The Rise and Fall of Valyria

Ancient Valyria fantasy city artwork

The dragons are all gone. Those alive and breathing and spouting fire expired over one hundred fifty years ago. Yet House Targaryen endured Valyrian ruin and fled the East across the sea to Westeros on dragonback.

I watched them take their three headed dragon throughout Westeros.

I listened to them claim and carry the dragon with them through many ages. I listened as they declared "Fire and Blood," their legacy. Aegon the Conquerer came to the shores of Westeros three hundred years before today with his sisters, Visenya, and Rhaenys, his two sisters. These three are the three heads of the dragon, and they came on the backs of Vhaghar, Meraxes and Balerion – the dragons of legend.

Their enemies surrendered or were consumed with fire on dragonback.

Many Bent their Knee as did King Torrhen Stark of the North. Their enemies, King Mern of the Reach and King Harren the Black burned on their keep with there loyal subjects. For 300 years the Targaryens ruled the 7 kingdoms against much and many things as they were still one entity and not many feuding kingdoms to be ruled separately.

The Targaryens managed to survive the war against the Dragons from brother against sister: there civil war (or Dance of the Dragons). These two Targaryens were Rhaenys and Aegon II. They managed to tear the land apart during the dance.

The blackfryre Rebellion would prove far less damage and there was a northern attack by the king beyond the wall and 9 pennie king attack.

The dynasty fell to Aegon II Targeryen. The King Known as the Mad king as it lead to the destruction of the Dragons in Westeros.

The Doom of Valyria

It all came to wonderful Freehold of Valyria some four centuries before these pages were put together; the ancient home of language art and magic which stretched across the Narrow sea.

Those survivors were driven from there burning land and had nowhere to return to, so they sailed west to their greatest westernmost outpost, the isle of dragonstone.

The masters of the isle, House Targaryen, now powerful over all those remnants remaining from Valyria's final day, rejected the old gods that they had turned on and embraced the faith of the 7 that has held sway for so long since the rise of Andal culture in Westeros. They resided on the isle of dragonstone for over a century before attempting to venture ashore to the lands that were once their ancestral home. The dragons descended from Dragonstone with the three headed dragon carried on their backs and began conquering the warring lands of the Andals and eventually all the lands beyond.

They landed on the eastern shore and founded it with simple wooden and earthen keep. So few then thought that it would one day develop into the city of King’s Landing, seat of all the seven kingdoms.

Dragons

Even with such few troops, the few Targaryens managed to defeat their much larger armies.

Even when it seemed that it would be an army of nearly 60,000 soldiers marching under the banner of 600 lords the three headed dragon was no match for even them and took many of these troops of the marching ground so that these 12,000 troops marching with their commander could take these 600 lords down.

In the Field of fire 4000 were taken in the attack with the King of Reach burnt and the King of Rock escaping. After that, the six kingdoms that were formerly ruling now pledged allegiance to House Targaryen with the exception of Dorne whose leader, by trickery, conquered the Targaryens by marrying the heir to the king but would eventually give in to them all generations later.

Technology

It seems Technology in Westeros have remained around the same for a couple of hundred years, Magic was evidently used in the ages where such creations that still stand after thousands of years were built; these creatures seem to suggest that magic was a fundamental concept when these structures were built though, the level of magic that existed here was beyond what any scholar or learned mind could ever hope to acquire. Most in Westeros are in similar circumstances with medieval lords across Europe between the years 1350-1450 with no evidence of gunpowder.

Language

It's common for many characters to communicate using the 'Common Tongue', though some speak exclusively using the languages listed below: Ghiscari, used in ancient times by the Ghisc culture.

Pentoshi, dialect of the Common Tongue. Valyrian, dialect of High Valyrian. Valyrian, High, original language of the Doom of Valyria.

Blood of Valyria

Having had the blood of Old Valyria coursing in your veins since time immemorial has meant that you retain a certain ferocious intensity. These peoples naturally tend to wield a certain aura of authority that unnerves the locals so effectively that for you an intrigue's 'rank' is boosted by an entire point (which only comes into affect when you successfully complete an intrigue or when the circumstances call for it). Further bolstering your inherent fierceness, you naturally gain +2 in any Persuasion check when you Intimidate your targets, and when threatened by flame you have a +2 on the checks required in Endurance for when flames directly strike you or any heat surrounds you directly.

Valyrian Steel

Weapons crafted by Valyrian hands during its time were considered amongst the finest made; and are the only thing that remained relatively untouched by Valyrian magic.

Valyrian steel appears dark, smoky, with rippled edges which never dull. Because few in the modern era possess the knowledge of the ancients to fold it many times to allow it to be far thinner and have no chance of ever shattering than any weapon forged after its forging, only a few hundred weapons still exist in the Seven Kingdoms. Most Valyrian weapons are heirlooms; a noble of less standing, perhaps unable to compete with others using true steel, would think it would be far more advantageous to sell off a daughter than an inheritance as the very notion that it might be lost in battle would be abhorrent.

Magic

As mentioned in Technology Magic has been eradicated across the entire world.

Any signs or evidence of magic have been replaced by myths and legends; as children of the forest, gods and priests that performed miracles were unable to save it.

Any trace of the dark arts seems to have lost all relevance. Pyromancers are shadows of their former glorious days only producing smoke and a dim flicker compared to the flames once thought necessary. The power of magic had been lost to the world, but had anything truly changed after it went.

From chapter one it could be said that magic had definitely returned to Westeros; however it first appeared subtle and understated at best as they moved towards.

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