Crownlands

The crownlands is one of the nine constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. It was never a sovereign nation, instead being contested by river kings, Storm Kings, and local petty kings until Aegon the Conqueror seized control of the area during his Wars of Conquest and made it his primary foothold on the continent. Since then, the crownlands have been ruled directly by the crown on the Iron Throne. Bastards of noble origin raised in the crownlands are given the surname Waters.

Some notable houses of the crownlands include Bar Emmon, Celtigar, Massey, Rosby, Rykker, Stokeworth, Sunglass, and Velaryon.

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 Great Sept of Baelor and the Red Keep, the home of the Royal Family. 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 Rykker), the region's secondary port. Farther north are 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 Gods Eye into the Blackwater Rush in the western crownlands. Southwest of King's Landing are hills around Tumbleton in the Reach.

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 seat of House Targaryen), Driftmark (seat of House Velaryon), and Claw Isle (seat of House Celtigar). Also sworn to the Baratheons 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. With the exception of Crackclaw Point, the land is largely flat. Lying in the middle portion of Westeros, the crownlands possess a temperate climate.

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 Prince Aemond 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. In 161, they numbered three thousand, but this is a number that never stills.

Dragonstone, the island east of Blackwater Bay, can field its own military strength, while Islands often cannot field as many men as a mainland house, Dragonstone has been known to field nearly a thousand men at arms when called upon, its Knights are often hired from the mainland, however.

Royal Fleet
The crownlands is also home to the royal fleet, which is one of the main three forces at sea in Westeros. The royal fleet as it had been under House Targaryen was mostly destroyed in 161 during the conquest of Dorne though some of the heartier ships have survived. The largest war galley of the royal fleet is "The Strangers Kiss" A ship that has survived no less than ten separate engagements against overwhelming numbers, It's mast has been repaired or replaced six times that are on record, it carries three hundred and sixty-three souls and has four hundred oars.

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. Rosby and Stokeworth surrendered to Visenya and Rhaenys without fighting, while Aegon and his half-brother Orys Baratheon defeated the Darklyns and Mootons. 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.

Targaryen Era
Since the Conquest, the crownlands houses have historically been a strong source of support for House Targaryen, with Crackclaw Point being particularly fierce supporters. The Conqueror's councillors included several crownlands men, including Crispian Celtigar, Daemon Velaryon, and Tristan Massey. Nobles from the region such as Qarlton Chelsted, a Hayford lord, and several Targaryens have served as Hand of the King, and even smallfolk of the region are near enough to catch the royal eye for such service, such as Rossart and presumably Septons Barth and Murmison. Nobles and smallfolk alike also provide much of the manpower for the City Watch of King's Landing. The Kingsguard has also included many men of the crownlands, such as Ser Rickard Thorne, at least six men of Crackclaw Point, and seven Darklyn knights.

At the start of the Dance of the Dragons, the Velaryons, supporters of Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen and the blacks, used their fleet to seal the Gullet and blockade King's Landing. King Aegon II Targaryen's supporters, the greens, retaliated by sacking Duskendale and Rook's Rest. The greens later broke the blockade with the Battle in the Gullet and sacked Driftmark. Rhaenyra was eventually fed to Aegon II's dragon, Sunfyre, at Dragonstone. At the end of the war, the Lads defeated Lord Borros Baratheon in the Battle of the Kingsroad.

Daeron's Conquest of Dorne
Before the recent Conquest of Dorne, the Crownland Lords were some of the first called for council, and were the absolute first to offer men for a crusade. Some of the more notable additions to the King’s forces were Lord Dustin Bar Emmon, who was slain in Dorne, Lord’s Roderic Rambton, Edger Chelsted and Ser Jeremy Kettleblack, all clever commanders who King Daeron would later say were invaluable to the swift end of his Conquest.

While King Daeron marches with his Lords, Aethon Velaryon takes to the waves with a crownland fleet that met with heavy losses that are officially attributed to Piracy on the Stepstones, but most presume was the work of Dornish provocateurs. With much of the Crownland Navy having been sent south to fight in Dorne the pirates that preyed on Merchants that traveled the Narrow sea, especially those that rode the coast near Blackwater Bay and the Bay of Crabs began to grow bold savaging the trade to House Brune the worst. Lord Celtigar’s brother, sitting the seat of Claw Point in his brothers stead assembled a coalition of men and ships to patrol the bay of Crabs while House Brune financed the effort and in the end, the pirates themselves were never caught.

