A Setting Sourcebook for A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying

By John Hay, Lee Hammock,

James Kiley, Michelle Lyons,
John Newman,
Brett Rebischke-Smith,
and Mark Simmons

DEVELOPMENT: Jim Kiley

Editing & Additional Development: Brian E. Kirby
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COver Art: Slawomir Maniak
Interior Art: Noah Bradley, Christopher Reach, Britt Martin, David Nash
Cartography: Keith Curtis
Green Ronin President: Chris Pramas

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.
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A Song of Ice and Fire is © 1996-2011 George R. R. Martin. All rights reserved.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.........................3
The Noble Houses.................. 5
House Barnell............................. 6
History.............................................6
Holdings..........................................7
Characters......................................11
Muddying the Palette....................17
House Bartheld......................... 17
History..........................................17
Holdings........................................19
Hart House....................................20
Davain’s Forge................................21
The Guardhouse:
Robert’s Hammer.........................21
Characters......................................22
Muddying the Palette.....................29
House Dulver............................. 29
History...........................................29
Holdings........................................31
Characters......................................33
Muddying the Palette.....................40
House Kytley............................. 41
History ..........................................41
Holdings........................................43
Hammerstone................................45
Characters......................................46
2
Muddying the Palette.....................53
House Marsten.......................... 53
History ..........................................53
Holdings........................................54
Hartshorn.......................................56
Characters......................................57
Muddying the Palette.....................63
House Tullison.......................... 63
History...........................................63
Holdings........................................64
Mountain’s Reach...........................67
Characters......................................68
Muddying the Palette.....................74
The Riverlands...................... 75
Market Town............................. 76
History...........................................76
Locations........................................77
Characters......................................79
New House Locations................ 83
Durain’s Forest...............................83
Riverthorn......................................89
Port Maril.......................................94
Traditional Events.................... 99
Tourney of the Brothers..................99
The Festival of the Fires................101
The Mummers’ Joust....................102
Interesting Places....................103
The Septry at Shattered Rock......103
The Stranger’s Farmstead.............104
Hardhand’s Folly .........................105
Hag’s Mouth................................105
Stag’s Moor..................................105
Maelys’s Crossing ........................105
Orphan’s Hill ...............................106
Harren’s Justice.............................106
The Troupe of Casque & Wren....107
The Barrow Plain.........................107
Smalls’ Defense............................107
The Iron Plot..................... 108
Synopsis.....................................108
Act I..........................................109
Act II........................................114
Act III.......................................123
Aftermath.................................125
Rewards.....................................125
Index.......................................126
 INTRODUCTION
The continent of Westeros is rich in its history, varied in its
cultures, and practically overflowing in noble houses. One of
the memorable qualities of the Song of Ice and Fire series is the
amount of detail given to the noble families, each with unique
heraldic devices and evocative mottos. From the roaring giants
of House Umber in the North to the Princes of Dorne residing
in Sunspear, these noble houses reside on or hold dominion over
much of the land on the continent and its nearby islands. The A
Song of Ice and Campaign Guide contains information about all
of the houses George R.R. Martin has written about up to A
Feast for Crows. What it does not contain, however, is the story
that has yet to be written…the chronicle of your house.
The Chronicle Starter
The A Song of Ice and Fire Chronicle Starter is designed to pro-
vide players with a way to begin forging their own path in
Westeros, with a selection of noble houses scattered about
the Riverlands, some additional locations within the Tully
lands ready-made for exploration outside the players’ strong-
hold, and an adventure to both these elements together. The
Chronicle Starter is also an excellent resource for the Narrator,
providing ready made houses that can be used as allies or en-
emies of characters’ house.
One important thing to note about the Chronicle Starter is
that at heart it is a big, worked example of what a group can
do with the house system presented in the core rulebook. This
is not a book about creating setting canon, but showing you
how you can use the tools in SIFRP to get a chronicle going
and doing a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
The Noble Houses
Each of the six houses described in the first chapter is suitable
for a group of four players to take over and run for themselves.
The houses all contain a number of primary characters with
pre-determined attributes, as well as write-ups of notable sec-
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
aligned to a different major house, all except House Marsten
are based within the Riverlands in order to maximize the
potential for them to be used in conjunction with each oth-
er. Obviously this requires the Tullys to be extremely toler-
ant of houses on their lands aligning themselves with other
families. Since the realm is still at peace in the time in which
A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying is set (as Robert Baratheon
still sits the iron throne), this forbearance is assumed. Of
3
 Introduction

A Note on Stat Blocks The Riverlands

If you’ve read previous A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying
books, you may have noticed that the way in which char-
acter stat blocks are presented has changed somewhat.
Probably the most significant change is the manner in
which the Combat Defense attribute is listed. While the
recent Pocket Edition notes that CD is equal to Agility +
Athletics + Awareness + Defensive Bonus (from shields
or parrying weapons) - Armor Penalty (pg. 69), stat
blocks will no longer include the latter two equipment
adjustments. This is to reflect the fact that characters need
not be combat focused, and even those that are will not
always be armed and equipped.
Additionally, the passive Awareness target number,
Movement and Sprint scores and Personal Gear listing
will no longer be included in order to streamline the stat
blocks further.
course, you should feel free to alter allegiances or shift the
locations of the houses as needed to better fit your group’s
chronicle.
Similarly, most of the houses, and the characters who
inhabit them, would be considered to be on the good side
of the moral spectrum—or at least a lighter shade of grey
than many of the characters who inhabit Martin’s books.
Players looking for a noble family that scheme as adeptly as
the Lannisters or kill as nonchalantly as The Mountain that
Rides may need to make some adjustments. The Chronicle
Starter attempts to make the majority of the characters at
least somewhat sympathetic, but not to the point that they
become boring milquetoasts to play. However, we’ve also
included a section entitled “Muddying the Palette” at the
end of each house section, which can help make the players’
home house a little bit darker.
This section adds a number of new locations to this region of
Westeros to the ones previously established in A Song of Ice
and Fire. Chief among these new locales is Market Town, a
village that struggles to maintain its independence from the
nearby noble houses. Esra Stone, Market Town’s mayor, has
become rather adept at playing these houses against one an-
other in order to maintain his own power.
Market Town and the other locations within this chapter
each contain descriptions of their history, notable features,
and important personages in much the same fashion as the
house section. In fact, the players could easily adopt one of
these locations for their house—or view them as new areas to
conquer, should they have a more acquisitive bent.
This section also includes a selection of other interesting
places in the region, and some suggested events that you can
drop in as flavoring to your ongoing chronicle or use as a
springboard to a new series of adventures.
The Iron Plot
Tying together the new houses and locations is an adven-
ture revolving around the plans of a force of ironborn reavers
to wreak havoc in the region—with the assistance of some-
one inside one of the region’s houses. The adventure presents
two potential paths of play in case the players have selected a
house being used in the plot. Although the players should be
able to counter the ironborn threat, the question of what to
do next is left unanswered. The adventurers could decide to
rip the threat out at the root—or find a way to use it to their
own advantage.
The choice is entirely theirs.

The Houses at a Glance

If your players have already created characters and are simply in need of a place of their own, this chart lists all of the vital
statistics of each house presented in the first chapter. Numbers that appear in parentheses represent the points that have al-
ready been invested to improve the house.

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
Westeros and this chapter details six of them: some new, oth-
ers old, some prosperous, others beset by troubles. While they
do not have the wealth and power wielded by the great houses
to which they have sworn their loyalty, these houses of the
Riverlands do have noble titles, and some of their members
have great ambitions—or secrets.
While the noble houses and their lands and bannermen
are (relatively) at peace now, there are no guarantees it will
stay that way. Life in the Seven Kingdoms is harsh, even
during the peaceful years following the toppling of the dy-
nasty of the dragon kings. There are secrets and conflicts
aplenty within each of the houses and potential troubles
brewing between them. The material in The Iron Plot chap-
ter outlines one way the peace of this corner of the River-
lands may fray and tear apart.
The houses in this chapter serve two main purposes in your
own A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying chronicle. First and
foremost, you and your players can choose a particular house
to serve as home to the players’ characters. They may either
take on the roles of characters associated with the house in
its description or feel free to replace some of those characters
with ones of their own creation, perhaps changing some of
the tenor of the house in the process. The players can also use
the house creation rules from the core rulebook to modify
the house to better suit their vision and that of the chronicle.
Second, those houses not adopted by the players as their
own become the neighbors—and therefore potential allies
and rivals—of the characters’ house. The houses, and those
who rule them, all have agendas and goals of their own, some
of them in conflict with those of the characters and their
house. Of such conflicts are the stories of Westeros made,
with alliances, intrigue, plotting, and outright war with the
other houses awaiting the players as the chronicle unfolds.
Do the characters, and their house, have what it takes to play
the game of thrones and win?
5
 The Noble Houses
House Barnell
Heraldry: A portcullis over a red and blue chape field.
Motto: “Never Falter.”
Located near the Green Fork
at the northern end of the
Trident, House Barnell rules
from the supposedly cursed
fortress of Castle Grenward.
A young house founded dur-
ing Robert’s Rebellion and
loyal to House Stark, House
Barnell struggles to find its for-
tune with little more than a strong
arm to its name.
History
House Barnell is a young house, not even twenty years old.
Born out of the Usurper’s War, it has claimed the last lands of
a dying house to rise to nobility. Now its future lies in uncer-
tain territory as two brothers contest to inherit their father’s
title, although neither has a fully legitimate claim.
Until the Battle of the Trident, Ser Tomas Barnell had
been a lowly hedge knight of little remark aside from his skill
with mace and shield. Tomas’s father, Ser Garret, had likewise
been a hedge knight who was ever reminding Tomas of their
poverty and common station. From a young age, Tomas was
determined to earn his family the full honor and wealth of a
noble title. When his father was slain chasing bandits while
in service to the Tallharts of Torrhen’s Square, Tomas took up
his father’s arms and armor to find his long desired noble title.
His chance came during the Battle of the Trident, during
which Tomas Barnell fought alongside the Stark forces aiding
the Baratheon cause. During the battle Tomas inadvertently
saved the life of Eddard Stark by taking a spear meant for
the Lord of Winterfell. He was rewarded for his luck with a
choice assignment in the wake of the battle; among the dead
was Lord Ollier Darry, a loyalist lord with a relatively poor
holding that represented the closest fortified position to the
battlefield. Along with a number of Stark bannermen, Tomas
Barnell was dispatched to take the castle so it could be used
to house the wounded from the battle. The castle was easily
taken due to the fact that Lord Darry had taken all but a
token force with him to battle.
Soon after, Eddard Stark marched south to King’s Land-
ing and Storm’s End, leaving most of the wounded at Castle
6
Grenward to catch up in the weeks to come. Eventually To-
mas Barnell was left in charge with a handful of soldiers to
hold Castle Grenward and to care for the remaining wound-
ed. Tomas Barnell sat out the rest of the war in Castle Gren-
ward, and the smallfolk of the region say he did a much better
job seeing to their security and wellbeing than the deceased
Lord Darry. With Darry dead without an heir, his house vast-
ly weakened by Robert’s Rebellion, and Tomas Barnell doing
a sufficient job controlling the territory, Tomas was elevated
to a lord following the conclusion of the war. Finally he had
obtained his goal: owning land as Lord Barnell, lord of Castle
Grenward and a bannerman sworn to House Stark.
Unfortunately this windfall did not come without tragedy.
Sonya, the smallfolk woman Lord Barnell had been involved
with for many years, died of fever soon after he was awarded his
title. Sonya had already borne Lord Barnell a son, Garret Snow,
fourteen years before, but Garret had been born out of wed-
lock—Tomas, often traveling in service to various lords, had not
even known of the child until the boy turned three. Some small-
folk suspect there was foul play in Sonya’s death. Lord Barnell
faced widespread pressure to marry according to his new station;
that pressure eventually led to his marriage to Alianna Frey, one
of the many grandchildren of Lord Walder Frey and herself a
widower with a son. Lord Frey considered her to have little po-
litical use due to persistent rumors that the woman carried a
curse, so marrying her to a fledgling lord seemed little sacrifice
and would place the new Lord Barnell in debt to House Frey.
While the Lord and Lady Barnell are cordial in their relation-
ship, no one would mistake it for anything more than friend-
ship. Lady Barnell’s son Daveth never saw the same love and
attention from his step-father that his step-brother Garret did.
Between having a bastard as the favored heir and rumors of
curses House Barnell has created no end of gossip among the
locals. Combined with Lord Barnell’s low birth, these blemishes
have made them social pariahs in the Trident.
While Lord Barnell is an outcast in matters of intrigue,
his personal skill in battle and as a leader of men does him
much credit. He earned glory for his young house during the
Greyjoy Rebellion, leading his personal guard, the Company
of the Morningstar, on battles to take Botley Castle and Pyke
itself. During his time away the neighboring lords learned
that Lady Barnell was no wilting flower; she and the remain-
ing soldiers in her service fought off a bandit gang that was
foolish enough to attack her and her escort while she was out
riding. By the time Lord Barnell returned from putting down
the rebellion, House Barnell had cemented its reputation as a
militant house that values martial prowess and cunning, even
if it is a little deficient in the courtly arts.
 The Noble Houses

House Barnell of Grenward

Liege Lord: Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell
Defense 39 Castle Grenward (Small Castle, 30), Expendable 9
Influence 18 Expendable 18
Lands 34 Grassland Plains with River, Road & Hamlet (24), Densely Wooded Plains (10)
Law 29 House Fortunes -2
Population 36 House Fortunes +3
Company of the Morningstar (Elite Personal Guard; 13 Power) Automatic (0) Discipline
Athletics 4, Endurance 4, Fighting 5
Company Grenward (Veteran Garrison; 7 Power) Automatic (0) Discipline at home or Routine (6) away
Power 40 Awareness 4, Endurance 3, Fighting 4
Riverroad Riders (Elite Cavalry; 12 Power) Automatic (0) Discipline Agility 4, Animal Handling 4, Fighting 5
Jarion’s Siege Engineers (Veteran Engineers; 7 Power) Routine (6) Discipline
Endurance 4, Knowledge 3, Warfare 4 - Expendable 1
Wealth 18 Michael Growne (Artisan, 10, House Fortunes +1) - Expendable 8
Total House Fortunes Modifier +2

More recently strife has entered the halls of Castle Gren-
ward as Daveth Barnell has reached eighteen years of age and
the question of which son will inherit has become an im-
mediate concern. Tomas favors Garret, while Alianna favors
Daveth, and Garret is technically a bastard even if he is a
recognized one. This is further complicated by the fact Gar-
ret has no interest in succeeding his father, having little skill
in managing lands or dispensing justice, while Daveth is far
more skilled in such matters. The whole issue would be settled
by a child of Lord and Lady Barnell, but so far their limited
attempts at producing an heir have proved fruitless. Lord
Barnell has no male siblings to serve as his heir, so it seems he
is stuck with a reckless bastard and a weakling scholar. While
House Barnell is not bound in familial love, it is bound in loy-
alty and friendship, but is that stronger than a father’s pride?
Holdings
Here are the holdings of House Barnell.
Defense: 39, Invested: 30 (Castle Grenward)
Castle Grenward is situated within a few leagues of the ford
where the Battle of the Trident was fought. The castle is an
ancient structure, pre-dating the Targaryens and thought to
have been built to protect nearby farms. The castle is of Andal
construction and legends say it is at least five hundred years
old, though there is no record of who controlled it before the
Targaryen Conquest and the rise of the Tullys in the Riv-
erlands. In those ancient days, Lord Edmyn Tully awarded
control of Castle Grenward to House Ferros, a small banner
house in their service.
House Ferros became the first to suffer from what small-
folk in the area call the Grenward Curse. During the revolt of
the Faith Militant, a group of zealots managed to sneak into
Castle Grenward and killed every member of House Ferros,
ending the line forever. House Tully quickly reclaimed the
castle and awarded it to another bannerhouse, House Wellyn,
but within a few generations, House Wellyn was stricken by
a plague that wiped out the entire family. Again House Tully
awarded Castle Grenward to another loyal house, only to see
it wiped out during the Blackfyre Rebellion. This trend has
continued on up to the current day with House Darry only
taking possession of Castle Grenward in the wake of the War
of the Ninepenny Kings. Now House Darry seems all but
doomed and the whispers among the smallfolk say it was
Castle Grenward that brought them low. Several have already
begun to wager about how long House Barnell will last before
the Grenward Curse ends its line as well.
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
on a road that links up to the Kingsroad a short distance away.
The large walls create ample space within the castle to al-
low soldiers to drill regularly. Several stables and bunk houses
have been built against the outer wall to provide extra hous-
ing for the troops under House Barnell’s banner. The keep
itself is a small structure built around a single tower that sits

7
 The Noble Houses
at in the northwest corner of the yard, allowing anyone in its
highest levels to see for miles in all directions. The keep is
very simple, consisting of a single large feasthall and audience
chamber, kitchen, and rooms in the tower for the Lord and
Lady Barnell and their children. The castle has no maester or
septa, though Lord Barnell hopes to attract a maester when
his fortunes improve. The castle is fed by a series of wells and
Lord Barnell always makes sure to have several months of
provisions in reserve just in case of siege, as unlikely as that
may be.
Many of the smallfolk in the region still consider Grenward
Castle to be cursed and will not spend the night in the castle,
something that does not make Lord Barnell’s work any easier.
The castle is said to be haunted by the many who have fallen
victim to its curse, something even Lord Barnell is reluctant
to deny. Everyone who spends more than a fortnight comes
away with some manner of strange story to tell, most of which
involve ghostly apparitions in the corridors, weeping coming
from empty corners, and eerie lights walking the tower and the
battlements. While none of the soldiers admit to being afraid
of these disturbances, few keep watch alone if they can help it.
Castle Grenward’s large outer wall allows a great deal of
room for expansion, something that Lord Barnell has been
8
looking at for several years now. He hopes one day to rival
Casterly Rock or Winterfell.
Influence: 18
Lord Barnell has never been one for courts, intrigues, or gos-
sip, favoring martial matters. His house’s lack of influence
reflects this since Lord Barnell has spent little time seeing
to the political needs of his house. Lady Barnell and her son
work to counteract his inaction, but they have years of ig-
nored invitations, rude rebuffs, and unintentional insults to
overcome.
The issue of the heir to House Barnell has yet to be settled
and likely won’t be until the house’s influence increases. If
Lord Barnell were to die there is much debate to whether the
house would survive the transition without a named heir. The
whole matter would be settled if Lord and Lady Barnell pro-
duced their own heir, but so far their limited attempts have
not borne fruit.
Lands: 34, Invested: 34
plains (grassland) 6, plains (dense forest) 10,
hamlet 10, road 5, river 3
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

ken. Lord Barnell has been encouraging some of his smallfolk
to begin logging the forest so that he can use the wood in pet
construction projects, increase the amount of farmable land,
and develop another source of income.
The Green Fork runs through House Barnell’s land, water-
ing the surrounding farms but allowing little in the way of
transportation. This length of the Green Fork is too shallow
and too rocky to allow deep-water boat travel, but some locals
use canoe-like, shallow draft boats to traverse the river. These
rafts are not large enough to help in transporting goods of
any appreciable size, but are useful in moving people. High
water levels in the spring from snowmelt and rain allow more
adventurous merchants to try to float their goods down the
Green Fork on barges, but few opt for the risk when so many
well-maintained roads are available. Many local children
grow up swimming in the river during the summer months,
but every few years one of them gets too adventurous and is
either drowned by the current or smashed against the rocks.
Some locals say the spirits of those children still haunt the
river, drawing in more children to join their watery torment.
The hamlet of Wellyn, founded by the long-gone House
Wellyn, is the only settlement of note controlled by House
Barnell. It has fewer than a hundred inhabitants, though this
number expands to almost ten times that figure during fes-
tivals in the harvest and planting seasons. Wellyn is a good
distance from Castle Grenward and attempts by past rulers
of Castle Grenward to settle the town’s population around
the castle have had little success due to fear of the Grenward
Curse. Lord Barnell has given up on such concerns and sim-
ply travels to Wellyn when he must, using such trips as an
opportunity to give his cavalry a good workout.
Wellyn is the major trading center within House Barnell
lands and it sees a steady stream of traders and merchants for
most of the year despite its small size. These merchants trade
tools, clothes, and other goods for food, which they usually
take north. Most smallfolk in the region do all their trading
at Wellyn, and its services include a smith, barrelcaster, wain-
wright, midwife, and woodwright. The town has no official
leader aside from Lord Barnell, but the town wainright, Jacob
Tubby, has become something of the voice of the community
in recent years due to his outgoing nature and willingness to
stick his nose in anyone’s business. Lord Barnell often con-
sults with Jacob Tubby in matters concerning Wellyn, some-
thing that is giving the man a swelled head.
Law: 29
Despite Lord Barnell’s harsh punishment of any criminals
he is brought, crime occurs regularly in the lands of House
The Noble Houses
Barnell. The problem is one of perception, not force, as Lord
Barnell clearly has the soldiers to enforce his will on the re-
gion, but invests little effort in preventative measures, having
no constabulary or agents in Wellyn to keep an eye on things.
What crime is found is punished with severe force; Lord Bar-
nell is well known to favor execution for livestock theft and
removing a hand for even minor theft.
There is little organized crime in the area, and Lord Barnell
responds with overwhelming force to any bandits that try to
move into his territory, but itinerant thieves are a common
problem due to the proximity to the King’s Road. Most of
these thieves steal livestock. There have been a string of thefts
of metal ingots from the smithy in Wellyn of late, but the
culprits remain free. Thus far no thieves have been foolish
enough to try and steal directly from House Barnell.
Population: 36
Most subjects of House Barnell live in the farms that are
scattered across their land or live on the edges of Grenward
Forest. Local smallfolk live in multi-generational families
with the responsibility to the land being handed down from
father to son. There is no more room for new farms in House
Barnell’s lands so at Daveth’s suggestion Lord Barnell has
been encouraging the second sons of his subjects to move to
Grenward Forest to help the new logging operations.
Power: 40; Invested: 39
elite personal guard 13, veteran garrison 7,
elite cavalry 12, veteran engineers 7
Lord Barnell prides himself on the military forces of House
Barnell, seeing them as the true measure of a house’s power.
With over three hundred soldiers at his command he has one
of the larger forces in the region, but the process of building
this force has kept his house’s wealth from increasing.
Since the house’s founding, Lord Barnell has built up his
personal guard, which he calls the Company of the Morn-
ingstar. They have accompanied him in every major battle he
has fought; most members have been with the house for at
least ten years. The Company of the Morningstar is well re-
spected in the region and endeavors to do its lord proud, on
the battlefield or off. The commander of the Company of the
Morningstar is Kieran Orell, the captain of the house guard
who served with Lord Barnell’s father years ago.
Company Grenward is the garrison force permanently
assigned to Castle Grenward and more specifically with
protecting Lady Barnell. These soldiers are not as skilled or
as respected as the Company of the Morningstar, but they
are still well trained and treated. Company Grenward and
9
 The Noble Houses
Company of the Morning Star
Elite Personal Guard * 13 Power
Automatic (0) Discipline
Athletics 4, Endurance 4, Fighting 5
Company Grenward
Veteran Garrison * 7 Power
Automatic (0) Discipline at home or Routine (6) away
Awareness 4, Endurance 3, Fighting 4
Riverroad Riders
Elite Cavalry * 12 Power
Automatic (0) Discipline
Agility 4, Animal Handling 4, Fighting 5
Jarion’s Siege Engineers
Veteran Engineers * 7 Power
Routine (6) Discipline
Endurance 4, Knowledge 3, Warfare 4
10
the Company of the Morningstar see each other as rivals,
mainly due to the fact Company Grenward has not had a
chance to prove itself since protecting Lady Barnell from
bandits when they were left behind during the Greyjoy Re-
bellion. They are itching to find a way to show their mettle
on the battlefield.
The most recent addition to the forces of House Barnell is
the Riverroad Riders, a cavalry unit that Lord Barnell formed
to allow him to exert military force across his territory with
greater speed. Recruited from the Company of the Morning-
star and various soldiers who have served with Lord Barnell in
the past, the Riverroad Riders have yet to be involved in any-
thing more dangerous than harrying bandits. Considering the
expense that went into equipping the Riders they are desperate
to prove their worth to Lord Barnell. Garret Snow has taken to
riding with the Riders, effectively taking command of the unit.
When Lord Barnell was first assigned to hold Castle
Grenward he was assigned a single siege engineer, Jarion Ur-
gont, to make sure the castle was secure. Jarion has remained
in the service of House Barnell ever since, in time building
up a skilled corps of engineers who see to the defenses of
the castle and the maintenance of its siege engines. Of all
the units under House Barnell they are the least interested in
combat, being more tradesmen than soldiers.
 The Noble Houses

Wealth: 18, Invested: 10 Lord Tomas Barnell Middle-Aged Fighter

(Michael Growne (artisan)) Abilities

A good half of the territory controlled by House Barnell is Agility 3

farmland that makes use of the fertile soil and plentiful water Animal Handling 3 Ride 2B
of the Trident. These farms primarily grow grains and veg- Athletics 4
etables and produce far more than House Barnell consumes,
Awareness 4
thus creating one of the main financial assets of the house.
Endurance 4
The secondary source of income for the house is lumber from
Grenward Forest, but these operations have been slow going Fighting 5 Bludgeons 3B
so far due to the legends about the forest. Unfortunately for Status 3 Reputation 1B
the house coffers, Lord Barnell has a habit of giving away Warfare 3 Command 2B, Strategy 1B
excess foodstocks to allies or stockpiling it in Caste Gren- Will 3 Dedication 1B
ward instead of arranging for its sale. This is one of the many
reasons for the continuing poverty of House Barnell, though Attributes
Castle Grenward is well prepared for a protracted siege in Combat Intrigue
10 9
the event one occurs. House Barnell also funnels much of Defense Defense
the money it does make into improving its defenses, as Lord Health 12 Composure 9
Barnell continually works to expand his military forces. Destiny Points 1
Lord Barnell has used some of his house’s meager wealth to
Benefits: Bludgeon Fighter I, Head of House
attract the services of a master smith named Michael Growne.
Drawbacks: Flaw (Agility)
Lord Barnell has had Growne working to equip the soldiers of
House Barnell with the best weapons and armor available. This Arms & Armor
endless work has driven Growne to the point of grumbling
Scale Armor: AR 6, AP -3, Bulk 2
to other servants in the castle about being overworked. When
Morning Shattering
drunk he sometimes boasts about looking for employment Star
5+2B 4 Damage
2, Vicious
elsewhere, where he might be treated with more respect. Thus
Large Bulk 1,
far these complaints have not reached Lord Barnell. shield
5-1D 2 Damage
Defensive +4

Characters Dagger 5 2 Damage

Fast, Off-
Hand +1

Following are the personages of note in House Barnell.
Lord Tomas Barnell
Tomas Barnell’s life did not begin well, his first breath coin-
ciding with his mother’s last. His father Garret, a poor hedge
knight, did not blame his son for her death. Instead Garret
blamed his own inability to afford proper care and food for
his wife in her time of need. His father’s guilt instilled in
Tomas a drive to gain wealth and power not for his own use,
but to protect his family and friends. Tomas’s intense ambi-
tion often leads others to think him greedy or power-hungry,
but in fact he is driven by making sure those he cares about
never suffer due to his lack of being able to provide for or
protect them.
Tomas spent most of his childhood traveling with his fa-
ther, learning to fight as soon as he could hold a weapon.
During these years his father served with most of the major
houses of the North, allowing Tomas to become familiar and
make friends within these noble families. He is still fondly
remembered among the Karstarks, Mormonts, and other
houses as a tough young child always looking to learn more
about fighting. Tales of his childhood among the houses of
the North often embarrass him today.
After years of faithful service, Ser Garret Barnell died
fighting bandits while in service to the Tallharts and Tomas
immediately took up his arms and armor. Tomas served with
several families before earning the respect of the Karstarks
while defending their lands from wildlings. An approving
word from the Karstarks got him added to the forces Eddard
Stark brought down from the North during the War of the
Usurper. His service to House Stark led to Tomas saving Ed-
dard Stark’s life by tripping into the path of a spear meant for
the Warden of the North. This deed was rewarded when Lord

11
 The Noble Houses
Stark assigned Tomas to take and control Castle Grenward,
which in turn led to his gaining a landed noble title, his life’s
goal finally coming true. In the years since then, Tomas has
learned that noble life is not what he expected. He is con-
stantly short of funds, never feels he has enough troops, and
suffers as the pariah of the local noble social circuit. He still
works to provide his family with security as best he can, but
now it seems he can never make them safe enough.
For many years Tomas loved a common woman from Kar-
hold by the name of Sonya, who gave him a son, Garret Snow.
Tomas supported Sonya and Garret but never married her,
dreaming that he might someday have the lands and means
to really provide for them. Sonya died of fever shortly after
Tomas became Lord of Castle Grenward, casting him into
despair for months. His son by Sonya, Garret, is the most
important thing in the world to Tomas and is the only sur-
viving reminder of the lost love of his life. Garret disappoints
his father with his womanizing and troublemaking but so far
Tomas’s love has allowed him to overlook these incidents.
Tomas’s marriage to Alianna Frey is one of political ne-
cessity alone. Tomas and Alianna may never be in love, but
they have a functional partnership; each sees their continued
cooperation as the best way to keep their sons alive, their sub-
12
jects safe, and themselves in relative comfort. While the two
disagree at times, for the most part each leaves the other to
attend to certain responsibilities: Tomas handles martial mat-
ters while Alianna handles societal niceties. Tomas has little
patience for Daveth, thinking him a weakling boy who needs
a few good beatings to toughen him up. His efforts to fix this
have not been successful.
Tomas’s martial experience colors his perspective on all
facets of life. He values a strong arm and a good suit of armor
far more than book learning, ledgers, and other less excit-
ing pursuits. He has little interest in court and only attends
those social functions he is required to, thus knowing little
of his noble neighbors and having little to no contact with
them. Tomas believes the key to running a noble house is
a strong military, a well defended castle, and loyal subjects,
often forgetting that someone has to find a way to pay his
soldiers, fund his castle maintenance, and feed his subjects.
So far Alianna and the castle steward Farris Leed have been
able to keep things under control, but the fortunes of House
Barnell are not getting any better. Tomas secretly yearns for
some new conflict to arise that will allow him to demonstrate
that his preparations have not been wasted.
Settling the matter of his heir is Tomas’s primary concern;
he wants to name Garret as his heir but Garret was born out
of wedlock. Tomas does not feel Daveth has what it takes to
lead militarily, even though Daveth has organizational and
social skills far in advance of his step-father. Lord and Lady
Barnell have tried to conceive an heir, but thus far the only
result of these efforts has been a great deal of discomfort. To-
mas has no brothers so the future of House Barnell beyond
the current generation is much in question. Tomas lacks the
station or influence necessary to prevail on His Grace to le-
gitimize Garret, but a few successes in the field in service to
Lord Stark might change that.
Tomas also wants to build a bridge over the Green Fork to
better allow his troops to cross his territory, but this will bring
him into direct conflict with House Frey, since they control
the only ford over the river. Lord Barnell is little concerned
with their anger, seeing his enterprise as being one of security,
not trade, but this will likely come back to haunt him. He
also wants to attract a maester and perhaps a septon to Castle
Grenward, though he must increase his family’s funds for this
to happen. While the benefits of a maester and septon to a
house are obvious, he also secretly hopes they can help him
find a way to avoid the Curse of Castle Grenward. Already
Tomas has seen several ghosts in the castle and he is con-
cerned they signal the imminent demise of his house. He is
willing to do just about anything to avoid this fate.
 The Noble Houses

Lady Alianna Barnell Lady Alianna Barnell Adult Schemer

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
Ser Silas Oberyn, a knight in service to House Tully. By that
point her reputation had spread and no other man of higher
station would have her.
Despite the inauspicious beginning of their relationship,
Alianna and Ser Silas did come to love each other and within
two years she had borne him a son, Daveth. Daveth was a
sickly child, so his parents focused on teaching him more
scholarly arts, with Ser Silas sparing no expense for the boy’s
tutelage, donating all his winnings at tournaments to such
concerns. Alianna thought that after Daveth survived sev-
eral childhood diseases her curse was over, but it was not so.
While serving the Tullys, Ser Silas was killed at the Battle of
the Bells, leaving her a widow with a son to care for and little
in the way of an estate to do it with.
With her husband’s death, Alianna again became a pariah as
House Frey was not interested in bringing someone so obvious-
ly cursed back into their household. Lord Walder Frey looked
for another option and found one a year later in the form of
Tomas Barnell, a newly minted lord who deeply needed some-
one with courtly experience by his side. Lord Frey was familiar
with the tales concerning the nature of Castle Grenward, and
thought it would be one of the few places best suited to send his
cursed granddaughter. Arrangements were made quickly and
the two wed in a small ceremony at Castle Grenward. The Freys
assume that since Lord Barnell has no family outside his son
that the house will be wiped out soon by one curse or the other,
giving House Frey a claim to the house’s land.
A lifetime as an outsider has led Alianna to believe that
eventually everyone will turn on her and that she can only
count on herself. The first exceptions to this were Daveth and
Ser Silas, but then Ser Silas — the first man to not treat her
like an unlucky penny — was taken from her. Through all this
she became a controlled, willful, but quiet woman. She has
learned to endure jibes and taunts, to pay no mind when she
is ignored or forced out. Instead she feels herself to be above
such petty concerns, projecting an aura of authority and stub-
Status 3 Breeding 2B
Will 4
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 10
Defense Defense
Health 6 Composure 12
Destiny Points 1
Benefits: Authority, Dutiful, Keen Senses
Drawbacks: Cursed
Arms & Armor
Defensive +1,
Dagger 3 1 Damage
Off-Hand +1
bornness that has let her force her way through many uncom-
fortable social situations. She refuses to be brought down to
the level of those who would insult or oppose her.
Unfortunately, these coping mechanisms have left Alianna
a cold woman. The only person in this world she truly loves is
her son Daveth and there is likely little room in her heart for
anyone else. Lord Tomas Barnell she has befriended since he
treats her fairly and respects her opinion on matters he knows
little about, but the relationship will never develop into love.
Alianna sees Garret as an annoyance, but she knows that he
has been a good friend to Daveth.
More than anything, Alianna wants to prove to House Frey
and all the others that treated her as a pariah that she is bet-
ter than that. She feels the way prove her point is to ensure
the continued survival of House Barnell, and that living well
will be the best revenge. Alianna is not concerned about the
opinions of others, even at court, instead focusing on concrete
sources of power and influence. Since Lord Barnell has little
interest in court, Lady Barnell has become the house’s ambas-
sador, visiting neighboring houses as she can, often with Da-
veth in tow. She is adept at games of court, but is most con-
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

didn’t stop Garret’s carousing, but they did slow him down. Lord
Barnell thanks the gods every day that his son has not already
sired a bastard with these liaisons.
In more recent times Garret has become just one more
oddity in a house of oddities, a bastard born of a smallfolk
woman who is an accepted part of the household. Garret’s
wild and lecherous ways do not help his reputation, and other
local lords joke that they will lock up their daughters if House
Barnell brings its bastard son on a visit. Garret spends most
of his time drilling with his father’s soldiers, particularly the
Riverroad Riders. He can often be found out riding with the
Riders or drinking with them in taverns in Wellyn, and they
have begun to look to Garret for leadership. The appointed
leader of the Riders, Captain Fenrick Atell, does not appreci-
ate this usurpation and is looking for any poor behavior to
report to Garret’s father.
Garret Snow is a man of cunning and passion. He goes
after what he wants with all his heart, much like his father,
but Garret wants very different things. While Lord Barnell
seeks security for his family, Garret seeks adventure and en-
joyment. Being a clever and self-effacing sort, Garret admits
he is shallower than his father, or even his step-brother. Gar-
ret struggles with the fact he will never be his father and so
tries to be his own man. At his heart Garret Snow is the
romantic his father never was, always questing for a better life
just because it’s better and exciting, not for any greater cause.
Garret realizes he would quickly lead House Barnell into ruin
if he were made its head, so he pushes his father to recognize
Daveth as the heir instead of himself—or for his father and
Lady Barnell to have a child of their own. He realizes this is
cutting off his best chance at living the life he wants, full of
women and comfort, but he thinks he wants to obtain those
things on his own merits and without hurting his family’s
fortunes in the process.
Despite their differences in personality and goals, Garret
and Daveth are good friends. Garret tries to get Daveth out
into the world to experience life and learn how it all really
works away from ledgers and books, while Daveth tries to get
Garret to think a little more and act impulsively a little less.
Garret also likes his step-mother, but doesn’t have much in
common with her. Most of their interactions are her scolding
him for some recent improper behavior.
Daveth Barnell
From an early age, it was evident that Daveth would never be
a great warrior like his father Ser Silas. He was slim of body
and weak of arm, and looked like he could be felled by a ran-
The Noble Houses
dom gust of wind. His mother and father
accepted this and encouraged other
pursuits for him, buying him all man-
ner of books and employing a mae-
ster to teach him. As a child Dav-
eth wanted nothing more than to
grow up to become a maester
and spend his days in study.
The death of Ser Silas opened
Daveth’s eyes to how the world
really worked. His teacher left,
his books were sold, and his own family saw him as a weight
to be offloaded as soon as possible.
At age ten Daveth’s mother married Lord Barnell and Da-
veth moved to Castle Grenward, counting himself lucky to
get the room at the top of the tower that had been inhab-
ited by the maester the Darrys had in their service. The man
had died during Robert’s Rebellion, but most of his tools and
books remained in the tower where he had left them. Daveth
immediately went to work figuring out how to use the tools
and reading all the books he could. While Daveth has never
received maester training, he knows much of their arts and
looks to learn more.
Whereas Daveth’s mother and father encouraged his
studies, his new step-father had little interest in his con-
tinuing such activities. Lord Barnell thought Daveth a
weakling from the start and this opinion has never changed.
Lord Barnell has spent many hours trying to teach Daveth
swordplay, riding, and archery, but Daveth has proved inept
and uninterested in any of these. Garret has likewise helped
try and teach Daveth some manner of military skill in the
hope of increasing his stature in Lord Barnell’s eyes, but has
met similar problems.
While Daveth has little skill in matters martial, he has a keen
head for numbers, management, and social interactions—even
exceeding his mother in the latter regard. In the last few years
Daveth has assisted the castle steward, Farris Leed, in oversee-
ing the castle’s management, and his efforts have increased the
profits of the castle substantially. Lord Barnell does not notice
these successes, aside from using the money to hire more troops.
Daveth is confident that if he was given actual control of the
house he would be able to increase its funds and influence.
Daveth takes after his mother, favoring logic and cunning
over passion and emotion. Daveth sees the austere façade his
mother puts up and tries to emulate it, but while he is much
like her, years of living with Garret have changed him some-
what. The two are friends and Garret’s impulsive nature and
ambition have helped Daveth get out of his shell. The two
15
 The Noble Houses

complement each other well, Garret providing the muscle
and skullduggery while Daveth uses his brains and scholarly
training. On more than one occasion, Garret has drafted Da-
veth into a scheme to bed a girl—schemes which rarely work
out the way either lad had hoped.
It is evident to Garret and Lady Barnell that Daveth is the
best choice to take over as the head of House Barnell, but nei-
ther Lord Barnell nor Daveth sees that. Lord Barnell thinks
Daveth a weakling, while Daveth, ironically, agrees that he
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
what his father and step-father focused on. Daveth feels he
must prove his worth both to his step-father and himself if
he is to become Lord Barnell, an end result that both Gar-
ret and Lady Barnell support. And while he denies that he
wants to lead House Barnell, Daveth knows he could lead
it to greatness with just some more organization and social
graces, especially if he has Garret at his side.
Daveth’s overall goal is to undo what he sees as the harm
Lord Barnell has inflicted on House Barnell. He hopes to
improve the family’s wealth by focusing on the house’s farm-
ing and lumber operations rather than adding more soldiers.
He would raise the family’s influence by spending time at
the courts of neighboring houses, in contrast to his step-
Daveth Barnell Young Adult Expert
father, who favors his own hearth. Daveth also wants to put
to rest the stories of the Curse of Castle Grenward and its
ghosts once and for all, thinking such stories have no place
in this age of reason and logic. Daveth has yet to experience
any of the supernatural activity at House Grenward and dis-
misses stories of it as the results of drinking. What his actual
purpose in denying the superstitions, however, is to protect
his mother, since he believes she equates the castle’s curse
with her own.
Farris Leed, Steward
When Eddard Stark urged Farris Leed to come to Castle
Grenward eight years ago to help the newly ennobled Lord
Barnell set up his household, Farris was an energetic man
with a full head of hair. Now he is a skeleton of a man ren-
dered almost bald by the frustration of his position. Farris
also lost much of his good humor in those years, as he had to
cut corners and take out loans to support the military forces
Lord Barnell required. He has grown accustomed to meet-
ing unreasonable demands, but his recent interactions with
Daveth Barnell give him some hope that eventually someone
with an actual grasp of how a noble house runs will be in
charge. Hopefully Farris can keep the books sufficiently bal-
anced until then.

