CHAPTER 1: A WESTEROS PRIMER

Of Knights death comes too quickly for many. Status in society dictates that a matter of
birth can open a world of opportunities—or seemingly deny them forever.

& Knaves
The previous section should give you a good high-level view of the Seven
Kingdoms of Westeros, as well as a taste of the flavor of A Song of Ice and
Fire (ASIF). More of the world will be expanded in the Campaign Guide.
This section details a few of the specifics as to what you’ll find when ad-
venturing here, and how ASIF differs from other fantasy worlds.
The stories of Westeros are about knights—heroes of legend, and vil-
lains of infamy, knights both false and true. They are the sworn swords
of their noble lords and are often the children of nobility. They may
defend the smallfolk, or they may rape, pillage, and turn the countryside
to ruin. Of course, many warriors are not knights at all—Lord Eddard
Stark and his sons, Robb and Jon; the Dothraki horselord Khal Drogo;
Syrio Forel of Braavos—but the conceits of honor, chivalry, and military
prowess, or their lack thereof, run strong.
And other themes run strong in ASIF, as well. Realism is a good example
since the world turns whether one is at the center of things or not, and
Legitimacy of children and the lines of succession and inheritance are of
high import, as is a rich mythology and history, which is starting to become
ever more real as the fantastic elements slowly surface from days of old.
ASIF is all about the knights—and the dragons.
Customs & Laws
The most recent age of the Seven Kingdoms can be traced back to Aegon
the Conqueror and spans 300 years, but the history of many castles and
families in Westeros goes back thousands of years. The following is a list
of some of today’s most prevalent key customs and laws of Westeros:
BB Authority runs from the king, who is believed to be empowered by
the gods, whether old or new.
BB Nobility have more rights and responsibilities than the smallfolk.
Nobility are born to their status.
BB Higher-ranked individuals have more rights and powers than those
of lower status.

Beyond the city walls, a hundred pavilions had been raised beside the river, and the common folk came out in
the thousands to watch the games. T he splendor of it all took Sansa’s breath away; the shining armor, the great
chargers caparisoned in silver and gold, the shouts of the crowd, the banners snapping in the wind… the knights
themselves, the knights most of all…
—A Game of Thron es