Land itself was not free from the audacity of men lacking morals, Lord’s Buckwell, Staunton and Mooton had to come together to wrangle a band of brigands who decided they would take advantage of the Men who had marched south. Lord Buckwell was an aging man, but a veteran of the Dance who did not suffer fools and was quick to rout the bandits by any means necessary going so far as to set an Inn on fire to meet his goal. It was a matter of weeks until the trio of Lords had the bandits in chains to stand trial in a Riverland court at Maidenpool. These same issues were felt threefold by the City Watch of Kings Landing, though as much because of the corruption in the watch as anything else.

The Reign of Baelor the Blessed
The loss of King Daeron was taken hard by all the realm, but to lose Viserys as well, his brother and hand was a hard blow for the Crownlands to stomach. When Aethon Velaryon was Chosen as hand there was a near universal cheer for the appointment. One of his least cheered acts of the Hand was to send one of his own daughters to Sunspear as a ward in “trade” for the Martell Princess to ensure peace. Another matter that earned criticism was Aethon’s lack of resistance to the construction of another Sept in the Landing.

The Knights of the Seven’s Sword would travel North from the Reach in their self sworn duty to protect members of the faith as they ventured to see the construction of the Sept of Baelor. Once in Kings Landing the men offered themselves to the High Septon and were blessed and branded “Order of the Seven's Temple.” There has been much doubt of the order's place in the politics of the realm though the Master of the Order is quick to speak to these fears making it plain that the order does not seek to punish those who worship outside the Seven but to protect all who seek faith in any form and hold kindness for their fellow man in their heart. Over the years the Order has grown in popularity for it’s openness to train those of any birth willing to devote themselves to the faith, in the ways of a Knight of the Seven.

The King’s lack of interest in his bride worried many of the Lords of the Crownlands sparking some of the first honest distance between them and the Crown since House Targaryen had taken control of them. Some of Baelor’s decrees, and laws also chaffed the Lords of the realm. While his ban on prostitution was not favored, and his increase in taxes on wine sink’s that did not offer room and board earned a scowl, it was talked about nearly half as often as the chastity allowance. Thankfully Aethon Velaryon was clever enough to distract the lords with talk of a war on the stepstones, putting their armies and ships to good use.

The Evils of Kings Landing
The peace was not however entirely for the best. Court ground to a slow halt, comprising of little more than watered down gossip, weddings and tea parties. Baelor’s fanatical devotion to the seven saw many Courtly appointments fall to corruption, Lord Commander Adrien Fletch, The lowborn but elevated Commander of the Gold Cloaks became unapologetically passive leaving the criminal underworld to grow in Kings Landing while Lords took more and more liberties in administering their own justice outside the purview of the crown. Then there was, Lord Darian Hogg, Cousin to Lord Hogg, Master of the Hunt since King Daeron’s reign. The man had been overlooked by many, the Hand and King included for a simple lack of Baelor’s interest in sport and Aethon’s wish to keep Crownlander’s close. Some blame Lord Darian for the unrest that eventually consumed King’s Landing.

Baelor’s final act before death was the creation of House Blackfyre. It might just have been an excuse for the small folk to fume more than they already had, but it seemed to be the required spark to set off the jar of wildfire that Flea’s Bottom had become over the years. The Riot would claim the life of Lord Commander Fletch, and Lord Darian Hogg before settling, though the Landing remain's a dangerous place, Flea's bottom especially.

There were some who had, at the King’s Death and lack of successor rushed to support the Lord Hand’s claim on the throne, but it was quickly discovered that House Velaryon, while bearing the name and the noble features, was as strong a claim as most other crownland houses who’d had the honor of breeding with a Targaryen over the years, Their intermingling with their neighbors, mainly House Celtigar had pulled them from the edge of Royalty they had been riding for over a century.

Despite the King's death Ravens with letters flew as far as the North and as wide as the Iron Islands to seek a navy that could move the Crown's men to annihilate the stepstone pirates. After some time and a number of responses of questionable dedication, the Hand offered a prize. The Island of Bloodstone to the Lord who offered the most men, and the island of Grey Gallows to the Lord who offered the most ships.