After nearly 300 years of Targaryen rule in the seven kingdoms of Westeros, the Iron Throne
was inherited by Aerys II who grew increasingly paranoid and volatile throughout his reign,
coming to be known as Mad King.
Though his son and heir Rhaegar was nothing like his father and gave hope to many that
the future of the realm was secure, in 280 AC word spread across Westeros that the crown
prince abandoned his wife and children to kidnap and rape Lyanna Stark, daughter to
the Lord Rickard Stark of the North and betrothed of Lord Robert Baratheon of the Stormlands.
To make matters worse, the Mad King soon executed Lord Stark and his eldest son, resulting in
Robert’s Rebellion, where a young Lord Robert Baratheon allied with his old friend Lord
Eddard Stark of the North, his mentor Jon Arryn of the Vale, and Hoster Tully of the
Riverlands, who was won to their side through political marriages.
While House Martell of Dorne and House Tyrell of the Reach remained loyal to the Targaryens,
the rebels were ultamitely victorious, with Robert killing Rhaegar in the Battle of the
Trident and Tywin Lannister capturing the capital of King’s Landing to win favour
with the new king.
Breaking his oath as a kingsguard, it was Jaime Lannister who killed Aerys II, while
his father Tywin ordered the execution of Rhaegar’s wife Elia Martell and their children
Rheanys and Aegon.
However, Queen Rhaella and the King’s youngest children Viserys and Daenerys were spared
the same fate as they were on Dragonstone at the time, allowing them to sail across
the narrow sea to live as exiles in Essos.
With the war all but over, Eddard Stark went to Dorne searching for his sister Lyanna arriving
just in time to hear her final words as she lay dying.
Explaining that she gave birth to a son by Rhaegar, she asked Ned to protect the child
from those who might wish him harm because of his Targaryen blood.
While King Robert took the Iron Throne, Tywin’s daughter Cersei became Queen and Jon Arryn
was named Hand of the King, Eddard Stark was devastated by the death of his sister and
wanted no position of authority in the capital, instead returning home to Winterfell accompanied
by a child he named Jon Snow, declaring him his bastard son by a woman in the south and
never revealing his true identity.
As King, Robert Baratheon proved to be a merciful and amiable, but had no interest in the actual
administration of the realm, choosing to spend his years in blissful debauchery while Jon
Arryn oversaw the kingdom.
Unfortunately, after 17 years of rule Jon Arryn was poisoned to death and King Robert
died in hunting accident, shattering the unity and peace of the Seven Kingdoms.
Although the reasons for the War of the Five Kings were numerous and complex, to most,
the core of the issue was the illegitimacy of Robert’s children, with many believing
Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon were the bastard born children of incest between
the Queen Cersei Lannister and her brother Jaime of the Kingsguard.
In the capital, despite the rumors about his parentage, Joffrey Baratheon inherited the
iron throne, supported by his mother’s family in House Lannister.
Lord Eddard Stark, who became hand of the king after the death of Jon Arryn, organized
a coup in the name of Robert’s brother Stannis Baratheon, the true heir to the throne.
However Ned was betrayed by his wife’s friend Petyr Baelish, and executed by the impulsive
young king, leading his son Robb Stark to gather his allies and declare war, eventually
proclaimed King in the North and the Trident.
In the South, more kings soon arose as Renly Baratheon, youngest brother of Robert was
crowned King by his supporter in the Stormlands and Reach, winning the loyalty of Lord Mace
Tyrell by marrying his daughter Margaery.
On Dragonstone, Renly’s elder brother Stannis, the only legitimate heir Robert Baratheon,
also declared himself king, though he was largely disliked, supported only by a small
portion of the Stormlands and Melisandre, a red priested of r’hllor.
Taking advantage of the civil war, Balon Greyjoy declared himself King of the Iron Islands
and the North, sending his forces to invade the lands beyond the neck, while Robb was
away with his armies in the south.
With 5 king’s now vying for power in the Seven Kindoms, only Dorne and the Vale of
Arryn remained neutral.
In addition to the fighting in the south, the Night’s watch of the far north faced
an approaching invasion from a massive wildling army who were desperate to flee from the White
Walkers of ancient legend and their undead army.
Having previously attacked the people of Westeros during the Long Night thousands of years earlier,
they were once again marching south to wage war on the living.
Across the narrow sea, the young girl Daenerys Targaryen embarked upon on an extraordinary
journey, becoming the last known heir to King Aerys II, Khaleesi to a powerful Dothraki
Khalasar, and the mother 3 dragons, a species many believed extinct.
Determined to one day take back the throne of her father, she gathered allies and supporters
by conquering the cities of Slaver’s Bay, becoming Queen of Meereen and freeing the
slave population.
Back in Westeros, the civil war proved so devastating, that by the end of 303 AC all
5 claimants for the throne were dead along with many other prominent figures, leaving
several new rulers to continue to the war of their predecessors.
