Houses of the Reach
The Lords of the Reach are used to autonomy & prosperity, rarely taking direction from their liege lords. They tend to focus on stewarding their lands while politicking & galivanting like small, independent kingdoms. When it is that they recognize threats larger than themselves, they tend to look toward Highgarden, but some, will look past it, onto the Hightower which looms large above it.
The Reach
The Stewards of the Reach
Far north, there is a region called "the land of always winter". The Reach, with its lush gardens & rolling hills, its warm waters & many roads, feels often like a land of always summer. The Lords of the Reach, in response, are lords of summer. They know little about prudency, about strife & about necessity. They march for glory, for status or for wealth, not for duty.
Like questing knights errand, they are swayed by great causes to swim against the current of comfort that the Reach provides. For the steward lords to raise their banners, causes, both small & large must emerge, must congregate & sweep them away before the harvest season comes upon them to remind them of who they truly are. Military men are not rare down south, they just understand that the strongest blade is the one not drawn.
When herding the flock of summer lords, they will most likely look toward the Hightower to turn green & a prudent hand to guide them through commerce, through politics & through conflict must have that tower shine on them, lest they wilt in its shadow.
This is the "Field of the South." It displays both the closeness of a minor house to either Highgarden or Oldtown & their will to act & follow a great cause.
Besides the diplomacy you chose to hold, events including matches, disputes and most likely grants & taxes will appear as petitions from minor houses.
The personal loyalties the members of each house hold toward the Lord Paramount are a factor in deciding the severity of events, but not their position on the field.
House Tyrell
House Redwyne
House Florent
House Footly
House Caswell
House Rowan
House Tarly
House Ashford
House Oakheart
House Hightower of Oldtown
If the houses are positioned toward the top, they are both producing their own causes to act on & working on recruiting other houses into these schemes as well.
Toward the middle are the houses that stay in the orbit of their liege lords in Highgarden, waiting for causes from House Tyrell & petitioning them without taking matters into own hands in case of disputes.
The bottom of the field is filled with more passively independent houses. These will neither produce causes nor follow others readily.
If any houses sit closer to the Hightower, they will mostly act within their orbit of power, supporting petitions on their behalf.
Achievements of House Tyrell & the Legacy of the Reach
The Steward Lords of Highgarden rule over the Reach not with an iron gauntlet but a gentle green hand. They must display their grandeur for the Reachlords will not travel to court hold for a celebration of relevance & they must weight prudence with performance. One will keep the realm fed & the other will help its lords to prove their steel.
As the reach unites, the cycle will become clearer. The power exchange between Oldtown & Highgarden might not feel like a vassalage but it will surely feel like a partnership. Uniting the forces of the Reach is no easy task, awakening slumbering lords with rousing displays, building a proper cause over many minor disputes will take patience & persistence. Once earned, wise is whomever wields this power sparingly & with much commitment.
The Reach would rule the whole realm, if it did not have to be home by harvest, or if any realm was worth ruling over the idyll of the south.
Example project.
Enshrine your legacy here.
Achievements are semi-permanent accomplishments that build atop each other to create your legacy. They remain until torn down.
They may be buildings, but are also often reforms, laws, alliances, matches, or even patronage and people.
Achievements will become available here as you interact with you bannermen and region at large.
With each achievement, a path to the next will reveal itself, tailoring the progress to your vision of your kingdom.
60
200
Prosperity: Average
House Tyrell of Highgarden
When the Dragons struck down the Gardener Kings, they elevated the Stewards of Highgarden in their place. Since the days of Aegon, the Tyrells know that their power comes from peace. From their ability to create peace, for within & without, by ink or by blood, the Reach will have its prosperity restored.
House Tyrell benefits from the grandest tracts of land any great house has ever wielded & of many towns to tax & toll as they please.
The Knights of Summer at their command may lack in fervor but do not in skill or number.
Highgarden
Highgarden
3
The Knights of Summer
As knights belief in the cause fades, so does their morale in battle.
For commanding lords, this may affect both their participation & performance.
The Harvester Lords march gladly up the Mander but dare not cross the Blackwater Rush. A hearth, glory does not make. A babe it does not raise.
