Thousands of years before the Targaryen conquest of Westeros, ancient humans settled along
the river rhoyne, creating the independent city states of Ar Noy, Chroyane, Ghoyan Drohe,
Ny Sar, Sar Mell, and Sarhoy.
Described as olive skinned with dark hair and eyes, the Rhoynar valued their independence
but were also united by culture, language and religion, devoted to the worship of the
Goddess Mother Rhoyne as well as other lesser dieties such the old man of the river and
Crab King who fought for dominion of all life below water.
With their survival, culture and religion intertwined with the river rhoyne, they also
trained wizards who practiced water magic, sometimes using them in battle.
As the Rhoynar civilization developed, their rulers were known as Princes and Princesses,
becoming much more tolerant and egalitarian then many neighbouring cultures, as homosexuality
was tolerated and inheritance rights were held by the eldest child regardless of gender.
Given their long history spanning thousands of years, the Rhoynar told many legends about
the ancient past, such as that of the hero Garris the Grey, who drove out the Hairy Men
from the area of Ny Sar.
There was also the story of the Longnight, believed by some in Westeros to have occurred
8,000 years before conquest, when a terrible darkness fell upon the world.
According to the Rhoynar the darkness caused the waters of the river Rhoyne to freeze,
until a Hero emerged to unite the Children of the Goddess Mother Rhoyne to sing a secret
song which brought back the day.
As the neighbouring Andal people migrated towards the coast, they began to trade and
interact more frequently with the Rhoynar, establishing relatively peaceful relation
and learning Iron Working from their smiths.
Yet even as the Rhoynar prospered growing their strength and influence in the west,
war and subjugation threatened them from the east as the Valyrian Freehold began expanding
nearby establishing the city of Volantis.
The Merchants and nobles of this city, who governed with a great deal of autonomy, were
eager to take advantage of trade with the Rhoynar and so Valyrian settlers took no immediate
hostile action against them, instead moving further north and west to conquer the Andals
and establish the cities Lorath, Norvos, Qohor, Pentos, Myr, Lys and Tyrosh.
However as time went on, conflict inevitably erupted between the Rhoynar and the ever expanding
Freehold, with the city states proving victorious in many of their early confrontations.
Yet as the threat continued and grew more dire their leader Prince Garin the Great,
united their armies raise 250000 warriors accompanied by powerful water wizards.
However for all their skill and courage, it was not enough to withstand an onslaught of
dragonfire, seeing their final defeat in the Second Spice War around 700 years before conquest.
With the army smashed and Prince Garin the Great captured, the remaining Rhoynar were
left defenseless, and so their last surviving leader Princess Nymeria of Ny Sar, led them
into exile, boarding the population of mostly women, children and the elderly onto ten thousand
ships to sail the summer sea in search of a new homeland.
Yet many of their ships were not designed for long sea voyages and were destroyed or
else scattered their people across nearby islands and costal areas.
Of those ships that continued on, they initially made their way to the Basilisk Isles, where
they were attacked and robbed by Corsairs, who then offered to allow them to live on
the Isle of Toads in exchange for yearly tributes.
However Nymeria declined and instead went to Sothoryos, settling her people in the ruins
of Zamettar and Yeen, as well as establishing colonies on Basilisk Point.
Yet while these lands were rich in resources, the Rhoynar struggled to survive, losing a
number of their settlements to disease and raiding.
When a ship sailing to Yeen discovered that the entire population had vanished overnight,
Nymeria and her people boarded their ships and left Sothoryos, journeying west and staying
for a time on the island of Naath were the native population welcomed them.
However a deadly disease forced them to move on yet again, this time settling on the island
of Abulu, later named the Isle of Women.
And while the Summer Islanders left them in peace, they did not allow them any larger
territories for fear of upsetting the Dragon Lords of Valyria.
Unfortunately the small island did not have enough land to feed their population, leading
many to abandon Nymeria and follow a Priestess named Druselka back to Essos, claiming the
goddess Mother Rhoyne was calling them to return to their homeland only to be captured
and enslaved by the Valyrians when they arrived.
Nymeria meanwhile, realized they would not survive in the Summer Isles, and so once again
took to the sea.
Some of her people remained behind making the island their permanent home, while most
followed Nymeria to Dorne, landing near the mouth of the river greenblood.
Princess Nymeria then met Lord Mors Martell of the Sandship, a lesser ruler of the Dornish
territory and allied together, combining their forces to conquer the area.
After Nymeria’s marriage to Mors, she declared him Prince of Dorne, adopting the titles of
the ancient Rhoynar, and as the two cultures mixed together, many other customs and traditions
were passed along as well, including a more equal view of the sexes, with women given
many the same legal rights as men.
Nymeria then burned the ships that carried them to these shores declaring that they would
not return to Essos.
For Nine years they battled for control of Dorne, with Mors Martell killed by King Yorick
in the third battle of the Boneway, but Nymeria continued the war and eventually gained victory
after two more years of fighting, famously sending six Dornish Kings to the Night’s
Watch including: Yorick Yrownood, Vorian Dayne, Garrison Fowler, Lucifer Dryland, Benedict
Blackmont, and Albin Manwoody.[5] With the city of Sunspear made the capital
of Dorne, Princess Nymeria remained in power for 27 years, naming her daughter by Mors
Martell as heir to ensure that House Martell would rule the realm.
However not all of the Rhoynar were so eager to become Dornish and so some withdrew to
the river greenblood, living on rafts and preserving their ancient culture in the hope
that one day they might return to the river Rhoyne and rebuild their lost cities.