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

Michal Growne, Castle Smith
House Barnell has never had much money in its coffers, but
four years ago the house gained an unexpected windfall when
Lord Barnell performed particularly well at a tournament held
by the Tullys. He used the winnings to acquire the services of a
master smith by the name of Michal Growne with the goal of
better arming his troops. Before coming to Castle Grenward,
Growne had worked in King’s Landing and thought he was
leaving the city to serve a wealthy and powerful lord. He has
been disappointed ever since, especially considering the work
load that Lord Barnell expects from him. Growne mutters now
about leaving Castle Grenward to find service elsewhere, but is
too scared of Lord Barnell to do so currently.
Muddying the Palette
If you’d like to make House Barnell a bit darker in tone, con-
sider that Alianna and Tomas don’t really love one another;
each knows that the other accepted the marriage because
they had no choice. Their bitterness has led their sons Gar-
ret Snow and Daveth Barnell not to become close friends
but rather enemies. Alianna and Daveth scheme to ensure
Daveth’s rise to power, while Garret and Tomas do much the
same on Garret’s behalf. Players of other houses could easily
become embroiled in these incestuous plots.
House Bartheld
Heraldry: A brown boar running on a black field.
Motto: “Joy in Service”
Although it was loyalty to
House Baratheon that initially
raised the Barthelds to the
nobility, the denizens of Hart
House later became known
for hosting indulgent—some
might even say depraved—fes-
tivities each year, at which an ev-
er-changing roster of guests would
drink deep of their host’s hospitality.
Fittingly, the most recent lord of Hart
House abdicated his role to his grandson so that he could pur-
sue the hand of Lady Yve of House Tullison. The new master of
the house, Davain Bartheld, is much more conservative than his
forbears, which is not sitting particularly well with most other
members of his family.
The Noble Houses
History
House Bartheld is a minor lineage, born thirty years after Ae-
gon’s landing when a serving boy saved Lord Raffin Barathe-
on from assassination. One of Baratheon’s banner knights is
said to have knighted the lad on the spot. Ser Hamish Bar-
theld went on to prove that even a serving boy could rise to
great heights. Although he was never brilliant—or even very
good—as a soldier or a statesman, he developed a reputation
for honor and loyalty that served him and his descendents
well. To this day, House Bartheld is a family where good faith
is regarded more highly than skill or cleverness.
Ser Hamish developed a huge appetite for everything life as
a noble offered. By the time he died, he was obese, red-faced
from drink, and suffering from several venereal diseases. The
first Bartheld took his degeneration with good humor and, it is
said, died with no regrets. The Barthelds emulate their epony-
mous ancestor, though most are more careful with their health.
All of Hamish’s children—trueborn and bastard—did well for
themselves in their own way. Some became Maesters at the
Citadel or took the Black and several were knighted as well.
Despite gaining some respect as a family, without land,
the Barthelds were dependent on the Baratheons for wealth
and station. In return, the Barthelds have served the Barathe-
ons as squires, chamberlains, companions, bodyguards, and
bedwarmers and prospered. The most cynical Barthelds
claimed—but never within earshot of their patrons—that
House Baratheon never granted them holdings of their own
to keep them dependent, so that the Baratheons could con-
tinue to enjoy the fruits of Bartheld labor.
Although they maintained a close relationship with House
Baratheon, the Barthelds also acted as procurers and body-
guards for other houses, for a price. Rumors persist—vocif-
erously denied by the Barthelds themselves—that the fam-
ily whored its sons and daughters in the hard days after the
Dance of Dragons. These stories continue to stain the House’s
reputation.
Brom Bartheld, the first true lord of the house, began his
career as a knight in service to King Robert’s father. He was
also a friend of Lord Jamys Kytley, called the Sybarite, and a
frequent guest at Jamys’s extravagant parties. When Brom’s
cousin Tobias Bartheld tried to open Broms’s eyes to Jamys’s
abuse and neglect of his smallfolk, Brom refused. Jamys was
his friend, and that was all he would let himself see.
Brom and his sons, including one who served Robert as
a squire, joined Robert’s Rebellion and distinguished them-
selves in battle. Although Brom survived the Trident, two of
17
 The Noble Houses
his four sons did not. As a form of compensation for the fam-
ily’s years of service and Brom’s sacrifice, King Robert finally
granted House Bartheld land of its own. House Bartheld was
given the territory of House Asrig, which had lost all its sons
in the war fighting on behalf of the Targaryens.
House Asrig had been the worst kind of nobles. Inspired
by the cruelty of the Targaryens, they had satisfied their de-
sire for luxuries and companionship at the expense of the
smallfolk and indulged in cruel, extravagant punishments.
Lord Leofrick Asrig was particularly fond of punishing en-
tire families or villages for the misdeeds of a few. On one
memorable occasion that a peasant insulted his wife with a
bold stare, Lord Leofrick gave the man’s friends and neigh-
bors a choice: either they delivered his eyes to the castle, or
he would send his knights to claim ten. Upon hearing of the
death of her husband and sons, Lady Inez Asrig had ordered
every village and fortification burned to the ground and set
fire to the castle from the inside. Brom Bartheld arrived to
discover that his new house seat had been devastated. All
the major structures and most of the villages had been de-
stroyed and the peasants were traumatized and distrustful,
eager to believe that their new lord was just as bad as the
old one.
18
When Hart House was complete, Brom celebrated with a
huge feast. The party won Brom many allies and goodwill from
his creditors. Inspired, Brom turned his native hospitality into
a tool. Since then Hart House has hosted a variety of colorful
characters, from young men avoiding duels they can’t win to
young women avoiding suitors they can’t shake to old lords
reliving glory days they can’t repeat. Brom Bartheld boasts—
without revealing any details—that Hart House has hosted at
least one septon and his lover, and helped a pair of star-crossed
lovers avoid their families long enough to be married in secret.
Young Davain Bartheld, Brom’s oldest grandson, is the cur-
rent lord of the House. Brom retired unexpectedly and left
Hart House—his aging squire, Dart Rivers, in tow—to seek
the hand of Lady Yve Tullison. Davain is something of a black
sheep, an ascetic in a family of sybarites. Davain has already
alienated some of his wilder family members by toning down
the yearly party. Davain’s father was particularly insulted by
his decision to hire businesslike middle-aged servers rather
than attractive girls, and his uncle Kent was annoyed to dis-
cover that Davain has banned hunting parties from departing
Hart House with more than a single wineskin. Davain’s cous-
in Fendrel, on the other hand, is concerned that overabun-
dant sobriety will hurt the house’s standing. The Barthelds

thrived under Brom’s hospitality and permissiveness, and he
is afraid that sobriety and propriety will ruin them.
Fendrel Bartheld, currently a guest of Hart House, is prob-
ably his cousin Davain’s worst enemy. Though Davain has
the right of inheritance, Fendrel resents him and feels that
Davain is not a proper Bartheld. He schemes to disgrace
Davain and replace him.
However, Davain is not completely alone. His uncle Tobias
remembers that summer will not last forever. With winter
surely on the horizon, he believes that House Bartheld will
benefit from more sober leadership. Not all of his sons agree,
but at least one of them, Ser Alec, is Davain’s ally, though his
duties to the crown keep him away from Hart House.
Holdings
House Bartheld has the following holdings.
Defense: 30, Invested: 30
Hart House (hall) 20, Robert’s Hammer (tower) 10
The seat of House Bartheld is a huge manor rather than a true
castle. Brom commissioned an image of the Baratheon arms to
be fixed over the front door. The house is full of stag imagery,
from the frolicking stags on the tapestries to the stag’s head
newel tops to the huge stone stags that flank the entrance.
A trained eye notices that although it was not built to
repel a siege, Hart House is not entirely defenseless. The
walls are made of good stone, well laid and well mortared,
and doors are made of stout wood banded with iron. Much
of the house’s decorations are placed so that right-handed
attackers charging up the stairs will entangle their swords
in tapestries and statues, leaving them open to attack from
right-handed defenders charging down at them. Secret pas-
sages in the wine cellar lead to safety and collapse with a
good kick to the right timber. Most importantly, Hart
House is situated on a bluff overlooking a forested valley.
In order to reach the manor, attackers would have to make
their way up the slope, in full view of the house. Although
not a castle by any means, Hart House was built by a man
who had survived the rule of a mad king and the bloody war
to unseat him, and it takes care of its inhabitants.
Influence: 38, Invested: 20 (Fendrel Bartheld)
House Bartheld is a minor house with a colorful history.
Characters like Hobb Bartheld, who died almost a hun-
dred years ago protecting Esme Baratheon’s virtue during
a bandit attack while on the way to the Eyrie and Ser Kyle
The Noble Houses
Jamys the Sybarite at Hart House
A little more than a week into Jamys’s last visit to Hart
House, the lord was challenged by one of Brom’s small-
folk who claimed that Jamys had seduced his teenage
daughter. Her prospects were ruined, and he demanded
Lord Kytley offer compensation. Enraged at the cheek,
Kytley paid the price in steel, as he slew the farmer, but
allowed the family to keep the weapon used in the deed.
Jamys left a letter for Brom, with payment for the farmer’s
lost taxes, and left.
Brom never spoke publicly about the incident, but
Jamys Kytley was never welcomed back to Hart House
and Brom never accepted another of Jamys’s invitations,
though he was as warm as ever when they chanced to
meet elsewhere. Relations between House Kytley and
House Bartheld have been strained ever since.
Bartheld, King Robert’s grandfather’s confidante, are still
admired by the great houses. House Bartheld’s reputation
for hospitality wins it many friends and a great deal of influ-
ence. On the other hand, the Baratheons kept the Bartheld
family dependent upon them for more than two hundred
and fifty years, and everyone knows it. Nobody in Westeros
even pretends that House Bartheld has the power to deter-
mine its own fate.
Lands: 40, Invested: 38
(lightly forested hills with a ruined castle 13, plains 5,
Hartville (hamlet) 10, South Yard (hamlet) 10)
House Bartheld’s holdings consist of two domains: the lightly
forested hills rising on the highlands and the valley grass-
land below. House Bartheld’s smallfolk live in two hamlets.
Hartville supports Hart House and houses the peasants who
work in the vineyards further up in the highlands behind the
manor and South Yard farms the fertile soil of the valley. A
ruined castle, the haunted remains of the House Asrig seat,
squats in the forests near Hart House.
In the fifteen years that he was the head of House Bartheld,
Lord Brom built Hart House, repaired an Asrig watchtower
into Robert’s Hammer, and planted a vineyard in the high-
lands behind Hart House. He could probably have achieved
more, had he not been occupied by filling Hart House with
fine wine and pretty girls.
Law: 20
The Barthelds keep their peasants happy, and happy peasants
do not become bandits. However, Brom never devoted much
of his energy to patrolling his lands, and banditry became en-
19
 The Noble Houses

House Bartheld of Hart House

Liege Lord: King Robert Baratheon I
Defense 30 Hart House (Hall, 20), Robert’s Hammer (Tower, 10)
Influence 38 Fendrel Bartheld (Heir, 20)
Lands 40 Lightly Forested Hills with Ruin (13), Plains with two Hamlets (25), Expendable 2
Law 20 House Fortunes -5
Population 18 House Fortunes +0
Hart House Guardians: (Green Personal Guard; 7 Power) - Easy (3) Discipline - Fighting 3
Power 11 Robert’s Hammer: (Green Garrison; 3 Power) - Routine (6) Discipline at home or Formidable (12) away - Awareness 3
Expendable 1
Anton Black (Artisan, 10, House Fortunes +1), Maester Forthwind (10, House Fortunes +3), Vineyards (10, House Fortunes
Wealth 43
+3), Expendable 13
Total House Fortunes Modifier +2

demic along the borders of his land. Davain is not so tolerant,

however, and he intends to wipe them out. The most perni-
cious group of bandits around Bartheld lands is the Black
Serpents.
Population: 18
Most of House Bartheld’s smallfolk are hardworking, prac-
tical people who care very little for the affairs of nobles, so
long as they can live unmolested in their farmsteads and
hamlets.
Wealth: 43, Invested: 30
(Anton Black (artisan) 10,
Maester Forthwind 10, vineyards 10)
House Bartheld is unusually wealthy for a minor house. Years
of Baratheon patronage and Brom’s successful vineyards have
contributed to the house’s growing fortunes. The members of
House Bartheld can count on a stipend if they need it. More
importantly, if war comes to Bartheld lands, the family can
afford to hire excellent mercenaries.

Power: 11, Invested: 10

(green personal guard 7, green garrison 3)
House Bartheld only has a small force of untested soldiers
at its disposal, mostly made up of peasant volunteers hoping
to improve their lot in life through service to the nobil-
ity. House Bartheld has no banner houses, navy, or cavalry.
House Bartheld must answer House Baratheon’s call in bat-
tle, but when they do it will be with only one or two troops
of light infantry.
Hart House Guardians
Green Personal Guard * 1 Power
Easy (3) Discipline Fighting 3
Robert’s Hammer
Green Garrison * 1 Power
Routine (6) Discipline at home or Formidable (12) away
Awareness 3
Hart House
House Bartheld’s seat is the extensive estate at Hart House.
The Wine Cellar
Hart House’s wine cellar is one of the best in Westeros.
Brom Bartheld knew nothing of wine—except that he liked
to drink it—but he consulteda variety of Maesters schooled
in winemaking when the time came to build a wine cellar,
and he spared no expense on its construction. As a result, the
cellar is naturally maintained at the perfect temperature and
humidity for aging fine wines. The dark, cool recesses of the
cellar are also a perfect place for trysts that should not see the
light of day. Many nobles and their servants, men and women
who are married, but not to each other, and stranger pairings
have found a place in Hart House’s wine cellar. Before he
left Hart House to pursue Lady Yve, Brom often joked that
he should arrange for a basket of blankets and pillows by the
cellar door.

20
 The Noble Houses

New Wealth Holding

vineyard
Vineyards yield wines that can generate additional income.
Requirement: Hills or Plains; Realm (any but The North)
Investment: 10 Time: 24+2d6 Months

Owning a vineyard grants a +5 bonus on House Fortune

rolls.

The vineyards of Hart House are similarly impressive,

though by chance instead of design. The soil of the highlands
behind Hart House are perfect for growing a wide variety
of grapes and producing several wines that are increasingly
popular in Westeros. In addition to renting out some of the
surrounding lands, wine sales from Hart House make up a
significant part of House Bartheld’s income.

The Grand Ballroom

The grand ballroom is another of Hart House’s attractions. The
grand ballroom is huge—practically its own wing—with mar-
ble floors, a huge chandelier, and a mirrored ceiling. Like the
rest of the manor, the ballroom is covered with stag imagery.
Stag mosaics feature prominently on the marble floor and on
the tapestries. The marble floor can be heated in winter by an
underground furnace. Between the mirrored ceiling, the heated
floor, and the chandelier, the ballroom is ready to reproduce
the feeling of a midsummer night even in the depths of winter.
The Sept
Hart House is not a pious place. The manor lacks a godswood
entirely, and the sept is a small building off to one side. The sept
is well made, but unassuming and infrequently used, As evi-
denced by the dust on the seven-sided crystal and bas relief im-
ages. Still, it is a place of peace and quiet in a house that is often
full of madcap activity. Brom never acquired the services of a
septon, and Davain has shown no inclination to do so either.
The Grounds
Finally, the grounds of Hart House—the gardens surround-
ing it and the forest in the valley below—are immaculately
tended. The forest exists to be hunted in and ridden through.
Like the rest of Hart House, both the garden and the for-
est have seen many licentious uses, with one exception. A
simple stone monument in the garden commemorates Brom
Bartheld’s sons and every other man and woman killed in
Robert’s Rebellion. Brom was adamant that this part of the
garden be a place of solemnity and respect, and Lord Davain
has continued this edict.
Davain’s Forge
Davain’s forge is quite new, commissioned by the nobleman
upon inheriting Hart House. The forge resembles any city’s
smithy, but with the finest tools and highest quality steel.
Davain doesn’t shoe horses in his spare time; he makes fine
daggers and beautiful swords. Davain’s forge is situated as
close as possible to the manor, but far enough away that the
noise and smell doesn’t bother his guests.
Although everyone refers to the smithy as “Davain’s Forge,”
Davain is not the only one to work the forge. Anton Black
became Davain’s friend and mentor while Davain fostered
with the Swanns at Raintree. When Davain came into his in-
heritance and moved to Hart House, Anton came with him.
The Guardhouse: Robert’s Hammer
The so-called guardhouse is really more of a small castle. This
is the place to which inhabitants of Hart House will retreat

21
 The Noble Houses
if they are ever attacked. The guardhouse is a single tower
ringed by a tall crenellated wall. The secret passages from
Hart House’s cellar emerge nearby, making it an ideal refuge.
Behind the wall are a storehouse, a small forge, and a barracks.
Robert’s Hammer is not a particularly strong fortress, and it
isn’t meant to be. Rather than holding off a determined siege,
it is meant to save the lives of the people inside it. Robert’s
Hammer should be just difficult enough to overwhelm that
an invading force is likely to take the battle elsewhere, leaving
its inhabitants to escape. Robert’s Hammer is also situated so
that it can act as a watchtower and warn the smallfolk and the
inhabitants of Hart House of an approaching attack.
Characters
These are the people who comprise House Bartheld, as well
as their notable retainers.
Lord Davain Bartheld
Lord Davain Bartheld is the son of Jerome Bartheld, Brom’s
eldest son, who fell during Robert’s Rebellion—and Thea
Bartheld (herself a child of House Dondarrion). Upon Brom’s
22
retirement, Davain became the master of Hart House. He
is a tall, well-favored man of nineteen. Davain has a steady
sort of face: handsome, but not wildly so, with straight teeth
and, strong, symmetrical features. Davain’s resemblance to his
grandfather is striking, though he looks very little like either
of his parents. Davain has a large frame and powerful shoul-
ders and arms. Despite his family’s history of Baratheon dal-
liance, Davain has golden hair, tanned skin, and bright blue
eyes. He is the picture of a young lord of Andal blood.
Davain was fostered with his mother’s cousin, Terrowin
Swann, at his castle in Raintree, south of Storm’s End. Under
Terrowin’s tutelage, Davain grew up to be a hard working and
disciplined young lord, full of a sense of responsibility to his
family and his smallfolk.
The members of House Bartheld were shocked when Brom
walked away from his royal gift and left Hart House and
leadership of the house to Davain. Brom is unreasonably fond
of his serious grandson, and Davain is equally fond of his ec-
centric, decadent grandfather. King Robert was incensed by
what he saw as Brom’s insult—to abandon a lordship and a
holding that were gifts from His Grace, in pursuit of a wom-
an! The royal family has not visited Hart House since Davain
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
 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

The Sons of Brom Bartheld

Brom is the oldest surviving Bartheld, though he has retired from his duties. His oldest living son is Ser Walder, a retainer
attending Renly Baratheon, and Ser Kent, a commander in King Robert’s military. Walder has three children aside from
Davain: Osmund, who became a Maester at the Citadel and serves the household of Lord Erik Fell, Ser Edmund, a perma-
nent guest of Hart House, and Ser Raffin, who took the black. Kent has two children: Ser Fendrel, a schemer who vies with
Davain for control of House Bartheld, and Ysme, another of Hart House’s inhabitants.

23
 The Noble Houses

Lady Ayleth Bartheld Adult Schemer

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

her standing and the standing of her husband. Unfortunately,
she is addicted to the game of the noble social scene. She
loves to dance and flirt, and in the eyes of some, she leads men
on. Davain seems to understand that she is only playing, but
others—like Ser Corbin Celtigar—might not understand. If
she is not careful, she might lead herself and her husband into
a deadly trap.
Ser Corbin Celtigar
Those who have heard Ser Corbin
Celtigar’s reputation as a woman-
izer are surprised by his appear-
ance. Corbin’s face is not particularly
good-looking, with the exception
of his blue eyes. His features are
squashed and slightly asymmetrical
and he has an ugly scar on his fore-
head. He is short but powerfully built,
with dirty blond hair. But Corbin’s
charm becomes clear as soon as he
speaks; he is disarmingly witty, with
a quick smile and an easy laugh. He has a gently self-depre-
cating sense of humor and no false dignity. Most importantly,
Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 12
Defense Defense
Health 6 Composure 9
Destiny Points 2
Benefits: Attractive, Charismatic, Magnetic
Drawback: Haughty
Arms & Armor
Defensive +1,
Dagger 2 1 Damage
Off-hand +1
Corbin genuinely likes people—even the smallfolk, and espe-
cially women—and wants them to be happy.
Unfortunately, Corbin has a tragically short temper and
disregard for propriety. He seems obsessed with bedding
every woman he can find. Corbin’s appetites are the reason
he is at Hart House. Corbin was found abed with Bonnie
Spider, the wife of Tyvin Spider, an infamous duelist with
close connections to House Lannister. Rather than let the
son of a vassal get killed, but unwilling to personally inter-
vene, King Robert sent Corbin to Hart House to wait it
out. While tempers cool in King’s Landing, Corbin cools
his heels at Hart House, bothering the maids and washer-
women.
While grateful for the sanctuary, Corbin dislikes his host.
Although Davain keeps his opinions to himself, Corbin sees
Davain’s disapproval in every word and gesture. Although
he has not directly chastised Corbin directly, Davain keeps
the attractive young serving girls away. Furthermore, Corbin
has always had an irrational dislike of tall men. Worst of

24
 The Noble Houses

Ser Corbin Celtigar Adult Fighter Maester Forthwind Middle-Aged Expert

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-
ers. It took him the better part of a year. The Maesters were
impressed with his dedication—and more impressed with
his intelligence and self-education—and admitted him to
the Citadel at once.
Forthwind is happy with his assignment to the Barthelds.
He enjoys life at Hart House, with its numerous guests, their
varied appetites, and their ill-considered schemes and pas-
sions. Forthwind considers himself an observer, here to serve
Hart House, monitor the seasons and the heavens and report
his findings to the Citadel, and enjoy the fine offerings of
Hart House’s kitchens. Forthwind’s main vice is food, which
he enjoys with gusto. Although he is not a cook himself,
Forthwind has made a study of wine and is a brilliant som-
melier. He has a dark red copper link in his Maester’s chain
to prove it.
Forthwind is an easy-going man, genuinely fond of most of
Hart House’s inhabitants. He likes that Lord Davain respects
his learning, enjoys flirting harmlessly with Lady Ayleth and
suggesting recipes to the cook, Bevan Sand. Forthwind was
close to Lord Brom and may miss him more than anyone in
Hart House, except possibly Davain himself.
Anton Black
Anton Black performs two primary functions at Hart House.
First, he is a master artisan, keeping the manor’s blades sharp
and providing a source of income and prestige. Second, he is
Lord Davain’s mentor and confidante.
Anton was born into the service of House Swann at Rain-
tree. His father was a hostler and his mother was one of the
Maester’s assistants. As a child, Anton was full of nervous
energy and frustrated creativity. His parents thought that he
was doomed to either be killed in an accident or fight or get
into serious trouble before he was fully grown. Fortunately,
Raintree’s smith saw that Anton had potential and took him
under his wing. He gave Anton a trade, but more important-
ly, Robin taught Anton discipline. When Robin died, Anton
took over as Raintree’s smith and held the position for several
decades.
When Davain arrived at Raintree, Anton saw a kindred
spirit. Davain was also full of energy and without discipline.
Anton felt he had no choice but to save Davain the way he
had been saved. He first attracted Davain’s by implying that
learning how to make swords would make Davain a better
fighter. Davain declared that he was “done with” Anton five
times during the course of his childhood at Raintree, but An-
ton always managed to draw him back. Davain himself was
26
looking for a strong father figure, though he didn’t know it.
Davain rightfully credits Anton with making him the man he
is today, and when he came to Hart House, he invited Anton
to come with him.
Anton is a big man with tan skin and wiry black hair. He
is rarely seen outside the forge and usually wears a smith’s
sturdy clothes and leather apron. His mannerisms are quick
and forceful. Most of the teeth on the right side of Anton’s
mouth are gone as a result of a fight when he was fourteen
and his voice is muffled. Davain has a lot of practice under-
standing him, but most others find it difficult. Anton listens
carefully, but rarely speaks.
Bevan Sand
Hart House’s chief cook is a tall, narrow Dornishman with
dark skin, dark eyes, and dark, curly hair. His features are too
sharp and his eyes too beady and close together for him to be
handsome, but he is a little exotic looking. Bevan’s face has
an odd resemblance to Hart House’s Maester Forthwind’s, a
similarity made comical by Bevan’s lanky build as compared
to Forthwind’s pudge. Like any good chef, Bevan samples
his food constantly as he cooks. He says he’d be as pudgy
as Forthwind if only he could slow himself down; he dashes
throughout the kitchen, constantly ensuring that everything
is just so.
Bevan is very good at what he does and resents any inter-
ruption or meddling in his kitchen. He considers himself lord
and master of the kitchen, worthy of the same respect as King
Robert on his throne.
Lord Brom Bartheld
Although a member of House Bartheld, Lord Brom, the for-
mer head of the house and master of Hart House, currently
resides at Mountain’s Reach as a semi-permanent guest while
he woos the beautiful Lady Yve Tullison. Said to be slightly
mad, Brom has abdicated his responsibilities in favor of his
grandson Lord Davain, although he is still the most senior
member of House Bartheld. Furthermore, Brom is fiercely
proud of Hart House and dotes on Davain. Brom cherishes
all his grandchildren—each one reminds him that it is a mir-
acle that any of his sons survived the Trident—and Davain is
his special favorite.
If trouble comes to Hart House, or Davain needs his help,
Brom is sure to return—but he may not be entirely welcome.
King Robert elevated Brom to lordly status after centuries of
Bartheld family service to House Baratheon, and Brom abdi-

cated this responsibility just a few years later. If Brom isn’t as
mad as they say, he must realize that further involving himself
in Baratheon family politics could be downright dangerous
for his grandson. See page 73 for more details about this ec-
centric personality.
Cecily Cooper
Davain Bartheld would be surprised to discover that the lead-
er of the Black Serpent Band, the largest group of bandits in
his domain, is a woman. Cecily was fifteen years old when her
home was destroyed in one of the final battles of Robert’s Re-
bellion. Her family was killed and the nobles they served were
entirely wiped out. With nowhere to go, Cecily fell in with
a traveling band of similarly displaced peasants. The peasants
eventually turned to banditry to survive, and Cecily joined
them. She surprised everyone with a tremendous capacity for
violence and talent for leadership and eventually became the
leader of the band.
Cecily is a pragmatic woman. She has become accus-
tomed to life as a powerful woman in a sexist society. She
has raided villages and disrupted trade up and down Weste-
ros for a decade and a half, staying long enough to enrich
herself, but not so long as to get caught. The territory around
Hart House has been ideal for the past five years. The lords
have seen to their pleasures in the manor, leaving the coun-
tryside to Cecily and her band, so long as the Black Serpents
weren’t too bold.
Cecily isn’t sure what to do about Davain Bartheld. He’s a
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
spends time and resources improving his domain. It’s past
time to move on, but this new lord makes Cecily wonder.
Maybe, after all these years, it’s time to become legitimate.
Cecily is a tough-looking woman of thirty, as scarred and
muscular as any knight. She keeps her brown hair cut short
and wears masculine clothing, but makes no effort to hide her
gender. Cecily is swarthy and dark-eyed. Some of her men are
unsatisfied with a female leader and would kill her and take
over the band if they could. As a result, Cecily always goes
armed and armored.
Ser Edmund Bartheld
In any other family, Edmund would be considered a failure.
Edmund—Davain’s little brother—is a passable swordsman,
but shows no interest in mastering that or any skill appropri-
ate to a nobleman. Neither does he show interest in swear-
The Noble Houses
ing himself to the service of some potent lord. Instead, Ed-
mund spends his days at Hart House in the company of his
manservant Reginald, reading and writing poetry, compiling
histories of Westeros, and studying the properties of herbs
and minerals like a peasant farmwife. Edmund doesn’t even
pursue a beneficial marriage to the daughter of an important,
influential, or wealthy lord. If he had been born a Lannister,
Edmund would have been pressured to join the Faith or the
Maesters or take the black a long time ago.
However, no one can deny that Edmund has the trait the
Barthelds hold most dear: absolute loyalty. Several important
lords consider Edmund a friend and confidante, and he has
kept their secrets in the face of bribery, threats, and black-
mail. Although a mediocre swordsman, at best, Edmund has
faced more than one duel to protect the honor of his friends.
He took a wound defending Lord Gyles Rosby’s skill as a
general and was nearly killed over an insult to Ser Addam
Marbrand’s wife.
Hart House has become Edmund’s home, though he
makes frequent trips to visit his friends in King’s Landing,
Lannisport, and other cities and castles of Westeros.
Edmund is a slender young man with delicate features
and a middling complexion. He wears his auburn hair cut
short. He and Davain have the same intensely blue eyes,
inherited from Brom. Edmund dresses well, in Bartheld
colors, and rarely bothers to carry a sword. In addition to his
storied honor, Edmund is actually quite shy. He prefers the
company of Reginald and his few close friends—including
Lord Davain.
Ser Fendrel Bartheld
Fendrel fears the consequences of his cousin Davain’s ascen-
dancy. He is an inveterate schemer and dedicated pleasure-
seeker, but still devoted to the fortunes of House Bartheld.
Unlike Davain, he believes that Bartheld should continue
to curry favor by catering to the needs of powerful nobles
from Westeros’s great houses, especially Baratheon. Fendrel
is involved in many schemes that exploit the desires of sur-
rounding nobles, but he is very focused in his goal: he wants
to replace Davain as the master of Hart House and the head
of House Bartheld.
Fendrel is a reasonable man. He does not wish to diminish
House Bartheld’s standing. He believes that everything he
does is for the good of the house. Second, Fendrel is reluctant
to actually kill his cousin Davain. Although a schemer, Fen-
drel is a Bartheld. Fendrel knows his task would be easier if
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
to kinslaying.
Fendrel Bartheld is a tall, slender man of twenty-three
with pale yellow hair, fair skin, and gray eyes. Fendrel’s vice
of choice is the attentions of skilled prostitutes—an affecta-
tion he shares with his grandfather Brom—and he indulges
whenever he can. Fendrel is a philosophical and deeply reflec-
tive man with a quick wit honed on the classics.
Rose Clay
Rose Clay, wife of Ser Rowan Clay, leader of House Bar-
theld’s military, serves as Head Housemaid for Hart House.
Rose is average height for a woman and pleasantly round,
with a fair complexion and pale hair. Although she is quite
pretty, her most striking feature is her intense, intelligent
green eyes. She is twenty-eight years old, but has the pres-
ence and confidence of someone much older. Rose projects
competence, practicality, and grace. She has a very dry sense
of humor; most people don’t notice when she is making fun
of them. Rose is especially skilled at gently mocking the
nobility, who she is fond of in a patronizing way. She thinks
people born to wealth and power just aren’t practical like
ordinary folks.
Rose is the mistress of Hart House’s cleaning staff and has
a great deal of influence with the steward and his staff as well.
She has used her position to place herself at the center of
Hart House’s gossip. Anything seen or overheard by anyone
in the manor’s staff eventually finds its way to Rose. Rose has
used this situation to make herself an asset to the masters of
Hart House. Rose doesn’t pass along everything she hears,
only the tidbits that the lord might find useful. In the old
days, she reported directly to Lord Brom, but Lord Davain
isn’t as canny or willing to compromise as his predecessor.
Instead, she reports to his wife, Lady Ayleth.
Rose has significantly more intelligence, energy, and am-
bition than her position requires, and so amuses herself by
sitting in the center of the webs of Hart House gossip. Just as
her husband serves the family with her sword, Rose does her
best to keep the Barthelds safe with her ears.
Ser Rowan Clay
Ser Clay, leader of House Bartheld’s forces, was a commoner,
born and raised in House Asrig’s territory. The Asrigs were not
good lords, but they were favorites of the Targaryens, and their
excesses were never punished. At fifteen, Rowan had already
seen men killed and maimed for imagined crimes and watched
28
women raped as punishment for the misdeeds of their fathers
and brothers. Rowan had only avoided fighting in Robert’s
Rebellion thanks to his youth. He was also the oldest able-
bodied male in his village; all the others had been conscripted
by House Asrig and either killed or maimed in the fighting
or decided to make a new life in some other part of Westeros.
Brom likes to tell the story of their first conversation.
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,
impressed with his pluck, had offered him a job. Rowan con-
sidered the offer for a long time, and then asked:
“Are you going to be a good lord, or a great fat pigfucker
like Leofrick Asrig?”
Brom laughed so hard he nearly fell out of his camp chair.
He hired Rowan Clay on the spot. One of Brom’s knights
made Rowan a knight a few months later after helping bring
an infamous Asrig retainer to justice.
In the fifteen years since that meeting, Rowan Clay has
grown into an impressive man. He is tall and broad-shoul-
dered, with muscles developed by years of swordplay. Rowan
wears his shoulder length dark hair tied back in a knot at
the base of his neck; his wife Rose loves his hair, and it is his
one vanity. Rowan’s eyes are dark brown, but flash gold in the
light, and his skin is burned into a perpetual tan by the sun.
Rowan bears a two handed sword Lord Davain made espe-
cially for him. Rowan and his wife live in the second largest
house in Hartville and have two small children.
Rowan cultivates a reputation as a simple armsman. He
speaks with a lazy drawl and pretends to be more provincial
than he is. While the accent is genuine, Rowan is a skilled
tactician and a shrewd judge of character, and he has trav-
eled over a great deal of Westeros in Brom Bartheld’s service.
Rowan finds it convenient to be underestimated by the no-
bility. He knows most lords and ladies—and even his fellow
knights—will view him as a jumped-up peasant no matter
what he does, and doesn’t care. Rowan is still fond of Lord
Brom, but he is glad that control of Hart House has passed
to Lord Davain. With Lord Davain’s support, Rowan hopes
to make House Bartheld more militarily secure and eliminate
the bandits lurking on the borders once and for all.
Lady Ysme Bartheld
Hart House is also the home of Lady Ysme Bartheld, one of
Westeros’s most unconventional young noblewomen. Ysme
was only two years old when Brom came into the land where
Hart House now stands. One of her earliest memories of is
Brom trying to explain why it was so good for the family that

they were now landed nobility. The best he could come up
with was “now that we have land, no one can tell us what to
do.” Today, Ysme continues to act as though the family land
means that no one can tell her what to do. That isn’t to say
that Ysme is out of touch with reality. Rather, she knows that
unlike her ancestors, who were dependent upon their patrons,
there is a place she can always call home. Since she is no lon-
ger dependent upon anyone but her family—who she knows
will never let her go hungry or homeless—she sees no reason
to live by the laws that have constrained Westeros’s women
for hundreds of years.
As a result, Ysme has grown into an uncontrollable young
woman. She runs wild through the halls of Hart House and
through the hills and forests of the surrounding countryside.
Brom was convinced that Ysme would never settle down, and
he gave her the run of Hart House. Lord Davain continues
this tradition. Since the family is on the outs with His Grace,
Ysme can no longer go out of her way to embarrass the family
at court in King’s Landing. For Ysme, exile to Hart House is
a blessing, not a punishment.
Ysme is fair-skinned and dark haired, with intense hazel
eyes. She is very pretty, in a young and wild sort of way; more
than one noble given to poetry has compared her to the Chil-
dren of the Forest. Ysme cleans up well, but is uncomfortable
in formal clothes and makes no effort to hide it.
Despite her declaration that she will never marry, Ysme
still occasionally entertains suitors at Hart House. She leads
them on long enough to humiliate them, but some desper-
ate noblemen hoping to enrich faltering houses take this as
reason to hope. Davain has no idea what to do with his wild
little cousin, so he ignores her. His wife, Ayleth, has made an
effort to reform her, but when she was rebuffed, she slid into
the same way of thinking. Only Davain’s cousin Edmund has
anything to do with Ysme on a regular basis. The two seem
to share a bond.
Muddying the Palette
Brom didn’t yield up his holding out of adoration for Lady Yve
Tullison. Instead, he drunkenly challenged Robert Baratheon
one night—he doesn’t even remember precisely what he said.
Robert stripped the main of his title and sentenced him to
death, and now he’s on the run. Davain holds House Bartheld
for himself—for the time being—but he has his own men
hunting for Brom. He dearly hopes that he can find Brom
and turn him in to the king in order to retain his own power
and independence.
The Noble Houses
House Dulver
Heraldry: A black Pickaxe on a copper field
Motto: “Earth Yields”
High above the green and
growing Riverlands in the
rocky crags and stony can-
yons of the mountains be-
tween Riverrun and the
Banefort, Deepen Hall perch-
es like a vulture over a herd of
fatted calves. House Dulver,
which claims the ancient moun-
tain fastness as its seat, does little
to assuage that impression. Shrewd,
grasping and mean, the Dulvers hover on
the edge of richer lands with hungry eyes on their neighbors,
ready to make a meal of any one who falters. Though nomi-
nally sworn to House Lannister, Lord Dulver’s first loyalty is
ever to his own ambitions.
History
Mudge the Bronzeman, say the Dulvers, was the first of the
First Men to dig in the earth of Westeros, and it is to him
that they trace their line and the founding of their name. It
was from Mudge’s forge that the First Men armed them-
selves with spears and swords to drive out the Children of the
Forest. It was the axes that Mudge made that cut down the
weirwoods.
But the Dulvers were known for practicality rather than
zealous loyalty. When the peace was made, they planted a
godswood within the walls of Deepen Hall and spoke their
vows before the Old Gods. When the Andals came, the Dul-
vers built a seven-sided chapel and Lord Dulver took an An-
dal wife. And when Aegon came, they learned to love drag-
ons. Whatever else may be said of them, the Lords Dulver
knew where power lay, and strive in every generation to see
that their allegiances lay with it.
For all their cunning, though, the Dulvers have rarely been
rich or powerful in their own right. Their holdings are small,
remote and poor—stony hills and spare pastures. Their people
are few. The Dulver knack for knowing which way the wind
blows has served mainly to ensure survival rather than pro-
mote enrichment. Leastwise until Lord Harald Dulver took
the lord’s chair.
29
 The Noble Houses
Lord Harald’s father, Lord Hemmel Dulver, called Pinch-
penny, was a notorious skinflint. It’s said around the tavern
tables that the late Lord Dulver was so miserly that it took
his lady wife locking herself in her chambers for a month for
him to agree to serve more than turnip gruel and cider at their
only daughter’s wedding. For all his reticence to spend coin
on luxury though, Lord Hemmel had a miraculous nose for
a bargain. He employed a veritable legion of factors comb-
ing the countryside for goods that might be acquired on
the cheap. He bought up the goods of impoverished hous-
es, the discarded weapons of defeated armies, brass hinges
and bronze urns, books and candlesticks and iron tools. And
when he had filled the cellars beneath his hold, he had his
miners dig more.
When Lord Hemmel perished of a chill in his forty-third
year (taken from his cellars while counting great casks of iron
nails) he left his heir his name, his lands, and a hundred cel-
lars stuffed to bursting with the castoffs of seven kingdoms.
Some might count this a burden, but Lord Harald had two
things his father had always lacked—ambition and the will-
ingness to sell.
There was little enough wheat among the chaff Lord Hem-
mel had gathered, but Lord Harald found it all. Through pa-
30
tience, will and a vicious knack for haggling, the new Dulver
found buyers for the strangest things and in the strangest
places. Every penny that came to him he sent back out to
bring in more. And while he had his father’s nose, young
Harald had a more discerning eye.
By the time of Robert’s Rebellion, Lord Harald was doing
a brisk business taking the lead and tin and copper that the
mines upon his land would yield and turning them into gold
and steel and more. He had also got himself a Lannister wife
by way of Lannisport, a cousin to Lord Tywin and the Lan-
nisters of the Rock. And when Lord Tywin kept his men at
home, so too did Harald Dulver.
Each time a messenger arrived below his gates, Lord Dul-
ver threw them open and welcomed them most warmly, be
they Robert’s men or Aerys’. But when they asked for men
he had but to show them around the castle and let them see
his ill-manned walls. “I have but blind old codgers and cal-
low boys, my lords,” he said. “But I cannot let you go empty-
handed.” And so he sent them each away with casks packed
with salt pork or wayns laden with new boots, but never men.
When finally Lord Tywin marched from Casterly Rock,
Lord Dulver met him on the road with three hundred foot
behind him. As the Dulver men joined the Lannister host

and marched on King’s Landing, Lord Lannister asked from
whence these men had come. “My cellars,” said Lord Harald.
“I had misplaced them behind some turnips. I hope His
Grace will understand.” And so Lord Dulver’s turnips and
the Lions of the Rock marched up the road to sack the city
before bending the knee to a king.
In the years since Robert’s Rebellion, House Dulver’s for-
tunes have advanced steadily, if slow. The mines that dot their
holdings are not so rich as their cousins’, yielding lead and
tin and copper instead of silver or gold. But even kings need
chamber pots and spoons. When his neighbors need a thing,
Lord Dulver can provide. Arrows, swords or the men called
Dulver’s Turnips. Grain or salt or seeds. Two of everything in
his cellars, it’s said. And acre by acre, Lord Harald’s domain
grows because the Dulver always takes his price.
Holdings
The lands of House Dulver are known as Stony Heath, which
is a fairly average-sized holding situated in the hills and
mountains north of the Tumblestone between the Banefort
and Fairmarket. A narrow, but exceptionally well-made road
branches off from the River Road and wends its way up the
hills to the gates of Deepen Hall, the seat of House Dulver
who holds lordship over the lands about.
Defense: 42, Invested: 40
(Deepen Hall (small castle) 30, tower 10)
Deepen Hall is small as castles go. It was built some ten
thousand years ago by the First Men using crafts long since
lost. The castle sits on the shoulder of the Deepmont, a low,
round-topped mountain. Its walls, towers and keep are all
built of stone quarried from the mountain itself. In those dark
and distant years, the builders of the First Men carved away
the lower slopes of the Deepmont and left sheer cliffs broken
only by a narrow causeway curling up and around to end be-
fore the great bronze gate.
Towers flank the gate facing south with another, taller
tower looming at the far end to look out over the hills to the
distant waters of Ironman’s Bay. Between these three tow-
ers rises the main keep like a fist thrust up from the body of
the mountain, the curve of its peak making a natural motte.
Within the walls a half-dozen wells keep the castle in water
and stables and outbuildings line the inside of the walls.
Below the keep are the fabled cellars that gave Deepen Hall
its name. Stories say the mountain itself is hollow as an old
gourd, and while this isn’t entirely true, the cellars do go deep.
The Noble Houses
There is, in fact, as much of Deepen Hall below the earth
as above it. Dulver’s Turnips hid in them. And it’s said that
more than one rival or unwelcome relative has disappeared
into them over the years. Any time they’ve shown any signs
of running out of room, the truth of Lord Hemmel Dulver’s
words is proven—you can always dig another hole.
In recent years Lord Dulver has acquired a parcel of land
north and east of Stony Heath, and with it a small tower
house of stone and timbers. His younger son, Ser Horas
Dulver, holds it in his name with his young wife and a small
complement of men from the castle’s garrison.
Influence: 38, Invested: 35
Ser Walton Dulver (heir) 20, Horas Dulver
(second son) 10, and Helen Dulver (daughter) 5
Lord Harald Dulver and Lady Falyse have three children:
their firstborn son and the heir of Dulver, Ser Walton Dul-
ver; his brother Horas Dulver; and the youngest—a daugh-
ter named Helen. Full descriptions of each will appear in the
character section to follow.
Lands: 34, Invested: 34
(mountains 9, hills 7, coast 3, hamlet 10, road 5)
The Stony Heath is comprised mainly of low, rocky moun-
tains and rolling, sandy hills. The farming is poor and is
mainly restricted to onions, potatoes, carrots and turnips.
This is something of a sore spot among the Heath’s inhabit-
ants given the unmitigated bounty of the riverlands just a
short way east.
The acquisition of a small tract of a northern neighbor’s
lands has given the Dulvers hope to add some greater vari-
ety to their pallet of crops. Lord Dulver has dispatched his
younger son to oversee the development and cultivation of
these lands, but so far the young Dulver has borne no useful
fruit. In fact, some have taken to calling young Horas Dul-
ver “Blackthumbs” after the failure of three crops in one year.
Perhaps the family’s words, they say, do not extend to crops
and harvests.
Small herds of sheep and goats also roam the hills, gleaning
sustenance from the sedges and gorse that speckle the land
in tufts. On the thin stretch of coast his lordship holds on
Ironman’s Bay a few fishermen also ply their trade, bringing
in salmon and shellfish and sweet red crabs.
The one extravagance you’ll find on the Heath is the nar-
row path called the Digger’s Road. Laid in the days before the
Andals came, the road wends its way through valleys and over
hills to Deepen Hall, every mile paved with stone. Once it
31
 The Noble Houses

House Dulver of Deepen Hall

Liege Lord: Lord Tywin Lannister of Casterly Rock
Defense 42 Deepen Hall (Small Castle, 30), Tower 10, Expendable 2
Influence 38 Ser Walton Dulver (Heir, 20), Horas Dulver (Second Son, 10), Helen Dulver (5), Expendable 3
Lands 34 Mountains (9), Hills with a River, Hamlet and Road (25)
Law 24 House Fortunes -2
Population 17 House Fortunes +0
Veteran Garrison; 7 Power - Automatic (0) Discipline at home or Routine (6) away - Awareness 3, Endurance 4, Fighting 4
Trained Archers; 6 Power - Challenging (9) Discipline - Awareness 3, Marksmanship 4
Power 21
Trained Engineers; 5 Power - Challenging (9) Discipline - Endurance 3, Fighting 3, Warfare 3
Green Support; 3 Power - Formidable (12) Discipline - Endurance 3
Sept on the Heath (15, House Fortunes +3), Mine (10, House Fortunes +5), Maester Falstan (10, House Fortunes +3), Karly
Wealth 61
Kays (Artisan 10, House Fortunes +1), Persal Littlefoot (Artisan 10, House Fortunes +1), Expendable 6
Total House Fortunes Modifier +11

was a river of bronze flowing out from the hall as swords and
spears suits of mail. The coming of steel put an end to that,
but the road itself endures.
Law: 24
Aside from the narrow trade road running from Deepen Hall
to the River Road, the Stony Heath is a largely trackless and
desolate land, dotted with isolated crofts, cottages and min-
ing camps. There is little worth stealing by the measure of
most bandits and by dint of that fact alone, banditry is but a
minor problem.
The garrison mounts regular patrols of the road and the
route to Ser Walton’s tower, but circuits of the hills and
mountains are rare and irregular. From time to time some
band of desperate men will take refuge in one or another of
the valleys creasing the Heath. At those times Lord Harald
sends his son with the garrison in force to root them out with
steel and fire.
Population: 17
The only thing thinner on the Heath than the trees are the
people. Shepherds’ cottages dot the valleys and poor farmers
crofts huddle on the hills. Mining camps squat over holes in
the ground grubbing out the lead and copper and tin that the
earth of Stony Heath will yield.
The largest concentration of smallfolk lives in Copperton,
the little hamlet that huddles at the foot of the Deepmont
serving the needs of his Lordship and the castle. They butcher
his sheep and cut peat from the bogs on the seaward side of
the hills. They serve the needs of the teamsters driving wayns,
though poorly. And most of all, they dig.
Power: 21, Invested: 21
(veteran garrison 7, trained archers 6, trained
engineers 5, green support 3)
No lordly family holds its seat for ten thousand years by
letting their swords go to rust. Lord Dulver, though not a
martial man himself, knows the value of keeping strong men
and steel about him. His garrison is strong, well-trained and
regularly drilled by Lord Harald’s bastard uncle and master-
at-arms, Gambol Hill. A force of well-armed crossbowmen
stand his walls as well, ready to rain death down on the rare
force that might assault Deepen Hall.
Along with his combat troops, Lord Dulver maintains an
expert force of sappers and engineers. On those occasions
that Lord Dulver must bring his banner to bear in the service
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
and valleys about the Heath can also be gleaned to assemble
an able, if unseasoned, corps of laborers.
Wealth: 61, Invested: 55
(sept 15, mines 10, Maester Falstan 10, Karyl Kays
(artisan) 10, Persal Littlefoot (artisan) 10)
Rich is a word that is often attributed to the lords of the
Westerlands, but where most of his fellow bannermen (and
his liege as well) count their riches by the dragon, Lord Dul-
ver’s wealth lies mainly in the goods he stores in his cellars
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
held. Old and hung with history, but poor. Ever since the An-
dals brought steel to Westeros and condemned the bronze-
men of Dulver to be makers of sconces and chamber pots,
House Dulver has struggled to make its way.
Lord Hemmel’s obsession might have beggared the an-
cient house, but his son’s timely ascension turned obsession
into innovation and reversed a house in decline. Through wise
stewardship, wily trading and a healthy dose of luck, Lord
Harald has improved his family’s fortunes immensely and
seems likely to continue doing so.
Among his assets Lord Harald counts the service of a mas-
terful stonemason in Karyl Kays. Building or breaking, Mas-
ter Kays knows as much about stone as any man in the West.
And as miners go, Persal Littlefoot has few equals. It’s said he
can smell copper in a bale of hay cut three years before.
Though Lord Harald is not much given to luxury, the ad-
vancement of his House’s fortunes has afforded him one. It
was seven years ago that he sent to the Citadel at Old Town
and six since Maester Falstan came to serve.
Sept on the Heath
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.
Short, bald, and gaunt with a thick wattle under his chin
that waggles when he works his jaws, Harald Dulver has on
occasion been likened more to a turkey by those who have
only ever seen him. Sharing the man’s company dispels such
notions in short order. His lordship’s jests tend toward gal-
lows humor; when he laughs, his beak of a nose bobs up and
down and the flesh of his throat wags back and forth. There
is a hunger that gleams in his dark eyes. Hunger of a patient
sort. The sort that knows that eventually, in time, you will
grace his table.
He is not a man of martial bent, but noble blood demands a
son learn the ways of axe and sword. Lord Dulver was a com-
petent, if never brilliant, fighter in his youth. Now in middle
age, he keeps his wits as sharp as swords and uses them far
more often. “Battles are for young men,” he is fond of saying,
“I win my wars with sheep and wayns.” And indeed, his lord-
ship is known by all who’ve dealt with him to be a demon at
the negotiation table.
Lord Harald has always had a head for business and a knack
for finding use in what others have dismissed as useless. Like
his cousins the Lannisters, Dulver takes what is offered. It’s
a popular saw among the smallfolk that ‘under Deepen Hall
you’ll find two of everything.’ And indeed, no one who comes

Characters
House Dulver is comprised of the following family members
and people of import.

Lord Harald Dulver

Called the Vulture of Dulver by his neighbors—either for his
looks or his manner—Harald, son of Hemmel, was never a
handsome or happy man. Age has done nothing to improve
either his looks or his disposition.

