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House Blackwood: Part 1 – The Time of the Tree

House Blackwood and its origins begin in the most ancient of times, when the Children of the Forest held sway, and there were fewer people, and Houses, but more Kings and Kingdoms. We explore their connection to these ancient mysteries, their great creepy weirwood and the various wars and politics that led to current times, where Blackwoods marry Starks, Targaryens and others.

Blackwood’s solar was on the second floor of a cavernous timber keep. There was a fire burning in the hearth when they entered. The room was large and airy, with great beams of dark oak supporting the high ceiling. Woolen tapestries covered the walls, and a pair of wide latticework doors looked out upon the godswood. Through their thick, diamond-shaped panes of yellow glass Jaime glimpsed the gnarled limbs of the tree from which the castle took its name. It was a weirwood ancient and colossal, ten times the size of the one in the Stone Garden at Casterly Rock. This tree was bare and dead, though.

“The Brackens poisoned it,” said his host. “For a thousand years it has not shown a leaf. In another thousand it will have turned to stone, the maesters say. Weirwoods never rot.”

“And the ravens?” asked Jaime. “Where are they?”

“They come at dusk and roost all night. Hundreds of them. They cover the tree like black leaves, every limb and every branch. They have been coming for thousands of years. How or why, no man can say, yet the tree draws them every night.”

– Jaime I, ADWD

Images

  • Rhaelle Targaryen & Betha Blackwood by Poly-Hebdo
  • Algernon Blackwood
  • House Blackwood sigil
  • Raventree Hall by Drafturgy
  • Raventree Hall by Elena Maria Vacas
  • Daella Targaryen by Poly-Hebdo
  • House Teague sigil by Lord Evermore
  • House Targaryen & House Blackwood by Abjiklam
  • Wolfswood & Winterfell
  • Size of Wolfswood
  • Path from Wolfswood to Blackwood Vale
    Path from Wolfswood to Blackwood Vale
  • Riverlands at the time
  • Blackwood Vale and Stone Hedge
    Stonehedge
  • High Heart
  • Crownlands
  • Fairmarket

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: a song of ice and fire, ancient history, andals, benedict justman, benedict rivers, blackwood, blackwood vale, children of the forest, first men, house blackwood, house bracken, house hoare, house justman, house stark, house targaryen, house teague, house tully, raventree hall, tristifer mudd, weirwood, wolfswood

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

Outline

@Maryon_B
@Maryon_B
@Maryon_B
@Maryon_B

Abjiklam
Abjiklam
Abjiklam & Eagle of Seagard
Abjiklam & Eagle of Seagard

ProKriK
ProKriK
WinryArts
WinryArts

The Lady Rae
The Lady Rae

Filed Under: Blog, Episodes Tagged With: aegon iv targaryen, aegon the unworthy, aegor rivers, audio, bittersteel, blackfyre rebellion, bloodraven, brynden rivers, daemon blackfyre, daeron ii the good, house blackfyre, house blackwood, melissa blackwood, raven's teeth, shiera seastar, the tales of dunk and egg, video

Plots: The Riverlands Part 3 (spoilers)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URtUiBAllLQ

We discuss themes of aftermath, devastation and chaos at the end of the War of the Five Kings. Mostly through the eyes of Brienne and Jaime, we see topics that include the siege of Riverrun, the Quiet Isle, Harrenhal, Sandor Clegane, the Blackfish, and many others set in the Riverlands.
Too many corpses, these days.

When morning broke the snow was ankle deep, and deeper in the godswood, where drifts had piled up under the trees.

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Bran Vras’ “Winterfell Behind Closed Doors (Winterfell Huis Clos)”

Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: amerei frey, audio, bloody mummers, bonifer hasty, brienne of tarth, brotherhood without banners, brynden blackfish, darry, edmure tully, elder brother, emmon frey, gatehouse ami, genna lannister, gravedigger, harrenhal, house blackwood, house bracken, house frey, house mallister, house piper, house tully, house vance, jaime lannister, lady stoneheart, lancel lannister, littlefinger, nymeria, petyr baelish, qyburn, randyll tarly, red ronnet connington, riverrun, robb's will, sandor clegane, septon meribald, the quiet isle, video, wylis manderly

Bonus: Come-Into-My-Castle (spoilers)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmWwNIJR1XI

A video-only edition, this is part 1 of a short series on the games of Westeros. We start with Come-Into-My-Castle.
May I come into your castle, my lady?

“…laden with very creepy innuendo.” – Ashaya

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: arya stark, games of westeros, house blackwood, house bracken, margaery tyrell, penny, petyr baelish, rickon stark, sansa stark, tyrion lannister, video, walder frey

History: The Riverlands Part 2 (spoiler free)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9bBPhS-CaA

Steve and Aziz discuss the history of the Riverlands from Aegon’s Conquest up to the Red Wedding. The Riverlands’ role in the War Against the Faith, The Dance of the Dragons, The Blackfyre Rebellions, Robert’s Rebellion, the Greyjoy Rebellions and the War of the Five Kings are all covered. Houses Darry, Lothston, Mooton, Tully, Mallister and many more.
Tell them I want to see the riverlands afire from the Gods Eye to the Red Fork.

There was some trouble with Steve’s mic early on, but it is corrected for most of the video. The problem does not exist on the audio iTunes, Facebook, and TalkShoe versions.

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: audio, blackfyre rebellion, brynden blackfish, dance of the dragons, gregor clegane, greyjoy rebellion, house blackwood, house bracken, house darry, house lothston, house mallister, house mooton, house tully, inn at the crossroads, red fork, robert's rebellion, the faith, tywin lannister, video, war of five kings

History: The Riverlands Part 1 (spoiler free)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gDLkPJf0bg

Steve and Aziz discuss the history of the Riverlands from the Dawn Age to Aegon’s Conquest. They discuss Houses Blackwood, Mudd, Bracken, Frey, Mallister, Tully, Lothston, along with many more.
He was called the Hammer of Justice, and the singers say that he fought a hundred battles and won nine-and-ninety. When he raised his castle, now a ruin known only as Oldstones, it was the strongest in Westeros.

“It wasn’t long before Balerion had burned Harren and his sons to death and the Riverlands submitted to Aegon.” – Aziz

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Filed Under: Episodes Tagged With: audio, blue fork, green fork, harren the black, harrenhal, house blackwood, house bracken, house frey, house hoare, house lothston, house mallister, house mudd, house qoherys, house tully, house whent, red fork, riverrun, ruby ford, weirwood

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