspirators. Shortly after the smoke
know the name of the man that hired him, but can pro- is sighted and the alarm raised, the sounds of fighting erupt
vide a good description. Mot was supposed to go to the in the corridors of Deepen Hall. Men begin boiling up from
town of Hartsbridge and await final payment. the cellars with steel and fire in their fists. The Reavers are
inside the walls. The PCs can face Theobald Redhands in the
BB If Mot is killed or escapes, the letter will be found, but
catacombs beneath Deepen Hall or in the courtyard under
little else of use.
Once the poisoning attempt is resolved it’s up to the PCs
to find a way to prevent Lord Davain (or his heir) from mar- Reaver Tactics
shaling House Bartheld’s forces and marching on House
Marsten. If the letter can be confirmed a forgery, Lord For purposes of running the Warfare, Captain Redhands
will refuse to engage in parley and will not offer terms. He
Davain would be strongly inclined to stay his hand. Detect-
will begin the combat attached to his unit, but will break
ing the forgery is a Formidable (12) Cunning test using the off to engage the PCs when they get close enough. The
Decipher specialty. reavers will only undertake basic combat actions, and will
Whatever the solution, the PCs will likely need to make engage in a Fighting Withdrawal and then an outright
Retreat once they have become disorganized. If need be,
a trip to see Lady Marsten, whether to confront her or re- Redhands will re-attach to the reavers in order to reorga-
veal the treachery done in and to her name. Proceed to Act nize them.
Three.
123
The Iron Plot
Ironborn Reavers
Theobald Redhands Secondary Character
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
9 7
Defense Defense
Health 12 Composure 6
Reavers
a sky suddenly black with rain and thunder. In either case,
Agility 3
Theobald brings with him (1.5 times the number of PCs in
your party) reavers. See the preceding sidebar for stats. Athletics 3 Climbing 1B
If instead you have chosen to run this act as a warfare ac- Fighting 4 Long Blades 1B
tion, a rider comes in shortly after the smoke is sighted to Combat
6 Health 9
raise the alarm. Ironborn raiders have landed on the shore Defense
and surrounded young Horas Dulver and his family in their Hard Leather: AR: 3, AP -2, Bulk 0
tower house and he begs his father’s aid. Lord Harald asks the
Longsword 4D+1B Damage 4
PCs aid (if it’s not offered) and sends the PCs, along with his
garrison and most of his crossbowmen to drive off the raiders. Unit: Ironborn Reavers
Veteran Raiders * 8 Power
House Marsten Routine (6) Discipline Agility 3, Endurance 4, Fighting 4
The events of this act begin upon the arrival of the PCs at to plant it by the man who hired him) or a revelation of the
castle Hartshorn, seat of House Marsten’s power. betrayal committed against Lady Isobel, Bleak Ormand is al-
Lady Marsten receives the PCs at dusk as a storm blows ready making his escape. His spies have informed him of who
in from the East, cutting the darkening sky with slashes of is coming to Hartshorn, and from where, and Ormand has
brilliant lightning. no intention of hanging around to see just how exactly his
As the matter of the plot is exposed and the truth is wrung plan has failed.
out, quickly or slowly, Lady Isobel summons her advisor Or- If the PCs are arriving by land, Ormand will be fleeing in
mand, only to find him absent from the castle. Whether the a small boat down the river to a ship waiting for him. If the
meeting is a confrontation (if the PCs arrive not knowing PCs come by sea, he will flee westward by land, aiming to
that the letter Mot left was a forgery or that he was ordered meet with a ship concealed along the coast of Ironman’s Bay.
124
The iron Plot
Aftermath Glory for their House and if they successfully averted war be-
tween the houses at odds in the story they can have a second.