Though the Lannister’s had the advantage for much of the war, the death of Tywin Lannister
left their young monarch Tommen vulnerable to the manipulation of the religious Sparrow
movement which soon rose to power, resulting in the arrest of the king’s mother, wife
and brother in law.
After suffering the humiliating punishment of walking naked through the streets, Cersei
and Qyburn plotted to eliminate nearly all their enemies at once by igniting the barrels
of wildfire hidden under the city.
The plan then succeeded in destroying the sept of Baelor, killing many including the
High Sparrow, Lancel Lannsiter, Mace Tyrell, Loras Tyrell, Queen Margaery Tyrell and Hand
of the King Kevan Lannister.
King Tommen was not present but was so devastated by the death of his wife, friends and allies,
he threw himself from a window.
With her rivals gone, her children dead and the throne vacant, Cersei took the crown for
herself, proclaimed Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
After the death of King Robb at the Red Wedding, it fell to his sister Sansa and half-brother
Jon Snow to revive House Stark.
As Lord Commander of the night’s watch, Jon formed an alliance with the free folk,
putting aside their past as enemies in order to unite against the approaching White Walker
army.
Yet this was seen as betrayal by Ser Alister Thorne and others who murdered their Lord
Commander in the name of the Watch.
Much to the surprise of all, Jon was then revived in a magical ceremony by the Red Priestess
Melisandre and with the support of the free folk, hanged those responsible for his death.
Resigning from the Night’s Watch, Jon and his half sister Sansa Stark, who recently
escaped from her abusive husband Ramsay Bolton, travelled around the North gathering what
little support they could to retake their home of Winterfell.
Despite being outnumbered and outmanoeuvred, the Starks achieved victory in the battle
of the bastards through the support and intervention of House Arryn and the armies of the Vale.
The support of this previously neutral realm came due to the schemes of Lord Petyr Baelish,
who first started the war of the five kings by poisoning Jon Arryn and betraying Ned Stark.
He then used the chaos that ensued to rise from Master of Coin to Lord Paramount of the
Vale with ambitions to one day become king.
After rescuing Sansa Stark from the capital, he hoped to teach her to play the game of
thrones so she might one day be his wife, and so wanting to demonstrate his affection
for her, brought the armies of the Vale to help retake her family home.
Jon and Sansa were then left to consolidate power and organize their people to survive
the approaching Winter and war with the white walkers.
After killing his brother the King by throwing him from a bridge, Euron Greyjoy was elected
as the new ruler of the Iron Islands, leading Balon’s children Yara and Theon to escape
with their supporters, journeying to Slaver’s Bay where they pledged themselves to the Mother
of Dragons.
Continuing her incredible rise to power, Daenerys Targaryen won the loyalty of the Dothraki
by surviving a fiery inferno and used her new army to secure Meereen, defeat the growing
alliance against her rule.
Further bolstered by 3 dragons and 100 ships from the Iron Islands, Daario Naharis was
left in charge of the city while Daenerys and her forces sailed for Westeros.
Along the way they were joined by yet more supporters as Varys the Spider negotiated
an alliance with Elaria Sand of Dorne and Lady Olenna of the Reach.
Landing on Dragonstone, Queen Daenerys and hand of the Queen Tyrion Lannister called
a war council, presenting their plan to send the greyjoy fleet to gather the armies of
Dorne while the warriors of the reach lay siege to the capital and the Unsullied sail
to capture Casterly Rock.
After surviving the burning of Winterfell, Bran Stark went on a quest to find the 3 eyed
raven from his dreams, joined by several dedicated companions, who helped him make it beyond
the wall, where they found a cave populated by the last of the Children of the Forest
and a 1000 year old Greenseer with the ability to see into the past.
Training to be the man’s replacement, Bran mistakenly revealed himself to the Night King,
leader of the White Walkers, resulting in an attack on the cave that killed the 3 eyed
raven, the children of the forest, the direwolf Summer and Hodor, all dying so Bran might
escape.
Returning to Winterfell after it was retaken by the Starks, Bran used his abilities as
the new 3 eyed raven, to piece together the true history of the Stark family, learning
that his aunt Lyanna married Rhaegar Targaryen and gave birth to Jon Snow, making him a claimant
for the Iron Throne.
After leaving Westeros Arya trained in the house of Black and White to become a faceless
assassin but soon betrayed them and killed a rival assassin, before demanding her freedom
and returning to Westeros.
Using her new skills as a warrior and faceless assassin, Arya infiltrated House Frey, killing
Lord Walder, his family and most loyal supporters.
Though there were many more names on her list enemies, Arya soon learned the Stark’s took
back Winterfell, and returned home to see her family.
Sent to Old Town to become a Maester for the Night’s Watch, Samwell Tarly alongside Gilly
and baby Sam did not stay in the city for long, deciding to return north, but only after
stealing his family’s valyrian steel sword Heartsbane, and several important texts from
the citadel.
After seeing his friends butchered by outlaws, the hound took his revenge and with nowhere
else to turn, joined the brotherhood without banners who were still led by Beric Dondarrion
and the red priest thoros of myr.
