#in this house we believe in crow puppet supremacy

[kuroarimiyazaki]

Working on some personal art stuff at the moment but have a little karasu in the meantime

[beyondmistland]

Westerosi Worldbuilding Wednesday: Hidden History of the Crownlands: Lost Lore (Part II)

 Letter #31: The history of Crackclaw Point can be traced back to the Age of Heroes and more specifically, House Claw, which ruled the peninsula for millennia.

 Letter #32: The supposed founder of House Claw was an adventurer named Rupert who slew an army of Squishers singlehandedly before going on to castrate the cruel Crab King for stealing his lucky fishhook.

 Letter #33: In the aftermath of this triumph Rupert threw his foe's bloody testicles into the sea, wherein they gave birth to a beautiful woman he took for his wife. Alas, none of their children survived the rigors of childbirth and so a most unorthodox solution was proposed.

 Letter #34: Mixing clumps of dirt with his blood and seed, Rupert's wife then used magic to give him seven children, from whose wombs and loins the noble houses of Crackclaw Point claim descent.

 Letter #35: However, given that these seven were all conceived and born at the same time they could not agree on anything, least of all precedence. Indeed, so tiring did Rupert find his children's quarrelling that he is said to have cursed them never to know peace until his "one true heir" took up both his name as well as his crown. When his children then asked him who was meant by this Rupert said simply "the strongest" and so when he died civil war broke out.

 Letter #36: If the singers are to be believed the conflict lasted over a thousand years before someone finally emerged victorious.

 Letter #37: That someone being none other than the least of Rupert's children, who was crowned at Claw Keep as Mortimer (I) Seabane, King of Claw Point and Protector of Men. (As an aside I should mention that Claw Keep was built near the tip of the peninsula.)

 Letter #38: Mortimer I spent most of his reign riding from one end of his realm to the other on a never-ending royal progress when not at war with the Squishers. His son and grandson (Rupert II, Bennard I) did the same.

 Letter #39: Bennard I's great-grandson, Bennard (II) Bronzeclaw, on the other hand, took Crow Isle from House Darklyn and renamed it Claw Isle only for his descendants to later lose it.

 Letter #40: So stinging was the loss though that no less than five Kings of Claw Point died trying to take it back.

 Letter #41: As a result of this and other failures House Claw became insular for a time, focusing its energies on improving the conditions of its realm.

 Letter #42: Thus, we have Mortimer (V) the Huntsman, who sponsored over a hundred hunts and melees Bennard (VI) the Quarrelsome, who created the first code of law for Claw Point (though neither he nor his successors ever bothered to put it to paper) Clement IV, who introduced new taxes and lowered preexisting ones Rupert (VIII) the Rascal, who built the peninsula's first pair of roads Clarence IX, who expanded Claw Keep to twice its original size Clarence X, who built a new curtain wall around Claw Keep Oswyn (I) the Bald, who built a moat around Claw Keep Tom (X) the Tiny, who patronized the arts Brynden I, during whose reign a town sprang up around Claw Keep Humfrey II, who gave the aforementioned town a city charter, making it the only one of its kind in the Crownlands prior to the construction of King's Landing Rupert (X) the Jolly, who celebrated his nameday by pardoning all subjects of the crown Brynden IV, who established a small council at Claw Port Roger I, who assembled a merchant fleet Bennard VIII, who founded the Order of the Claw Humfrey (III) the Blind, who extended membership to all houses in his realm Roger V, who built a school at Claw Port (for then as now the people mistrusted outsiders) Oswyn III, who built a great library at Claw Port Clement V, who built Claw Castle for his heir Mortimer VI, who sponsored quests to find the petrified grave of the Crab King, and lastly Oswyn IV, who sponsored the restoration of a dozen watchtowers.

 Letter #43: This is not to say that House Claw's supremacy was never challenged given that more than once it had no choice but to make war upon its own subjects in the name of peace and unity. (To be fair some kings and queens were more successful than others when it came to this.)

 Letter #44: When the Andals came six kings known as the Red Claws ensured they met a suitably bloody end though later peace and intermarriage with the fair-haired invaders would be encouraged.

 Letter #45: Some notable kings and queens from this later period are Tom (XII) Thunderclaw, who slew three kings from Maidenpool and two from Duskendale Brynden (IX) the Butcher, who cooked criminals in meat pots and then feed them to those he captured in battle Jon (I) the Fiddler, who set his fractious people against each other Jon (IV) Ironclaw, who renounced the Old Gods after the Seven answered his prayer for victory over an alliance between Duskendale and Maidenpool Humfrey (V) the Holy, who built Claw Point's first seven septs Jeyne (II) Roseclaw, who spent all her reign riding from one battle to another Jeyne (IV) the Sailor, who visited all the Free Cities and retook Claw Isle from House Darklyn only for her son, Mortimer (XI) the Maiden, to lose it again once he grew feeble Jon V, who was the first King of Claw Point to be knighted in his lifetime Rupert XXII, who warred with the Eyrie for control of the Thinning Sea but never succeeded Jon (VIII) the Gaunt, who gave alms to the poor so much that he died for want of food Tom (XIV) the Hairy, who was a puppet of the Tyroshi sellswords hired by his Essosi wife Rupert (XXIII) the Shadow, who failed to keep the peace once his wife died Jeyne (V) the Worm, who was said to be a mad sorceress of terrible power Humfrey (VI) the Lad, whose regents plotted against each other even as the realm burned around them Bennard (X) the Knave, who loved to play tricks on his people as much as he loved raising taxes Jeyne (VIII) the Winemaker, who at the time of her death was so fat she couldn't get out of her own bed Clarence (XXI) the Quiet, who spoke only in riddles Jeyne X, who was both a queen and a Septa Meredyth II, who was crowned in fetters Meredyth (IV) the Black, who always dressed in mourning colors due to the dismal condition of Claw Point at the time of her ascension Mortimer XXV, who was impaled on the horns of a stag when he was thrown by his horse during a hunt   Rupert (XXV) the Sneak, who was said to be so shy he used magic to make himself invisible Bennard XIV, who stole the throne from his mother, Jeyne XI, after winning a Trial by Seven Humfrey IX, who fell into a deep sleep from which he never awoke, and lastly, Jon (X) the Toymaker, who was the most beloved of the Claw kings.

Letter #46: In such a manner did that royal line endure generation after generation, through times of war and times of peace...Until the Valyrians came to "crack" House Claw's grip upon the peninsula for good and all, ushering in an age of anarchy that would last until the coming of Visenya Targaryen. (In the time between the fall of House Claw and Aegon's Conquest a fair few would restore peace to the peninsula but these successes never survived them.)

As always, share, comment, and critique.