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

Ser Walton Dulver Ser Walton Dulver Young Adult Fighter

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

Ser Walton still craves his father’s approval, but he works,

too, to be his own man and find his own path. He tries to
Short Tom Tinker (Hill)
learn the lessons his father works to impart because he knows Short Tom Tinker was born
that in time he will come into his inheritance and he wants Tom Hill, as low a birth as
desperately to do honor to his father’s name. Walton is a good ever there was and so long
man, devoted to his family, dedicated to his vows, and sin- ago, he likes to say, even his
cerely reverent of the gods. He is no zealot, though, and is mother’s like to have forgot-
fond of the pleasures of the flesh. A drink shared with his ten it ever happened. Even he
men, a rich meal in a warm hall, and the occasional willing seems to have forgotten where
wench (though he often wakes of a morning with a mind to he came from, or has chosen not to
repent) serve to soften the edges that come with the Dulver remember. Each time he tells the story
aim and endear young Walton to those who will, one day, that city that surrounds the streets he
serve him as they do his father. was born on changes. One time it’s an
alley behind a brothel in Golden Tooth, the next a butcher’s
Short Tom Tinker Old Expert porch in Ashemark. Ask a third time and he’ll tell you he was
born upon a radish wayn on the road to Lannisport. What-
Abilities
ever the truth of his birth, Tom Hill was apprenticed to old
Animal Handling 3 Hollis Tinpenny some fifty years gone and has wandered the
Awareness 5 Empathy 1B, Notice 2B westerlands ever since.
Cunning 3 Memory 2B Hollis Tinpenny has been dead thirty years, but left young
Deception 4 Act 2B, Bluff 2b
Tom his mule, his packs, and the names of every village, farm
and croft between Oldstones and Crakehall. The packs have
Fighting 2 Short Blades 1B
been mended a hundred times and the names Hollis gave
Language 3 Common Tongue him have died and come again, but the ancient mule still
Language 2 Myrish brays when it rains and carries Tom’s goods and tools on the
Knowledge 3 Streetwise 2B tracks and trails of the west.
Persuasion 4 Charm 1B Tom is a bent old man these days, never tall but shorter
now after years of hauling his things from village to village.
Stealth 3 Blend In 2B
Most of his hair is gone, but what’s left rings his head, bristly
Survival 3
and gray. He has bird’s eyes, black and sharp, and a large, bul-
Thievery 3 Pick Lock 1B bous nose somewhat gone to red from the wine that warms
Will 3 him against cold nights upon the road. He’s more bone than
meat and wears a quilted coat against the chill as well, ‘to keep
Attributes
the warmth the wine makes!’ he says.
Combat Intrigue Tom knows everyone and everyone knows Tom. Lowly
9 10
Defense Defense
fishwives and highborn ladies alike come out when they hear
Health 9 Composure 9 his packs come jangling up the road. Tom mends their pots
Destiny Points 0 and kettles, sells them candles, salt and spice, and tells a merry
Benefits: Connections (Westerlands), Trade (Tinker) tale or two and gets a meal, sometimes even a bed of a night.
Drawbacks: Crippled, Flaw (Endurance) And all the while, he watches, he listens, he sees.
It was a bitter winter, and lean, the year Tom met Harald
Arms & Armor Dulver. Harald was but the heir of his house back then. That
Padded Armor: AR 1, AP 0, Bulk 0 year had been a thin one for Tom, else he would not have
Long Range, Piercing 2, been upon the road so late, looking for silver and a place
Heavy
2 4 Damage Reload (Greater); Slow, to spend the winter. Harald had been out upon the Heath
Crossbow
Two-handed, Vicious as well when both men were surprised by a sudden, early
Stiletto 2–1D 2 Damage Piercing 2 blizzard that came blowing off Ironman’s Bay. Harald was

36

ahorse, well-fed and warmly dressed, but Tom’s poor year
had left him hungry, threadbare and leading his mule on
foot, unwilling to leave his goods by the road and save his
shoes the wear.
When the wind came up and the snow came down, Short
Tom nearly froze to death. Harald came upon him on the
road. Harald tied the half-dead tinker on his horse and led
both mule and horse up the road to Deepen Hall through
drifts and wind and blinding snow.
Short Tom Tinker spent that winter with the Dulvers and
many an evening over wine or ale trading stories with young
Harald. When the Spring came, old Lord Dulver had gone
into the cellars and would not come out again. Harald was the
Lord now and Short Tom was in his service.
More winters have come and gone since then, sum-
mers, springs and falls as well and through them all Short
Tom Tinker has been Harald Dulver’s eyes and ears out in
the world, a valuable service for a lord who looks greedily
at land he dreams of owning. Tom wanders for a time, a
month, a year, a season, and comes back to tell Lord Harald
what he saw.
Short Tom grows old. He is not so spry as once he was. He
bought a horse a few years back, a shaggy little garron from
the north to spare his feet. In all his years of wandering, Short
Tom has never carried a sword. ‘And now,’ he says, he’s ‘far too
old to start.’ His wit and words serve just as well, and better.
But against the day when they don’t he keeps a crossbow in
his packs and a long, thin dagger in his boot. ‘More for scar-
ing than for stabbing,’ he says. ‘But if stab I must, then let me
stab a bit of suckling pig over a cup of Arbor gold.’
Septon Arlyn
At the foot of the Deepmont, nestled into the last curve of the
causeway that climbs the mountain to the gates of Deepen
Hall, sits the Sept on the Heath. Perched high above, the Vul-
ture of Dulver rules the land. But below, the Merry Grouse
(for so the smallfolk call Septon Arlyn) rules the people with
a ready grin and an easy laugh.
Septon Arlyn began life as Arlyn Qargyle, third son of a
landed knight sworn to the lord of Maidenpool. His father’s
holdings were poor and with King Robert’s peace firmly estab-
lished in the Riverlands, there were two stout young men ahead
of him in line for the meager inheritance his father would leave.
Not given to fratricidal scheming, Arlyn was packed off to
King’s Landing to study under the Most Devoted.
On his nineteenth nameday, Arlyn said his vows in the
Sept of Baelor and gave up the name of Qargyle. For another
The Noble Houses
year he served in the great sept be-
fore shedding his fine robes for the
brown habit of a begging brother
and began the wandering journey
that would end, at last, in the Sept
on the Heath.
For three years, Arlyn
walked the tangled web of
roads that winds through
the riverlands, into the west-
erlands and back again. He
learned a great many things
in those years: to be poor, to be
hungry, to dress and treat the wounds
and ailments life layers on the smallfolk who dig the earth
and feed the kingdom. As he learned those lessons, the small-
folk to whom he ministered came to know him.
Six years ago Septon Arlyn came up the Dulver road bear-
ing messages for Lord Harald and Septon Quayle of the Sept
on the Heath. When he arrived, Septon Arlyn found his holy
brother in poor health, and old. On the night before Arlyn
was to depart the Sept and take up the road again, Septon
Quayle collapsed of a stroke. The old man would never rise
from his bed again.
What began as a brief visit became a vigil. Without a mae-
ster at Deepen Hall, the burden of caring for the old man
fell to Septon Arlyn. He did so dutifully, and alone. Septon
Quayle had few friends among his holy brothers, having been
a dour and humorless man in life, and the Sept on the Heath,
while rich in history, had never been a posting much sought
among the order. Through the long year of Quayle’s decline,
Septon Arlyn was the only member of the faith to attend
the old man. Upon the occasion of his death, Septon Arlyn
(who had, in that year, grown fond of the folk that lived about
the Sept and, truth be told, rather fat) spoke the words over
Septon Quayle, gave his body over to the Silent Sisters, and
took up his post.
It wasn’t long before Septon Arlyn and the young heir of
Dulver, Walton, struck up a warm friendship.
Lord Harald, though he had the respect and devotion of
his smallfolk, did little to make them love him. What their
lordship could not win and would not pursue, the people of
the Stony Heath showered on Septon Arlyn.
With his ready grin and generous nature, it was hard to
find anyone who had met him that did not love him. He
spent as much time in the hamlet and wandering the hills
tending to the faithful as he did preaching in the sept. He
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

market do not interest her, but she runs her household as her
husband rules his domain, with skill, wisdom and a willing-
ness to squeeze the use out of every scrap.
Lady Falyse is not so cool as her husband, though. She
knows the names of all those that serve under her roof. She
knows their families and the circumstances of their lives. She
congratulates them on the birth of a child or grandchild and
consoles them upon the death of their loved ones.
If Lord Harald and Lady Falyse differ it’s on the subject of
faith. Falyse grew up dutifully attending services in the sept
at Lannisport. From the time she left her mother’s breast,
she was in the care of a septa who saw to her education in
all matters of faith and womanhood. The lessons stuck and
Falyse came to her marriage with an enduring reverence for
the Seven and those that were sworn to their service.
For the majority of their marriage Lady Falyse’s faith
has been a non-issue. She and the children would descend
the causeway for regular services in the Sept on the Heath.
Lord Harald abstained, as was his wont. There was no need
for discussion on the matter. But when their firstborn was
anointed, the subject was broached, and like opening a cask
of rotten smelt in the middle of a banquet, what had been
a peaceful, profitable marriage suddenly suffered from the
stink in the air.
The tension lurks beneath the surface of things and rarely
surfaces as more than short comments from either Lord or
Lady Dulver, but each of those words is a dry twig on a grow-
ing heap of tinder. Should there be a spark—a gesture made
by Walton perceived as rebellious by his lord father, a con-
frontation between Lord Harald and Septon Arlyn—then
that tinder could become a blaze.
Horas Dulver
Young Horas, just seventeen his last nameday, is much like his
father in both manner and appearance. Sadly, he has inherited
precious little of his father’s acumen. He is a poor manager,
sums vex him something terrible, and he has never been any
great shakes in a fight. What he does have, though, is a cer-
tain sort of low cunning well-suited to scheming, cheating,
and tyranny.
When Lord Dulver acquired a swathe of good, green farm-
land and turned it over to his younger son, Horas did his level
best to withhold his baser impulses. But as crop after crop
has failed, the youngster’s restraint has failed. Thus far he has
limited his cruelties and depredations to poor travelers and
others that will, should their fortitude prove insufficient, not
be missed. But it won’t be long before one of the smallfolk
The Noble Houses
under his dubious protection will utter the name Blackthumb
in his hearing. When the dam on Horas Dulver’s wrath fi-
nally breaks there will be many a wailing mother in the new-
est of the Dulver lands.
Helen Dulver
Little Helen is just six years old, far too young to be hatch-
ing schemes of her own. She has her mother’s fair hair, her
father’s quick mind, and a daring curiosity all her own. Helen
is her mother’s treasure. Lady Falyse rarely goes anywhere
without her daughter. She dresses the girl in clothes to match
her own and bears the burden of little Helen’s education on
her own shoulders.
Helen’s father treasures her as well, though for entirely dif-
ferent reasons. Even though her flowering is still years away,
Lord Harald has already turned Maester Falstan to making
lists of potential husbands. When Helen is at last of mar-
riageable age, no one will say she made a poor match.
Ser Gambol Hill
Gambol Hill is the natural son of Lord Harald’s grandfather,
Lord Willas Dulver—called the Girlfather for the eight daugh-
ters he got on his lady wife before finally sowing a male heir in
her womb. Once she’d borne her husband the son he sought,
Lady Dulver counted her duty done, it’s said, and turned her
husband out of her bedchamber. When Lord Willas got a boy
on a shepherd girl out on the heath a dozen years later, she had
little to say on the matter.
Gambol was a stout boy and grew into a stout young man.
He was clever, too. There were a great many whispers around
the Stony Heath that it was his natural son that Lord Willas
preferred over the odd young man that was his trueborn heir.
Legitimization from the crown was an expensive request in
those days, and the insult to his wife’s family would have been
intolerable.
So Gambol Hill stayed a bastard and in time came into the
service of his half-brother. Gambol had proven himself an
able student at arms, and after that a more than able teacher.
He’s been master-at-arms in Deepen Hall for twenty years
and few know the lay of the land as he does. Long ago, when
his father was lord, Gambol decided to stay out of family
politics, but neutrality isn’t blindness. Gambol saw his half-
brother’s madness, his nephew’s promise and he sees the
storm brewing in the Dulver family now.
Maybe it’s age that’s softening his resolve, or maybe it’s the
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
Dulver men. Young Walton loves him and looks up to him
as he might a father. Lord Harald respects his uncle and just
might listen if the old man had something to say. But then
again, Gambol’s name is Hill, not Dulver, and a bastard learns
caution early and for a reason. Perhaps he could avert a fam-
ily disaster, but he’s just as likely to get himself turned out for
his trouble.
For now, he waits and watches and hopes.
Karyl Kays
Karyl Kays is a broad man of middling height with blunt
fingers and shoulders like a bull. He descends from a line of
stonemasons near as long as the Dulvers they’ve served. It’s
the Kays who’ve cut near every stone out of the Deepmont,
the Kays alone that know how deep the cellars of Deepen
Hall go. The Dulvers have always kept them well, and the
Kays have returned the favor with good and faithful service.
There are few in the westerlands who know as much as the
Kays about the cutting and shaping of stone, and stone is one
of the few things the Stony Heath has in abundance. People
come from across the seven kingdoms to the Stony Heath for
Dulver stone and the Kays men to work it.
Stingy as Lord Dulver is known to be with every other
commodity at his disposal he is uncommonly generous in
hiring out his master stonemason. The reason for that is sim-
ple: Karyl Kays is a spy.
Karyl Kays’ knowledge of stone and masonry gives him a
unique insight into the strength of a castle’s fortifications. He
has just as keen an eye for defensive weak points. Granted,
the information he gleans from his surveys of Lord Dulver’s
neighbors is unlikely to yield immediate gains, but Harald
Dulver plans for the long term. With Kays’ help, his lordship
has assembled siege plans for half the castles in the River-
lands and a fair number of those around King’s Landing as
well.
Karyl Kays grows old and has no sons to take up his tools.
His wife died years ago without bearing any children and Ka-
ryl has never remarried. Loneliness wears upon him as the
years pass. If the right woman were to come along, there is
little Karyl Kays would not do for love.
Persal Littlefoot
As the old saw goes, Persal Littlefoot has forgotten more about
mining than any man in the westerlands has ever known. He
can smell copper and shits lead. But he’s “cursed by the gods
40
for the sin of greed,” he says. Each time he’s sought after no-
bler ores, disaster has followed soon after. The last time he
lost a son to poisonous stones that came up out of a silver
mine he’d sunk. Before that he lost a leg hunting for gold
in the hills Ashemark, and the time before that his favorite
mule in a flood while sifting for gemstones on a little stream
that feeds the Mander. After his son, old Persal decided he’d
rather live poor than die rich.
Persal has spent the last 25 years digging copper and lead
out of the hills of the Stony Heath and, when need arose,
heading up Lord Dulver’s sappers. No one is more cunning at
digging tunnels than Persal Littlefoot.
Thus far, Littlefoot hasn’t tested his curse digging for iron.
On the Heath he’s had no opportunity to do so, but Lord
Harald’s been asking questions about the best lands for iron
and the means for harvesting it. Persal has enjoyed a rare
comfort in his lordship’s service. If Lord Dulver comes into
the rights to iron-rich lands, Persal will have a decision to
make.
Maester Falstan
Maester Falstan is a newcomer to Deepen Hall, but it didn’t
take him long to discern the reason he was brought within
its walls. Before Falstan came, Septon Arlyn was the most
learned man in the district as well as the most popular. Lord
Dulver, unable to match the septon’s easy manner with the
smallfolk, hired Falstan to subvert his place as healer and
scholar.
Falstan, however, has a grander vision than simply tend-
ing to wounds and reading yet another dusty tome. He has
already taken Lord Dulver’s measure, and decided that if the
house’s standing is to improve, then he will need to take steps
to ensure it. To that end, he has begun isolating Dulver’s oth-
er advisers so that he can become the sole voice Lord Harald
turns to for advice. And that advice will point to a clear des-
tination: battle.
Muddying the Palette
House Dulver doesn’t need much prodding to become down-
right antagonistic toward its neighbors. Give Harold Dulver
a bit larger military, make Maester Falstan a bit bolder in his
plans, or change the relationship between his son and his sep-
ton such that Septon Arlyn is no longer a positive influence
on the lad, but rather just as power-hungry as Lord Dulver.
Perhaps this last leads to internal conflict in the house—or
perhaps House Dulver turns its eyes outward.

House Kytley
Heraldry: Chevronelly of five gules and sable, over an
anvil argent.
Motto: “Fire Hardens. The Hammer Shapes.”
Fire hardens iron, and the
hammer’s blow shapes it
to usefulness. This has long
been the motto of House
Kytley, and seeing the fires
that have ravaged the land
and blow after blow to their
reputation, they continue to
keep faith that the Smith has
great plans for them. Like the
molten metal fresh from the anvil,
they are well heated, and well shaped; they wait only for the
quenching moment to be created anew.
History
Aegon the Conqueror’s wrath with King Harren of the Isles
was great, and the burning of Harrenhall created a gap in the
rule of the Riverlands. In his need to see the smallfolk cared
for, Aegon raised up several new houses from those who
served him faithfully. Theobald Kytley, known as Theobald
the Smith, forged the weapons that graced a full company of
Aegon’s soldiers, and the quality of craftsmanship was so high
that Aegon took notice.
When the war was over, Aegon raised the Kytley line
to nobility in order to watch over the king’s lands in the
marshy north of the riverlands. The new king reasoned that
with weapons of such quality, no brigand band would cross
their territory without having to bleed for it. House Kytley
has taken great pride in their mastery of swamp and bog
since then, and executed their royal duties with expertise
and pride.
The Glory of House Kytley
From its founding, House Kytley has tied its fortunes to the
flow of bog iron and the careful tending of its smallfolk. The
rich riverland soil proved fertile ground for a young house,
and Kytley grew into a house of influence and power that
remembered always to bend a knee to the Iron Throne, the
Lords of Riverrun, and The Smith above all the seven.
The Noble Houses
Hammerstone, the great seat of House Kytley, was com-
pleted early in the house’s rise to glory. Begun by Theobald
the Smith, it was his son Lord Osmer Kytley who would im-
prove upon Theobald’s plan and see Hammerstone to frui-
tion.
Smithton, the central jewel of Kytley’s demesne, grew
to prominence alongside House Kytley’s fortunes. The fur-
naces belched forth smoke at all hours, rendering bog iron
into ingots ready for casting. The metal, harvested nugget by
nugget from the swamps, contained too many impurities,
which made it too unpredictable for easy blacksmithing.
When the bog iron was used for casting, however, this same
flaw created tools and implements that were harder than
normal iron, and resistant to rust. Merchants plied the wa-
terways, and made the journey from the Kingsroad to trade
in Smithton’s market square. Generations of smallfolk rose
and fell, always thankful to have the gentle hand of House
Kytley to protect them from fire, famine and war. Grateful,
at least, until the rule of Jamys Kytley, known afterwards as
Jamys the Sybarite.
Jamys the Sybarite,
and the War of the Usurper
After many long years failing to produce an heir, Edric Kyt-
ley, the twenty-first Lord of Hammerstone, grieved over the
wasting death of his wife. Scandal flared when, less than a
fortnight after her death, Lord Edric took one of her ladies-
in-waiting as his second wife. Such scandal disappeared
quickly when his new wife, Johanna, provided him a son and
heir within the year. Johanna would give birth to five other
children in the next seven years, though Edric held his first-
born son dear to him and spared no expense in seeing to the
child’s happiness. Fear for an unstable future led Lord Edric
to follow King Aerys’s banner in the war. The family’s loyalty
to the Targaryen line extended beyond the bounds of a single
man, to any of their blood.
Lord Edric fell during the Battle of the Trident, an ar-
row transfixing his throat. King Robert, merciful in victory,
called House Kytley’s offense paid upon the death of Lord
Edric and the house was preserved. Fortunately, Edric’s death
would prevent him from seeing what became of his overly-
beloved child and the ruin brought to House Kytley’s name.
Jamys Kytley, called the Sybarite, would remember noth-
ing of his father’s grace and kindness, only that no pleasure,
experience, or whim should be denied him. A degenerate,
he allowed Smithton’s furnaces to grow cold and the land to
go untended while squandering House Kytley’s fortunes on
41
 The Noble Houses

progressively more lavish parties. The excesses at his soirees

fueled rumors of Jamys’s depravity—nothing and no one was
off-limits.
Jamys found something close to a confidant in the hedo-
nistic Brom Bartheld, and the early part of Lord Jamys’s rule
saw a bond form between Hammerstone and Hart House.
Like all other things entrusted to The Sybarite, this bond was
undervalued and destroyed. When one of House Bartheld’s
smallfolk confronted Lord Jamys and demanded dowry for
his now-deflowered daughter, the Lord of Hammerstone
agreed—of a sort. He demanded a trial by combat, then made
certain that the first blood drawn was the farmer’s last. He
informed the man’s family that they could keep the sword as
dowry—and that he had more in reserve should they wish
another payment. While Jamys paid Brom for the loss of
revenue, relations between Hart House and Hammerstone
soured and have never recovered.

Greyjoy’s Rebellion, the Iron Raids

and the Death of Jamys
Six years of Jamys’s excesses weighed like a decade upon
smallfolk and noble alike. Lavish expense left little money to
repair defenses or pay soldiers, and the Kytley lands proved
too tempting to resist when Balon proclaimed himself King
of the Iron Islands. His reavers put Smithton to the torch,
and destroyed farmhouse and smithy alike with little concern
for an organized resistance from Hammerstone. Indeed, the
Ironmen went so far as to assault the seat of Kytley with torch
and ram, and reduced the once-great structure to the ruin it
is today.
When the call went out for swords to aid King Robert,
Lord Jamys rallied his smallfolk. While historians will call
this his sole act of nobility, it is likely that Jamys desired more
the wealth of new experiences a war might bring than he did
harbor a sense of responsibility. Jamys proved himself incapa-
ble of following even the most basic tactics, and notoriously
held a wild revel the night before the assault on Lord Balon’s
fortress. Whatever his motives for entering the conflict, Lord
Jamys was slain by an ironman’s axe and thrown into the sea,
ending his rule of Hammerstone.

Lord Ambrose, the alliance to

House Frey, and beyond
Despite a number of young bastards presented at Ham-
merstone, many of whom bore Jamys’s features, the Sybarite
left no trueborn sons. The death of Jamys passed the rule of

42
 The Noble Houses

House Kytley of Hammerstone

Liege Lord: Lord Walder Frey of The Twins
Defense 25 Hammerstone (Hall, 20), Expendable 5
Influence 26 Walder Kytley (Second Son, 10), Merild Kytley (5), Expendable 11
Lands 31 Wetland with Stream and Small Town (24), Wetland with Stream and Ruin (7)
Law 22 House Fortunes -2
Population 35 House Fortunes +3
Hammerstone Infantry: (Trained Infantry; 7 Power) - Routine (6) Discipline - Athletics 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
Hammerstone Longbowmen: (Green Archers; 4 Power) - Formidable (12) Discipline - Marksmanship 3

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 to his younger brother Ambrose, the sixth of

Edric’s children. Lord Ambrose excelled in books and learn-
ing, and had studied in the Citadel in preparation for donning
the robe and collar. He was recalled from his studies to serve
as Jamys’s Castellan before he could forge his chains, fortu-
nately for House Kytley’s future. Upon accepting the rule of
Kytley’s lands, Lord Ambrose took as his wife a daughter of
House Frey, and pledged his loyalty as bannerman to that
great house.
The last nine years have seen a slow increase in House Kyt-
ley’s fortune; Smithton was rebuilt, smallfolk tend the land
again, and Lord Ambrose has begun to repair the damage
done by Jamys’s nightmarish reign.
Holdings
Influence: 26, Invested: 20
Walder Kytley (second son) 10, Merild (daughter) 5
The current heir of Hammerstone, Robert Kytley, has been
removed from the House and lives as a ward of House Mal-
lister. Should House Kytley gather enough influence, Rob-
ert’s return would be the first place to expect them to invest
their gain. In the meantime, Lord Ambrose has two other
children—Robert’s twin sister Merild, and his youngest son
Walder. While not currently the house’s central figures, they
are old enough that their actions and their lives are politically
significant.
Lands: 31, Invested: 31
(wetland with stream and Smithton (small town) 24,
wetland with stream and Hardhand’s Folly (ruin) 7)

House Kytley stands on the knife’s edge that separates death
and anonymity from prestige and fortune. Their holdings are
tightly packed and their resources stretched to the breaking
point. Any further disaster could undo everything for which
Lord Ambrose has struggled, but any gains that are made can
only drive his dreams forward.
Defense: 25, Invested: 20 (Hammerstone (hall) 20)
Hammerstone, the seat of House Kytley, has fallen into disre-
pair since it days of glory. Once a castle in its own right, much
of the current structure is in ruins and only the central keep
and its associated great hall are at all defensible.
House Kytley still controls a great deal of land. However,
much of what it holds consists of bogs and wetlands; regions
unsuitable for the farming and industry that support other
houses. Instead, new industries—bog iron and linen—form
the core of House Kytley’s revenue. Swine, with few space
requirements and a love of mud, are more commonly seen
than cattle or horse.
If the narrow waterway that passes through Kytley’s lands
ever had a name other than Smith’s Fork, it has long since
vanished from the memory of the smallfolk. While never
growing to a really significant size, the Fork provides criti-
cal supplies of clean water to Smithton and the surrounding
lands.

43
 The Noble Houses
Smithton
House Kytley’s primary domain contains the small town of
Smithton, finally begun to recover from the damage it suf-
fered under House Greyjoy’s raids. The smelting furnaces
once again render bog iron down into usable ore, while the
flax-heckling houses of the Linen-makers guild have awak-
ened a new crop to pull from the boggy soil and further
House Kytley’s influence.
Much of Smithton’s industry is still dedicated to provid-
ing for House Kytley and Hammerstone, which overlooks the
city from its small manmade hill. As Smithton’s population
and influence grow, more and more of its industry is available
to turn towards richer markets and it won’t be long before
Kytley Linens have a definitive presence in Market Town.
Hardhand’s Folly
Several miles from Hammerstone, deep in the boglands, sits
a painful reminder of the price of failure—the ruined hall
known as Hardhand’s Folly. Erected by Harwyn Hardhand at
a time when the Ironmen controlled much of the Riverlands,
it was already uninhabited when Aegon the Dragon broke
King Harran the Black. What happened to its occupants is
unknown and the smallfolk consider the entire site cursed.
The appearance of witch-lights in the surrounding swamp,
and the treacherous nature of the ground have done little to
change the ruin’s reputation.
Hammerstone Infantry
Trained Infantry * 7 Power
Standard (6) Discipline
Athletics 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
Hammerstone Longbowmen
Green Archers * 4 Power
Formidable (12) Discipline Marksmanship 3
The Smithton Watch
Trained Garrison * 5 Power
Easy (3) Discipline within Smithton or Challenging (9) away
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
The Bogwalkers
Trained Guerrillas * Power 5
Challenging (9) Discipline
Stealth 4, Marksmanship 3
44
Law: 22
While House Kytley’s rule over Smithton is strong, the
swamps and the sheer amount of land under their control
make it difficult for Lord Ambrose’s law to extend every-
where. Bands of bandits and marauders sometimes take up
arms in the inaccessible regions of House Kytley’s demesne,
and can sometimes establish a substantial grip on the area so
long as they don’t over-reach themselves and force the Lord
of Hammerstone to act. The most successful of these, Jerrold
Blackbow, held the region in fear for over a decade. Poets and
storytellers draw regularly from the well of Jerrold’s reputa-
tion, though the romanticized tales overlook the cutthroat’s
brutality in favor of making him a kind of folk hero.
Smithton is no respite from the crime that plagues the
outlying lands. The city is badly overcrowded, its population
swelled by the Ironborn raids a decade before. As a result, the
law is handled quickly and with relative independence by the
city’s garrison. Their red and black cloaks are a constant pres-
ence, and many young children aspire to join their disciplined
number.
Population: 35
Smithton contains the bulk of the population of House
Kytley’s lands, and many areas of the town are overcrowd-
ed. Refugees from the ironmen’s raids fled to the city and
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
houses clump together in the arable regions, and often have
broad expanses of marsh between themselves and the next
community. Word travels slowly in the wetlands as a result,
brought only by travelling Septons or the occasional, mis-
trusted, traveler.
Power: 23, Invested: 21
(trained infrantry 7, green archers 4,
trained garrison 5, trained guerillas 5)
Hammerstone itself is guarded by a unit of trained infantry
led by Ser Morys, and supported by longbowmen recruited
from smallfolk hunters who show aptitude with the weapon.
In addition to these, two special units extend Lord Ambrose’s
power to the furthest reaches of his lands.
The most visible sign of House Kytley’s power in the re-
gion, Smithton’s well-trained garrison is responsible not only
for the city’s defense in an attack but also for handling civic
issues from crime to flooding and house fires. Lord Ambrose
 The Noble Houses

has outfitted the Watch personally, and makes a point of hav-

ing their commander elected from the ranks. The current
commander, Captain Harald Crakepole, has held his position
for 5 years, and makes monthly reports to the Lord of Ham-
merstone regarding the goings-on within Smithton.
Culled through rigorous training from the scouts and
trackers who know the swamps best, Lord Kytley’s Bogwalk-
ers were created to use the land against any who would in-
vade. By tradition, the Bogwalkers are lead by one of their
own, rather than an anointed knight, and Boyden Withars,
the current commander, rose up from the ranks to his current
position.
Clad in browns, grays, and greens to match their surround-
ings, the Bogwalkers take great pride in their skills and of-
ten arrange competitions amongst themselves, or against Ser
Morys’s patrols. Stories abound of their ability to blend into
their surroundings, and they do little to discourage the spread
of their own legend.

Wealth: 31, Invested: 20 (maester, artisan)

Much of House Kytley’s wealth is tied to the production of
bog-iron and linen, and the supply of these items is consid-
ered crucial to the House’s future. So far, the twin thrusts of
Kytley industry have brought substantial money into Ham-
merstone’s coffers. Lord Ambrose has used this to good ef-
fect: hiring a Maester from the Citadel, and restoring the
smith-in-residence at Hammerstone (which Lord Jamys had
disbanded). In addition to providing superior weapons for
House Kytley’s forces, having the smith has also restored an
important tie to the family’s past.
Hammerstone,
the Seat of House Kytley
Begun by Theobald the Smith as a motte and bailey fortifica-
tion to stand guard over the city of Smithton, Hammerstone
grew quickly into a fully staffed, if small, castle. Under Lord
Osmer Kytley’s careful direction, stone replaced the wooden
palisades and great hall grew within these defenses to host
visiting nobility from across the Riverlands. The White Anvil
of Kytley blazed forth on proud pennons that snapped in the
breeze and reminded all who sat in residence.
Now, however, Hammerstone is a shadow of its former
glory. Halvgrim Dead-eye led a group of Ironman raiders
deep into the heart of Kytley lands, and when Lord Jamys
failed to mount any resistance they put the castle to torch and
ram. The once fine ramparts, built from quarried limestone,
now lie mostly in ruins of ramshackle blackened stone.
In the nine years since the raiding times, Lord Ambrose
has struggled to regain his House’s lost status among the Riv-
erlands houses. He knows that without a proper seat there is a
limit to how much he can hope for, but limited resources have
made restoring the entirety of Hammerstone an out-of-reach
goal. What he has repaired is the central structure, more of
a keep than a true castle, though there are enough rooms to
house the family and any guests that might arrive. Kytley’s
great hall still maintains the airs of bygone days, though a
look from the hall’s leaded windows allows any visitor to see
the ruin that belies those airs.
Great Hall
Hammerstone’s great hall is a monument to House Kytley’s
glory. Broad and deep enough to fete even a royal entourage,
it feels cavernous to the considerably smaller groups that are
typically entertained. Portraits of the Lords of Hammerstone,
from Theobald to Lord Ambrose, decorate the long walls, and
a pair of tapestries depicting House Kytley’s founding flank
the high table that overlooks the rest of the hall.
The heavy timbers at one end still bear to soot and char
from the Dead-Eye’s raid, while those at the other end are

45
 The Noble Houses
freshly replaced. Leaded glass windows at regular intervals
allow light into the hall, and reflect the simple tile work that
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
a visitor’s boot steps echo in the too-large room.
Kitchen
House Kytley’s kitchens and cellars flourished under the he-
donistic appetites of Lord Jamys. Unfortunately for their
master, Hewrey Pace, the current Lord of Hammerstone does
not share his brother’s proclivities. The hearth still burns, but
the parade of exotic ingredients has turned over to simple
meats, breads and root vegetables. The cellar still holds a fine
example of wines from across Westeros (and even some from
as far as the Free Cities) but Lord Ambrose pays them little
mind save when hosting an important guest. Even then, he
relies on Master Pace’s judgment, rather than any knowledge
of his own.
Smithy
House Kytley has long dedicated their efforts and the
prayers to The Smith out of all the Seven. From their fore-
bear Theobald the Smith, to the bog iron that built their
early fortune, to the family motto itself, House Kytley be-
lieves themselves shaped by the fire and hammer of The
Smith. As such, where other houses might have kept a full
sept in their midst, House Kytley has kept only a smithy and
a smith-in-residence.
House Kytley’s smithy is decorated with images of its pa-
tron, and worship comes not from the organized chanting of
Septons, but rather from the rhythmic chime of hammer on
iron. Julyan, the current smith-in-residence, recognizes the
sacred nature of her calling to House Kytley and has dedi-
cated herself to the work with a piety born of a drive for per-
fection.
The Walls
No discussion of Hammerstone would be complete with-
out a moment dedicated to its once-great defenses. The
redoubt of white limestone is blackened and cracked, and
the crenellated towers are collapsed upon themselves. In
places, enough remains to give some idea of their scope, but
even these pieces are too precarious to offer protection. The
honeycomb nature of the ruined wall and the tower bases
creates tiny ‘rooms’ where a small group of people might
meet without being seen, and the phrase “in the walls” has
46
propagated among the smallfolk to imply that two people
are having an affair.
Characters
This section contains the notable people who are in or serve
House Kytley.
Lord Ambrose Kytley
Ambrose Kytley held two beliefs sacred as a child; the fig-
ures in his books were more interesting than his family, and
that he need never worry about the future of his house. As it
would turn out, both were incorrect.
Seven years junior to his brother Jamys, Lord Edric saw
little need to groom young Ambrose for leadership. Child-
hood illness kept the boy from being active in the martial
games and competitions that occupied other boys his age,
and Ambrose quickly adapted to a world of books and study,
rather than one of sword and steel. In what he considers his
father’s only act of affection for him, Ambrose was sent to the
Citadel in Oldtown.
As a novice in the Citadel, his love of books and history
served him well, and he earned the copper link at an alarm-
ingly young age—the first in what many of his teachers ex-
pected to be a fine chain.
And then his father died fighting in Robert’s Rebellion.
Rumors of Jamys’s degeneracy filtered even as far as Old-
town. The new Lord of Hammerstone pulled his brother from
the Citadel and installed him as the House’s Steward—bet-
ter to turn his own attentions toward his unending search for
pleasure. Ambrose, previously unconcerned by the actions of
his family, could only stand and watch as his brother covered
the Kytley name in layers of filth. When the Greyjoy Rebel-
lion began, Ambrose supported his brother’s decision to take
part. The rumors that circulated after Jamys’s death—of a case
of wine delivered to the coast from Kytley cellars, of Jamys’s
clumsiness and disorientation when he had previously been an
exceptional swordsman—were ignored in the light of a new
and well-educated hand on the tiller of House Kytley’s future.
The new Lord Kytley embarked on a mission to restore the
family’s name to the greatness it once held. He recognized
the House’s degraded political position and acted quickly to
shore up what remained of his family through politics—a
means with which he became quite savvy. Marriages of expe-
dience were arranged for his three eldest sisters, all to minor
houses Ambrose felt to be on the rise within the Riverlands.
His fourth sister, Hawys, he kept unmarried as insurance
 The Noble Houses

Lord Ambrose Kytley Adult Schemer

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)

Arms & Armor

Mail: AR 5, AP -3, Bulk 2
Longsword 2 3 damage
Defensive +1,
Dagger 2 1 damage
Off-hand +1
against a future need for treaty or arrangement. To gain much
needed protection from the predation of the Houses around
Kytley lands, Ambrose abandoned Kytley’s traditional fealty
to Harrenhal and bent his knee to House Frey and took one
of Lord Walder’s daughters as his wife. Flying the Towers of
Frey from the rampart seemed a small price to ensure that the
White Anvil of Kytley would also fly.
Lord Ambrose’s driving goal is the return of his family to
its past glories; a process he knows will be as slow as the fall
was precipitous. While an inspiring leader and eloquent, he
looks back with fondness upon his time in the Citadel. In-
deed, the day does not dawn when he does not wonder if the
Maester’s chain would have weighed less than the signet ring
he now wears.
His heir’s current status as the ward of House Mallister, the
result of a clumsy accusation by his wife Braya, vexes him. To
that end, he has brought in Maester Thomnas to groom his
second son, Walder, for the possibility of rule—determined
not to repeat the slight his father gave him. While Ambrose
dotes on his daughter Merild, he tries to remain distant—
knowing that one day she will be married off for the best
interests of House Kytley.
Lord Ambrose strikes many as a Maester on first appear-
ance—he wears his family colors only at grand occasions, and
prefers the somber gray tones of the Citadel in his daily wear.
His thin frame and dour nature bring him off as older than
his years. He is ever with a book close at hand either for
reading or recording his thoughts, and though few see it, his
much-prized copper link rests beneath his shirt suspended
from his neck by leather that one day hoped to be chain.
Over the coming year, Ambrose plans to risk much to re-
turn his son Robert from House Mallister. Despite his public
denunciation of his wife’s claim, he holds the Lord of Seagard
partly responsible for failing to prevent the Ironman raiders
from reaching shore. He knows he must proceed cautiously,
or young Robert will pay with his life. This pressure weighs
upon him, but the Lord of Hammerstone recognizes that
whatever the outcome it secures the future of his House. In
the short term, he protects House Kytley with every means at
his disposal — he will preserve Kytley for his sons, which ever
one ends up sitting in the seat of power.

47
 The Noble Houses

instead found him to be patient and affectionate towards her,

Lady Braya Frey Kytley if a little bookish.
Lady Braya resents her family’s hold over her husband, and
If the Freys are stoatish, than Lady Braya is an ermine; pale,
would love nothing so much as to see House Kytley eclipse
lithe, and so different as to seem at first glance unrelated. Her
House Frey in the Riverlands. She also knows that such an
heart is an open book, and her eagerness to be an individual
event would be unlikely given her husband’s honor-bound
apart from the crowd of House Frey has given her cause to
life, and so has shared everything she could with Maester
embrace her life in House Kytley. She revels in the ability to
Thomnas instead and hopes that he can find something use-
partake fully in the pomp and celebration of a noble house,
ful in her childhood memories of Frey’s inner workings.
and is the first to step out for a dance, whether a stately pa-
The loss of her first-born, Robert, to House Mallister’s “pro-
vanne or low-born reel.
tection” bothers her less than Lady Braya expected. More im-
Woe, however, to those who assume that her free spirit as-
portantly, her “clumsy threat” towards Seagard has given her
sumes a lack of wit. Her rule over the smallfolk of the House
husband the motivation and drive that even Jamys’ disgraceful
is absolute, and she is her husband’s match at numbers and
behavior could not. Of her other children, she spends the most
figures; no groat stays unaccounted long in the House’s reg-
time with young Walder, more at peace with his unpredictability
istry. Her skill at thrift is the source of jest and amusement
than she is with wide-eyed and quiet Merild. She is content to let
among the smallfolk—it is said she could fund a wedding
her husband plan for the future of House Kytley, and works in-
feast with two silver stags and a basket of hay. Such jokes are
stead to undermine her former family. Well aware of her nephew
carefully kept out of her hearing, for her rage is as legendary
Ryman’s taste for drink and women, Lady Braya has groomed a
as her tightfistedness.
lady-in-waiting to serve as a lure for him. Her hopes hang on the
She understands that Lord Ambrose married her out of
Late Lord Frey outliving her brother Stevron, and plans to have
need for her father’s protection, and at first feared that her
her claws in Ryman well set should he be made heir.
husband to be would carry the same madness that afflicted
Lord Jamys. In the nine years since their marriage, she has
Lady Braya Frey Kytley Adult Schemer

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)

Arms & Armor

Defensive +1,
Dagger 2 1 Damage
Off-hand +1

48
 The Noble Houses

Maester Thomnas Maester Thomnas Adult Expert

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

Ser Morys of Oldmill Middle-Aged Fighter Hawys Kytley Middle-Aged Schemer

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)

Arms & Armor

Hawys Kytley
Brigandine: AR 8, AP -4, Bulk 3
Defensive +1, Lord Edric’s youngest
Dagger 5+1B 1 Damage
Off-hand +1 daughter, Hawys always
Longsword 5+3B 4 Damage expected to be used as a
political pawn; an arranged
He has even less to say of his days prior to becoming a marriage to seal one of her
hedge knight (and with good reason). During Robert’s Re- father’s contracts. When
bellion, Ser Morys remained loyal to the Targaryen King, and Edric died, Jamys ignored
struck down his own Lord and brother rather than see his her in favor of his own de-
House turned over to the side of the Usurper. That Lord Am- sires and she first had a taste
brose knows this, and has promoted Ser Morys anyway, says of what it might mean to be
much of both men. free. And then Jamys, too,
Ser Morys broods quite often, and the ghosts of his past died and all her plans were
trouble his sleep. His waking days are spent keeping his per- undone. Her younger broth-
sonal demons at bay through rigid discipline and personal er, now the head of the family, married off all his sisters save
devotion. her and she despises the reminder of what she could have had.
The only place his discipline wavers is in regards to his Thin to the point of cadaverousness, it often seems that the
Lord’s elder sister, Hawys. Though he knows he should not, only thing that keeps Hawys alive is her resentment of Lord
he cannot help but think of her. Her encouragements—a Ambrose. She knows enough of politics to stay just this side of
clandestine meeting here, a servant-passed token there— decorum, and has embraced the power her uniqueness grants
keep his hope alive, and fuel his desire to prove himself wor- her. She knows that her younger brother cannot risk shaming
thy of what he knows he cannot attain: the quietly held hope her or turning her out until young Merild is old enough to
for land, a keep, and a wife that would cement his fortunes to make a viable marriage contract, but has resolved to punish
the family he has come to serve. him for not marrying her off when he first came to power.

