Difference between revisions of "Vale mountain clans"

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[[File:Sir Heartsalot T & Clansmen.jpg|[[Bronn]], [[Tyrion Lannister]], and his clansmen - by Sir Heartsalot©|thumb|350px|right]]
 
[[File:Sir Heartsalot T & Clansmen.jpg|[[Bronn]], [[Tyrion Lannister]], and his clansmen - by Sir Heartsalot©|thumb|350px|right]]
The '''mountain clans''' are a culture, divided into clans of varying size and strength, who live in the foothills of the [[Mountains of the Moon]], in the [[Vale of Arryn]]. Descendents of the [[First Men]],{{ref|awoiaf| Mountains of the Moon}} they are considered primitive by the [[Andals]] of the Vale. They should not be confused with the [[northern mountain clans]]. The Vale's clans are sometimes called '''wildlings''',{{ref|AGOT|62}}{{ref|ACOK|29}} like the [[free folk]] who live [[beyond the Wall]].
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The '''mountain clans''' are a culture, divided into clans of varying size and strength, who live in the foothills of the [[Mountains of the Moon]], in the [[Vale of Arryn]]. Descendents of the [[First Men]],{{ref|awoiaf| Mountains of the Moon}} they are considered primitive by the [[Andals]] of the Vale. The Vale's clans are sometimes called '''wildlings''',{{ref|AGOT|62}}{{ref|ACOK|29}} like the [[free folk]] who live [[beyond the Wall]]. They should not be confused with the [[northern mountain clans]], who are more respected and sometimes considered petty lords.{{ref|ADWD|17}}
 
 
==Recent Events==
 
===''A Game of Thrones''===
 
The clans have become more active since the death of Lord of the Eyrie, [[Jon Arryn]].{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
 
 
 
While returning from [[King's Landing]], [[Catelyn Stark]] considers visiting her sister [[Lysa Arryn|Lysa]] at the [[Eyrie]], but decides the passes through the [[Mountains of the Moon]] are too dangerous.{{ref|AGOT|28}} After seizing [[Tyrion Lannister]] in the [[inn at the crossroads]], Catelyn decides to bring him east to the Eyrie rather than north to [[Winterfell]]. Their party is attacked by clansmen along the [[high road]]{{ref|AGOT|31}} before they reach the [[Bloody Gate]].{{ref|AGOT|34}}
 
 
 
After Tyrion wins his [[trial by combat]] at the Eyrie through his proxy, [[Bronn]], Lysa has them leave the Vale through the dangerous high road. Tyrion and Bronn encounter clansmen during their journey, however. In return for promising them the Vale, Tyrion enlists them to fight for [[House Lannister]].{{ref|AGOT|42}} The clansmen fight alongside Tyrion in the Lannister vanguard during the [[battle on the Green Fork]].{{ref|AGOT|62}}
 
 
 
===''A Clash of Kings''===
 
Serving as the acting [[Hand of the King]], Tyrion brings the clansmen to King's Landing, where they reside in barracks below the [[Tower of the Hand]].{{ref|ACOK|3}} Without the benefit of Lannister men, Tyrion uses the clansmen as his guards and soldiers. Prior to the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], he sends them into the [[kingswood]] to disrupt the army of [[Stannis Baratheon]].{{ref|ACOK|49}}
 
 
 
===''A Storm of Swords''===
 
After the Blackwater, [[House Lannister|red cloaks]] and Kingslanders prevents the clansmen from returning to the capital. Some return to the the mountains, while others remain in the kingswood.{{ref|ASOS|4}}
 
 
 
[[Arya Stark]] and [[Sandor Clegane]] learn that the mountain clans in the Vale are bolder as of late and are carrying steel.{{ref|ASOS|65}}
 
  
 
