A hidden paradise nestled among the sheer peaks of the Mountains of the Moon, the Vale of Arryn is one of the oldest of the Seven Kingdoms as well as one of the most remote. Accessible only by long, treacherous mountain roads or by sea, the Vale has stood apart from the turmoil and intrigues of Westeros since the Kings of Mountain and Vale took the lands from the First Men. The Vale’s isolation — and the depredations of the mountain clansmen — have given rise to both pragmatism and caution among the folk who live there.

Situated to the north of the Crownlands and east of the Riverlands, the Vale of Arryn encompasses all the lands encircled by the Mountains of the Moon, from the twin watchtowers known as the Bloody Gate in the west, to Gulltown and the barren lands of the Fingers in the east. Near the Bloody Gate, the Vale is only a few leagues across, while the broken coasts to the east are a seemingly endless labyrinth of bays and cliffs.

The Vale is ruled by House Arryn, one of the oldest lines of Andal nobility in Westeros, and before Aegon's War of Conquest, Kings of Mountain and Vale. Their seat, the Eyrie, is a castle high in the mountains, small but unassailable. The people of the Vale have developed a high respect for peace, hospitality, and courtesy, yet are also famed for their honour and skill at arms. Bastards born in the Vale are given the surname Stone.

Great House

Arryn

Minor Houses

Baelish, Belmore, Borrell, Corbray, Egen, Grafton, Hardyng, Hunter, Moores, Redfort*, Royce (of Runestone), Royce (of the Games of the Moon), Templeton, Waynwood

Regional Benefits

All characters from the Vale gain the following benefits:

• Favoured Skill: Climb
• +2 bonus to all Balance and Diplomacy checks. Dwellers in the Vale of Arryn are masters of climbing mountain faces and edging along narrow ledges. They are also masters of etiquette and ceremony, and deeply reverent of tradition.
• +2 circumstance bonus to Refl ex Saves, Climb checks, Balance checks and Survival checks when in Mountains terrain. On the high passes of the Vale, quick reflexes and knowledge of the terrain can be the difference between life and death.

Characters from the Vale of Arryn have the option of choosing from the following Feats as one of their Background Feats: Able Body, Blood of the Andals, Giant’s Blood, Gold Breeder, Noble Spirit, Pious, or Silver Tongue.