The Epic of Corlos Cragstrider

The Epic of Corlos Cragstrider
What follows is an extremely abridged summary of the 525 page book called The Epic of Corlos Cragstrider. It is a book about the founder of House Westerling, from his birth until his death by old age. This book was abridged for scions of House Westerling, so they don’t have to read through the entire manuscript. Maester Cressen is credited as the author of this book, and he sources up to 50 seperate accounts at the end of the book as references.

The Epic of Corlos Cragstrider - Summary
The story of House Westerling begins with a simple man whose life began rather plainly, Corlos Cragstrider. He was born in a farming family of a village whose name has been lost to time. He was barely educated, knowing only how to read the simplest of words, yet he was smart in terms of common sense and charisma.

He lived a rather normal life for a while, farming, making friends, marrying a pretty farm girl who he loved with all of his heart. Yet, his life changed forever in one seemingly normal afternoon. He was hiking in the mountains around what is now known as The Crag when he came across a cave, he went down it - only going so far as to where the light of the sun showed him the ground - when he came across gold ore. He spent the next months mining the gold himself, swinging a pickaxe given to him  by his neighbor, laboring throughout the day until he collapsed in bed at night, and then did it all again. He abandoned his farm, his wife, his kids, all for the gold. Perhaps, he knew what was to come.

After months - if not more, the exact details were lost to time - of mining, Corlos had finally depleted the vein, yet, he was tired, tired and broken. He needed help to hide the gold until he could use it at a later time. He gathered up 8 men that he knew and employed them to carry the gold and help him bury it, he made them promise to never tell, and that they would get a portion when the time was ripe to unearth the treasure.

For a long time they toiled, at first going out on the beach and digging a hole as deep as they could, enough to hold the vast amount of gold, and even more to spare. It was done during the deepest depth of winter, although the snow and cold didnt make sand as hard as soil. When that was done, they lugged heavy gold up towards it, wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow. They dumped the gold in the pit on the beach, until all the gold was in there.

With that done, they had the laborious task of filling it up with the displaced sand. It didn’t take too long, yet, it was still hard, and left all the labourers sweating and fatigued. Corlos placed six white seashells on the sandy shore to mark its place for when he returned to it. Yet, a problem arose. He heard a rumor - a scant rumor slightly floating on the breeze -  that his comrades who had buried the gold with him, had planned on betraying him. One rumor said they would slaughter him in his sleep, the other said they would turn him in to Casterly - who the village swore allegiance to - and bid that he be tortured for finding gold and not immediately turning it in.

Thus, he made a plan. The lands around where Corlos lived were very mountainous, so, he invited his so-called friends to a meeting near a cliff. He told them he had news about their gold, and it was good. They came gleeful, minds full of the possibility of future riches. Thus, you can imagine they were surprised when they met their end.

There are many stories about how Corlos ended them for their treachery. Some say he pushed them off the cliff - and most people hold by that. Some say he somehow rigged the edge of the cliff to collapse under weight, and he lured his former friends on to that edge, watching as they plummeted to their death. The more outrageous - and often Reachmen - sources say that Corlos savagely killed them with his bare hands, relishing in their blood. Either way, they were dead, and Corlos alone remained, knowing about the hidden gold.

Alas, the rumors proved true, and he had been too late to stop it. A representative of House Casterly descended upon the village, hearing of gold. They looked for their informants and - being unable to find them - went to the finder of the gold himself, Corlos. They knocked on his door, clad in fancy armor, and demanded him to hand over the gold. Corlos panicked, and almost hands it over. He thought of his life without worry, even without gold he could be with his wife, with his kids, living a simple life, farming. Yet, the allure of riches was too much and he denied the claim.

The Casterly soldiers pause for a moment, doubting, yet, they had no proof. Only letters from informants they could not find nor confirm they exist. So, they decided to demand payment for them having to travel out there and wasting their time. Yet, Corlos had nothing, he was poor. Actually, he was worse than poor, he was broke. The soldiers deliberated for a while, and then came to a conclusion. They forced him to wander the beaches around the Crag clad only in underclothes, gathering seashells. When several hours of that were done, they took the seashells as payment. Corlos was beaten, abused, and demeaned, yet, his spirit was not broken. When he got into bed that night besides his wife, he knew he still had the gold hidden.

He thought long and hard about what to do next, but decided fairly quickly. He invited many from the village to the beach - those with the most influence, those who could change minds - to where the gold was hidden. When he found the seashells he smiled, hands running over them, and turning to the crowd.

“Beneath these seashells, beneath the sand, lies a great treasure! Not only a treasure, no, but a treasure that is linked to our very freedom!” His words fell on disbelieving ears. They thought him delusional, gone mad by the punishment and shame of gathering seashells for payment. Yet, a chosen few were convinced when he picked up a shovel himself and started digging. They joined in, and slowly, others did to.

It took a long time,but with concentrated effort, they began to see the gold. It began with a single glint in the sunlight, one person gasped and began clawing at the sand to free it. He held it up in the air, mouth open in awe, and suddenly, they saw the future they were promised. before long, all of the gold was dug up.

The leaders went into town in a frenzy, preaching that Corlos had unearthed untold riches. The town immediately swore fealty to Corlos. Some people say this was Corlos’ idea all along, that he just wanted power. Yet, some said this was unintended, he just wanted people to be happy. Either way he didn’t turn down the will of the people.

Surprisingly, the Casterly’s didn’t care too much. Although the village was in their domain, it really wasn’t under their influence, and now it was out of their hand. They offered Corlos an official lordship, and the chance to make a house name. Corlos changed his name from Corlos Cragstrider to one that most know today - Corlos Westerling. Thus, House Westerling was formed.

What followed during the rest of his life was truly remarkable. He started expeditions for miles upon miles around, looking for ore veins. As if they were blessed by the Gods themselves - and perhaps they were - they found an untold number of Gold, Copper, Iron, and other luxuries. Suddenly - it seemed - they were rich beyond measure. Corlos - knowing that the true sign of a powerful House was a strong keep - began construction on what he dubbed The Crag. It was built atop a cliff, overlooking the sea, with strong walls and beautiful construction. Although it wasn’t finished during his lifetime, he - along with a Maester the Citadel gave after hearing word of his new lordship - planned the entire structure himself.

 And that, is the story of Corlos Cragstrider. A legend, a great man, and the founder of one of the greatest houses in Westeros.