==Culture==
 
==Culture==
The Mountains of the Moon are home to a population of people who have rejected the authority of the [[Eyrie]] and are independent from the rest of the [[Seven Kingdoms]] and its [[feudalism|feudal society]]. They believe that every person's voice, regardless of gender, should be heard during councils.{{ref|AGOT|56}}
+
The Mountains of the Moon are home to a population of people who have rejected the authority of the [[Eyrie]] and are independent from the rest of the [[Seven Kingdoms]] and its [[feudalism|feudal society]]. They believe that every person's voice, regardless of gender, should be heard during councils.{{ref|AGOT|56}} Some clans share close bonds.  Conflicts between the clans are often resolved by payment of blood money and clansmen are quick to settle personal grievances through violence.
  
 
They are a poor people with poor quality of weapons and armor. They subsist by raiding local villages, small groups of travelers and will attack even the Lord of the [[Eyrie]] if he is not properly protected. They take all weapons, grain, and armor they can find, as well as all women, whether they are wedded or not. Some women participate in raids. However, it has been hundreds of years since the clansmen have threatened the Vale with anything more serious than raids.{{ref|AGOT|56}}
 
They are a poor people with poor quality of weapons and armor. They subsist by raiding local villages, small groups of travelers and will attack even the Lord of the [[Eyrie]] if he is not properly protected. They take all weapons, grain, and armor they can find, as well as all women, whether they are wedded or not. Some women participate in raids. However, it has been hundreds of years since the clansmen have threatened the Vale with anything more serious than raids.{{ref|AGOT|56}}
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The clansmen ride small [[horse]]s that are suited to the narrow mountain paths.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
 
The clansmen ride small [[horse]]s that are suited to the narrow mountain paths.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
  
==Clans==
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==Known Clans==
The mountain clans are divided in clans. However, the clans cooperate in many ventures, including raids, and some clans share close bonds. Conflicts between the clans are often resolved by payment of blood money and clansmen are quick to settle personal grievances through violence.
+
Archmaester [[Arnel]] listed the most notorious mountain clans in his work ''[[Mountain and Vale]]''. These include:{{ref|TWOIAF| The Vale}}
  
By the beginning of ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'', there are at least three thousand warriors among the clans, but they have not been considered a significant threat for centuries.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
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*[[Black Ears]]
 +
*[[Burned Men]]
 +
*[[Howlers]]
 +
*[[Milk Snakes]]
 +
*[[Moon Brothers]]
 +
*[[Painted Dogs]]
 +
*[[Redsmiths]]
 +
*[[Sons of the Mist]]
 +
*[[Sons of the Tree]]
 +
*[[Stone Crows]]
  
Archmaester [[Arnel]] listed the most notorious mountain clans in his work ''[[Mountain and Vale]]''.
+
There are also smaller clans, but they are often assimilated into larger clans or destroyed by [[knight]]s of the [[Vale of Arryn|Vale]].{{ref|TWOIAF| The Vale}}
  
===Black Ears===  
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==History==
[[File:Black Ears.jpg|thumb|right|The Black Ears<br>© Fantasy Flight Games]]
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During the [[Andal invasion]] of [[Westeros]], [[Andals]] from [[Essos]] conquered the [[Vale of Arryn]] from the [[First Men]]. Some First Men submitted to and intermarried with Andals in the aftermath of the [[Battle of Seven Stars]], but others refused to kneel. The First Men who fled from the fertile [[Vale of Arryn (valley)|Vale proper]] into the [[Mountains of the Moon]] are the ancestors of the modern clansmen.{{ref|TWOIAF| The Vale}}
The [[Black Ears]] derive their name from their habit of cutting ears off of their prisoners to display them as trophies. They leave their prisoners alive as a show of bravery. They are led by [[Chella]], daughter of [[Cheyk]]. The Black Ears have close ties with the Moon Brothers.{{Ref|aGoT|56}}  
 
