The Iron Islands

The Iron Islands is one of nine regions that form together to create the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros beneath House Targaryen. Historically, the Iron Islands have been the most independent of the Seven Kingdoms, often invading and attacking the mainlands of Westeros, known on the Iron Islands as "The Greenlands". In the Age of Heroes, the Iron Islands held domain over parts of the Riverlands, a region they maintained control of until Aegon's Conquest.

The Iron Islands are often seen as a blacksheep of the Seven Kingdoms, historically remaining isolated and indifferent to Westerosi politics. Their religion, worshipping a Deity known as the Drowned God, is exclusive to their region of Westeros as well, with no followers of the Old Gods present. Bastards from this region are given the surname "Pyke" after the seat of the Lord Reaper, House Greyjoy.

Since the rule of the Old King, the Ironborn have become more alike their Greenlands counterparts, adopting practices of Maesters and education.

Geography
The Iron Islands is an archipelago in Ironman's Bay, located in the Sunset Sea off the western coast of Westeros. They are roughly west of the riverlands, northwest of the westerlands, and south of the north.

The main grouping of islands numbers thirty-one, with the seven major isles being Pyke, Great Wyk, Old Wyk, Harlaw, Saltcliffe, Blacktyde, and Orkmont. Eight days sail northwest of Great Wyk is a smaller grouping of thirteen clustered around the Lonely Light. Some of the Iron Islands are used for sheep grazing or are uninhabited. The islands are ruled from Pyke, the seat of House Greyjoy on the island of the same name.

The Iron Islands is the smallest of the regions of the Seven Kingdoms. Dorne is the least populous of the Seven Kingdoms according to Doran Martell, but it is unclear if he is also including the Iron Islands in this estimate.

The Iron Islands are small, barely-fertile rocks with few safe harbors. The seas around the isles are stormy, frequently wreaking havoc with their considerable force.

People - The Ironborn
The Ironborn are the natives of the Iron Islands in the Sunset Sea off the western coast of Westeros. They are also known as Ironmen, especially by those they raid. The men from the green lands of Westeros also call them squids as the isles are ruled by House Greyjoy, whose sigil is a kraken.

Similar to the northern mountain clans, some heads of noble houses in the Iron Islands do not use the title "lord", but are referred to only by their house name, such as "the Sparr" and "the Stonehouse". Amongst his many titles, Balon Greyjoy includes "the Greyjoy". Aeron Greyjoy refers to Meldred Merlyn as "the Merlyn", while Meldred styles himself "Lord" in the manner of the green lands of mainland Westeros. This practice has changed with the influx of Maesters to the Iron Islands, with only the most devout refuting the title of Lord.

Military Strength
The Iron Isles can raise approximately twenty thousand men and five hundred longships. The Iron Fleet alone consists of one hundred ships which are three times larger than the standard longship. A longship such as Sea Bitch has fifty oars, while Great Kraken and Iron Victory are larger. The only fleets comparable to those of the Iron Islands are the royal fleet in the crownlands and the Redwyne fleet at the Arbor. The Ironborn are known for being poor land warriors, preferring quick raids to longterm military campaigns.

History
Maesters believe the Iron Islands were settled by the First Men many thousands of years ago. Legends claim that the First Men discovered what would be called the Seastone Chair upon the shores of Old Wyk. There is no evidence the islands were inhabited by children of the forest or giants. Weirwood trees do not grow in their poor soils, so the old gods did not have significant followers there. Instead, the humans who came to inhabit the islands worship their own local religion of the Drowned God. The priests of the isles claim the ironmen are not First Men but were created in the image of the Drowned God, and they therefore may have a connection with merlings. Some also suspect that the isles were originally inhabited by the Deep Ones, and that they are the ones who left the Seastone Chair behind. Most ironborn, however, believe that their ancestors were an offshoot of the First Men who simply crossed to the isles on boats, where their culture developed differently from their mainland cousins.

The Age of Heroes
According to legend, the islands were ruled by the Grey King during the Age of Heroes. For much of their history, each island was its own kingdom and had its own kings, a rock king who ruled the land and a salt king who commanded at sea. These petty kings constantly fought with each other, and raided the First Men of mainland Westeros for timber, crops, and thralls. The islands were first unified when a powerful priest of the Drowned God, Galon Whitestaff, decreed it was sinful for ironborn to make war upon other ironborn. The other priests preached his word throughout the isles, until the various kings and longship captains convened on Old Wyk at Nagga's Bones for the first kingsmoot, to select one High King of the Iron Islands to rule over all. Galon decreed the title was not hereditary, but upon the death of each High King a new kingsmoot would be convened to elect another. The new high kings were also called driftwood kings because of their crowns of driftwood.

