Before the Migration of Men into the continent, Westeros was home to the Giant Race and Children
of the Forest who worshipped the Old Gods and as part of their religion carved faces
into Weirwood trees.
In Essos, legends say the city of Asshai, and Empire of the Golden Dawn held existed
in the far east, while the Fisher Queens ruled cities along the Silver Sea west of the bone
mountains whose descendants became the Tall Men of the Kingdom of Sarnor.
Also the Qaathi people reigned in these times founding various city states in what would
later become the red waste.
Of these cities only Qarth survived.
The Summer Isles also have evidence of civilization at this time, with its inhabitants believing
that the islands were alone in the world, surrounded by endless ocean.
In 12000BC the First Men Migrated through the Arm of Dorne and went to war with the
Children of the Forest.
In a futile attempt to preserve their homeland, stories say the Children performed a magical
ritual, possibly through a blood sacrifice, calling down the hammer of the waters to shatter
the land bridge connecting Westeros to Essos.
They later attempted the ritual again at the Neck of the continent, failing to completely
to flood the area, and instead created marshlands.
After 2000 years of war, peace was at last achieved though the Pact of the Isle of faces,
which partitioned the land, with the Children taking the Forests and Men taking open lands.
The First men also agreed to stop destroying the sacred weirwoods, and in many years of
friendship that followed, they even adopted the faith of the Children, coming to worship
the Old Gods.
Following the Pact, Westeros entered the Age of Heroes
And for approximately 4000 years, the First Men flourished, founding many kingdoms and
noble houses.
During this time House Stark, Lannister, Gardiner, and Durrandon were founded.
While on the Iron Islands, the legendary Grey king ruled following the faith of the Drowned
God.
And it was during this age that the Islands known as the three sisters worshiped the lord
of the skies and lady of the waves.
In 8000 BC The Long Night came, and for a generation Westeros suffered from a harsh
winter and Darkness.
In the uttermost North a race of strange creatures known as the Others or White Walkers, marched
south against the realms of Westeros.
Stories describe them as tall and gaunt with skin as pale as milk and eyes that shine bright
blue.
They wore camouflage armor and wielded razor thin swords of ice imbued with magic allowing
them to freeze and break enemy armaments.
They were also able to summon ice spiders, and raise the dead, riding reanimated horses,
bears and direwolves into battle and reviving fallen enemies to create an army of undead
warriors known as Wights For years they wreaked havoc across the land
until the legendary Last Hero journeyed deep into the North, possibly wielding dragonsteel,
in search for the Children of the Forest, recruiting them to help humanity in their
struggle.
As the war continued on, an organization known as the Night’s Watch formed to fight against
the invaders finally achieving victory at the Battle for the Dawn.
The others were then pushed back to the lands of always winter, not seen again for over
8000 years.
Although stories say the Children of the forest fought alongside humans during the long night,
some have believe that it was in fact the Children who originally created the Others
in a magical ritual years earlier, with the intent of raising a powerful army to fight
on their behalf against the First Men, only to lose control of their creation.
While Westeros suffered greatly during these years of war and darkness, the devastation
of the Long Night was felt all across the Known world, seeing the lands of Essos endure
their own hardships, establishing their own legends and mythos concerning the events of
these years.
In the lands of the Rhoynar, stories say a terrible night fell upon the world, causing
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.
Beyond the Bone Mountains, in the Golden Empire of the Dawn, legends say it was under the
reign of the Amethyst Empress that the troubles began.
Believing she was betrayed by her brother who crowned himself the Bloodstone Emperor,
his corruption led him to betray the gods of their people and worship a black stone
fallen from the sky,* caused the Maiden Made of Light to turn her back on the world.
This then led to the Long Night, when the Lion of Night came forth to punish the realms
of men for their wickedness.
The Demon armies of this vengeful god caused great devastation, until a hero emerged, wielding
the sword Lightbringer, to drive the enemy back, restoring light to the world.
The story of the hero who fought the armies of darkness with a flaming sword spread throughout
eastern essos, with many cultures adopting their own version of the tale such as the
Patrimony of Hyrkoon and its successor Realms who claim the man was known as Hyrkoon the
Hero, while other lands give this figure names such as Eldric Shadow Chaser, Yin Tar and
Neferion.
The most well known story however would came out of the mysterious far eastern city of
Asshai, where the followers of the Red God R’hllor, claim the hero was Azor Ahai, believing
he forged his magical sword by driving it into his wife’s heart, imbuing it with her
soul and naming it Lightbringer, the Red Sword of Heroes.
With Lightbringer at his side he led humanity to victory against the demon armies of night
restoring light to the world.
