Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide

[Emerald Viper]

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide

The Rhoynar Invasion Campaign guide is a fan-made creation. It is an attempt to provide information to allow players to adventure in Westeros a thousand years before the Song of Ice and Fire’s default campaign setting.

Nothing in this guide is considered, “canon”. It is only a fan-made creation and not meant to intrude on GRRM’s creation. That being said, its creator has taken pains to ensure there are no conflicts with official information. Only when information is non-existent has it been created, and kept minimal as possible.

This work was inspired by The Before Aegon’s Landing Campaign Guide, by “Sturn” and “Ser Moryn” of the Green Ronin forum.

Author: “Emerald Viper” of the Green Ronin forum.


A Brief History of Recent Events

Around 700 years before Aegon's Landing, the expansion of the Valyrian Freehold into the western coastal regions of Essos threatened the great city-states of the Rhoyne. The ruler of one of them, the warrior queen Nymeria, managed to unite the Rhoynar and they began an evacuation to Westeros, allegedly fleeing in ten thousand ships across the Narrow Sea.

Nymeria's host landed on the eastern coast of Dorne. Nymeria made common cause with Mors Martell, the most powerful Dornish lord among the dozens if not hundreds of powerful lords controlling the patchwork of states in Dorne. With Nymeria's vast host at his command, Mors was able to unite the entire peninsula of Dorne under his rule.


Regions

The North

The most important kings in the North are the Starks of Winterfell, who rule most of the North, and are planning to move against the Boltons. A younger son of the King at Winterfell is Karlon Stark, known for his bravery, who will go on to fight the Boltons and defeat a rebellion, and his distant descendents will be known as the House Karstark.

The last remaining kingly rivals of the Starks in the North are House Bolton of the Dreadfort, an ancient and powerful house descended from the First Men. Their sigil is a flayed man, red on pink. The Boltons are best known for their practice of flaying their enemies, and are bitter rivals of the Starks of Winterfell. According to rumour, some Bolton lords even wear the flayed skins of their enemies as cloaks. This practice has given the Boltons a sinister reputation. A common saying among the Boltons is "A flayed man holds no secrets". In the not too distant future, the Boltons will finally swear fealty to the Stark Kings in the North.

Houses Sworn to House Stark include House Umber, of the far North-East , and House Reed, of the marshes of the Neck.

The area below the Wall contains only Brandon’s Gift. The New Gift has not yet been granted. The farms and orchards of the Gift (so called because there is only one) are much more well tended, providing needed foodstuffs to the larger Night’s Watch The Starks and most Houses of the North are descendants of the First Men. The Old Gods are by far the dominant religion in the North. The Night’s Watch is a much larger and more respected force upon the Wall. Most, if not all, of the Wall’s keeps are manned.

The city of White harbour has been founded, by the Starks, but has not yet been granted to the Manderlys.


The Iron Islands

The Ironmen (Ironborn to themselves) of the Iron Islands are a fierce folk who live by raiding and pillaging.

The High Kings of the Iron Islands are House Hoare of Orkmont. House Greyjoy of Pyke is also a powerful house of the Islands.


Riverlands

The riverlands are ruled by the River King, probably of House Fisher. (Arms: a crowned catfish, grey on blue.) The sons of the River King were recently slaughtered by House Greyjoy of Pyke, in the Iron Islands, and their pieces returned to their father on the mainland, an event which gave the Bloody Keep of Pyke its name.

Other important houses of the Riverlands include the Blackwoods (who follow the old Gods, and accuse the Brackens of poisoning their heart tree), the Brackens (who feud with the Blackwoods), the Darrys (who’s arms feature a ploughman, black on brown), the Tullys, and the Justmans. House Frey and the Twins do not yet exist.


The Vale of Arryn

The Falcon Crown of the Kingdom of Mountain and Vale is held by House Arryn of the Eyrie, one of the most ancient and purest lines of Andal nobility. They hold the Eyrie, the Gates of the Moon, and the Bloody Gate. Their sigil is a white moon-and-falcon on a sky-blue field.

