The Crownlands

 

Geography

The crownlands are based around Blackwater Bay, with the capital of King's Landing built where the Blackwater Rush meets the bay. King's Landing, the largest city in Westeros, contains the Red Keep, the home of House Targaryen of King's Landing. Settlements north of King's Landing include Antlers (seat of House Buckwell), Rosby (seat of House Rosby), Stokeworth (seat of House Stokeworth), and Duskendale (seat of House Darklyn), the region's secondary port. Near Duskendale is Hollard castle(seat of House Hollard). Farther north is Rook's Rest (seat of House Staunton) and Crackclaw Point, a rugged peninsula of insular folk whose castles include the Dyre Den (seat of House Brune), Brownhollow (another seat of House Brune), and the Whispers (formerly of House Crabb). North of Crackclaw Point are the Bay of Crabs and the Vale of Arryn.

 

The crownlands are bordered to the northwest and west by the riverlands. A stream forms part of the boundary between the two regions, with the hills of House Wode in the riverlands and the lands of House Hogg in the crownlands. An unnamed river flows south from the Gods Eye into the Blackwater Rush in the western crownlands. Southwest of King's Landing are hills around Tumbleton in the Reach. North of Duskendale are hills, fields, and woods.

 

South of King's Landing is the kingswood, the royal hunting forest, and the Stormlands. The Wendwater flows through the kingswood into the bay. East of the kingswood is Massey's Hook, another peninsula that with Crackclaw Point forms the inlet of Blackwater Bay. Castles on Massey's Hook include Stonedance (seat of House Massey) and Sharp Point (seat of House Bar Emmon).

 

Islands within Blackwater Bay include Dragonstone (The ancestral seat of House Targaryen), Driftmark (seat of House Velaryon), and Claw Isle (seat of House Celtigar). Also sworn to the Targaryens of Dragonstone is Sweetport Sound (seat of House Sunglass). Massey's Hook is separated from Driftmark by the Gullet. East of Blackwater Bay is the narrow sea.

 

The kingsroad connects King's Landing with Storm's End to the south and the crossroads to the north, while the capital is connected to Lannisport by the goldroad and to Highgarden by the roseroad. The Rosby road runs from King's Landing toward Duskendale, and the Duskendale road heads north to Maidenpool in the riverlands.

 

Snow is infrequent at King's Landing.

 

People and Economy

 

The metropolis of King's Landing is the driving force of the region, with the largest population and harbor in the realm. Trade and taxes flow into the capital from every corner of the realm acknowledging the Iron Throne, and many foreign vessels ply their wares as well. Virtually every craft and trade is practiced here, from metalsmithing and shipbuilding to alchemy. Elsewhere, fishing and farming are the norm, with a smattering of the common professions.

 

Along the kingsroad north of the capital, a traveler goes "past woods and orchards and neatly tended fields, through small villages, crowded market towns, and stout holdfasts."

 

Military strength

The mainland lords of the crownlands can raise ten to fifteen thousand men. At the time of Aegon's Conquest, Houses Darklyn and Mooton combined were able to raise an army of three thousand men, while King Baelon Targaryen managed to raise an army from the crownlands of four thousand man within a fortnight.

 

King's Landing's main defense are the City Watch. A young force, they currently number two hundred.

 

Dragonstone, the island east of Blackwater Bay, can field its own military strength, but compared to the regions in Westeros, can field the least amount of soldiers. Its garrison is made up out of thirty knights, a hundred crossbowmen, and three hundred men-at-arms. They do however house the Order of the Dragonkeepers, 77 sworn men most of them Knights, who's sole responsibility is the care and protection of the Dragons and eggs in Dragonstone's Dragonpit.

 

History

 

Hundred Kingdoms

 

In the Age of Heroes, the petty kings of House Darklyn ruled much of the future crownlands, from Duskendale to Crackclaw Point. Although neighboring realms forced them to swear fealty and their lands changed hands many times over the years, the Darklyns remained one of the more influential houses of the region. In the days of the Hundred Kingdoms, the mouth of the Blackwater was claimed by the Darklyns, the Masseys of Stonedance, and the River Kings of Houses Mudd, Fisher, Bracken, Blackwood, and Hook.

