Blog Archives - History of Westeros

Nymeria: Part 1 – Mother Rhoyne

The first of multiple episodes on Nymeria of the Rhoynar. Foreshadowing for ASOIAF via the rise & fall of the Rhoynar; includes: greyscale, Darkstar, water wizards, the Water Gardens of Dorne, Volantis, dragons and much more. Special thanks to Michal Schick of Vassals of Kingsgrave podcast and Hypable for the voices.

“This is Ny Sar, where the Mother gathers in her Wild Daughter, Noyne,” said Yandry, “but she will not reach her widest point until she meets her other daughters. At Dagger Lake the Qhoyne comes rushing in, the Darkling Daughter, full of gold and amber from the Axe and pine-cones from the Forest of Qohor. South of there the Mother meets Lhorulu, the Smiling Daughter from the Golden Fields. Where they join once stood Chroyane, the festival city, where the streets were made of water and the houses made of gold. Then south and east again for long leagues, until at last comes creeping in Selhoru, the Shy Daughter who hides her course in reeds and writhes. There Mother Rhoyne waxes so wide that a man upon a boat in the center of the stream cannot see a shore to either side. You shall see, my little friend.” – Tyrion IV, ADWD

: Tanselle Too-Tall by Eliyadoodles (left) & Hong-Ara (right)

: Old Man of the River by Klaradox

: Areo Hotah by Hubsher

: Rhoynar Cities

: Map 1 – Rhoyne

: Map 2 – Tyrion’s Journey

: Map 3 – Rhoyne and the Trident

: Map 4 – Selhoru to Westeros

: Map 5 – Andalos

: Map 6 – Cities

: Map 7 – Volantis

: Map 8 – Norvos

: Map 9 – Qohor

: Map 10 – Ar Noy and the Sorrows

: Map 11 – Bridge of Dream

: Map 12 – Andalos and Valyria

: Map 13 – Volantis

: Map 14 – Mouths of the Rhoyne

: Map 15 – Sarhoy

: Map 16 – Chroyane

: Map 17 – Sar Mell

Blackfyre Rebellions: Part 8 – Bloodraven 2

The second of THREE Bloodraven episodes and part 8 of our Blackfyre Rebellions series. This one covers Bloodraven’s time as Hand up to the point where he takes the Black. A full accounting of the reigns of Aerys I and Maekar, plus Aerion Brightflame, Daeron the Drunkard, Egg, Maester Aemon, Blackfyres and so much more including the discovery of the Prince That Was Promised prophecy. Big thanks to Camille Stoner and Valkyrist (who you can catch on the Vassals of Kingsgrave pod) for the voices, and to all the art contributors, particularly Klaradox for the maps, as always.

Bloodraven proved to be a capable Hand, but also a master of whispers who rivaled Lady Misery, and there were those who thought he and his half sister and paramour, Shiera Seastar, used sorcery to ferret out secrets. It became common to refer to his “thousand eyes and one,” and men both high and low began to distrust their neighbor for fear of their being a spy in Bloodraven’s employ. Yet Aerys had need of spies, given the trouble that followed the Great Spring Sickness. Summer came, and with it a drought that lasted more than two years. Many blamed the king, and many more accused Bloodraven. There were poor brothers who preached treason, and knights and lords as well. And amongst those were some who whispered a specific treason: that the Black Dragon must return from across the narrow sea and take its rightful place. – The World of Ice and Fire.

: Bloodraven by Eliyadoodles

: Bloodraven & Shiera Seastar by hubsher

: Bloodraven by NaomiMakesArt

: Bloodraven by Vanessa Cole @vkcoleartist, commissioned by Ron of A Theory of Ice and Fire

: King’s Landing and Summerhall

: Lys & Tyrosh

: Whitewalls and Maidenpool

: King’s Landing and Harrenhal

: Starpike

The Five Year Gap (Con Panel Audio)

A great panel from Con of Thrones 2018, featuring Ash, Joe Magician, Bookshelfstud & JoannaLannister. Why scrapping the five year gap was a great idea, why GRRM planned it in the first place, and how many of the characters might have turned out if he hadn’t.

“It’s a lot harder [in real life]. Sometimes in my own life, I wish I could play a montage of my life. I want to get in shape now. So let’s do a montage, and boom — I’ll be fifty pounds lighter and in good shape, and it will only take me a minute with some montage of me lifting weights and running, shoving away the steak and having a salad. But of course in real life, you don’t get to montage. You have to go through it day by day.” – GRRM.

“It worked for characters like Arya and Dany but not so much for the adults or those who had a lot of action coming. He was writing chapters where Jon thought, “Well, not a lot has happened these past five years, it’s been kinda nice.” And Cersei chapters where she thought, “Well, I’ve had to kill sooo many people the last five years.” So he ended up dropping it. He said he would have done it sooner if he hadn’t told so many fans about it. And there is no gap anymore. “If a twelve-year old has to conquer the world, then so be it.” – SSM.

House Manderly: Part 2 – Winter is Coming… To White Harbor

This one starts with recent Manderly history and ends with thoughts on starvation, human sacrifice, cannibalism, fear and prophecy.

