Editing House Casterly (section)

===Origin===
[[File:Ted Nasmith A Song of Ice and Fire Casterly Rock.jpeg|thumb|350px|[[Casterly Rock]], by Ted Nasmith]]
According to legend, the founder of House Casterly was the huntsman [[Corlos]], son of [[Caster]], who lived in a village near where [[Lannisport]] eventually sprang up. When a [[lion]] began preying upon the village's sheep, Corlos tracked him back to his den, a cave in the base of the [[Casterly Rock|nearby mountain]]. Armed only with a spear, Corlos slew the lion and his mate, but spared her newborn cubs. This act of mercy pleased the [[old gods]], who took favor on Corlos and sent a shaft of sunlight deep into the cave, which shone upon a huge vein of [[gold]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}}

Whether or not the legend is true, Corlos or some other progenitor of House Casterly began to mine the gold within the Rock. To defend his treasure, he moved inside the cave and fortified the entrance. As time passed, the Casterlys delved deeper into the earth, creating halls, galleries, stairways, and tunnels, into what became known as Casterly Rock. Although they never ruled as [[king]]s, the Casterlys became the most powerful house of the [[westerlands]] and the richest lords in all of [[Westeros]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Westerlands}}