50

Hawys prowls the halls around her suite of rooms, a gaunt
figure in flowing grays, and is quick to abuse anyone who
comes near her—smallfolk or noble alike. The only person
spared her wrath is the knight, Ser Morys. At first, she ac-
cepted his advances to mortify her brother, but since then
she has felt the ice in her heart warm towards the old horse-
man. Of late, she has badgered her brother to build a keep
to protect a part of his demesne, and secretly hopes that he
will acquiesce and grant both the tower and her hand to his
Master of Arms.
Adam Rivers, Master of Kennels
Shaggy and feral in appearance, lean of limb and always hun-
gry—there is little to differentiate young Adam Rivers from
the hounds that are his charges. It is only on closer look that
one notices the pride in his bearing and the gleam in his eye
when his hounds fell elk, deer, or boar.
Bastard-born, Adam is content to tend to the kennels, and
makes few requests of House Kytley that are not directly aimed
at improving the lot of his dogs. He remembers Ser Morys
from his days as a hedge knight, and held out hope at one point
that the older knight was his actual father. His mother cor-
rected that foolish notion, however, and told Adam his father
had died years before. Since then, he has forced himself to be
content knowing nothing more of his origins.
Adam has developed an interest in the kitchen-master’s
daughter of late, an interest which she seems to return. While
it does not distract him from his duties, it is not uncom-
mon to find one or the other slipping across the courtyard of
Hammerstone to visit. While he suspects her father would
not approve, he is certain that Collys will agree to marry him
as soon as he has gathered enough money to support her. Un-
til then, he bides his time, and trains the hounds.
Robert Kytley
At nine years, the heir to Hammerstone should have been
transitioning from childhood to the learning of adolescence.
Unfortunately, his lesson came quicker than anyone could
have expected. A prisoner to ensure his father’s proper be-
havior, the young heir finds himself alone among his enemies
instead of within the house in which he was raised.
Robert is, paradoxically, known by his absence far more
than he ever was as a member of the house. Currently in the
custody of House Mallister, he nonetheless has had a place set
for him at every meal and his birth celebrated as though he
were standing in the door.
The Noble Houses
Merild Kytley
Twin sister to Robert, she and her brother have felt from
birth to be two parts of a single whole. Every experience—a
meal, a flower, a piece of stone—had not happened until one
had shared it with the other. The two children often acted as a
single entity, and were seldom seen out of sight of each other.
That ended the day Robert was taken to Seagard, and since
then Merild has felt incomplete. Experiences that she has not
shared with Robert feel only partly real, and she needs his
confirmation to know that they happened as she remembers.
Bright and a quick study, Merild used to look forward to her
lessons with Maester Thomnas. Now it is another bit of te-
dium, like the needlework she is expected to do.
She has learned enough of her family’s history to worry if
her unceasing need for her twin’s presence is a sign of heredi-
tary madness, some remnant of Jamys’s evil echoing down her
lineage. She tried to broach the subject with Maester Thom-
nas, but he dismissed her fears as childish imaginings. For the
time being, Merild hopes he is right. And she hopes Robert
can be returned to the family before the old Maester can be
proven wrong.
Walder Kytley
Bright and fair, Walder is the spitting image of his mother
and approaches the world with the same sense of charm and
childlike wonder. Most regulars who dwell within Hammer-
stone have learned to look twice when they hear the five-
year-old’s musical laughter because he is likely to be under-
foot or running past.
For now, he is allowed to be a boy and he has a boy’s pas-
sions—running, climbing, and playing among the animals
without concern for his station. While Lord Ambrose and
Maester Thomnas feel that the time has come to begin
Walder’s studies, Lady Braya has so far stonewalled the effort.
Instead, young Walder spends each day in pursuit of whatever
has seized him at the moment while the rest of Hammer-
stone gives him berth.
Wenefryd Atus, Lady in Waiting
Wenefryd has adapted well to life within Hammerstone, and
few realize that only a few years ago the dark-eyed girl was
being brought within the walls for the first time. The last of
her family fell in a raid by the ironmen, and Lady Braya had
the child brought to the castle rather than leave her on her
own. Now 16 years of age, Wenefryd has given Lady Braya
51
 The Noble Houses
no reason to regret that decision in the 8 years since being
brought to Hammerstone. She foretells her mistress’s moods
as others might predict the weather from a wisp of cloud, and
she sees to the Lady Braya’s needs with quiet devotion.
Wenefryd is fiercely protective of her savior, and very care-
ful about who she lets through to Lady Braya. She has even
confronted the Lord of Hammerstone on occasion rather
than let one of his foul moods infect her lady. Her proxim-
ity to power has given her a taste of a life she hadn’t thought
possible, and she plans to do everything she can to stay in her
mistress’s favor.
Hewrey Pace, Master of the Kitchens
That a man who spends his days surrounded by food could
somehow remain as gaunt as Hammerstone’s Master of
Kitchens is a mystery easily solved, all it takes is a moment’s
observation. Called the Rook by the drudges when they be-
lieve he is out of earshot, the nickname fits him perfectly.
Tall, dressed in dark clothing to hide stains, and aquiline in
features, Hewrey flits from place to place in the kitchen, and
from the kitchens to the slaughterhouse, the smokehouse, or
the cellars as he sees the need. Even when he is in a place for a
length of time, he is never still—his hands tremble constantly
under the energy that fuels him.
The new Lord of Hammerstone vexes the Rook constantly.
His talents, once the talk of Harrenhal and Hart House, are
wasted on a lord who prefers blancmange over braised goose
livers. He continues the effort to change Lord Ambrose’s pal-
ate, and revels in the feasts and parties where he has free reign
to showcase his skill.
Of all his responsibilities, Hewrey holds the cellars most
important. He considers himself an expert at pairing drink
to dish so that the two complement each other. He misses
the rule of Lord Jamys, under whom the kitchens and cel-
lars received such allowances as to become a fiefdom unto
themselves. Lord Ambrose has cut back on the expense, and
the Rook, once liberal with exotic spices, has learned to hoard
and scrimp rather than do without.
Collys Pace
As the Rook’s only child, young Collys has lived her entire
life within Hammerstone’s walls. Her mother died giv-
ing birth to what would have been her brother, and her fa-
ther’s responsibilities made him inattentive at best. She has
learned, therefore, to entertain herself through exploration
and discovery. She knows the stones of her home as though
52
they were the bones of her body, and knows of alcoves and
redoubts that are unknown even to Ser Morys.
A woman grown now, the walls that raised her have be-
come a cage she longs to escape. She works in her father’s
kitchen to the best of her ability, but her every moment free
is spent with Adam Rivers. What started with her fascination
in his stories of the lands beyond the walls has grown into a
powerful romance that she is certain he returns. As of yet, he
has not asked her father for permission to wed, and his tardi-
ness in this has become a point of consternation for Collys.
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
perhaps she can spur him into action with jealousy.
Guildmaster Raulin
Egger Raulin, while not a resident of Hammerstone, visits so
often that many have assumed that he maintains quarters in
the hall. In truth, he finds the castle’s stone walls drafty and
colder than his own warm manor house in Smithton, but he
comes to the castle regardless. Comfort and convenience are
far less important to him than being near the seat of power.
The head of the influential linen guild in Smithton, Raulin
works hard to maintain Lord Ambrose’s ear to insure the best
possible treatment for both the smallfolk growing the flax,
and those who work within his heckling and spinning houses.
He is not ashamed of the wealth his position has brought
him, and sees it as his due for seeing to the welfare of his guild
in much the same way as a Lord profits from the work of his
lands. For obvious reasons, this is not a comparison he makes
in front of the Lord of Hammerstone.
Indeed, his behavior towards Lord Ambrose borders on
the sycophantic. Guildmaster Raulin knows that House Kyt-
ley wants to expand its influence into Market Town, and he
plans for Kytley linens to be at the forefront of that expan-
sion. Currently, he is willing to play the willing servant of
Hammerstone, but if he feels that Lord Ambrose might turn
against him Raulin has no qualms about moving to more ag-
gressive means of getting his way.
Julyan the Smith
With her broad shoulders, muscular arms and soot-covered
face, Julyan is often mistaken for a man at first, or even third
glance. When her father had no sons to carry on his craft, he
decided to teach Julyan instead, and she has spent much of
her life between the blistering heat of the forge and the cold
iron of the anvil. As can be expected, not all were so eager

to see a woman wield the hammer and tongs, and what was
dismissed as a novelty became a threat as her skill surpassed
many older, more established craftsmen. Behind her leather
apron, beats a fierce pride in her art, and more than once she
has defended her smithy and her work with well-placed fists.
She is currently the smith-in-residence for Hammerstone,
a position she views as tantamount to being a Septa for a
family that venerates The Smith above all the other Seven. Ju-
lyan concentrates on her work above all else, and is dedicated
to producing pieces of superior quality and beautiful artistry.
Muddying the Palette
You might wish to replace good Lord Ambrose with his de-
mented uncle Jamys the Sybarite. Perhaps the old man hasn’t
passed away yet, and he’s continuing to rip the house apart.
House Marsten
Heraldry: Per chevron sable and vert, a lightning bolt argent
Motto: “Let the Heavens Reign”
Amid the foothills of the
Mountains of the Moon,
House Marsten guards the
western border of the Vale of
Arryn. A proud house, still
with the blood of the Andals
within its veins, though recent
years have seen it falter under
cruel circumstance. Alliances
and intrigue are all that remains of
Marsten’s once-vaunted strength. Can
such weapons still prevail, however, against the threats of time
and steel?
History
The blood of the Andals runs deep in the Vale of Arryn. The
Seven live here as nowhere else in Westeros, kept ever in the
minds and hearts of the Vale’s inhabitants. The Andals, the
wild race that wrested the lands from the First Men, have their
roots here in the Vale and in House Marsten. Of the Houses
still in existence, only House Arryn has a more venerable An-
dal lineage, tracing back to the Kings of Mountain and Vale.
As befits a family with such a long history, the events that
brought House Marsten to its historical stature are well
known throughout the Vale. The House was founded by Petyr
The Noble Houses
Marsten, a bannerman to Erreg the Kinslayer, during one of
the defining battles of the Andal invasion. Near the current
site of the Bloody Gates, Erreg and his men met the forces
of the First Men, but they had underestimated the strength
that desperation would give to those who fought to save their
lands. Erreg was cut off from his larger party and surrounded,
and it seemed that he might meet his end. Petyr saw through
the chaos of the battlefield, however, and fought his way to
the side of his lord, turning the tide of the battle and saving
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-
ryn, stating that he “should always have such a one to guard
his back.” Erreg’s statement has become the watchword for
this family, and through the centuries they have remained one
of the most trusted bannerhouses for House Arryn.
As with every significant family lineage, there are both
bright and dark spots. One of the infamous legends of
House Marsten is that of Carnwyn the Mad, the wife of
Petyr’s great-grandson, Lord Willem Marsten. Carnwyn
was a niece of King Stefen and a member of the Arryn fam-
ily. She gave Lord Willem seven strong sons and ruled by
her lord’s side with legendary grace and beauty. It was said
theirs was a true love match, the like which never comes to
pass. Tragedy befell the house, however, when he went rid-
ing with his men along the border of his lands, investigating
an incursion by the Clans (who lived and raided even then).
His horse trod upon a snake lying in the road and reared up,
throwing Lord Willem to the ground and dashing his head
against the rocks.
When Lord Willem’s body was brought back to the keep,
it’s said that the Mother turned her face away and the Strang-
er entered the hall. Carnwyn saw the body of her husband
and ran weeping to him, screaming inconsolably. She could
not be parted from his body and stayed with him until night
fell, speaking to no one, until the entire household had fallen
asleep. She rose, washed her face and hands, took a dagger,
and slew first her sons and then herself, falling on the blade
when she had finished. The only one to escape was Diermad,
the youngest, who had hidden in the stables upon hearing of
his father’s death and was thus spared.
It was through Diermad that House Marsten survived, car-
rying forward. He married an Arryn lady named Jeyne, and
the two rebuilt the House from its great tragedy. Despite his
sorrowful young life, he was known as Diermad the Joyful,
as he and Lady Jeyne had ten children live to adulthood and
most of them wed and had children as well. He had a long life
during peaceful times, and did a great deal to restore stability
to House Marsten.
53
 The Noble Houses

Throughout the time of the Andals, House Marsten re-
mained strong, adding figures of legend to its halls. Kier-
an the Just famously made peace with the local barbarian
clans, while Stefan the Pious saw visions of the Seven and
renounced his inheritance to join the Faith. It was in his
honor that a sept was built in Hartsbridge, and he served as
septon there for decades.
Eventually, however, Andal rule came to an end. Had
House Marsten been pledged to another family, it might
have meant their end. Following Aegon’s Landing, House
Marsten stood with its king until the Arryns were forced to
bend the knee. Even then they bowed only when their lord
bade them do so. After accepting Targaryen rule, however,
they stood always in House Arryn’s shadow, serving loyally
for many centuries. During the Dance of the Dragons, the
house distinguished itself again by working with Aegon II
to wipe out the Targaryen branch in the Vale that supported
Rhaenyra, a move which gained House Marsten the current
seat of Hartshorn, once a Targaryen castle, along with that
family’s former lands.
Most recently, House Marsten rode with Lord Jon Ar-
ryn against Prince Rhaegar and King Aerys during Robert’s
Rebellion, fighting alongside the Arryn banner to overthrow
Targaryen rule once and for all. Unfortunately, the most re-
cent lord of House Marsten, Lord Corben, lost his two old-
est sons and heirs in battle. This seemed the beginning of
a decline for the house, as ill-fortune has dogged its heels
ever since, culminating in Lord Corben’s sudden death three
years later from a plague that also claimed his remaining son,
young Willem, who was only five years old. He left behind his
widow, Lady Isobel, and his young daughter Corrine. Lord
Corben’s brother, Mikael, vanished after Robert’s Rebellion,
leaving his only daughter, Gwyneth, in the care of his brother.
He is presumed dead, but there are rumors that he support-
ed the Targaryens and left Westeros rather than live under
Baratheon rule.
Since Lord Corben’s death, Lady Isobel Marsten has ruled
the house with a firm but light hand. Although many suit-
ors have approached her since her husband’s death, she has
refused them all. As Lady Corrine is now becoming of age,
however, interest in House Marsten has revived, and the west-
ern foothills are under continual siege by lords and knights
young and old who see the Marsten lands, name, and bride as
a potential windfall waiting for the right man to take hold of
it. Lady Isobel has no intention of letting her husband’s name
be wiped out, however. Her ability to retain control of this
valuable burden, however, has yet to be seen.
Holdings
House Marsten’s stats and narrative elements are featured in
this section. While this is a comprehensive overview, players
and narrators may feel free to add their own details or embel-
lish as needed to work House Marsten more easily into their
chronicle.
Defense: 42, Invested: 40 (Hartshorn)
House Marsten is fortunate in its lands, as the steep hills and
rocky terrain that cover the bulk of the House’s holdings make
them easily defensible. A medium-sized, navigable river has
its headwaters in Marsten lands, making for easy transpor-
tation to the east through the lands of House Corbray. The

House Marsten of Hartshorn

Liege Lord: Lord Jon Arryn of the Eyrie
Defense 42 Hartshorn (Castle, 40), Expendable 2
Influence 46 Lady Corinne Marsten (First-born Daughter, 10), Expendable 36
Lands 40 Mountains with Stream (10), Hills with a River and Small Town (30)
Law 24 House Fortunes -2
Population 32 House Fortunes +3
Trained Garrison; 5 Power - Easy (3) Discipline at home or
Challenging (9) away - Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
Power 41
Green Cavalry; 6 Power - Routine (6) Discipline - Animal Handling 3
House Kriegar (20), House Lyras (10)
Wealth 33 Sept (15, House Fortunes +3), Marketplace (10), Expendable 8
Total House Fortunes Modifier +4

54

town of Hartsbridge is home to the only bridge crossing the
river and serves as the gateway to Marsten lands. The house
seat, Hartshorn, is an old but well-built castle.
Influence: 46, Invested: 10 (Lady Corinne Marsten)
Of Lady Isobel and Lord Corben’s children, only the young-
est daughter, Corinne, has survived. She is now thirteen and
of an age for betrothal. Her mother, Lady Isobel, has ruled the
house since her husband’s death.
Lands: 30, Invested: 30
(hills 7, river 3, small town 20; mountains 9, stream 1)
The lands of House Marsten are the envy of many. Surround-
ed by rocky, steep foothills and stark mountains beyond, a
fertile river valley runs through the heart of it. The pride of
the area’s inhabitants is an ancient stone bridge that spans the
river, which is rumored to have been built during the time
of the First Men. A small town, Hartsbridge, has grown up
around the bridge, since it provides one of the few easy river
crossings as well as a rare place for goods and services to be
traded among the more remote hamlets and inhabitants.
In addition to the town and the bridge, the lands have an
additional point of pride: the Maiden’s Veil. This waterfall in
The Noble Houses
the western mountains is nothing compared to Alyssa’s Tears,
but it is considered blessed by the Maid and has a reputation
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
next year. Virgins throughout the Mountains of the Moon
make their way here yearly to ask the Maiden’s blessing and
show their piety.
The castle and the town have no shortage of fresh water or
food. Their larders are well stocked with produce, game and
fish, leading those from other parts of Westeros to comment
on the unexpected civility of a visit to Hartsbridge. Although
it is only a small town, trade and the natural abundance of
the area mean that it is surprisingly affluent. If it were not
for the strong presence of the Marsten family, the Clans (or
other houses) would have snapped up Hartsbridge and the
surrounding lands long since.
Law: 24
For the smallfolk who live and work within Marsten lands,
life is calm and peaceful. The attacks by the Clans that hap-
pen throughout the Vale happen only rarely here. The market
brings its share of trouble, of course, but nothing too serious.
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 keep the peace, while more serious charges are brought to
Lady Isobel for her to mete out justice.
Population: 32
While there are smallfolk who live among the hills, tending
flocks, the majority of the population resides in and around
Hartsbridge. The river valley is home to most of the fertile
ground within Marsten lands, and so most of the farmers and
smallholds stay within a mile on either side of the river. Rock
walls form a patchwork grid between the farms, giving the
appearance from the mountains above as emerald tiles lining
the sparkling water. The smaller hills are home to vineyards,
while the land in the river valley proper is given over to fruit
orchards and vegetable farming. Two of the more common
products that hail from here are a fine hard cider and wine of
moderate quality.
Rather than costly wood and iron, most of the buildings in
and around Hartsbridge are built of stone. The town is home
to a marketplace in the town commons, a small sept and an
attached school, a blacksmith, a cooperage, a mill, and a half-
dozen small merchants and traders, in addition to two proper
inns and a tavern.
Power: 41, Invested: 41
trained garrison 5, green cavalry 6,
House Kriegar 20, House Lyras 10
House Marsten has, throughout the years, acquired banner
houses of its own. Two more recent houses, House Kriegar
and House Lyras, cemented alliances with House Marsten
during the past hundred years by marrying into the house-
hold. While these younger families are thus technically allied
with the Arryns, in truth it’s the Marstens’ call they heed.
Should House Marsten ever break faith with House Arryn,
it is likely that they’d need more than help than these two
houses could supply. Between the support of men and arms,
however, along with the ability to fortify and defend their val-
ley, the cost of removing House Marsten would be very high.
Castle Garrison
Trained Garrison * 5 Power
Easy (3) Discipline at home or Challenging (9) away
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
Marsten Cavalry
Green Cavalry * 6 Power
Easy (3) Discipline Animal Handling 3
56
To defend the valley, House Marsten maintains a castle
garrison that defends the town as well. This garrison is run
by Ser Markus Elridge. Ser Markus has lived in the Vale
for most of his life. He is also the driving force behind the
formation of a new unit of cavalry, rebuilding and replacing
the unit led by Lord Corben during Robert’s Rebellion. The
unit is expensive and took time and resources to form, but
it’s finally in place. The biggest obstacle facing them now is
simply their youth and inexperience—something only time
can correct.
Wealth: 33, Invested: 25 (marketplace 10, sept 15)
The Seven have shown favor to House Marsten over the years
in both their fortunate location and their fertile lands. The
family paid back this debt of fortune by building a market-
place in which both locals and traveling merchants could sell
their wares, and a sept, to bring worship of the Seven to the
people under their care. The marketplace is run by Luke Sel-
don, the mayor of Hartsbridge. Septon Aeryn oversees the
sept and the faithful in his charge as well.
Hartshorn
The castle known as Hartshorn initially belonged to a less-
er branch of the Targaryen family, who took it from House
Taryk, a sworn ally of House Arryn who broke faith with the
Kings of Mountain and Vale to fight against the Targaryen
invaders. House Taryk was wiped from the face of Weste-
ros by the Targaryens, and their lands were given to one of
Aegon’s commanders, his cousin Rhenyr, in thanks for his
support. It was the Targaryens who built Hartshorn, Rhenyr
Targaryen’s standard being the silver stag’s head in profile on
a green field.
During the Dance of Dragons, Rhenyr’s descendant, Ae-
den, supported Rhaenya Targaryen. When House Arryn
chose to fight on Aegon II’s side, the Warden of the East then
called his banners against Aeden Targaryen and Lord Edric
Marsten answered, putting Aeden and all his family to the
sword. In thanks for his service, House Marsten was granted
the former Targaryen lands and castle, which they have held
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-
uted to the exceptional piety of the Marsten family through-
out the generations.
Hartshorn Castle is the most defensible structure within
House Marsten’s lands. In the event of attack or natural di-
saster, all the smallfolk women and children are expected to
 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.

The Inner Yard The Catacombs

Inside the tall inner walls of the castle lies the Inner Yard. The
The architects of Hartshorn knew that some things should not
most protected clear ground in the whole of House Marsten’s
be left in the open, and so they not only built up into the sky,
lands, all the castle buildings are within this space, along with
but also tunneled into the earth. From within the inner yard
a considerable clear area in the center, along with a kitchen
there’s a door that leads to stairs that descend into the earth.
garden, a small flower garden, and open space in the center
From there one finds what was once a dungeon built of stone,
for animals to graze, people to walk, and anything else that
with rooms that have bolts still placed in the walls to hold
needs room and open air. Buildings accessible from the Inner
shackles, and where floors slope slightly to drain whatever liq-
Yard include the main keep with the lord’s hall and chambers,
uids might collect in an underground room with no windows.
the family sept, the stables, the granary and storehouses, the
These rooms are largely in disuse, though those closest to the
kitchens, and a small smithy. Access to the cellars and the
stairs have been co-opted for use as root and wine cellars.
catacombs is also available from here.

The Family Sept Characters

Once the seat of worship for this part of the Mountains of
the Moon, this small sept was replaced as a general place of
worship when the Marstens had the new sept built in Harts-
bridge a few generations ago. This small building now acts
as schoolroom for the children and the home of private de-
votions and ceremonies for members of the family and the
household. Septa Heloise is charged with the care of the sept;
her chamber, a small pair of rooms, is above the main cham-
ber, accessible by stairs in the back of the building.
This section includes the primary characters in House
Marsten, both within the household itself and in Hartsbridge.
Lady Isobel Marsten
The lord of House Marsten by default, Lady Isobel has become
known as a formidable woman throughout the Vale. Born into
House Darry, a bannerhouse of the Tullys with a proud past of
service to the Targaryens, Isobel was considered a good match

57
 The Noble Houses

and had a great many suitors. She was allowed an unusual

Lady Isobel Marsten Middle-Aged Expert
amount of influence over her betrothal, however, something
Abilities for which her father, Ser Willem, took a great deal of criticism.
Awareness 4 Notice 1B When her betrothal to Lord Corben Marsten was announced,
Cunning 4 Memory 1B however, it was agreed that an excellent match had been made.
Endurance 3
That it seemed to be a love match as well just fed the flames of
gossip and drove rebellion by daughters against their fathers’
Fighting 1
wishes to a degree not seen in years.
Healing 3 Treat Injury 1B That was thirty years ago, however. Now Isobel is a hand-
Knowledge 4 Education 1B some woman, but no longer the beauty she once was. She
Charm 2B, Convince 2B, has given birth to four children and buried three of them,
Persuasion 4
Intimidate 2B leaving only her youngest daughter Corinne to take House
Status 5 Marsten forward into the future. Isobel’s dark blond hair is
Will 4 slowly turning silver. She has blue eyes and fair skin, a good
figure and the sense to dress it well. She is in her forties, yet
Attributes looks years younger than her age.
Combat Intrigue Isobel is clever, loyal, and intelligent. She is faithful to her
8 13
Defense Defense dead husband, rejecting all the suitors that have come in the
Health 9 Composure 15 years since his death. She is just to the people in her charge,
Destiny Points 1 charitable to those in need, and devoutly devoted to the Sev-
Benefits: Dutiful, Head of House
en. She is also determined to see the Marsten name carried
on somehow and to see Corrine, the last heir, safely provided
Drawbacks: Flaw (Endurance)
for. There are secrets around both her daughter and the house
steward, however, that could see all her work undone. In the
days before Robert’s Rebellion, Robert Baratheon took shel-
ter with the Marstens as he and Lord Jon Arryn sought to
gain support for his cause. He could not help but notice Lady
Marsten, and by the morning hours, long after his host was
unconscious, Robert had found his way to her chambers and
took what he believed was a willing partner.
Baratheon left the next day, and Lady Isobel spoke of what
had happened to no one. When she found herself pregnant
again, none thought twice about it and she attempted to put
it from her mind completely. One look at Corinne’s dark
locks, however, next to Corben’s Marsten copper and her own
gold makes it clear to anyone with an interest that something
untoward took place. Lady Isobel denies any suspicion ut-
terly, of course. She has never set foot in King’s Landing since
Baratheon took the throne, nor has Corinne. To the world,
her daughter is the rightful child of Lord Corben, and she
will defend her daughter’s birthright to the death—whoso-
ever’s death that might be.

Lady Corrine Marsten

Lady Corrine Marsten is one of the most unusual of creatures
in Westeros north of Dorne: a female heir. She was not sup-
posed to be the heir to House Marsten: far from it. Her two

58
 The Noble Houses

eldest brothers had died before

Lady Corinne Marsten Adolescent Expert
she was born, however, and
her youngest brother, the last Abilities
true heir, died three years ago Agility 3 Quickness 1B
of the same fever that killed Awareness 3 Empathy 1B
her father, Lord Corben. Healing 3
Lady Corrine is thirteen
Knowledge 2 Education 1B
years old and has recently
come of age. Her body is Language 3
still developing, but she shows Persuasion 5 Charm 1B
every sign of becoming equally Status 4
the beauty that her mother was. Stealth 3
With her black curls, pale blue eyes,
Warfare 1
and fair skin, she has the potential to break many hearts along
Will 4
the way. She has little in common with her mother in person-
ality, however. Where Lady Isobel was always strongwilled Attributes
and a deep thinker, Lady Corinne is still a child in many ways,
Combat Intrigue
sweet and straightforward in her words and deeds. She has 8 9
Defense Defense
mastered the rudiments of manners and courtly ways, but she Health 6 Composure 12
sees little of the currents that go on behind polite words and
Destiny Points 6
pretty manners. Lady Isobel has tried to educate her daugh-
ter, but also does her best to shelter her from a potentially Benefits: Heir
dangerous world. Drawbacks: Naïve
Corrine wishes she were not the heir, but is determined to
fulfill her duties as best she can. She is fond of Gareth and has Hartshorn, it has been extremely fortu-
a secret crush on him, though anyone familiar with the ways of nate that someone of Gareth’s talent
teenage girls can see it. She is aware that they would never be has been available to assist in man-
allowed to wed, but Gareth’s kindness to her and good looks aging the estates. That does nothing
keep her secretly sighing over him. He has done nothing to to ease Lady Isobel’s doubts about
encourage her, but it’s been noted often how she would clearly denying the Seven their due.
prefer to spend time in his company over that of the guests and In truth, Isobel’s concerns are
suitors who have begun appearing at Hartshorn. While most less devout than secular. Lord
are willing to consider childhood affection as sufficient reason, Corben was never known to
Lady Isobel has taken notice of it as well and is resolved to put be unfaithful, but as Gareth
a stop to it before things get out of hand. grew, a marked resemblance
between the child and Corben’s
Gareth Stone lost brother, Mikael. Whether the
boy was Mikael’s or Corben’s get was irrelevant. What was
Gareth was a foundling, left on the doorstep of the house sept important was that the child be sent away. Now Isobel’s sons
and discovered by Lady Isobel on the way to her morning de- are dead; Gareth might be a possible heir, if there were any
votions. The same age as her second son, he shared a wet nurse proof of his parentage. Luckily, no such proof exists... and
with Erryk (her youngest son) before being placed in the care Isobel will make sure it never does.
of the servants. Corben and Isobel decided that when he grew The bigger threat is the growing affection between Gareth
of age, he would be placed in the service of the Seven and be- and Corrine. As Lord Corben’s last child and heir, Corrine
come a septon. He showed a decided talent for management holds the future of House Marsten in her hands. If Gareth
and husbandry, however, and thus Lord Corben apprenticed were merely a commoner, any liaison between them would
him to the house steward instead against his wife’s wishes. be bad enough. If he were Corben’s (or even Mikael’s) son,
With the disasters that have befallen House Marsten and however, such a link would be unthinkable. Of course, that ig-

59
 The Noble Houses

Gareth Stone Middle-Aged Expert Ser Markus Elridge Middle-Aged Fighter

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

His chance came during Robert’s Rebellion. While trav-
eling through Mountain and Vale, looking for a lord in need
of another sword, he found Lord Corben gathering his men
to follow Baratheon into battle. Unwilling to turn any ex-
tra swords away, especially ones that came with their own
equipment and were already trained, Corben accepted Ser
Markus into his service. Eldridge proved himself a leader
in battle, able to inspire his men and give sound orders.
He quickly rose in responsibility and honor. He was at the
Marstens’ side on the Trident, fighting to protect Lord Cor-
ben when his sons, Stefen and Paul were killed. He bore
their bodies home on his horse, walking the entire way be-
hind Lord Corben in honor of his liege. Lord Corben re-
warded his loyalty by placing him in command of the house
garrison.
Ser Markus is a warrior, born and bred. He moves stiffly
now and then as a result of age and the wounds he has suf-
fered, but with a sword in his hand he might be a man of
twenty again. He has dark brown hair, touched with grey at
the temples, and serious, dark eyes under heavy brows. He
serves Lady Isobel faithfully and would protect Corrine with
his life, feeling nearly as much a father to her as if she were
his own. Truth be told, he has realized that he is falling in
love with Lady Isobel, but thus far his wishes remain unspo-
ken. He would rather remain close at her side as a friend and
loyal retainer than be sent away as a rejected lover, as she has
rejected so many suitors before him.
Lord Mikael Marsten
Lord Mikael Marsten was the younger of two brothers born
to Lord Payton Marsten. His older brother, Corben, inher-
ited the house, lands, and status, while Mikael inherited no
small amount of wealth...and a grudge that he was not the
heir to go with it.
The trait of loyalty runs deep within Marsten blood, and
Mikael was both friends with and loyal to Prince Rhaegar
Targaryen. When the War of the Usurper happened, Mikael
tried to convince Lord Corben to stay true to the king rath-
er than to slign himself with Lord Jon Arryn. He failed at
this, and, rather than join his brother, Mikael picked up his
own sword and left the house to fight for his prince. When
Rhaegar fell at the Trident, it was placed upon Lord Corben
to find and surrender his brother for the new king’s justice.
But Mikael never returned to Hortshorn. A step ahead of
his pursuers, he was last seen boarding a boat for the east.
There have been no sightings of him since that time and he
is presumed dead.
The Noble Houses
Lady Gwyneth Marsten
Beautiful and fair, with blonde hair and green eyes, Lady
Gwyneth is the only child of Lord Mikael Marsten. Her
mother, Lydia (formerly of the Tyrells) died in childbirth.
Lord Mikael never remarried. At the age of seven, her father
vanished and she was left in the care of her aunt and uncle.
Lady Gwyneth has currently been sent away to House Tul-
lison in the hopes of attracting the eye and heart of Lord
Dunstan. Lady Isobel would be happy to see her so suitably
wed (and removed as competition for Corrine), but thus far
there is no news. Lady Gwyneth is clever and stubborn, hav-
ing watched the intrigues of her aunt from a young age. Un-
less some objection is found, Lady Gwyneth is likely to win
the day and become a Tullison after all.
Luke Seldon
Luke Seldon is the mayor of Hartsbridge, which means pri-
marily that he handles the daily business of the town, ad-
judicates disputes among business owners, and collects the
rents due to the Marsten family (minus a small percentage of
his own). Luke is the ideal face of benign corruption. He is
charming in an avuncular way, does care about Hartsbridge
and is willing to do his job, but if a bribe or two should come
his way or if the repairs for this or that in town are delayed,
who will be the worse for it? Since Lord Corben’s death, Sel-
don has lost most of his fear of discovery, the only thing that
kept him relatively honest. He has begun to cement his power
base, quietly blaming the lack of oversight in the town on
Lady Isobel and bemoaning the lack of a lord to keep things
in order.
Seldon is of average height with heavily thinning hair, wa-
tery grey eyes, and a paunch for a belly. He talks often about
his exploits in Robert’s Rebellion, but if he actually had any
they were very long ago now.
Septon Aeryn
The sept in Hartsbridge may not be the largest or most beau-
tiful in Westeros, but Septon Aeryn is quite content to be its
septon. With a holy site nearby and a town and noble family
counted among the local faithful, he feels he has the religious
lives of those in his charge well in hand.
Septon Aeryn is of modest ambition. Born to Riverlands
smallfolk, he was given to the local sept as a child, there
taught to read and write along with the mysteries of the
Seven. He is in his late-thirties, tall and thin with brown
61
 The Noble Houses
hair and a penetrating gaze. If he were not godsworn, there
are many families who would happily see him wed their
daughters, but that is not to be. The only thing that bothers
Septon Aeryn is that the Marsten family rarely comes to
worship at the town sept, keeping their prayers and ceremo-
nies in the old house sept, away from the townsfolk. When
Lord Corben was alive they came more often, but Lady Iso-
bel rarely does, nor is Septon Aeryn easily able to gain an
audience with her.
Septa Heloise
Septa Heloise is the family septa, retained to see to the edu-
cation and care of Lady Corrine. She also leads family wor-
ship services in the Hartshorn sept, acts as an advisor to Lady
Isobel, and ministers to the spiritual needs of the rest of the
household staff as well. This might seem like a lot, but Septa
Heloise was blessed with an insatiable curiosity and a well-
spring of energy that makes the industrious ant look lazy. She
has wispy brown hair and a quick, determined way of moving,
and does her best to ensure that her charge is kept on task at
all times.
Maester Leopold
The Marstens do not keep the services of a Maester, but
that was not always so. Maester Leopold was a part of the
Marsten household up until three years ago and still has con-
tacts in Hartsbridge whom he sees on occasion. He and Ga-
reth maintain a correspondence. Gareth has tried to convince
Lady Isobel to bring Maester Leopold back, but she flatly
refuses to consider it.
Maester Leopold currently has lodging in Gulltown and
works as a tutor for the sons of minor nobles. It is unusual
that he has not yet been assigned to the service of some oth-
er noble family, but he has gained permission to stay where
he is. Why he wishes to stay, however, is another question
entirely.
Lord Aaron Lyras
The lord of House Lyras, Lord Aaron is one of the Lady Iso-
bel’s staunchest supporters. His family has been a banner-
house for House Marsten for generations. Lord Aaron him-
self has a modest keep on the outskirts of Marsten lands, with
his portly but pleasant wife Selma and their seven children.
They have little in the way of fortune, but are one of the cor-
nerstones of Mountain and Vale.
62
Lord Kellan Kriegar
Lord Kellan is the lord of House Kriegar, A tall brooding man,
he is of a dour, unhappy disposition. His lands, in the moun-
tains just to the north of Marsten’s holdings, are constantly
under attack by the clans. Once he could rely upon House
Marsten to provide swords to fight back the incursions, but
Lady Isobel has ordered the troops to remain close to home
since Lord Corben’s death. Lord Kellan’s son died last year
trying to defend the keep against the clans and that tragedy
has turned him against Lady Isobel. For a house to change al-
legiances is rare, but not unheard of. Of all the bannerhouses
in Mountain and Vale, House Kriegar’s allegiance is the most
fragile. If someone else offered the swords to protect his small-
folk and home, House Marsten could well stand to lose a great
deal of power.
Gorton Hare
Hare is the town smith and farrier, keeping horses shod and
plows sharp and blades repaired. He is not a weaponsmith or
armorer, but Ser Markus would rather have someone keep the
horses and tack in good repair regardless. Hare is well liked in
town and is often chosen to represent the merchants from the
market to Luke Seldon in disputes, a fact for which Seldon
bears him little love.
Lyndan Flowers
Of all the merchants and smallfolk who come to the market,
the undisputed king of them all is Lyndan Flowers. Bring-
ing exotic and storied items from across Westeros and all
throughout the east, Flowers is a mountebank of the first wa-
ter, entertaining his audience even as he sells his trinkets and
treasures. He always has bits of information he’s willing to
part with for the right price. He’s been trying to get an audi-
ence with either Lady Isobel or her steward, Gareth, in order
to deliver one such morsel, but thus far he’s been unsuccessful.
Rhaemon Ansel
The town’s most honored (and ancient) inhabitant, Rhaemon
gets respect throughout Hartsbridge. He’s rumored to be al-
most 80 years old, enough that his hair is thin and white and
his clouded violet eyes see very little anymore. Supposedly he
was descended from the local Targaryen family branch that
once lived here, but he has no relatives now and relies on a
pension he receives from the Marsten family and the kind-

ness of his neighbors. He keeps a dovecote at his home with
only a couple of ravens in it, and he’s rumored to know how to
use them as a maester does, though no one in town ever saw
a chain around his neck.
Muddying the Palette
Lady Isobel suspects that which, to date, only Jon Arryn has
puzzled out. She has seen what her daughter Corinne looks
like, and what Robert’s other by-blows look like, and believes
she knows the true parentage of the royal children. She may
try to ensnare the players in her own suspicions—especially
good for a group of players that hasn’t read A Game of Thrones,
of course.
House Tullison
Heraldry: Red mountains on a blue field.
Motto: “Stone Endures”
Set on the edge of the River-
lands, among the rocky out-
croppings on the western-
most face of the Mountains
of the Moon, House Tullison
rose from the humble begin-
nings of its founder to a place
of prominence among the lesser
Houses of the Seven Kingdoms.
As a loyal ally of House Tully,
House Tullison looks to the heart of
the Riverlands for guidance and fuels the
defenses of its namesake House with iron from its mines.
History
According to family lore, Joston Rivers, the founder of House
Tullison, was born around 115, the natural son of the Lord
of Riverrun. The Lord claimed Joston as his child, but sent
him to be fostered at the Eyrie to protect the bastard against
the machinations of his disapproving wife. Joston showed po-
tential in the martial arts from an early age, and was made a
squire to one of House Arryn’s sworn knights. At the age of
14, Joston accompanied his master to the armies of Aegon
II, and continued to provide faithful service through the war
that would become known as the Dance of the Dragons. By
war’s end, Joston had come to his majority and was knighted
by his grateful master.
The Noble Houses
With the war over, Ser Joston was left a soldier without
any battles to fight, and so became a hedge knight. He trav-
eled the lands of Westeros for five to ten years before coming
across the mining camps on the western edge of the Moun-
tains of the Moon, and it was in this unlikely place that he
found his destiny. Joston arrived in the camps minutes before
clansmen swept out of the mountains, howling their bar-
barian war cries, intent on slaughtering the miners, stealing
the camp’s women and anything else they could carry away.
Joston organized a hasty defense of the camp, and, though
several miners were killed and Joston was seriously injured,
managed to drive off the raiders.
As the smallfolk tended to his injuries, they told Joston of
their near-daily battles for survival in defense of their claims.
Taking it upon himself as a true knight to provide for their
protection, Joston taught the miners how to defend them-
selves. According to his instruction, the smallfolk surrounded
their camps with ditches filled with sharpened wooden stakes,
and constructed mantlets covered with wetted leather to pro-
vide cover from arrows both hot and cold. He trained men
and women alike to fight using their picks, axes and shovels,
and children to standby with pails of water and dirt to fight
fires. After several months, the smallfolk began holding their
own against the clansmen and, while the attacks never ceased
entirely, the clans began to seek out other, easier, targets just
as often as they raided the camps.
The appreciative miners and their families began to refer
to Joston as “Lord Ser,” regardless of how many times he
told them he was bastard born, and no lord. Joston arranged
for the iron ore produced by the miners to be transported to
Riverrun, and there the smallfolk beseeched the Warden of
the Riverlands to make Joston their lord in name as well as
in deed. Impressed by the noble behavior of his natural son,
the Lord of Riverrun sent a raven to Aegon III, citing the
accomplishments of his bastard, and asking for Joston to be
ennobled. In 145, the King granted the Lord’s request, and
gifted Joston with the lands around the mining camps for the
new House. Now a lord in truth, Joston set aside the bastard
name Rivers and took up the surname Tullison, in honor of
his father.
Shortly after his marriage to Lady Casserdre of House
Piper, Lord Joston began to build his seat on a small spur
of the Mountains of the Moon, using the stone quarried as
a byproduct of mining iron for the construction. Completed
in 150, Joston named his small castle Mountain’s Reach. The
castle was designed to incorporate the rocky terrain as part
of its defenses, giving Joston’s Rock (as it shortly became
known) the appearance of having grown out of the mountain.
63
 The Noble Houses

Lady Casserdre presented Joston with nine healthy children,
five of whom survived childhood and ensured the continu-
ance of the line. Joston died age 48, from a festering arrow
wound suffered while fighting the clans.
During Robert’s Rebellion, Lord Sterl of House Tullison
answered the call of Lord Hoster Tully and went to war against
the mad King Aerys II. At the Battle of the Trident, Lord Sterl
met his end, leaving his wife, Lady Moraine, in charge of his
two-year old son Dunstan, and his newborn daughter Yves.
House Tullison continues to follow the example of Lord Jos-
ton to this day. Its soldiers protect the smallfolk villagers and
miners from the ravages of the clans, and the Tullisons have
maintained close ties to Riverrun as bannermen and through
the trade of iron ore. Tullison iron has gained a reputation for
its high quality, filling the coffers of the House to overflowing.
With a steady supply of stone from the iron mines, construc-
tion on Joston’s Rock has never really ended, making it one of
the most secure castles in the Riverlands.
Holdings
Following is an overview of both the mechanical and narra-
tive elements of House Tullison’s holdings.
Defense: 40, Invested: 40 (Mountain’s Reach)
The castle named Mountain’s Reach by Lord Joston—and
called “Joston’s Rock” by nearly everyone else—remains the
primary defensive structure to be found in the Tullison hold-
ing. It is in, and directly around, Joston’s Rock that the major-
ity of the population lives.
Influence: 23, Invested: 10 (Lady Yve Tullison)
Upon the death of Lord Sterl at the Trident, young Dunstan
became the lord of the House, leaving Lady Yve as the regent
until he marries and produces a son of his own.
Lands: 25, Invested: 25
(mountains 9, Lordsview (hamlet) 10, road 5, stream 1)
House Tullison’s rocky holdings center on a small spur of the
Mountains of the Moon. Few crops can survive to flourish
here, though some animals (like goats) find enough suste-
nance to make herding them worthwhile. The verdant fields
of the Riverlands supply the majority of the food eaten on
Tullison land. If some calamity were to drastically reduce the
amount of food imported from the Riverlands, or Joston’s
Rock should come under siege, the seat maintains a two-year
supply of food stores, mainly in the form of dried goods. The
ironically-named Torrent is a moderately sitzed stream that
runs through Mountain’s Reach, supplying the castle and its
inhabitants with fresh water. Other, smaller streams, some
mere trickles, can be found here and there, but the Torrent
and a few guarded wells are the main sources of fresh water
for the area.
Excepting the odd weirwood or grove of more common
trees, the Tullison holdings offer few sources of lumber. Situ-
ated between the Riverlands and the snowline, the lands

House Tullison of Mountain’s Reach

Liege Lord: Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun
Defense 40 Mountain’s Reach (Castle, 40)
Influence 23 Lady Yve Tullison (Regent, 10), Expendable 13
Lands 25 Mountains with a Road, Stream and Hamlet (25)
Law 18 House Fortunes -5
Population 24 House Fortunes +1
Mountaineers: (Veteran Guerillas; 7 Power) - Routine (6) Discipline - Athletics 3, Marksmanship 4, Stealth 4
Castle Garrison; 5 Power - Easy (3) Discipline at home or Challenging (9) away - Awareness 3, Endurance 3,
Power 20 Fighting 3
Green Support; 3 Power - Formidable (12) Discipline - Endurance 3
Expendable 3
Mine (10, House Fortunes +5), Sept (15, House Fortunes +3), Ren Alyard (Artisan 10, House Fortunes +1), Maester
Wealth 48
Haelis (10, House Fortunes +3)
Total House Fortunes Modifier +8

64

around Joston’s Rock are slightly cooler than the lands domi-
nated by the Trident and its forks. Other than Joston’s Rock
itself, the only settlement of any size is Lordsview, a hamlet
sheltering in the shade of Joston’s Rock’s walls (see the popu-
lation section for more details).
Not long after Lord Joston completed the initial work on
Mountain’s Reach, he began construction of a road to link
his castle to the Kingsroad. Completed by his son, the River
Road is the only major road to be found in Tullison lands,
and is a vital connection to the Riverlands. It is down this
ditched and cobblestoned road that iron ore flows from the
mountain to the Green Fork and down to Riverrun or other
buyers. In return, food, lumber and other goods necessary
for the survival of the House trundle back up the road on
carts and wagons, headed for Joston’s Rock or Lordsview.
Rarely washed out (thanks to the stone-lined ditches that
parallel it), the River Road is wide enough to accommodate
two moderately sized carts travelling side-by-side. Larger
transports dominate the road, requiring smaller ones to
undertake the laborious procedure of pulling off into the
ditches to make way.
The Noble Houses
Law: 18
The same clans that harassed Joston Rivers still plague House
Tullison to this day. Even though Joston’s descendants have
continued his tradition of teaching the smallfolk how to de-
fend themselves, the clans represent a constant threat, espe-
cially to the smaller mining camps out of sight of Joston’s
Rock. The two most numerous and active clans in the area are
the Black Goats and the Rock Chewers. Since Lord Joston’s
time, House Tullison has trained rangers in mountain fight-
ing. Ser Mather Warrens is the current head of these rangers,
called the Mountaineers.
The Black Goats takes their name from the black-dyed
goat’s hide cloaks that they wear, and are led by a man named
Horag. Preferring to attack by night when the black of their
cloaks conceals them from view, the Black Goat clansmen
are the boldest of the local clans, and have been known to go
raiding down the River Road, hoping to catch merchants on
their way to Joston’s Rock. The Rock Chewers mix rock dust
into their meals, in the belief they are taking the strength of
the mountains into their bodies. Less daring than the Black
65
 The Noble Houses
Goat clan, the Rock Chewers seek out solitary travelers and
small camps on which to prey. The depredations of the Rock
Chewers are led by a clansman named Kashal. Both clans
have developed an interesting initiation rite since Joston’s
day (and they dispute exactly who came up with the idea
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
Joston’s Rock and leaving their mark as a bloody handprint
on the walls.
Population: 24
The majority of the population to be found on the Tullison
holding is concentrated in, or around Joston’s Rock. In place
of small farms and houses that dot the rest of the Riverlands,
here a traveler is more likely to encounter mining camps
or small clusters of huts that serve as home to goatherds.
While each camp or miniscule community might have a
shared lot dedicated to scrabbling out a few meager crops,
these gardens only produce enough food to help feed the
families that tend them. No matter how small, each com-
munity is apt to be fortified by iron stakes (wood is more
expensive here) and other such defensive measures intended
to dissuade would-be raiders.
Huddled against the south wall of Joston’s Rock is the
hamlet of Lordsview. Local legend says that the village stands
Smallfolk Levy
Green Peasant Levy * 1 Power Population -2*
Hard (15) Discipline Survival 3
Castle Guard
Trained Castle Garrison * 5 Power
Easy (3) Discipline at home or Challenging (9) away
Awareness 3, Endurance 3, Fighting 3
Mountaineers
Veteran Guerillas * 7 Power
Routine (6) Discipline
Athletics 3, Marksmanship 4, Stealth 4
Mining and Construction Crew
Green Support * 3 Power
Routine (6) Discipline Endurance 3
*Most smallfolk receive defensive training; however, the
levies only reduce population if they are called up in times
of war.
66
on the site of the camp from which Joston oversaw the con-
struction of Mountain’s Reach. No more than a half-dozen
buildings in size, Lordsview is home to smallfolk without a
place in Joston’s Rock. It boasts an inn, a whorehouse, and a
small trading post.
Power: 20, Invested: 17
two smallfolk levies 2*,
trained castle garrison 5, veteran guerillas 7,
support (mining and construction crew) 3
The Mountaineers are the eyes and ears of House Tullison in
the mountains. Led by Ser Mather, the rangers monitor the
activities of the clans, patrol the River Road until it meets the
green of the Riverlands, and generally attempt to maintain
law and order outside Joston’s Rock. Well paid, equipped, and
trained, the Mountaineers are the pride of Tullison’s military
and every child that grows up under their watchful eye dreams
about growing up and joining their ranks. Usually found busy
at work on the continuing expansion of the castle, the construc-
tion and mining crews can provide a rough-and-ready support
unit in times of war. On the rare occasions that smallfolk levies
are called up by House Tullison, they are led into battle by the
House weapon master (currently Ser Cranston).
Wealth: 48, Invested: 45
(Ren Alyard (artisan) 10,
Maester Haelis 10, mine 10, sept 15)
The iron mines burrowed into the west face of the Moun-
tains of the Moon are the lifeblood of House Tullison. The
wealth produced by the mines has allowed the House to at-
tract the services of Master Smith Ren Alyard, whose forges
produce the arms and armor of the House; the counsel of
Maester Haelis; and the construction of a sept overseen by
Septon Weyls (all of whom can be found in the charac-
ters section). The political influence of House Tullison can
mainly be felt by the loans granted to poorer (though no
less noble) Houses, and with whom the Tullison’s decide to
trade their iron ore. The merchants of Market Town (see
p. 76) have contributed to the groaning coffers of House
Tullison in no small way. While the House technically has
a claim to the land Market Town is built on, most Tullison
Lords have been smarter than to kill the goose by attempt-
ing to take the town by force.
Mountain’s Reach
Built with rock quarried from the iron mines, Mountain’s
Reach is one with the terrain on which it rests. Even as it has
 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

Characters He believes the nobles that come to Joston’s Rock seeking to

trade for Tullison ore when they tell him that the deal being
This section is devoted to the personalities to be found in the offered is good for both Houses. He believes the smallfolk
mountainous holdings of House Tullison. thief when the thief apologizes for his ill-deeds and swears
to tread a different path. He believes in tales of dragons, and
Lord Dunstan Tullison giants, of snarks and grumkins. This isn’t to say Dunstan is a
fool. He just tends not to question. Repeat offenders brought
With an easy smile, and a friendly demeanor, Lord Dunstan before him for the Lord’s justice surprise him with their be-
is difficult not to like. His perpetually wind-tossed brown hair havior, but that surprise doesn’t keep him from handing down
and wide blue eyes give Dunstan the look of a child at play, harsh sentences when he realizes he’s been tricked. Like many
even at his ten-and-seven years. Following the death of his other naïve individuals, Dunstan grows wroth with those he
father, Dunstan was raised by his mother and the old Mae- realizes have betrayed his trust.
ster Donnen to honor his duty to House Tullison, and to the Fortunately for House Tullison, Dunstan’s gaffes are kept
smallfolk and lands given to their care. Dunstan is thought- to a minimum by tactful oversight of his rule. This service
ful, intelligent and highly capable in both the rocky terrain to the House was first provided by his mother and Maester
that every Tullison must learn to negotiate, and in the prac- Donnen, and now by his sister and the new Maester, Hae-
tice yard where his mace splinters opponent’s shields before lis. As an unmarried noble male past his majority, Dunstan
thudding home. Dunstan isn’t without his flaws, however, and
one flaw in particular is particularly worrisome for the other Lord Dunstan Tullison Young Adult Leader
members of his House.
Abilities
Simply put, Dunstan is open and honest, and far too trust-
ing, to the point of being gullible. He takes what people tell Agility 3
him at face value, without looking for deeper motivations. Athletics 3 Strength 1B
Endurance 3 Stamina 1B
Fighting 4 Bludgeoning 2B
Language 3
Knowledge 4
Persuasion 3
Status 5
Survival 3 Orientation 2B
Warfare 3
Will 3

Attributes
Combat Intrigue
8 9
Defense Defense
Health 9 Composure 9
Destiny Points 4
Benefits: Bludgeon Fighter I, Hardy, Head of House
Drawbacks: Naïve

Arms & Armor

Breastplate: AR 5, AP -2, Bulk 3
Mace 4+2B 3 Damage Shattering 1
Defensive +1,
Knife 4 1 Damage
Off-hand +1

68
 The Noble Houses

should be married or at least betrothed by this point in his

life. Some smallfolk whisper that Dunstan has no interest in
a woman’s affections, but there’s no evidence that he prefers
the touch of a man, either.
Thus far, his sister and Maester Haelis have managed to
keep him free of the influences of a wife that would use
House Tullison’s wealth for her own ends over what they see
as the good of the House. Still, neither sister nor Maester
can keep prospective brides and their fathers from visiting
Joston’s Rock, and one of the pretty maids (like the tenacious
Lady Gywneth) is bound to capture Dunstan’s interest, even-
tually—whether Dunstan craves the attention of women or
not, he knows that he must marry to keep House Tullison
alive.
Dunstan’s naïveté also expresses itself in another, far more
dangerous, way. The young lord craves adventure. Having
grown up on maester’s histories, Dunstan desperately wishes
to place his name in the annals of history. Each time the ra-
vens bring word of a conflict, his sister and Maester Haelis do
their utmost to convince Dunstan not to interfere. He pesters
Ser Mather with requests to join the Mountaineers on patrol,
and has drawn up plans on several occasions to raid the vil-
lages of the clans, only to be dissuaded at the last minute by
the combined efforts of Ser Mather, Ser Ulbert and Maester
Haelis. In each case, his concern for the lot of the smallfolk
levies he’d be forced to call up to manage a successful attack
Lady Yve Tullison Young Adult Schemer
has been the deciding factor. In an attempt to quench this
Abilities
mad impulse for glory, Lady Yve has lately asked Ser Crans-
ton to train Dunstan on the proper use of a lance. She hopes Awareness 3 Empathy 2B
that if Dunstan can learn to joust, he might be satisfied with Cunning 3
the mock battles provided by the lists and the tourney melees. Deception 4 Bluff 2B
Dunstan is eagerly looking forward to the next Tourney of
Language 3
the Brothers (see p. 99).
Knowledge 3

Lady Yve Tullison Persuasion 4

Status 4 Reputation 1B
Lady Yve is proof that beauty can be found even among Survival 3 Orientation 1B
the rocky heights of the Tullison holdings. Described as the
Will 3
flower of her House by more than one traveling singer, Yve
has the blossoming figure of a woman of ten-and-five years Attributes
and long, flowing raven tresses. The same wide blue eyes that Combat Intrigue
7 10
give her brother the look of innocence instead serve to in- Defense Defense
crease the magnitude of her beauty. Courted by men of both Health 6 Composure 9
high and low station since her flowering, Yve has grown ac-
Destiny Points 3
customed to –even slightly cynical about– the attention she
Benefits: Attractive, Charismatic, Courteous
receives. The combination of Yve’s comeliness, charm and the
wealth of her House make her a prize, even as the daughter Drawbacks: Fear (snakes)
of a minor House. The fact that her brother remains unwed

69
 The Noble Houses

only adds to her appeal as it give suitors some hope that they
might inherit rule if something unfortunate were to happen
to Lord Dunstan. That is, as they say, the rub.
Unlike her brother, Yve is as cunning and self-possessed as
she is attractive. Taught intrigue at her mother’s elbow, Yve’s
age belies her capability. She is only too aware of the fact
that most of her suitors envision themselves sitting on the
stone throne of House Tullison. So she uses her beauty as a
weapon and her charm as a shield, flirting and blushing her
way through attempts to ensnare her in marriage. The dance
of intentions she performs is sad in a way. Like every girl, Yve
dreams of true love and marital bliss, yet she willingly puts
her duty to her House and her love for her brother before her
own desires. Yve hopes to find Dunstan a good wife that will
care for him, and gently guide him through the quagmires
Ser Mather Warrens Adult Fighter
of morality that he seems ill-equipped to recognize on his
own. Only then will she give thought to her own happiness.
Adding to her reluctance to marry is the quality of the suitors
that have, so far, come before her. If Yve were to find a man
she was capable of respecting, she might rethink her position.
Among the suitors that House Tullison is currently enter-
taining are Lord Brom Bartheld (a long-winded bore that is
far too old for her), Lord Gawen Glover, and whichever Frey
happens to be present (Lord Walder pursues possible mar-
riages between members of his brood and both brother and
sister). Yve typically refers (in private) to the men that come
seeking her hand as “snakes,” which, given her fear of actual
snakes, speaks volumes about her current attitude towards
marriage to any one of them. Since her mother, the Lady
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.