The Vale was ruled by the First Men Mountain Kings until the arrival of the Andals. The first King of Mountain and Vale was crowned during the Andal Invasion, five thousand years before the Rhoynar Invasion. The Andals landed at the Fingers, north of the Vale. Led by Ser Artys Arryn, the Winged Knight, they destroyed the last remnants of the children of the forest in the Vale and defeated the "Griffin King", last of the Mountain Kings. Ser Artys was given the Falcon Crown and became the first King of Mountain and Vale.

The savage clans of the mountain men remain, with House Arryn having little true control over them. The mountains, the impregnable fortress of Eyrie, and the Bloody Gate make this realm the most defensible in the Seven Kingdoms.

The Faith is the dominant and official religion of the Vale. However, some of the Old Gods are still followed amongst the mountain clans.

One of the most powerful bannerhouses to House Arryn are House Royce of Runestone (motto: "We Remember"). The Royces are an old house, they predate Arryn rule and trace their descent to the days of the First Men, who once populated the Vale, although no doubt they have heavily intermarried with the Andals. Their seat is the ancestral castle Runestone, located on the coast of the narrow sea, east of the Eyrie. They have several sets of ancient bronze plate armor inscribed with runes of the First Men, that are said to make their wearers immune to injury. They blazon their arms with black iron studs on a bronze field, bordered with runes.


The Stormlands and Blackwater Bay

The Stormlands are ruled by the Storm King from the castle of Storm's End, who’s sigil is a crowned black stag on a field of gold. It is one of the smaller regions of Westeros, a land of harsh mountains, stony shores, and verdant forests. They are so-named for the savage and frequent storms that batter the coast. The Faith of the Seven is dominant in the Stormlands.

Noble house sworn to Storm End include House Swann of Stonehelm, north of the Sea of Dorne, regarded as proud, powerful and cautious; and House Celtigar of Claw Isle, who’s arms depict red crabs on a field of white.

House Darklyn of Duskendale is rules the town of Duskendale and the surrounding lands. Their keep is Dun Fort, at the top of the hill that dominates the town. The Darklyns had been petty kings at one time, and their overlordship is contested between the River King and the Storm King. Their closest allies are their bannermen of House Hollard.

Crackclaw Point is full of bogs and pines. Every valley has a lord, and all of them distrust outsiders. When not fighting would-be conquerors, fighting between the houses is commonplace.

The city of King’s Landing, of course, does not yet exist.

[Carriker]

Nice! I love seeing work-ups for games set a good deal in the past. The next game I run will probably be one such.

[Gurkhal]

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide

The Rhoynar Invasion Campaign guide is a fan-made creation. It is an attempt to provide information to allow players to adventure in Westeros a thousand years before the Song of Ice and Fire’s default campaign setting.

Nothing in this guide is considered, “canon”. It is only a fan-made creation and not meant to intrude on GRRM’s creation. That being said, its creator has taken pains to ensure there are no conflicts with official information. Only when information is non-existent has it been created, and kept minimal as possible.

This work was inspired by The Before Aegon’s Landing Campaign Guide, by “Sturn” and “Ser Moryn” of the Green Ronin forum.

Author: “Emerald Viper” of the Green Ronin forum.

Looks very interesting and I applaude your work as I love to read about new settings. I'll try to give some comments below which I hope you won't mind.

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide
Regions

The North

The most important kings in the North are the Starks of Winterfell, who rule most of the North, and are planning to move against the Boltons. A younger son of the King at Winterfell is Karlon Stark, known for his bravery, who will go on to defeat a pro-Bolton rebel lord, and his distant descendents will be known as the House Karstark.

The last remaining kingly rivals of the Starks in the North are House Bolton of the Dreadfort, an ancient and powerful house descended from the First Men. Their sigil is a flayed man, red on pink. The Boltons are best known for their practice of flaying their enemies, and are bitter rivals of the Starks of Winterfell. In the past, the Boltons achieved some successes against the Starks, flaying the skins of several Stark lords and hanging them in their stronghold, the Dreadfort. According to rumour, some Bolton lords even wore the flayed skins of their enemies as cloaks. This practice has given the Boltons a sinister reputation. A common saying among the Boltons is "A flayed man holds no secrets". In the not too distant future, the Boltons will finally swear fealty to the Stark Kings in the North.

