Andalos

Andalos is the ancient homeland of the Andals, a region in western Essos lying between Pentos and the Rhoyne. It is a land of flat fields, rolling hills, and scattered ruins, traversed by the old Valyrian road that runs eastward from Pentos toward the river. The region is divided into the Flatlands, which border Pentos, and the Velvet Hills farther east, where the road begins its climb toward Ghoyan Drohe on the Little Rhoyne.

Geography and History

Andalos comprises the southern marches of the ancient realm of Hugor of the Hill, the legendary first king of the Andals. The Faith of the Seven teaches that the gods themselves once walked these hills in human form. According to the sacred text The Seven-Pointed Star, the Father reached into the heavens and pulled down seven stars, setting them one by one on Hugor's brow to make a glowing crown. The Maid brought him a bride as supple as a willow, and the Mother made her fertile, while the Warrior gave strength to their arms and the Smith wrought suits of iron plates. The Andals learned the art of working iron from the Rhoynar who dwelt along the river, though the septons of Westeros do not acknowledge this debt.

The Land and Its People

The Flatlands are farmlands, orchards, and mines, owned in part by wealthy Pentoshi merchants such as Illyrio Mopatis, who seldom visits them. The region is sparsely populated with tillers and toilers bound to the land, and there are no towns between Pentos and the Rhoyne, only ruins. The Dothraki occasionally ride this way when some khal takes it into his head to gaze upon the sea, and they are not fond of towns. It is cheaper to buy off such foes with food and gifts than to fight them, as the Pentoshi have learned.

Narrative Significance

Tyrion Lannister passes through Andalos during his journey eastward with Illyrio Mopatis. He recites passages from The Seven-Pointed Star about Hugor of the Hill, recalling his boyhood study of the holy books when he hoped to become High Septon. Illyrio corrects him on the origin of ironworking, noting that the Andals learned it from the Rhoynar. The journey through this ancient land, with its standing stones said to have been raised by giants and a deep lake where robbers are said to dwell beneath the water, reinforces the sense of traveling backward through history, toward the days when dragons ruled the earth.