125
INDEX
A Population...................................... 86 Power............................................... 9
Power............................................. 86 Wealth............................................ 11
Aeryn, Septon.................................. 61 Wealth............................................ 86 House Bartheld......................... 17–29
Alyard, Master Smith Ren.............. 72 Characters................................ 22–29
E
Ansel, Rhaemon.............................. 62 Defense........................................... 19
Arlyn, Septon.................................. 37 Elias................................................. 81 History..................................... 17–19
Atus, Wenefryd............................... 51 Elridge, Ser Markus......................... 60 Holdings................................... 19–23
B Endra’s Sept..................................... 78 Influence......................................... 19
F Lands............................................. 19
Barnell, Daveth................................ 15 Law............................................... 19
Barnell, Lady Alianna...................... 13 Falstan, Maester............................... 40 Population...................................... 20
Barnell, Lord Tomas........................ 11 Festival of the Fires................ 101–102 Power............................................. 20
Bartheld, Lady Ayleth..................... 23 Finch, Septon Harald...................... 81 Wealth............................................ 20
Bartheld, Lady Ysme....................... 28 Flowers, Lyndan.............................. 62 House Dulver............................ 29–40
Bartheld, Lord Brom................. 26, 73 Forthwind, Maester......................... 25 Characters................................ 33–40
Bartheld, Lord Davain..................... 22 Defense........................................... 31
G
Bartheld, Ser Edmund..................... 27 History..................................... 29–31
Bartheld, Ser Fendrel....................... 27 Garrys, Robert................................. 98 Holdings................................... 31–33
Black, Anton.................................... 26 Godsgrove....................................... 79 Influence......................................... 31
Black Goats..................................... 74 Grenward Forest................................ 8 Lands............................................. 31
Bogwalkers...................................... 44 Growne, Michal............................... 17 Law............................................... 32
C H Population...................................... 32
Power............................................. 32
Castle Grenward................................ 7 Haelis, Maester................................ 71
Wealth............................................ 32
Celtigar, Ser Corbin......................... 24 Hag’s Mouth................................. 105
House Kytley............................. 41–53
Clay, Rose........................................ 28 Hammerstone............................ 45–46
Defense........................................... 43
Clay, Ser Rowan.............................. 28 Hardhand’s Folly..................... 44, 105
History..................................... 41–43
Company of the Morningstar...... 9–10 Hare, Gorton................................... 62
Influence......................................... 43
Cooper, Cecily................................. 27 Harren’s Justice.............................. 106
Lands............................................. 43
Copperton....................................... 32 Hart House............................... 20–22
Law............................................... 44
Hartsbridge..................................... 56
D Population...................................... 44
Hartshorn.................................. 56–57
Power............................................. 44
Dame Adrienne............................... 82 Hartville.......................................... 19
Wealth............................................ 45
Davain’s Forge................................. 21 Heart and Crown, the...................... 79
House Marsten.......................... 53–63
Deepen Hall.................................... 31 Heloise, Septa.................................. 62
Characters................................ 57–63
Digger’s Road.................................. 31 Hill, Ser Gambol............................. 39
Defense........................................... 54
Dugan the Red................................ 87 Hite, Ser Ulbert............................... 73
History..................................... 53–54
Dulver, Helen.................................. 39 Holdings.................................... 43–45
Holdings................................... 54–57
Dulver, Horas.................................. 39 Horag.............................................. 74
Influence......................................... 55
Dulver, Lady Falyse......................... 38 Hough, Karya.................................. 93
Lands............................................. 55
Dulver, Lord Harald........................ 33 House Barnell.............................. 6–17
Law............................................... 55
Dulver, Ser Walton.......................... 35 Characters................................ 11–17
Population...................................... 56
Durain’s Forest........................... 83–88 Defense............................................. 7
Power............................................. 56
Defense........................................... 85 History......................................... 6–7
Wealth............................................ 56
History........................................... 84 Holdings..................................... 7–11
House Tullison.......................... 63–74
Influence......................................... 85 Influence........................................... 8
Characters................................ 68–74
Lands............................................. 85 Lands............................................... 8
Defense........................................... 64
Law............................................... 86 Population........................................ 9
126
Index
127
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