  
The Black Ears are among the clans that join [[Tyrion Lannister]]. In preparation for [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s arrival before the gates of [[King's Landing]], Tyrion sends the Black Ears and the Moon Brothers into the [[kingswood]] to harass and harry Stannis's army on its march to King's Landing.{{Ref|aCoK|49}} After the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], Chella and the Black Ears attempt to return to King's Landing, but are chased off and mocked by the Kingslanders.{{Ref|aSoS|4}}
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There is fierce enmity between the mountain clans and the [[knight]]s of the Vale,{{ref|AGOT|42}} and the clans do not trust the lowland [[lord]]s.{{ref|AGOT|56}}
  
===Burned Men===
+
By the beginning of ''[[A Game of Thrones]]'', there are at least three thousand warriors among the clans, but they have not been considered a significant threat for centuries.{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
[[File:Burned Men.jpg|thumb|right|The Burned Men<br>© Fantasy Flight Games]]
 
The [[Burned Men]] are so named for their coming-of age ceremony, in which they mutilate themselves by burning off a body part of their choosing, usually a finger or nipple. The more important the body part burned, the more prestige the warrior gains. They are feared by the other clans because of this practice. They are led by a Red Hand, a type of chieftain. [[Timett]] son of [[Timett (father)|Timett]] was chosen to be a Red Hand after he put out his own eye.
 
  
The Burned Men carried off the last daughter of [[Alys Arryn]] and Ser [[Elys Waynwood]] on her way to marry a [[House Bracken|Bracken]].{{ref|AFFC|41}}
+
==Recent Events==
 +
===''A Game of Thrones''===
 +
The clans have become more active since the death of Lord of the Eyrie, [[Jon Arryn]].{{Ref|aGoT|34}}
  
The Burned Men are among the clans that join [[Tyrion Lannister]] on the promise of weapons and armor.{{Ref|aGoT|56}} In preparation for [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s arrival at [[King's Landing]], Tyrion sent the Burned Men into the [[kingswood]] to harass and harry his march.{{Ref|aCoK|49}} After the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], Timett and his clansmen took all the plunder they had captured and returned home to the Mountains of the Moon.{{Ref|aSoS|4}}
+
While returning from [[King's Landing]], [[Catelyn Stark]] considers visiting her sister [[Lysa Arryn|Lysa]] at the [[Eyrie]], but decides the passes through the [[Mountains of the Moon]] are too dangerous.{{ref|AGOT|28}} After seizing [[Tyrion Lannister]] in the [[inn at the crossroads]], Catelyn decides to bring him east to the Eyrie rather than north to [[Winterfell]]. Their party is attacked by clansmen along the [[high road]]{{ref|AGOT|31}} before they reach the [[Bloody Gate]].{{ref|AGOT|34}}
  
===Howlers===
+
After Tyrion wins his [[trial by combat]] at the Eyrie through his proxy, [[Bronn]], Lysa has them leave the Vale through the dangerous high road. Tyrion and Bronn encounter clansmen during their journey, however. In return for promising them the Vale, Tyrion enlists them to fight for [[House Lannister]].{{ref|AGOT|42}} The clansmen fight alongside Tyrion in the Lannister vanguard during the [[battle on the Green Fork]].{{ref|AGOT|62}}
The Howlers are another of the mountain clans.{{ref|twoiaf| The Vale}}
 
  
===Milk Snakes===
+
===''A Clash of Kings''===
The Milk Snakes are another of the clans. [[Lharys]] claims it was either members of the Milk Snakes clan or the Moon Brothers clan that were the first to descend upon [[Catelyn Tully]]'s party in the [[Mountains of the Moon]].{{Ref|aGoT|31}}
+
Serving as the acting [[Hand of the King]], Tyrion brings the clansmen to King's Landing, where they reside in barracks below the [[Tower of the Hand]].{{ref|ACOK|3}} Without the benefit of Lannister men, Tyrion uses the clansmen as his guards and soldiers. Prior to the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], he sends them into the [[kingswood]] to disrupt the army of [[Stannis Baratheon]].{{ref|ACOK|49}}
  
