A Song of Ice and Fire: Tourney at Ashford Previews

[Kakita Nanami]

It's not the house - that will be up tomorrow - but it is something that was asked about a couple times!

The Seasons of Westeros
While the world of Westeros follows a twelve month year, it does not have a regular seasonal cycle. Through some unknown mechanism, seasons on Westeros vary in length, lasting anywhere from a few months to years on end.

Though the seasons can be hard to predict, the Maesters of the Citadel carefully track temperatures and weather across Westeros to proclaim seasons. Although they are usually right, the unusual seasonal patterns sometimes play tricks that make accurate prediction difficult at best.

Season of the Last Twenty Five Years
Early 184 AC - Spring
Late 185 AC - Autumn
Mid 186 AC - Winter
Early 187 AC - Spring
Mid 188 AC - Summer
Mid 190 AC - Autumn
Mid 191 AC - Winter
Late 192 AC - Spring
Early 193 AC - Summer
Early 195 AC - Autumn
Late 195 AC - Winter
Mid 198 AC - Spring
Late 198 AC - Summer
Mid 199 AC - Autumn
Early 200 AC - Winter
Late 202 AC - Spring
Early 205 AC - Summer
Mid 206 AC - Autumn
Late 206 AC - Winter
Late 208 AC - Spring

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Rebellions are silly! Boo! xD

[Yogo Yuichi]

Rebellions are silly! Boo! xD

Daemon Blackfyre is the true king of Westeros...

[Kakita Nanami]

While I'm not positive I'm happy with how much is in the history (that's been the hardest to fill in for this particular house; it's very likely it will be expanded upon by the time of the actual game), I present the first Player House preview.

House Kellington


HISTORY
Possibly one of the most ancient houses in all of Westeros, House Kellington was founded during the Andal Invasion. During the reign of King Qarlton II Durrandon, an Andal army sought to cross through a pass thought undefended in the mountains and thus come upon Storm’s End from an unexpected direction. Little did the Andals know, however, a group of bandits had long plagued the Storm Kings; these bandits refused to allow the army to pass freely and used the terrain to their advantage, bringing an end to the attempt at a surprise attack near the village of Kellington. The leader of these bandits was raised to lordship for his heroics and given Kellington and the nearby lands as his seat, thereby forming the line that, to this day, is known as House Kellington.

Although much of their history has now disappeared into the fog of ages and become myth, the history of House Kellington since the days of Aegon’s Conquest is well known. When it became apparent that House Durrandon would be unable to stand against the Targaryens and their dragons, Lord Qarlton Kellington sent an envoy to the swiftly approaching army of Rhaenys Targaryen offering a white peace – the Kellingtons would ensure no members of the Durrandon army would flee through the pass in exchange for their survival and place in the new empire being created. Lord Qarlton would later die during Lord Orys Baratheon’s failed assault on the Boneway during the First Dornish War.

During the Faith Militant uprising during King Maegor I Targaryen’s reign, House Kellington stood firmly on the side of the king. Their neighbours of House Morrows, however, supported the Faith Militant. When Lord Morrows came to then then Lord Theodred Kellington to convince him to join the uprising, Theodred had the rebel lord executed on the spot and sent a sizable army to size seize Morrows’ holding at Fawnton and taking the Morrows hostage. With the approval of Lord Robar Baratheon, Theodred married one of his retainers to Morrows’ eldest daughter, placing him at the head of the new House Cafferen and cementing their status as a banner house of House Kellington for years to come.

As the years wore on, House Kellington’s fortunes waned. One year, a freak storm caused a mountain slide to fill in a quarry that had been supplying much of the surrounding land. A decade later, one of the Stormlands’ famous lightning storms set fire to the woods from which Kellington had been drawing most of its lumber and burned a vast portion of it. The War for the Stepstones claimed the lives of all the contemporary Lord Kellington’s true born sons; it was only the legitimization of a bastard that saved the family line from extinction. The Dance of the Dragons saw battles rage throughout all of Westeros and the last stable settlement on Kellington lands was burned to the ground, twice, during the two year conflict.