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CHAPTER 1: A WESTEROS PRIMER
BB Men have more rights than women (except in Dorne, where age is
the determining factor, not sex).
BB The children of nobility inherit the same rights as their parents,
unless they are born out of wedlock.
BB Inheritance law is a key issue among the nobility. First-born sons are
the legitimate heirs, followed by their brothers. Sisters—no matter
their rank in birth order—only inherit if no sons exist to do so.
BB Bastards (natural sons and daughters) may be acknowledged by
their parents, and they may even be given rights of inheritance in
unusual situations, but normally they lose out to legitimate siblings
in all cases.
BB The lord of a region is the chief authority and can administer the
king’s justice. It is a lord’s duty to keep the peace, hear petitions,
and mete out justice and punishments, all in the name of his lord
and, ultimately, in the name of the king.
BB Punishments for criminals can include maiming, death, and strip-
ping of lands, wealth, and titles; an alternate punishment is to
be forced to “take the black” on the Wall. By joining the Night’s
Watch, all crimes and sins are forgiven, but one must give up all
lands and rights (including the right to wed) and be forever sworn
to the Brotherhood of the Night’s Watch. Women are not allowed
to take the black.
BB Lords have the right of “pit and gallows,” which means they have
the king’s authority to imprison subjects or have them executed if
the crime warrants it.
BB In the tradition of the First Men, the man who passes the sentence
should look into the subject’s eyes and hear his final words, and he
should be the one to swing the sword. The people of the North still
cling to this belief, but in the south, lords often keep a headsman,
like the King’s Justice.
BB Landed knights may also carry out justice, but they do not have the
right of “pit and gallows.” They cannot, therefore, execute someone
or imprison someone on their own initiative.
BB A thief may lose a hand, a rapist may be castrated, and floggings are
doled out for many minor offenses.
BB Most executions are done by the gallows or the headsman’s axe or
sword, but cruel lords may use the “crow cage,” a wrought iron cage
barely big enough for a man, in which the victim is imprisoned
without food or water until death. Its name comes from the throng
of crows who often descend upon the poor soul, pecking at his or
her flesh through the bars.
BB The king can pardon any criminal, as King Robert did to many who
stayed loyal to the Targaryens during the war.
BB A lord who is accused of a crime may request a trial by combat (of
which there are several variations over the ages) or trial by lord, in
which several other lords listen to the facts and pronounce judg-
ment upon him.
BB Another tradition of the First Men still held throughout Westeros
to this day is that of the “guest right.” Any visitor who eats at his
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or her host’s board is protected from harm for the duration of the
stay. By custom, a guest may request bread and salt, and any visitor
who does not trust his or her host may request such immediately
upon arrival. It is said that those who betray this pact are cursed
by the gods.
BB The age of majority is 16, before that, a youth may be “almost a man
grown.” A girl’s first menstruation (getting her moonblood)—often
at a younger age for noble girls—is also an important milestone.
BB Marriage vows are normally not said until adulthood, though there
is no law prohibiting it. Nobles often betroth children at a very
early age, and sometimes it is politically crucial to marry children
younger than 16, such as when an inheritance is at risk. Regardless,
no one would bed a girl before her first moonblood; to do so is seen
as perverse and profane.
BB Those who follow the Seven are wed by a septon, while those who
follow the old gods may say their vows before a weirwood.
BB No one can be forced to marry if they refuse to say the vows, though
familial pressures, and even threats of force, are not unheard of.
BB Marriage contracts can be broken, especially if the marriage has
not been consummated.
BB Family allegiances are often made by fostering sons of another lord
from the age of 8 or 9 until they reach the age of majority. These
lads serve as pages and squires, and they will often become fast
friends with the family they serve.
BB Wards are similar to fostered boys, but in this case the youths are
kept as political hostages. While they may be treated well, a shadow
of the true meaning of their extended stay always remains.
BB Bastards, or natural children, are often looked down upon with
suspicion and distrust. Born of “lust and lies,” a common belief is
that they will grow up to do no good. Each region has a distinctive
surname for noble bastards:
Dorne: Sand The Reach: Flowers
The Iron Islands: Pyke The Riverlands: Rivers
King’s Landing
The Vale of Arryn: Stone
(and Dragonstone): Waters
The North: Snow The Westerlands: Hill
The Stormlands: Storm
Technology
The technology of Westeros appears to have been relatively static for
the last several hundred years. Clearly, magic existed in an early era
and was a powerful force—it shaped the Freehold of Valyria and was
presumably instrumental in the creation of some of the greatest struc-
tures and architectural landmarks, which have withstood for thou-
sands of years.
In general, Westeros can be seen as a medieval world, somewhat
similar to medieval Europe of the 13th through 15th centuries, though
without any evidence of gunpowder.
 CHAPTER 1: A WESTEROS PRIMER

The State of the Art

Some of the more common objects and devices that may be found as
part of civilization in Westeros include the following:

BB Glass of varying qualities, from leaded glass, to colored glass, to

crafted lenses fashioned into telescopes (or “far-eyes”).

BB Mirrors crafted from beaten silver.

BB Maps of the stars and planets.

BB Clothing is made of fabrics such as cotton, linen, wool, and silk;

elaborate dresses with lace and fine gemstone ornaments are com-
mon for noble ladies.

BB Dyes of many colors; metal can even be colored.

BB Two-masted galleys, equipped with up to 60 oars, and four-decked

warships of 400 oars.

BB Iron braziers to burn coal.

BB Oil lanterns exist and are used frequently.

BB Chains forged from bronze, copper, lead, iron, steel, tin, brass, plat-
inum, and gold.

BB Siege weapons, including catapults, trebuchets, mangonels, spit-

fires, and scorpions. Some are mounted on warships, and some are
too massive to ever move.