 

Two centuries before the Doom of Valyria, Valyrians settled Dragonstone and built a citadel as the westernmost outpost of the Valyrian Freehold, becoming another power in the region. In time, the middle of the narrow sea came to be controlled by the dragons of House Targaryen of Dragonstone, as well as the ships of House Velaryon of Driftmark and House Celtigar of Claw Isle.

 

The Conquest

It was at the mouth of the Blackwater Rush, the later site of King's Landing, where Aegon Targaryen and his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, landed with their initial army. At that time the petty lords of the region had been subjugated by Harren the Black. House Cargyll is supposedly one of the first to bend to Aegon, Rosby and Stokeworth surrendered to Visenya and Rhaenys without fighting, while Aegon and his half-brother Orys Baratheon defeated the Darklyns and Mootons in battle. Massey's Hook and the southern shore of the Blackwater Rush were controlled by the Storm Kings of House Durrandon, but the Bar Emmons and Masseys allied with Aegon the Conqueror against King Argilac the Arrogant who fell to Orys Baratheon.

 

Targaryen Era

  Once divided between its neighbors, the Crownlands was formed nearly the moment Aegon the Conqueror landed. His first, and truest supporters were the Lords of Crackclaw Point, with the Island Lords of Celtigar and Velaryon who have long held blackwater bay as an outpost for Valyria, enjoying the freedom such distance brings by making a petty Kingdom of the bay where Celtigar could mingle with mainlanders while Velaryon mingled with Summer Island traders who raced the seats along the narrow sea. Still, when the time came they offered their full support to Aenar who landed upon Dragonstone with his family to flee the Doom, and the mainland Lords including Brune, Cargyll, Crabb, Hardy and Pyne supported Aegon in his landing with houses like Bar Emmon and Massey offering their support from across Blackwater Bay.   Nobles from the Crownlands have been some of the first choices as members of the Targaryen Small Council such as lords of house Chelsted, Hayford, and recently even other Targaryens because how could nepotism do harm? Lowborn men of the Crownlands have found service to the Crown as well with the most notable figure being ‘Mean’ Rick Dean.   King Baelon’s reign itself has placed significant pressure on the Crownlands. The word usurper has followed him closely, with Celtigar and Velaryon long loyal to the last Dragonlords siding quite firmly with Vaenor where succession was concerned and their holds being islands and their might upon the sea left the pair rather free to maintain a connection with the court across the sea since the death of Vaenor the uncrowned. Rumors that Celtigar and Velaryon support the claim of Vaenor’s line have not been supported by witnesses; however neither house has spent much time in Baelon’s court either.   Many Lords of the Crownlands have over time found their loyalties cooled, their actions in support of the Crown since Aegon’s death performative to ensure their house finds itself still standing when King Baelon inevitably leaves the throne. The slaughter of house Hayford and it’s replacement with a lowborn mystery Knight and his commonborn children as the new ‘Hayfords’ was understandably taken as a great insult from the larger lords of the Crownlands, however some lesser houses such as Buckwell, Bogg and Brune find these unpredictable events and shifts of fortune benefit them for the vacuums in power they cause.   House Cargyll has recently sprung to importance with Lord Cargyll taking a place as Master of Laws, Cargyll’s loyalty to Aegon finally truly paying off. Fiercely loyal to Baelon he is known to turn a blind eye to what is right while enforcing King Baelon’s every whim. The Crown’s latest act to imprison Prince Marcin Martell, the envoy from Dorne on charges of conspiring with the Vulture King is but one of many flagrant abuses of the law in the King’s favor. While the act is popular with Reachlanders and Stormlords especially, many including the Lord Hand are quick to note this must be to provoke Dorne to act so Baelon’s desire for conquest is justified. Those who live along the border of Dorne however love to point out the first war with Dorne never truly ended, and there is no justification for a southward push necessary.