Longsister

Longsister is one of the three principal islands of the Three Sisters, a cluster of bleak, windswept islands in the Bite off the eastern coast of Westeros. Along with Sweetsister and Littlesister, it is a poor and isolated place, its inhabitants historically reliant on fishing, smuggling, and the treacherous art of wrecking—luring ships onto the rocks with false lights to plunder their cargoes. The island is sworn to House Longthorpe, who holds it in fealty to the Sunderlands of Littlesister, the nominal lords of the entire archipelago. The Sisters have long been a haunt for smugglers and pirates, and their lords have a reputation for pragmatism and self-preservation, bending the knee to whichever power seems most likely to prevail while nursing old grievances against both the north and the Vale.

Geography and Economy

Longsister is a small, rocky island, its landscape dominated by the cold, grey sea and the harsh winds of the Bite. Its main settlement is a modest village, and its economy is meager. The islanders subsist on fishing and a bit of farming, but their most reliable source of income has historically been the sea itself—both its fish and the wrecks of ships dashed against its shores. The lords of the Sisters, including the Longthorpes of Longsister, have a long and infamous tradition of wrecking, using false beacons to draw unsuspecting vessels to their doom on stormy nights. This practice, along with smuggling, has made the islands a den of thieves and outlaws, a reputation they have carried for centuries.

Political Allegiance and History

The Three Sisters were once an independent kingdom, but they were conquered by the northmen two thousand years ago. Afterward, they were forced to bend the knee to the Eyrie to drive the northmen out, leaving them with a deep-seated resentment of both the Starks and the Arryns. The islands are nominally sworn to House Sunderland of Littlesister, who in turn owes fealty to the Arryns of the Vale, but the Eyrie's grasp on the islands is tenuous at best. The lords of the Sisters have a history of choosing the wrong side in rebellions, having been dragged into two of the Blackfyre Rebellions by the Sunderlands, for which they suffered grievously. This history has made them cautious and self-interested, more concerned with survival than with the grand politics of the Seven Kingdoms.

Role in the War of the Five Kings

During the War of the Five Kings, the Sisters remained largely neutral, but their ports and harbors became a haven for spies, smugglers, and refugees. Lord Godric Borrell of Sweetsister, a cousin of the Longthorpes, played a key role in the events of the war when Davos Seaworth, the Hand of King Stannis Baratheon, was shipwrecked on his shores. Godric, a pragmatic and ruthless lord, debated whether to sell Davos to the Lannisters or help him, ultimately choosing to aid him after learning of Tywin Lannister's death and sensing a shift in the political winds. The fate of Longsister and its lord, however, remains tied to the fortunes of the Sunderlands and the outcome of the war, with its people waiting to see which king will ultimately prevail before committing their loyalty.