I think this is a bit wrong to be honest. Its true that House Bolton were the last to submit but I think that the Boltons were pretty much confirmed at this point as wearing the skins of their enemies, they only stopped because the Starks forbidded them after the Stark victory. Also I'm pretty sure that Karlon put down an actual Bolton rebellion and not just a pro-Bolton rebellion. The probable situation was that the Boltons first submitted, but then sensed weakness and made a bid for independence again and that's when Karlon put them down. That's how I see it anyway.

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide
The area below the Wall contains only Brandon’s Gift. The New Gift has not yet been granted. The farms and orchards of the Gift (so called because there is only one) are much more well tended, providing needed foodstuffs to the larger Night’s Watch The Starks and most Houses of the North are descendants of the First Men. The Old Gods are by far the dominant religion in the North, but a rare Sept to the Seven may be encountered. The Night’s Watch is a much larger and more respected force upon the Wall. Most, if not all, of the Wall’s keeps are manned.

To be honest I don't think there would be any septs or Faith in the North before the Manderlys brought those stuff with them with all the First Men being die hard traditionalists and their less than happy history with the Andals in the past.

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide
The city of White harbour has been founded, by the Starks, but has not yet been granted to the Manderlys.

That would mean that the Greystarks hold it, or?

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide
The Iron Islands

The Ironmen (Ironborn to themselves) of the Iron Islands are a fierce folk who live by raiding and pillaging.

The High Kings of the Iron Islands are House Hoare of Orkmont. House Greyjoy of Pyke is also a powerful house of the Islands.

I'd probably add House Harlaw as one of the most powerful Houses on the islands along with Hoare and Greyjoy.

Rhoynar Invasion Campaign Guide
The Stormlands and Blackwater Bay

The Stormlands are ruled by the Storm King from the castle of Storm's End, who’s sigil is a crowned black stag on a field of gold. It is one of the smaller regions of Westeros, a land of harsh mountains, stony shores, and verdant forests. They are so-named for the savage and frequent storms that batter the coast. The Faith of the Seven is dominant in the Stormlands.


The Stormlands have a strong army in comparison to their size, and the largest navy on the east coast of Westeros, but both forces are relatively poorly equipped.

Isn't it so that the Stormlands are among the weakest of the kingdoms? I would probably say that they are pretty weak and can not put up much of an army when compared to most other kingdoms rather than say they have a strong army, which is poorely equipped. But maybe that's just me.

Noble house sworn to Storm End include House Swann of Stonehelm, north of the Sea of Dorne, regarded as proud, powerful and cautious; and House Celtigar of Claw Isle, who’s arms depict red crabs on a field of white.

House Darklyn of Duskendale is rules the town of Duskendale and the surrounding lands. Their keep is Dun Fort, at the top of the hill that dominates the town. The Darklyns had been petty kings at one time, and their overlordship is contested between the River King and the Storm King. Their closest allies are their bannermen of House Hollard.

So are the Darklyns still petty kingds or have them been subjected to Storm's End? Its kind of unclear to me.

All in all: excellent work. I'm looking forward to read more about this.

[crowofpyke]

It's interesting to note that the Baratheon's were bannermen of the Targaryen's and helped Aegon conquer Westeros. And of course the Baratheon's took over the Storm Lands... and later ended House Targaryen's rule....

[Kival]

The Baratheons are actually distans relatives of the Targaryens as far as I understand.

[Emerald Viper]

Thank you for your honest critique, Gurkhal.

I think this is a bit wrong to be honest. Its true that House Bolton were the last to submit but I think that the Boltons were pretty much confirmed at this point as wearing the skins of their enemies, they only stopped because the Starks forbidded them after the Stark victory.

You are correct.

Also I'm pretty sure that Karlon put down an actual Bolton rebellion and not just a pro-Bolton rebellion. The probable situation was that the Boltons first submitted, but then sensed weakness and made a bid for independence again and that's when Karlon put them down. That's how I see it anyway.

That makes more sense than the way I imagined it.

