The heirs to a legacy dating back thousands of years, the Dragonlords of House Targaryen
were among the 40 noble families who ruled the Valyrian Freehold, until retreating from
public life when their patriarch’s daughter had a vision foreseeing a terrible disaster
that would destroy the peninsula.
Trusting her vision, the Targaryens moved their entire household to the far western
island of Dragonstone, and so were one of the few to survive Doom of Valyria which struck
12 years later.
With the Freehold gone, Essos descended into a Century of Blood, while House Targaryen
prospered by using their dragons to control trade in the narrow sea.
Yet their ambitions grew larger when Aegon the Conqueror inherited the leadership of
their House and set his eyes upon the West.
Divided into Seven kingdoms and 3 ethnic groups, the people of Westeros had a long history
of division and war, with many veteran warriors prepared for combat, yet few could not stand
against the might of dragonlords, and one by one they fell to invaders.
Although Dorne was the only realm to successfully resist and remain independent, they were eventually
integrated through a marriage alliance, thus completing the Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.
Surviving through numerous civil wars and rebellions throughout the years, House Targaryen
was at last defeated in 283 AC, by Robert of House Baratheon, the lord of Storm’s
end who rose to become King.
With the Targaryens gone, the reign of House Baratheon saw the decentralization of power,
with the seven kingdoms, now divided into 9 territories, gaining back much of their
autonomy while remaining subject of the Iron Throne.
Yet after 15 years of relative peace, Robert Baratheon died, and Westeros once again descended
into a bloody civil war, with the disparate factions plotting, scheming and slaughtering
their way to victory in the game of thrones.
Thousands of years earlier, when the continent was inhabited by giants and the children of
the forest, human settlers known as the First Men marched through the arm of Dorne in the
south and began populating the continent.
Although migration stopped when the arm of dorne became submerged beneath the sea, another
wave of humans arrived in the form of Andals from North western Essos, who sailed their
ships to war in the name of the faith of the seven, conquering all the lands south of the
neck.
The last great wave of migrants to make Westeros their home were the Rhoynar, a once powerful
people who ruled a series of city states in central essos, until losing their homeland
to the Dragonlords of Valyria.
Following Nymeria, their last surviving leader, the Rhoynar sailed 10,000 ships on a long
and perilous journey to find a new homeland, eventually settling on the shores of Dorne.
In need of allies, Princess Nymeria married a local Andal Lord Mors Martell, and together
they conquered the entire desert territory and mixed with the local population to establish
a realm with a radical devotion to independence and preserving their rhoynar traditions.
Establishing their capital in Sunspear, House Martell ruled for centuries with their words
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken coming to embody the spirit of the realm, becoming the only
one of the seven kingdoms to refuse surrendering to House Targaryen, with the small folk continuing
the war even after the nobility was defeated.
Founded by the legendary hero Garth Greenhand, the fertile and lucrative Kingdom of the Reach
was ruled for thousands of years by House Gardiner of Highgarden, until the death of
the King and his heirs in the field of Fire, one of the most brutal battles in Aegon’s
conquest.
In need of new leadership for the territory, the Targaryens elevated the former stewards
of Highgarden to rule the Reach, passing over several larger and more established Houses
to instantly make the Tyrells one of the richest and most powerful families in the seven kingdom.
An ancient and warlike realm, the Kingdom of the Storm was traditionally ruled by House
Durrandon of Storm’s End, descendants of the legendary Durran Godsgrief who eventually
expanded their realm to new height before declining in power, and at last facing their
defeat against the Dragonlords of House Targaryen.
After killing their king Argillac Durrandon in the Battle of the Last Storm, Lordship
of the territory was given to the best friend and possible half brother of Aegon, Orys Baratheon,
who began his reign by marrying Argilla Durrandon, the daughter of his fallen foe, and adopting
the sigil and words of House Durrandon, to establish House Baratheon of the Stormlands.
Nearly 3 centuries later, it was a son of House Baratheon who finally toppled the Targaryens
and brought about an end to their rule.
Growing wealthy from the gold and silver mines beneath their fortress of Casterly Rock, House
Lannister descended from the legendary hero Lann the Clever to rule over the Kingdom of
the Rock for thousands of years.
Originally a First Men House, they mixed with the Andals to survive their invasion into
the continent.
Proudly displaying the lion as their banner, the Lannisters originally resisted Targaryen
rule, sending their armies to fight in the Field of Fire.
But upon their defeat, they bent the knee and became Lords of the Westerlands.
