Mander

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Revision as of 10:22, 26 May 2016 by Dancing Maester (talk | contribs) (Geography)
Jump to: navigation, search
The Reach and the location of the Mander
The Reach and the location of the Mander
Mander
The Reach and the location of the Mander
Men of the Mander by artist Tomasz Jedruszek. © Fantasy Flight Games.
A skiff sails the Mander on a sunny day. © FFG
The shores of the Mander. © FFG

The Mander is the largest river in the Reach. Whilst large and powerful, it is a slow-moving river, wide with snags and sandbars to trap the unwary ship.[1][2] Some say the river is named after House Manderly.[3][4]

Geography

See also: Images of the Mander

The Mander has its source in hills near Tumbleton in the northeastern Reach near King's Landing. Flowing southwest past Bitterbridge,[5] it meets the Blueburn near Longtable and then the Cockleswent near Cider Hall. Near Highgarden the Mander meets an as-yet-unnamed river which flows south from Goldengrove. From Highgarden the Mander continues west to a bay of the Sunset Sea near the Shield Islands.[6]

The upper reaches of the Mander are muddy and rough, and only shallow-draughted boats can go as far as Bitterbridge. As they near Highgarden, they settle down and become clear and calm, and are navigable by seagoing vessels.[7][2]

History

According to legend, Garth the Gardener built Highgarden atop a hill along the Mander.[8]

Historically, the ironborn raided up the river Mander all the way to Stonebridge. Garth VII Gardener, a King of the Reach, fortified the Shield Islands, which sit near the mouth of the river, and armed its smallfolk to guard the approaches and warn those further inland of coming attacks.[2][9]

The headwaters of the Mander were conquered by the Storm King Arlan I Durrandon, but they were eventually lost by the descendents of his grandson, Arlan III.[10] A Dornish king once sacked Highgarden after crossing the Mander.[11]

House Manderly once lived at Dunstonbury on the banks of the mighty river Mander, but they were driven away[12][13][4] by Lord Lorimar Peake at the behest of King Perceon III Gardener.[14] Despite being exiled, the Manderlys still claim the title Lord Marshal of the Mander.[13]

After the downfall of House Gardener in the Field of Fire, Aegon I Targaryen granted Highgarden to Harlan Tyrell and named him Lord Paramount of the Mander.[15] After the battle of Stonebridge, the Mander was said to have been red with blood for twenty leagues.[16]

At a crossing of the Mander during the First Blackfyre Rebellion, Ser Quentyn Ball slew all of Lady Penrose's sons except for the youngest, whom he spared as a favor to the lady.[17]

During Robert's Rebellion, the Greyjoys and Shield Islanders fought a battle at the Mander's mouth. Lord Quellon Greyjoy was killed in the fighting.[18]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

The Iron Fleet is victorious in the Battle of the Shield Islands, allowing the ironborn to sail up the Mander and threaten the Reach.[2][19][20]

A Dance with Dragons

Ironborn raiders sail up the Mander deep into the heart of the Reach.[21]

References and Notes