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.

of the useful service he provides.

Maester Haelis
The links in his chain that rep-
Maester Donnen served House Tullison ably and well for resent knowledge of nature and
over 50 years before succumbing to the sickness of old age. architecture are what motivated
Upon his death, Lady Moraine sent to the Citadel for a the Citadel to send him to House
replacement, and Maester Haelis was dispatched to them. Tully. Haelis can readily identify
In the three years he has served in Joston’s Rock, Haelis nearly any plant, insect, or
has learned the basics of survival in the mountains, as is animal and is equally adept
expected of every member of the House, noble or smallfolk, at predicting the mercu-
and assumed the responsibility for the education of Lord rial weather patterns of the
Dunstan and Lady Yve. When Lady Moraine became ill, Mountains of the Moon. His
he did all he could to ensure her comfort and sent ravens to knowledge of architecture has
the Citadel in search of a cure. Noting early on the tenden- been put to practical use in the
cies of Lord Dunstan to look before he leaps, Haelis offers ongoing construction of the castle and in the mines where
counsel to the young lord, aided and abetted by Lady Yve, his suggestions on cross bracing, and structural improvements
with whom he has become friends. have increased safety for the miners.
Haelis is short, skinny and completely average in appear- Currently, Maester Haelis’ attention is focused on three
ance. His brown hair and his brown eyes have never caught separate goals. Despite his repeated failures to find a rem-
the attention of maidens, which is fine by him. He was the edy for Lady Moraine’s illness, he is constantly seeking out
natural born son of some Riverlands lord that his mother new kinds of treatments, sending his ravens hither and yon
never shared the name of and was sent off to the Citadel at an for information and consultation with other maesters. Hae-
early age. The few people in Mountain’s Reach that are aware lis and Lady Yve are of one mind on the subject of Lord
Haelis was bastard born tend to overlook the defect in light Dunstan getting married; namely that every maid brought

71
 The Noble Houses
before the lord must be vigorously scrutinized for signs of
trustworthiness (Haelis has been responsible for sending
more than one of the female Frey packing). As Lady Yve
has grown to trust him more, Haelis has also been able to
help her keep her potential suitors guessing. It is his coun-
sel that has led to Yve never showing favor to one over the
others, nor yet giving outright refusals that might offer of-
fense. Some rumors suggest that it isn’t duty alone that leads
Haelis to assist Lady Yve in her machinations. These same
rumors claim that Maester Haelis is secretly in love with the
young Lady and can’t bear the thought of seeing her with
another man.
Lady Moraine Tullison
Born a daughter of House Dondarrion, Lady Moraine was
wed to Lord Sterl Tullison at the age of ten-and-seven. The
marriage grew into a devoted partnership over the years; Lord
Sterl was kind to his wife and she bore him a male heir, Dun-
stan, and a daughter, Yve. When House Tully called the ban-
ners in support of Robert Baratheon, Lord Sterl responded,
leaving Moraine to guide the fortunes of the House, coun-
seled by Maester Donnen. Moraine proved a steady hand in
Lord Sterl’s absence and when Sterl was killed at the Battle
of the Trident she continued to conduct House affairs in her
son’s name.
Two years past, Moraine contracted a sickness that Mae-
ster Haelis could put no name too. She burned so brightly
with fever that her dark hair fell out in clumps, yet she still
shivered with chills beneath the blankets and furs piled atop
her. By the time her fever broke, Moraine’s body had wasted
away to near skeletal thinness, and her once vibrant blue eyes
were dull with pain and confusion. Maester Haelis dosed her
with every medicine he could think of, in hopes of spark-
ing her mind back to wakefulness, but nary a one succeeded.
The disease has appeared three more times since the onset of
the sickness, each time weakening her further yet. While she
clings to life, Maester Haelis refuses to abandon hope, and
spends as much time as he can working on the elusive cure
that will return her to health.
Master Smith Ren Alyard
Oft referred to as the Bull of Joston’s Rock by the smallfolk,
Master Ren is a large, burly man as strong as his nickname
suggests. Lord Dunstan jests that the true reason people call
Ren the Bull is for his stubbornness. Ren fails to see the hu-
mor in this joke, but no one has ever accused the smith of
72
being a humorous man. Once he sets his mind to something,
Ren pursues it with single-minded determination. He con-
siders his lack of humor to be strength that allows him to per-
form his duties without distraction, and he expects the same
level of concentration from those who work in his forges. It’s
hard to argue with the results. Because of Master Ren, the
arms and armor used by House Tullison is as good as, or bet-
ter than, any other House in the Riverlands.
Ren keeps his graying black hair cropped close to his
scalp and inspects the steel that leaves his forges with keen
brown eyes. On the rare occasion that he can’t be found in
the forges, working, Ren has been known to visit the whores
in Lordsview. Ren is always on the lookout for a way to ac-
quire Valyrian steel and the stories told about the treasures
of the Barrow Plain (see p. 107) haven’t escaped his notice.
He believes that he can unlock the secrets underlying the
forging of the metal, if only he can procure a sample. The
fact that no other smith since the fall of Valyria has been
able to reproduce whatever techniques were used to create
weapons that even the noblest of men would be tempted to
steal, makes no difference. Ren sees it as the final challenge
of his skill.
Septon Weyls
A bald, paunchy, good-humored man, Septon Weyls is a
valued member of the Mountain’s Reach’s community. He
oversees the prayers and offerings of the faithful, and always
makes time for those in need. Mildly disapproving of the
whores that live and work in Lordsview, he makes no move
to bar them from the sept, and hears their confessions in the
hopes of turning them to the path of virtue. From time to
time, he asks Lord Dunstan to provide him with an escort so
that he may visit the smallfolk outside Joston’s Rock, spread-
ing the word and forgiveness of the Seven. Even though the
Smith and the Warrior remain the most popular figures of
worship in Mountain’s Reach, Weyls does his best to remind
his flock that those are only two aspects of the whole that the
Seven represents.
With the aid of Maester Haelis, Septon Weyls keeps in
touch with the septs of other Houses and shares his knowl-
edge with Lord Dunstan and Lady Yve. It is in this manner
that much of the news of current events in Westeros comes
to Mountain’s Reach. Without a doubt, the most unbiased
information the Septon gains in this manner comes from his
fellows at the Septry at Shattered Rock (see p. 103). Weyls
visits Lady Moraine weekly to pray at her bedside for healing,
and assists Yve, in his own quiet way, in discouraging suitors

for her hand by asking the men that come to visit uncomfort-
able questions about their faith.
Ser Ulbert Hite
The Captain of the guard at Mountain’s Reach is a stern, se-
rious fellow that is considered to be a petty dictator by the
men that are forced to report to him. Ser Ulbert brooks no
dissent, has no time for excuses, and no mercy for any man
that reports late for duty. He conducts weekly inspections of
the weapons and armor kept by his men, and isn’t shy about
using the whip to persuade repeat offenders to ferret out even
the smallest hint of rust, or wear.
Ofttimes, this sort of behavior might result in a fatal “ac-
cident” to befall the Captain, but Ser Ulbert is no man to
be trifled with. Not only is Ulbert larger and meaner than
any other man in Joston’s Rock, he’s also been known to de-
feat Master Ren in arm wrestling matches without breaking
a sweat. Other than Lord Dunstan and the other knights in
the castle, the only man Ulbert has friendly relations with
is Maester Haelis. Ulbert and Haelis share a passion for the
game of cyvasse, which was introduced in the castle by a Dor-
nish mercenary in the employ of one of Lady Yve’s suitors.
Ser Ulbert has repeatedly attempted to be reassigned to the
Mountaineers, but Ser Mather doesn’t want him there. Ul-
bert was the first knight to accept Ser Mather’s challenge, and
Mather still keeps the sword Ulbert lost on the wager over
the fireplace in his quarters.
Lord Brom Bartheld
Tall, thin and cadaverously pale, Lord Brom is something of a
permanent guest at Mountain’s Reach. Upon the death of his
last wife, Brom began to look around for a younger woman
to warm his bed and has set his heart on Lady Yve. When his
attempts at arranging the match from afar met with failure,
Brom left his manor in the hands of his oldest grandson and
came to make his case in person. Arriving with Brom was
his aging squire, a bastard by the name of Dart Rivers. Lord
Brom and Dart haunt the halls of Joston’s Rock, often way-
laying unsuspecting guests or serving folk to regale them with
tales of Brom’s heroics during Robert’s Rebellion. A survivor
of the Trident, Brom enjoys showing people the ruby ring he
had made from one of the jewels Robert Baratheon smashed
free from Rhaegar Targaryen’s armor.
Lady Yve finds Lord Brom’s attentions to be repellant and
slightly creepy, but refuses to have the old man barred from
the castle. Brom is useful as a foil for overly persistent suitors.
The Noble Houses
Any attention she lavishes on Old Gaunt (as she calls him in
private) is sure to be forgotten by Brom by the time her other
suitor has given up, and departed. Brom consoles himself
with what he deems as his future wife’s “indiscretions” with
the attention of the whores in Lordsview, who never cease to
be impressed by his…vitality.
Lady Gwyneth Marsten
Blonde, petite and pretty, Lady Gywneth is visiting Moun-
tain’s Reach in hopes of wedding Lord Dunstan. Gwyneth is
the niece of Lady Isobel Marsten by her late husband’s broth-
er, Mikael. While it is true that a marriage between House
Tullison and House Marsten would be certain to help the
ailing coffers on the latter House, that isn’t the sole reason
Gwyneth was sent off to woo Lord Dunstan. Lady Isobel
sees the marriage as a good way of ridding herself of a pos-
sible rival of her sole remaining child for control of House
Marsten. This is especially important in light of the fact that
no one is quite sure whether Mikael lives or not. Always a bit
of a wastrel, he was last seen on a ship headed for the east, and
no one has heard of or from him since that day.
Perhaps desperate to escape her circumstances, Gwyneth
hasn’t been as easy to vanquish as previous maids that have
come a-courting to Mountain’s Reach. She endures the icy
silences and pointed jibes of Lady Yve, and ignores the sub-
tle hints from Maester Haelis that she’s not welcome. Lord
Dunstan is mildly interested by her company, but not so
much so that Gwyneth could begin to hope she has managed
to capture his heart. Still, the charade must be played out,
and Gwyneth intends to either marry this young lord, or not
return home. A few rumors have circulated among the ser-
vants at Joston’s Rock about the relationship between Lady
Gwyneth and her escort, Ser Willain Marks. Thus far, Lady
Yve hasn’t been able to confirm the rumors, but would love
to do so.
Ser Willain Marks
Tall, brash and handsome, Ser Willain is the kind of dash-
ing knight that makes maidens swoon. Resplendent in his
full plate armor, astride his white destrier, Willain is a vision
to behold, even if he’s only a hedge knight. When Lady Iso-
bel determined to ship Lady Gwyneth off to House Tullison
to wed, she enlisted the services of Ser Willain as guardian,
to protect her niece from the dangers of the roads. Willain
claims to have been knighted by King Aerys himself, a claim
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
one can disprove the claim, Willain retains the title ser, and
the honor that accompanies it.
Willain has enjoyed his time at Mountain’s Reach, show-
ing off his jousting skills to an impressed Lord Dunstan and
sparring with the Mountaineers. Rumors suggest he’s enjoyed
more than just House Tullison’s hospitality. Smallfolk gossip
pairs Ser Willain and Lady Gwyneth in a romantic relation-
ship that features the good ser sneaking into her room every
other night, and not reemerging until the first rays of dawn.
If the rumors are true, the affair could lead to serious conse-
quences for both Willain and Lady Gwyneth. At best, Wil-
lain would be forced to take the black, while Lady Gwyneth
would be returned home to live out the rest of her life in
shame.
Horag
Horag’s legend among the Black Goats began when he left
his bloody handprints on the walls of Mountain’s Reach at
the age of ten-and-two, stealing a woman from Lordsview
on his return trip. By the time he came to his full growth,
Horag had already strung the tongues of the five men he
killed on a necklace, and claimed leadership of the clan.
Horag claims that his strength comes from his full, bushy
beard, which he has never cut or trimmed since it began to
sprout from his face. His black, goat’s fur cloak is trimmed
in the silver coins he’s stolen from his victims and the long-
sword he claimed from the body of a dead Mountaineer is
the pride of the clan.
Lately, Horag has undertaken a strategy of raiding that is
considered the height of tactical genius by the other clans-
men. He sends the women and the weakest of the clan to
attack a smallfolk camp, just close enough to Joston’s Rock
for word of the attack to carry to the castle. Then, while the
Mountaineers are busy chasing the dregs of the clan, Horag
attacks a merchant traveling up the River Road. The attacks
are coordinated by the position of the sun in the sky, with the
raids on the merchants usually coming just as dusk approach-
74
es. Ser Mather has begun to put two-and-two together, how-
ever, and is planning a surprise for Horag the next time the
Mountaineers catch a whiff of an impending raid.
Kashal
The leader of the Rock Chewers clan has a single burning
desire: to drink wine from Ser Mather’s skull. Kashal was
leading a raid on a smallfolk camp when Ser Mather and his
father ambushed the clansmen from behind. Although he
escaped, Kashal was shot in the buttocks by Ser Mather as
he fled; a humiliating wound that forced Kashal to eat meals
standing up, and sleep on his stomach for a month. Unknown
to Ser Mather, Kashal was behind the rockslide that killed his
father. Kashal was furious when the slide failed to kill both
father and son, leaving his oath of vengeance unfulfilled.
The Rock Chewers have watched with some jealousy the
success of Horag’s raids on the caravans moving on the River
Road. Thus far, Kashal has kept his clan from joining the
Black Goats on the raids, which has led to some mutterings
among the clansmen, and forced Kashal to kill one man to
prevent a revolt. As much as he’d like to claim the goods and
weapons from the traveling merchants, Kashal has refrained,
instead skulking along in the wake of the Black Goats, and
watching. He realizes that Ser Mather is bound to figure out
Horag’s plan, eventually, and when Mather makes his move
to ambush the Black Goats, Kashal intends to ambush the
Mountaineers in return, and claim his revenge.
Muddying the Palette
Dunstan hasn’t wed, not because Yve and Moraine can’t find
a woman good enough for him, but because Davain and Mo-
raine are trapped in a wicked and incestuous relationship (in
this scenario, Moraine isn’t dying—or isn’t dying quite yet).
Yve desperately wants to escape the demented household she
finds herself in, but no suitable matches can be found. The
players might be able to help her.
 THE RIVERLANDS
As caught up as the noble houses of Westeros can become in
their own affairs, they do not exist separate from the land and
peoples of the Seven Kingdoms, but as integral parts of them.
This chapter helps to put the six houses from the previous
chapter into context by describing the part of the Riverlands
where they exist and pursue their particular goals.
This chapter looks at Market Town, a free community
walking the difficult line between loyalties to various hous-
es and liege-lords, a place where characters of different al-
legiances can mix and mingle, as well as scheme and move
against one another. Market Town has its own share of secrets
and schemes, many of them belonging to its wily mayor, Esra
Stone.
The chapter offers sketches of corners of the Riverlands
suitable as lands claimed by a new house of the players’
creation, should they prefer not to take any of the sample
houses from the previous chapter as their own. Durain’s
Forest is a bandit-haunted stretch of wilderness and the
keep of Rugar Hold is a small fortress suitable for a fairly
new house. Riverthorn is a once-prosperous land ruined by
plague, which wiped out its previous rulers, leaving their
Rose Hall open to a house willing to take up the work of
resettling its abandoned hamlets and farms. Port Maril is a
small town with a questionable reputation but also a center
of local trade (and smuggling) where the new Portmaster
and Lord of the Storm Tower must deal with pirates and
smugglers, either by rooting them out, or claiming a portion
of their ill-gotten gains.
The chapter concludes with a selection of traditional events
and interesting places you can use as part of A Song of Ice and
Fire chronicle set in the Riverlands, from the annual Tour-
ney of the Brothers and the Mummers’ Joust to places like
Stag’s Moor, the Hag’s Mouth, or the haunted fields of the
Stranger’s Farmstead.
75
 The Riverlands
Market Town
In the hundreds of years since Market Hill was first settled,
Market Town has been a fort, a castle, and two different cit-
ies. It has been abandoned, razed by raiders, and destroyed by
plague, but the people always return and rebuild.
History
The secret of Market Town’s persistence is its ideal location.
A creek called Sky’s Daughter winds its way down from the
Mountains of the Moon and across a fertile plain called the
Lion’s Run before joining the Green Fork and flowing to
the sea. In the center of Lion’s Run, Sky’s Daughter nearly
encircles a tall, broad hill with a gentle slope and a firm
bedrock base. With its commanding view of the surround-
ing territory, defensible position, easy access to prime soil
and water, and good foundations, Market Hill is an ideal
place to build a city, which is why generations have built and
rebuilt one there.
The first incarnation of Market Town was a fort called Ar-
ros built more than five thousand years before Aegon’s Land-
ing by Andal invaders as they swept north across Westeros
and made war against the First Men. When the battle lines
moved north, Arros remained and became a small city.
Centuries before the Targaryens’ arrival, Arros had become
nothing but rotten timbers and abandoned structures. Local
legends claim that the Children of the Forest took the inhab-
itants away, and might one day return for the city’s current
inhabitants.
The next incarnation of Arros was a walled city made of
wood and stone built by the Andal Lord Larson Dally. This
iteration of the city, called Hill Town, outlasted its founder
and his family and was rebuilt many times. Hill Town sur-
vived until a generation after the Conquest, when it joined
the Faith of the Seven’s revolt against the Targaryens and was
burnt to the ground by dragonfire. Although the maesters of
Oldtown record the battle as a slaughter, many of the small-
folk survived by fleeing to the surrounding mountains. The
town’s leaders, however, were hung, drawn and quartered, and
fed to dragons for their temerity.
The Targaryens, never ones to waste prime territory, rebuilt
the city as Dragonfire Hill in shortly thereafter and gave it to
House Asrig. The name was chosen to remind the populace—
most of whom were the sons and daughters of the survivors
of Hill Town—of the price of defying Targaryen might. Per-
haps as a result if this inauspicious beginning, Dragonfire Hill
76
never prospered. The townsfolk claimed that their home was
cursed, haunted by the charred shades of their fathers and
grandfathers. The dire prophecies came true almost two hun-
dred years later, when the city was decimated by the Great
Spring Sickness.
Market Town’s newest incarnation was born just a few years
later when the site was resettled by Tobis Stone, a bastard
son of a disinherited Arryn daughter. The first inhabitants of
Market Town were survivors of the Great Spring Sickness
and ambitious smallfolk from Arryn holdings. The town has
been nominally independent of the local noble houses ever
since. Market Town managed to remain neutral during Rob-
ert’s Rebellion simply by being out of the way. It was similarly
untouched by the Greyjoy Rebellion.
Today, all the noble families with a claim to the area lay
claim to Market Town. Each house has its own justification.
The Barthelds say Market Town is theirs as the city once be-
longed to fallen House Asrig, whose lands were granted to the
Barthelds by King Robert. Many argue that the claim is aca-
demic, however, as House Asrig had not held any noticeable
dominion over the settlement since the Great Spring Sick-
ness wiped out Dragonfire Hill. House Marsten’s justification
is much more recent; they are willing to admit (or claim) that
Tobis Stone’s unknown father is a Marsten if it means tak-
ing control of Market Town. House Barnell claims Market
Town as part of the land granted to them by House Tully,
as does House Tullison (Lord Tully himself has bigger fish
to fry). House Kytley’s claim is even older than House Bar-
theld’s, but more dubious—they believe that Market Town
never rightfully belonged to house Asrig at all, but was theirs
all along. House Asrig’s claim, they say, was unjust and based
on falsified documents.The House Dulver claim is economic.
They claim to have bought the land from House Asrig shortly
before the house was destroyed in Robert’s Rebellion, and
although the royal copies of the transaction were destroyed in
the sack of King’s Landing, Lord Dulver claims to have his
own copies of the documents to prove it.
Any house in the area that could take and keep Market
Town would reap great benefits. Not only would the winning
house gain income from Market Town’s taxes, victory would
also be an expression of dominance over the defeated houses,
something no status-conscious noble can ever forget.
Rather than come to blows over Market Town, the local
nobles are satisfied—for now—to leave the town as neutral
ground. This situation satisfies the folk of Market Town as
well. The people of Market Town are happy with paying taxes
only to the crown—and that infrequently—and fifteen years
is a long time to get used to the current state of affairs. Any-

one hoping to make Market Town theirs will have to out-
maneuver the other houses and Market Town’s wily mayor,
Esra Stone.
Locations
Market Town is roughly square, surrounded by a palisade wall
with watchtowers at every corner. The walls are made of lay-
ers of old, solid wood and thick iron bolts. Some sections of
the city wall date back to Dragonfire Hill or Tobis Stone’s
resettlement. The watchtowers, on the other hand, are new
stone. They date back to the tense days of Robert’s Rebellion,
when the mayor feared that a local noble house might use the
brewing conflict as an excuse to seize the city. In addition to
the usual fortifications, Market Town’s watchtowers use a sys-
tem of huge braziers and signal mirrors to send information
from tower to tower quickly in emergencies.
Market Town is divided into two neighborhoods. Old
Town—built primarily out of old stone—is the rebuilt re-
mains of Dragonfire Hill. Thanks to an old superstition that
the old structures are haunted by the plague that destroyed
The Riverlands
Dragonfire Hill and unsafe, Old Town is a poor neighbor-
hood. Drunkenness and desperation are more common than
crimes of violence or passion, but those crimes do happen.
New Town, on the other hand, is the part of the city built
since Tobis Stone’s resettling of the city. New Town is pros-
perous and clean, and the people are proud, happy, and ambi-
tious.
Market Square and the Raven’s Pub
Market Square is the heart of town, a dirt-floored plaza
about twenty yards to a side. A weathered statue that might
once have been an image of Tobis Stone marks the center of
the square. Any details the statue might have once had are
obscured by years of wear and layers of bird droppings. The
statue is unusually popular with the local ravens, which has
led to the statue being called the Raven’s Pub. If a Market
Towner says “I’ll meet you at the Raven’s Pub,” he means that
he’ll see you in Market Square. Market Towners have a habit
of discussing dark business “under the Raven and the moon,”
which means in the center of Market Square, at night. Even
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-
tures of conspirators from observation at a distance.
Local traders have made a half-hearted effort to beautify
Market Square. A small raised-bed flower garden surrounds
the statue in the middle of the square and several of the sur-
rounding shops have made their storefronts bright and at-
tractive. For most of the week Market Square is a park. Young
men and women come here to walk with their sweethearts,
old men come to sit on the edge of the raised flowerbed in the
center of the square and feed bread crumbs and corn to the
ever-present ravens, and children come to play.
On first day of every week, Market Square undergoes an
amazing transformation. All the storefronts along the edge
of the square expand onto the street, displaying their best
wares. Locals who aren’t wealthy enough to own or rent
storefronts on the square and merchants from all across the
region set up stalls in the square. All kinds of products are
available for purchase, from fine swords to butternut squash.
Because Market Town only pays taxes to the crown, prices
are extraordinarily low. (In game terms, Market Town mer-
chants are considered to be Amiable towards most shop-
pers for the purpose of Bargain tests.) Other entrepreneurs
come to feed and entertain the shoppers, filling the square
78
with meat pie sellers, beer stands, jugglers, singers, and po-
ets. Market Day is a lively, amiable chaos of sights, sounds,
and smells.
Endra’s Sept
Unlike most septs, Endra’s Sept is a relatively new building.
It was built by the septa Endra Cooper ten years after To-
bis Stone resettled the location. Market Towners had been
avoiding the old sept—then one of the oldest buildings in
town—out of fear that the plague that had wiped out the city
had somehow sunk into the timbers of the building. Because
the nearest sept was nearly a day’s walk away, the Faith feared
that it was failing the people of Market Town. Septa Cooper
walked all the way from the Starry Sept in Oldtown to ritu-
ally restore the sept.
Endra’s Sept was originally a humble seven-sided build-
ing with an attached dormitory for the septa and her staff, a
small hospital, and a few extra multipurpose rooms. Over the
years, wealthy merchants hoping to buy the favor of the Seven
have donated heavily to the sept, resulting in an increasingly
ornate building. Today, Endra’s Sept is one of the few stone
buildings in New Town. It stands two stories tall—vaulted
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.
The Maiden’s House
Market Town’s lone brothel, the Maiden’s House, is a two-
story building in New Town, not far from Endra’s Sept. Like
Market Square, the Maiden’s House is innocuous for most of
the week and transforms on Market Day, with red lanterns
in every window and women lounging in the street or lean-
ing alluringly from the balconies. The Maiden’s House does a
thriving business on the days surrounding each Market Day,
as traveling merchants seek out the comforts denied them by
the road.
Dame Adrienne, the proprietor, aspires to build the Maid-
en’s House into a place of taste and class, like the brothels of
King’s Landing and Lannisport, but it falls short. The girls
are happy enough with their lot in life and the rooms are

clean, but the décor and the music are a little too gaudy and
the accents a little too countrified. Still, The Maiden’s House
is a better brothel than most in Westeros, and like the rest of
Market Town, its inhabitants and proprietors are ambitious
and determined.
The Godsgrove
Outside of Market Town, down the hill and across the plains
to the east, past the fields and farmhouses, a forest clings to
the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon. This wood rep-
resents the eastern edge of Market Town and the beginning
of the noble houses. When the men who built Market Town
came here seeking wood, they left empty-handed. Instead of
trees to cut, they found an ancient and overgrown godswood.
The folk of Market Town are generally adherents of the Faith
of the Seven, but they refuse to cut down the ancient weir-
wood and its fellow trees. Today, those few Market Towners
who seek the favor of the Old Gods take the journey to the
godsgrove to be alone under the trees.
The Old Faith has no clergy, but an old man called Peter
Hasting is the Godsgrove’s de facto keeper. Despite arthritis in
his fingers and knees, Peter makes the journey to the Gods-
grove twice a week to brush fallen leaves from the moss. Peter
is the man locals come to when they seek the blessing of the
Old Gods, and Peter advises them in how to behave in the
Godswood and how to pray.
The Heart and Crown
A block away from Market Square, on the border between
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,
but everyone comes to the Heart and Crown once in a while.
The owner and proprietor of the Heart and Crown is
Hadrian Tor, a tall, brusque, appealingly ugly redheaded man
in his late fifties. Hadrian is descended from one of Tobis
Stone’s daughters, and the Heart and Crown has been in his
family since its founding by Tobis Stone himself, shortly af-
ter the resettling of Market Town. Thanks to their pedigree,
Hadrian and the Heart and Crown are much-beloved local
institutions.
The mayors of Market Town hold informal court in the
Heart and Crown. Here, Mayor Esra Stone and his advi-
sors hear cases they can’t or won’t in Town Hall, and many
informal deals are made and broken. Finally, the Heart and
Crown’s cellar has a secret: a hidden passageway to the cata-
combs underneath Market Town formed by the layers of dead
The Riverlands
cities that came before it. This is where Mayor Stone and his
closest allies—including Hadrian—scheme to keep the no-
bility’s collective hands off Market Town and stock the arms
and armor they will need if it ever comes to blows.
Town Hall
The Town Hall is Market Town’s second-most ostentatious
building, following Endra’s Sept (and followed by the Hall of
All Guilds and the Maiden’s House). Town Hall is another
stonework New Town structure, situated so that the back of
the building has a balcony overlooking Market Square. The
building houses an audience hall, where the Mayor hears pe-
titions, a courthouse, and several administrative offices. When
the mayor must address the populace of Market Town, he
does so from the balcony in the rear, with the people gathered
in Market Square.
In addition to serving as Market Town’s center of govern-
ment, Town Hall is the town guard’s nerve center. Town Hall’s
central spire receives messages via mirror or signal fire from
the four watchtowers and sends more guards to deal with any
trouble. The basements beneath the building are also home
to Market Town’s jail. The cells are rarely occupied, however,
because Market Town’s justice is so swift: violent criminals
are hung, liars and cheats are exiled, and lesser criminals are
lashed or pilloried and then released.
Characters
Esra Stone, Septon Harald Finch, Dame Adrienne, and Yorik
Ralk are the leading figures in Market Town.
Mayor Esra Stone
Newcomers to Market Town are often struck by the may-
or’s name: Stone. Westeros’s bastard names don’t last for
many generations. Bastards marry into legitimate families,
adopt names based on their hometowns or professions, or
die without legitimate children of their own. The Stones of
Market Town have survived and thrived by their wits for
more than a hundred years. They are not peasants to name
themselves after the land or their craft. They are everything
bastard children are supposed to be—ruthless, proud, and
adaptable—and they want everyone to know it. Mayor Esra
Stone is the current head of the family, as audacious as any
of his forbearers.
Esra Stone is a tall, broad-shouldered man slowly work-
ing his way into vigorous middle age. He is handsome, in
79
 The Riverlands
a mature and fatherly sort of way, with strong features and
black hair going slightly grey at the temples. Esra’s dark
brown eyes glitter with intelligence, humor, and mischief,
seeming out of place on his steady, reliable face. He dresses
well, but not ostentatiously. Esra strikes a balance between
showing off his status, appealing to Market Town’s wealthy
merchants, and identifying with the city’s lower classes. Esra
almost never carries weapons himself and wouldn’t know
what to do with one if he did, but he rarely goes anywhere
without a small escort of town guardsmen—usually his
nephews Kurt and Elias—wearing leather breastplates and
armed with stout cudgels.
The people of Market Town call Esra “the Wily Mayor,”
and he deserves the title. Esra Stone has kept Market Town
free of noble influence for more than a decade despite con-
certed efforts on the part of surrounding houses to lay claim
to the city and he shows no sign of slacking off now.
Market Town and the local nobles have clashed a number
of times over the years as the nobles test the dedication and
independence of Market Town and its mayor. Esra has had
to use cleverness and sheer, unmitigated gall to keep the city
independent. Esra has played the houses off against each oth-
er, made promises he never intended to keep and threats he
80
Esra Stone Adult Schemer
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)
Arms & Armor
Padded Armor: AR: 1, AP: 0, Bulk 0
couldn’t back up, lied, stolen, and ordered murder, all to keep
Market Town free. The people love him for it, though they
might love him a little less if they knew some of the sacrifices
he has made for their sake.
Himself a liar and manipulator, Esra does not trust easily.
However, he was raised on stories of the iniquity of the nobil-
ity and has a soft spot for smallfolk whom the nobility have
taken advantage of. On the other hand, Esra has a grudge
against the highborn and loves to frustrate their schemes.
Most importantly, Esra is smooth and composed, all smiles
and gentle words, no matter what. Esra is an unapologetic
believer in nepotism, but makes sure to leave room for prom-
ising peasants outside his immediate family.
Esra Stone lives with his wife, Devra, in the mayor’s man-
sion in Market Town, not far from Town Hall. They have four
children. Lilah and Maryan, twelve and fourteen, still live at
home. Their oldest daughter, Daisy, has married a local crafts-
man and lives in Market Town and their oldest son, Niall,
has set himself up as a merchant in Lannisport and writes
infrequently. Esra’s younger brother Hans—Kurt and Elias’s
father—lives in Market Town as well.
Esra would be hard pressed to defend himself in a fight
and doesn’t bother to carry any weapons. Instead, he sur-
rounds himself with reliable young men in the city guard,
like his nephews Kurt and Elias. Although these game sta-
 The Riverlands

Kurt and Elias Tertiary Characters

The Sins of Esra Stone
Abilities
Athletics 4 Esra Stone keeps his secrets well, but not even the Wily
Mayor’s schemes can protect him forever. Below is a small
Awareness 4 Notice 1B sampling of some of Esra Stone’s deeds. Everything he
Endurance 3 has done, he did for Market Town, but even that excuse
might not save him from the consequences if these secrets
Fighting 3 Bludgeon 1B were to come to light.
Attributes The Flashing Peak Bandits: Banditry is a fact of life
in Westeros, especially for cities like Market Town, which
Combat
8 Health: 9 stand outside the protection of the nobility. However,
Defense:
several years ago, when Esra discovered that a group of
Arms & Armor bandits were secretly taking Kytley money to harass inde-
pendent merchant caravans headed in and out of Market
Soft Leather: AR: 2, AP -1, Bulk 0 Town, he knew that the usual measures wouldn’t suffice.
Through bribes and threats, Esra was able to find out
Cudgel 3+1B 3 Damage Off-Hand +1
where bandits were meeting with their noble patrons and
had one of his men disable and replace the Kytley mes-
tistics are meant to reflect Kurt and Elias in particular, they senger. It was easy for Esra to arrange for the Kytley ban-
could easily be used for a generic member of Market Town’s dits to attack a Marsten caravan. The oldest son of a loyal
Marsten retainer was killed in the fighting, but so were
civil guard. all of the bandits. If the Marstens ever find out the Esra
Stone was behind the attack, they will certainly retaliate.
Septon Harald Finch The Marriage of Brendan Fowles and Naomi
Forrester: Esra Stone hates to see good families used
Harald Finch is Market Town’s and abused by the gentry. Last year Brendan Fowles fell
Septon. He is dedicated to the in love with a minor noble’s daughter, Kaleen Waynwood.
Father, and wears that aspect of Fowles’s father is Isaac Fowles, a Market Town merchant
known for his piety, and a supporter of Stone’s. Esra de-
the Seven’s symbol cast in sil- cided on his own that it was in Market Town’s best inter-
ver on a chain around his neck. ests to prevent the match. He took Brendan for a night
Harald Finch is a small, narrow, on the town, which ended with Brendan in the bed of
and by no means handsome Naomi Forrester, a girl from a hardworking but impov-
erished family and willing co-conspirator. Brendan’s pi-
man in his forties with gray ous (and enraged) father demanded that he marry the girl
hair and a close-cropped he made pregnant, and even if he hadn’t, Esra knew that
beard. He wears the robes of Kaleen’s father had been looking for an excuse to forbid
the match. Neither Brendan’s nor Kaleen’s feelings never
a septon like he was born to
entered Esra’s calculations and he seems untroubled by
them and it is hard to imag- Kaleen’s subsequent suicide.
ine him as anything but a fin-
Father and Son: Esra has always tried his best to keep
icky middle-aged septon. His assistants are wont to say “Sep-
his family separate from the moral compromises he
ton Finch was never young.” makes for Market Town. Unfortunately, he has not always
Harald is far from a perfect septon. He is abrasive, un- succeeded. His son Niall’s first mercantile coup was an ex-
pleasant, and a stranger to compromise when dealing with clusive contract to transport wine from House Bartheld’s
vineyards down the river for sale in Kings Landing. Esra
people he categorizes as his inferiors. He is a lifelong bach- found the opportunity too rich to pass up. He saddled
elor with no patience for women, whom he views as frivolous his son with a few employees who were incompetent at
and distracting regardless of their actual traits. Most of Mar- hauling but who made excellent informants and recruiters
ket Town’s people bypass Septon Finch whenever possible in within Hart House itself. When Niall found out, he was
furious; this was his livelihood, not fodder for his father’s
favor of one of his assistants, who are generally much more schemes! He folded the operation and left for Lannisport
agreeable and eager to help people solve their problems. In that evening. No one outside of Esra’s immediate family
the face of power—wealthy merchants, noblemen, ranking knows about the falling-out, and most of Market Town
merely assumes that Niall left to seek his fortune in the
Faith officials—Harald instantly transforms into an apolo-
big city.
getic, flattering sycophant.