House Kellington had just begun to stabilize itself and begin to rebuild by the time of the Blackfyre Rebellion. When Prince Baelor rode with his Dornish army, Lord Jerome Kellington was one of the first Stormlanders to answer the call; many had been reticent to fight alongside the Dornish, fearing they might take revenge for wrongs of eld. Jerome, though, not only willingly joined the force going to save his king but marched his small force at the Battle of Redgrass Plain alongside Oberyn Martell, brother of Maron Martell and then Heir of Dorne, saving his life at the cost of a grave wound to himself. Jerome’s heroic act is said to have helped build relationships between the Stormlands and Dore. Lord Jerome would never fully recover from his wound and, eventually, pass from an extended infection of it soon after the end of the rebellion, leaving his son Cedric in charge of the house.

Under Cedric’s leadership, the lands of House Kellington began to decline further; he has been a poor lord, indulging himself at the cost of his people. Under his watch, House Cafferen has begun to push for independence and all the work of his forebears has begun to fall apart. With no heir, trueborn or otherwise, House Kellington is in the worst shape it’s ever been. Despite the best efforts of Kellington’s maester, the house may be beyond saving.

HOLDINGS
The seat of House Kellington, the Cragfort, is a sizable and impressive defensive fortification; built to defend the pass through the mountains from further incursion, the Cragfort was constantly expanded and rebuilt to be more impregnable many times over the years. Far more defensible from the western approach from the lower ground than the higher ground of the pass to east, the Cragfort has stood against more than one siege in its time. The halls are luxuriously decorated, draped in Kellington blue with no expense spared; if there’s one thing that Cedric will leave as a legacy, it’s the ostentatious spending done within the manor. Though the Cragfort sees few visitors these days, it is said that within the castle resides a room decorated to remind visitors of each of the Seven Kingdoms so that visiting guests can feel more at home.

House Kellington is a house far from its glory days; even without Cedric’s actions degrading the standing on the house, Kellington has seen far better days. Most of the respect given to House Kellington is merely in honour of its ancient members; even its banner house, House Cafferen, is treated with nearly as much respect as House Kellington – were Kellington to fall any further, House Cafferen might easily find itself able to break free.

The lands of House Kellington consist primarily of a strip of land that clutches precariously to a mountain side overlooking a pass from the Reach to the heart of the Stormlands. While there is no true population center, its peasantry spread out instead of gathered together, the Cragfort still maintains a small population of peasants who live within its shadow. Further down the approach to the Cragfort is an ancient tower fort, now gone to ruin, constructed by the earliest Kellingtons before it was abandoned for the current castle, offering further protection to the primary castle – anyone attempting to the Cragfort has to pass under the shadow of the ruined tower.

For a lack of towns, the Kellingtons maintain order within their lands well enough. Though the better part of their protection is supplied by their banner house, the Cafferens, the late Lord Jerome determined that the best way to ensure a lack of banditry within his lands was to employ them for his own ends to protect the people. Thus, outside a few outlier groups, outlaws are almost non-existent within their ancestral lands.

For all the wealth Lord Cedric spends on maintaining the Cragfort, House Kellington is not the wealthiest of houses. Their current steward and maester, Endrew, carefully conceals from the lord of the house their true financial status in order to carefully cultivate what little they have while continuing to make the necessary donations to the Citadel and the Night’s Watch.

LORD CEDRIC KELLINGTON

Lord Cedric Kellington is the only son of Jerome Kellington and Ythne Kellington (nee Connington). With a face that looks slightly malformed and an unruly mop of red-brown hair, Cedric is the utmost example of the spoiled noble. Given every leeway by his father since youth, his carefree attitude continued into his adult years after becoming lord and, now in his late 30s, Cedric is utterly unaware of the damage his decisions have done to House Kellington.

Cedric has been lord of the Cragfort for twelve years now; his father, injured during the Blackfyre Rebellion during the Battle of the Redgrass Plain, succumb to his an infection of his wounds and left the inexperienced and not-quite prepared Cedric in charge. His demands of luxury put hardship on the already strained peasantry, taking a sizable portion of what they were able to grow in the terrain in order to fuel his excess. The constant strain on the lands has not gone unnoticed by his neighbours, particular the Kellington’s banner house, the Cafferens, who have begun to enter negotiations with the Baratheons to swear fealty directly to the Stormlords.

But that isn’t the only concern his household has.