Conquest of the Greenlands
For centuries after the implementation of the Kingsmoont, the Iron Islands turned their attention onto the Greenalnds. Kings and Captains would descend upon the mainland of Westeros, conquering and reaving the lands. However, the Kingsmoot became the Ironborn's detriment. When elections of a new King, the Ironborn would fall to infighting and sabotage as the petty captains attempted to usurp power.

The stronger and larger kingdoms of the green lands took advantage of the ironborn's disunity to take back conquests on mainland Westeros. For instance, Garth VII Gardener, King of the Reach, drove the ironmen from the Shield Islands and fortified them to prevent ironborn raids up the Mander. Eventually House Hoare took throne, establishing the Hoare Dynasty, launching a longterm invasion of the Riverlands that would last up until the Conquest.

Aegon's Conquest
The Hoare line, now Kings of the Isles and the Rivers, ended with the deaths of Harren and his sons during Aegon's Conquest. Inspired by Aegon Targaryen, Lord Edmyn Tully led the river lords in rebellion against the Hoares at Harrenhal. Harren refused to yield to Aegon and the castle was too strong to storm, so Aegon rode his dragon, Balerion, over the walls and roasted Harren and his sons in their tower. Most of Harren's supporters were killed in the burning of Harrenhal or by river lords as they retreated back to Ironman's Bay,[4]and Aegon granted the riverlands to House Tully. In 2 AC Aegon invaded the Iron Islands and defeated the various pretenders to Harren's throne. Aegon then allowed the defeated ironborn to choose Lord Vickon Greyjoy of Pyke to rule as the new Lord of the Iron Islands, a vassal of House Targaryen who now ruled the Seven Kingdoms from the Iron Throne. His son, Lord Goren Greyjoy, suppressed a conspiracy to crown Qhorin Volmark and a revolt by a priest calling himself Lodos, and in return King Aenys I Targaryen allowed Goren to expel the Faith from the archipelago for another century. After Goren, the weakened Iron Islands remained aloof from mainland politics for the next hundred years.

During the reign of King Aerys I Targaryen, Lord Dagon Greyjoy, the Last Reaver, led the ironborn in again raiding the western coast of Westeros. He was succeeded by his son, Lord Rodrik Greyjoy. Lord Rodrik attended the Great Council of 233AC, though he was merely an observer and chose to abstain his votes for the Old King or any other claimants.

The Reign of the Old King
Following the election of King Aemon I Targaryen, Lord Rodrik Greyjoy met with several Iron Lords in a tavern in King's Landing Many want a raiding on Westeros, to remind the Greenlands that they are powerful. Lord Rodrik worried this will get them all killed. That night, Lord Rodrik, Goodbrother, Tawney, and Drumm were brought before Bloodraven, his agents having overheard their conversation. With Bloodraven is King Aemon, a mere two days into his rule.

Bloodraven favored a hard line approach in the matter, but Aemon believed he could persuade the Ironborn otherwise. They sat and discussed, Lord Rodrik and King Aemon came to discuss the Ironborn’s place in Westeros. Aemon seemed receptive but made it clear any attacks on Westeros by the Ironborn would not be tolerated. He did,, however, offer Lord Rodrik a counter proposal. The Stepstones were a place where the Ironborn could get what they want and if they traded with the crown The King offered more still. Lord Rodrik agreed and returned to the Iron Islands to set out with his men.

Reaving the Stepstones - The Beginning of the New Way
The next year, the full might of the Iron Fleet descended upon the Stepstones, taking them with ease. The rocks were picked clean of wealth, women, and well...damn near everything. However, instead of returning straight home, Rodrik brought part of his fleet and cargo to Duskendale, Saltpans, and White Harbor, and even Braavos. Rodrik returned home with gold beyond his wildest dreams. Though this was controversial at the time, it was hard to deny the changes this brought about on the Isles, with Rodrik putting it back into the Isles and building up the people, as Aemon had suggested to do.

For a little over two decades this continued, with the Ironborn raiding far into the East and some of the Lords trading their stolen goods rather than hoarding it all. Not all agreed with this, but those who did not were not as wealthy. The Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion came and went and the Ironborn were not even aware until they returned from the raids on the Thousand Isles.