81
 The Riverlands
This last trait—pliability in the face of authority—is how
Harald Finch earned the position of Septon of Endra’s Sept.
The previous Septon was a stronger and more ambitious man
who borrowed heavily from local merchants to fund his char-
itable endeavors. The guilds and associations of Market Town
practically own Endra’s Sept, and they were able to arrange
for a more agreeable Septon.
At his root, Harald Finch is weak, and hides from the
knowledge of his own weakness. He allows himself to be ma-
nipulated, out of fear and ignorance of his own strength. His
faith in the Seven and the Father is very real, and he prays
every day for strength, wisdom, and courage, unaware that all
these traits are close at hand, if only he would grow a back-
bone. Harald Finch has never been in a situation where his or
anyone else’s life was at risk, and no one—least of all Septon
Finch himself—knows what he will do if he is. There may be
more to Harald Finch than meets the eye, or perhaps he is
exactly what he seems.
Dame Adrienne
The Madame of the Maiden’s House
is a statuesque woman in her mid-
thirties. She wears her red hair up in
a variety of elaborate hairstyles and
uses a Maester’s toolbox of cosmet-
ics to ensure that her appearance is
just so. Adrienne dresses her best, in
heavily embroidered gowns cut and
dyed to complement of her dramatic
coloring and flatter her ample
figure, and wears a great deal of
gold and ruby jewelry.
Dame Adrienne’s manner
is defined by two words: vice
and class. As the Madame of Market Town’s only brothel,
Adrienne is conscious that she occupies a place outside
of polite society. She is self-consciously naughty, encour-
aging others to indulge themselves in a way that is both
alluring and motherly. At the same time, Dame Adrienne
puts on every appearance of class and breeding, from her
assumed title of “dame” to her style of dress to her per-
fectly clipped accent. Dame Adrienne isn’t just selling sex
at the Maiden’s House, she is selling the fantasy that her
clients are powerful and important people—like the nobles
they admire and fear—with seraglios full of beautiful and
willing women. Dame Adrienne rarely sees clients herself,
and only by invitation. A passing nobleman or wealthy
82
Dame Adrienne Tertiary Character
Awareness 3 Empathy 1B
Cunning 3
Deception 4 Disguise 1B
Intrigue
8 Composure: 6
Defense:
merchant might be offered the opportunity to spend the
evening with the mistress of the Maiden’s House, as are
Adrienne’s old friends from her days in Dorne.
Of course, Dame Adrienne is both more and less than
she seems. Despite her genteel façade, she can be remark-
ably brutal to prostitutes or clients who displease her. She
has had more than one client beaten within an inch of his
life for harming one of her girls, and although she doesn’t
hurt her workers physically, she is completely merciless about
throwing one of them out onto the street if she makes a big
enough mistake, like offending an important client, stealing
from the house, or getting pregnant. Dame Adrienne is also
very religious. She regularly attends services at Endra’s Sept
and donates heavily.
Dame Adrienne is also a spy for the Princes of Dorne.
Market Town is very well situated to harvest all sorts of
information about the Riverlands. Reports arrive at the
Maiden’s House all the time—in letters, in the hands of a
“passing nobleman,” “wealthy merchant” or “old friend” from
Dorne—which Adrienne then passes along to her superiors.
Adrienne has been a spy for a long time, ever since a sojourn
in Dorne when she was a teenager. Adrienne genuinely be-
lieves that Dorne is a better and more just place than the rest
of Westeros. Running the brothel is her vocation, but increas-
ing Dorne’s influence over Westeros is her calling.
Captain Yorik Ralk
The head of Market Town’s civil
guard is a tall, burly man with
wiry black hair, dark eyes, and
a dusky complexion. Captain
Yorik Ralk is unquestionably the
toughest man in Market Town.
He trains all the guardsmen
personally and has never
been beaten, even by his best
students. His training isn’t
easy—he would obviously
prefer to have fewer men rath-
 The Riverlands

Captain Yorik Ralk

New House Locations
Tertiary Character

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

84

cunning by pacifying the forest, but it is also a chance to end
up in an early grave. Any house claiming Durain’s Forest has
an enemy within its borders that is difficult to find and corner,
making any long term restoration of law and order a delicate
process. Will the new lord try to bargain with the bandits?
Or will the noble use a vast array of soldiers to beat his lands
into cooperation? Once the War of the Five Kings begins the
situation may change drastically since having well defended
terrain inhabited by experienced combatants who know the
land is a defensive advantage not to be overlooked. Perhaps
clemency may be in the house’s best interests.
Instead of a new house taking Durain’s Forest, the players
could be a branch of an older house assigned to clear up the
forest which is near or within the larger house’s territory. This
is similar to the previous option, but allows for players to cre-
ate older houses.
Defense: 30 or more,
Invested: 30 or less (Rugar Hold)
Located at the heart of Durain’s Forest, Rugar Hold strad-
dles the only road that leads through it. The small castle
is made of a wooden outer wall and a stone keep within.
There is little room within the walls aside from the keep.
The trees were long ago culled for fifty paces in every di-
rection around the castle’s walls, but little effort has gone
into preserving this cleared area, so trees now grow almost
right up to the outer wall. This makes it remarkably easy
to approach the castle without being seen, which has been
the reason so many of its past inhabitants have been assas-
sinated. Stables are located in the courtyard along with a
secondary wood barracks, but the barracks are largely rotted
and falling down now.
The keep has not been well maintained and some sections
of its walls are on the verge of falling down. The damage is
serious and will require a sizable investment to get the keep
back into top shape. Rugar Hold has no decorations, statues,
tapestries, or other luxuries to speak of, those having long
ago been stripped away. Animals have taken to roosting in
some of the more remote rooms and will have to be driven
out for the castle to be fully inhabitable. The keep has a large
central hall, kitchens, an armory, smithy, barracks for one
hundred soldiers, and several rooms for the lord, lady, other
nobles, and visitors.
Rugar Hold is the primary fortification within Durain’s For-
est, though there are several other fortifications built during
various attempts to pacify the forest. Most of these other forti-
fications are little more than ruins, though some see use by the
locals and could be salvaged given time and resources. All the
The Riverlands
fortifications in Durain’s Forest were built since the victory of
the Targaryens and so have not had time to become truly de-
crepit. The largest of these is North Hall, located on the north
edge of the forest. Once a garrison under the Targaryens, it
now serves as one of the bandit headquarters. If reclaimed it
could be returned to usefulness with only a few months effort;
certainly easier than building a new hall from the ground up.
If the Narrator wishes he may allow Rugar Hold to be pur-
chased for 25 Defense points instead of 30, but the castle will
act as a hall until 5 wealth and 6 months are spent repairing
the fortress.
Influence: 40 or less
There is no particular Influence level attached to ruling Durain’s
Forest except that ruling a holding of such questionable value is
not something a house of high Influence would do. It is likely to
be a region awarded to a house of lesser Influence, possibly one
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-
cess, but until then they will be known as the nobles who live in
a forest of thieves, if not said to be thieves themselves. Striking
deals with the bandits may negatively impact the house’s Influ-
ence, depending on the details of the deal.
Lands: 29 or more, Invested: 29
(hills with dense forest and stream (x2) 26, ruin 3)
Durain’s Forest is leagues across and entirely forested. There is
only one badly worn, winding road through it that eventually
connects to the Kingsroad, but sees little traffic. It is commonly
blocked by falling trees, not all of which are bandit ambushes.
The road has not been maintained in decades, transforming
it into little more than two deep mud ruts crawling through
the forest. The forest has begun to reclaim some sections of
the road and seedlings are not uncommon in the ruts. Aside
from the road there are only a few bandit trails in the forest.
There are a number of small streams, but they tend to wind
as badly as the road, making navigating by them difficult at
best. Mounted travel is extremely difficult off the road due to
the thick underbrush and uneven terrain. In most regions one
cannot see more than a few dozen paces in any one direction,
which is only made worse by the low-lying fog that is common
in many of the dells found throughout the forest.
There are a number of ruins scattered across Durain’s
Forest, most of which are old attempts at fortifications that
were abandoned at one point or another. They hold little of
value now, but the bandits use them for shelter in inclement
weather.
85
 The Riverlands
Law: 20 or less
With such a severe bandit problem, the Law attribute of the
house cannot be high and should below 20, or below 10 if
possible. Increasing this attribute by dealing with the bandit
problem is likely to be a major goal of any house ruling Du-
rain’s Forest. Significant player actions to reduce the level of
bandit activity could add a bonus to house fortune rolls or add
to Law directly. Inflicting significant casualties on the bandits
would provide at least a short term boost to Law. Eliminating
the bandits from Durain’s Forest permanently will require the
destruction of their hideouts, the capture or killing of a sig-
nificant number of bandits, and—most important of all—the
death of Dugan the Red.
Population: 20 or more
Durain’s Forest has a surprisingly large number of people liv-
ing in it, but any noble lord will find they are not the sort of
subjects who pay taxes or report for levies. A small number
of law-abiding peasants live on the edge of the forest. Most
of them are farmers or lumberjacks, but even they have come
to an understanding with the bandits. The territory has the
capacity to support a large population if some of the land was
cleared for farms, roads were laid, and law was restored.
86
Power: Any, but likely 30 or more
Any house that wants to claim Durain’s Forest needs a sub-
stantial amount of soldiers to do so. Rugar’s Hold must be
defended, but that alone will not return law and order to the
forest. If the forest is to be won through force of arms, sol-
diers must patrol, search, and lead other efforts to root out the
bandits. These activities require a large number of people to
carry out. Also, these troops had best have some experience
under their belt to face a foe that can strike and disappear
with ease; green troops do not last long in guerilla warfare.
Cavalry are of questionable usefulness in Durain’s Forest
since they can only patrol the road and the forest’s perimeter.
Archers, infantry, and guerillas are the most useful in Durain’s
Forest, though engineers would also be useful keeping Rugar
Hold in repair.
Wealth: Any
Durain’s Forest could be a vast source of wealth due to all the
timber that could be harvested from it, but doing so will be
difficult until the bandit problem is dealt with. Any house
that takes over Durain’s Forest is going to have to survive
on whatever wealth they brought with them; gaining income
from Durain’s Forest will be difficult for a time.
Interactions with Other Houses
Here are how the houses in the region view Durain’s Forest.
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-

theld is hiring a mercenary force to clean out the forest, but
so far there is little truth to these rumors. Considering the
limited military assets of House Bartheld, they would likely
require allies in such an effort.
House Dulver
Lord Harald has bought goods from the bandits of Durain’s
Forest on occasion. Short Tom Tinker has built up a relation-
ship with the bandits where they contact him when they find
particularly valuable or hard to sell items, which he purchas-
es through a number of intermediaries to avoid suspicion.
House Dulver has no interest in controlling Durain’s Forest
or even seeing it pacified; the bandits are more useful to Lord
Harald than another noble rival in the area.
House Frey
While House Frey has decried the bandit haven of Durain’s
Forest, the going rumor is that they actually deal with the
bandits, hiring them to make trouble for those who would
try to undermine House Frey’s control the Green Fork cross-
ing. House Frey has made several forays into Durain’s Forest
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
control it.
House Kytley
More concerned with internal matters, House Kytley has
little time for bandits outside its borders. Some shipments
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-
sources to pursue them. The bandits of Durain’s Forest had
several encounters with Jerrold Blackbow, the foremost ban-
dit of House Kytley’s land, during his bloody career and the
two bandit gangs had built up a bloody rivalry before Jerrod’s
execution.
House Marsten
While the bandits of Durain’s Forest have little direct inter-
action with House Marsten, the declining loyalties of House
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
a patrol of House Kriegar recently went into Durain’s Forest
to hunt bandits, which is odd given their problems at home.
The Riverlands
Bandits of Durain’s Forest
Thieves, cattle rustlers, murderers, and worse can be found
among the ranks of the bandits who call Durain’s For-
est home. While there are some in the forest who were
wrongly accused and had committed no crime before they
entered the forest, most are criminals with a long history
of ill deeds. They are only concerned with the survival of
themselves and their fellows, though their allies far fall
behind in that regard. They use the standard bandit at-
tribute found on page 268 of the SIFRP Pocket Edition.
When using the Warfare rules, the bandits of Durain’s
Forest have the following makeup:
Bandits
Trained Guerillas * 5 power
Routine (9) Discipline
Athletics 2, Marksmanship 3, Stealth 4
Bandit Rabble
Trained Criminals * 4 power
Formidable (12) Discipline
Endurance 2, Fighting 3, Stealth 4
House Tullison
The bandits of Dugan the Red have stolen several iron ship-
ments House Tullison has sent to Riverrun, drawing the ire of
House Tullison but so far there has been little result. House
Tullison has too many problems with the mountain clans to
send troops so far afield.
House Tully
House Tully has engaged in several attempts to clean our Du-
rain’s Forest over the years, but has never had a sustained suc-
cess. House Tully is interested in the lumber resources Du-
rain’s Forest represents and hopes to secure it for itself, or at
least the service of the house that holds the area.
Important Characters
Dugan the Red and Thalia Pemm are two bandits of note
who call Durain’s Forest home.
Dugan the Red
One of the more successful bandit lords of the Riverlands, Du-
gan the Red has been operating in Durain’s Forest for upwards
87
 The Riverlands

of twenty years. A fearsome combatant and a skilled leader
of men, it is widely rumored that he served one of the great
houses or was a hedge knight before taking up banditry. He
speaks little of his past before becoming an outlaw, but rope
burns around his neck and three missing fingers indicate it was
not a pleasant life.
Dugan now leads scores of men, keeping them fed, clothed,
and busy out stealing for their greater good. He works to make
sure everyone gets a share both of booty and food, spending
as much time keeping peace among his own people as raiding.
He harbors a deep-seated hatred of nobles and attacks them
whenever possible, but does not kill them exclusively, since
that would attract too much attention. Dugan has a good idea
of when to lay low and when to
strike so as to get no one faction
angry enough to actually wipe
his forces out.
Wealth and security are Du-
gan’s public goals, but secretly he
also wants respect. He has no fam-
ily to speak of and raising one living
in the woods as criminals is not a life
he wants for them. He hopes to find
or manufacture a situation where
his aid is so needed that the nobles will be forced to overlook
his past deeds and grant him the respect he feels he deserves.

Dugan the Red Middle-Aged Fighter

Thalia Pemm
Abilities Once a camp follower in the War of the
Agility 3 Usurper, Thalia ended up in Durain’s
Athletics 3 Forest after stabbing a knight who
tried to rape her. Fearful of pun-
Awareness 3 Notice 1B
ishment she fled to Durain’s
Cunning 3
Forest and joined the bandits
Endurance 3 there, rising to a position of
Fighting 4 leadership due to her ruth-
Marksmanship 4 Bows 2B lessness and cunning. She is
Dugan the Red’s major rival,
Persuasion 3 Intimidation 1B
but while he organizes and
Stealth 4 Sneak 1B
plans, she leads through terror
Survival 4 Orientation 2B, Track 2B and force. The two work together
Warfare 3 Tactics 1B openly but despise each other in private; eventually, there will
Will 3 be a reckoning between them. Such a battle will be bloody
since a large number of bandits are more loyal to Thalia than
Attributes
Dugan due to her promises of striking and killing nobles and
Combat
8
Intrigue
8 other rich targets Dugan thinks are best avoided. Whatever
Defense Defense house controls Durain’s Forest could use this schism to frac-
Health 9 Composure 9 ture the bandits.
Destiny Points 0
Benefits: Charismatic, Night Eyes, Sinister Thalia Pemm Tertiary Character

Drawbacks: Flaw (Agility) Awareness 3

Cunning 3
Arms & Armor
Fighting 2 Short Blades 1b
Ring Mail: AR 4, AP -1, Bulk 1
Convince 2b, Incite 2b,
Long Range, Persuasion 3
Intimidate 2b
Longbow 4+1B 5 Damage Piercing 1, Two-
Handed, Unwieldy Warfare 3 Command 1b, Strategy 1b
Mace 4 3 Damage Will 3 Coordinate 1b
Defensive +1, Intrigue
Dagger 4 1 Damage 8 Composure: 9
Off-Hand +1 Defense:

88

Riverthorn
For decades Riverthorn was well known in the Trident for
being a verdant fief ruled by the wealthy House Orell, but
an outbreak of plague in the closing days of the War of the
Usurper has ravaged this pastoral territory. Now the villages of
Riverthorn are empty places haunted by a few plague-scarred
individuals and House Orell’s hall is completely empty after
the death of the entire house. Normally such desirable ungov-
erned territory would be the target of a great many houses,
but the specter of plague keeps such intrigues to a minimum.
Whoever ends up ruling Riverthorn is going to have years of
rebuilding and must conquer the specter of plague to attract
smallfolk to work their fields, but the results of such work can
be great indeed.
History
Riverthorn was a productive farming territory since the First
Men settled the Trident in the Age of Heroes. From the ear-
liest settlements in Riverthorn, the region was well known
for the vibrant wild rose bushes scattered across the region,
for which the territory was named by the Andals. The fertile
soil and ready water supply from the Trident made farming in
The Riverlands
Riverthorn exceptionally productive, though the region had
little else in the way of resources. The First Men and later the
Andals both farmed Riverthorn extensively and began the
tradition of growing and pruning the native rose bushes into
hedgerows and decorations, a tradition that was continued by
the last inhabitants of Riverthorn.
With the coming of the Targaryens, Riverthorn was given
to House Orell once the region was wrested from the Andals.
Wanting complete control over such a major source of food
in the region, the Targaryens elevated Mager Orell, one of the
valets to Aegon Targaryen, and his family to rule Riverthorn.
Having seen Aegon’s ruthlessness first hand during his years
of service, the new Lord Orell did his best to stay on his lord’s
good side. In short order he had his hall under construction,
roads laid out, and stores of grain flowing into his lord’s hold-
ings. Efficiency was ever a trait of House Orell, but so was
ostentation.
Enjoying pleasant weather, few nearby enemies, and little
crime, Lord Orell soon turned his eye towards other ways
to improve his territory. At the advice of his wife Sulla, a
southern noble who had married Mager at Aegon’s direction,
Lord Orell set about taming the wild roses that were scat-
tered across Riverthorn. With the help of a veritable army of
89
 The Riverlands
smallfolk forced into service, the rose bushes of Riverthorn
were uprooted and trimmed to line major roads and form a
number of gardens around the hall, which became known as
Rose Hall after the work was complete.
Riverthorn managed to weather the Blackfyre Rebellion
and the War of the Ninepenny Kings without being drawn
into the conflict. This was largely due to the fact that House
Orell burned its fields and any food stocks on hand when any
enemy force drew near. This removed the primary strategic
value of Riverthorn, though at extensive economic cost. The
cunning management of House Orell’s finances and farms
allowed it to quickly recover and return to prosperity in the
wake of both wars. House Orell was not above war profiteer-
ing when it came to selling its crops.
Despite using the same tactics during the War of the
Usurper, House Orell did not fare well. Riverthorn was a
major supply center for the Targaryen troops in the Trident,
forcing it to the forefront of the war. Unfortunately for the
people of Riverthorn, they would not live to see the armies
of Robert Baratheon conquer their lands. In the days leading
up to the Battle of Ruby Ford a sickness broke out in Rose
Hall. The plague is thought to have been brought to the area
by a group of Braavosi mercenaries in service to House Tar-
garyen. Within a few weeks the entirety of House Orell was
stricken with plague, as were many of the smallfolk. Worried
that his men might become infected, Aerys II ordered the
land burned and quarantined, a decision that cost the lives of
hundreds of soldiers and smallfolk. The outer villages of Ri-
verthorn were razed, but the area around Rose Hall remained
standing since no one dared go near it. In the end the plague
was halted, but at the cost of the very life of Riverthorn.
After Robert’s victory, little attention was paid to River-
thorn and Rose Hall for a several years. This allowed it to
become a haven for plague survivors, scavengers, miscreants
and criminals. Five years after the end of the war talk began
in King’s Landing of resettling Riverthorn, but few houses
were interested in claiming what they feared was still a plague
ridden area. Riverthorn could be a valuable prize if it could
be restored, but few are interested in taking on that challenge.
Chronicle Use
Riverthorn works best for a young house, especially one just
elevated due to its deeds in the War of the Usurper. River-
thorn may not be much of a prize to one of the great houses,
but it represents a great opportunity for the birth of a new
house. Such a house will have its work cut out for it attract-
ing smallfolk to work the fields, restoring the buildings, and
90
living down the reputation of their new home, but the po-
tential is there. While many of the normal concerns of noble
houses, such as bandits or intrigues, will still be present, any
house that rules Riverthorn will also have to deal with more
mundane and more unpleasant matters, such as working ex-
tra hard to keep their smallfolk happy and arranging mass
graves to clear out the remains of plague victims who remain
unburied.
To use Riverthorn as the long-time home of an older house,
assume that the plague that wiped out House Orell came at
an earlier time, such as during the War of the Ninepenny
Kings or the Blackfyre Rebellion. In either case the immedi-
ate after effects of the plague are likely to have been dealt
with, but the lingering specter of death will still hang over
Riverthorn. Such a land will still be seen as cursed even if the
immediate threat has passed.
Another option is to remove House Orell from the history.
Instead the house who currently calls Riverthorn home has
been there since the Targaryen conquest or longer. In such
cases the house barely survived the plague, or maybe the cur-
rent house is made up of house members who were wards,
fosterlings, or students elsewhere when the plague struck. In
such cases the survivors may suddenly be catapulted to lead-
ership of the house after the death of everyone above them in
the chain of succession. This may make the plague even more
menacing as now it enabled the new leaders’ rise to power, but
only over the corpses of their family.
A Narrator might even start his chronicle at Riverthorn
during Robert’s Rebellion, allowing the players to run
through the events of the war itself as well as the terror of the
plague and subsequent rebuilding.
Defense: 20 or more, Invested: 20 (Rose Hall)
The abandoned buildings of Sulla, the hamlet founded by
Mager Orell and named after his wife, stand at the center of
the Riverthorn holding. Rose Hall stands in the middle of
Sulla. The hall was built more with aesthetics in mind than
defenses; it is surrounded by once-magnificent statues and
numerous now-cracked gargoyles line its roof. The interior
was once a masterpiece of tapestries, wood panels, and Myr-
ish carpets, but those that have not been stolen are all rotted
and stained after years of neglect. Now Rose Hall is a testa-
ment to the power of neglect.
Rose Hall contains a main hall, a kitchen, a small barracks,
a sitting room, four bedrooms for visitors, and a massive
master bedroom for the lord. House Orell was well known
for its hospitality and would never think to let a visitor sleep
 The Riverlands

on anything less than a down mattress, but its soldiers of-
ten were forced to sleep in the main hall due to the small
size of their barracks. While it may not be well maintained,
the core defensive value of Rose Hall remains. Its walls are
made of solid stone quarried from the Mountains of the
Moon and it is very well built with stout, iron bound doors,
cleverly concealed arrow slits, and a number of secret pas-
sages. These passages allow one to move unnoticed through
the major rooms of the hall or escape into the nearby rose
gardens.
Like most of Sulla, Rose Hall is surrounded by rose bush-
es. Once these were orderly and well kept, organized in rows
along paths and to create beautiful gardens around the Hall.
Now they have all gone wild with many of the paths they
once lined completely overgrown. The years of neglect seem
to have helped the roses thrive such that they are said to be
the reddest in all of Westeros. Many of the remaining small-
folk believe that the roses are fed on the blood of those who
died in the plague.
Influence: Any
Due to its questionable history, Riverthorn is not necessarily
an attractive territory to one of the great houses, but to those
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.
These have suffered only slightly in recent years, even with a
lack of upkeep.
The land of Riverthorn itself is very fertile and very flat.
While farms occupy the majority of the land, most have lain
fallow since the plague; many still bear the burn marks of the
fires used by the Targaryens to cleanse the region. There are
no forests in the territory and only one hill—called Pyre Hill
due to the many bodies that were burned there during the
plague. Smallfolk say that Pyre Hill is haunted by the ghosts
of those who were burned there, and one can find the remains
of bones scattered all across the hill.
The hamlet of Sulla is the only settlement of note in Ri-
verthorn, and it is little more than a score of buildings that
existed primarily to support the household of Rose Hall. Its
houses are remarkably well built for smallfolk homes due
House Orell wanting to project an image of wealth on any
who visited, but much like Rose Hall these buildings are a
shadow of their former selves. These structures are primarily
wood with stone foundations and include an inn, two taverns,
a tradehouse, a smithy, and a sept. Only a few smallfolk re-
main in Sulla and those that do are extremely suspicious of
visitors. The smallfolk mostly work the fields around Sulla
and live at a subsistence level. These farmers bear the scars of
the pox that claimed their hamlet.

Lands: 38 or more, Invested: 38

(plains with grassland, road,
and river (x2) 28, Sulla (hamlet) 10)

Riverthorn has a sizable plot of well-developed land, most of

which has easy access to water. Due to the Forks of the Tri-
dent, Riverthorn has easy transportation and irrigation, but
House Orell was not content to rely on the rivers for transit.
Mager Orell began an aggressive road building campaign that
lasted the entirety of House Orell’s reign and has linked all
the major regions of Riverthorn with well-maintained roads.

91
 The Riverlands
Law: 30 or less
While there are few inhabitants in Riverthorn to cause trou-
ble, there has been no law and order to speak of in the area
since the plague. The specter of the plague has kept most
scavengers and bandits away, but not all. Most of the high
value items have already been removed from Riverthorn so
the scavengers are few these days, but a number of bandit
gangs have taken to hiding in the outskirts of Riverthorn
since many outsiders are unwilling to chase them there.
Luckily due to the sparse nature of its population, restoring
order should be relatively easy if the new house has sufficient
troops. Guarding Sulla and the main farms will be far easier
than securing the borders of Riverthorn from those who
would use its reputation as a shield from pursuit.
Population: 15 or less
Unsurprisingly there are few people in Riverthorn in the wake
of the plague. Those that remain are mostly pox-scarred sur-
vivors or more recent arrivals risking disease for the chance at
taking on one of the abandoned farms in the region. In either
case the inhabitants are a fearful, suspicious bunch that are des-
perate for someone to lead them out of their miserable lives but
also fear the plague’s return if the excesses of House Orell re-
turn. The locals have become very superstitious since the plague,
blaming all manner of ill omens or acts by House Orell for
their misfortune. The smallfolk continue to see such portents
all around them and many believe that the plague will return to
finish the job it started. This fatalistic streak is an impediment to
restoring the region to its previous glory, since the smallfolk all
believe whatever they rebuild will be torn down again.
Power: Any
Soldiers are not the key to restoring Riverthorn, so the house
that claims it need not have any specific level of martial pow-
er. Soldiers will be useful in keeping order and making sure
the smallfolk stay in line, but a heavy hand will only get the
lord so far in Riverthorn. The locals are already completely
demoralized and have lost their families and friends, so it will
take more than force to motivate them. Military force will
be useful in bringing law to the region, particularly in hunt-
ing down those scavengers or bandits that may be using the
reputation of the region to hide.
While Riverthorn has several rivers within its territory they
are not deep enough for ships of any great size. Infantry, cav-
alry, and archers are the most useful troops in Riverthorn, par-
ticularly cavalry due to the roads allowing them great mobility
92
and the flat terrain making them useful in most any battle. Due
to the lack of population it is unlikely the ruling house will be
able to count on smallfolk levies for emergencies.
Wealth: Any
While Riverthorn has a great deal of money invested in its
infrastructure, including a market, a smithy, and a sept, none
of these facilities have the personnel required to operate. Also
these structures have suffered years of neglect so getting them
operational again is going to be about as expensive as build-
ing them from scratch. While Riverthorn has the capacity to
generate great wealth once its farms return to productivity,
the owning House will need years of effort to get it to that
point, since the farms now lie fallow.
Relationships with Other Houses
Here are what the other houses in the area think of Riverthorn.
House Barnell
Seeing Riverthorn as a strategic liability and having little
wealth to invest in rebuilding the area, House Barnell has
no interest in Riverthorn. Lord Barnell is one of the few lo-
cal lords who will pursue bandits into Riverthorn, thinking
little of the threat of plague, but even he does not go far into
Riverthorn. Daveth Oberyn recognizes the future economic
value of the land, but has yet to convince Lord Barnell of this.
Even if he could, House Barnell lacks the wealth necessary to
rehabilitate Riverthorn.
House Bartheld
The nobles of House Orell were once regular visitors to Hart
Hall and in return often hosted the nobles and guests of
House Bartheld in Rose Hall. Indeed the Hart Hall gardens
contain Riverthorn rose bushes. Despite the threat of plague,
the new Lord Bartheld has put some thought and research
into maneuvering one of his guests into claiming Riverthorn,
hopefully clearing out his house of some of his more bother-
some guests. So far he has had little success.
House Dulver
There are rumors that the first scavengers to strike Rose Hall
were actually agents of House Dulver and that to this day
House Dulver occasionally sends agents in to steal what re-
mains in Riverthorn. Lord Harald denies these stories, but
the rose themed tapestries hanging in Deepen Hall speak
otherwise. House Dulver is interested in acquiring River-

thorn, having the money necessary to rebuild the region, but
the other local lords have subtly indicated that they would
oppose Lord Harald’s taking the holding for himself.
House Kytley
Primarily concerned with internal matters, House Kytley has
little time for worrying about Riverthorn. Some of the ban-
dits that lurk in the edges of House Kytley’s territory have
hidden in Riverthorn when pursued, so House Kytley would
like to see the area reclaimed. They just have little time for
concerning themselves with how this is done.
House Marsten
Located far from Riverthorn, House Marsten has little inter-
action with Riverthorn aside from soldiers of House Marsten
killing several members of House Orell in Robert’s Rebellion.
There was bad blood between the two families and before
his death Lord Corben had made clear he would rather see
Riverthorn left to the vultures than House Orell’s ancestral
land’s restored.
House Tullison
Lord Sterl Tullison struck down Lord Orell during the Battle
of the Trident, which some say gives House Tullison a fair
claim to Riverthorn by right of conquest. Lord Sterl did not
survive to make that claim and Lady Tullison seems little in-
clined to do so, but their support for another house claiming
Riverthorn would be very valuable.
Important Personages
Miles Tanry, Douglas Wotlin, and Karya Hough are just
some of the people who call Riverthorn their home.
Miles Tanry
One of the surviving farmers in Riverthorn, Miles serves as
the leader of the surviving smallfolk in the area of Sulla. A
gaunt man in his later years, his eyes are
hard and his body has been carved by
years of backbreaking labor. Forced
to bury his wife and two daughters
in the plague, Miles has little to live
for. No longer fearing death, he is
more than willing to oppose whatever
fancy noble thinks he can come into
Riverthorn and start pushing people
around. A noble who tries to rally
The Riverlands
the smallfolk through kindness and wisdom will find a ready
ally in Miles Tanry, but a noble who rules through fear and
force will find an implacable foe.
Douglas Wotlin
The last surviving member of House
Orell’s guards, Douglas Wotlin stands
a solitary watch over the remains of
Rose Hall. He has kept his little cor-
ner of the barracks in proper order
but knows nothing of stonema-
sonry or carpentry to fix the rest
of the structure. Douglas’s mind
has been addled by the experi-
ence of surviving the plague and
on some level he has not acknowledged that it happened.
Instead he lives in a world of madness where he still serves
House Orell along with his long dead fellows in the guard.
The locals leave him his illusions and feed him out of pity,
though he has proved himself useful the few times bandits
have come to Sulla. While Douglas does not accept what
happened in Riverthorn in general, on some subconscious
level he seeks solace in death in any fight he can find. He’s
chased off more than one bandit group by playing the part of
the demented berserker, but afterwards has no memory of his
despair-driven rage.
Karya Hough
A new arrival after the plague struck
Riverthorn, Karya arrived along with
several other scavengers, determined
to pick over the bones of House
Orell. She and her fellows found
a good deal of loot in Rose Hall
before they were chased out by a
larger group of scavengers. Karya
herself found a map in an old led-
ger. She believes the map leads to
a secret cache of wealth hidden
somewhere near Sulla by House Orell to protect it from the
invading forces of Robert Baratheon. While her comrades
have left Riverthorn to seek their fortunes elsewhere, Karya
tries to follow the largely illegible map to find the treasure.
She’s beginning to believe the map is a fake or decoy of some
sort, because she hasn’t found anything, and can’t read High
Valyrian, which much of the map is written in.
93
 The Riverlands
Port Maril
For decades the small town of Port Maril had the distinction
of being a place where men of a questionable living on the
high seas came to sell their ill-gotten goods with few ques-
tions and far from the prying eyes of the forces of law and or-
der. This ended with the War of the Ninepenny Kings, when
the Blackfyres used Port Maril to supply their troops in the
Trident. Targaryen forces captured Port Maril and the Black-
fyre sympathizer leading the town was removed. The new lord
that the Targaryens appointed as a replacement soon found
it was far more profitable to keep the town running in its
former state and take a cut of the profits than to stop the il-
legal activities. Port Maril has become a town of the criminal
underworld where little openly illegal happens, but one need
not dig deep to find such activities.
History
Port Maril began as a small fishing village protected by a
natural, rocky bay deep within the Bay of Crabs. It was first
founded by Andals centuries ago and its founding was such
an unimportant event that no record of it remains. At the
time it was little more than a dozen fishermen erecting a se-
ries of shanties. Due to the abundant fishing, crabs, and the
protected bay it lays upon, Port Maril grew slowly but steadily
in population if not wealth or prestige.
This began to change with the arrival of one Ester Killian,
a woman who claimed to be from the Iron Islands. Ester
came to the town quietly, buying a boat and rowing it out
on foggy nights when most fishermen were busy drinking
home-brewed rotgut by the fire. She would come back in
the morning mist, her boat laden with mysterious boxes.
After several weeks the locals grew curious and confronted
Ester, who was more than willing to tell them she was meet-
ing pirate ships out in the Bay of Crabs and transferring
their goods to land to sell to fences she knew in Riverrun,
King’s Landing, and other such places. She had planned on
moving on after a few months, but it turned out that the
locals weren’t too concerned about piracy, so long as it didn’t
bring violence with it.
Word was put out among the pirates and criminals of the
region that Port Maril was a safe location to offload stolen
goods and for fences and investors interested in buying those
goods. After a number of pirate ships began to use the docks,
more people moved to the village, including innkeepers, pros-
titutes, criminals, and others attracted to pirate money. With-
in the span of five years the small town of Port Maril went
94
from being a fishing hovel to a bustling trading town with
an open secret. The nobles of the region kept their belief that
it was a quiet fishing village unworthy of attention. This was
aided by an agreement with the pirates who frequented Port
Maril to be discrete approaching the town. Most local pirates
disguised themselves as humble merchant vessels anyway, and
agreed not to strike any vessels within one hundred leagues
of Port Maril.
By the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Port Maril was a town
of criminals who had banded together with the locals against
a world that had ignored or persecuted them, and now they
were getting their fair share. The War of the Ninepenny Kings
ended this when the Portmaster, the traditional leader of Port
Maril, allowed Blackfyre ships to land at the docks in Port
Maril to unload troops and supplies. This act, while profitable,
suddenly forced Port Maril into taking a side in the ongoing
war and attracted the attention of the Blackfyres’ enemies, the
Targaryens. With the end of the war came a crackdown on
all those who helped the Blackfyres, Port Maril among them.
The Targaryens took Port Maril by force, but most of the
worst of its inhabitants fled long before the Targaryens ar-
rived. The Targaryens named a lord to try and bring the place
town under the rule of law, but unfortunately for the newly
installed Lord, a law-abiding settlement Port Maril did little
business. Gulltown and Maidenpool already offered such ser-
vices, so there was little use for another port on the Bay of
Crabs unless it had something substantially different to offer.
Within ten years the Lord of Port Maril was broke, his
town was all but deserted, and his future in shambles. In
desperation the locals who had remained approached him
with an offer: resume the town’s previous activities, only
more quietly, with the Lord receiving appropriate tax in-
come and taking on the role of the Portmaster. Seeing little
other option, the Lord agreed and the town began slowly to
return to life. This incarnation of Port Maril did not work
so hard in avoiding attention so much as hiding the ques-
tionable activities going on in the town. Instead of trying to
be unimportant and unremarkable, the Lord and people of
Port Maril worked to make the town as obtrusive as pos-
sible, using the old adage of hiding in plain sight. In a few
short years the town of Port Maril became well known for
trade and celebrations and few noticed the criminal activity
just under the surface.
Since the War of the Usurper, Port Maril has continued to
flourish, but is careful to do so discretely. Keeping the town’s
activities secret is becoming increasingly expensive as more
and more bribes are required, so the Lord of Port Maril is
looking for some way to fundamentally change the situation.

Use in a Chronicle
Port Maril is an excellent base of operations for a player house
that wants to be involved in the shadier side of Westeros, or
wants to be involved in naval matters. The locals and their
lord are jointly involved in a criminal enterprise that would
get them all killed, or at least in serious trouble, if anyone out-
side the town learned what was going on. Given the events in
the next few years there will be much bigger concerns for the
powers that be than one town working with pirates and will
instead put Port Maril in a better position, having access to a
wide variety of goods and contacts with many pirates. Aside
from times of war, however, living in a den of thieves is not
such a good idea.
The house controlling Port Maril was probably installed in
the wake of the War of the Ninepenny Kings after the crimi-
nal activities of the inhabitants were first discovered, but if
desired the house could have claimed the town before or after
that time. Maybe the Portmaster is a hereditary title reaching
back to the founding of the town and the Targaryens decided
elevating the Portmaster to Lord would be a better way to
keep the town under control? Or maybe the town chose the
wrong side again during the War of the Usurper and needs
another new lord? Being named to be Lord of Port Maril
The Riverlands
could even be a negative event in the house’s history, maybe
as a punishment for failing some task during the War of the
Ninepenny Kings or the War of the Usurper.
This writeup assumes the Lord of Port Maril is working
with the locals to fool the rest of the world as to what hap-
pens in the town, but this may not be the case. Maybe the
newly installed lord is actually working to clean up the town
while the whole town fights against him. This would make for
a very difficult game as the characters fight against their sub-
jects every day, trying to serve law and order when everyone
else stands against them.
Defense: 10 or more, Invested: 10 (Storm Tower)
The defenses of Port Maril are not very respectable, largely
because the town has never needed them. Port Maril has been
considered too small and unimportant for anyone to attack
for most of its history, even earning disdain from bandits. The
only fortification in the town for many years was the Storm
Tower, built on one of the peninsulas that forms the bay of
Port Maril. This tower was built during the height of the
town’s pirate trade before the War of the Ninepenny Kings
and it was intended to keep an eye out for approaching ships.
Located on the rocks of the peninsulas and reachable only by
a thin, worn road, it serves little defensive purpose aside from
95
 The Riverlands

defending the inlet of the bay and keeping an eye out for
ships. The tower has several siege engines for attacking ships
but no one has actually fired them aside from target prac-
tice. Many are worried that the Storm Tower may actually be
washed out in a few decades by the waves that hammer the
peninsula during storms, but it remains stable for now.
Lately the town has grown in obvious wealth and has be-
gun attracting more attention from the Royal Navy and the
ships of Dragonstone, leading to some on the Port Council
to voice concerns about the defenses of the town in general.
Some are now calling for building a castle, or at least a hall,
in Port Maril to better provide for its defenses. Given the
income of the town most think this a reasonable request, but
it will actually happen remains to be seen.
Influence: Any
Due to the rather unsavory reputation of Port Maril and its
questionable mercantile value to the outside world, it is unlikely
that any house of stature and respect will be assigned to rule it,
meaning that the house is unlikely to have very high Influence.
Indeed, ruling an area with such a checkered past may in fact
besmirch the reputation of any house that takes on the task.
Lands: 34 or more, Invested: 34
small town 20, wetlands (x2) 6, coast 3, road 5
The Lord of Port Maril controls little land outside of the town
itself, and that which he does control is swamp. The land serves
little use aside from making it difficult to approach the town
from any direction other than the one road built when the
Lord of Port Maril was installed. This does make keeping an
eye out for overland visitors easy, especially the tax collector.
The coastline around Port Maril is swampland formed by
masses of large, wide rooted watertrees that hold the soil to-
gether in the face of unrelenting tides. Locals use thin, flat
bottom boats to maneuver through the swamps, usually push-
ing them along with a pole. The swamps are often used to
hide some of the pirate goods brought into the town until
they can be moved outside of town.
The bay of Port Maril is formed by two rocky outcroppings
that are out of place among the surrounding swamps, leading
some to believe they are artificial. Given the habit of the in-
habitants of Port Maril for making stories there are numerous
versions of what formed the bay. The most popular claims the
outcroppings are the remains of a seaside fortress built by the
Andals that collapsed long ago.
Port Maril is currently a town of around two hundred and
fifty people, though the town can grow dramatically based
on what ships happen to be in port. Most of the buildings
in town are businesses that cater to the ships that come into
port, including a higher number of taverns, inns, and brothels
Smiths and other craftsmen do live in town, but most are
focused on more naval crafts. Currently the only shipwrights
in town are the Raris family who are very skilled and in high
demand. The lack of a dry-dock and other facilities limits
their activities to repairs, though family head Harold Raris is
trying to gather support and funds for building a dry-dock in
the hopes of getting the town into the shipbuilding business
and less reliant on pirates.
Law: 20 or greater
For a town of criminals and pirates, Port Maril is well behaved.
The locals know their continued prosperity depends on keeping
up their criminal activities hidden, so they put forth extra effort
in keeping obviously illegal acts in check. Some errant criminal
activity does persist, but it is usually perpetrated by visitors. To
keep disturbances to a minimum and to keep their more ram-
bunctious visitors under control the town has formulated a very
simple code of conduct for all inhabitants and visitors:
BB All fights are done with fists. First to draw steel dies.
BB No stealing.
BB Do not bring your trouble here. If any officer of the King
or a great house comes looking for you here you will be
handed over without question.
BB The Portmaster’s word is law.
BB The King’s law holds sway generally, but these laws are
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.

96

The Origin of Port Maril
The origin of Port Maril’s name is lost to history, though there are many stories claiming to tell the true tale of how it was de-
rived. Most of the locals consider it something of a point of pride to make up their own version of the name’s history, while some
families see it as a tradition to carry on their version of the story in the hopes that it somehow outlasts all the others. Duels have
been known to happen over which stories are true, but such events are farces or battles of wit staged for entertainment.
Matters of law are brought before the Portmaster for judg-
ment or the Port Council in his absence. Punishment in Port
Maril is famously harsh to ensure the town does not attract
any unusual attention and to make clear to visiting pirates
that they are not to cause trouble. To further this impres-
sion, the town has several gibbets hanging along the road to
town and near the docks, all of which are kept filled with
relatively fresh corpses. The fact that the Lord of Port Maril
occasionally pays grave robbers to keep up this appearance is
only known to the Lord.
While the Lord of Port Maril holds power over the town
and its environs and is the ultimate power in the area, he has
allowed the inhabitants to appoint what they call the Port
Council to advise him. Originally the Port Council was cre-
ated to help the Lord of Port Maril navigate the vagaries of
dealing with pirates, fences, and other criminals that he was
not accustomed to, but it survives as an advisory body to the
Lord. It has no real power, but it makes the locals feel like
they have a voice in their rule and thus improves morale. To
the Lord of Port Maril it is a source of information and makes
it easier to rule his subjects since they feel they have some say
in his decisions. Members of the council serve at their own
discretion, and choose their replacement when they are ready
to step down. The current leader of the Port Council is an
aging pirate captain named Robert Garrys who has settled in
the town after a long life at sea.
Population: 20 or less
The population in Port Maril itself is not large and the sur-
rounding swamps are nigh empty, save a handful of hunters
and hermits. The inhospitality of the region has always inhib-
ited its growth and it’s unlikely the town will grow substan-
tially without major changes. Port Maril already takes up just
about all the stable ground in the swamp and gets almost all
of its food from the sea, so without expanding the Lord of
Port Maril’s lands beyond the swamps the town is unlikely to
get any larger.
The people of Port Maril have a long tradition of exuberant
religious festivals, during which they try to counteract their
many and various daily sins with public outpourings of faith.
The Riverlands
These festivals are massive in scope and almost obscenely
expensive. The people of Port Maril are nearly all worship-
pers of the Seven, but they have been without a septon for
years after the death of the first septon to come to the town,
Brother Joshua. Brother Joshua is now seen as something of
the patron saint of the city whose name is invoked for good
luck in times of strife.
Power: 19 or more, Invested: 19
(veteran warship 12, veteran garrison 7)
For years Port Maril had no military to speak of, but in the
wake of the town being razed in the War of the Ninepenny
Kings and the renewed commerce with pirates the new Lord
of Port Maril decided it would be a bad idea to put himself at
the mercy of any pirate ship that sailed into port. To that end
he spent the first of the money coming in from the criminal
activities to secure a number of ships and soldiers to keep
Port Maril safe.
The five ships that were hired (Drunken Kraken, Black
Whale, Skysinger, Wanderer, and Iron Fist) were all privateers
or pirates looking for a more relaxed and legal way of making
a living. For the last few decades these ships have served as
the navy of Port Maril with one of the ships always found in
port while the other four patrol the Bay of Crabs in pairs. This
helps keep the visiting pirates in line and furthers the illusion
that Port Maril is a town of law and order.
The soldiers hired by the Lord of Port Maril have been
formed into the Stormwatch Guard, charged with keep-
ing the peace and manning the Storm Tower. These soldiers
know what goes on in the town and receive sizable bribes
to keep it quiet. The Stormwatch Guard is very active in
pursuing criminals and keeping the peace, knowing their
continued prosperity depends on it. Among the members
of the Guard there is a strong code of loyalty and anyone
who tries to turn on the Guard is harshly punished. Only
two have attempted to do so, one who tried to help pirates
raid the town and another who tried to sell the town out to
a nearby lord, and both were painfully tortured and their
tongues removed before being placed in the gibbets outside
of the town to die of exposure.
97
 The Riverlands
Wealth: 20 or more,
Invested: 20 (marketplace 10, port 10)
Port Maril is a town based on earning money, and it takes
coin to earn coin. Any house that rules Port Maril will need
cash on hand to keep everything running, but can expect to
see returns quickly. The town already has a port and a mar-
ketplace, but the more that can be added to a trade town like
Port Maril the more it will flourish. The main concern with
income in Port Maril is making it appear fairly earned. The
Lord of Port Maril will likely never be able to publicly display
the entirety of his wealth to his noble peers without raising
lots of uncomfortable questions.
Relationships with Other House
Here is how Port Maril relates with the major houses of the
region.
House Barnell
Having little traffic with Port Maril, House Barnell knows
nothing of the illegal activities going on there. In his igno-
rance, Lord Barnell respects the Lord of Port Maril for his
tough stance on crime. To this end Lord Barnell has talked to
his seneschal Farris Leed about directing some of the grain
stock from House Barnell’s land to be transported through
Port Maril instead of Saltpans and other nearby ports.
House Bartheld
While the new Lord Bartheld does not know the truth of Port
Maril, Brom Bartheld did, as do some of the guests in Hart
Hall. Brom Bartheld regularly used Port Maril to secure rare
goods, such as fine wines, and seldom asked many questions
about their origin. Several of the current guests of Hart Hall
also avail themselves of the pirates of Port Maril, but if their
activities are discovered by the current Lord Bartheld they are
likely to be punished severely and the secret of Port Maril will
be made public.
House Dulver
For many years goods bought and sold by House Dulver
passed through Port Maril and many of the acquired goods
by the house were pirate loot. While Lord Harald does not
know exactly what happens in Port Maril, he knows goods
of questionable origin can be purchased there and has sev-
eral agents check the city regularly for good deals. Short Tom
Tinker has learned the secrets of Port Maril but thus far has
98
kept them from his lord to protect Lord Harald should the
secret and House Dulver’s role in it become public.
House Kytley
While no one in House Kytley knows the secrets of Port
Maril, the weapons produced in Smithton are regularly
purchased by agents of the pirates who dock in Port Maril.
Smithton weapons have unintentionally equipped the pirates
of Port Maril for decades, a situation they have no desire to
disrupt. So far House Kytley has not asked many questions
about where these weapons are going or who the buyers are,
but if they do they would be in an excellent position to find
out what is really going on in Port Maril.
House Marsten
House Marsten occasionally purchases goods that traveled
through Port Maril, but has little traffic with the pirate haven.
Over the years the Marstens have heard rumors of a pirate
port in the Bay of Crabs, but never paid much attention until
stories surfaced that Lord Mikael Marsten had been seen on
what is believed to be a pirate ship several years back. Before
his death Lord Corben Marsten was pursuing this rumor and
getting closer to finding Port Maril’s secret, but his death cut
those efforts short.
House Tullison
Maester Haelis has made a few trips to Port Maril searching
for foreign herbs and remedies to help with the illness of Lady
Moraine, but thus far has had no success. House Tullison as a
whole has little interest in Port Maril, but Maester Haelis sees
it as his best option for getting medicines from far off lands.
Maester Haelis does not know the truth of Port Maril, but the
Port Council fears he may puzzle it out and thus have begun
scheming up a trap to trick Maester Haelis into knowingly
buying stolen goods and then blackmailing him into silence.
Important Personages
Robert Garrys, Danielle Tayle, Harold Raris, and Edwin Manes-
ter are among the notable figures who call Port Maril home.
Robert Garrys
Robert Garrys leads the Port Council and has settled into a life
of quiet drinking after a wild youth of piracy and adventure. He
bears the scars of those days long past in the form of a missing
ear and a badly misshapen jaw, but he feels it merely increases

his fearsome visage. Robert Garrys sees
Port Maril as his best chance of living
to a ripe old age and so is willing to do
what it takes to protect his future, even
if it means killing. Robert has done a
lot of bad things in his day, so he’s
unlikely to worry about adding a few
more, especially if it is in service to
his new home.
Danielle Tayle
Danielle Tayle runs the foremost
brothel in Port Maril, the Black Mer-
maid Inn,. A loyal supporter of the
Lord and of the town’s great decep-
tion, she works her best to keep ev-
erything running smoothly. Know-
ing men often run their mouths too
freely when intimate, Danielle runs
her business as much for the knowl-
edge her women learn as the money
they make. While Danielle doesn’t
want trouble in town, she is more than
willing to sell rival pirate ships information on each other’s op-
eration, resulting in a number of deceits in the high seas. For
her information Danielle always gets a cut and so far her infor-
mation brokering activities have led to lead back to her.
Harold Raris
The foremost shipwright in Port Maril,
Harold is one of the main proponents
of trying to turn Port Maril into
more of an honest city. The Raris
family is one of the oldest families
in the town and they have been
making boats and ship for the
locals for as long as anyone can
remember. This gives Harold a
great deal of influence in the city,
which he generally uses against
those who cause trouble in town or wish to drag the town
further into illegal activities. If someone wants to try and
clean up Port Maril they will find a ready ally in Harold Raris
and his family. Ordinary locals find him to be a self-righteous
prig; if it weren’t for his wealth and talent he probably would
have been dropped off a pier long ago.
The Riverlands
Captain Edwin Manester
Commanding officer of the
Stormwatch Guard, Captain
Manester is about as crooked
as a guardsman comes. Even
in Port Maril his penchant for
graft is impressive; he has de-
vised all manner of new port
fees, paperwork, and permits
to line his pockets. These ex-
penses are mostly charged to
outsiders so as not to anger
the local populace. Knowing
a good thing when he sees it, Captain Manester does work
hard to keep the people of Port Maril safe and secure and is
all too willing to use the gibbets outside the city when ap-
propriate. Thus far, this juggling act of corruption and justice
has kept him on the Portmaster’s good side, but it is difficult
to keep the balls in the air forever.
Traditional
Events
The following pages details some of the traditional events of
this area of Westeros.
Tourney of the Brothers
There’s a tale told in the Riverlands about seven brothers in
seven ships who crossed the Narrow Sea when the Andals
came to Westeros. Each brother was accompanied by a thou-
sand men and a single seed. The brothers and their men set
out across the Reach, driving out the First Men and carving
out domains for themselves. Each brother took a castle for
himself, tore the heart tree from the earth and planted in its
place the seed he’d borne across the sea.
But the First Men were friends with the Children of the
Forest and honored their old and nameless gods. When the
brothers tore up the holy weirwoods, the ancient gods took
umbrage and sent the brothers a messenger. A man with skin
as white as the bark of a heart tree and eyes as red as blood
went to the castle of each brother, a staff of weirwood in his
hands to call the conquerors to their gates. “As you have sown
dishonor in the holy soil of this land, so do I sow discord
99
 The Riverlands
among you! Thenceforth, ye shall know no peace but struggle
one against the other until the day the Children return and
take back what you have overthrown!”
And then, as the story goes, the old man became a great white
bird and flew away, but his curse fell hard upon the brothers.
Their harmony turned to dishord, and thousands died as the sea-
sons passed and the wars ground on and on without relent.
Then, one spring as the brothers gathered above a grand
plain, ready to water the land with the blood of their kin once
more, a man stepped forth dressed in the robes of a septon.
“I am the mouth of The Seven and I bid you all to stay your
hands! For too long has this curse turned brother on brother
and brought death to the Riverlands. You are the Blood of the
Andals! And your gods are the Seven who are One! Heed not
the old ghosts of the forest. They are driven out and have no
power over you!” And the old man, who was the Great Septon
and the first to hold his office, went among the camps and
blessed each brother in his turn, and gave him a lance of ash.
“Go now, back to your castle, and lay this lance beneath the
tree whose seed you brought across the sea. When it blooms,
you will take up that lance and face your brothers again, not
as enemies but as friends, and all shall test their arms one
against the other and do glory to the Seven who have freed
you of this curse.”
From that day forth one tree of the seven would bloom
each year and in that year the lord of the castle would hold
a tourney beneath its boughs to do honor to the Seven. Ever
since then, the seven castles that house the trees have been
called The Brotherhood.
For six thousand years the tradition has held. Though the
castles themselves have changed hands over the years and the
names of those brothers have been lost to history, the cycle has
always continued. Be it during the Summer, Winter, Spring
or Fall, each year the Tourney of the Brothers is thrown by
one of the seven houses.
While the tale of the Brothers is regarded as one of the
foundations of the Faith in Westeros and the blooming of the
Brothers a genuine miracle sent by the Seven, the cycle isn’t
perfect. History recounts a spate of years where one tree alone
bloomed four years in a row. The run was ended, it’s said, when
one of the lords of the brotherhood wrote to the High Sep-
ton to intercede with the Seven and guide the blessing of the
blooming to another house. The name of the lord that made
the request is not a part of the record, but the prevailing rumor
is that it was, in fact, the lord of the castle that had been blessed
so fruitfully. The burden of hosting a grand tourney four years
running had beggared the house and while they were rich in
honor and prestige, they had been made poor in all else.
100
There have been times, as well, when two of the Brothers
have blossomed in the same year. The skies over the River-
lands run black with ravens at those times as the lords of the
Brotherhood strive mightily to gain enough support of their
peers to have their tree named the true bloom, or, should the
dual bloom occur in Winter, or some other lean time, to keep
the tourney from burdening their own door.
And though the tale of the Brothers is a parable of peace, the
Brothers themselves have, from time to time, found themselves
subject to the misfortunes of war. There was a time when, in the
course of one or another of the wars between Dorne and lands
further north, one of the Brothers was taken by a Dornish lord.
It was held for just a year, but in that year the tree that lived
within the captured castle bloomed. The Dornishmen, reluc-
tant to make the same mistake those first seven brothers made
and offend the gods of the people they had conquered held to
the Andal tradition and opened their gates for the tournament.
In the midst of war the men of the Riverlands laid aside their
arms, if not their differences, and held the ancient tourney. Sev-
en men died in the lists that year, but the tradition was upheld.
Narrator’s Notes
The Tourney of the Brothers is an event that can be used for a
wide variety of purposes. At its most basic it is a tournament
with all the attendant opportunities to gain Experience, Glory
and Coin in the name of the PCs’ house. All of the usual events
associated with a tournament are available for participation:
the joust, the archery competition, and the grand melee as well
as banquets and feasts, mummer shows and minstrels.
If politics is more to your fancy, there is no shortage of
fodder for a wily band of schemers either. Any gathering of
so many nobles is going to be rife with intrigues and political
maneuvering. Many an alliance is hatched, and many more
scuttled in the crowded stands overlooking the lists. And the
months before the tourney can be just as fruitful. The honor
of the blooming is, in itself, a source of Glory, but what if
the house is too poor to host the tourney? The Brothers are
widely believed to be the only seven trees of their sort in all of
Westeros, but what if another were suddenly discovered? Or
perhaps a lord desperate to elevate his house sends a mission
east to bring back an eighth?
And finally, the Brothers themselves are prizes much cov-
eted by certain of the lords of the Riverlands, and not only
because they bring notoriety to the name of the house that
holds them. The specifics of which house and domain lay
claim to the Brothers is left to the Narrator’s discretion, but
as a rule, the Brothers inhabit strong, well-situated keeps in
 The Riverlands

well-appointed domains. They have been the spoils of war

many times over the centuries and there is every reason to
believe that they will change hands many times more far into
the future. The PCs could as easily be cast as the defender of
one of the Brothers as an ambitious house eager to improve
their own fortunes through warfare.