===Moon Brothers===
+
===''A Storm of Swords''===
The [[Moon Brothers]] are another clan with close ties with the Black Ears. [[Lharys]] claims it was either members of the Milk Snakes clan or the Moon Brothers clan that were the first to descend upon [[Catelyn Tully]]'s party in the [[Mountains of the Moon]].{{Ref|aGoT|31}}
+
After the Blackwater, [[House Lannister|red cloaks]] and Kingslanders prevents the clansmen from returning to the capital. Some return to the the mountains, while others remain in the kingswood.{{ref|ASOS|4}}
  
The Moon Brothers are among the clans that join [[Tyrion Lannister]] on the promise of weapons and armor. The party with Tyrion is led by [[Ulf son of Umar|Ulf]], son of [[Umar]].{{Ref|aGoT|56}} In preparation for [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s arrival before the gates of  [[King's Landing]], Tyrion sends the Black Ears and the Moon Brothers into the [[kingswood]] to harass and harry Stannis's army on its march to King's Landing.{{Ref|aCoK|49}}
+
[[Arya Stark]] and [[Sandor Clegane]] learn that the mountain clans in the Vale are bolder as of late and are carrying steel.{{ref|ASOS|65}}
 
 
===Painted Dogs===
 
[[File:Painted Dogs.jpg|thumb|right|The Painted Dogs<br>© Fantasy Flight Games]]
 
The Painted Dogs are another of the mountain clans.
 
 
 
===Redsmiths===
 
The Redsmiths are another of the mountain clans.{{ref|twoiaf| The Vale}}
 
 
 
===Sons of the Mist===
 
[[File:Sons of the Mist.jpg|thumb|right|The Sons of the Mist<br>© Fantasy Flight Games]]
 
The Sons of the Mist are another of the mountain clans.
 
 
 
===Sons of the Tree===
 
The Sons of the Mist are another of the mountain clans.{{ref|twoiaf| The Vale}}
 
 
 
===Stone Crows===
 
The [[Stone Crows]] are led by [[Shagga]], and presumably by [[Dolf]] before him.
 
 
 
A group of Stone Crows led by Shagga encounter [[Tyrion Lannister]] and [[Bronn]] in the [[Mountains of the Moon]] after they are leave the Eyrie. They threaten to kill Tyrion and Bronn, but Tyrion manages to win them over by promising them weapons, armor and glory, in return for their help. [[Gunthor]] stays behind to raise the other clans when the Stone Crows accompany Tyrion.{{Ref|aGoT|42}} They fight in the [[Battle of the Green Fork]] under Tyrion.
 
 
 
The group continues with Tyrion to [[King's Landing]] and takes part in the city's defense during the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], where Tyrion sends them into the [[kingswood]] to harass and harry [[Stannis Baratheon]]'s army as it approaches the city. They are so effective at killing Stannis's scouts and outriders that he remains blind to the [[Lannister]]-[[Tyrell]] force that comes upon him from the kingswood.{{Ref|aCoK|49}} After the [[Battle of the Blackwater]], Shagga and his clansmen remain in the kingswood.{{Ref|aSoS|4}}
 
  
 
==Quotes==
 
==Quotes==
{{Quote|The mountain clans were lawless brigands, descending from the heights to rob and kill and melting away like snow whenever the [[knight]]s rode out from the [[Vale]] in search of them.{{ref|AGOT|28}}}} - thoughts of [[Catelyn Tully]]
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{{Quote|The mountain clans were lawless brigands, descending from the heights to rob and kill and melting away like snow whenever the [[knight]]s rode out from the [[Vale of Arryn|Vale]] in search of them.{{ref|AGOT|28}}}} - thoughts of [[Catelyn Stark]]
  
  

