The Vale

If any region can claim the pure ideals of the Seven, it is the Vale. The Vale boasts a rich and turbulent history where the Old Gods and the Seven hammered away at each other until the Old Gods limped into the mountains, becoming a permanent nuisance in the form of the Mountain Clans. Under the Faith of the Seven, the Vale has become the epitome of knightly virtues; no other region in the known world can vow such fervent loyalty to the Seven.

The population of the Vale is modest, and many of the population eke out their existence as serfs in the fertile mountain valleys. While the sweetness of the fruit of the Vale is legendary, a skilled class of labour quarries the stone and marble that make the castles and palaces of Westeros. These quarries are a key contributor to the economy of the Vale and keep the vaults of the Vale lords and landed knights full of silver.

Militarily, the Vale is one of the strongest nations, primarily due to the strength of their knightly class. This knightly class is constantly at war with the Vale Mountain Clans, keeping them sharp and fit for battle. While they have an elite fighting force capable of rapid conquest, the Vale’s true weakness is that the Vale cannot replenish losses quickly. With the Iron Throne facing rebellion in every direction, it may be time to make a move for independence or wait until everyone else has been bled white and seize the Iron Throne and all of Westeros.

Location

The Vale can be located North-East of the Westerlands, East of the Riverlands, and South-East of the North. The Vale is an extremely mountainous region and is protected by the hulking landmasses that span their entire southern and western border, with few breaks in between. With the mountains protecting the West and South of the Vale, their East and North are protected by the ocean, which means that not only are they naturally defended on all sides, but they also able to turn a good profit off fishing.

Because of the vast mountain ranges that are in the area, the Vale is rather isolated and has been for many years, and because of that they have formed their own unique culture from the rest of Westeros. Several gates guard the passages into the Vale and prevent would-be invaders from getting very far.

Religion

The Vale worship the Seven-Faced God, more commonly referred to as the Faith of the Seven.

Members of the Faith worship the Seven Who Are One, a single deity with seven aspects or faces. For the less educated, however, this concept is often difficult to grasp, causing them to often believe that there are indeed seven different gods. Depending on their need, worshippers pray to specific faces of the Seven

Rulers

Lady Lysa Arryn

Vassals

• Lord Lyonel Corbray

• Lord Triston Sunderland

• Ser Gerold Grafton

• Knight of the Gate Donnel Waynwood

• Lord Benedar Belmore

• Lord Eon Hunter

• Lord Yohn Royce

• Lord Royce Coldwater

• Lady Anya Waynwood

• Lady Horton Redford

• Lord Edmund Waxley

• Lord Jon Lynderly

• Ser Lyn Corbray

• Lady Arwen Upcliff

• Ser Harrold Hardying

• Lord Symond Templeton

• Lord Nestor Royce

• Lord Creighton Elsham

• Lord Alys Hersy

• Ser Damon Shett

• Lord Rolland Melcolm

Fiefs

Towns:

Gulltown, Sisterton

Castles:

Longsister, Witch Isle, Coldwater, Snakewood, Heart’s Home, The Eyrie, Redfort, Bloody Gate, Wickenden, Runestone, Old Anchor, Ironoaks, Longbow Hall, Newkeep, Gates of the Moon, Gull Tower

Villages:

Iron Oak Bay, Chalice, Crab Bay Point, Bay of Crabs, Shett Town, Ironoak Village, Crescent, Quiet Isle, Bloodgate, Village of the Moon, Shady Glen, River’s Edge, Moon Mountain, Littlesister, Sweetsister

Troop Tree

The Vale specialises in heavy cavalry and heavy infantry, with a subpar archer unit. Vale cavalry are extremely powerful, almost as good as heavy cavalry from The Reach. The difference between The Reach and The Vale is that The Vale has a good infantry force as well, making them one of the more powerful factions in Westeros. When fielding an army of Vale units, it is wise to utilise the mixture of heavy cavalry and heavy infantry to the best of your abilities. It would be smart to use your infantry to lure the enemy cavalry into open combat and then send your cavalry around their horsemen to run through their archers and infantry.

Strengths

• House Guard uses great body armour and one of the best head armours in the game.

Weaknesses

• Horses have weak armour until the highest tier.

Unique, Heritage-Based Troops

Vale Knight of the Gate

The player can recruit the following special, elite troops if Vale is chosen as the starting people:

• Vale Knight of the Gate can be recruited from an NPC named Justin Jonsson located in the Eyrie if the starting people are the Vale AND if renown is high enough (at least 1,000 renown). It costs 10,000 stags and 14 days to get 5 Knight of the Gate troops.
• Vale Knight of the Gate is one of the most elite heavy cavalry units in the game. They serve as utterly devastating heavy shock cavalry.

Recruiting Units from The Reach

In order to recruit Vale units from villages you own as an independent kingdom, you will need to select a Vale race on character creation. Vale units can be recruited from villages regardless of player status unless they are hostile to The Vale. Additional ways to recruit Vale units are to rescue them from enemy lords’ parties, find them in taverns, or rescue them from enemy garrisons.

Extra Information

• No army has ever actually marched through The Vale due to their hills and gates.
• The Vale was the only kingdom besides The North to bend the knee to the Targaryens without bloodshed.
• The Vale is a good place to find plate armour in shops, another good place being The Reach.
• If you go into the eerie castle and jump through the moon door, you can survive the fall and explore the unfinished map underneath. There is also a maester down there, oddly enough.