The Chivalry of the Vale
Some say Chivalry originated in the Vale of Arryn, with the Falcons and Bronze Kings of old. Some say it died with the king who flew. Those would surely sit atop a burning tower, yearning for southern lands.
The reality is, whatever the fancies of lords and ladies, the Knights of the Vale serve a principal function. The Vale is both blessed and cursed by the Mountains of the Moon. They protect the Vale from the tumult of westeros. Besides a few gate passages along the Highroad, the Vale is impassable. Gate passages which need to be manned by orders of knights, constantly ready with competent commanders and stocked granaries but no lands to speak of. The Mountains are also home to its infamous clans- Stonecrows, Burned Men, Painted Dogs, Black Ears- Clans that would destroy the Houses of the Vale and put its keeps to the torch, dispossess them of their lands if able. And there need be knights, patrolling passages, riding for raided lands within the hour, always ready, always armed and paid and - honored, for the road is cold, rough and the battle thankless without glory.
So indeed, the Houses of the Vale may earn a pretty penny if all threw off their armor, trusted on Pikemen to march a moon and a half, drilled the smallfolk with spear and bow to fend off hardened clansmen - and instead put all their coin into building ships and catching fish. All the Vale's Protectors would become traveling Hedgeknights within a generation and songs would be sung about the riches of Gulltown and the ports on the Narrow Sea. But when an army arrived at the Bloody Gate, who would man it, some cutthroat city guard? And when the clans descend into the valleys, who would ride against them, the levies of whomever's fields burn brightest?
So true it is - The Vale is lucky to hold Gulltown and the wide reaches of the Bronzegate Pastures and all that is rich and fertile, it requires the coin and the grain. But Honor and Chivalry, it as well, not always, not, in the best days of summer perhaps, but it must not abandon it. As not each and every House of the Vale may sit atop a burning tower and reap what has been sowed on safe lands.
This is the "Height of Chivalry". It displays the minor houses committal to upholding the knightly traditions of the Vale - versus choosing a pragmatic path of feudal mercantilism.
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 slope.
House Grafton of Gulltown
House Arryn
House Bellmore
House Corbray
House Royce
House Rredfort
House Hunter
House Waynwood
Higher on the slope means a stalwart committal to provide to the Vale's collective security - lower on it shows isolation and individualism.
Whereas closeness to the House of Arryn or Grafton lie on opposite sites, they are a natural consequence and unrelated to personal ties and loyalties.
Scutages and Land Grants will become a strategy of movement on the slope. But so will appointments to relevant posts within the Vale.
Achievements of House Arryn & the Legacy of the Vale
The Vale of Arryn is built on Chivalry, on Knighthood, on Honor and Duty. It is a way of life, not by the flights of fancy but harsh need, requirement for such a small kingdom, in both men and resources, to distinguish itself, to become detached from the realm, a safe haven, a roost atop the Giant's Lance.
Ever since the days of old, the Arryn's have held influence in the capital, ruled alongside the dragons, more than any other Lord Paramount save the Stag. Although this influence has waned somehow since the days of Aegon III. the only way a house as humble as the Arryn's have achieved such height is by ensuring security, prosperity and unity at home.
With every step taken along this winding road to the peak, every raid and response, every station and appointment, every pass secured and every port supported, the Kingdom of Mountain and Vale will soar as High as Honor.
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.
30
20
Prosperity: Average
House Arryn of the Eyrie
The Lord Protector of the Vale and Wardens of the East reside in their summer palace of the Eyrie, a towering keep atop the Giant's Lance, within the Mountains of the Moon. To reach the Vale of Arryn, the tracts of fertile lands and coasts, one must pass the Highroad and its Gatehouses, each defended more formidably than the greatest fortresses of the realm.
The House of Arryn are always ready, a force of Knights gathered from all noble bannermen at their command. They appoint great stewards and defenders, a "Keeper of the Gate" who mans the Bloody Gate, a "Knight of the Gate" that guards the Gates of the Moon, granting immense honor to the Knight in question and their retinue. Additionally, a "Protector of the Vale" leads the Knights of the Vale and a "High Steward" outfits and supplies all these stations from the Eyrie itself.
The Eyrie
4
The Eyrie
Protector of the Vale
As long as a Lord Protector is active and serving, the Knights of the Vale will require reduced upkeep. (50%)
- on campaign, the Lord Protector will develop martial skills rapidly.
The Knights of the Vale stand between the Mountain Clans and the lands of the Vale. They will be in constant peril but constant glory, veterans of the falcon.
Knight of the Gate
The Appointed Lord of this Gate will command its passage, retinue & be bestowed a great honor.
- this appointment will come with a steady opportunity to advance skills.
The Gates of the Moon serve not only as the shield to the Vale but also House Arryn's winter quarters. Whomever guards this gate will be elevated highly amongst the Vale.
Keeper of the Gate
The Appointed Lord of this Gate will command its passage, retinue & be bestowed a great honor.
- this appointment will come with a steady opportunity to advance skills.