Revision as of 18:01, 15 December 2015

Bronn, Tyrion Lannister, and his clansmen - by Sir Heartsalot©

The mountain clans are a culture, divided into clans of varying size and strength, who live in the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon, in the Vale of Arryn. Descendents of the First Men,[1] they are considered primitive by the Andals of the Vale. The Vale's clans are sometimes called wildlings,[2][3] like the free folk who live beyond the Wall. They should not be confused with the northern mountain clans, who are more respected and sometimes considered petty lords.[4]

Culture

The Mountains of the Moon are home to a population of people who have rejected the authority of the Eyrie and are independent from the rest of the Seven Kingdoms and its feudal society. They believe that every person's voice, regardless of gender, should be heard during councils.[5] Some clans share close bonds. Conflicts between the clans are often resolved by payment of blood money and clansmen are quick to settle personal grievances through violence.

They are a poor people with poor quality of weapons and armor. They subsist by raiding local villages, small groups of travelers and will attack even the Lord of the Eyrie if he is not properly protected. They take all weapons, grain, and armor they can find, as well as all women, whether they are wedded or not. Some women participate in raids. However, it has been hundreds of years since the clansmen have threatened the Vale with anything more serious than raids.[5]

The clansmen ride small horses that are suited to the narrow mountain paths.[6]

Known Clans

Archmaester Arnel listed the most notorious mountain clans in his work Mountain and Vale. These include:[7]

There are also smaller clans, but they are often assimilated into larger clans or destroyed by knights of the Vale.[7]

History

During the Andal invasion of Westeros, Andals from Essos conquered the Vale of Arryn from the First Men. Some First Men submitted to and intermarried with Andals in the aftermath of the Battle of Seven Stars, but others refused to kneel. The First Men who fled from the fertile Vale proper into the Mountains of the Moon are the ancestors of the modern clansmen.[7]

There is fierce enmity between the mountain clans and the knights of the Vale,[8] and the clans do not trust the lowland lords.[5]

By the beginning of A Game of Thrones, there are at least three thousand warriors among the clans, but they have not been considered a significant threat for centuries.[6]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The clans have become more active since the death of Lord of the Eyrie, Jon Arryn.[6]

While returning from King's Landing, Catelyn Stark considers visiting her sister Lysa at the Eyrie, but decides the passes through the Mountains of the Moon are too dangerous.[9] After seizing Tyrion Lannister in the inn at the crossroads, Catelyn decides to bring him east to the Eyrie rather than north to Winterfell. Their party is attacked by clansmen along the high road[10] before they reach the Bloody Gate.[6]

After Tyrion wins his trial by combat at the Eyrie through his proxy, Bronn, Lysa has them leave the Vale through the dangerous high road. Tyrion and Bronn encounter clansmen during their journey, however. In return for promising them the Vale, Tyrion enlists them to fight for House Lannister.[8] The clansmen fight alongside Tyrion in the Lannister vanguard during the battle on the Green Fork.[2]

A Clash of Kings

Serving as the acting Hand of the King, Tyrion brings the clansmen to King's Landing, where they reside in barracks below the Tower of the Hand.[11] Without the benefit of Lannister men, Tyrion uses the clansmen as his guards and soldiers. Prior to the Battle of the Blackwater, he sends them into the kingswood to disrupt the army of Stannis Baratheon.[12]

A Storm of Swords

After the Blackwater, red cloaks and Kingslanders prevents the clansmen from returning to the capital. Some return to the the mountains, while others remain in the kingswood.[13]

Arya Stark and Sandor Clegane learn that the mountain clans in the Vale are bolder as of late and are carrying steel.[14]

Quotes

The mountain clans were lawless brigands, descending from the heights to rob and kill and melting away like snow whenever the knights rode out from the Vale in search of them.[9]

- thoughts of Catelyn Stark


He had more faith in their iron loyalties and sense of honor than in the greed of sellswords.[3]

- thoughts of Tyrion Lannister

References and Notes