BB Fine plate armor, which is often crafted into fantastic helms and
heraldic devices.
BB Longbows and heavy crossbows are both common.
BB Riders may use spurs and stirrups for their mounts, both of which
are crucial for knights. Similarly, it is assumed knights use arched
saddles, allowing them to wield lances underarm and charge at
full gallop.
BB The wildlings of the North and the clansmen of the Mountains of
the Moon have little technology; most of their tools are scavenged
or crudely built.
BB The realms to the east may have wondrous devices and strange ad-
vances, though barbaric tribes like the Dothraki have little use for
scholarly pursuits.
BB Ravens are trained to carry messages and are used to communicate
across the breadth of Westeros.
Faith & Religion
Most people in Westeros believe in the gods in some form, though there
are several different embraced religions. Belief and superstition color
the daily lives of lords and smallfolk alike and tie heavily into their cus-
toms and traditions. Children are raised on fables and stories of snarks
and grumkins and more fearsome monsters, such as the Others who’ll
take them away if they are bad. While most outgrow these wet nurse
stories, the histories remind us that dragons flew not that long ago—
what might truly live in the wild places?
The Seven
The most prevalent religion is the Andal belief in the Seven. The Seven
are considered the new gods, even though the Faith was brought to
Westeros 6,000 years ago. The Seven depict seven different facets of the
creator, though most smallfolk think of them as seven different gods
and leave theological philosophizing to the septons.
The different aspects of the Seven are the Father, the Mother, the
Warrior, the Smith, the Crone, the Maid, and the Stranger. Followers of
the Seven normally pray to one of the first six aspects—few pray to the
Stranger, for he or she is the face of death and is, thus, feared.
The Father, or the Father Above, is called upon for wisdom in judg-
ment, and he is also asked to judge the dead fairly. He is depicted as a
bearded man and may or not be crowned, and he often carries scales.
The Mother, or the Mother Above, is the guardian of mothers,
children, and innocents alike. She is also called upon to bless pregnant
women and ensure the health of their unborn children. She is often
shown to be smiling and embodies the concept of mercy.
The Warrior carries a sword and is the god of knights and soldiers.
The faithful will pray that he guides their swords and lends strength to
their shields.
The Smith normally carries a hammer and is the god of creation and
healing, and he is a protector of the crippled. The faithful may ask him
to help fix something that is broken, guard a ship from the storm, or
even lend his strength to their arms and armor before a battle.
The wizened Crone carries a lantern to light the dark paths, and she
is the goddess of wisdom and the face of fate. The faithful say she let the
first raven into the world when she peered through the door of death.