The ancient prophecies of Asshai, then go on to claim that Azor Ahai would one day return,
reborn to fight against a new darkness that would threaten humanity, and should he fail,
the world fails with him.
The chaos and years of war led to the collapse of the Great Empire of the Dawn, replaced
by a successor state in the Golden Empire of Yi Ti.
Back in Westeros, after the defeat of the Others, stories say Bran the Builder of House
Stark led the effort to build up a great defensive wall with the Night’s Watch as it’s eternal
guard.
Years later, the 13th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, betrayed his oaths, seduced
by a beautiful woman with skin was as white as the moon and eyes like blue stars.
The woman was said to have skin as cold as ice, leading many to believe she was linked
to the Others, possibly one of their kind herself, or else an undead servant.
The Lord Commander then took his seat at the Nightfort and declared himself King and the
woman he loved his Queen with the Night’s Watch as his personal army.
The Night’s King as he became known ruled committed barbarous atrocities, until the
King in the North entered into an uneasy alliance with Joramun, King beyond the wall attacking
together and defeating The Night’s King, freeing the Watch from his brutal reign.
King Joramun led an army of Free Folk, also known as Wildlings, who lived north of the
wall when it was constructed and were cut off from the rest of the continent.
Some legends say King Joramun would go on to find the Horn of Winter, blowing it to
awaken the Giants.
Although estimates vary as to when exactly the age of heroes ended, many date the start
of the Andal invasion to 6000 years before Conquest.
When Hugor of the Hill was crowned the first king of Andalos, uniting his people under
the Faith of the Seven.
Slowly the Andals migrated into Westeros, first sailing into the Fingers of the Vale,
then expanding to conquer all of the continent up to the Neck, overthrowing various old and
noble houses of the First Men.
Only the Starks of the North fighting alongside the children of the forest, were able to resist
them.
And as a result First men blood remained strong in the north, while the south largely mixed
with the Andals.
The Children were nearly wiped out in the wars as the Andals slaughtered them wherever
encountered, burning the sacred Weirwood Trees.
The few of their kind that remained fled far to the North, going into hiding and as a result
the race of men came to believe they died off.
For thousands of years the Andals ruled the south raising hundreds of petty Kingdoms that
would eventually transform over time into larger regions known as the Vale, the Iron
Islands, the Riverlands, the Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands and Dorne.
Each ruled by various noble houses constantly fighting for power.
Far to the East The Ghiscari Empire rose and conquered a large territory west of the Bone
Mountains and for thousands of years they ruled, building great pyramids with slave
labor, colonizing foreign lands in Sothoryos and discovering far off civilizations like
the Summer Isles.
Until the Rise of the Valyrian Freehold where Dragonriders and magic users led devastating
armies out of the Valyrian Penninsula, waging a series of 5 wars against the Ghiscari, conquering
nearly all their territories and burning the city of Ghis to the ground.
Afterward they laid the ground with salt and sulphur to stop the survivors from ever reforming
the city.
The surviving Ghiscari fled to the cities of Yunkai, Astapor and Meereen along Slaver’s
Bay, and formed New Ghis, on a nearby island.
Further Westward, the City States of the Rhoynar Rose to power along the River Rhoyne.
Though politically divided, they were united by their Faith in the Mother Rhoyne and a
unique and progressive culture granting women equal inheritance rights, and tolerating homosexuality.
In 3000 BC The Free Folk Beyond the Wall united under Gendel and Gorne, brother Kings who
invaded Stark lands in great numbers, bypassing the Night’s Watch with tunnels dug beneath
the wall.
However they were ultimately defeated and pushed back by House Stark and the Northmen.
Though the city had existed before under a people called the Mazemakers, the City of
Lorath was colonized in 1424BC by Valyrian worshippers of the Blind God Boash
Having defeated the Ghiscari, Valyria began expanding West establishing the city of Volantis
and warring with the Rhoynar until 700BC when they completed their conquest, defeating Prince
Garin the Great and his army of 250 000.
In 700BC Princess Nymeria led the Survivors of the defeated Rhoynar on 10 000 Ships, sailing
the Summer Sea in search of a new home.
After years of struggle unable to successfully Martell, uniting together to conquer the territory.
In the North, after many years of Conflict, House Stark defeated House Bolton, removing
the Red Kings from Power and consolidating their power in the North
After Defeating Sea Raiders from the East, Lord Karlon Stark was rewarded with lands
and titles, allowing him to form House Karstark.
In the South, the Ironborn raided the Western coast and at their height controlled lands
from Old Town to Bear Island.