Lady Kaylin Tyrell
Lady of the Reach
Warrior
D12
+1
Gifted Fighter
+3 to personal combat
Crone
D10
+1
Lantern in the Dark
+4 against being surprise-attacked
Maiden
D8
+0
Smith
D6
+0
Grudgekeeper
Settler of old scores.
Kaylin is the firstborn daughter of Lord Pramount Deonte and assumed heir to Highgarden. Even though she has not been named yet, she leads the kingdom along her father.
With an acknowledged bastard son & no suitor to speak of, Lady Kaylin is an unconventional daughter of the reach.
A young son of Oldtown, Ser Korb is a lone general who has dedicated much of his service to his liege lord & won the trust of his Household. A wedded lord with a single daughter, she serves as handmaiden at Highgarden.
Ser Korb Hightower
Lord of the Reach
Arrogant
Will overcommit often.
-2 to underperforming rolls.
Warrior
D10
+2
Veteran
- increased loyalty for Leaders within same Army
Brightflame
- gather Momentum 10% faster
Father
D6
+0
Father
D10
+2
Crone
D6
+0
Quartermaster
- increase default marching speed by +2Tiles/Hexes
Warplanner
- provide troop upgrades 2x faster
Prideful
Appetite for flattery. Aversion to refusal.
+1 to rolls being charmed.
Ser Deonte Tyrell
Lord Paramount of Highgarden
& Warden of the Reach
The magnanimous Lord Paramount of the reach, the fulfiller of wishes & desires, his great lordship himself, Lord Deonte Tyrell.
Raised as a daughter of Goldengrove and eventually a Septa to be, Lady Anera decided instead to travel the fertile lands of the Reach, aiding the smallfolk with what she had learned.
With time she came into the service of House Tyrell, imbuing her with resources & authority to aid the lands of their bannermen, to bring prosperity to the towns & villages without interference from jealous lords.
She became to be known as somewhat of a Woodwitch, often engaging with the stories & the local customs as she became more and more wild.
Lady Anera Rowan
Lady of the Reach
Free
Etiquette evades them.
-2 to diplomatic rolls.
Smith
D8
+1
Link Forger
- managed lands recover faster from devastation by 20%
Mother
D8
+1
Steward
- increase max prosperity by 10%
Crone
D6
+1
Prophecy Prone
+5 to rolls discovering, following prophecies
Lady Anabes Stone
Lady of the Reach
Warrior
D10
+1
Brightflame
- gather Momentum 10% faster
Smith
D6
+1
Campaigner
- gain no exhaustion morale loss from battles
Temperamental
Predisposed to fits of rage, especially when hindered.
A noble bastard, Lord Deonte & his lady wife had encountered while traveling the Vale many years ago, Lady Anabes was taken as a Ward of Highgarden to be raised alongside the Tyrell heir.
Growing to become a ruthless warrior, the investment has paid off, as per her adoptive father, the great Lord Deonte.
Serving with distinction in the first Blackfyre Rebellion Ser Portar, unable to find fortune in Tumbleton, serves as Lady Kaylin's sworn shield instead.
Ser Portar Footly
Knight of the Reach
Maiden
D8
+2
Crone
D8
+0
Radiant
+3 to diplomatic rolls made at events
Descendant of Morne
- route smaller armies with similar command
Smith
D6
+0
Gullible
Quick to believe.
+2 to rolls being persuaded.
200
130
Prosperity: Average
House Hightower of the Hightower
The city of Oldtown is the second largest city in the realm, right after the capital. But its foundation & mysteries run significantly deeper. House Hightower rule both the city & its vast resources. They do not shy from ambition but the dance has taught them that power comes with turmoil & the Hightower has burned red since Aegon the Elder.
Their power however, is not absolute indeed. Both the starry sept & the citadel of maesters exercise their fair share of control when it comes to Oldtowns affairs.
!
Lord Hightower is a man of careful disposition. He has seen much since the days of the Unworthy & has spent his life in search for a cause to stem the brewing storms, that he believes will engulf the realm.
His children, unhappy of his perceived lethargy have created pockets of power within his city & fight a steady debate at his court for various causes they have selected for him to commit to.
Oldtown
2
House Redwyne of the Arbor
Ferocious seafarers & proud wine merchants, the Redwyne's wear many cloaks across the realm. They rule over the Island of the Arbor, across the main Harbor at Ryamsport through the vineyards & gardens caressed by the Summer Sea. The Redwyne fleet or the Arbor Gold, both may arrive anywhere at a moments notice, to introduce the Arbor into a conversation.