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CHAPTER 1: A WESTEROS PRIMER
The beautiful Maid (or Maiden) is the protector of girls, young
women, and lovers. She is the goddess of innocence and chastity. Young
girls may pray to her for the courage to face the hardships of life and the
challenges of growing up.
The Stranger is the face of death. This god is seen as both male and
female—sometimes neither. Some idols depict the Stranger as human,
while others show him or her to be half-animal. The Stranger leads the
newly dead from this world to the next and acts as judge, determining
whether one’s spirit will be rewarded or punished in the seven hells.
The men and women who study and preach the Faith as their calling
are known as godsworn—septons, if men, and septas, if women. The
godsworn give up any family names when they take their vows to prove
that they are equal under the eyes of the gods. The Faith is led by the
Great Septon, from the Great Sept of Baelor in King’s Landing. He
gives up both his family name and any given names when he is chosen,
symbolizing his devotion to the gods. This practice does lead to confu-
sion when trying to distinguish between Great Septons, so one might
say “the fat one” or “the one before the fat one” to be clear.
Beneath the Great Septon are the Most Devoted, who are tremen-
dously influential in the religious—and political—life of the lords and
ladies of Westeros. Septons and septas take vows, tend to be literate
and learned, and often teach the children of the lords of Westeros.
Godsworn are typically dedicated to all seven aspects of god, and as
the aspects are split evenly between male and female (with the Strang-
er as both, or neither), septas tend to be seen as equal to septons in
the Faith.
Some orders of the Faith dedicate themselves to a particular aspect,
such as the Smith or the Warrior. Additionally, begging brothers are
garbed in rough brown robes and carry the word of the Faith to the
smallest villages and hamlets. Though poor (they beg for alms) and
rarely educated, they have often learned prayers by rote. The Silent Sis-
ters also play a part; garbed all in grey and under a vow of silence, they
dedicate themselves to the Stranger. They veil their faces save for their
eyes, for it is a curse to look upon the face of the dead. Their role is to
prepare men for the grave.
The faithful pray in septs or septries (monasteries), which are sev-
en-sided and decorated with prisms—seven-faced crystals—or seven-
pointed stars. Godsworn will often carry a crystal prism with them to
use in ceremonies, and their religious text is called The Seven-Pointed
Star.
In the time before Aegon the Conqueror, the Faith had much more
power, for there were seven kings but only one Great Septon. The Tar-
garyens did much to break the power of the Faith, though it still retains
significant power (or at least the potential for power) today. Although
the Faith is not a legal authority, it carries tremendous weight as a moral
authority. Those who break the guest right, those who would slay their
kin, and those who would commit incest are all accursed in the eyes of
the Seven. The Targaryens, however, claimed they were above the gods
and did as they pleased.
The Old Gods
The old gods were originally the gods of the children of the forest,
though the First Men eventually adopted them when they finally made
their peace with the children. The old gods are the gods of the forests,
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rivers, and stones and are represented by the weirwoods—trees with
bark as white as bone and dark red leaves that look like a thousand
bloodstained hands. The children carved faces into many of the weir-
woods, and those trees are often known as heart trees. The sap of these
trees is also red, and it paints the carved faces crimson.
Before the peace was made, the First Men feared the weirwoods with
their faces and chopped down many of them, afraid the children’s wise
men—the greenseers—could spy through them. Later, when the An-
dals arrived, they also chopped down or burned the weirwoods they
discovered.
Today, the old gods are still worshipped in the North, as well as in
other pockets where the blood of the First Men still runs strong. How-
ever, weirwoods are basically unknown outside of the North, where
every castle still maintains a godswood with a weirwood as its heart
tree. Although castles in the south may keep a godswood, few lords still
believe in the old gods. The heart trees there are of a more common
variety and uncarved.
Those who still believe in the old gods say their vows before the heart
tree—sworn vows, marriages, and prayers are all made before these an-
cient trees.
Other Religions
The ironborn of the Iron Islands still believe in the Drowned God, who
dwells in his watery hall, and they follow his Old Ways. They also be-
lieve in the Storm God, ancient enemy and nemesis of the Drowned
God. The Drowned God is the god of the waters and the raiders who
sail upon it.
When the Rhoynar came to Dorne, some did not abandon their old
religion. The Orphans of the Greenblood, who sail down that river in
their brightly painted barges, pray to Mother Rhoyne and the old gods
of the Rhoynar, including the Old Man of the River, which is depicted
as a huge turtle.
One of the most prominent religions to the east, followed by a few
in Westeros, is that of R’hllor, the Lord of Light. His followers garb
themselves in red and worship fire and light, invoking its protection
against the terrors of the night.
There are many other exotic gods in the east, though few are known
in Westeros.
Knighthood
The stories are full of shining knights and their tremendous deeds, but
not all knights are true, nor are all knights born of nobility. Many young
boys dream of becoming knights one day, and girls dream of marrying
them. Noble boys may begin training as pages as early as 8 or 9 and then
become squires to knights. They may attain their knighthood as early as
15 or 16. Of course, some men never become knights, and old squires
are not unheard of. Knighthood is a martial position, so men who are
incapable of taking up arms may not be knighted, even if they are the
son of a powerful lord.
Knighthood is also a religious matter; thus, it is only embraced by
those who worship the Seven. Men of the North who follow the old
gods may be excellent fighters in their own right, but they are rarely
knighted. The ceremony traditionally involves keeping vigil through the
 CHAPTER 1: A WESTEROS PRIMER