The Festival of the Fires

The first fires were lit 10,000 years ago when the First Men
came to Westeros. As they drove the Children of the Forest
back, the First Men found scores and scores of white trees
with red, carven faces looking on the conquerors with accus-
ing eyes. With bronze axes, the First Men cut down armies of
weirwoods and celebrated each victory with a great fire.
Those fires burned until the First Men and the Children of
the Forest reached an accord. Those early men laid down their
axes and came to revere the very trees they had once burned
out of fear. The weirwoods returned and for 4,000 years their
faces watched over Westeros.
And then the Andals came and history repeated itself.
Armed with steel, they drove the First Men north and, much
as their enemies had when they crossed the sea, found the
forests full of eerie, alien faces watching them in silent indict-
ment. And just as their enemies had, when met with the star- wood and the fires are lit. For seven days the kilns burn, ren-
ing, bloody-faced trees, the Andals replied with fire. dering the wood within them into charcoal. For seven days,
The Andals, though, did not merely burn the weirwoods in the faithful sing praises to the Smith and feast in his honor.
celebration. They gave these holy trees to their gods and made On the eighth day the kilns are opened and the bounty of
of it a sacrament. In those days it was called the Rite of Purg- the Smith’s forge is celebrated. The great heaps of charcoal are
ing Fire and the flames were meant to give the wicked white divvied up amongst the faithful. Those that labor count them
trees to the Smith to be cleansed in his holy forge. a great blessing, an assurance from the Seven of a prosperous
The peace the Andals made with the First Men was more and profitable year to come.
an acknowledgement of impasse than making allegiance and
the Andals brought their own gods across the Narrow Sea. Narrator’s Notes
Where these new gods held sway, the weirwoods would never
rise again. But as the Andals and the First Men intermar- Every religion has its zealots and divine favor is a currency
ried the Rite of Purging Fire changed, softened and became as valuable to those in power or seeking power as gold or
The Festival of the Fires. And though they went from wicked, silver. What can be gained can also be stripped away. In hard
evil things to be scorned and scourged in retribution to gifts times, a small thing like the Smith’s blessing can make the
treasured by the Smith as fuel for his works, the weirwoods difference between steadfast smallfolk struggling diligently
burned all the same. to win through and riotous mobs howling after the blood
These days there are no weirwoods in Andal lands. The of their lord.
Festival of the Fires continues, but the Smith must make due Whether it’s a southern lord making a gift of a captured
with mere ash and oak and yew. weirwood for the fires or a northern lord’s sabotage of the cer-
The festival itself is spread over several days and begins emony offered by a rival in order to sow doubt in the minds of
with the ceremonial cutting of the wood. Acres of wood are his followers, divine favor and its lack are potent weapons in
felled, stripped, split and laid in great earthen kilns. The sep- the battles of intrigue. Furthermore, any gathering of people
tons then invoke the Smith’s favor and blessings upon the is an opportunity to make friends and enemies.

101
 The Riverlands
Consider a lord faithful to the Seven who holds a grand
Festival of the Fires intent on receiving the blessings of the
gods upon his reign. His rivals, eager to embarrass his lord-
ship and deny him the blessings, embark upon a campaign to
sabotage the Festival. The PCs could take either role—that
of the faithful retainers, safeguarding the ritual from vicious
meddlers or clever saboteurs intent on spoiling it.
Sometimes, though, the gods do in fact withdraw their
favor and send ancient rites spontaneously awry. Few Lords
would be content to accept even the Seven’s indictment with-
out a fight. A campaign of intrigues could revolve around see-
ing that the interpretation of an omen is favorable.
Religious festivals also offer Anointed PCs a unique chance
at Glory and Experience. There is room for a variety of in-
trigues as characters jostle for prominent roles in the ritual,
for influence over the outcome, or for the favor of the house
sponsoring the event.
The Mummers’ Joust
When Princess Nymeria led the Rhoynar to Westeros she
brought with her a great many new customs and the knowl-
edge that pride, unchecked, could turn good men into villains
and wise kings into tyrants.
102
The Rhoynar brought the tradition of the Court of Fools
to Westeros in ancient days and it is the Rhoynar who up-
hold its tradition most faithfully. Also called the Mummers’
Joust, the Court of Fools has no formal schedule or calendar.
Although occasionally sponsored by one or another noble
benefactor, a true Mummers’ Joust arises spontaneously and
spreads by word of mouth.
The Joust is a sort of tourney, but instead of knights and
squires, it is for fools and minstrels and players who face off
against each other—and a few select others—with language that
slashes as deep as any blade. The Joust may be called explicitly
with travelers carrying the word from town to town, summon-
ing performers to the domain of some lord deemed too proud
and haughty for his own good. Or, it can coalesce by chance as
entertainers converge on the same locale by happenstance.
The Mummers’ Joust begins slowly as minstrels and mum-
mers and fools trickle into a region. Soon, though, no tavern
or square is without a singer, or even two or three singers each
dueling the other for the attention of the crowd. Fools caper in
the streets hurling japes and insults at each other like archers at
the butts. Troupes of mummers man makeshift stages thrown
together out of wagons and wayns to put on impromptu shows.
In those first few days the events are haphazard and unfocused,
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-

ed on Dorne and the Mummers’ Joust went out across the
land. In a week the songs went from Sunspear to Starfall. In
a fortnight, Daeron’s steward was dead and all of Dorne was
alight with rebellion. The Young Dragon died on a Dornish
spear, but it was the mummers that put the spear in Dornish
hands—or at least that’s how the mummers tell it.
Few Mummers’ Jousts have a definitive end point or con-
clusion. More often the players that have gathered simply
wander off to other markets in other towns to sell their songs
or japes or plays. Now and then, though, a certain perfor-
mance will put a cap to the events and signal the close of the
Joust. Usually it’s a performance of remarkable skill or pre-
scient relevance, but not always. A monumentally poor show
can just as easily end a Joust and sour the people’s mood,
sending the players away again and off to friendlier climes.
And just as the tourneys of knights and squires, the Mum-
mers’ Joust comes with its prize: The crowning of the King
of Mirth and Mayhem. Sometimes the Court of Fools never
reaches the necessary threshold of organization to bestow it,
and sometimes so many are named the office has no meaning.
But now and then a single player distinguishes him or herself
in such a way as to earn the office alone. Whether awarded
ironically or in earnest admiration, the title is a dubious honor
at best. Being crowned immediately makes a man a ripe and
ready mark for the japes and jibes of his peers to say nothing
of the wrath of the lordly personage that has just endured a
week or more of being the butt of every joke in his or her do-
main. There is no better target than the man that stands apart.
Narrator’s Notes
There is little in the way of centralized organization or leader-
ship in the formation of a Mummers’ Joust. They tend to arise
spontaneously, organize by word of mouth and execute in a
disorderly and haphazard fashion. That said, a consensus does
tend to develop as the mood of the community asserts itself.
The Court of Fools is many things at once. It is a party, a
source of entertainment for people who tend to be in need.
It is a means of finding social justice in a system that permits
very little. And it is, for its participants, a money-making ven-
ture that might very well launch a career.
For PCs, the Mummers’ Joust has a wide variety of uses. A
Joust might simply be a backdrop for the characters far more
dire intrigues. Plotting murder in the midst of festival of jug-
glers and minstrels makes for an entertaining juxtaposition
of images. Or, should the PCs House become the target of
a Joust, damage control and the subtle maneuvers necessary
to exact retribution without spreading the flames of a mum-
The Riverlands
mers’ revolt can make for a tense and suspenseful story. Clev-
er, brave or foolish PCs might actually sponsor a Mummers’
Joust. If they can weather the embarrassments that come out
of it, they might even glean a strange sort of Glory for at-
tending to their smallfolk in so generous a manner. As well,
minstrel characters can easily walk away from a Joust with a
little extra Coin in their purses and, if they do well, perhaps a
little Glory of their own.
Consider a band of PCs tasked by their lord to break up a
Mummers’ Joust. Do they capture and kill every player they
find? Do they embark upon intrigues to discredit the most
prominent minstrels, or perhaps turn them to their lordship’s
service? What consequences does their approach bring with it?
Or maybe the PCs are just-minded minstrels intent on
bringing down a tyrant. They could very easily be risking their
lives and face violence, imprisonment and death for speaking
out against a powerful and despotic lord. The risks are great,
but the rewards could be too.
Then again, maybe the PCs are agents of a house intent
on a Mummers’ Joust against a rival. Do they masquerade as
mummers themselves? Pay minstrels and players to prosecute
the vendetta? Or maybe just take advantage of the opportu-
nity of a burgeoning Joust to exacerbate the target’s woes with
the murder of a few players while wearing the target’s livery.
Whether the Mummers’ Joust is the crux of the plot, or just
a distraction to hide the real meat of the story, it should rarely
fail to provide ample fodder for intrigues, actual combats, and
dramatic confusion.
Interesting Places
This serves as a collection of Riverlands locations not associ-
ated with any particular house or political agenda. No attempt
has been made to cover them in detail so that the locations
can blend easily into your chronicle as places for Intrigues,
Warfare, or other conflicts.
Except where a specific location has been provided, the
Narrator and players are encouraged to place these areas in
a location that seems appropriate in their game. Even those
locales that have specific locations described can be moved
easily enough.
The Septry at Shattered Rock
The Riverlands contain few notable landmarks that aren’t
waterways of some sort. One exception to the norm is the
lightning-blasted and accurately named Shattered Rock. A
103
 The Riverlands
finger of granite split over the centuries by repeated lightning
strikes, this monolith has held a position in each of the faiths
that have spread across Westeros. The Faith in the Seven is no
exception to this rule, and it wasn’t long before a septry was
established on the lowland plain nearby.
Like many septries, Shattered Rock is defined by a low
seven-sided wall that surrounds a collection of buildings.
Most notable among the structures, as to be expected, is the
grand Sept—a mirror of the seven-sided wall that surrounds
the septry. Altars are erected in alcoves along the walls, each
dedicated to a specific aspect of the Seven. Additional build-
ings house the brothers and their harvest, the septry’s flock
of sheep, and a small scriptorium where the most talented
brothers produce new copies of The Seven-Pointed Star as
well as valuable histories, instructionals, and other texts.
Inside the main gate, the brothers maintain a donations box
and a small basket filled with crisp, salted flatbreads. Anyone
coming in the septry is able to take bread and salt, and thus
claim Guest’s Right from the brotherhood. The monks agree
to harbor anyone who takes a flatbread for as long as the per-
son needs, though such a supplicant is required to live by the
rules of the septry. Failure to meet those rules will lead to
expulsion. The brotherhood considers themselves outside of
Westeros’s politics, and have offered safe harbor to political
104
fugitives as readily as to the smallfolk. The monks’ openness,
and their refusal to allow anyone within the septry to come to
harm has made Shattered Rock a popular location for tense
negotiation between rival houses.
Septon Ranulph, the current master of the septry, aggressively
maintained its neutrality during Robert’s Rebellion, and in mi-
nor conflicts since. He has personally turned away armies from
the gate, rather than give up victims to the slaughter. His hard-
line stance has earned him the enmity of most of the Houses of
the Riverlands, though none have yet been disrespectful enough
to attack a stronghold of the faith. The pervasive rumor that the
septry secretly maintains the Poor Fellows of the Faith Militant
has helped to stay the Lords’ hands as well.
The septry is extremely self-sufficient; the monks grow
their own food, and even spin the wool of their sheep into
cloth for their simple brown habits and scapulars. Many
smallfolk marvel at the brothers’ ability to grow a crop in even
the harshest of weather, and all manner of rumors have circu-
lated that they harbor some sort of secret knowledge or dark
pact that grants their skill.
The Stranger’s Farmstead
The fractious Ironmen who ruled the Riverlands in the years
before Aegon the Conquerer had numerous small skirmishes
among themselves. One example is twin sons Jobjorn and Ul-
vadr of House Hildr, who competed fiercely to catch their fa-
ther’s eye and be declared the heir. When he died without de-
claring which would succeed him, the two brothers gathered
their followers and met on the field before their father’s hall.
The battle that followed was as violent as it was evenly
matched. The two brothers died together, Jobjorn, dragging
himself up Ulvadr’s spear to bury his axe in his brother’s skull.
No one remained to bury the numerous dead.
Some two-and-a-half centuries later, the site of the battle is
called The Stranger’s Farmstead by the smallfolk, and it lies much
as it has always been—churned soil, very little grass, and ground
that cannot be tilled without uncovering the bones of fallen war-
riors. The smallfolk refuse to go near the land, and no amount
of cajoling will convince them to attempt to farm there. They
consider the land to be the property of the Stranger, and small-
folk have claimed to see a cloaked figure wandering the barren
grounds, collecting the bones of the abandoned dead. Though
the Farmstead lies near enough to House Barnell and House
Bartheld to be pulled within either house’s borders without a
struggle, the Riverlands houses have accepted that this ground
cannot be reclaimed. The word has spread that The Stranger will
allow no hands to work the soil until it is at last cleared of dead.

Silent Sisters sometimes wander the field, though their reasons
and their purposes are known only to the Seven.
Hardhand’s Folly
Another artifact of the ironmen conquest of the riverlands is
Hardhand’s Folly. It isn’t known whether the tower known
as Hardhand’s Folly was actually built by Harwyn Hardhand
or by one of the numerous lesser houses that followed him
to the region. Certainly House Hoare established many such
small towers across the riverlands to guard against invasion,
so the rumors of its founding are possible if not confirmable.
Any name the redoubt might have initially carried in life has
been lost to history. All that is known for certain is that it
had already fallen into disuse when Belarion the Black Death
burned Harrenhal and all who lived there.
What remains of the stone tower sits in an inaccessible re-
gion of marshland —though the land was dry when the tower
was built. A change in the flow of the one of the Trident’s many
tributaries glutted the small streams that fed the area and turned
spongy but defendable land into nightmarish swamp. With the
loss of its tenants, the stone walls quickly succumbed to the en-
croaching marsh. Sections sank at different rates and the walls
were wrenched apart by the twin forces of time and gravity.
Historically, the ruin served briefly as a base of opera-
tions for the cutthroat Jerrold Blackbow. From the difficult-
to-reach location he avoided capture for over two years and
developed a series of safe paths through the swamp. That he
used those paths to prey upon smallfolk and noble-born alike
has mostly been forgotten by the smallfolk, and Blackbow’s
stories persist to this day.
Ostensibly a part of House Kytley’s demesne, no effort has
been made to recover the ruin or put it to any further purpose.
Rumors abound of the ruin being haunted, and sightings of
witch-lights bobbing in the surrounding swamp are com-
mon. Those few who have braved approaching the ruin claim
to have heard voices echoing from the stones themselves,
though obviously these tales have never been confirmed.
Hag’s Mouth
Stagnant ponds are common in the marshy north of the Riv-
erlands, especially when Summer has run long and the land
feels the clench of drought. Unlike those oases of insect and
algae that are its cousin, Hag’s Mouth is both larger than
most other ponds, and as barren as the deserts beyond the
Free Cities. Brackish and smelling of eggs too long in the sun,
The Riverlands
the water holds no promise of life or refreshment.
A boot-clenching mire passes for a shoreline on the broad
lake, and what few grasses that are brave enough to try and
grow here are stunted and misshapen. Despite the apparent
inhospitable environment, a few smallfolk will approach the
water’s edge in high summer to harvest the salt crystals that
form as the water evaporates. It’s a lower quality salt than is
used by most noble houses, but even hag’s salt can fetch a
groat or two in the right marketplace.
Stag’s Moor
Low swamplands with treacherous footing are common among
the upper reaches of the Riverlands and well into the Neck. In
that respect, Stag’s Moor is not unique. Named for the herds
of marsh deer that are often seen dancing from one dry path to
another, this lowland has also been known to host lizard-lions
and (if the rumors are to be believed) shadowcats. The spongy
vegetation of Stag’s Moor often gives way beneath a traveler’s
boots, and no one can stay dry long in the constant mire.
Hunters have been known to travel leagues to reach Stag’s
Moor, where the challenge of pursuing the small, fleet-footed
deer is considered a high sport. The smallfolk living nearby—
who rely on the deer for food, not recreation—have nevertheless
taken advantage of this influx, and most settlements near the
moorland boast a number of guides who know the “one safe way
through the marsh.” Lodging and hunting gear also often cost
more than in other places in the Riverlands, especially during the
yearly Great Hunt, a two-week-long event that draws nobility
from across Westeros, all vying to bring in the largest stag.
Maelys’s Crossing
Four days travel along the Green Fork from The Twins will
bring a voyager to the patch of rocks known as Maelys’s
Crossing. While it is theoretically possible to cross the riv-
er at this point, footing on the mossy stones is treacherous.
Furthermore, any heavy rain brings the water to a level that
hides all but the largest stones from view. Fording the river
on horseback is equally dangerous, as the slick rocks and un-
stable footing have lead to several mounts with broken legs,
destined only for a swift, merciful death.
The Crossing is significant in that it was the site where
Maelys the Monstrous and a handful of his personal guard
held off an attack by five times their number during the War
of the Ninepenny Kings. By holding the central stone on the
crossing, Maelys forced his pursuers to navigate a bottle-
105
 The Riverlands
neck of water and rock, and could dispatch threats as they
approached. When bows were drawn, Maelys relied on the
cover of his fellows and retreated across the Green Fork and
out of his assailant’s reach.
Small groups on foot still come to the Crossing rather
than pay House Frey’s exorbitant toll to cross at The Twins,
and Walder Frey has frequently railed against its use. He has
gone so far as to send soldiers down to hold the crossing and
prevent its use, but the expense in salaries seldom makes up
for the increased toll revenue. Should any House attempt to
develop the crossing into a more usable form, either by es-
tablishing a ferry, or by building a bridge, the Late Lord Frey
would waste no time in mustering his forces to stop them. For
now he is content to leave Maelys’s Crossing alone, and turn
a blind eye to its use. As a result it has been a popular point
for moving small items of contraband across the Green Fork,
rather than slipping past guards at The Twins.
Orphan’s Hill
One of the tallest hills for a league in any direction, the rocky
promontory known colloquially as Orphan’s Hill harbors a
dark tradition of the old faith. Smallfolk who desire the favor
106
of the old gods, or those with more mouths than they can pos-
sibly feed, have traditionally brought their youngest children to
Orphan’s Hill and abandoned them to exposure. Though the
practice has been frowned upon since before Aegon the Con-
queror arrived at King’s Landing, it has never been officially
outlawed and a winter does not pass when carrion birds have
not assembled at least once to take a meal on the Hill.
Tradition dictates that any child “taken to the hill” is con-
sidered never to have been born. The family removes any trace
of the child from the house, and references to the child by
name are met with confused stares. While the abandoned
child’s former siblings may not understand at first, the pres-
sure of their parents and the rest of the community brings
them into line and they forget the other ever existed. On the
rare occasion when an abandoned child finds his or her way
back to a settlement, they are considered bastards and given
the surname Rivers (or in rare cases Hill). Their birth family
will not recognize them, nor will they take them in.
From time to time, noble houses attempt to crack down
on the “use” of the hill without success. Even the prevailing
efforts of wandering septons has only lowered the number of
children abandoned. When the Seven won’t send the rain a
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-

nently in a number of ancient formulae, though it now sees use
primarily as a curiosity and in folk remedies. Attempts have
been made to curb the collection of the plant, as skilled hands
can create a dangerous poison from it, but nothing short of a
constant armed guard works to dissuade smallfolk who believe
the human-shaped root can ward off curses or cure infertility.
The Troupe of Casque & Wren
While not a set place that can be marked on a map, this trav-
elling mummers’ troupe moves from settlement to settlement
within the Riverlands, and has performed for most of the ma-
jor houses. As artists, they are afforded a sense of safe passage
in most areas of the Riverlands—the notable exception being
House Dulver. A jest about the prior Lord Dulver’s tightfist-
edness raised his wroth, and he barred the gates of Deepen
Hall to the company forever, upon pain of death. Wherever
they set their stakes, the encampment draws in large numbers
of smallfolk eager to forget their lives for a while and be car-
ried away by the Troupe’s performance.
The current master of the Casque and Wren, Cyrol Barleg,
tries to tailor the performances to the audience. Tales of Jer-
rold Blackbow are popular among the smallfolk, for example,
while classical plays and histories are more popular among the
nobility. The popularity of the troupe allows Barleg to have his
pick of performers in the Riverlands, and many lesser min-
strels hope to catch his eye and win a spot among the Casque
and Wren’s vaunted ranks. The troupe’s master tries to balance
talent with trustworthiness, as their wide-ranging travels al-
low them to see a greater swath of the Riverlands than most
individuals, and occasionally happen upon things they weren’t
meant to notice. Cyrol Barleg recognizes the power of infor-
mation, and cannot afford performers who share such secrets
without proper discretion… and remuneration.
The Casque and Wren takes its name from an ancient tradi-
tion, where a wren is drowned in a casque of fine wine to hasten
the end of winter. While it has been some time since a winter
has come to the Riverlands, the troupe continues to maintain a
pair of wrens in a cage, in case their sacrifice is needed.
The Barrow Plain
Ancient cairns are not uncommon as the fertile soil of the
Riverlands approaches the stonier ground of the Mountains
of the Moon, but the Barrow Plain represents the greatest
concentration of them in the area. Wind and rain have taken
care of many of the gravesites, and unscrupulous robbers ac-
complished the rest. As a result, most of the graves lie open
The Riverlands
and empty. Many of the stones have been carted off to form
new structures, both noble and low.
As with most sites associated with the dead, a number of
conflicting rumors have sprung up in regards to the Barrow
Plain. The most popular are tales of a lost grave, supposedly
holding anything from a treasure trove of ancient Valyrian
weaponry, to the eggs of the last dragons, to the final resting
place of the blade Blackfyre. The fact that no one has ever
found this kingly burial site has not caused the rumors to fade
in the least—if anything it only fans them higher.
Smallfolk avoid the Barrow Plain after dark, though not from
any fear of the restless dead. Wolves are common among the
sheltering stones, and these Barrow-wolves have no fear of hu-
mans. Some witnesses have claimed that the animals show a sur-
prising amount of cunning, though others have said the beasts
show nothing more uncommon than a particularly savage mien.
Smalls’ Defense
Short-lived and brutally ended, the smallfolk rebellions are
remembered in few if any histories of Westeros. Among the
folk of the Riverlands the consequences of such insurrection
are better known, at least among those who were raised with-
in a day’s travel of the ruined town known as Smalls’ Defense.
Driven to the edge of starvation by the sudden onset of
winter, smallfolk farmers and craftsmen rallied to the ban-
ner of the disgraced hedge knight Ser Cyriac the Green. For
three months, the rebels marauded across the Riverlands and
pillaged what supplies they could find. The nobility—them-
selves in hurried preparation for winter—largely ignored the
uprising until the rebels kidnapped the heir to Riverrun, and
Lord Tully had no choice but to act. His bannermen answered
the call rapidly, given the terrible weather of the season, and
with a host of close to 6,000 men House Tully set out to re-
trieve its scion.
Knowing it would be their final stand, the rebels chose
Smalls’ Defense as their holding point. The battle that fol-
lowed was as short as it was one-sided; Cyriac’s ragtag band
of poorly armed farmers was no match for the armored might
that overwhelmed them. After the battle, Cyriac the Green
was beheaded and the entire town put to sword and torch for
daring to help the rebels.
Very little remains of the town—a few stone foundations
and the occasion piece of wall are all to differentiate Smalls’
Defense from the surrounding countryside. Occasionally
a minstrel will be caught singing the Ballad of Cyriac the
Green, but such behavior is quickly squashed in the River-
lands lest the Tully wrath be called down again.
107
 THE IRON PLOT
In Westeros, even more than in the modern world, there is no
such thing as a free ride. Every favor becomes a debt owed,
every gift has strings attached, and every horse is Trojan. It
is not the Greeks one needs to fear bearing gifts—it’s every-
one. The ties of human emotion are rare and wondrous, but
are also weaknesses that must be closely guarded and hidden
from others. The Game of Thrones exempts no one, whether
pawn or player.
In this time of uncertainty, when a king some still call the
Usurper rules with his gilded queen and golden children,
loyalties are far from certain. On the surface, things seem
serene, but this sea of claims and counterclaims and ambi-
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
takes from them accordingly. Above all, Winter is Coming,
and what will slumber peacefully in summer’s days of plenty
grows sharp and angry in Winter’s frozen heart. As time
grows short, the Greyjoys of Pyke and their bannermen
must find a way to regain some of its losses or face much
dearer consequences when the time comes. They will take
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what they must, or have nothing at all. That is the iron price;
that is the Old Way.
This adventure is designed to give both the Narrator and
the PCs an initial foray into the world of Westeros and its
intrigues and dangers. It begins at the PCs house but takes
them quickly beyond its walls, to complete a task that rapidly
becomes more involved than they were led to believe. It is as-
sumed in this adventure that the lord of the house with which
the PCs are affiliated is a Narrator Character. If this is not the
case, minor changes will be needed
Note: The term “home house” is used to refer to the house
that the players’ characters are affiliated with.
Synopsis
When the house’s liege lord demands hospitality, hospital-
ity is given, even when it’s unexpected. It’s on such a night
and such an occasion that the lord whose bannerhouse this
is comes calling. On his way to King’s Landing, the lord de-
cided to turn up at the seat of the home house, and break his

journey there. During his stay, he requests the PCs’ services,
in a minor matter involving another local house.
The task turns out to be much more serious than the PCs
are led to believe. There are old tensions between their sworn
house and the place to which they’ve been sent, which are not
totally unexpected. The surprise comes when they realize that
one of the other guests in the host’s house has darker, insidi-
ous motives. Old rivalries are being revived and fanned into
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
just play into the hands of their enemies.
Not all the men of the Iron Islands are so subtle, of course.
Patience is the province of the Drowned God, not man. Dis-
sent comes from within the Iron Islands as well as without,
and a second group is resolved not to fall back on womanish
plots and soft ways, but to drive out these corrupting influ-
ences and lead the ironmen back to the Old Ways. Will the
PCs be caught between these two forces, or find a way to turn
them to their advantage?
Notes for the Narrator
Before starting this adventure, the Narrator should take some
time to establish the Home House and how the PCs fit into it
if they have not already had an opportunity to do so. Figuring
out how the players’ characters relate to any ongoing issues in
the household and how they relate to each other will be valu-
able to the players once the characters strike out from home
and find themselves out of their element.
This adventure is also an excellent opportunity to intro-
duce one or more of the movers and shakers of Westeros in
a guest star role into your chronicle. Whether Arryn, Stark,
Baratheon or Tully, Tywin Lannister or Walder Frey, these
characters feature heavily in the novels and should be excit-
ing for players to encounter and either love or hate. Charac-
ters with ambition might use these meetings as a stepping
stone to greater achievements, while others may find their
brush with the great lords an experience they would as soon
forget.
Finally, note that the exact actions of the NCs, along with
the situations of the household and which lord is visiting are
left for you to decide. Since the players may have created their
own house or be using any of the houses detailed in this book,
it is up to the Narrator to interpret the general terms and
events here into specifics for the chronicle. To that end, two
house options are listed in the second part of the adventure,
in case the players chose one of the houses from this book
The iron Plot
as their own. As Narrator, choose the house you feel is more
complementary to the PCs and their stories for the second
portion of the adventure.
If you’re feeling particularly energetic, you could attempt
to integrate both plots into a longer storyline. In that case,
the assassination attempt at Hart House could be a prelude
to the larger destabilization project between House Dulver
and House Tullison.
Act I
It is a pleasant time of the year, with hunts and diversions of
all sorts available to the nobles of Westeros. A good time for
travel, as King Robert’s forces see to it that the main roads
are safe—or at least as safe as one traveling could expect. It is
of little surprise then when guests arrive seeking respite and
shelter. Most travelers have their bread and salt, rest, and then
are on their way again in the morning, with none the wiser
(or much poorer) for their passing. When a traveler requests
hospitality from the lord of the local House, however, that is
something to note.
The PCs are about their business within the confines of
the house’s hold and property, when a messenger bearing the
badge of the bannerhouse’s liege lord rides in through the
gates. He informs the household that his lord is approach-
ing and bids a place be made ready for him for the next two
nights.
It shouldn’t take long for word to circulate. There are prepa-
rations to be made, the family to be consulted, and food to be
prepared. If appropriate, one of the PCs can be directed to
find the lord and lady of the house and see what their wishes
are. The lady will begin directing preparations or else give the
steward leave to do so, as appropriate for their situations per
the Narrator. The lord should send a party to greet his liege,
preferably including him, his heir, and his closest advisors or
knights. It should be appropriate to include a few of the PCs
in this party, if not all of them.
The Welcoming Party
The home house’s lord and men greet their liege lord roughly
half an hour’s ride from the house. The composition of the
liege’s traveling company depends greatly on his identity.
Some suggestions for the entourages of various major lords
can be found in the Traveling Groups sidebar, or the Narra-
tor can feel free to decide on composition of the group travel-
ing with the liege lord.
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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.

Lord Jon Arryn

Lord Jon travels lightly and is passing through the area on other matters on behalf of His Grace. He brings 3-5 knights and 2
squires, with horses and equipment for all. Speed is more important than grandeur, but safety is more important than both. His
men sport no livery, but all have a badge of the heraldry for House Arryn somewhere on their person, and he in turn carries
an extra token, easily concealed if necessary, indicating his status as the Hand of the King. His horse and equipment are of fine
quality and are hale and hearty, able to handle the high altitudes (and marauding clans) of the Vale.

Lord Stannis Baratheon

Lord Stannis is scarcely recognizable as the King’s brother. Certainly, if one did not know his face, one would have few other
clues as to his identity. His horse and gear are serviceable and of excellent quality, but unadorned and austere. Only two men
travel with him, only one a knight. One squire travels with them, son to Ser Cael, the knight in question, and his role there is
to serve everyone to the extent that he is able. There are no luxuries in his arrangements, and the condition of his horse and
men suggest that there has been at least one night spent sleeping outdoors rather than in borrowed hospitality. Stannis is
visiting a few Baratheon bannermen purely out of a sense of duty to his House and his brother, but he realizes that he must
eventually return to Dragonstone.

Lord Walder Frey

Lord Walder Frey never travels. Some claim he’s merely in his eighties, others that he’s seen ninety come and go... regardless,
while his mind may be as sharp as ever, his body stays at home in The Twins. Instead he sends one of his sons to do his bidding
and business, leaving the traveling to them. In this instance, he has sent Ser Stevron, his heir.
The Freys are very conscious of their status and travel accordingly. With Stevron travel a host of Freys, including Ser Hosteen,
Ser Emmon, and Ser Danwell, all of whom are well known for their skill at tournament. In addition, the Freys bring a small unit
of twenty men-at-arms and a small group of five young Freys, a mix of acknowledged bastards and trueborn offspring, acting as
squires for their older relatives. They are all dressed in livery and at least two of them are named Walder. Only Ser Stevron and
his brothers ride; men-at-arms and squires walk. The horses are of moderate quality but carry fine gear.

Lord Tywin Lannister

Lord Tywin prizes efficiency and station, and he travels as befits both. Wearing his house colors in practical yet exquisitely made
traveling clothes and light armor, he is the living embodiment of Casterly Rock and the gold he controls. He travels with only
one companion, Ser Kevan, his brother. The rest of his company are twenty men dressed in dark clothes who wear black with an
embroidered red and gold lion on their left breasts, insignia of House Lannister. There are no squires with this group.

Lord Eddard Stark

Lord Stark is a practical man, and practical men value safety over speed. He has no need to travel with a retinue, but he is well
aware of what is owed to his station and his bannermen. Eddard Stark travels with a company of knights and men-at-arms.
His son and heir Robb Stark travels with him, as well as his other son, Jon Snow. He takes pains to ensure that all his sworn
houses know and are known by his heir for the day when he rules Winterfell.
Wagons carrying provisions also accompany the Starks, along with guards to ensure their safety. While travelling, however,
he asks only for hospitality for himself, his sons, and a group of five retainers. The rest remain outside, camping, as he and his
family often do when they travel, wishing to remain as self-sufficient as possible.

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.

Arrival
Upon arriving at the household, the liege lord retires with
the lord of the house to discuss business, while the rest of
the household prepares for dinner. It quickly becomes known
that he intends to stay for two nights only before continuing
on his way—an unusually short stay for such a visit, regardless
of the length of travel.
The first night passes uneventfully. Dinner is prepared and
turns out well, the liege lord and the household dine as befits
their stations. The lord’s company are housed and fed as well,
and if their entertainment is a bit rougher or if a bit more ale
was drunk than was needful, they are still guests and have still
taken salt and bread as per the custom. Their safety is assured.
The next morning, the lord of the home house and his
liege lord get an early start on the day. They ride out from
the house with a very small party, no more than two or three
others, to survey the household lands and take account of the
house’s general welfare. If the Narrator feels that the liege
lord would be unlikely to go himself (or would rather bring
along an advisor or other companion as well), the situation
can be altered to accommodate that. The bannerlord might
also wish to bring along an extra companion, especially one
or more of the PCs.

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 The Iron Plot
Which House Do We Visit?
One of the functions of this book is to provide pre-generated houses for use in SIFRP games. To avoid the possibility of PCs
being asked to investigate their own houses two options are presented for the main portion of this adventure. The two houses
presented here, House Bartheld and House Dulver, are both detailed in this book and available for use. Should the PCs be
running characters from one, the Narrator may then choose the other for this adventure. If neither is already in use, then the
Narrator should choose whichever best suits his players and the style of his chronicle.
The two lords talk a great deal about their personal lives and
business. If there are unmarried children, there might be talk of
fostering or possible betrothals if the bannerhouse is on good
terms with the liege lord (this is particularly true if the liege
lord is Ser Stevron Frey). If asked, the liege lord will comment
on his travels and eventual destination (King’s Landing) but
will avoid any details regarding his business or travel.
While touring the lands, the party may run across an un-
usual situation that can seem to have a wider implication
to those who believe in signs and try to interpret the world
around them. It is up to the Narrator whether or not he wish-
es to use such a situation. For suggestions of what might be
found, see the Portents sidebar.
Once the lords return to the household, the liege lord ex-
cuses himself to his chambers, ostensibly to rest for the eve-
ning and recover from his travels. This should give the PCs
an opportunity to share news, question members of the liege
lord’s retinue, rest themselves, or accomplish other tasks.
An Audience
The liege lord does not emerge from his rooms again until
dinner is announced that evening. The meal passes unevent-
fully, a quieter event than that of the previous day by the liege
lord’s own request. After dinner, each PC is asked to join the
house lord in his study.
Once the group arrives at the study, they discover that their
lord isn’t alone; his liege lord is there with him as well. He
addresses the group of PCs as a whole, saying the following
(feel free to rephrase this as befits the liege lord’s identity and
personality as described in the novels):
“I’ve spoken with your lord, and he has sworn your service to
me. Are you all loyal and ready to do service?” When the PCs an-
swer in the affirmative (as they are sworn to do) he will continue.
“Good. I have need of you then. It is a trifling matter, but one for
which only trusted allies will do. I cannot directly interfere and
hope for a positive outcome, yet something must be done.
“I have heard word that there is trouble brewing in the area,
old wounds that fester anew. Things are peaceful at the moment,
112
but open fighting is insupportable right now. The king and his
Hand have told me they will put down harshly any open hostili-
ties between the houses, and with equal vigor reward those who
further the cause of peace. The house to which I ask you to travel
owes me no allegiance so I cannot command their attendance. It
must be diplomacy, not loyalty that sees this task through.
“Present yourselves to this household, learn of their grievances,
and see if it be possible to turn their arguments to a better end. If
it is not, report back to your lord with such information as you are
able to gather.”
He answers questions shortly and to the point. It is clear
that he believes this to be a small diplomatic or information-
gathering task and thus of no great risk beyond diplomatic
embarrassment should it go awry. He gives minimal addi-
tional information, saying that the house lord will answer
their questions on the morrow. For this evening, he instructs
them to tell no one else about it and that they will leave the
day after tomorrow. It is an urgent matter and must be settled
as soon as may be.
The Houses
Below are described two houses, either one of which may be
a secondary antagonist for the remainder of the adventure.
Both are described in brief here; more detail can be found in
the Houses chapter of this book, pg. 5. Use the information
here to fill out the conversation for the PCs as described in
An Audience.
Option One: House Dulver
House Dulver is led by Lord Harald Dulver, who is deter-
mined to lead his family and lands to prosperity by whatever
means necessary. Nominally sworn to Lannister, it’s no secret
that Lord Dulver is as eager to pay lip service to those in
power as he is to act as needed to fulfill his ambitions.
Of late, there is rumor that the Dulvers seek to expand
their holdings to more profitable lands. In particular, bad
blood seems to be stirring between Dulver and House Tulli-
 The iron Plot

son, with rumors spreading that Dulver wants to “run through

that bastard’s get and see what price his whore of a sister would
fetch.”
Lord Dulver has never been known for his winning ways,
but at this rate it seems only a matter of time before words
turn to action. Lord Dunstan Tullison is naïve when it comes
to war; he could be easily provoked and Lord Dulver knows
it. Such a war would prove potentially ruinous to the river-
lands, however, pitting the Lannisters against the Tullys and
possibly the Faith as well, depending on how far Lord Dulver
took his grumblings against the Seven and what Ser Walton’s
reaction was to his father’s actions. The king’s forces would
be forced to back Lannister, giving that house even greater
dominion and wealth... something that would upset the bal-
ance of power and make the other great houses uneasy at best.
The PCs are tasked to travel to House Dulver and deter-
mine whether Lord Harald is actually contemplating the use
of force, and if so, what might be done to convince him to
stay his hand.