As of yet, Cedric is unmarried and has no heirs – not even, as with many other lords, bastards. While still a youth, he was never pressured to marry; his father declared that his son would marry only when he was good and ready, driven by Jerome’s own unhappy forced marriage. Even after ascending to lordship of the house with his father’s death, Cedric continued to delay marriage. Finally, though, Cedric has finally consented to marriage – if only to silence the constant nagging from his advisors (some of who already quietly fear it may be too late to bring the house back from the edge).

Cedric’s hobbies are wide and varied – and most cause at least one member of the house or another to sigh in frustration. He considers himself one of the best poets in all of Westeros, often locking himself in his chamber for countless hours on end composing his latest masterpiece; when presented in the great hall, however, most members of the house would agree his work is lackluster at the best of times (though none would ever say so to his face). Despite his bookish nature, he hasn’t left the martial training usually necessary for a lord slip by the wayside. Although a mediocre swordsman, capable only of putting up a mild defense at best, Cedric is an accomplished wrestler and finds great joy in challenging those who would visit Kellington and the Cragfort. While he refuses to pick up a bow or spear – thus precluding himself from hunts – Cedric is also an accomplished horseback rider, occasionally riding out with his Huntmaster.

PREGENERATED CHARACTERS
Maester Endrew
A thin, middle aged man going grey before his time, Endrew is Maester at the Cragfort. His chain bearing links marking him for his knowledge of history and economics, Endrew currently serves as House Kellington’s steward, despite his feigned protestations on the matter. With dark hair and dusky skin, he is without a doubt of Dornish heritage; some rumours even say he is the bastard of prominent lord though Endrew is quick to deny those stories.

Falena Kellington
If Cedric is considered to be late in marrying, his elder sister Falena is considered to be beyond her marriageable years. Many times over the years both Cedric and his father before him have attempted to marry her off only for her betrothed to die before the marriage could occur; after the fourth such incident, the suitors stopped coming. Looking almost identical to her brother but with longer hair, Falena has an interest in archery and horsemanship that her brother has indulged by letting her range through the house’s lands with Long Yohn.

Ser Jamos Cafferen
Drawn from the Kellington banner house of Cafferen, Jamos serves Lord Cedric as master-at-arms and castellan at the Cragfort. He has also taken to being Cedric’s personal bodyguard which has, at times, left him privy to a number of secrets about the House and its master. A gangly man in his late twenties, Jamos holds loyalty to the Kellingtons but has recently felt pressure from his family to return home with the waning of Kellington’s influence.

Long Yohn of the Broken Crag
Because a fair portion of its lands consist of mountainous terrain, a sizable portion of Kellington’s foodstuffs have come from hunting local wild life. Thus, each Lord Kellington has had a Master of the Hunt. Lord Cedric’s (and his father’s before him) was Long Yohn of the Broken Crag, an older man with scraggly hair who knows the lands of the house like the back of his hand. He’s served in the position nigh on three decades, having inherited it from his father, and seems to not be slowing down yet.

Theodan Storm
Theodan Storm is the only son of Lyra Cafferen, Jamos’ younger sister. Although kept at Fawnton for the first ten years of his life even after his mother was finally married off, Theodan was finally decided to be too much of a liability to keep at Fawnton. Being one of the only ones in the family to care for the boy’s wellbeing, Jamos had the boy brought to the Cragfort to serve as his squire. A rather sullen and quiet boy with strawberry blonde hair, he hasn’t been much help to Jamos of yet.

[Ide Samai]

Woo, looks nice... I assume if the players help House Caffaren, they might end up as player house in the future?

Also doesn't seem that Kellington has much in the way of money making holdings I assume.

Also also, cool to see bandits rise up

[Kakita Nanami]

Woo, looks nice... I assume if the players help House Caffaren, they might end up as player house in the future?

What becomes of House Caffaren will very likely depend on player actions; they currently sit exactly one point of influence less than House Kellington and the requirement for Banner Houses is that they always be less than the liege house in influence.

The rest I can't say much about; the write-ups are reflections of the stat values for the various House attributes and the actual stats are obfuscated outside of those who play as part of the house.

[Kitsune Takeo]

Woo, looks nice... I assume if the players help House Caffaren, they might end up as player house in the future?

