Though legends claim they began as simple sheep herders on the continent of Essos, the Valyrian
people eventually discovered Dragons living near a chain of Volcanoes they called the 14 flames.
After mastering the magical arts and learning to bond with these dragons, their people founded
the Valyrian Freehold, ruled by 40 of their wealthiest and most influential families.
Born into a minor faction within the aristocratic elite, the young maiden Daenys the Dreamer of
House Targaryen was known to possess a unique talent for prophetic visions which, in 114 BC,
led her to foresee a great tragedy set to destroy the Valyrian Peninsula. Trusting his daughter,
Aenar Targaryen the patriarch of their family, sold their properties in order to move their
people, slaves and dragons to the far western island of Dragonstone, where they became the sole
ruling family to survive the Doom of Valyria which struck the peninsula 12 years later in 102BC.
Having conquered nearly the entire continent west of the Bone Mountains, the fall of Valyria led to
a Century of Blood, where newly independent city states vied for supremacy while Dothraki
horselords ravaged central Essos. Yet thanks to the efforts of Daenys the Dreams, House Targaryen
thrived on Dragonstone, possessing some of the last dragons and dragon eggs to escape the Doom.
Joined by their allies in House Velaryon of Driftmark and House Celtigar of Claw Isle,
they grew their influence and power by controlling trade in the narrow sea. Continuing to follow the
traditions of the Valyrian people, Daenys the Dreamer married her brother Gaemon the Glorious,
who after the death of their father Aenar, succeeded as Lord of Dragonstone.
Producing three children, their eldest son Aegon Targaryen married his sister Elaena, while their
youngest daughter was wed a petty lord. This lineage continued on for several generations until
their descendants conquered of the continent of Westeros, where they reigned for nearly 300 years.
After a century of rule on Dragonstone, Aegon Targaryen set his eyes upon Westeros
sending letters to the rulers of the continent’s seven independent kingdoms,
demanding their surrender. Invading in 2 BC, Aegon and his sister wives successfully conquered six
of the seven kingdoms but were unable to subdue Dorne under the rule of Princess Meria Martell,
an elderly, stubborn and proud woman who initially informed the Dragonlords they were willing to
ally and fight their traditional enemies in the Stormlands, but refused to consider surrender.
Sending his sister-wife Rhaenys south, atop her dragon Meraxes during the war of conquest, they
soon found all Dornish castles and towns laregely abandoned, populated with only women and children.
When Rhaenys arrived in their capital of sunspear, it too was without defenders
or nobles, save for Meria Martell who issued a warning that Dorne would never submit, saying,
"You may burn us, my lady, but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow. This is Dorne. You
are not wanted here. Return at your peril." Following this confrontation, the Targaryens
temporarily abandoned their Dornish campaign to instead focus on conquering the other 6 realms
of the continent, after which Aegon was crowned King of Westeros in 1 AC. Ready to concentrate all
their efforts on defeating Dorne and completing their conquest, House Targaryen began the first
Dornish War in 4 AC, with Queen Rhaenys Targaryen once again leading the charge, flying her dragon
south to take several castles, burn Planky Town and capture the seat of House Martell in Sunspear.
But once again Aegon, Rhaenys and their armies found Dornish castles abandoned,
with the warriors of the realm retreating into the mountains to fight a guerrilla war,
launching surprise, hit and run attacks against enemy forces while using the harsh terrain and
scorching desert heat to their advantage. Initially finding little to no opposition,
House Targaryen captured the empty castles and declared victory, leaving Lord Rosby in
charge with a sizeable host under Lord Harlan Tyrell to quell any potential rebellions.
Yet once the Targaryens withdrew from the region, the Dornish immediately began their counter
offensive, with Meria Martell re-emerging to take back her seat of power in Sunspear, capturing Lord
Rosby and tossing him from the spear tower. All throughout the Dornish realm, nobility and common
folk alike rose in rebellion, slaughtering the Targaryen garrisons and overseers left behind.
Having lost their Dornish holdings, the Targaryens retaliated by mounting their
dragons and burning a great number of castles. Yet this only escalated the conflict further, seeing
the armies of the southern realm strike back with attacks against the Stormlands and Reach.
The vicious fighting continued on for years, reaching its height in 10 AC, when Dorne used
scorpions to shoot down Queen Rhaenys and her dragon Meraxes, presumably killing them both.