Option Two: House Bartheld

Young Lord Davain Bartheld has led House Bartheld for
less than two years, but it seems that has been a sufficient
amount of time for him to make enemies. A recent fire dam-
time their assignment is given. A slight delay allows for word
aged his smithy and nearly claimed his life. Rumor has it that
to be sent ahead of them to either Deepen Hall or Hart
he was struck on the head from behind, falling unconscious,
House announcing their impending arrival if they so choose,
and when he awoke the roof was in flames. He was able to
as well as giving them time to gather appropriate supplies and
stumble out before being overcome, but it was a near thing.
resources for their task.
Other events seem to point to skullduggery as well. Each
Once the PCs have determined their approach to the task,
looks innocent enough, (a normally gentle horse throwing
it’s time for them to set out. All of the houses presented in
him during a ride, a surprisingly virulent bout of food poison-
this book are no more than a few days ride from each other,
ing) but when examined as a whole, it seems remarkably like
so the journey should not present too much danger. That said,
a pattern designed to put an end to Lord Davain’s life. Who
bandits and clan members grow bold even in these days. The
could want to kill the lord of Hart House, though, so dear a
roads are not always safe.
retreat to the Baratheons? Suspicion has cast a pall over the
If the PCs present themselves as tempting targets, (wearing
household, though Lord Davain refuses to hear accusations
noble’s clothes while traveling, showing off jewelry, money, or
against any of his guests.
fine equipment without sufficient protection) they should be
The PCs are asked to go to Hart House, ostensibly as
attacked by bandits (use the bandit stats on pg. 268 of the
guests, and determine whether someone is trying to murder
SIFRP Pocket Edition).
Lord Bartheld. If so, they are encouraged to discover who it is
and put a stop to their efforts or, if that proves impossible, to
report back with the information.
Bandit Attacks
Whether the bandits are hedge knights, clan members, or
Preparing for a Journey common criminals depends on where the PCs are when they
are attacked and what criminal element is most present in
Regardless of which house the Narrator chooses to use, the that community. Please review both the PCs’ house of origin
PCs are expected to leave no more than two days from the and House Bartheld or House Dulver, as appropriate. There

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 The Iron Plot
are as many bandits as the number of PCs plus ½ (e.g., 6
bandits for a party of 4 PCs) and they will only attack so long
as they outnumber the PCs. If the battle becomes equal in
number, they will run away. They are greedy, but not enough
so to risk their lives.
The bandits will initially attempt to surprise the characters.
With the road blocked, one bandit, from hiding, will demand
that the PCs surrender money and equipment or be attacked.
If the PCs refuse, they’ll attack. This event should illustrate the
dangers on the road and allow the characters practice at work-
ing toward a common goal prior to arrival at their destination.
Act II
Depending on which house the Narrator has chosen, the
PCs will wind up either at Hart House trying to discover
whether or not an assassin exists or at Deepen Hall trying to
decipher how to stave off a war. Neither may be particularly
easy, though the PCs have no reason to suspect their tasks
are quite as difficult as all that. They have been asked merely
to observe and report, though if they feel the situation calls
for additional action to accomplish their goals, they are wel-
come to take it—within reason. The line between reasonable
and unreasonable may quickly blur, however, as the PCs draw
closer to the truth.
Option 1: House Dulver
Deepen Hall is not known for its hospitality. While “Dulver’s
Turnips” (as his garrison troops are called) are well known
and jokingly offered to every newcomer in the area, travelers
who come empty handed are unlikely to get anything more
than the basest care. Those who bring potential profit, how-
ever, are welcomed—perhaps not warmly, but they are at least
not rushed to be on their way. Lord Dulver is not a warm
person in any regard, so this shouldn’t be surprising to anyone
who knows of him.
If the PCs stop in the village of Stony Heath and discuss
where they are going, they will be met with disbelief and
possibly derision unless they have a convincing story to tell.
The vast majority of the visitors who come to Deepen Hall
have business there that involves buying or selling, so a story
that involves trade in base metals will unlock the most doors.
Nobles rarely come to House Dulver; merchants come on a
regular basis. (A Challenging (9) Knowledge (Education) roll
can provide this information, as can good roleplaying with
the smallfolk or guards in the area.)
114
For that matter, it isn’t simply the local smallfolk who may
need to be convinced of the PCs’ intentions. Lord Harald
Dulver is not a man to tolerate interference, nor one to waste
the resources of his house on food and shelter for strangers
without an excellent reason to do so. Sending word ahead to
Lord Dulver of the PCs’ desire to talk to him on a matter
of business is the surest way to get inside the castle gates on
good terms. (A Routine (6) Status (Breeding) roll can provide
this suggestion.)
Arrival
Assuming the PCs have sent word ahead heralding their ar-
rival and desire to discuss matters of trade, the party will be
ushered brusquely into Deepen Hall to await audience with
Lord Dulver. Their mounts (if any) will be stabled, the bag-
gage collected and taken to adequate chambers.
If, on the other hand, they arrive unannounced or profess
some purpose other than trade, they will find entry consid-
erably more difficult to get. The guards at the gate are loathe
to draw Lord Harald’s ire by admitting uninvited guests.
Any parties arriving unannounced will be met with an ini-
tial refusal. If the visitors persist, the guards will question
the party as to their purpose with Lord Dulver, their alle-
giances and their place of origin. After hearing the answers
to these questions, the guards will refuse a second time and
urge the PCs to ‘come back tomorrow!’ (when the duty shift
has changed and the interlopers have become someone else’s
problem).
These men know their job and will resist any attempt to
convince them to open the gate to anyone approaching unin-
vited, but they are common folk to a man and thus susceptible
to the influence high status characters wield over them. Any
character passing a Routine (difficulty 6) Status or Persua-
sion test can get the guardsmen to fetch either Lord Harald’s
brother and master-at-arms Ser Gambol Hill or Maester
Falstan to hear the party’s plea. Either of these men can be
persuaded to admit the party (via an Intrigue), whatever their
stated purpose and will see that they are properly accommo-
dated.
Once inside Deepen Hall, the next item on the agenda will
likely be an audience with Lord Dulver. Harald is a brusque
man and not given to ceremony or pomp. Once the party is
settled in chambers he will meet with them in his audience
chamber, seated on the simple and ancient bronze chair of the
Dulvers. He drives straight to the point.
Characters arriving under the auspices of buying from
Lord Dulver should expect to spend between 1 and 5 Wealth
 The iron Plot

What’s Really Going On?

Harald Dulver is edging his way toward war.
Not being a man of martial nature, he’s taking his own sweet time of it, but war is certainly where he’s headed and it’s his
own Maester Falstan that is driving him to it.
Shortly after arriving at Deepen Hall, Falstan took the lay of the land and began turning it to his advantage. Whisper by
whisper the Maester has driven wedges between Lord Harald and all of his most trusted advisors, isolating his lordship and
making himself chief confidante and advisor.
Falstan is an ambitious, greedy man. He thinks very highly of himself, not without reason, and was much affronted when
he was assigned to a second-rate house in a backwater district. An assignment that was far below his own stature, or so he
thought. His appeals to the Citadel went unheeded. Unwilling to give up on aspiring to high position, Falstan decided that
if he could not be assigned to a great house, he would make the house great. Unfortunately, Lord Harald’s cautious nature
forbore any notions of a quick ascension. Frustrated, Maester Falstan kept tapping those wedges deeper and deeper, waiting
for the right opportunity.
Six months ago, that opportunity came in a ship from the Iron Islands.
Four ironmen approached Falstan with a proposition: make Dulver a tinderbox for war against Tullison and the ironmen
would strike the spark. They paid with gold and they promised that all they wanted was to crack the Tullison egg and suck out
the yolk. Dulver could keep the land, keep the mines, keep the castle and none be the wiser.
Falstan agreed and has been working Lord Harald toward war ever since. He diverted a certain shipment of weapons to
his co-conspirators who then supplied them to mountain clansmen for use in raids on Tullison lands; weapons easily trace-
able to a smithy in Fairmarket who has gladly reported them sold to Lord Dulver at Deepen Hall. The maester has used
Lord Dulver’s own reputation against him, subtly convincing visitors with business with Lord Harald to repeat some of the
worst rumors and stories and attribute them to Lord Tullison and his people, and he has done so with such deftness that the
merchants believe it to be their own ideas. And lastly, Falstan has burned every message he’s received from Dunstan Tullison
pledging peace or requesting parlay. The demands for satisfaction were readily forwarded to Lord Harald.

points on whatever it is they’re looking for. Harald Dulver
can produce just about anything from his cellars from salted
fish to silver candle sconces and all things between, so find-
ing a suitably desirable commodity to purchase should pose
no obstacle to making a deal. The negotiation itself should be
resolved as a standard Bargain Intrigue with the base price
of the goods at stake being 3 Wealth points, modified by the
outcome of the intrigue as appropriate.
Maester Falstan will be present during the negotiations,
and it should be clear to the PCs that Lord Harald relies
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
to one week, as guests while their goods are collected, accounts
are settled, and transportation of the goods is arranged. They
will have the run of the castle short of the Dulvers’ personal
apartments and the cellars, though a guided tour of the latter
can be arranged on request.
If the PCs decide, instead, to confront Lord Harald di-
rectly over the matter of his intentions toward House Tul-
lison, their welcome will come to an immediate end. Though
Harald won’t throw them out that very night (unless some
grievous insult is given) he will inform the PCs that they
WILL be leaving upon the morrow as early as possible. The
PCs will be left with a single night to complete any investiga-
tions they wish to make inside Deepen Hall.
In fact, even if the PCs do make a deal with Lord Harald
to purchase something, bringing up the Tullisons will signal
an end to their welcome. They will be asked to leave the very
next morning and Lord Dulver will not be available to them
again. If they have completed their investigations then they
have the night to convince Lord Harald of the plot against
him. If not, they have until dawn the next day to do so before
being escorted to the gates and turned out.
The Players
Lord Harald Dulver
Lord Dulver is cunning, ambitious, shrewd and stubborn.
Over the past two years, he has also come to feel utterly alone.
His son and heir has abandoned him for a fat septon and
seven gods that have never done a thing for the family. His
wife rebukes him and sides with his son. His bastard uncle
has no respect for him. His smallfolk scorn him and his peers
mock him.
Or so he thinks.
Harald Dulver has always harbored a sense that he was
meant for more, that he was due much more. Lord of nearly
worthless lands, trader in the basest metals the earth can yield,
heir of a family rich in history and poor and bloody all else.

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 The Iron Plot
And then there are those damned Tullisons. Up-jumped
bastards given lordship over rich lands and fruitful mines be-
fore the ink was dry on the declaration of legitimacy. The past
Lords Tullison were baseborn fools and the current Tullison,
young Lord Dunstan is an idiot, born without the brains the
gods gave a goat. But he’s noble. Oh, so noble and knightly
and good.
Harald’s resentment of Tullison is old. (And only tops a
long list of grievances). It long predates the coming of Mae-
ster Falstan, but up until very recently it was naught but an
ember. Falstan’s ambitions have fanned it to flames and the
machinations of the Iron Plot threaten to make it a confla-
gration. If it goes unchecked, two houses may very well be
burned to the ground.
Harald is smart and he knows it. He keeps his own coun-
sel. He is bullheaded, stubborn and utterly uncompromising
when he has made his mind up to do something. If he is to be
turned from the course to war it will require convincing evi-
dence that such a conflict would do more harm to his house
than good. Evidence of Falstan’s collusion with the ironmen
would be proof enough, but that is unlikely as the young mae-
ster has covered his tracks very well. Proof that the ironmen
are responsible for provoking Dunstan Tullison would give
116
Harald pause enough for his natural caution to take hold. An
earnest overture for peace from Tullison, delivered directly
into Lord Dulver’s hands (thus circumventing Maester Fal-
stan) would also be very difficult to ignore.
Harald Dulver does not want to go to war, but thanks to
Maester Falstan’s plotting, he feels as though he has no other
choice.
For Lord Harald’s stats, please refer to the House Dulver
section of this book)
Maester Falstan
Falstan is a cool, cunning and subtle man. He is not given to
rash action or impetuousness. He will not jeopardize himself
or his scheme by haring off to his hidden benefactors at the
first sign of suspicion, either. He knows full well that his best
course of action is simply to sit quietly and wait, should it be-
come clear that someone has caught the scent of his plan. He
is confident that no one can tie him to anything incriminat-
ing. All he has done has been in service to his lord.
If the PCs should come to the gates of Deepen Hall pro-
claiming their intentions to sway Lord Dulver from his course
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.
Maester Falstan Secondary Character
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

None of the merchants can say that Falstan ever told them to
do anything whatsoever. If it should come out that Falstan
was responsible for getting the weapons to the ironmen, well
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
mountain clans. As for Lord Dunstan’s messages—ravens are
lost all the time and there are a great many hawks and eagles
between Mountain’s Reach and the Stony Heath.
The Four Ironmen
Maester Falstan’s fellow conspirators will remain nameless
for purposes of this scenario. They are currently in hiding in
an old smugglers’ cave miles from Deepen Hall on the shores
of Ironman’s Bay. Their longship, Faithless Maiden, and her
crew lie at anchor and in hiding on the other side of a small
island in the bay.
These men are only pawns themselves, acting at the behest
of another more potent figure who, for purposes of this sce-
nario, will also remain nameless.
The PCs should not have opportunity to capture these
men. Should they learn of the smugglers’ cave and go to in-
vestigate it they will find it empty of everything but a few bits
of old crockery, some scrimshaw and the remains of a fire. It
has clearly been used recently, but is unoccupied when the
PCs arrive.
In the aftermath of the Reavers’ raid, these four will be
found on the beach below the cave—a grisly testament to the
fate of those of the ironborn who eschew honest raiding for
schemes and gutless treachery.
Ser Gambol Hill
Growing up a bastard, Gambol learned early on not to put
his nose into the business of his trueborn kin, and that is
precisely why he’s so angry with himself now. He knows bet-
ter, but this business between Harald and young Walton had
gone on too long. Gambol, hoping to bring his nephew and
grand-nephew back together again had gone and butted in,
to his great regret. Harald had taken offense. Walton simply
stalked off, indignant and angry. Neither of them has spoken
to Gambol since.
And now there’s the matter of Tullison and Harald’s clear
intention to meet the lord of Mountain’s Reach in battle. It’s
a battle Dulver simply cannot win and Gambol Hill knows it.
Oh, the Dulver men are doughty enough, but they’re gar-
rison troops, trained for defense. And if Harald wanted to
mount a serious foray, he would have to empty Deepen Hall,
The iron Plot
leaving the seat of his power practically undefended. It’s a
recipe for disaster, and Ser Gambol knows it, but Harald
won’t listen. Not to him anyway.
Karyl Kays
Lord Dulver’s chief stonemason has very little to do with war
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-
lutely no knowledge of. If it comes to a siege, he’ll be working
with no advanced knowledge whatsoever.
Karyl’s place in this scenario has more to do with his
knowledge of Deepen Hall. Should the PCs request a tour of
Dulver’s fabled cellars it will fall to Karyl to conduct that tour.
He knows the cellars better than anyone.
In the course of the tour, Karyl comes across an old tunnel,
sealed years ago, that’s recently been reopened and used. The
tunnel, Karyl will relate, was an old sally port dating from
darker days. It descends steeply into the Deepmont and be-
low, coming out in a gully some miles from the castle and
hidden from view. It was originally dug as a means of escape
should the Dulvers need to make a quick getaway but hadn’t
been used in years. It’s clear by the disturbance of the dust on
the floor that someone has used it quite recently.
What Karyl doesn’t know (and indeed no one does) is that
Maester Falstan has been using the tunnel to slip away from
the castle unseen and from there, meet up with the four hid-
den conspirators.
There is no evidence indicating who has used the tunnel.
The footprints are unremarkable and muddled. Maester Fal-
stan learned of the tunnel’s existence from Karyl himself, but
that was long ago when the young Maester first came to serve
the Dulvers and old Karyl has no hope at all of remembering.
Ser Walton Dulver
Ser Walton does his best to be a dutiful son and serve his fa-
ther to the best of his ability. He loves the old man, but knows
all too well that Harald has little love for him. (Harald has
little love for anyone and Walton knows it.)
Walton is also a faithful man and takes his vows of knight-
hood very seriously. Harald’s disdain for the church wounds
his heir deeply but Walton takes the jibes without comment.
The trouble brewing between Dulver and Tullison is of
terrible concern to Walton. Unfortunately, he hasn’t the ex-
perience to make a forceful case against war, nor the will to
rebuke his father without making the case. Walton sees it as
his duty, both as a knight and heir, to obey and bear arms in
117
 The Iron Plot
the services of his lord and father wherever Lord Dulver may
see fit to employ them. If it comes down to it, Walton will go
to war, but he won’t like it.
If anyone can get through to Lord Dulver, it’s Walton. As
the scenario opens, Walton and Lord Harald aren’t speaking
to one another. But, if the PCs can get evidence of the plot to
the young ser and convince him of the danger to his house,
Walton will gladly put aside the dispute and endorse their
appeal to his father. Walton is both the most likely and the
most effective supporter the PCs will find. And if they can
succeed, the PCs might very well save both the Dulver House
and the family.
For character statistics for Lord Dulver, see pg. 33.
Septon Arlyn
Septon Arlyn is dismayed by the strife he knows is tearing
apart the Dulver family, in no small part because he has been
an unwitting contributor to it.
Should the PCs wear out their welcome prematurely, Sep-
ton Arlyn can provide an option for continuing their investi-
gation, though at something of a remove from the environs of
Deepen Hall. There is no inn in the hamlet at the foot of the
118
Deepmont, but if the PCs make an appeal to the Septon, they
can easily enlist his aid in the pursuit of peace. He will gladly
house the PCs and permit their entourage (if they have any)
to camp in a small field behind the Sept.
Of those NCs that play a part in this scenario, Ser Walton
is likeliest to be found at the Sept. Maester Falstan may come
down out of curiosity to see why the PCs are still hanging
around and to subtly squeeze them for information. Karyl
Kays does attend services in the Sept but is unlikely to visit
it on a whim.
Septon Arlyn also happens to know young Dunstan Tul-
lison. It’s been 7 years, but Arlyn remembers the young Lord
Tullison as an impetuous but goodhearted boy. The septon
has a very hard time believing that Dunstan could be so hell-
bent on confrontation as the rumors would have him.
For character stats for Septon Arlyn, see pg. 37.
Traveling Salesmen
There is very little in the way of hard evidence for the PCs to
find, but there should be enough strangeness going on to give
them a feel that something is not right. Lord Harald is a man
virtually alone. He has but one advisor, Maester Falstan, hav-
 The iron Plot

Where Are the Rest of the Dulvers?

Lady Falyse, frustrated with the pigheaded foolishness of her lord husband, particularly because she knows him to be a man
of great cunning, has departed Deepen Hall to visit her mother and cousins in Lannisport. Young Helen has gone with her
mother and Horas Dulver, the younger son, sits in his tower by the sea and broods over yet another failing crop.
For purposes of this scenario, these NCs are unnecessary and unlikely to sway the outcome in a direction the PCs would
find productive. Falyse makes a point of not meddling in political affairs. Helen is simply too young to take a hand. And
Horas is hobbled by his own incompetence.
In addition, assume that Short Tom Tinker is currently out on one of his excursions, and will not be present for the dura-
tion of the adventure.

ing forsaken all others. He doesn’t speak to his servants except
to give orders. He broods and even a casual observer will note
the broad empty space that persists around him. Even when
seated at table those nearest his chair seem to lean away, re-
luctant to breach the envelope of isolation that has been built
around him.
Those who should be advising him cannot and each of
them rails at their impotence but can do nothing to avert
what’s very clearly coming.
The core of the problem here is a failure to communicate.
Maester Falstan has been very effective in cutting off Lord
Harald from anyone who might turn him from his chosen
course, and by destroying all messages from Lord Dunstan
suing for peace, preventing Tullison from averting disaster as
well. If the PCs can get Harald and his household talking
again, get a message of peace through from Lord Dunstan
or (for best results) both, war can be prevented. It’s not at all
clear that they can.
If matters in Deepen Hall devolve into violence at this
point something has gone very wrong. In all likelihood the
action of this act will consist entirely of Intrigues as the PCs
work to convince Lord Dulver that war is a path to failure.
It’s also quite possible that this entire act can be carried out
without making a single die-roll.
Given the sensitivity of this matter in Lord Harald’s mind,
it’s very possible that the PCs will need to travel to Moun-
tain’s Reach to speak with Lord Dunstan Tullison. If so, see
the section on House Tullison below.
If the PCs manage to convince Lord Dulver to abandon
his plans for war (for the time being, anyway) without visiting
with Lord Tullison, proceed directly to Act Three.
House Tullison
Lord Dunstan Tullison is fuming. His people have always
suffered the raids of the mountain clans, but over the past
few months the raids have become more frequent and the
raiders far better armed. After one such raid, Lord Dunstan
had some of the weapons taken from the fallen clansmen put
before Ren Alyard, his master smith. Alyard recognized the
maker’s mark as that of a smith in Fairmarket. When that
man was pressed he immediately recognized the blades as
part of a lot he had sold to Lord Dulver a year past.
It looked for all the world as though Harald Dulver was
arming Tullison’s enemies.
Dunstan began politely enough, asking for parlay, offering
truce but his messages got no reply. As weeks went by and
more of his smallfolk were killed by raiders bearing the very
same arms, he grew angry. He wrote to Dulver again, this
time demanding reparations and cessation of hostilities. He
got back derision and denial. It was then that Dunstan Tul-
lison began girding himself for war.
That was three weeks ago. Now Lord Dunstan is having
second thoughts. As his blood cooled, he began to think
again of peace but his course seems to be set. He can’t see
any way out of the coming conflict. His pleas for peace fall
on deaf ears. His threats and demands are thrown back in his
face. If Dulver wants war, Tullison will give it to him.
Dunstan has considered sending a messenger rather than a
raven, but he fears for the life of any emissary sent to Deepen
Hall after the replies he received to his most recent letters.
Should a neutral party (the PCs, for instance) arrive to vol-
unteer, however, he would gladly try one last time to open the
channels of communication to talk of peace.
Option 2: House Bartheld
Gaining entry to Hart House is no trouble whatsoever. House
Bartheld is famed for its hospitality and makes a point of wel-
coming all who come upon its doorstep with good intent. In
this particular case, that is also the Barthelds’ biggest problem.
There are always strangers in Lord Davain’s house and only
an utter fool would advertise his intentions if he came with
an ill purpose in mind.

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 The Iron Plot
Now there is an assassin on the grounds with the will (if
not an overabundance of skill) to part the young Lord Bar-
theld from his life. It’s up to the PCs to find the one bad
penny in a purse full of coppers.
To top it all off, they need to resolve the matter in such a
way as to keep the King’s peace intact! lands, while prosperous, are by no means rich, his house no-
Arrival
The PCs need have no pretext for coming to Hart House.
Lord Davain’s doors are open to any that come to call (any
noble, anyway). He is an open, honest and approachable man.
He also finds the idea that someone is actually out to kill him
frankly rather absurd.
After the PCs have been welcomed, given chambers, had
their mounts groomed and stabled, Lord Davain will gladly
What’s Really Going On
A man named Mot is trying to kill Lord Davain Bar-
theld. Trying and failing.
Mot (or Mot the Killer as he prefers to be known) was
hired by a tall, thin man who spoke with the accent of the
Iron Islands. He was given a letter and instructions to kill
Lord Davain, leave the letter, and escape as best he can to
collect his payment.
The man that hired Mot is called Bleak Ormand and
styles himself a mystic and a sorceror. He has recently
become confidante, companion and chief counselor to
Lady Isobel Marsten. Over the past year Ormand has
convinced Lady Isobel that he is in contact with powers
beyond mortal ken and consults with spirits and demons
who bestow upon him supernatural foresight and wisdom.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Ormand is
a spy, a charlatan and a manipulator. His goal is to sow
havoc among the Riverlands and ripen the fields to pil-
lage and plunder by his reaver kin. To that end Ormand
has gained the Lady’s confidence and gained an unprec-
edented degree of access to her person and authorities.
Ormand then hired an assassin he knew to be incom-
petent, forged a letter from Lady Isobel instructing the
assassin to kill Lord Bartheld and affixed the Marsten seal
to the letter in secret.
It has never mattered to Bleak Ormand whether Mot
escaped or not. Nor did it matter particularly whether
Davain was slain. What mattered was the attempt, and
that the forged letter be found. With an attempt made
on his life and a letter written and sealed by Lady Isobel’s
hand, Lord Davain (or his heirs) would surely respond
with war. Amid the chaos inflicted on the Bartheld and
Marsten lands, and those domains between, Bleak Or-
mand’s reaver allies would strike, plucking the ripe fruits
in and around the Riverlands as of old. This was the plan,
and it still might succeed.
120
invite them to attend him in his solar to discuss their busi-
ness in Hart House. If, in the course of conversation, the PCs
should reveal their purpose Davain will express surprise and
even a touch of amusement.
“Why kill me?” he asks. He has no enemies he’s aware of. His
where near powerful enough to merit such sinister attention,
or so he believes. He dismisses his recent plague of mishaps
as mere accidents and coincidences or, at worst, the comeup-
pance due his family for years of debauchery and ignoble liv-
ing. “I can but live well myself, and pray the Seven have mercy.”
If the PCs press the point, Davain will politely but firmly
end the conversation. The PCs are welcome to stay at Hart
House for so long as they wish, but his lordship doesn’t care
to discuss imaginary assassins or nefarious plots any further,
thank you very much.
The Players
Lord Davain Bartheld
Davain doesn’t believe there is an assassin and will politely
brush aside any inquiries or attempts to convince him other-
wise. He’s a quiet, reserved and sober young man. He is not
given to excess in anything except, perhaps, a certain naiveté
regarding the political machinations of his noble peers. He is
not, however, a fool. If presented with solid evidence of a plot
against him he will come around and act in short order.
Lady Ayleth Bartheld
Lady Ayleth loves her husband. She admires his honesty,
his integrity, and in a faintly maternal way, his naïve trust in
those around him. But she knows, too, that it’s precisely those
qualities that make him so very vulnerable to those who wish
him harm.
Ayleth does believe there is an assassin. And what’s more,
she’s quite certain she knows precisely who it is.
Her ladyship has distrusted young Davain’s noble cousin,
Ser Fendrel Bartheld, since the moment she met him. The
younger Bartheld is everything Davain is not: lustful, deca-
dent, thoroughly debauched and ambitious to boot.
After the fire in the smithy, Ayleth went to her husband
with her suspicions, but Davain would hear none of it and
refused to even consider that Ser Fendrel might be seeking
his death. “The man is my own blood!” he said. Ayleth and
Davain have not spoken of it again.

Ayleth has not given up her suspicions of Fendrel. Quite
the contrary, since the fire she has kept a very close watch on
her husband’s cousin, to no avail. Thus far Fendrel has done
nothing to betray his guilt and give Ayleth the necessary evi-
dence to indict him in Davain’s eyes. Ayleth is convinced that
it is because Fendrel knows she suspects him. What she needs
is an ally who can, at least, appear to be objective, and the PCs
are just the folks for the job.
After the PCS have spoken with Lord Davain, and wheth-
er or not they discussed their purpose in visiting Hart House,
Lady Ayleth will approach them and plead for their aid in ex-
posing Fendrel as the assassin. She can offer little more than
her gratitude for their aid, but will assure the PCs that once
he learns the truth, Lord Davain will certainly be generous
with his thanks.
Ser Fendrel Bartheld
Fendrel is not responsible for the assassination attempts, but
he is quietly rooting the killer on.
Fendrel will readily admit that he and Davain have their
differences. He is also cagey enough to realize, if questioned,
that he is a suspect. Furthermore he will deduce in short order
that it is Lady Ayleth who has accused him.
If confronted, Fendrel will present two strong arguments
against himself being the assassin. First, he is Davain’s guest
and everyone knows what dire consequences befall those
who breach the guest right. Second, Davain is Fendrel’s own
blood. He will admit that he would gladly take his cousin’s
place in the seat of the Barthelds, but he will not do so if it
means being accursed of the Seven as a kinslayer.
Throughout any conversation on the matter Fendrel will
behave with supreme confidence and nonchalance. The con-
fidence of a schemer who’s discovered someone else is doing
his work for him. By way of farewell, he will bid the PCs good
luck in finding his cousin’s assassin, “But not too soon.”
Ser Corbin Celtigar
Ser Corbin is a bit of a blowhard and perfectly willing to give
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
is an actual assassin. Ser Corbin suspects rather that Davain,
fool that he is, is only suffering the misfortunes born of his
own ineptitude.
After some thought, however, he comes up with another
theory. “Perhaps,” he says, “it was Lady Ayleth?” Perhaps, he
thinks, she wishes to free herself of her marriage and thus
The iron Plot
bed him with impugnity. Once the thought dawns on him,
Ser Corbin will become convinced of the truth of it. His ego
will allow no less. Surely it is clear to anyone with an ounce
of sense that Lady Ayleth is in love with him and longs to be
free of her unhappy marriage.
Should the PCs make mention of suspicions of Ser Corbin
being the assassin himself he will take immediate offense. If any-
one is foolish enough to make a direct accusation, they will very
likely find themselves invited to a duel wherein Ser Corbin in-
tends to illustrate his own innocence by hacking his accuser into
very small pieces. Should it come to this, Ser Corbin’s game stats
can be found in the House Bartheld write-up on p.25.
Cecily Cooper
Just discovering the existence of Cecily Cooper is a matter of
some difficulty. She’s lived much of her life hiding from the
authorities and knows the countryside better than even Lord
Davain himself, let alone the PCs.
Cecily is not the assassin. She may well have motive, but
there is no evidence that she was anywhere near Hart House
on the occasions of Lord Davain’s mishaps. In fact, her band
was some distance away having struck a small merchant cara-
van passing through one of Lord Davain’s neighbor’s lands.
Should the PCs decide and insist on pursuing her, they
will find she is maddeningly elusive and hunting for her in
the woods about Harthome is far more dangerous for them.
For as long as they remain in the woods and on the hunt
for the bandit leader, the PCs and any entourage will find
themselves harried by hidden attackers every few hours. Ce-
cily’s bandits know better than to stand and fight, though.
They strike from range and even then they rarely fire more
than a single volley at the troupe of hunters before fleeing
into the woods.
Any hunt for Cecily Cooper will begin with little hope and
end in pain and frustration. And even if by some miracle the
hunters should find and capture her, Cecily isn’t the assassin
anyway.
Mot the Killer
Mot isn’t much of an assassin. He’d like to be and he tries his
best, but he just doesn’t seem to have the knack. When Mot
hit Lord Davain with a shovel and set the forge on fire he
apparently didn’t hit hard enough and the smithy burned too
slowly. The young Lord Bartheld woke up and saved himself
long before the flames could take him. When Mot tried to
poison Davain he poured half the potion into the wrong pot!
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 The Iron Plot
Three pigs died that night after being fed tainted slops. The
other half only succeeded in giving Lord Davain a flux of the
bowels and acquainted him more dearly with his privy.
This time he thinks he’s got it, though. He got some more
poison. There is a nameday feast coming up to celebrate Lord
Bartheld’s birthday. Mot heard the cook talking about a spe-
cial dish she was preparing for Davain. If he can just get the
poison into that pot, Lord Davain will be dead and Mot can
leave the letters he was given and escape.
It can’t come soon enough for Mot. He’s pretty sure the
chief maid suspects him of something. He might just have
to kill her too, but he’d rather not, since another corpse won’t
equal more coin.
Mot sleeps in an old pantry in the ruined castle near Hart
House. It smells of moldy beets and rats, but it’s out of the way.
Rose Clay
Rose is the single most likely member of the Bartheld house-
hold to realize that the household staff is (unwittingly) har-
boring an assassin. In fact, she’s seen him on several occasions
and took note of his distressing ineptitude in carrying out
even the simplest housekeeping chores. Also, the man smells
like a dungheap.
122
Rose hasn’t decided to speak to anyone about this stranger
yet. Everyone else seems to think he’s with one of the guests
and if one of the guests has poor taste in servants, it’s none of
her business. Soon, though, she’ll have to speak with some-
one.
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.
Lord Davain is a very welcoming man and he’s happy to host
anyone who would like his hospitality, but if the PCs start
grilling the other guests they run the risk of wearing out their
welcome. This is not to mention the risk of insulting impor-
tant persons and having to bear the consequences of doing so.
The goal for the PCs as given to them by their own lord
is to maintain the peace. Primarily, this means keeping Lord
Davain from being killed and then bringing his would-be
killer to justice. Second, this means that the PCs themselves
are obliged to maintain the peace on their own behalves.
Characters that instigate duels of honor will not be well re-
garded by their lord when it comes time for reckoning. Third,
should it be proven there was a plot to kill Davain Bartheld,
the PCs are then obliged to try and find a way to keep the
young lord from striking at the one that plotted his death.
If, after four days, the PCs have not discovered Mot, he will
make his final attempt.
As one or more of the PCs is passing near to the kitchen
on their way to the feast a commotion arises. Amid a great
clamor of clanging pots and the angry shouts of Bevan Sand,
Hart House’s chief cook, a sallow young man barrels out of
the kitchen, fear apparent in his eyes, and dashes away down
the hall. In the kitchen, Bevan can be heard hollering and
cursing fools and meddlers.

Mot, having seized a moment when Bevan was distracted
(probably berating one of the other cooks), accomplished his
task and poured the whole dose of wolfsbane into the pot.
Bevan turned back to see a stranger stirring his pot and ex-
ploded with rage. Mot fled.
It’s up to the PCs what to do now. Do they give chase? Do
they go down to the kitchens to see what’s the matter? Do
they ignore the entire affair as beneath their notice, being a
peculiar dispute between smallfolk?
BB If left to his own devices, Mot will slow to a fast walk as
soon as he knows he’s not being pursued and make for
the nearest exit. He will leave the forged letter implicat-
ing Lady Isobel in the pantry in the ruined castle where
he’s been sleeping and flee the district that very night.
BB If the PCs give chase, Mot will run all out for the nearest
door and do his best to escape on foot. He has the let-
ter with him and will, in an attempt to stall his pursuers,
throw it on the ground behind him for the PCs to find.
BB If the PCs ignore the entire matter, the dish will be served
without complaint and Lord Davain will suffer the ef-
fects of wolfsbane poisoning appropriately (see p. 134 of
the SIFRP rulebook for effects).
BB If Mot is captured he will begin talking immediately and
tell all he knows of the man who hired him (which isn’t
very much). He will gladly explain all that he knows of
the plan in hopes that it will buy him his life. Unfortu-
nately, all he knows is that a man hired him to kill Lord
Davain and leave a letter behind when he left. He can’t
read, so he has no idea what the letter says. He doesn’t
know the name of the man that hired him, but can pro-
vide a good description. Mot was supposed to go to the
town of Hartsbridge and await final payment.
BB If Mot is killed or escapes, the letter will be found, but
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-
shaling House Bartheld’s forces and marching on House
Marsten. If the letter can be confirmed a forgery, Lord
Davain would be strongly inclined to stay his hand. Detect-
ing the forgery is a Formidable (12) Cunning test using the
Decipher specialty.
Whatever the solution, the PCs will likely need to make
a trip to see Lady Marsten, whether to confront her or re-
veal the treachery done in and to her name. Proceed to Act
Three.
The iron Plot
Act III
In this act, the treacherous men of the Iron Plot are undone
by their own kin as Reavers from the Iron Islands attack, slay
the conspirators and uphold the old ways,
This act can be run in one of two ways:
First, as a normal combat with the PCs focusing on a sin-
gle, confined segment of the larger force while battle rages on
around them.
Second, as a warfare event with the PCs acting as heroes or
commanders attached to the defensive units of House Dulver
or House Marsten.
House Dulver
The events of this act can occur immediately upon Lord
Harald’s resolution to forego war (or his acceptance of Lord
Dunstan’s offer of peace) or at some time shortly thereafter at
the Narrator’s discretion.
At dusk, as the sun is sinking behind the shoulder of the
Deepmont a cry goes up from the towers: Smoke on the ho-
rizon.
The longship that brought the men of the Iron Plot to
Westeros’ shores has been captured and set aflame by two
more longships. As it burns, the newcomers run in to shore,
pile out of their ships, and attack.
If you have chosen to run this act as a normal combat, the
raiders have found the bolthole tunnel that Maester Falstan
has been using to slip out of Deepen Hall and down to the
shore to meet with the conspirators. Shortly after the smoke
is sighted and the alarm raised, the sounds of fighting erupt
in the corridors of Deepen Hall. Men begin boiling up from
the cellars with steel and fire in their fists. The Reavers are
inside the walls. The PCs can face Theobald Redhands in the
catacombs beneath Deepen Hall or in the courtyard under
Reaver Tactics
For purposes of running the Warfare, Captain Redhands
will refuse to engage in parley and will not offer terms. He
will begin the combat attached to his unit, but will break
off to engage the PCs when they get close enough. The
reavers will only undertake basic combat actions, and will
engage in a Fighting Withdrawal and then an outright
Retreat once they have become disorganized. If need be,
Redhands will re-attach to the reavers in order to reorga-
nize them.
123
 The Iron Plot

Ironborn Reavers
Theobald Redhands Secondary Character

Captain of the Black Rimer (Commander)

Abilities
Agility 3
Athletics 3 Running 2B, Strength 2B
Awareness 3
Endurance 4 Stamina 2B
Fighting 5 Axes 2B
Warfare 3

Attributes
Combat Intrigue
9 7
Defense Defense
Health 12 Composure 6

Arms & Armor

Ring Mail: AR: 4, AP -2, Bulk 1
Battleaxe 5D + 2B Damage 3 Adaptable
Shield 5D Damage 1 Defensive +2

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
castle Hartshorn, seat of House Marsten’s power.
Lady Marsten receives the PCs at dusk as a storm blows
in from the East, cutting the darkening sky with slashes of
brilliant lightning.
As the matter of the plot is exposed and the truth is wrung
out, quickly or slowly, Lady Isobel summons her advisor Or-
mand, only to find him absent from the castle. Whether the
meeting is a confrontation (if the PCs arrive not knowing
that the letter Mot left was a forgery or that he was ordered
to plant it by the man who hired him) or a revelation of the
betrayal committed against Lady Isobel, Bleak Ormand is al-
ready making his escape. His spies have informed him of who
is coming to Hartshorn, and from where, and Ormand has
no intention of hanging around to see just how exactly his
plan has failed.
If the PCs are arriving by land, Ormand will be fleeing in
a small boat down the river to a ship waiting for him. If the
PCs come by sea, he will flee westward by land, aiming to
meet with a ship concealed along the coast of Ironman’s Bay.

124

As Ormand is making good his escape, a pair of longships
arrives just ahead of the storm, sailing silently up the river
in darkness and running aground out of sight of Hartshorn.
Men spill over the gunwales like ghosts and make for the cas-
tle. Lightning cracks open the night and the crash of thunder
joins the peel of the bells as the alarm goes up. Foes! Raiders!
Reavers on the walls!
If you have chosen to run this act as a standard combat, the
PCs will face Leobald Redhands in the courtyard as he and a
band of his raiders attempt to open the castle gates. Leobald
has (1.5 x the number of PCs) reavers with him. See the pre-
ceding sidebar for stats.
If instead you have chosen to run this act as a warfare ac-
tion, your PCs may attach themselves to units of the Marsten
defense against two units of reavers with Theobald Redhands
commanding. Again, see the preceding sidebar for stats.
Aftermath
As the dust clears, certain revelations are made, certain mys-
teries persist, and heroes and villains alike get their just re-
wards.
House Dulver
When the raiders are finally pushed back and the dead are
gathered, Lord Harald’s men return with a strange tale. The
bodies of four ironmen were found, not slain in battle but
drowned near a cave known to some to have been an old
smugglers’ hideout. Lord Dulver and his people are baffled as
to what it might mean.
If you ran the standard combat scenario, Lord Dulver will
order Karyl Kays to see that the old bolthole is pulled in,
sealed forever lest invaders again breach his walls that way, or
worse yet—thieves steal in and empty Deepen Hall’s legend-
ary cellars of all their wealth.
In either case, the PCs are thanked for their aid in the mat-
ter of the Iron Plot and the defense of Dulver lands and are
assured that Lord Harald is in their debt.
The iron Plot
House Marsten
When at last the attackers are thrown back and fled, Lady
Isobel will thank the PCs for their aid in defending her lands
and her people. She will be grateful as well for their help in
thwarting a vicious plot to put her and House Bartheld at
each other’s throats.
While no sign is ever found of Bleak Ormand, reports do
come in of a third longship burned to the waterline and left in
the wake of the two that bore the raiders to Marsten shores.
Rewards
For completing the story, each character should receive 3 expe-
rience points and one Destiny point. For successfully repelling
the Reavers’ raid each character may receive a single point of
Glory for their House and if they successfully averted war be-
tween the houses at odds in the story they can have a second.
The End?
Although this is the end of this adventure, it can also serve as
the beginning of your chronicle. There are still a great num-
ber of questions to answer: Which of the ironmen houses is
responsible for the plot, why did they choose this area of the
riverlands and why now? Who were the four ironmen found
on the shores of Ironman’s Bay, and why were they drowned?
For whom did they work? Where did Bleak Ormand go? Was
he killed by the raiders or did he escape to some safe and
distant fastness to begin hatching new plans to sow chaos in
Westeros? Was he working alone or was he a pawn as much
as Mot was?
These are questions for you, the Narrator to answer. Will
your chronicle recount tales of treachery, treason and betrayal
from the Iron Islands? Or has some oth er menace recruited
these unscrupulous men to serve an even more inscrutable
master from across the Narrow Sea? It’s your story now. Do
with it as you will.
Game on!
125

A Population...................................... 86
Aeryn, Septon.................................. 61
Alyard, Master Smith Ren.............. 72
Ansel, Rhaemon.............................. 62
Arlyn, Septon.................................. 37
Atus, Wenefryd............................... 51
B Endra’s Sept..................................... 78
Barnell, Daveth................................ 15
Barnell, Lady Alianna...................... 13
Barnell, Lord Tomas........................ 11
Bartheld, Lady Ayleth..................... 23
Bartheld, Lady Ysme....................... 28
Bartheld, Lord Brom................. 26, 73
Bartheld, Lord Davain..................... 22
Bartheld, Ser Edmund..................... 27
Bartheld, Ser Fendrel....................... 27
Black, Anton.................................... 26
Black Goats..................................... 74
Bogwalkers...................................... 44
C H
Castle Grenward................................ 7
Celtigar, Ser Corbin......................... 24
Clay, Rose........................................ 28
Clay, Ser Rowan.............................. 28
Company of the Morningstar...... 9–10
Cooper, Cecily................................. 27
Copperton....................................... 32
D Population...................................... 44
Dame Adrienne............................... 82
Davain’s Forge................................. 21
Deepen Hall.................................... 31
Digger’s Road.................................. 31
Dugan the Red................................ 87
Dulver, Helen.................................. 39
Dulver, Horas.................................. 39
Dulver, Lady Falyse......................... 38
Dulver, Lord Harald........................ 33
Dulver, Ser Walton.......................... 35
Durain’s Forest........................... 83–88
Defense........................................... 85
History........................................... 84
Influence......................................... 85
Lands............................................. 85
Law............................................... 86
126
INDEX
Power............................................. 86
Wealth............................................ 86
E
Elias................................................. 81
Elridge, Ser Markus......................... 60
F Lands............................................. 19
Falstan, Maester............................... 40
Festival of the Fires................ 101–102
Finch, Septon Harald...................... 81
Flowers, Lyndan.............................. 62
Forthwind, Maester......................... 25
G
Garrys, Robert................................. 98
Godsgrove....................................... 79
Grenward Forest................................ 8
Growne, Michal............................... 17
Haelis, Maester................................ 71
Hag’s Mouth................................. 105
Hammerstone............................ 45–46
Hardhand’s Folly..................... 44, 105
Hare, Gorton................................... 62
Harren’s Justice.............................. 106
Hart House............................... 20–22
Hartsbridge..................................... 56
Hartshorn.................................. 56–57
Hartville.......................................... 19
Heart and Crown, the...................... 79
Heloise, Septa.................................. 62
Hill, Ser Gambol............................. 39
Hite, Ser Ulbert............................... 73
Holdings.................................... 43–45
Horag.............................................. 74
Hough, Karya.................................. 93
House Barnell.............................. 6–17
Characters................................ 11–17
Defense............................................. 7
History......................................... 6–7
Holdings..................................... 7–11
Influence........................................... 8
Lands............................................... 8
Population........................................ 9
Power............................................... 9
Wealth............................................ 11
House Bartheld......................... 17–29
Characters................................ 22–29
Defense........................................... 19
History..................................... 17–19
Holdings................................... 19–23
Influence......................................... 19
Law............................................... 19
Population...................................... 20
Power............................................. 20
Wealth............................................ 20
House Dulver............................ 29–40
Characters................................ 33–40
Defense........................................... 31
History..................................... 29–31
Holdings................................... 31–33
Influence......................................... 31
Lands............................................. 31
Law............................................... 32
Population...................................... 32
Power............................................. 32
Wealth............................................ 32
House Kytley............................. 41–53
Defense........................................... 43
History..................................... 41–43
Influence......................................... 43
Lands............................................. 43
Law............................................... 44
Power............................................. 44
Wealth............................................ 45
House Marsten.......................... 53–63
Characters................................ 57–63
Defense........................................... 54
History..................................... 53–54
Holdings................................... 54–57
Influence......................................... 55
Lands............................................. 55
Law............................................... 55
Population...................................... 56
Power............................................. 56
Wealth............................................ 56
House Tullison.......................... 63–74
Characters................................ 68–74
Defense........................................... 64

History..................................... 63–64
Holdings................................... 64–68
Influence......................................... 64
Lands............................................. 64
Law............................................... 65
Population...................................... 66
Power............................................. 66
Wealth............................................ 66
J
Jamys the Sybarite........................... 41
Joston’s Rock.................................... 64
Julyan the Smith.............................. 52
K
Kashal.............................................. 74
Kays, Karyl...................................... 40
Kriegar, Lord Kellan........................ 62
Kurt................................................. 81
Kytley, Hawys.................................. 50
Kytley, Lady Braya Frey................... 48
Kytley, Lord Ambrose..................... 46
Kytley, Merild.................................. 51
Kytley, Robert.................................. 51
Kytley, Walder................................. 51
L
Leed, Farris...................................... 16
Leopold, Maester............................. 62
Littlefoot, Persal.............................. 40
Lordsview........................................ 66
Lyras, Lord Aaron........................... 62
M
Maelys’s Crossing.................. 105–106
Maiden’s House, the........................ 78
Manester, Captain Edwin................ 99
Market Square................................. 77
Market Town............................. 76–83
Marks, Ser Willain.......................... 73
Marsten, Lady Corrine.................... 58
Marsten, Lady Gwyneth............ 61, 73
Marsten, Lady Isobel....................... 57
Marsten, Lord Mikael..................... 61
Morys of Oldmill, Ser..................... 49
Mountaineers.................................. 66
Mountain’s Reach...................... 66–67
Mummers’ Joust..................... 102–103
N S
North Hall....................................... 85
O
Orell, Kieran.................................... 16
Orphan’s Hill................................. 106
P Smalls’ Defense.............................. 107
Pace, Collys..................................... 52
Pace, Hewrey................................... 52
Pemm, Thalia................................... 88
Port Maril.................................. 94–99
Defense........................................... 95
History........................................... 94
Influence......................................... 96
Lands............................................. 96
Law............................................... 96
Population...................................... 97
Power............................................. 97
Wealth............................................ 98
Portmaster....................................... 96
R
Ralk, Captain Yorik......................... 82
Raris, Harold................................... 99
Raulin, Guildmaster........................ 52
Raven’s Pub, the............................... 77
Riverroad Riders.............................. 10
Rivers, Adam................................... 51
Riverthorn................................. 89–93
Defense........................................... 90
History........................................... 89
Influence......................................... 91
Lands............................................. 91
Law............................................... 92
Index
Population...................................... 92
Power............................................. 92
Wealth............................................ 92
Robert’s Hammer............................ 21
Rock Chewers................................. 74
Rugar Hold..................................... 85
Sand, Bevan..................................... 26
Seldon, Luke.................................... 61
Sept on the Heath........................... 33
Septry at Shattered Rock....... 103–104
Short Tom Tinker........................... 36
Smithton......................................... 44
Smithton Watch.............................. 44
Snow, Garret.................................... 14
South Yard....................................... 19
Stag’s Moor................................... 105
Stone, Gareth.................................. 59
Stone, Mayor Esra........................... 79
Stony Heath.................................... 31
Stranger’s Farmstead............. 104–105
T
Tanry, Miles..................................... 93
Tayle, Danielle................................. 99
Thomnas, Maester........................... 49
Tourney of the Brothers.......... 99–101
Troupe of Casque & Wren, the..... 107
Tullison, Lady Moraine................... 72
Tullison, Lady Yve........................... 69
Tullison, Lord Dunstan................... 68
U
Urgont, Jarion.................................. 10
W
Warrens, Ser Mather....................... 70
Wellyn............................................... 9
Weyls, Septon.................................. 72
Wotlin, Douglas.............................. 93
127