What becomes of House Caffaren will very likely depend on player actions; they currently sit exactly one point of influence less than House Kellington and the requirement for Banner Houses is that they always be less than the liege house in influence.

The rest I can't say much about; the write-ups are reflections of the stat values for the various House attributes and the actual stats are obfuscated outside of those who play as part of the house.

Sounds like a cause to RISE UP AGAINST THE OPPRESSORS!

CAFFAREN 4 LYFE!

[Kakita Nanami]

A quick shot of the "State of the Realm" who's in charge where and some of their notable vassals:

The State of the Realm
as presided over by Daeron of House Targaryen, Second His Name

The Small Council:
Hand of the King: Baelor Breakspear of House Targaryen, Prince of Dragonstone
Grand Maester: Ryon
Master of Coin: Owen Crane
Master of Laws: Aurane Celtigar
Master of Ships: Beron Stark
Master of Whisperers: Aemon Flowers

Dorne
House Martell: Maron Nymeros Martell, Prince of Dorne

The Iron Islands
House Greyjoy: Dagon Greyjoy

The North
House Stark: Brandon Stark, Warden of the North

• House Bolton: Oswell Bolton
• House Forrester: Eddard Forrester
• House Karstark: Torghen Karstark
• House Manderly: Walder Manderly
• House Mormont: Jothos Mormont
• House Umber: Manfryd Umber

The Reach
House Tyrell: Leo Tyrell, Warden of the South

• House Ashford: Darryn Ashford
• House Dunn: Thaddeus Dunn
• House Florent: Ryam Florent
• House Hightower: Martyn Hightower
• House Redwyne: Runceford Redwyne
• House Tarly: Sebaston Tarly

The Riverlands
House Tully: medgar Tully, Lord Paramount of the Trident

• House Bracken: Kyle Bracken
• House Frey: Walder Frey
• House Lothston: Lady Danelle Lothston
• House Mallister: Harys Mallister
• House Piper: Uthor Piper
• House Terrick: Joseth Terrick

The Stormlands
House Baratheon: Orys Baratheon, Lord Paramount of the Stormlands

• House Connington: Erren Connington
• House Dondarrion: Osmund Dondarrion
• House Kellington: Cedric Kellington
• House Selmy: Arstan Selmy
• House Swann: Gawen Swann
• House Tarth: Galladon Tarth

The Westerlands
House Lannister of Casterly Rock: Damon Lannister, Warden of the West

• House Algood: Arryk Algood
• House Crakehall: Sumner Crakehall
• House Lannister of Lannisport: Tywald Lannister
• House Payne: Morton Payne
• House Reyne: Robert Reyne
• House Tarbeck: Adrian Tarbeck

The Vale
House Arryn: Donnel Arryn, Warden of the East

• House Corbray: Robar Corbray
• House Hardyng: Harrold Hardyng
• House Redfort: Jon Redfort
• House Royce: Yorbert Royce
• House Tollett: Eddison Tollett
• House Wydman: Ythan Wydman

The Night's Watch
Current Lord Commander: Cregan Tuttle
Current Numbers: Approx. 3500
Active Castles: 6 fully manned, 3 at minimal capacity

[Kitsu Takashi]

Given that Westeros is less than modern in its thinking about gender equality, I'm curious how painfully misogynistic things will be in game. I want going to play a female character anyway, but I could see there being some compelling reasons to actively avoid it. Thoughts on how the game will handle this?

[Ide Amaya]

I was thinking of playing a female schemer, because spiders don't discriminate so heavily and little birds tend to be beneath notice >___>

[Shinjo Liu Yue]

Actually, the sexism is exactly what I'm playing off of. My lady essentially worships Dorne because she believes that they are a bastion of equality and whatnot, or at the very least, better than typical Westeros.

[Yogo Mizuki]

I was thinking of playing a female schemer, because spiders don't discriminate so heavily and little birds tend to be beneath notice >___>

Does this mean I'm one of your little birds?

[Ide Amaya]

Of course not, my child.





*rolls for deception*

[Yogo Mizuki]

*has the best mommy*

[Isawa Nonin]

I am thinking of an old, grizzled man at arms, a skilled longbowman and professional soldier.