Believing the red god r’hllor had a purpose for them, they made their way north following
visions they saw in the flames, eventually ending up in a prison cell of the Night’s
Watch.
Hoping to marry Queen Cersei and ally with the Lannisters, Euron Greyjoy attacked the
Targaryen ships sailing to Dorne, killing Obara and Nymeria Sand while capturing Tyene,
Elaria and Yara.
Theon Greyjoy, seeing their forces defeated, jumped into the water where he was later rescued
by other survivors.
Euron then returned to the capital with his captives, offering them as a gift the queen
who was so impressed she agreed to marry him but only after the war was won.
While Cersei forged an alliance with the Ironborn, her brother Jaime ended the rebellion in the
riverlands and convinced the influential Lord Randyll Tarly of the reach to support their
cause.
Having lost her dornish and ironborn allies, Daenerys suffered further setbacks when the
Unsullied captured Casterly Rock only to learn it was a trap with Euron’s fleet emerging
to burn their ships to leave them stranded in the west.
The rest of the Lannister army meanwhile, was sent into the Reach where they defeated
the Tyrell army, captured Highgarden killed Lady Olenna and stole their wealth to pay
off the realms debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos, securing their financial backing in the future.
However as the Lannister army returned to the capital, they were attacked by Queen Daenery
upon her dragon Drogon and a large army of Dothraki, seeking vengeance for their previous
defeats.
Though a scorpion designed by Qyburn managed to strike the dragon and force him to land,
the Lannisters were largely massacred, with the few remaining made to bend the knee or
die.
While Jaime and Bronn survived and got away, Lord Tarly and his son Dickon were captured
and chose to die rather then submit to a foreign Queen.
In the North, following the defeat of House Bolton King Jon Snow announced that everyone
aged 10-60 must be trained to fight for the coming war against the white walkers.
Next Jon declared that they must send the Wildlings as reinforcements for the night’s
and called upon the new leaders of house Umber and Karstark, who sided with the Boltons,
to once more pledge their loyalty to House Stark.
Leaving Sansa in charge of the North, Jon then departed to attend a meeting on Dragonstone.
During his time away Arya and Bran Stark returned to Winterfell where they helped Sansa exposed
Littlefinger’s many betrayals and deceptions to execute him while maintaining their alliance
with the Lords of the Vale.
Arriving on Dragonstone, Jon convinced Daenerys to allow them to mine dragonglass on the island,
a substance which could be used to craft weapons against the White Walkers.
Becoming increasingly convinced that there was a larger threat in the north, Daenerys
sent Tyrion to arrange a meeting with Queen Cersei, where they might discuss a temporary
cessation of hostilities.
In order to obtain proof of the White Walker threat, Jon Snow travelled north alongside
12 companions which included Jorah Mormont, Robert Baratheon’s bastard son Gendry, Tormund
Giantsbane, Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr, Sandor Clegane and several others.
Though they managed to capture an undead wight they were soon surrounded and would have died
if not for the arrival of Daenerys and her 3 dragons, raining fire upon their enemies.
Of the 13 who went on the mission, only Beric, Jorah, Sandor, Tormund, Gendry and Jon Snow
survived.
Worse still, the Night King hurled a large ice javelin high into the air, striking the
dragon Viserion and collapsing him to the ground where he was revived to serve the White
Walkers.
Having seen the truth of invasion with her own eyes, Daenerys vowed to ally with the
North, and began a romantic relationship with Jon who bent the knee and pledged himself
to the Targaryen Queen.
After seven years of war, the remaining 2 factions in the War of the Five Kings met
in the Dragon Pit of King’s Landing to discuss a truce.
There were the Targaryens, represented by Queen Daenerys, Tyrion Lannister, Missandei,
Varys, Jorah Mormont, Theon Greyjoy, Jon Snow, Brienne of Tarth, Davos Seaworth, and the
Sandor Clegane.
And the Lannisters, represented by Queen Cersei, her brother Jaime, Qyburn, Euron Greyjoy and
Gregor Clegane.
After a tense meeting which saw Euron Greyjoy abandon the Lannisters after seeing the undead
wight they captured, and Jon Snow publically declare for Daenerys, Queen Cersei feigned
defeat and agreed to a truce, pledging her armies to fight the White Walkers.
However she had no intention of complying with the agreement, revealing that Euron only
pretended to leave but was actually sailing to Essos to hire the golden company and bring
20,000 warriors to help them win the war.
Horrified by the plan, Jaime abandoned his sister and rode north as the snow began to
fall in the Crownlands.
Believing that the Lannisters were no longer an immediate threat, Jon Snow and Daenerys
Targaryen gathered their forces and set sail for the North, while Theon took command of
the remaining Ironborn and left rescue his sister Yara from captivity.
Meanwhile, in the Night’s Watch fortress of Eastwatch by the Sea, the White Walkers
at last arrived, led by the night king, mounted atop the undead dragon Viserion.
Attacked the wall with bright blue dragonfire, they broke apart a large section of the wall,
allow the army of the dead to march into the seven kingdoms.