To be honest I don't think there would be any septs or Faith in the North before the Manderlys brought those stuff with them with all the First Men being die hard traditionalists and their less than happy history with the Andals in the past.

You may be right.

That would mean that the Greystarks hold it, or?

Possibly. The timeline of White Harbour is unclear.

I'd probably add House Harlaw as one of the most powerful Houses on the islands along with Hoare and Greyjoy.

You are probably right, but I can find no canonical information that House Harlaw are that old.

So are the Darklyns still petty kingds or have them been subjected to Storm's End? Its kind of unclear to me.

The Darklyns have probably been subjected to Storm's End or the River King by this time. Its kind of unclear to me too, I left it a bit open.

[Gurkhal]

Thank you for your honest critique, Gurkhal.

I'm only happy to have been of some help.

[Emerald Viper]

The Westerlands
The Westerlands, or Kingdom of the Rock, is ruled by House Lannister of Casterly Rock. A large part of the Westerlands consists of hills and mountains. The Westerlands are the richest part of the Westeros. The land is dotted with mines from which pour gold in astonishing quantities, and also silver. Lannisport is the second largest city in Westeros.

House Lannister’s sigil is a golden lion on a field of crimson. Casterly Rock is a fortress, overlooking the harbor of Lannisport, and the Sunset Sea. It is carved out of a great stone hill, and its natural defenses are further enhanced with walls and other structures. From below the Rock thunder can be heard, where the sea comes in. The Rock has never fallen.

Another major house is House Westerling of the Crag. Their sigil is six white shells on a sand-colored field. The Westerlings are an old and well-regarded family that descends from the First Men and is intermarried with the Kings of the Rock.


The Reach
The Kingdom of the Reach is ruled from the castle of Highgarden by House Gardener. It is one the most fertile and populous part of Westeros. Among the products it produces are melons, fireplums, peaches, apples, and grapes. The Reach is considered the home of chivalry in Westeros. It is the place where knighthood is looked upon with the greatest reverence and esteemed the most.

House Gardener’s blazon is a green hand on a white field. Highgarden has groves and fountains, shady courtyards, and marble colonnades. There are pleasure boats to sail along the Mander.

The most important and powerful vassals of King of the Reach are House Hightower, who rule Oldtown, oldest and largest city in Westeros, and the surrounding area. The sigil of House Hightower is a stone white watchtower, with a fire on the top. Their words are "We Light the Way". The family is very old, and were once petty-kings. They were integral in the foundation of the Citadel and continue to be patrons of both the Citadel and the Faith.

Other major houses of the Reach include House Oakheart, House Osgrey, who are Marshalls of the North March, House Florent of Brightwater Keep, and House Tyrell, hereditary high stewards of the Reach.

The Maesters of the Citadel in Oldtown are a similar order to how they will be in 1000 years time.

The Shield Islands protect the Mander river from Ironborn raiders. The Kings of the Reach armed the fisher folk there, thus giving the islands their name. When longships are spotted, beacon fires are lit in chains of watch towers, which will spread the warning to various villages and towns and castles further inland.


Dorne
The expansion of the Valyrian Freehold into the western coastal regions of Essos threatened the great city-states of the Rhoyne. The ruler of one of them, the warrior queen Nymeria, managed to unite the Rhoynar and they began an evacuation to Westeros, allegedly fleeing in ten thousand ships across the Narrow Sea.

Nymeria's host landed on the eastern coast of Dorne. Nymeria made common cause with Mors Martell, the most powerful Dornish lord among the dozens if not hundreds of powerful lords controlling the patchwork of states in Dorne. With Nymeria's vast host at his command, Mors was able to begin the task of uniting the entire peninsula of Dorne under his rule. In the Rhoynar style, he took the title "Prince" and introduced equal primogeniture. The fortress of Sunspear was made capital of Dorne.

The Martells of old used a spear as their emblem, while Nymeria and the Rhoynar used the sun as theirs. These were combined when Nymeria wed King Mors Martell into a gold spear piercing a red sun on an orange field.