The Old Way Push Back - The Thrall Revolt
Eventually, Rodrik passed during a raiding and the Ironborn slipped home. Rodrik’s son, Veron, was then called to King’s Landing. There he met with King Aemon, who proposed long term trading with the Iron Islands and sending Masters in masse to the Isles. Veron declined the latter but did agree to trade. Now the Ironborn could sail straight home with their prizes and wait for sailors and merchants to come to them. Maesters began to slowly trickle onto the Islands, but many Lords still rejected them. Veron also commissioned that a massive map of the world be painted on a wall in Pyke. A map still being drawn to this day.

Veron considered himself a zealot of the Drowned God, and for every one of his deals with King Aemon, he tried to back it with a return to the Old Way. Thralldom was reinstated in secret and the Ironborn began carrying off captives during their raids. It did not take long for Aemon to discover this and demand its end. Knowing what his father knew, Veron stopped the practice and released the thralls. However, this would be the first major point of contention.

Lord Harlaw and a few others rose up against Greyjoy in what came to be known was the Thrall Rebellions. Though they were outnumbered, Harlaw and his allies put up an impressive fight. It was a bloody year on the Iron Islands, losing much of their trade prosperity as they descended near into Civil War. Lord Veron even considered calling the Crown for help at one point, until Saltcliffe managed a surprise attack upon Harlaw’s flagship, drowning the Lord and his two eldest sons. The third surrendered, just a boy of ten-and-five. Veron turned his attention back to recovery after this, rebuilding the Iron Islands.

It took the Iron Islands some time to recover their trading status, with many merchants and sailors still worried that they were not islands but rather volcanoes waiting to explode into another war of bloodshed and violence.

Current History
Veron eventually passed and was succeeded by his son Lord. Lord worked hard to maintain the trade on the Islands and welcomed the Red Priests to the best of his ability, though many Lords outright rejected them. This welcoming of Red Priests, all the same, caused a Religious reawakening in many Lords and there was a influx of both the amount of Drowned Priests and their influence. Even Septons began making Pilgrimages to the Iron Islands, hoping to find allies against R’hllor in these parts. Though the Seven still remain mostly unpopular upon the Iron Islands.

With the ascension of King Viserys to the throne in 302AC, many of the Red Lords as they came to be known, requested the Lord Greyjoy take a Red Priest to his court. The Grey Lords, those loyal to the Drowned God as they claim, have flat out rejected this. The last faction, the few Lords following the Faith of the Seven, AKA the Green Lords, are mostly neutral in this conflict, though do try to back the Grey Lords where they can. The Grey Lords reject this, believing the Green Lords like the Red Lords.

Half of all the issues Lord Greyjoy vets in this age are Green vs. Red, Red vs. Grey, Grey vs. Green. On and on the wheel spins. This conflict, does however, greatly impact the trade, which had become a lifeline for the Iron Islands’ economy, with reaving have largely disappeared. That is not to say that is it gone entirely, however, at the Grey Faction greatly desires to reave the Greenlands to prove that they will not bend to foreign Gods.

Principal Houses of the Iron Islands

 * House Greyjoy of Pyke
 * House Blacktyde of Blacktyde Castle
 * House Drumm of Old Wyk
 * House Botley of Lordsport
 * House Codd of Fisherman's Rest
 * House Goodbrother of Hammerhorn
 * House Goodbrother of Crow Spike Keep
 * House Goodbrother of Orkmont
 * House Goodbrother of Shatterstone
 * House Goodbrother of Corpse Lake
 * House Goodbrother of Downdelving
 * House Farwynd of Sealskin Point
 * House Farwynd of Lonely Light
 * House Harlaw of Ten Towers
 * House Harlaw of Grey Garden
 * House Harlaw of Harridan Hill
 * House Harlaw of Harlaw Hall
 * House Harlaw of the Tower of Glimmering
 * House Humble of Greyshore
 * House Ironmaker of The Chains
 * House Kenning of Kayce Tower
 * House Merlyn of Pebbleton Tower
 * House Myre of Hangman's Keep
 * House Netley of the Nettles
 * House Orkwood of Orkmont
 * House Saltcliffe of Saltcliffe
 * House Sharp of Spike Tower
 * House Shepherd of The Flock
 * House Sparr of the Spiral
 * House Stonehouse of Stonehouse
 * House Stonetree of Coldroot
 * House Sunderly of the Drownings
 * House Tawney of Nettlebank Bay
 * House Volmark of Volmark
 * House Weaver of the Loom
 * House Wynch of Iron Holt