The Bloody Gate guards the vale from the entire realm. A grand Knight with impeccable reputation deserves the honor of this station
The Gates of the Moon
4
The Bloody Gate
4
High Steward
As long as a High Steward is supporting the Eyrie & its Gates, levies raised from loyal houses will require reduced upkeep. (80%)
The resources of the Vale of Arryn are plenty for its knights, but a steward must plan both their requisition and distribution amongst its many keeps.
Ser Cecile Arryn
Lord Paramount of the Eyrie &
Warden of the Vale
Crone
D12
+1
Lantern in the Dark
+4 against being surprise-attacked
Father
D8
+0
Maiden
D10
+2
Merchant Lord
- increase trade tolls
to 15%
Radiant
+3 to diplomatic rolls made at events
Smith
D6
+0
Abrasive
Unwelcome sight for touchy suitors.
-3 to rolls making matches.
Smith
D8
+1
Lady Gloria Arryn
Lady of the Vale
Shipwright
- builds ships faster
by 15%
Father
D8
+1
Warplanner
- provide troop upgrades 2x faster
Arrogant
Will overcommit often.
-2 to underperforming rolls.
Mother
D6
+0
After the passing of his brother, Lord Cecile fell into a deep state of mourning, together with the entire line of the falcon.
And what a falcon he was, that he left the Vale in absolute abandonment with his passing.
Instead of passing the seat of the Eyrie onto his children however, the Protectorship was handed to his chosen heir, his younger brother, Ser Cecile the sullen.
Niece of Lord Cecile, Lady Gloria resides by the sea since her fathers passing, listening to the waves as she once did as a child.
She is a mind of numbers & ledgers, managing much in the way of trade & transportation, enjoying the silence of distance from her lady mother.
Ser Gargoyle Arryn
Knight of the Vale
Occultist
Obsessed with the Higher Mysteries.
-2 to all social rolls.
Crone
D8
+2
Lantern in the Dark
+4 against being surprise-attacked
Prophecy Prone
+5 to rolls discovering, following prophecies
Father
D8
+0
Smith
D6
+0
"It runs in the family" - they say.
The same intensity with which Lord Cecile lives his grief, the same insistence his older brother ruled through, they say its blood.
But when they watch Ser Gargoyle, the younger brother of the Lord Paramount, brass heavy on his face, walking the perimeter, again and again, day and night, whispering guard positions and patrol schedules to ghosts, none remember he was such a glad child before the accident.
Before the sea took him, ravaged him, returned him disfigured. That is when he began his watch. And it shall not end until his death.
Lady Mildred Arryn
Lady of the Vale
Mother
D8
+2
Steward
- increase max prosperity by 10%
Crone
D8
+0
Protective
Wrathful in matters of kin.
Home and Hearth
+3 to rolls protecting kin from harm
Smith
D6
+0
Wife of the late Lord Arryn, Lady Mildred will not see her families seat be squandered by chaos & unsightliness.
Her grief runs as deep as anyone's but the dead must not take the living with them.
The Vale teeters at a knife's edge & idleness will not return it to prosperity or chivalry. Only ignite the embers already kindling.
With his uncle Cecile the chosen heir, Kurt was raised as a knight, but what a soldier he turned out to be.
The young man shies from no labor to keep occupied in this time of turmoil. Respected by his men and revered by his family, Kurt represents the bright future of the Vale.
Lord waynwood has advised the Arryn's since cecile was a boy.
A rotund man of much merriment, he hides a darker truth beneath his jolly exterior.
Smith
D8
+1
Campaigner
- gain no exhaustion morale loss from battles
Warrior
D8
+1
Veteran
- increased loyalty for Leaders within same Army
Ser Kurt Arryn
Knight of the Vale
Permissive
Known to be inattentive in judgement & merciful in punishment.
Maiden
D6
+0
Lord Magnus Wilhelm Waynwood
"Willy"
Lord of the Vale
Crone
D10
+2
Navigator
- forests, hills & rivers take 1 less hex to cross
Prophecy Prone
+5 to rolls discovering, following prophecies
Schemer
Known to plot. Target of suspicion.
-2 to rolls creating non-kin loyalty.
Mother
D6
+0
An uncle to both Cecile & Gargoyle, Ser Rufus was born without birthright, but earned his keep on the field of battle.
Yet still he rides out to face the clans & take his bounty.
Ser Rufus Stone
Knight of the Vale
Warrior
D10
+2
Warhound
- double casualties for both sides
Brightflame
- gather Momentum 10% faster
Father
D6
+1
Quartermaster
- increase default marching speed by +2Tiles/Hexes
Sadist
Will not miss a chance for cruelty.
70
40
Prosperity: Average
House Grafton of Gulltown
Gulltown is the fourth largest of the cities in westeros. A shining beacon within the Vale, it is the greatest port of the East. House Grafton were once contenders for the Bronze Kings of Royce the Falcon Knights of the Eyrie but that is ancient history.
This knightly house now rules Gulltown, with its burning lighthouse blazen upon its sigil - trying to bring the Vale into a peaceful, prosperous future.
