For thousands of years, the Valyrian Freehold ruled over much of western essos, using dragons
and ancient magic to conquer the Ghiscari, Andals and Rhoynar civilizations.
Though none could equal them in battle, the doom of valyria came in 114 BC, when a terrible
disaster, destroyed their cities, dragons, and government.
Many believe this event was a result of the 14 Flames erupting, a chain of volcanoes where
their dragons were first discovered.
Over on Dragonstone, House Targaryen, a minor noble family survived the doom thanks to Daenys
the Dreamer, daughter of the dragonlord Aurion Targaryen, who had a vision about the tragedy
12 years earlier, prompting the family to move to this far away island.
In Qohor, Aurion, another surviving Dragonlord declared himself First Emperor of Valyria,
and raised an army of 30,000 leading them to reconquer his homeland.
However many say the horrors of the Doom continued to haunt this area, and so the dragonlord
and his army were never heard from again.
With the Valyrian Freehold gone from the world, the lands of Essos descended in chaos and
war, resulting in what came to be known as the Century of Blood.
In the West, the power vacuum left behind, led Volantis, oldest of the Nine free cities,
to declare themselves the rightful heirs of Valyria, sending their armies to conquer Myr
and Lys.
Governed by triarchs elected by freeborn land owners, it was the political party known as
the Tigers who rallied the city to war, as they represented the old aristocracy, eager
for expansion and conquest.
Yet they soon over reached by attacking nearby Tyrosh, prompting nearly all the city-states
of western essos to get involved in the war.
Pentos quickly allied with Tyrosh, while Myr and Lys rebelled.
Braavos then sent ships to help Lys while Qohor and Norvos destroyed Volantene ships
at the battle of dagger lake.
Even outside powers became involved, with the Andal King Argilac Durrandon leading a
host to the disputed Lands, where they repelled an army sent to reconquer Myr.
The Dragonlord Aegon Targaryen also turned against Volantis, riding his dragon to Lys
and destroying the fleet sent against the city.
Forced to retreat behind their walls, they were now severely weakened and subject to
raids by eastern horselords.
In addition, they suffered another military disaster when they sent a fleet to reconquer
the Valyrian Penninsula, which vanished and was never heard from again.
After a century of failures the Tigers were replaced by the Elephant party, supported
by merchants and money lenders who wanted peace and trade with their neighbours.
As a result of the years of war, conflict continued in the disputed lands even after
Volantis withdrew, with Myr, Lys and Tyrosh embroiled in conflicts over border disputes,
resulting in the creation of a number of sell sword companies.
The Century of Blood also brought about the rise and fall of Gogossos, sometimes referred
to as the Tenth Free city, having been founded in the Basilisk Isles near Sothoryos by the
Ghiscari empire, before becoming a penal colony for the Valyrian Freehold.
Following the Doom, it became a pirate den that grew rich off the slave trade until they
were devastated by a plague known as the Red Death, seeing 9 of every 10 die in agony.
In the East the Horselords of the Dothraki, a brutal race of nomadic warriors, united
under the powerful ruler Khal Mengo, counselled by his mother the witch queen Doshi.
Riding west, they destroyed a number of ancient kingdoms and cultures, including the cities
of Sarnor, a powerful civilization ruled by the Tall Men, descendants of the ancient Fisher
Queens.
Unwilling to unify against the threat, some Sarnori even allied with the Dothraki in order
to take down rivals within their own culture.
This however left them vulnerable resulting in the loss of a number of cities, including
the fabled waterfall city of Sathar, which was renamed Yalli Qamayi, meaning Wailing
Children.
Next fell the city of Kasath, which became known as the Broken Gods, while Gornath fell
sometime later, renamed the City of Rats.
However the Dothraki would not remain united for very long, as Khal Mengo was eventually
replaced by his son Khal Moro who was then killed by Khal Horro.
Horro would then fall to a rival, causing the Khalisar to splinter into smaller factions,
competing with each other as they continued to conquer the area.
Next they burned Sallosh, the city of Scholars destroying their great library and renaming
it the city of sickness.
After defeating Kyth, Rathylar and Hornoth, they rode against Mardosh, the city of soldiers,
which was able to resist them for six years, holding out to the point of starvation.
The Tall Men of the city then killed their wives and children, before making a final
charge through the gates, fighting until the last man.
As a result the ruined remains came to be known as the City of the Blood Charge.
Losing so many of their holdings, the remaining Sarnori at last realized their peril and united
under the last High King Mazor Alexi.
Gathering at the Field of Crows, a combined army of 80 000 horselords rode against Sarnori
forces made up of six thousand scythed chariots with ten thousand armored riders behind them,
as well as ten thousand light horsemen and a hundred thousand spearmen and slingers.
Despite the Sarnori advantage in numbers, were defeated resulting in the deaths of Mazor
Alexi, six lesser kings, and more than threescore lords and heroes.
After their victory, Khal Loso went on to sack the city of Sarnath, seat of Sarnori
high kings, leaving it’s ruins to be named the City of Worms.
Sarys then fell as well but most of its population fled before the arrival of Khal Zeggo, who
burned the area and renamed it the “City of Filth.”
Only one small Sarnori settlement survived the devastation throughout the century of
blood, with the port city of Saath protected through the support of nearby powers like
the Ibben and Lorath.
It was in this land alone that the Tall Men continued on, with less than twenty thousand
when they once numbered millions.
In addition, the Dothraki conquered the Valyrian colony of Essaria renaming it city of corpses,
and rode against the settlement of Ibbish, where the Ibbenese fought back, winning several
victories and destroying the great army of Khal Onqo.
But eventually the relentless Dothraki prevailed leading the Ibbenese to abandon the area which
was renamed the city of cowards.
Other Khals led their warriors to the Qaathi city states of the red waste conquering all
but Qarth, which was protected by its massive triple walls, and which continued to thrive
by focusing on sea trade, controlling the Jade Gates to profit from merchants travelling
between east and west.
Some Dothraki Khalasars even attempted crossing the Bone Mountains to but were halted at the
cities of Bayasabhad, Samyriana, and Kayakayanaya, which blocked their way.
After reigning destruction upon vast swaths of territory, Khal Temmo, a dothraki war chief
decided to push further west and invade the Free Cities.
At the Battle of Qohor, also known as the Battle of the 3 thousand, the city’s government
hired the Bright Banners and Second Sons mercenary companies to accompany their defense forces,
but were quickly defeated with the sellswords fleeing the battlefield and abandoning the
city.
However, reinforcements soon arrived, when an envoy sent to slaver’s bay returned with
3000 unsullied warriors.
The Unsullied had long been considered some of the greatest warriors in the world, castrated
and trained their whole lives for battle.
The discipline and ferocity of the Unsullied allowed them to repell 18 cavalry charges,
and 3 archer attacks, killing over 12 000 Dothraki warriors including their leader Khal
Temmo and his sons.
Defeated, the Horse Lords who were known to grow their hair long, then marched through
the city gates and cut off their braids, throwing them down to the ground as a symbol of their
surrender.
Of the 3000 Unsullied who fought that day, only 600 survived.
Yet they so impressed the Qohori government that the city became permanently defended
by an unsullied army whose soldiers were given braids of hair to adorn their weapons, as
a symbol of their victory over the Dothraki.
This battle then ended the western migration of the Dothraki, but they continued to dominate
the lands of central essos which came to be known as the Dothraki sea, continuing to live
nomadically and establishing Vaes Dothrak as the only permanent city.
Located by the Mother of Mountains and a lake they called the Womb of the World.