night in only an undyed woolen shift. At dawn, the man walks barefoot
to where a septon and knight await him. The septon anoints him with
seven holy oils, and the knight touches him upon the shoulders with a
sword while calling on the Seven.
However, knighthood does not actually require such ceremony, for
any knight can anoint another knight, even in the wild. The aspirant
must make his solemn vows, and the knight may grant him his title in
the name of the gods. Nobles, smallfolk, and even bastards may all be-
come knights, though no woman has ever been a knight. Knights gain
the title of “ser” before their given name; one would say Ser Jaime or Ser
Jaime Lannister, but not Ser Lannister.
Calling a knight “ser” is the formal style of address and may be used
even if you don’t know the knight’s name. Knights may choose their
own personal arms that may be distinct from any family arms; however,
only a trueborn son has the right to inherit his father’s arms, otherwise
he must come up with his own device.
Of course, some men claim that they are knights when they were
never knighted. Although it is hard to prove such, they may be punished
for this false claim. On the other hand, mysterious knights who show
up at tourneys with hidden or unknown shields, only to be revealed as
someone famous or important, make for great stories.
Knights may be granted lands and keeps (and are thus known as
landed knights—or if very successful, as greater landed knights). Even
the greatest and richest knights have less legal authority than the small-
est of lords, however. Knights normally swear their service to a particu-
lar lord and do their part to keep his peace and enforce his rule. Those
who have no lord and wander are called hedge knights; they tend to be
poor and serve anyone who will feed and shelter them.
“forges” them to make his maester’s chain, symbolizing his knowledge
and his willingness to serve the realm.
An acolyte with enough links to fashion a collar around his neck,
essentially having finished his subjects, is allowed to say his vows and
become a maester. Once said, his chain is donned and never removed,
though he may continue to add to it as he continues his studies. Most stu-
dents say their vows by 25, though both younger and older maesters are
not uncommon (more the latter, admittedly). Their vows include celibacy,
as well as setting aside their family name, and any lands or wealth.
Maesters are sent as secular advisors to the lords of the Seven King-
doms. Because they are sworn to the Citadel and have given up any
family affiliations, they are expected to be neutral and provide good
advice and counsel wisdom no matter where they are sent. If a lord
is overthrown, the maester is expected to serve his new lord as will-
ingly as his old, and he may only leave his post with his lord’s—or the
Citadel’s—instruction.
Maesters generally provide the most skilled medical treatment avail-
able in Westeros, with a broad knowledge of anatomy, herbs, and proper
care, including treatments like boiling wine to clean wounds and how
to perform proper amputation of gangrenous limbs.
There is some degree of rivalry between the secular maesters and the
religious hierarchies of Westeros, particular the Faith of the Seven. Mae-
sters of the Citadel have a quiet disdain for “superstition,” being men of
learning and reason. This includes religious taboos and, of course, magic.
Thus maesters sometimes come into disagreement with godsworn reli-
gious advisors or other courtiers like soothsayers or mystics.
Maesters may be cast out of the order for oathbreaking or for the
pursuit of forbidden sciences and arts, such as necromancy.

Maesters of the Citadel

The maesters of the Citadel of Oldtown are scholars, wise men, ambas-
sadors, and councilors. The Citadel is the highest center of learning in
Westeros, and it is famed throughout the world. It is the only formal
school of its kind and is the home of the maesters. Not everyone who
studies at the Citadel must become a maester. Some simply attend to
better their education and have no aspirations to serve as a maester. The
Citadel will accept anyone, regardless of social class, though it does not
accept women.
The Citadel is run by the archmaesters, who meet regularly in a Con-
clave to discuss matters pertinent to the realm. The archmaesters an-
nounce when the seasons are turning and choose the Grand Maester
who sits on the king’s small council. Their decisions are supposedly ob-
jective, but politics and personal agendas can obviously influence them.
Students who wish to become maesters study various subjects—the
Citadel has teachers for numerous topics, including accounting, anat-
omy, architecture, astronomy, dragonlore, forensics, healing, herblore,
higher mysteries, history, mathematics, navigation, raven lore and train-
ing, warcraft, and so forth. When a student believes he has mastered a
subject, he is tested by the archmaester of that field. If he proves himself,
he earns a link in his chain; each link is a particular metal that represents
that subject, so a student who proves himself at sums and numbers will
earn a gold link, while proving he knows his ravenry will earn him black
iron. A student with no links is a novice. A novice who acquires his first
link becomes an acolyte. As the acolyte earns more links it is said that he

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