: Manderly Sigil by Eagle of Seagard

: Family Tree 1

: Family Tree 2

: Family Tree 3

: Family Tree 4

: Wyman, Wynafryd, and Wylla by Hong-Ara

: Wyman, Wendel, Wylis, and Donella by Sir-Heartsalot

: Big Walder and Wyman by GibiLynx

: Wyman, Wylis, Wendel, and Wylla by hubsher

: Wynafryd and Wylla by eluascinnamon

: Wylla Manderly by thethreehares and eliyadoodles

: Wyman Manderly by Jenny Slife (FacelessFrey)

: Wynafyrd and Wylla by furiousstarfishnerd

“While tearing apart a bird with fat fingers, Lord Wyman made polite inquiry after Lady Hornwood, who was a cousin of his. “She was born a Manderly, you know. Perhaps, when her grief has run its course, she would like to be a Manderly again, eh?” He took a bite from a wing, and smiled broadly. “As it happens, I am a widower these past eight years. Past time I took another wife, don’t you agree, my lords? A man does get lonely.” Tossing the bones aside, he reached for a leg. “Or if the lady fancies a younger lad, well, my son Wendel is unwed as well. He is off south guarding Lady Catelyn, but no doubt he will wish to take a bride on his return. A valiant boy, and jolly. Just the man to teach her to laugh again, eh?” He wiped a bit of grease off his chin with the sleeve of his tunic.” – Bran II, ACOK.

Why We Love: The Age of Heroes

The just-announced HBO pilot set during the Age of Heroes gives us a great reason to talk about that epic era and how it might look on TV. Join Aziz, Ash, LuciferMeansLightbringer, and JoeMagician and chat about this exciting news!

“Taking place thousands of years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones,’ the series chronicles the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour. And only one thing is for sure: from the horrifying secrets of Westeros’ history to the true origin of the white walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend … it’s not the story we think we know.”

“No one can even say for certain if Brandon the Builder ever lived. He is as remote from the time of the novels as Noah and Gilgamesh are from our own time.” – SSM.

Targaryen Politics in Post-Dragon Westeros (Con Panel Audio)

In this audio only episode, Aziz, Jim McGeehin (Something Like a Lawyer), Samantha Wallace & Steve Love discuss the paradigm shift in Westeros that occurred as the dragons died out. House Targaryen lost their great source of power, which necessitated many changes. Recorded live at Con of Thrones 2018.

House Manderly: Part 1 – Blood of the Merling

…a thousand years ago… We explore the double backstory of House Manderly, the ancient realm in the south where they came to be, and the ancient realm in the north where they reside and prosper now.

: The Mander

: King’s Landing

: White Knife

: Rhoyne

: Asshai

: Greenblood

: Oldtown

: Shield Islands

: Iron Islands

: The Bite

: Northeast

: Braavos

: Merling King

: Manderly Sigil (Eagle of Seagard)

The Manderlys are no northmen, not down deep. ‘Twas no more than nine hundred years ago when they came north, laden down with all their gold and gods. They’d been great lords on the Mander until they overreached themselves and the green hands slapped them down. The wolf king took their gold, but he gave them land and let them keep their gods.” – ADWD, Davos I

Why We Love: The Animals of ASOIAF

A live roundtable discussion centered around selected favorite animal-related quotes, plus an Ice & Fire Con ’18 chat! Ash is joined by Lady Gwyn (Radio Westeros), Haley (The Manimals & DrinkingGOT), Chloe (Drunk ASOIAF (and History), Ice & Fire Con) & Tara Lynne (The Geekiary, Ice & Fire Con).

The king was in no mood for more argument. “Enough, Ned, I will hear no more. A direwolf is a savage beast. Sooner or later it would have turned on your girl the same way the other did on my son. Get her a dog, she’ll be happier for it.” – AGOT, Eddard III

“Her son was attended by his kittens. As she watched the cats frolic about his feet, Cersei felt a little better. No harm will ever come to Tommen whilst I still live. She would kill half the lords in Westeros and all the common people, if that was what it took to keep him safe.” – AFFC, Cersei VIII

He always slept better with the great white wolf beside him; there was comfort in the smell of him, and welcome warmth in that shaggy pale fur.” – ACOK, Jon VII

Blackfyre Rebellions: Part 7 – Bloodraven

The first of THREE Bloodraven episodes and part 7 of our Blackfyre Rebellions series. This one covers the time from his birth until the death of King Daeron II.

Six years ago in King’s Landing, Dunk had seen him with his own two eyes, as he rode a pale horse up the Street of Steel with fifty Raven’s Teeth behind him. That was before King Aerys had ascended to the Iron Throne and made him the Hand, but even so he cut a striking figure, garbed in smoke and scarlet with Dark Sister on his hip. His pallid skin and bone-white hair made him look a living corpse. Across his cheek and chin spread a wine-stain birthmark that was supposed to resemble a red raven, though Dunk only saw an odd-shaped blotch of discolored skin. He stared so hard that Bloodraven felt it. The king’s sorcerer had turned to study him as he went by. He had one eye, and that one red. The other was an empty socket, the gift Bittersteel had given him upon the Redgrass Field. Yet it seemed to Dunk that both eyes had looked right through his skin, down to his very soul. Despite the heat, the memory made him shiver. – The Sworn Sword

: @Maryon_B

: @Maryon_B

: Abjiklam

: Abjiklam & Eagle of Seagard

: ProKriK

: WinryArts

: The Lady Rae

History on Blood and Fire w/ Daniele Bolelli

A special episode! This is a collaboration with Daniele Bolelli of the History on Fire podcast. We chat about a wide variety of real world historical influences on A Game of Thrones/ASOIAF.

The Wall comes from Hadrian’s Wall, which I saw while visiting Scotland. I stood on Hadrian’s Wall and tried to imagine what it would be like to be a Roman soldier sent here from Italy or Antioch. To stand here, to gaze off into the distance, not knowing what might emerge from the forest. Of course fantasy is the stuff of bright colours and being larger than real life, so my Wall is bigger and considerably longer and more magical. And, of course, what lies beyond it has to be more than just Scots.”