Editing World of A Song of Ice and Fire (section)

===The Riverlands===
The Riverlands are the populous and fertile<ref group="S" name="ssm_strength"/> areas surrounding the forks of the river Trident on Westeros. While they form one of the nine regions of Westeros, the Riverlands' central location and geographic features made the region an inter-kingdom battle zone that changed hands rather than becoming its own 'eighth' kingdom of the Seven Kingdoms.<ref group="S" name="ssm_bywater"/> Centrally located between the Westerlands, the Crownlands, the Vale, and the North<ref group="S" name="hbo_viewersguide_map"/> and lacking the natural defenses of other regions,<ref group="S" name="Riverrunvmap"/> they have seen frequent warfare.<ref group="S" name="ssm_bywater"/> The first ruler to unite the Riverlands was Benedict Justman, but the Justman dynasty died out three centuries later. The Durrandons conquered the Riverlands, but lost rule of it to Harwyn "Hardhand" Hoare, King of the Iron Islands. At the time of Aegon's conquest, the Riverlands were ruled by Harwyn's grandson, Harren the Black, king of the Iron Islands, and the Tullys were local nobles who rebelled against him by joining Aegon the Conqueror.<ref group="S" name="Tullyvguide"/> As with Westerosi customs to give bastards a surname showing their origins,{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Catelyn VI, p. 369}} illegitimate children born in the Riverlands are given the surname Rivers.{{sfn|''A Game of Thrones''|loc=Catelyn IX, p. 649}}

====Harrenhal====
Harrenhal is an enormous ruined castle and is the site of many important events in the novels. Harrenhal was built by Harren the Black,<ref group=S name=Harrenhalvmap/> after his conquest of the Riverlands, intending to make it the largest fortification ever built in Westeros. The castle has been described as so large that an entire army was needed to garrison it. The Great Hall had 35 hearths and seated thousands. Shortly after the castle was completed, Aegon the Conqueror's dragon slew Harren, his sons, and his entire army by setting the castle alight.

Since then, the ruins of the castle have been occupied by a variety of houses, all of which eventually became extinct. As a result, the people of Westeros believe the castle is cursed.<ref group=S name=Harrenhalvmap/> The logistical and economic difficulties inherent in keeping such an enormous castle maintained and garrisoned has made it something of a [[white elephant]]. At the start of the War of the Five Kings, the castle is in ruin, with only a fraction of it habitable, and held by Lady Shella Whent, the last of her House, who is stripped of Harrenhal when the Lannisters seize her castle. The castle changes hands repeatedly over the course of the novels, many of those holding it meeting unpleasant ends.

====Riverrun====
Riverrun is the ancestral stronghold of House Tully. The castle is located along one of the "forks" of the Trident and controls access to the interior of Westeros. The castle is bordered on two sides by the Tumblestone River and the Red Fork. The third side fronts on a massive manmade ditch. It was built by Ser Axel Tully on land he received from the Andal King Armistead Vance.

The castle is the location of [[Robb Stark]]'s great victory over [[House Lannister]] and the site of his crowning. By the end of ''[[A Feast for Crows]]'', [[Brynden Tully]] surrenders the castle to Jaime Lannister to spare further bloodshed. Riverrun then passed into the hands of Emmon Frey, an ally of House Lannister.

====The Twins====
The Twins is a large double castle straddling the Green Fork river; the two halves of the castle are connected by a bridge that is the only crossing of the river for hundreds of miles.  The Twins is the seat of [[House Frey]], which has grown wealthy by charging a toll of all those who cross for the past six centuries. Because the Freys are both wealthy and numerous, theirs is one of the most powerful houses sworn to [[House Tully]]. The castle's strategic position gives House Frey enormous importance in times of war.

When Robb Stark goes to The Twins to repair his alliance with House Frey, the Freys massacre him, his mother, and his army (and in the TV adaptation, his wife): an event known as "[[The Red Wedding]]", which violates native customs of [[hospitality#Celtic cultures|guest right]] and incurs enmity throughout the Seven Kingdoms, especially in the Riverlands and North.