2
!
The Lady of Ryamsport holds her sons in positions of readiness, sailing her fleet, selling her wine, at the citadel, squires & cupbearers & matches made across the realm... The web of Lady Redwyne runs deep as she has recruited both her line & those of brothers, sisters, cousins & more to keep the Arbor involved.
70
60
Prosperity: Average
House Florent of Brightwater Keep
The Honeywine flows south into the Whispering Sound, carrying the songs of Brightwater Keep. Their knights renowned, the Fox of Florent hides perched amongst the weeds & flowers. House Florent often defends against raiders in support of the Shield Islands, but they aspire to greater glory.
2
!
Lord Florent is a young man of hot blood, tempered by elder statesmen & advisors galore. He wishes to cross blades & break lances, leaving the actual stewardship of his lands to his shrewd sister & her retinue.
40
60
Prosperity: Average
House Rowan of Goldengrove
Goldengrove is considered somewhat of a border town as their holdings sit just south of the Westerlands & thus, their keep in the woodlands receives many travelers that may otherwise not stray from the larger roads.
House Rowan is ambitious, with many social climbers hoping to surpass their rivals in Bitterbridge.
1
!
Lord Rowan is an older knight, a man of much experience but few lessons. A chip on his shoulder, he hadn't stood with Daeron the Good at the Redgrass Field despite his liege demanding his presence and since, has searched for ways to earn glory where there was none.
50
90
Prosperity: Average
House Ashford of Ashford
Neither the keep of Ashford by the Cockleswent, nor the family ruling it would have amounted to great acclaim across the realm if not that meadow outside their walls had been the place where Baelor Breakspear tragically perished. Besides looking to appease the Red Dragon, they have also dealt much with the plight of the Marches, often engaging south themselves.
1
!
Lord Millard Ashford is set on atoning for sins both real & imagined. He has besieged the capital with raven after raven, hoping to be of service to the crown. His heir is less enthusiastic about his fathers fervor as he toils south by harvest hall, aiding the marches.
Ser Millard Ashford
Lord of Ashford
D8
30
80
Prosperity: Average
House Tarly of Horn Hill
The only true Marcher Lords outside of the Stormlands, House Tarly are a departure from the rest of the Reachmen, not by choice but by circumstance. Their lands are positioned right on the hunting grounds of the Vultures of Dorne and thus they are far more readied & battle tested than the Knights of Summer.
3
!
Lord Tarly has advanced in age enough to no longer sally out of Horn Hill himself. Now the old knight searches for suitable matches for both his daughters & sons. Lady wives to serve their duty in peril & strong warrior lords to man his walls & climb toward the Torrentine one day.
20
30
Prosperity: Average
House Caswell of Bitterbridge
Bitterbridge stands at the crossroads of the Roseroad & the Mander, the two arteries of the Reach. The beating heart of the south, the town trades much but also guards as a first watchtower toward the north.
1
!
With most his family devastated from the fever of the Spring Sickness, the young Lord Caswell must rebuild his broken line. He stands alone in Bitterbridge, only distant cousins to serve as heirs & stem the reaching hands of ambitious inheritors.
30
70
Prosperity: Average
House Footly of Tumbleton
Tumbleton lies where the Mander meets the Kingswood, almost a Crownlands house, the Footly's serve often within or around the capital. They rule over fertile lands up to the Blackwater Rush & even onto a portion of the Goldroad.
1
!
Lord Footly rules Tumbleton as a stepping stone for his ambitions. He uses a brother within the faith to climb ever so higher, consolidating his position. A schemer at heart, this pair of brothers sure are daring.
10
50
Prosperity: Average
House Oakheart of Old Oak
House Oakheart stands watch, guarding the Oceanroad north. Their keep overlooks the road itself, with the thickest portion of the woods serving as natural defenses & cover for advantageous troop positioning. A small house for the Reach, the Oakheart's could still stand their own amongst some houses of greater stature.
1
!
The old lord Emerick Oakheart grows grey but not frail, much like the thick trees lining his keep. He has been blessed with heirs to spare but intends to die atop his horse instead of his bed.
Ser Emerick Oakheart
"Old Oak"
Lord of the Reach
D8
20
30
Prosperity: Below Average