House Yronwood of Yronwood is the most powerful house in Dorne after the Martells. The Yronwoods were important kings in Dorne before the arrival of the Rhoynar, and have fought the Martells and Nymeria, the two houses are rivals for the control of Dorne. The head of the house holds the title "The Bloodroyal". Yronwood Castle is the last fortress defending the Boneway; this is reflected in their title “Warden of the Stone Way."

House Dayne of Starfall is a noble house from Western Dorne. The Sword of the Morning is a title given to a Dayne knight who is considered worthy of wielding the Dayne’s ancestral greatsword, Dawn, a blade said to be made from metal forged from the heart of a fallen star. Its blade is as pale as milkglass. Their sigil is a white sword and falling star, on a lavender background. House Dayne are pale for Dornishmen, and often have violet eyes. They have fought many battles with the Reach, and have a feud with House Oakheart.

House Fowler of Skyreach (guarding the Prince's Pass) are a noble Dornish house. The Fowlers joined Nymeria and House Martell when the Rhoynish invaded Dorne. Since then they have had a feud with the Yronwoods, who are against them. They hold the title of "Warden of the Prince's Pass". Their blazon it as a hooded blue hawk on silver.

The Rhoynar are a slender people with smooth olive skin, black hair, and dark eyes.


Night’s Watch
The Night’s Watch is much larger, well supported by the Seven Kingdoms, and holds more prestige then the later brothers of the Wall. It is an honorable brotherhood during this time. While some are still forced to join the Night’s Watch, others seeking an honorable profession join willingly.

The Night’s Watch is well supported by contributions from the Seven Kingdoms and the villages of the Gift. The Gift includes only what will later be called Brandon’s Gift, since the New Gift has not yet been bestowed. The towns and villages of the Gift provide, “taxes”, in the form of labor and goods, primarily foodstuffs.

All eighteen of the Wall’s outposts are manned, at least by a small token force (Deep Lake has not yet been built and Queensgate is still known as Snowgate). The top of the Wall is well graveled. Castle Black still holds a few thousand brothers.

Technology
Technology is fairly similar to that a thousand years later. Most items available in the default setting are available, those that are not, likely include: telescopes (‘Myrish eyes’), tears of Lys poison, Myrish fire ointment and possibly wildfire. Plate armour is likely to be much rarer, especially outside the Reach and the Westerlands (and also splint and brigandine).

Very few (if any) Valyrian steel blades have been brought to Westeros by this time, and they are even rarer than during the default setting, and should not be available during character creation.


To be continued ...

[Gurkhal]

Looks very good. The only thing I have to mention is that I would probably mention the Reynes or the Tarbecks along with the Westerlings as important bannermen to Casterly Rock.

And in regards to the Tyrells my memory tells me they were only stewards to the Gardeners and so would probably not be mentioned among the important bannermen.

[Emerald Viper]

And in regards to the Tyrells my memory tells me they were only stewards to the Gardeners and so would probably not be mentioned among the important bannermen.

My own veiw is that the hereditary steward of Highgarden is a very senior and respected position.



Faith and Religion

The Faith of the Seven
The Faith of the Seven is the dominant religion of the Seven Kingdoms, and is often simply referred to as "the Faith". The only parts of Westeros where the Faith is not widespread is in the North and the Iron Islands. The Faith worship the Seven, a single deity with seven aspects or faces, each representing a different virtue. Worshipers pray to specific aspects of the Seven for help and guidance depending on their need. Priests in the Faith of the Seven are known as the godsworn, septons if male, septas if female.

The seat of the High Septon is located at Starry Sept in Oldtown. It has black marble walls and arched windows

Two military orders, collectively known as the Faith Militant, exist. The orders often make trouble for the nobles and royalty of the Seven Kingdoms.

The "Warrior's Sons", are an order of knights who have renounced their lands and possessions to fight for the Seven. They wear inlaid silver armor over hair shirts, rainbow cloaks, and swords with star-shaped crystals in their pommels. They have developed a reputation for fanaticism and implacable hatred for enemies of the Faith. They are the "sword" of the Sword and Stars.

"Poor Fellows", are a more humble order for commoners and even women. Acting as a militant counterpart to begging brothers, Poor Fellows wander the realm and escort pilgrims between septs. They are lightly-armed footmen, who carry whatever weapons they can make or find, often axes or cudgels, and wear star badges, red on white. They are the "stars" of the Sword and Stars.