!
Lord Rossard Grafton plans to build a dynasty that will outlive the conflicts of the Vale. He is looking for suitors & allies to share both his wealth and plans with.
With much of the fleet of the Vale under his command, Lord Grafton waits, perched for the moment he may roll his dice.
Ser Rossard Grafton
Lord of Gulltown
D10
Gulltown
1
House Royce of Runestone
The Bronze Kings of Runestone have ancient power in their arms. Their ancestors ruled over the Vale & their first men blood is precious to them. The Royce's see themselves as the principal bannermen of the Vale, believing that its fate falls into their hands as much as the Wardens of the East. Runestone holds the second largest harbors of the Vale, as the Royce's would never depend on the flaming tower, their immediate neighbors.
3
!
Lord Royce's ambition knows little bounds, as he sets his eye on a matches for his heirs.
Surely talented knights, sallying out often into the Mountains of the Moon to fight Clansmen, his sons prove formidable warriors but cannot see past the tip of their lances.
40
40
Prosperity: Average
House Waynwood of Ironoaks
The Waynwoods sit at the mouth of the Vale, sharing the prosperity often denied from the northern houses but also sharing the risks as their Fort sits closest to the Eyrie. The Waynwoods are the preferred ally to each and every house in the vale as they may support anyone in short order.
2
!
Lord Waynwood is the last survivor of his generation as the Spring Sickness ravaged Ironoaks. Besides him & his heir, no cousins or secondary lines can fill his seat. So he is in need of both proliferation & care.
It is to his great dismay that his son rides into the Mountains of the Moon with many other young knights who's families aren't on the brink of extinction.
A match must be made for both the widowed Lord & the foolhardy son.
30
40
Prosperity: Average
House Redfort of Redfort
By the foot of the mountain lies the Redfort: a keep made for pragmatism. The house is proud beyond approach in their honor and service at arms but declining for centuries. Many of their lands are razed, many of their holdings in disrepair. House Redfort has suffered under a line of misfortunes. Misfortunes of coincidence & misfortunes of leadership.
3
!
Ser Redfort rules the Redfort after his father gambled the protection of their lands on handsome young Daemon I. and lost spectacularly. The young knight is more eager to restore his honor & prove his loyalty than he is interested in resolving land disputes & managing the coffers of House Redfort - a task he leaves to his daughter as he rides off ranging with the Knights of the Vale.
His brother is not much different, an unmarried knight of little renown and much shame, he rides in hopes that each victory will erase a portion of his fathers sins.
So the young Lady Redfort is left with little oversight as she manages under her fathers authority.
10
10
Prosperity: Average
House Hunter of Longbow Hall
No house is safe from the clans but few are as isolated as House Hunter is. Longbow Hall sits on much valuable farmland with loyal vassals from coast to coast, but their fields & woods are distant to almost all the other knightly houses. So House Hunter has suffered alone more than once when ill tidings come to bear.
2
!
A raid struck a hunting party outside Longbow Hall just a few moons ago. Ravens reported the passing of Lord Hunter's father & brother, making him the Lord of Longbow Hall.
Since then, the Ravens have stopped arriving from Longbow Hall. House Hunter, which had so frequently requested aid with the mountain clans, did not ask for the Knights of the Vale again since then.
Merchants say little but not for lack of of news, often for fear of reprisal. Rumors float around Longbow Hall and their "reforms" but travelers don't recommend a visit. Prayers are uttered under hushed breath for the Lord and the "Dreary", "Strange", Longbow Hall.
Lord Ulric Hunter
"Forrester"
Lord of Longbow Hall
D10
10
30
Prosperity: Below Average
House Corbray of Heart's Home
The Corbray's are ancient warriors from the heart of the Fingers. Their keep is a stronghold by the water & they are known for their warriors & "Lady Forlorn". the Corbray's have taken their place amongst the Kingsguard more than once and have carried their Valyrian Steel against the blade Blackfyre itself.
2
!
Honor & prowess is what counts most to the Corbray's, the old Lord has long given his blade to his son as he retires at Heart's Home, building a larger harbor for the adjacent township.
Lord Corbray was once a prouder man but his line was sullied by a stay in King's Landing where a rumor followed him about the death of his wife & the siring of his heir.
20
10
Prosperity: Average
House Bellmore of Strongsong
Sitting in the middle of the Mountains of the Moon, Strongsong is a fortress without equal. A refuge, a last light & a watchtower, the Bellmore's sit atop a lance of giants themselves. Overseeing a small valley surrounded by lakes, when the silver bells toll, none remain to be seen, the lands of House Bellmore return to the wild before the landing of the Andals.
3
!
Lord Bellmore has served the Vale & suffered much loss due to it. Now his only mission is to serve Strongsong, keep the the stronghold maintained, its smallfolk safe & its cogs running downstream. A man of duty but a man of resentment & regret as well, Lord Bellmore has given Strongsong its most stable, most secure years yet.
10
20
Prosperity: Above Average