Although the loss of his beloved sister-wife led Aegon to burn nearly every Dornish stronghold
possible, the Dornish remained loyal to House Martell and would not yield. The war then
continued on for 3 more years until the death of Princess Meria Martell, succeeded thereafter by
her son Prince Nymor who sent a mysterious letter to Aegon in King’s Landing. Although the contents
of the letter remain unknown, some believed it revealed queen Rhaenys was still alive, and
being kept as a prisoner under torture. Therefore the letter may have offered to end her suffering
in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. In any case Aegon burned the letter after reading it,
and the next morning accepted defeat, ordering a complete withdrawal from Dorne.
Though peace was at last achieved by Nymor Martell, there is little doubt it was the
unshakeable will of his mother Meria, the yellow toad of Dorne, which set the stage
for such a resolution. As she unrepentantly spent the final decade of her life engaged in a brutal
war of attrition against the far more powerful, and numerous armies of the 6 kingdoms, thereby
cementing her reputation as the embodiment of House Martel’s words, unbowed, unbent, unbroken.
Born to Lord Marq Farman of Fair Isle, Elissa Farman was a sharp and tenacious woman,
so in love with the sea that by the age of 14 she was sailing around their island home
and by 20 was making the journey from Bear Island in the North to the Arbor in the south. Rumored to
be the lover of Rhaena Targaryen, sister to King Jaehaerys, some believed the Queen of the West
only married Elissa’s brother Androw as a pretense to spend more time with the women she loved.
Living upon Fair Isle as a guest of Lord Marq Farman, Rhaena was sent away after his passing
50 AC, and so was joined by Androw and Elissa, journeying around the Westerlands for a time
until her brother the King gave her Dragonstone as a permanent residence. Now known as the Queen
in the East, Elissa Farman continued on as Rhaena’s close companion, even befriending her
daughter Aerea. Yet as the years went on, Elissa grew increasingly unhappy with her situation,
desiring to build a ship and fulfil her lifelong ambition of sailing across the Sunset Sea.
Having left Fair Isle against the wishes of her older brother who inherited Lordship from their
father, she was denied any income from her homeland and so petitioned funds from Rhaena
Targaryen in order to finance her venture. Unfortunately for Elissa, she was denied
by the Queen in the East, leading to a rift which ultimately ended their friendship and any possible
relationship between them. Eventually, Elissa was granted permission to leave Dragonstone in 54 AC,
but rather than depart on good terms, she stole 3 Targaryen dragon eggs before skulking off in the
night. Furious at this betrayal, Rhaena conducted a great search, but Elissa was never found,
as she changed her name to Alys Westhill before making her way to the Free Cities,
where she sold the dragon eggs to the Sealord of Braavos, at last acquiring the funds necessary
to commission a great carrack she named Sun chaser. Sailing to Old Town in 56 AC, Elissa
assembled a crew, generating so much interest in her voyage west, she was soon joined by Ser
Eustace Hightower aboard the Lady Meredith and his brother Ser Norman Hightower on the Autumn Moon.
When word spread about Alys Westhill recruiting in Oldtown, Rhaena suspected it was her old friend,
and so the order was issued for her capture. Though Lord Hightower claimed he was unable to
catch their ships, some believe he deliberately slowed their response to safeguard his grandsons
who were sailing with the wanted criminal. Beginning their great journey across the sunset
sea, Elissa Farman led their ships west where they were eventually caught in a storm which sunk the
Autumn Moon and damaged Lady Meredith, which had to be towed by the Sunchaser. Fortunately,
they soon came upon 3 islands they named Aegon, Rhaenys and Visenya, where they rested for a time.
Seeing little hope for the venture, Ser Eustace and the Lady Meredith headed back to Oldtown,
arriving in 59 AC, while Elissa and the Sunchaser continued on, never to be heard from again.
However, several years later when the sea snake, captain Corlys Velaryon underwent his famous
voyages into the east, a curious tale emerged from journey to the far away city of Asshai,
on the edge of the known world, where he saw an old ship, ragged and beaten, but of
a familiar design, which he believed was the Sun chaser, suggesting that perhaps, somehow, Elissa
accomplished her goal of sailing across the sunset sea to end her journey in the lands of Essos.