To reach the Eyrie from the west, any invading army must first march along the high road through the Mountains of the Moon. Along the mountain path they are highly likely to be ambushed by savage mountain clans or shadowcats. Next, the enemy must fight their way through the infamous Bloody Gate. They will lose a large portion of their force at this nigh impenetrable battlement that shields the Vale proper.
If they pass the Gate and enter the fertile valley below, they are exposed to the sentries and guardsmen who ceaselessly watch over the land. The guards will quickly send word to the heroic Knights of the Vale or the hardy soldiers of House Royce on the location and strength of the invading foe. If they somehow avoid or vanquish those defenders, they would arrive at the stout Gates of the Moon, the castle which guards the base of the Giant's Lance. Still then, they must travel up the precipitous mountain, defeat the 3 waycastles the protect the pass, ascend to the daunting peak, and only then will they reach their target. To attack the Vale is to march your army into certain ruin. Good luck!
The Story
"The Vale is located on the eastern shore of Westeros, a land of fertile soil, rivers, and lakes, protected by its largely impassable Mountains of the Moon. The Vale tends to be slightly isolated from the rest of Westeros. Its harsh winters make travel only possible through the mountains during warmer years, and rebellious mountain clans make travel even more dangerous. The Vale can be reached through the high road, which connects the Vale and the riverlands, and is protected by the Bloody Gate."
Gameplay & Strategy
In my post for the House Arryn Expansion, I talked about how the geographical features of the Vale are what really inspired me to create the army in the first place. Instead of coming up with various 'What If?' ideas to shoehorn these locations into narrative scenarios, I decided to make a single document that would feature 6 of the most famous locations of the Vale and let any army try their mettle against the various mountains and castles that guard the path to the Eyrie.
While I aim for game balance when creating narrative scenarios, it's also important to stay true to the lore. The Red Wedding custom scenario is more difficult for the Stark player than the Bolton player, which is the central tenet of the event and the only way to accurately depict it. For these 6 scenarios, there is certainly an advantage for the Arryn player because that's the way the Vale was imagined by GRRM. These advantages are represented via castle walls, plateaus closer to the Arryn deployment zone, and certain units being given a small boost in certain locations. If attacking the Vale is proving too difficult, you can mix it up by adding 5-10 extra army points to the attacking force or trying a different army (a Mother of Dragons list would likely do very well against the defensive Arryn units and the terrain wouldn't hinder them too much).
This is a fan-made scenario inspired by CMON Limited’s A Song of Ice & Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game and is in no way associated with CMON.
Below is a preview of this scenario. To see the full document, use this link:
