House Lannister

House Lannister of Casterly Rocks are the lords of the Westerlands, holding the title since the last Lannister King of the Rock, Loren I, was crushed by the Targaryens at the Field of Fire and bent the knee to the conquerors. Though they supported the Greens during the Dance the Lannisters were allowed to maintain their seat and titles albeit at a heavy cost of men and resources during the war.

Appearance and Traits
The Lannisters have traditionally been known for their emerald green eyes, fair skin, and blonde hair; traits which have been maintained by generations of Rock kings and lords.

Though not characteristic of all Lannisters long standing tales of Lannister greed, cleverness, and dishonor have arisen originating from the tale of Lann the Clever scamming the Casterlys out of the Rock.

Origins and Myths
House Lannister's origins are shrouded in myth with the Lannisters themselves claiming decent from Lann the Clever, with legend stating that Lann outsmarted the Casterlys and gained their seat right from under them. Nearby a cousin branch of Lannisters developed in the seaside village of Lannisport which would later develop to be the greatest city of the West.

Sometime later in their history Loren I Lannister would be crowned as the first King of the West after vassalizing houses Reyne and Banefort.

Andal Invasion
Like many First Men houses the Lannisters felt the brunt of the Andal Invasion but shrewdly found a peaceful solution for managing the invaders. The policy of Kings Tyrion III and Gerold called for numerous marrages between the coming Andal Houses and the original First Men Houses in the West as well as fostering numerous Andal wards within the Rock itself allowing for a peaceful integration of the two cultures. This intergration reached its climax when the Andal, Ser Joffrey Lydden took the Lannister name his Lannister wife and was crowned the new King of Rock after Gerold III died without a male heir.

Andal Kings and the Conquest
The Westerlands progressively expanded over the next decades absorbing Fair Isle and the Golden Tooth in successive generations of kings. Notably the Westerlands sacked the Iron Islands after the murder of the Dowager Queen of House Hoare, Lelia Lannister, was allowed to be mutilated by the Drowned Priest known as "the Shrike." The war was devastating enough that the islands were impoverished by the end.

The ancient blade of House Lannister, Brightroar, was lost after Tommen II was lost on an expedition to Valyria. Though multiple attempts were made to recover the blade or purchase a new one since the ill fated expedition House Lannister has remained without a Valyrian Steel blade to call their own.

The last King of the Rock was forced to bend the knee during the Conquest where the combined might of three dragons burnt the armies of West and Reach to a crisp at what history would call the "Field of Fire." Seeing their cause as hopeless, Loren I Lannister summited to the Targaryens in exchange for his life and lands managing to maintain the Lannisters grip on the West even at the cost of their crown.

The Dance and Modern Day
The Lannisters supported the cause of the Green during the Dance of the Dragon eventually submitting to Queen Rhaenyra when the cause proved hopeless. Since then the Westerlands has involved itself in numerous other conflicts notably intervening on the side of the Dornish during the Wine Wars to secure western naval dominance. Their attempts to claim Old Oak, however, proved to be a total political failure despite military success King Maelor intervened in favor of the status quo, forcing the Lannisters to surrender their claim even as they held the castle.