The Old Gods
The Old Gods are dominant in the North. Further south, the Old Gods are greatly overshadowed by the Faith, however, followers can still be found in secluded corners or within a few rare ancient Houses descended from First Men.

The Old Gods are nameless deities of stone and earth and tree. There are no priests, no holy texts, no songs of worship, and few rites that go with the worship of the old gods. It’s said that the sigh of the wind and the rustle of leaves are the old gods speaking back to worshippers. Weirwood trees with faces carved into them, called heart trees, are considered sacred. Prayer, oaths, and marriages are often performed in the presence of a heart tree.

The Drowned God
The Ironborn follow the Old Way of the Drowned God. Like the Ironborn, the Drowned God is a harsh deity and goes hand in hand with the Old Way. It is said the Drowned God have made the ironborn to reave and rape, to carve out kingdoms and to make their names known in fire and blood and song.

Old Rhoynar Gods
The Rhoynar originally worshiped a number of river-themed nature gods. Their primary gods were Mother Rhoyne, the personification of the river Rhoyne itself, whos waters nourished the Rhoynar since the dawn of days, and the Old Man of the River, a turtle god. Having abandoned their river the Rhoynar adopted the Faith of the Seven. Some of the Rhoynar did not assimilate and continue to practice the traditions of their ancestors. Called the "Orphans of the Greenblood", these individuals live on rafts along the river Greenblood and consider themselves orphaned from their Mother Rhoyne.


Table 6-3 First Founding
Due to the earlier era, changes have been made to the First Founding table in Chapter 6.

Table 6-3: First Founding
n Founding __ Example __ Historical Events*
1 Ancient . Age of Heroes 1d6+3
2 Very Old Andal Invasion 1d6+2
3 Old _________________ 1d6+1
4 In Dorne treat as result 6 (New), elsewhere, result 3 (Old).
5 Recent . < 200 Years . . 1d6-1
6 New .. Rhoynar Invasion 1d6-2


Coinage
There are several kingdoms in Westeros during this time period, and several of them mint their own coins with varying exchange rates. It would become over-complicated to have a long list of each kingdom’s coins with exchange rates between them all.

Instead, I would assume the silver stag is the currency of the Stormlands, due to its insignia, and value silver in those terms. However, I would say the most common gold coins are those minted in the Westerlands, called Lions, which are of similar size to the future gold Dragon. I would also take the opportunity to simplify the currency conversion table.

56- 60 Copper Pennies = 1 Silver Stag
200 Silver Stags = 1 Gold Lion
1 Gold Lion = c. 12,000 Copper Pennies


Magic
This past era is one in which magic is not always a tale of legends. While any magical event will still be a wondrous event, it won’t necessarily be shunned or feared.

Optional rule: To simulate stronger or more common magic during this era, a referee may optionally allow a +1 modifier to Third Eye sleeping rolls (see Chapter 5, Third Eye and Third Eye Opened).


Creatures
Dire wolves (and possibly even mammoths and giants) can still be encountered south of the Wall.

The dissapearence of the Children of the Forest is more recent, and some may even still exist south of the Wall; in the Wolfswood, the marshes of the Neck or around the Isle of Faces.


Essos
The Valyrian Freehold is a great empire that span much of south-western Essos, including the Valyrian Peninsula, Slaver's Bay, and the Rhoyne basin. The Valyrian Freehold is an advanced civilization and the dominant military and cultural power of the known world. Its capital is the city Valyria.

Volantis is the only one of what will become the ‘free cities’ that is an established settlement at this time. It is still under Valyrian rule.

Asshai, Qarth, Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen have all already long since been founded.

[Gurkhal]

And in regards to the Tyrells my memory tells me they were only stewards to the Gardeners and so would probably not be mentioned among the important bannermen.

My own veiw is that the hereditary steward of Highgarden is a very senior and respected position.

A respected position yes, but one in which they have neither lands nor can call upon any swords and thus only have the power that House Gardener can give to them. But that's my opinion.

Otherwise it looks pretty neat. Well done.