Under the leadership of Tywin Lannister, their House eventually joined the rebellion of Robert
Baratheon, sacking the capital and murdering the Targaryen King.
As a reward for their assistance, Robert married Lord Tywin’s daughter Cersei, creating an
alliance to stabilize the realm.
Though the crownlands were originally divided between the Riverlands, Reach and Stormlands,
the conquest of House Targaryen created this new territory to serve as direct vassals to
the King in the capital.
Some of these villages, towns and were among the first to be conquered by the Dragonlords,
and provided many of the troops they used in their initial conquests.
Another territory controlled directly by the Iron Throne was the island of Dragonstone
in the narrow sea, the home of House Targaryen which was taken over by the Baratheons after
their rebellion.
Given a great deal of sovereignty over their own affairs, the island was traditionally
viewed as the seat for the heir to the throne.
Originally ruled by a number of First Men factions, the prosperous and well defended
Kingdom of the Mountain and Vale united under House Royce to oppose the Andal invasion spreading
across the realm.
With the Andals ultimately victorious, House Arryn of the Eerie took control and ruled
for thousands of years.
When Aegon the Conqueror began his invasion of Westeros, House Arryn was determined to
resist and were responsible for one of the few victories achieved against the dragonlords.
Yet they felt obligated to surrender when Visenya Targaryen flew directly into the Eyrie
and demonstrated how easily they could be destroyed.
Centuries later, Lord Jon Arryn of the Vale fostered Robert Baratheon of the Stormlands
and Eddard Stark of the North as children, becoming like a second father to them.
And so when Robert grew up to lead a rebellion against the throne, he was joined by his longtime
friends and allies in the North and Vale.
Following their victory, Jon Arryn was named Hand of the King, becoming the second most
powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms.
A land plagued by perpetual war, the Riverlands were ruled over by First Men and Andal Houses,
uniting and dividing until eventually conquered by the Kingdom of the Storm.
After 3 centuries of rule, the Storm King’s were defeated by House Hoare of the Iron Islands,
which established a new realm they named the Kingdom of Isles and Rivers.
Allying with the Andals during their invasion of Westeros, House Hoare rose to become Kings
of the Iron Islands but were reviled by many of their own people due to their association
with these outsiders.
One of the more unique cultures of the Seven Kingdoms, the Ironborn were violent seafaring
raiders who valued war and plunder.
Worshipping the Drowned God, they believed themselves a people apart from the rest of
Westeros, and resented any association or capitulation to outside influence.
Nevertheless, House Hoare maintained their stranglehold on power through fear and cruelty,
leading their armies to invade the mainland and conquer the riverlands to form a new and
powerful kingdom.
During the reign of King Harren the Black, significant resources were dedicated to constructing
a new seat for their house.
Unfortunately, the fortress of Harrenhal was completed on the very day Aegon the Conquer
began his invasion of Westeros.
Refusing to surrender, King Harren and his sons died from dragonfire in the Burning of
Harrenhal, and so their kingdom was divided into the Riverlands ruled by House Tully and
the Iron Islands led by House Greyjoy.
Both these realms later joined the rebellion of Robert Baratheon to overthrow the Targaryen
dynasty.
Ruled over by one of the oldest and most respected Houses in the seven kingdoms, the Starks of
Winterfell reigned over the Kingdom of the North since the days of the First Men, defeating
rival factions and winning their loyalty by ruling with honour for thousands of years.
Surviving through many wars and invasions, the North were the only realm to resist Andal
conquest, and so remained of First Men blood, preserving their ancient traditions and worshipping
the old gods.
Although the King of Winter Torrhen Stark gathered 30 000 men to face Aegon the Conquerer
during the Targaryen invasion, he knew they stood no chance against their dragons, and
so he bent the knee and became a vassal of the king.
Centuries later, Lord Eddard Stark became the best friend and foster brother of Robert
Baratheon, joining him in his rebellion against the Targaryens, after which he refused any
office in the capital so he could return home and serve simply as Lord of Winterfell and
Warden of the North.
Though this was the northern most territory of the Seven Kingdoms, the continent continued
into the lands of always winter, with the border marked by a massive wall, 300 miles
wide, protecting the continent from monsters and wild men living beyond.
Fearing invasion from more menacing creatures like White Walkers, the Wall was enchanted
with powerful magic, and guarded by the Night’s Watch.
Rangers, builders and stewards who left their lives behind and swore an oath to guard the
realms of men.